Verbal Diorama
Are you interested in how movies are made? Do you wonder how a film went from conception to completion? If so, Verbal Diorama, hosted by Em, is the award-winning(!) podcast for you! Movies are tough to make, and Verbal Diorama is here to celebrate the coming together of teams of extraordinary cast and crew, bringing us movies that inspire us, delight us, make us laugh, make us cry and frighten us. This podcast discovers the stories behind the scenes, and proves how amazing it is that movies actually exist! Welcome to Verbal Diorama. The podcast all about the history and...
S7 E294 · Thu, April 10, 2025
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Sonic’s journey from video game to blockbuster film should have been straightforward. From Sega’s fierce rivalry with Nintendo, to the chaotic path of bringing Sonic to life on the big screen, there are more twists and turns in this story than Green Hill Zone. Sega’s quest for a mascot that could rival Mario led to the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, but several attempts to make a movie fell at the first, second, third and fourth hurdles. Finally, after Sony put their project into turnaround, Paramount Pictures sped in and Sonic's new design was finally launched! The muscular legs, the fur, the gloveless hands, the human teeth! The fan criticism and backlash to Sonic's design was unprecedented, but so was what happened next... The uproar from fans was the catalyst for a superfast redesign, that not only respected the character’s legacy, but made him relatable to new audiences. Sonic’s evolution and the importance of fan engagement shaped the movie, leading it to become a beloved franchise. God bless Ugly Sonic! Ken Pender's pitch for Sonic Armageddon I would love to hear your thoughts on Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited
Bonus · Thu, April 03, 2025
(From the Archive) Team America: World Police
A musical with sweary puppets might be one of the biggest movie miracles of all time. Team America: World Police started out as an homage to Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds mixed with Jerry Bruckheimer all-action, post 9/11 US foreign policy and a hint of disaster movies. It's likely that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone simply had no idea what they were in for when they agreed to make this movie and release it in October 2004. They had five months(!) Five months to make a fully practical movie starring marionettes, with scale sets and explosions and montages and sex! With zero CGI. Did they do it? Bleep yeah. This episode explains how, and why we should be retrospectively praising this movie for more than its satire. This episode was originally released on 16th June 2022 Mentioned in this episode: From the Archive There's no new episode this week, so I thought you might be interested in revisiting this slightly older, but no less brilliant episode. Just bear in mind, this episode is several years old, it may not sound quite as polished as newer episodes, and new information may have come to light in recent years with regards to the making of this movie (please see above for the original date of release) Please enjoy this time capsule of an episode. Thanks for listening! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S7 E293 · Thu, March 27, 2025
I, Tonya
Tonya Harding's story highlights the struggles of being an underdog in a highly elitist sport like figure skating, where social status can overshadow talent. The media portrayal of Harding changed public perception, making her the undisputed villain of the narrative. But there's always two sides to every story. Or three. And there may be truth, or there may just be someone's truth. I, Tonya sheds light on the cycle of abuse and the complexities of Tonya’s relationships with her mother and ex-husband. The infamous "incident" with Nancy Kerrigan transformed figure skating, bringing unprecedented attention and scrutiny to the sport. While Tonya Harding made mistakes, and was severely punished for them, her journey reflects the harsh realities faced by many women in sports and society at large. In the end, it's all about understanding the human behind the headlines and recognizing that everyone has their own truth, even if it's messy. I would love to hear your thoughts on I, Tonya ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Mu
S7 E292 · Thu, March 20, 2025
Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich proves that sometimes the biggest heroes come in the most unexpected packages, like a single mum with a penchant for swearing and a relentless drive for justice. With zero legal training but a whole lot of heart, Erin uncovers a scandal involving toxic waste poisoning a small California town’s drinking water, proving that you don't need a fancy law degree to take on a multi-billion dollar corporation. Julia Roberts, who snagged her first, and so far only, Oscar for her portrayal of Erin Brockovich, didn't just play a role; she smashed through Hollywood's glass ceiling, becoming the first woman to score a $20 million salary for her performance. Because who doesn’t love a good underdog story where the hero wears a tank top and has a potty mouth? This is 98% of a true story of David and what's-his-name ?, with real-life implications of hexavalent chromium contamination and its devastating effects on the residents of Hinkley, California. Erin Brockovich isn't just a feel-good movie; it’s a sobering reminder of the real-world consequences of corporate negligence. Erin Brockovich reminds us that behind every legal fight, there are real people with heart-wrenching stories and dreams of better futures. I would love to hear your thoughts on Erin Brockovich ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERB
S7 E291 · Thu, March 13, 2025
Elizabeth (1998)
Queen Elizabeth I was a formidable leader who defied the norms of her time, cleverly balancing the expectations placed upon her as a woman with her ambitions as a ruler. An Indian director and an Australian lead actor came together to bring us a truly brilliant biographical drama on the ascension to the-then Catholic English throne of the Protestant Elizabeth I, in Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth . Queen Elizabeth I was a powerful female figure in a male-dominated society, and Elizabeth accurately emphasizes her real life ability to navigate political waters with grace and power. Cate Blanchett's performance as the young Elizabeth is not just iconic; it's a masterclass in acting, showcasing her transformation from a naive young woman to a formidable queen. That doesn't mean this movie is particularly historically accurate in other things, though. There was no poisoned dress. It was totally fabricated. ;-) Regardless of accuracy, Elizabeth 's legacy gives us a glimpse of what life may have been like for the UK without the Virgin Queen's influence, and its implications for contemporary discussions on gender and power. Elizabeth herself is not just as a historical figure but a symbol of resilience and strength for women everywhere. I would love to hear your thoughts on Elizabeth (1998) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT</str
S7 E290 · Thu, March 06, 2025
The Woman King
This month on Verbal Diorama, we celebrate Women’s History Month, and it’s the perfect time to highlight the Agojie; fierce African warriors of the kingdom of Dahomey, who fought not just for their country, but for a legacy that resonates today. Watching The Woman King is like stepping into a vivid tapestry of history, action, and empowerment that celebrates the resilience of women in an often overlooked narrative - 19th century black women in positions of power and influence. It’s not just about battles and victories; it's about the emotional journey of these women, their struggles, and their triumphs against the backdrop of a kingdom at war. There's no way to sugar coat the fact that the film's portrayal of Dahomey's involvement in the Atlantic slave trade isn't entirely accurate, however there are always nuanced discussions about historical representation in movies that are here primarily to entertain. And The Woman King does indeed entertain, as well as tell an important story of sisterhood, strength, bravery and shines a light on black women's excellence. While The Woman King is fictionalized, it still sheds light on significant female roles in African history - history that we may not know without this movie's existence. Representation matters, and The Woman King serves as a powerful example of how narratives centred around strong black women can inspire future generations. Let's just hope Hollywood sees fit to make more of them... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Woman King ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star <a href="https://verbal
Bonus · Thu, February 27, 2025
(From the Archive) Treasure Planet
A look back into the archive now, for a movie I've mentioned several times in previous episodes, talking about John Musker and Ron Clements, and the movie they actually really wanted to make. This is it - Treasure Planet . And it is, indeed, a treasure, but like Atlantis: The Lost Empire , it was lost on early 2000s Disney viewers, but it's an outstanding achievement, looks beautiful, and is largely forgotten in Disney's back catalogue. It deserves re-evaluation though, as does this very old episode of the podcast! (Episode originally released 1st March 2020) I would love to hear your thoughts on (From the Archive) Treasure Planet ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Sade, Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott,
S7 E289 · Thu, February 20, 2025
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
This podcast is now six! And to celebrate, some post-Renaissance Disney. If Atlantis really existed, no one wrote about it until Plato, who did so 9,000 years after its destruction. Atlantis: The Lost Empire draws from Plato's original Atlantis myth, as well as classic adventures stories like Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864) and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), Victorian-era adventure fiction and steampunk, various New Age interpretations of Atlantis, and elements from Edgar Cayce's "readings" about Atlantis. This movie's interpretation of the Atlantis myth is firmly rooted in a technologically advanced civilization, with its own language (a language that only Milo Thatch can read!), and visually inspired by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola; everything about Atlantis: The Lost Empire was huge, in both style and scope. It remains one of the most beautiful and epic movies of Disney’s animated back catalogue. Despite its lacklustre box office, it's grown into a true cult classic and fan favourite in the years since its release, but it has also been accused of white saviour tropes, clichéd characters and plagiarism... I would love to hear your thoughts on Atlantis: The Lost Empire ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hoste
S7 E288 · Mon, February 17, 2025
Hercules (1997)
This podcast is now six! And to celebrate, some Renaissance Disney. The story of Heracles is revered across Greek mythology, but this isn't Heracles. This is Hercules . Same guy, kind of, but this isn't just a retelling of a Greek myth—it's a whole exploration of what makes a true hero; taking some "creative liberties" with the original myth—goodbye tragic backstories, hello superhero narratives (as well as Disney's penchant for merchandise!) Hercules ’ journey from zero to hero is basically the story of Superman (with a bit of Rocky thrown in for good measure) and the celebrity of Michael Jordan, introducing everything from his quirky sidekick Phil, antagonist Hades, love interest Megara, and the Muses who steal the show with their gospel flair. It's a stark contrast to the serious, more Oscar-bait films that preceded it, like Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame . A movie about Hercules isn't really focused on Hercules though, because Hades exists, and Meg is also one of Disney's most complex and interesting heroines. The film's animation style was a bold departure from previous Disney works, merging traditional and modern techniques, taking inspiration from Gerald Scarfe. Hercules is fun, flawed and fascinating, it’s timeless and so very late '90s, and only exists so that John Musker and Ron Clements could make the movie they actually really wanted to make instead.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Hercules (1997) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star R
S6 E287 · Thu, February 13, 2025
(Basil) The Great Mouse Detective
This podcast is now six! And to celebrate - some pre-Renaissance Disney. Basil may just be a little mouse, but this little mouse packed a mighty punch for Disney during a time when the animation studio was teetering on the edge of disaster. With a mix of clever storytelling, dark visuals, and a villain who’s as charismatic as he is frightening, Basil proves that sometimes, the smallest heroes can save the day—or in this case, an entire animation division! The Great Mouse Detective (or Basil the Great Mouse Detective!) played a crucial role in ushering in the Disney Renaissance, and how its success helped revive the company's animation legacy, after the critical and financial disaster that was The Black Cauldron . Coming out at a crucial time for Disney, with a changing of the senior management guard, and combining traditional animation with early CGI, Basil has never had the acknowledgement he deserves for persuading Disney's senior management that investing in new movies, rather than just re-releasing old ones, was the way forward... And they did all of this in one year, with a massively reduced budget. I would love to hear your thoughts on (Basil) The Great Mouse Detective ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed b
S6 E286 · Thu, February 06, 2025
Shrek 2
Shrek and Fiona, fresh off their 'happily ever after', are invited to a Royal Ball in celebration of their marriage. It's being held, far far away in the kingdom of Far Far Away, by Fiona's parents, the King and Queen of Far Far Away, aka Mum and Dad. But hold on to your boots (Puss), because Shrek, being an actual ogre, faces a bit of a challenge fitting in with the royal family—especially when they expected the dashing Prince Charming, instead of a swamp-dwelling ogre. Shrek 2 builds on its predecessor, exploring themes of self-acceptance and the chaos of familial relationships, giving us more depth, elaborating on the story we’ve seen, and carrying it on naturally. He’s married the princess, now he has to meet the parents. Shrek 2 is seen by many as a perfect sequel. Not a perfect movie, but a perfect sequel. This is also a movie with heart, with a great central villain who’s clearly been in it for the long run, and all Fairy Godmother wants is her boy on the throne. Shrek getting a sequel was obvious, but wait, isn't this series making fun of Disney constantly churning out mediocre sequels? It's a good job this one is actually decent, right? But really, aren't we all just here for Puss in Boots? Just look at him, in his little boots! Awwwww! And where have all the good men gone? I would love to hear your thoughts on Shrek 2 ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a <a href="ht
S6 E285 · Thu, January 30, 2025
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
In 1992, US President George H.W. Bush famously remarked, during a speech at the Annual Convention of the National Religious Broadcasters, that the American family needs to be “a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons.” The longest-running American animated series, longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, both in seasons and individual episodes. The Simpsons is, quite frankly, a phenomenon, and the long-awaited The Simpsons Movie took nearly two decades to come to fruition, as fans eagerly anticipated a feature film adaptation of their beloved show. But despite being a long-running, beloved show, the making of the movie wasn't easy, and it faced numerous rewrites, with the script being revised over a hundred times before its release. Many iconic characters from the series made appearances, with a total of over 320 characters included throughout the movie, with creator Matt Groening aiming to create a cinematic experience that would appeal to both long-time fans and newcomers to the franchise. But appealing to newcomers led to many fan-favourite characters being omitted from the script, and somehow Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rainier Wolfcastle exist within the same universe? But who copied whom? I guess we'll never truly know... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Simpsons Movie (2007) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | <strong
S6 E284 · Thu, January 23, 2025
ParaNorman
Speaking of a family with gifts, young Norman Babcock happens to be able to speak to the dead, making him a social outcast to humans, but also probably the only person who can stop zombies rising from their graves... ParaNorman 's unique approach to horror allows it to explore serious societal issues through animation, and creatively blends animated horror with heartfelt themes of acceptance and understanding. Laika Studios have never been one to follow the leader, and while other studios were focusing on CG animation, Laika removed it's CG department purely for stop-motion. Developing groundbreaking techniques first used on Coraline , enhanced further for ParaNorman , including colour 3D printing, to create over 31,000 props. ParaNorman , which also features the first openly gay character in an American animated film, emphasizes the importance of communication and empathy in overcoming fear and prejudice. This is a movie that doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of the past, with historical references shaping ParaNorman ’s story, particularly the Salem witch trials Like Norman’s Grandma says when Norman tells her the zombie eats brains… “he’s going to ruin his dinner. I’m sure if they just bothered to sit down and talk it through, it would be a different story”. I would love to hear your thoughts on ParaNorman ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a <a
S6 E283 · Thu, January 16, 2025
Encanto
Welcome to The Family Madrigal , and the Surface Pressure hiding underneath the perfect façade of a magical family with wonderful gifts - everyone except Mirabel. Who probably wonders " What Else Can I Do ?" on the regular, when her Abuela seems to blame her for everything. All Of You probably know the intergenerational trauma this movie perfectly depicts, but it's also a movie that took the time to show deep love and respect for Colombia, mi encanto . By having a Colombian Cultural Trust, and directors willing to take on suggestions and ideas, to make Encanto diverse and representative of real Colombian life, traditions and culture. Tuns out, Stephanie Beatriz was also Waiting on a Miracle , while recording that exact song. We Don't Talk About Bruno , except we do. Because Bruno is one of the most complex and interesting characters in this movie. And while Abuela has suffered great loss, become a refugee and a single parent to triplets in the space of one day, beautifully encapsulated by the Academy Award-nominated Dos Orugitas , she's also making her entire family suffer through her own anxiety and trauma. Basically Encanto is pretty special, and it's one of Disney's greatest modern animated films because of it. And that's why coffee's for grown-ups! I would love to hear your thoughts on Encanto ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon |
S6 E282 · Thu, January 09, 2025
Turning Red
There's Nobody Like U, Turning Red . Turning Red is a ground-breaking animated film, rightfully kicking off Animation Season 2025 in style, with magical puberty front and centre, that addresses the universal struggles of adolescence through the story of Mei Lee, a 13-year-old girl caught between her familial obligations and her burgeoning independence. Domee Shi's feature-length directorial debut represents a significant milestone as Pixar's first solo female director and first female director of colour, as well as having the first all-female lead team, and a unique animation style influenced by anime and traditional Chinese culture, enhancing its visual storytelling. And Red Panda Mei is SO FLUFFY! It's also a deft exploration of cultural identity reflecting the immigrant experience, of balancing family expectations with personal desires, as well as tackling periods; a subject that remains taboo in most situations, encouraging open conversations about menstruation. It captures the awkwardness and excitement of teenage life—particularly for girls who feel the weight of both cultural and familial expectations. Critically acclaimed yet hugely financially underperforming, Turning Red highlights the challenges faced by diverse narratives in mainstream cinema. It's more than just a children's movie; it is a celebration of the regular, normal, everyday experiences that shape us all. Let's relive our awkward teen experiences together! 4*Town 4 EVER!!! I would love to hear your thoughts on Turning Red ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star <a href="https://v
Bonus · Thu, January 02, 2025
(From the Archive) The Transfomers: The Movie (1986)
Happy New Year and Ba weep granah weep nini bong to you all! Transformers started out as a toy line, and became a comic and a TV series, and it was making huge profits for parent company Hasbro, but what do you do when you want to introduce a whole new toy line and get rid of the old ones? Why, you make a feature length animation to kill off the ones you don't want anymore. It'll be easy, right? Well, turns out Hasbro ignored the advice of seasoned writer Ron Friedman, who insisted killing Optimus Prime would be a terrible idea. Hasbro went ahead and massacred not only Optimus, but other fan favourite characters, just to get kids to want new toys. While this decision is seen as one of the worst ideas in Transformers history, it arguably made The Transformers: The Movie into more than meets the eye, and while the move failed at the box office, its legacy in animation history would be preserved as an emotionally impactful story for millions of fans, and is now a beloved cult classic. I would love to hear your thoughts on (From the Archive) The Transfomers: The Movie (1986) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.<
S6 E281 · Mon, December 23, 2024
Elf
Before we learn how all about the history and legacy of a modern Christmas classic, let's recite the "Code of the Elves," shall we? Number one; "Treat every day like Christmas." Number two; "There's room for everyone on the nice list." Number three; "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear." Just for those listeners on Santa's nice list, the enduring appeal of Elf lies in its ability to resonate with audiences of all ages, and the importance of believing in the magic of Christmas, just like Buddy the Elf. Heavily inspired by the Rankin Bass animated Christmas specials of the 1960s, Jon Favreau's vision for Elf included using practical effects to evoke nostalgia, as well as keep it timeless. And casting Will Ferrell's as Buddy was a masterstroke; his improvisation ended up making the character even more innocent and funny. It didn't mean the movie was without issues though. The film's production faced legal scrutiny over its inspiration from those Rankin Bass holiday specials, but ultimately it was cleared of any infringement. The stop-motion, by the Chiodo Brothers, is a small but mighty part of how the movie feels as fresh as it did in 2003. Elf's heart-warming message of kindness, believing in magic, and family togetherness cements it as the modern Christmas classic. There are a lot of strange links to Lord of the Rings, though, and all of them are intentional. Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to you all! I would love to hear your thoughts on Elf ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Rev
S6 E280 · Thu, December 19, 2024
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Looks like you've found yourself on Santa's Naughty List! How the Grinch Stole Christmas isn't just a beloved holiday classic; it’s a deep dive into the complexities of acceptance, compassion, and the true spirit of Christmas, that also contains a Mean One! From Dr. Seuss's iconic original story to its 1966 animated version and the 2000 live-action adaptation featuring Jim Carrey, the Grinch's transformation from a cynical hermit to a figure of redemption mirrors our own struggles with loneliness and societal pressures during the holiday season. The live-action movie's rights were auctioned by Dr Seuss' widow, Audrey Geisel, in 1998; with a list of strict rules the winning studio had to follow. Ron Howard's idea to flesh out the backstory of the character, and to give more agency to Cindy Lou Who was part of the winning bid, and Geisel wanted a big name star like Jim Carrey to play her late husband's iconic green character. She got Jim Carrey. But his gruelling makeup and costume process would cause tensions on the elaborately designed set that brought Whoville to life. Christmas is about more than just presents; it's about togetherness and the power of kindness, regardless of how big our hearts might be. The Grinch's story is ultimately one of of acceptance and the true spirit of Christmas. I would love to hear your thoughts on How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Sen
S6 E279 · Thu, December 12, 2024
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Perennial Christmas classic Lethal Weapon redefined the buddy cop genre with its festive setting, unique characters and the undisputed chemistry between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Shane Black's screenplay combined humour and action and made it a benchmark for future action films, and Richard Donner's direction brought a skilled touch to the film's pacing and storytelling. Unlike other buddy cop or action movies of the 80s, it also explores deep themes of depression, grief, and trauma, particularly through Riggs's character. Lethal Weapon broke new ground by incorporating themes of emotional vulnerability in its portrayal of masculinity. The cultural impact of Lethal Weapon is also prevalent, particularly how it addresses themes of race and the changing portrayal of law enforcement in cinema. The narrative resonates differently in today's context, especially regarding ongoing discussions about police conduct and racial dynamics in America. Lethal Weapon isn't just as a successful action film, but as a poignant commentary on friendship, trauma, and societal issues, as well as the power of found family - even if the dinner's aren't all that great... I would love to hear your thoughts on Lethal Weapon (1987) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produce
S6 E278 · Thu, December 05, 2024
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Before I begin, I notice that Chancellor Jarnathan is not present...? I'm back from an extended break, deciding to do an episode on Dungeons & Dragons , and its fifty-year history and legacy as the most popular TTRPG in the world. Easing myself back into podcasting slowly, then, because it's safe to say nothing has impacted geek culture like Dungeons & Dragons , since its debut in 1974. It evolved from its early iterations to mainstream popularity, especially with the rise of its fifth edition. It wasn't without its controversies, though. Its associations with the 'Satanic Panic' significantly affected its public perception in the 1980s, and led to Evangelical Christian groups linking it with suicides. This isn't the first time Dungeons & Dragons has been adapted to the screen either, with the popular 1983-1985 animated series, and the not-so-popular movie in 2000, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves started its earliest conception in 2013, and had plenty of delays along the way. Despite ongoing rights issues and a global pandemic, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves remarkably manages to honour D&D's legacy and lore, while ensuring authenticity for fans, and accessibility for non-fans and casual moviegoers alike. Despite its critical success, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves faced challenges at the box office, mostly due to some Italian plumbers, but also a fan backlash against owners Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast. This movie deserves to find an audience, and hopefully it will, once Jarnathan arrives... Interested in finding out more about D&D or listening to others' campaigns? Here's some great indie D&D podcasts: Time to Die - https://timetodie.podbean.com/ Join The Party - https://www.jointhepartypod.com/ Dungeons & Dragons & Daughters - https://dungeonsdragonsdaughters.podbean.com/ Do Dragons Dream of Scorched Sheep? - https://shows.acast.com/scorchedsheep I would love to hear your thoughts on Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congrat
Bonus · Thu, November 28, 2024
(From the Archive) Your Name. (君の名は。)
How can I write about Your Name? Is it possible to convey the jaw dropping beauty and breath-taking majesty of Your Name with words? I'm not really sure it is, but I take a stab at it in Episode 77 anyway, because Your Name is truly something magical and resplendent to witness. A simple boy meets girl love story, with an added element of celestial forces; Your Name takes a simple story and elevates it to a visual treat as well as an emotional powerhouse. Put simply, if you don't believe in true love or soulmates, you'll walk away from Your Name believing that both are possible, that connections between strangers exist and that person you took a double-glance at in the street may have been someone you knew, but you just don't remember that you knew them. Episode originally released 21st January 2021 Mentioned in this episode: From the Archive There's no new episode this week, so I thought you might be interested in revisiting this slightly older, but no less brilliant episode. Just bear in mind, this episode is several years old, it may not sound quite as polished as newer episodes, and new information may have come to light in recent years with regards to the making of this movie (please see above for the original date of release) Please enjoy this time capsule of an episode. Thanks for listening! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Bonus · Thu, November 21, 2024
(From the Archive) A League of Their Own (1992)
In 1943, Philip K. Wrigley (of chewing gum fame!) founded the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in order to maintain sport and public morale during World War II, at a time when many eligible young men, including professional sportsmen, were drafted to fight overseas. Whilst A League of Their Own is a mostly fictional account of the players and founders behind the AAGPBL, it still tells a story of the real-life resilience, spirit and tenacity of the young women involved, many of whom had husbands fighting in the war, coming together to provide entertainment and boost the morale of the nation through sport, despite the sexism and misogyny of the era. Penny Marshall's 1992 movie remains my favourite, and dare I say it, the greatest sports movie of all time. A story of determination, sisterly love, sacrifice and friendship within the very real backdrop of World War II, when women could finally prove they were more than just potential housewives and mothers. Geena Davis embodies the 40s starlet as the statuesque, seemingly perfect Dottie Hinson. Tom Hanks, playing against type as alcoholic ex-player-turned-manager Jimmy Dugan delivers most of the movie's iconic lines. Lori Petty as Kit Keller, just wants to step out of her older sister's perfect shadow and Madonna, in probably one of her most beloved screen roles, as "All The Way" Mae Mordabito, with a great on-screen comedic partnership with Rosie O'Donnell's brash Doris Murphy. Even though the real AAGPBL was dismantled in 1954, its legacy lives on in this movie. It encapsulates a time in recent history that not many are still alive to tell the story of. Sadly, Mary Pratt, the last remaining member of that inaugural 1943 Rockford Peaches roster, passed away just before this episode was (originally) released. She lived to 101 and spent her life championing women's sport. These women were inspirational, trail-blazing, legacy-creating and really were in a league of their own. Episode originally released 14th May 2020 Mentioned in this episode: From the Archive There's no new episode this week, so I thought you might be interested in revisiting this slightly older, but no less brilliant episode. Just bear in mind, this episode is several years old, it may not sound quite as polished as newer episodes, and new information may have come to light in recent years with regards to the making of this movie (please see above for the original date of release) Please enjoy this time capsule of an episode. Thanks for listening! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Bonus · Thu, November 14, 2024
(From the Archive) Josie and the Pussycats
Hello, I'm Em. And yes, I'm a podcast host. No, I said cappuccino. I'm here to talk to you about something very important. And no, it's not about me or my podcast. I'm here to talk about subliminal messages in rock and roll music. Or as it's simply known in some cultures, 'rock music'. You see, for years the government has been wisely coercing teenagers to buy products they normally wouldn't want, just to get their money. Fact! Kids don't have bills to pay. Fact! They don't pay taxes. But! They do babysit and hold minimum wage jobs that earn them wads of cash as substantial as, well, my body of work. But kids today aren't dumb. They're not gonna buy just anything. That's why the government has been planting small subliminal advertising suggestions in today's rock music. The results? We can now get these kids to buy just about anything. We can have them chasing a new trend every week. And that is good for the economy. And what's good for the economy... is good for the country. So God bless the United States Of America - the most ass-kickin' country... in the world! And god bless Josie and the Pussycats ! (Let's hope this episode isn't a "take the Chevy to the levy" situation. Du Jour means seat belts! Du Jour means crash positions!) Ross Burlingame's IndieGoGo for Best Movie Ever: A Totally Jerkin' Book , an oral history of Josie and the Pussycats can be found here Episode originally released 18th March 2021 Mentioned in this episode: From the Archive There's no new episode this week, so I thought you might be interested in revisiting this slightly older, but no less brilliant episode. Just bear in mind, this episode is several years old, it may not sound quite as polished as newer episodes, and new information may have come to light in recent years with regards to the making of this movie (please see above for the original date of release) Please enjoy this time capsule of an episode. Thanks for listening! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Bonus · Thu, November 07, 2024
(From the Archive) Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
From a great well-known cast of faces, such as William Sadler, Jada Pinkett, Billy Zane, Dick Miller and Thomas Haden Church to some genuinely spooky great practical effects and world building, Demon Knight really delivers in a way most low-budget horror movies don't. Not to mention, it's probably the only horror movie where a black woman is the final girl, and she saves the world! I never thought I'd say that Billy Zane was the best part of anything.... he chews the scenery like never before or again as The Collector. Maybe he's entranced me into doing this episode? Maybe I'm possessed? What is this green goo?! Episode originally released 31st October 2020 Mentioned in this episode: From the Archive There's no new episode this week, so I thought you might be interested in revisiting this slightly older, but no less brilliant episode. Just bear in mind, this episode is several years old, it may not sound quite as polished as newer episodes, and new information may have come to light in recent years with regards to the making of this movie (please see above for the original date of release) Please enjoy this time capsule of an episode. Thanks for listening! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S6 E277 · Thu, October 31, 2024
Halloween (1978)
Halloween has a complex and multifaceted legacy, intertwining themes of fear, adolescence, and societal commentary. The exploration of the concept of the 'Final Girl,' epitomized by Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Laurie’s character represents resilience and survival, challenging traditional gender roles often depicted in horror films, and her casting was just a simple publicity stunt really. Her mother was the original scream queen, Janet Leigh, and Psycho's DNA is woven throughout this movie in more ways than one... John Carpenter and Debra Hill crafted a narrative for Halloween that goes beyond simple scares, incorporating deeper messages about innocence, morality, and the unpredictability of evil. Carpenter's innovative filming techniques, such as the use of point-of-view shots that enhance the sense of being hunted, a tactic that has become a staple in horror storytelling, leading Michael Myers to becoming the granddaddy of slashers, and the villain to end all villains. Halloween resonated with audiences, and the growing popularity of horror as a genre, and it remains not only a beloved classic but also a significant work that continues to inspire and provoke thought about the horror genre and society's fears. And it all started with the idea of murdering babysitters... I would love to hear your thoughts on Halloween (1978) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a <
S6 E276 · Thu, October 24, 2024
Friday the 13th (1980)
There's a curse at Camp Crystal Lake. It's going to be a Long Night at Camp Blood. Except that didn't turn out to be the title of this movie. The original Friday the 13th cleverly subverts horror tropes by making the killer a middle-aged mother, capitalizing on the fears associated with the number 13, as well as the success of Halloween in 1978. Betsy Palmer's portrayal of Pamela Voorhees, who only shows up in the final moments, makes her one of horror's most subversive, and yet misremembered villains. Remember that scene in Scream ? The answer is not Jason Voorhees, but it is for the myriad sequels to follow... With memorable effects by Tom Savini, the success of Friday the 13th led to a surge of slasher movies throughout the early 1980s, not all as successful as this one, and also led to the death of the slasher, until A Nightmare on Elm Street came along to revive it... They all should have listened to Crazy Ralph! I would love to hear your thoughts on Friday the 13th (1980) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/Compositionsbychloe/" rel="noo
S6 E275 · Thu, October 17, 2024
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
40 years ago, slashers took a terrifying turn, when Wes Craven suggested that we could not only be haunted by our nightmares, but also die from the creatures within them. Craven's creation of Freddy Krueger stemmed from a haunting childhood memory that inspired the character - called Fred Krueger in this movie only - and the true unexplained deaths of Cambodian immigrants who randomly died in their sleep. While cinema was becoming saturated with cheap, clichéd knock-offs after Halloween and Friday the 13th , A Nightmare on Elm Street would successfully reinvent the genre; blending supernatural slasher horror with innovative visual effects on a low budget. Despite initial rejections from major studios, New Line Cinema took a chance on this unique horror concept, leading to huge success for the fledgling independent production company, and Robert Englund's portrayal of Freddy Krueger would become one of horror's most iconic villains, and make Englund synonymous with the character across the franchise. But don't pour blood-coloured water on live electrics... I would love to hear your thoughts on A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | <a href="https://www.captivate.fm/sig
S6 E274 · Thu, October 10, 2024
Child's Play (1988)
Horror icon Chucky was originally created by UCLA student Don Mancini, evolving from a script originally titled ' Batteries Not Included ' which then became ' Blood Buddy ', where the character was named Buddy. Potential lawsuit with Hasbro aside, Buddy would eventually become Chucky; the movie was eventually renamed Child's Play , and would become a ground-breaking horror film that successfully combined dark comedy with genuine suspense. The animatronics used for Chucky were state-of-the-art for the late 1980s, and the film's success spawned an entire franchise that includes sequels, merchandise, and a television series. But it wasn't all fun and games behind the scenes. Significant changes to Child's Play were made after poor test screenings, leading to a more streamlined movie and the controversy surrounding the entire Child's Play franchise, especially regarding violence, had lasting implications for horror films here in the UK. I would love to hear your thoughts on Child's Play (1988) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal
S6 E273 · Thu, October 03, 2024
Bill & Ted Face the Music
Bill & Ted creators Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson, along with stars Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, always assumed Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey would be the last time anyone would see Bill S. Preston Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan together on the big screen ever again. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey hadn't done the business of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure , and so all four men went their own ways in Hollywood, each carving their own successful careers. It wasn't until a random red carpet comment in 2005 that any of them thought seriously about reviving the characters, and not until 2008 that they got together at a BBQ to discuss ideas. And they ended up having a great idea, one they all wanted to do, but it meant writing a spec script, without having any of the rights in place to get this legacy sequel actually made. And then they found out MGM was planning their own reboot called Bill & Ted's Friggin' Badass Voyage ... I would love to hear your thoughts on Bill & Ted Face the Music ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme
S6 E272 · Thu, September 26, 2024
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Verbal Diorama: It’s hip, it’s now , it’s wow and how?! After the huge success of both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 , Sam Raimi wanted to finish his Spider-Man trilogy with a bang. Originally planning to have Sandman and the Vulture, along with a non-New Goblin Harry Osborn against Peter Parker's newly adored Spider-Man, plans would evolve somewhat as time passed, with Avi Arad instead wanting fan favourite anti-hero Venom to be a secondary antagonist alongside Sandman. Sam Raimi wasn't keen on Venom, he didn't fit Raimi's themes of humanity, and to show flaws in his hero. He also wanted a key theme of forgiveness. The alien symbiote represented none of this, but he eventually reluctantly agreed to reshape the movie to take out Vulture and include Venom. Then producer Laura Ziskin suggested he add Gwen Stacy to an incredible busy mix too. You can understand the logic - both Venom and Gwen are fan favourite characters, but in an-already busy movie, it just got busier and more bloated. But Spider-Man 3 does have great things underneath the bloated exterior - the birth of Sandman still looks great, Mary Jane is given more to do than just scream, and we got the ultimate meme - Emo Peter and the Bully Maguire. People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul! I would love to hear your thoughts on Spider-Man 3 (2007) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send </s
S6 E271 · Thu, September 19, 2024
Batman Forever
Batman Forever , for all its neon grandiose spectacle, was purely created as the anthesis to Batman Returns . While retrospectively, Batman Returns is seen as one of the best Batman movies, the backlash around the movie's dark, violent and sexual nature led to parents revolting, and Warner Bros scrambling to make Batman family-friendly again. Enter Joel Schumacher, a guy with a strong movie making record, who was more than happy to follow Warner Bros family-friendly mantra, with his own accoutrements. So, we got colour! We got manic humour! We got a new Batman, two new foes, a new sidekick, a new love interest, Bat Nipples™, and a really earnest attempt at the duality of Batman; about the two sides of your persona; your public and private sides, your billionaire and vigilante sides, your serious Batman movie and your goofy jokes. This is a movie that talks fairly seriously about Bruce Wayne’s psyche, but then can also say “holy rusted metal, Batman” Because... the ground, it's all metal. It's full of holes. But there was darkness to Schumacher's vision, and fifty minutes of material was removed from the final cut for being "too dark", including Bruce coming face to face with a huge animatronic bat, and in turn coming face to face with his destiny. I would love to hear your thoughts on Batman Forever ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip</a
S6 E270 · Thu, September 12, 2024
Jurassic Park III
After Steven Spielberg took the reins for both Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic World , it was time for some fresh meat for Jurassic Park III , which was the first to not be directed by Spielberg and not be based on a Michael Crichton novel. Jurassic Park III would start to have problems early, though. The original script was thrown out five weeks before filming was due to start, with the project already having spent $18 million. New writers Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor were quickly hired to improve the story and characters , but they never actually completed a script. Filming would start without a complete script, which would lead to a myriad of problems. It meant entire days shooting only one or two scenes, and quickly the production was behind schedule. While Jurassic Park III is mostly known for "Alan", being the shortest movie in the franchise at a lean 92 minutes, and the lowest grossing movie of the franchise, it was also quietly revolutionary with its visual effects - the practical led by the legendary Stan Winston Studio and the CG by Industrial Light and Magic. And who knew it would predict an actual scientific discovery on dinosaur behaviour? I would love to hear your thoughts on Jurassic Park III ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy <a href="https://verbaldiorama.com
S6 E269 · Sat, August 31, 2024
Snowpiercer (설국열차) (2013)
Bong Joon-ho’s dedication to making Snowpiercer , and making it his way, is as always a true testament to his greatness as a director, and a visionary director at that. You don’t start something in 2005 and take seven years to develop it if you don’t have that passion for the project. In many ways the scale and scope of Snowpiercer led Bong to want to make smaller films - his next film would be Okja for Netflix, and then he’d make Parasite - undoubtedly his most important, acclaimed and successful film, and the gateway for many in the west to truly accept Korean and international cinema after it swept the boards at the Oscars. But Snowpiercer remains one of his most special, and most overlooked entries, despite the star-studded cast, terrific action set pieces and thoughtful social commentary. This would be Bong's first English language movie, and the irony is that in a movie where the entire train is controlled by a wealthy white power-mad elitist, a wealthy white power-mad elitist would end up controlling its release... It's also the annual birthday episode; I've got a lovely black jelly birthday cake here, I wonder what it's made out of.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Snowpiercer (설국열차) (2013) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch
S6 E268 · Thu, August 22, 2024
Prey (2022)
Hollywood cinema has often featured Native American men in Westerns as brutal, hypermasculine barbarian warriors, and Native American women as hyper-sexualised or a quiet subservient. They'd also often be portrayed by white actors in brownface. How remarkable that a Predator prequel aimed to set this injustice right? Despite not being of Native American descent, director Dan Trachtenberg and writer Patrick Aison knew that they needed to make this movie as authentic as possible to the 1700s in the Great Plains, and not only did they get the advice of the Native communities, they involved them in every aspect of making Prey , and this started with producer Jhane Myers - the VIP of this movie. Myers was instrumental on the authenticity and representation of the Comanche in Prey , as well as ensuring that a variety of roles, both in front and behind the camera, were First Nations people, with Native interns in the crew at all levels, as well as first time Native actors, led by an impeccable lead performance by Amber Midthunder. But the greatest contributions came from community and tribal elders, who advised not only on language and specific tribal culture, including weapons, customs, face painting and regalia. Comanche is classified as a severely endangered world language, which makes it even more incredible that we got a Comanche dub of this movie. It’s more important than ever to preserve this language. Prey is as authentic to Comanche tradition as it can be, and it's the best Predator movie by far. Yeah, I said what I said. I would love to hear your thoughts on Prey (2022) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT </stron
S6 E267 · Thu, August 15, 2024
Predator (1987)
From the depths of the Mexican jungle, an elite team of special forces are sent in to rescue hostages, but unbeknownst to them, they're the ones who are being hunted. Predator , originally known as Hunter, was a spec script by brothers Jim and John Thomas that was slid under the door at 20th Century Fox, and ended up being sold without an agent or a lawyer. While its premise changed slightly from that initial iteration, it did under the weight of its star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who would be a huge muscular manly macho man, but also an every man. Casting of Vietnam veterans aside, this is a movie steeped in Vietnam imagery, the traumas of conflict, and a commentary on masculinity. But mostly it's just an excuse for some really buff guys to show off their incredibly big and powerful guns (not at all a penis metaphor), but one buff guy was let go in the middle of filming, and there are at least seven reasons why Jean-Claude Van Damme is not in this movie... If it bleeds, we can kill it. Full credit to Predator: The Musical by legolambs on YouTube I would love to hear your thoughts on Predator (1987) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL
S6 E266 · Thu, August 08, 2024
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is beloved by fans of the franchise, and lauded as the best Star Trek movie, with Khan himself as one of the standout villains, and Spock's sacrifice and resulting death as an emotional high point. That wasn't always the case though. In fact, Spock's death was leaked to fans during production, and fans were not happy, even resorting to sending death threats to producer Robert Sallin. Sallin, though, is one of the MVPs of this whole production. He would never work on Star Trek ( or really in Hollywood) again after this movie, but his influence, ideas and steady hand would lead The Wrath of Khan to becoming a fan favourite. He was a man who put decency and integrity above his own selfish gains. Gene Roddenberry was not happy about losing the creative control he had on Star Trek: The Motion Picture , but Paramount blamed him for a lot of the issues that movie had, and for the sequel, it would be a controlled affair, especially when it came to the budget... Please listen to Episode 259 for the history and legacy of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , because that story is integral to the setting up of this one... I would love to hear your thoughts on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip |
Bonus · Thu, August 01, 2024
(From the Archive) Deadpool
I don't usually re-release old episodes, however with Deadpool & Wolverine out now, I thought it might be nice to go back and revisit the groundbreaking first solo outing for everyone's favourite R-rated sex-positive, kink-positive and queer-positive, blood-splattering foul-mouthed merc with a mouth. What started as a project languishing in development hell, turned into a neutered cameo in X-Men Origins: Wolverine , and became a passion project for Ryan Reynolds, with leaked test footage the catalyst for Wade Wilson's actual cinematic debut. Episode originally released on 8th July 2021. Mentioned in this episode: From the Archive There's no new episode this week, so I thought you might be interested in revisiting this slightly older, but no less brilliant episode. Just bear in mind, this episode is several years old, it may not sound quite as polished as newer episodes, and new information may have come to light in recent years with regards to the making of this movie (please see above for the original date of release) Please enjoy this time capsule of an episode. Thanks for listening! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Bonus · Wed, July 31, 2024
(From the Archive) Logan
I don't usually re-release old episodes, however with Deadpool & Wolverine out now, I thought it might be nice to go back and revisit one of Fox's greatest achievements, and Hugh Jackman's (original) swansong as Logan. A brutal, gory, painful look at the life of an ageing hero, a man whose life consists of numbing his pain with booze whilst caring for Charles Xavier, a frail, elderly, dementia suffering shadow of his former self. When Logan happens upon a young girl who's remarkably like him, she brings Charles joy, and gives Logan a reason to live, and a reason to carry on fighting. 20th Century Fox could have made a standard CGI-filled world-ending standard superhero movie. The fact they chose to make Logan ; something so personal, so character-driven and so emotionally-weighted with real world stakes was such a massive risk. It paid off. Critically, commercially and, most importantly, for characters we've known and loved since 2000. Episode originally released on 6th October 2019. Mentioned in this episode: From the Archive There's no new episode this week, so I thought you might be interested in revisiting this slightly older, but no less brilliant episode. Just bear in mind, this episode is several years old, it may not sound quite as polished as newer episodes, and new information may have come to light in recent years with regards to the making of this movie (please see above for the original date of release) Please enjoy this time capsule of an episode. Thanks for listening! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
S6 E265 · Thu, July 25, 2024
Zoolander
Starting life as a skit for the VH1 Fashion awards, Derek Zoolander would become an international sensation, and be vying for his fourth consecutive VH1 Male Model of the Year. It's an impressive feat for a man as ridiculously good-looking as he is. Inspired by the success of Austin Powers , the idea was to make a feature length movie out of Derek's life and successes, but filming during the 2000 Autumn fashion season in New York, and at the real VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, meant they could only film during commercial breaks. Luckily, Derek's fashion industry and celebrity friends were there to help, with Donatella Versace agreeing to co-star alongside Derek in that moment, and his life story, the movie Zoolander , would eventually be released in September 2001. And nothing bad happened in September 2001... right? I would love to hear your thoughts on Zoolander ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - <a href="https://www.facebook
S6 E264 · Thu, July 18, 2024
Cloverfield
Cloverfield , or one of its many other names, was greenlit in a shroud of secrecy, and that secrecy continued throughout production. Actors were auditioned without even being told what they were auditioning for, just that it was a new untitled J.J. Abrams project, and the Abrams name was enough to whet the appetites of not only the actors involved, but also the general public. After a teaser trailer debuted alongside Transformers in the summer of 2007, fans were desperate to find out anything about this mysterious film, titled 1-18-08 , with online theories suggesting it was a massive lion monster or a new Godzilla entry. Websites for the movie started to weave a web of intrigue, with a whole backstory evolving, leading to one of the most effective viral internet marketing campaigns of the 2000s... I would love to hear your thoughts on Cloverfield ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards in July 2024. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - <a href="https://www.faceboo
S6 E263 · Thu, July 11, 2024
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Remember when action movie heroes didn’t have to think and just beat up a load of bad guys? Jason Bourne heralded the change when The Bourne Identity came out in 2002, and heroes became as vulnerable as they could be dangerous. It was a troubled production, led by Doug Liman, who fought for years to get the rights to the material, and get the movie made in his own chaotic and frenetic directorial style - a style that didn't sit well with the producers or the executives at Universal. Liman didn't just want another generic action spy movie, but an art film that the studio could sell as an action movie, and his lead actor Matt Damon agreed. Damon wanted to play this every man hero - the All-American boy next door who could also take on several trained operatives at once. The production was plagued with multiple delays, rewrites, reshoots and shots of Jägermeister. Warner Bros had let the rights they originally hold revert back to the original author Robert Ludlum in 1999, so how did they end up in a lawsuit over lost royalties from The Bourne Identity , a movie not even made by them? I would love to hear your thoughts on The Bourne Identity (2002) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced
S6 E262 · Thu, July 04, 2024
Independence Day
Roland Emmerich is not known for being an auteur director, but he is known for his disaster movies; the most defining and well-known of which is Independence Day . A movie that was almost called Doomsday . Can you imagine celebrating our Doomsday every 4th of July? A movie called Independence Day , released around Independence Day 1996, was never going to be anything other than a spectacle of American patriotism and the archetypal blockbuster. It was expensive, it was lucrative, and it was bombastic, and it could have only come out in the 90s. It would pay homage to The Day The Earth Stood Still, The War of the Worlds , and 70s disaster movies like The Towering Inferno, Airport and The Poseidon Adventure. Emmerich and his writing partner Dean Devlin knew they wanted to make an alien invasion movie. Surely no one else was doing one at the same time? Oh, hi, Tim Burton. Checkmate. I would love to hear your thoughts on Independence Day ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather
S6 E261 · Thu, June 27, 2024
Super Mario Bros. (1993)
Last year, Super Mario Bros celebrated its 30th anniversary. It was a fairly muted celebration, but its acknowledgement for the most part came with the release of the new Super Mario Bros Movie , an Illumination animation starring Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy & Jack Black, with many websites also acknowledging the movie that came thirty years before. It's well documented that this is a movie with problems, but what it really was, was the true definition of "creative differences". It would have a young directing team with previous experience of futuristic dystopia, an Academy Award-nominated producer, and would take inspiration from Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . Everyone involved agreed they wanted something different to the light, fluffy games, but at least eight different scripts would confuse the tone, switching between serious brotherly drama, to The Wizard of Oz style fantasy, to Blade Runner and Mad Max inspired action, to something more family-friendly. The producers didn’t want to work with the directors, the directors were getting the blame for everything (and they continued to get the blame for thirty years), the writers were being told one thing by producers and another by the directors - no-one was talking to each other. Threats were being thrown around, the set was chaos, no-one knew what was going on, no-one knew what they were going to be filming. But while the producers, directors and stars were at metaphorical war, literally everyone else was stepping up and going above and beyond on this movie, despite all the problems, including the terrific special effects teams, set designers and production designers. What we ended up with was something brave, bold, innovative, pioneering and special; most definitely not the bob-omb everyone has been led to believe it is... The entire Super Mario Bros: The Movie Archive - a comprehensive fan site detailing everything you could ever want to know about the making of Super Mario Bros. - can be found at smbmovie.com I would love to hear your thoughts on Super Mario Bros. (1993) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldi
S6 E260 · Thu, June 20, 2024
Bowfinger
As a movie about movie making, Bowfinger leaves no stone unturned in its ruthless attempt to expose filmmaking in Hollywood, and just like this podcast, how difficult it is to get any movie actually made. Granted, it is slightly harder when your action hero doesn't know he's in it... It mocks the range of cliched Hollywood personas, from the waning diva to naïve ingenue turned sexy starlet. It pokes fun at studio executives who seem to be primarily concerned with their vintage vehicles rather than their children or ex-wives, and shows Mexican immigrants as highly capable and intelligent people, who learn on the job, and become probably the most professional people in the whole crew. Bowfinger is more than just a funny movie, although it definitely is that. It also makes astute observations about immigration, institutional racism, ageism, sexism and the cult of cults (definitely not Scientology). Gotcha suckers! I would love to hear your thoughts on Bowfinger ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Dann
S6 E259 · Thu, June 13, 2024
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek ran for three seasons on NBC before being cancelled in 1969 due to low ratings. It was after this that the show went into syndication, that its popularity started growing, and it developed a cult following. Due to the original series' popularity in syndication, Paramount Pictures began to consider making a Star Trek film as early as 1972 and by 1975, a film version of Star Trek was announced - Star Trek: Planet of the Titans (although that wasn't the only one!) Star Trek: Planet of the Titans would become the TV series Star Trek Phase II. Star Trek Phase II would be the basis for what would become Star Trek: The Motion Picture , but it would take a huge amount of both time and money to become what we got. With actors embroiled in lawsuits, constant script issues and a visual effects company that didn't deliver any visual effects, given all that transpired in the years leading up to Star Trek: The Motion Picture ’s release in December 1979, it’s a miracle that the film was released at all, let alone coherent. I would love to hear your thoughts on Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons</stro
S6 E258 · Thu, June 06, 2024
Knives Out
After finishing Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi , director Rian Johnson had a brief window of opportunity to make another movie, and decided to go back to an old idea from the mid 2000s, based on the Agatha Christie's murder mysteries and the Choose Your Own Adventure books he loved reading as a child. Wait a minute - I read a tweet about a New Yorker article about this episode... Taking cues from Alfred Hitchcock, he would devise Knives Out , a whodunit where you would find out who did it up front, but did they actually do it? The death of 85-year-old murder mystery author Harlan Thrombey the night of his birthday party appears to be suicide, but can we trust the Thrombey family's stories, recollections of the night, or their intentions for Harlan's million dollar inheritance? Or can we only trust Great Nana Wanetta? It's a weird case from the start. A case with a hole in the centre. A doughnut. Johnson's story of immigration, class and privilege didn't need to be this smart and fun. It also only cost $40 million... with this incredible ensemble cast and attention to detail; production and set design beyond words. Rian Johnson. Hugh did this. I would love to hear your thoughts on Knives Out ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) P
S6 E257 · Thu, May 30, 2024
West Side Story (1961) & West Side Story (2021)
West Side Story's origins as a Tony award-winning stage musical based on Romeo and Juliet meant it was ripe for a film adaptation. Stage director and choreographer Jerome Robbins was set to co-direct with Oscar-winning director Robert Wise; it would be written for the screen by Ernest Lehman, retaining the beautiful score, songs and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. Wise would direct the dramatic scenes, and Robbins the musical sequences, in a lavish, expensive adaptation, shot on 70mm film. Robbins was a notorious perfectionist, often making the dancers vomit due to exhaustion and dehydration, injuries on set were rife, and his repeat takes meant the production ended up almost a month behind schedule. Those weren't the only issues, though; the actors playing Puerto Ricans were forced to wear brownface, and Natalie Wood, who played Maria, despised her co-star Richard Beymer, who played Tony. Robbins was unceremoniously fired from the production, but his contribution would lead to him receiving a co-director credit, and an Oscar win. West Side Story would win 10 out of the 11 Oscars it was nominated for, including Best Supporting Actress for Rita Moreno, the first Latina to win an Academy Award. Moreno would return to West Side Story sixty years later, as an executive producer on Steven Spielberg's new lavish adaptation of the original stage musical, as well as starring in a new role as Valentina. Gone were the brownface and white actors playing Puerto Ricans. A contemporary story from the early 60s about bigotry and xenophobia, patriotism and cultural divides would become a period piece about bigotry and xenophobia, patriotism and cultural divides, and a long-time passion project for Spielberg. Its release would be postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic, but while it would lead to a box office disappointment, it would also lead to the first Afro-Latina, and first queer woman of colour, to win an Academy Award; for the same role that Rita Moreno played sixty years prior... I would love to hear your thoughts on West Side Story (1961) & West Side Story (2021) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give </stro
S6 E256 · Thu, May 23, 2024
The Italian Job (1969) & The Italian Job (2003)
The Italian Job (1969) is the epitome of what would become Cool Britannia. It celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, and has lost none of its Britishness. In fact, for the quintessentially British cult classic, they had to have the cool car of the 1960s youth - the Mini - for the quintessential British heist. Setting the film in Turin also gave them the bonus of having access to Fiat's locations and vehicles. Fiat and the city of Turin were incredibly welcoming to the production, despite all the chaos caused by filming. Fiat would also offer a huge cash incentive to swap the British Leyland Minis for Fiat 500s. Obviously that never happened! While it would flop in the US, The Italian Job remains an icon of cinema in the UK, and although Paramount insisted the movie was in debt, they were still keen to remake it in 2003... The Italian Job (2003) would show a character watching The Italian Job , while having characters named after characters from The Italian Job , and referencing " The Italian Job " as the inspiration for their own heist that's remarkably similar to The Italian Job 's Italian Job, without being an Italian Job that's actually set in an Italian city. You'd think its writing team had never seen the original before... and you'd be correct! This version of The Italian Job would have its own pioneering stunts though, including the creation of the first ever electric powered BMW MINIs... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Italian Job (1969) & The Italian Job (2003) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podc
S6 E255 · Thu, May 16, 2024
Dawn of the Dead (1978) & Dawn of the Dead (2004)
After Night of the Living Dead , George Romero branched out, not wanting to be typecast as a zombie movie director. It was a tour of the Monroeville Mall that put the idea in his head, of a satire about consumerism. He would quickly have a rough idea in his head, a follow-up venture into the world of the undead. Romero and his producer Richard P. Rubinstein started the process of procuring US investors for his new zombie movie, but no one showed any interest. No one in the US anyway. Romero's friend Dario Argento would not only give him a place to write the movie in Rome; he'd also help him secure financing for Dawn of the Dead , but Romero would have to give him distribution rights to the non-English version of the movie, and the freedom to edit his own cut in return... Fast-forward to a post 9/11 early 2000s, and producers Eric Newman and Marc Abraham approached Rubinstein with their vision of a reimagining of Dawn of the Dead . Rubinstein had never granted the remake rights before, but there was something about their pitch that won him over. James Gunn would step up to write, and a young Zack Snyder would get his feature directorial debut... I would love to hear your thoughts on Dawn of the Dead (1978) & Dawn of the Dead (2004) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (a
Bonus · Thu, May 09, 2024
(From the Archive) X-Men: The Animated Series - Night of the Sentinels Parts 1 & 2 (1992)
I don't usually re-release old episodes, however the revival of X-Men: The Animated Series as X-Men '97 on Disney+ has been a tremendous success, not only with fans, but also critics. The show has been praised for revitalising the MCU, and being the template on which Marvel need to move forward with on future projects. X-Men '97 has been made with so much love for the original series, as well as the comic books; updating the animation, but keeping the same characters we know and love, and even some of the original cast of X-Men: The Animated Series. With the X-Men '97 season one finale just around the corner, let's go back into how that original, ground-breaking animated series came about... Halloween 2022 was the 30th anniversary of the airing of Night of the Sentinels Part 1 , the pilot episode of X-Men: The Animated Series, with Night of the Sentinels Part 2 airing a week later. Fox Kids CEO Margaret Loesch's original plan to launch an X-Men animated series had failed in 1989, but a couple of years later she was adamant she would get the X-Men on the small screen. The series itself was a risky move, but debuting with a story about the Sentinels was even more risky. And Stan Lee wasn't as involved as you might think! Episode originally released on 10th November 2022. Mentioned in this episode: From the Archive
S6 E254 · Thu, May 02, 2024
Clash of the Titans (1981) & Clash of the Titans (2010)
Release the Kraken! Twice! Clash of the Titans had been an idea since the late 1950s, with writer Beverley Cross writing a treatment in 1969 called Perseus and the Gorgon's Head . At the time, producer Charles H. Schneer and legendary animator Ray Harryhausen were working on other films, and so what became Clash of the Titans would have to wait until 1977 to start pre-production. It would eventually release in 1981 and include not only one of Harryhausen's most memorable creatures, Medusa, but also signal the beginning of the end of his career. Clash of the Titans would be his final film, in part thanks to a scathing review. Clash of the Titans would inevitably be remade one day, and that remake fell to Louis Leterrier, and new writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, using an original script by Travis Beacham based on Cross' original script. Updated to modern audiences' needs for big budgets, big-name actors and huge CG spectacle, Warner Bros would notice the huge 3D revolution started by James Cameron's Avatar , and decided to convert Clash of the Titans to 3D in post-production... I would love to hear your thoughts on Clash of the Titans (1981) & Clash of the Titans (2010) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Productio
S6 E253 · Thu, April 25, 2024
The Flintstones (1994)
64 years ago, The Flintstones became the first ever animated prime time sitcom in the US, and 30 years ago, the live-action film was released. A live action adaptation of The Flintstones first came about in 1985, but it wouldn't be 'til Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment acquired the rights in 1992 that the project started moving forward, but by that point eight writers had already had a crack at the script... Once Spielberg, and mega fan director Brian Levant, got involved, many more writers would have a pass, but only three would ever be credited for their work after the Writer's Guild of America got involved. Credit to the team of writers behind The Flintstones ... Steven E. de Souza Daniel Goldin Joshua Goldin Peter Martin Wortmann Robert Conte Mitch Markowitz Jeffrey Reno Ron Osbourne Michael J. Wilson Jim Jennewein Tom S. Parker Gary Ross Al Aidekman Cindy Begel Lloyd Garver David Silverman Stephen Sustarsic Nancy Steen Neil Thompson Brian Levant Rob Dames Lenny Ripps Fred Fox Jr. Dava Savel Lon Diamond David Richardson Roy Teicher Richard Gurman Michael J. Digaetano Ruth Bennett Lowell Ganz Babaloo Mandel That's 32 writers. 29 of which never received credit. This movie has incredible production design, set design, costumes, puppet work and casting. It does not deserve to be as derided as it is. Let's celebrate The Flintstones ! Yabba dabba doo! I would love to hear your thoughts on The Flintstones (1994) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT
S6 E252 · Thu, April 18, 2024
Shakespeare in Love
The history and legacy of Shakespeare in Love is long-winded and complicated, but how is it that a movie can be wholly and completely tarnished by one man? I don't know. It's a mystery. From its beginnings as a project for Universal starring Julia Roberts, to it being shut down after spending $6 million and losing Julia Roberts, to being resurrected in the worst possible way by actual real-life villain Harvey Weinstein; the story of Shakespeare in Love has comedy, romance and tragedy, just like an actual Shakespeare play. Nowadays its mostly known as being the "unworthy" winner of the Best Picture Academy Award in 1999, beating Saving Private Ryan , in an unprecedented marketing and bad-mouthing campaign that changed awards season. Was Saving Private Ryan really "robbed" of its Best Picture Oscar? Or were more Academy voters just charmed by a period romantic comedy than a war epic that year? I guess we'll never truly know the answer, other than it ends as stories must when love's denied; with tears and a journey. I would love to hear your thoughts on Shakespeare in Love ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Ca
S6 E251 · Thu, April 11, 2024
Van Helsing (2004)
After making The Mummy and The Mummy Returns , Stephen Sommers wanted to make a small movie; no monsters, no action, no visual effects, just something simple, but then he started thinking about all the Universal monster movies he loved as a child, and came up with a collective story of three monsters, connected by one man - Van Helsing - but not the Abraham Van Helsing you knew.... Gabriel Van Helsing would be serving alongside Dracula with the Knights of the Holy Order before having to kill him. He would ask for his memories to be removed to purge himself of his sins, and end up walking the Earth for 400 years with no memories and end up at the Vatican. Hugh Jackman, fresh from playing Wolverine in X-Men , would be Van Helsing, and when Universal realised what they had, thoughts of a franchise appeared in front of them... It would be Universal's Dark Universe, before Universal's Dark Universe.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Van Helsing (2004) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly
S6 E250 · Thu, April 04, 2024
Back to the Future
Great Scott, it’s the 250th episode! Where we’re going, we don’t need roads, and if my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to get the history and legacy of Back to the Future ! It's a story of how Romancing the Stone , Coca-Cola's takeover of Columbia and Double Indemnity came together to make Back to the Future a possibility. Back in the days when Ronald Reagan, the actor! was president and you needed a nuclear reaction to generation 1.21 jigowatts of electricity to power a DeLorean, a young man called Calvin Klein changed the course of his own personal history by going back to 1955, meeting his parents and technically then accidentally dating his own mother; jeopardising his future in the process. I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it. It’s your density to listen. So, make like a tree, and get outta here.... pop your 1980's headphones on, turn up the volume and listen to this! I would love to hear your thoughts on Back to the Future ! THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR 250 EPISODES! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat,
S6 E249 · Thu, March 28, 2024
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) & Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003)
In 1993, before they were acquired by Eidos, a little games developer in Derby called Core Design were working on their new action adventure game. It was an Indiana Jones-style 3D platformer; revolutionary for its time, and not just because of the immense 3D world and cleverly designed levels, but the protagonist was a woman. Her name was Lara Croft, and the game was Tomb Raider. In the mid-90s, Lara Croft became a virtual celebrity, and while Eidos demanded more and more Tomb Raider games, the wheels were in motion to give Lara the cinematic outings she deserved. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider had a revolving door of writers, and a special clause in the contract between Eidos and Paramount, which meant production had to start, and start quickly. Director Simon West only wanted Angelina Jolie for the main role, and ended up putting together a two-hour plus first cut. The problem was, Paramount hated it, ended up firing West and getting in one of Hollywood's most famous fixers to save the movie... Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life was the opportunity to fix the mistakes of the previous movie. Angelina Jolie had refused to return unless Lara was more well-rounded, so Lara was given more personality, more character and more stakes. The budget would be smaller, but the director would be a coup - Jan de Bont. This time there was one writer, a lead actress who was happier with the direction of her character, and no issues with editing, however the experience would lead to Jan de Bont retiring from directing... I would love to hear your thoughts on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) & Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Ver
S6 E248 · Thu, March 21, 2024
Fighting with My Family
Sport biopics are usually only reserved for well known big-name sportspeople from yesteryear - people like Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, James Hunt and Niki Lauda, or stories based in reality with fictional characters. What makes Fighting with My Family , and Paige’s story so different, is that not only did she achieve the WWE Divas Champion at the tender age of 21, she also won that title just ten years ago, and she comes from a working class family from Norwich, that had just so happened to be the feature of a Channel 4 documentary in 2012. Women’s sporting achievements are rarely commended or highlighted in Hollywood, but working class women’s sporting achievements are less so. A meeting with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson just before winning the Divas title in 2014 would change everything for Paige. Not only would she take the title from AJ Lee, but Johnson had seen the documentary, related to her story, and told her that very day that he wanted to make a movie of her incredible story. Fighting with My Family perfectly captures the spirit of a family brought together by wrestling, and you'll find something to love whether you're a wrestling fan or not. Ironically, it was the wrestling that made it such a hard sell to studios in the first place... I would love to hear your thoughts on Fighting with My Family ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/Compositionsbychloe/" rel="noopener noreferrer"
S6 E247 · Thu, March 14, 2024
A Quiet Place
For Women's History Month and Mother's Day, here in the UK, silence is deafening for a spec script written in an unconventional way, that happened to get picked up by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes production company. Taking inspiration from silent movies from Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Jacques Tati, as well as horror classics like Jaws, Alien and Alfred Hitchcock's filmography, A Quiet Place started life as an almost dialogue free script, written in 2016. The original screenplay can be found here John Krasinski's involvement came much later, but he was instrumental in getting the project made, and his casting choices would change everything. Not just by his wife Emily Blunt's eventual involvement, but the casting of a young deaf actress, and the inclusion of American Sign Language would make A Quiet Place one of the freshest and most atmospheric new horror films in years... I would love to hear your thoughts on A Quiet Place ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael,
S6 E246 · Thu, March 07, 2024
Wonder Woman
It's International Women’s Day tomorrow, and if we’re talking about someone who represents feminism, women’s rights, gender equality and reproductive rights, there’s no fictional character used to represent this as frequently on International Women’s Day than Wonder Woman . A character born from polyamory, first-wave feminism and also linked to the very first birth control clinic in the United States; Wonder Woman was the only one of DC's top tier heroes to not have her own solo headline movie, after Superman in 1978 and Batman in 1989, and their numerous sequels. With the MCU blazing a trail for the superhero cinematic renaissance, the race to get the first female headlining superhero movie of the 2010s was on. It was a race that DC won, rather wonderfully. That doesn't mean it was quick, easy or free from studio mandated scenes... I would love to hear your thoughts on Wonder Woman ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele and Xenos! This p
S6 E245 · Thu, February 22, 2024
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
The final episode of Animation Season 2024, and one of Walt Disney's crowning achievements in animation: Sleeping Beauty . Doing another princess movie after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella seemed like the obvious choice, but it was also risky. Walt Disney didn't want to make the same thing again, and wanted to wow the public with yet another cinematic visual masterpiece to prove Disney were the pioneering animation studio. A "moving illustration". To do this he enlisted Eyvind Earle, combining pre-Renaissance, Italian, and Gothic French influences with his own abstract style of realism to create the formalised elegance and stylish design, while also taking advantage of 70mm Super Technirama for the first time ever in animation. Sleeping Beauty would be lavish and be exactly what Disney intended, but it would come at a cost. Literally and figuratively. I would love to hear your thoughts on Sleeping Beauty (1959) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, S
Bonus · Sat, February 17, 2024
Celebrating five years of Verbal Diorama
5 years, 244 episodes, 258 histories and legacies. I guess I need to crack on and do some more... Thank you to you all for supporting me over five years of podcasting. Huge thanks to Russell, Brett, Tracy, Josh, KT, Oti, Jack, Scott and Zack for being kind enough to send me some messages of congratulations. Lots of love to you all! Thanks for listening!
S6 E244 · Fri, February 16, 2024
Mars Needs Moms
For the final fifth birthday episode, Disney could see that motion capture was quickly becoming the next big thing for animation, and they wanted in. They teamed up with Robert Zemeckis to make A Christmas Carol , and then Mars Needs Moms , based on a children's book, written to persuade a young child to eat his vegetables. But Mars Needs Moms would not only be incredibly dark for a family animated film, and venture deep into the realms of the uncanny valley, it would also become a huge box office bomb for Disney, affecting their next Martian-set movie John Carter, and who Disney now do their best to avoid promoting in any way as their own... This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S5 E243 · Thu, February 15, 2024
The Emoji Movie
Sir Patrick Stewart has never had a role that could officially be described as "poop", until now. For the second fifth birthday episode, The Emoji Movie was Sony's $1 million winning bid on making a movie all about those little characters you use on WhatsApp instead of actual words, and to ensure this was completed before anyone else had a chance, it came together in under two years! Unfortunately, it was a critical disaster. Insert shocked face emoji here! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S5 E242 · Wed, February 14, 2024
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
Quite famously a movie that almost destroyed DreamWorks by losing $125 million, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas doesn't deserve its negative reputation as a box office bomb, and the final traditional 2D animated film from the studio. It instead deserves to be featured as one of the fifth birthday episodes of this podcast. Only five years late, too! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S5 E241 · Thu, February 08, 2024
The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron is notorious for being one of Disney's darkest and scariest movies, and it is, but there's a beauty in its darkness that's unrivalled. The score does feel mismatched in places and the characters aren't very well-developed, but there's something truly ambitious there, and the animation has moments of sheer awe-inspiring brilliance. It really is a work of visual art. But you can see the behind-the-scenes troubles even in its animation - while some scenes are some of the most challenging and technically brilliant of all of Disney’s hand-drawn output, others look almost amateur. The Black Cauldron was different, risky and slightly more mature in tone to average Disney fare. It’s often accused of being the movie that almost killed Walt Disney Feature Animation, but there’s always more to the story, and that includes the potential that The Black Cauldron had to change Disney’s animated fortunes for the better... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Black Cauldron ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev,
S5 E240 · Thu, February 01, 2024
Nimona
Based on ND Stevenson's graphic novel, Nimona started life with Blue Sky Studios, and when Blue Sky was acquired by Disney in its purchase of 20th Century Fox, originally Nimona's production continued. When Disney officially cancelled Nimona , it came as no surprise to the team working on the movie. While officially the reasons for cancellation were financial, rumours swirled that Disney didn't like the LGBTQ themes, and opposed a same-sex kiss. But Nimona , and the crew behind the movie, refused to give up, and thanks to Annapurna Pictures and Netflix, Nimona was reborn. Nimona is more than a character. Nimona is the story of the making of this movie. Nimona is the scrappy underdog who refuses to back down from a fight. Nimona refuses to let a corporate entity subdue her and control her. Nimona might fall down, but Nimona will get back up again, and she will prove all her doubters wrong. And now Nimona is an Oscar nominated movie... take that, Disney. I would love to hear your thoughts on Nimona ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy,
S5 E239 · Thu, January 25, 2024
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
Guillermo del Toro once said “No single character in history has had as deep of a personal connection to me as Pinocchio.” And this is coming from a guy who loves his passion projects. So much so that you could arguably say that every Guillermo del Toro project is a passion project, but not every Guillermo del Toro passion project gets made... It took fifteen years for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio to finally reach the big and small screen, in a year with two other Pinocchio adaptations - the Disney live action remake, starring Tom Hanks, directed by Robert Zemeckis, and the Pauly Shore led Pinocchio: A True Story . I think everyone agrees which is the superior 2022 Pinocchio... Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is the rare del Toro movie that, due to del Toro’s sheer resilience and stubbornness at not backing down from his artistic integrity, meant that not only did it get made, it was made exactly how he wanted it to be made. I would love to hear your thoughts on Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Ja
S5 E238 · Thu, January 18, 2024
How to Train Your Dragon
Based on Cressida Cowell's childhood experiences of living in a remote cottage in Scotland, her How to Train Your Dragon series of books was a wild success, and so naturally Hollywood came calling. The writer/director team of Lilo and Stitch came on board the project, and the whole mythology surrounding the island inhabitants of Berk, and the mythology and biology surrounding its dragon neighbours, was built from the ground up. How to Train Your Dragon not only has the style, the substance, the entertainment value, and a great cast, but also powerful emotional storytelling, focusing on Hiccup, a young man who doesn't quite fit in to traditional Viking standards, and instead prioritises intelligence, kindness, and Toothless, the cutest, most fearsome dragon in the land (anyone with a cat will understand!). How to Train Your Dragon seems to be somewhat forgotten in the plethora of excellent animated movies - not just from DreamWorks, but from other studios too. There’s no doubt it deserves the praise, especially for its positive representation of disability. I would love to hear your thoughts on How to Train Your Dragon ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sad
S5 E237 · Thu, January 11, 2024
WALL-E
Animation Season returns... with one of Pixar's most important movies, and one with a prescient message. Andrew Stanton had pitched an idea about the last robot on earth back in 1994. It would take eight years for the project to materialise properly, and was originally conceived as Robinson Crusoe and The Last Man on Earth , becoming a Planet of the Apes -style humans-as-aliens reveal, before its robotic love story blossomed, and along with it, a stark warning for the future of humanity, our reliance on AI, and a suggestion that following your "directive" might not be the ideal choice to make. He never intended to make any political statements about environmental issues or climate change. And he never intended for WALL-E's design to look like Johnny 5. He did, however, fully intend to use the songs of Hello, Dolly! I would love to hear your thoughts on WALL-E ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele and brand-new patron Xenos ! <p
S5 E236 · Sun, December 24, 2023
Home Alone
John Hughes' pair of 1989 comedies Uncle Buck and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation would become integral to the production of his next screenplay, Home Alone , based on the simple idea of "what would it be like if I left one of my young children home alone while I went on vacation?" It really was a case of lightning in a bottle, with the perfect John Hughes screenplay, a young and willing director in Chris Columbus, the perfect cast, led by the-then eight-year-old Macaulay Culkin, in a performance showing abilities far beyond his years, and Warner Bros willing to finance and distribute the movie. Everything was ready to go... and then Warner Bros pulled the plug, but clandestine meetings between John Hughes and 20th Century Fox ended up saving the movie, and it led to one of the most beloved and wince-inducing family holiday classics... Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to you all! I would love to hear your thoughts on Home Alone ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler,
S5 E235 · Sun, December 17, 2023
Die Hard
The story of Die Hard starts in the mid-sixties, and the film adaptation of a dark film noir detective drama novel, The Detective , starring Frank Sinatra. That film warranted a sequel, but the sequel novel Nothing Lasts Forever would take eleven years to be written, and its film adaptation would take a further nine years to make it to the big screen, with some major changes. Gone was Frank Sinatra reprising his role, and the death of the character's on-screen daughter. The dark, depressing story was revitalised, with a new lead character, on-screen marital issues, explosive action, and one of the most charismatic and interesting villains ever put to screen. And it all started with a carboard box in the middle of the freeway... I would love to hear your thoughts on Die Hard ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip and Michele! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3
S5 E234 · Sun, December 10, 2023
The Holiday
A fairy-tale English cottage set in a tranquil country garden. Snuggle up by an old stone fireplace and enjoy a cup of cocoa. An enchanting oasis of tranquillity in a quiet English hamlet, just forty minutes from exciting London. No, it's not Verbal Diorama HQ, but the description of Iris Simpkins' traditional English country cottage in The Holiday , the quintessential Christmas romantic comedy that only seems to get better and more appreciated with age. You could say it has gumption. Derided by critics in 2006, it's since become a Christmas holiday classic, invoking cosy nights snuggling by a roaring fire, and toasting to love, both romantic and platonic. With an all-star cast, and under the always steady hand of writer/director Nancy Meyers, The Holiday is your excuse to believe in the festive romantic spirit, despite the fact that Iris' charming cottage doesn't actually exist in real life... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Holiday ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly,
S5 E233 · Thu, November 30, 2023
Street Fighter (1994)
Street Fighter is one of those movies that does feel lacking, incomplete, and cut to shreds, and then you realise it is indeed all of those things because of the various issues on set. Capcom’s constant demands, Raúl Julia's illness and recovery from surgery, Jean-Claude Van Damme's regular absences from set, and a constantly changing filming schedule, not to mention the MPAA requesting constant cuts to give it the all important PG-13 rating. Under different circumstances, Street Fighter could actually have ended up so different. It's a movie based on a video game, that bucked the trend of video game movies not making any money, but that did not buck the trend of video game movies not being all that great, that had nothing to do with the actual video game, and everything to do with selling toys, appeasing Capcom and enabling Jean-Claude Van Damme's bad behaviour... Game Over! I would love to hear your thoughts on Street Fighter (1994) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Bre
S5 E232 · Thu, November 23, 2023
Donnie Darko
A first time writer-director, in the right place at the right time, developed a story about a troubled young man, in the wrong place at the right time, as Donnie Darko became a dark twisted tale of cultural significance against a mind-bending plot, and resulting controversy surrounding its use of gun wielding after Columbine, and imagery of a plane crash just after 9/11. These factors would mean it would flop when it did eventually reach US cinemas in October 2001, however Donnie Darko would find new life revelling in its cult status, and achieve the ultimate honour - being the favourite at college campuses across the US, and becoming THE movie you needed to see. Not that you'd ever understand it, of course... I would love to hear your thoughts on Donnie Darko ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip and Michele! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/pri
S5 E231 · Thu, November 16, 2023
Superman II, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III & Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Technically the first ever quadruple-bill episode (if you also count the Richard Donner cut of Superman II , which we do), as voted for by Patrons of this podcast for, on the history and legacy of Superman II, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III & Superman IV: The Quest for Peace ! The sequels to the previous episode on Superman SUPERMAN II was inevitable after Richard Donner completed 75% of the movie, filmed at the same time as Superman (1978). His work on the sequel was halted during Superman 's production, but as Superman flew into the box office and became a critical and financial success, the sequel was fired up again... and Donner himself was unceremoniously fired from the movie by the Salkinds, and replaced with Richard Lester; a move that didn't go down well with the cast and crew... SUPERMAN II: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT came about due to the open secret of Richard Donner's material existing in a vault somewhere. After a few legal issues, notably with the estate of Marlon Brando for the production of Superman Returns, a new 2001 DVD version of Superman also led to the discovery of 6 tonnes of unused, previously lost material shot by Richard Donner for Superman II. In an unprecedented (at the time) fan campaign to see Donner's cut, it was finally released to acclaim in 2006... SUPERMAN III is less of a Superman movie, and more of a comedy vehicle for the late, great Richard Pryor, but that didn't mean it was easy to get made. A lot of people were still annoyed at the Salkinds for their treatment of Richard Donner, including Christopher Reeve himself. Reeve almost didn't return as the iconic character, but changed his mind and relished playing Superman vs Superman (which was also almost the title of the movie), but in retrospect it would be a movie he wouldn't have too much fun with, despite the slapstick tone... SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE would only be made after the Salkinds sold the rights to The Cannon Group; a production company known for making low quality movies en masse to make as much profit as possible. Cannon's plan though was big franchises: they bought Superman with the intent of spending $36 million on Superman IV . They were also making Masters of the Universe , the first big screen adventure for He-Man. But Masters of the Universe's financial woes would drastically affect Superman IV , with disastrous consequences for the Superman franchise, and leading to a 19-year wait for Superman to return... I would love to hear your thoughts on Superman II, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III & Superman IV: The Quest for Peace ! <p
S5 E230 · Thu, November 02, 2023
Mamma Mia!
Before Barbenheimer, there was The Dark Mamma. Two polar opposite movies going head-to-head at the box office, and both ending up huge successes in very different ways. The film adaptation of Mamma Mia! was never planned to be Universal's big summer 2008 hit, in fact it wasn't until test screenings that they realised what a gem they had on their hands. Mamma Mia! would not beat The Dark Knight at the box office, but it would blaze its own trail, for a jukebox musical based on a running stage production, showing that stories by women, about women and for women could also do big business. But first, they had to persuade the producers of the stage musical to sell the film rights, and that took two things - Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson and the musical Chicago... And then... they got Meryl! I would love to hear your thoughts on Mamma Mia! ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip and Michele! Mentioned in this episode: Paid promotions in this e
S5 E229 · Thu, October 26, 2023
From Dusk till Dawn
It's got Tarantino's trademark dialogue, Rodriguez's trademark visuals and Salma Hayek dancing seductively in a bikini... what more could you want in a crime thriller slash vampire movie? Originating as a story by future Wishmaster director and KNG EFX visual effects master Robert Kurtzman, which he planned to direct as a low budget horror film, that all changed when he enlisted a then-unknown Quentin Tarantino to write the screenplay. This was well before Reservoir Dogs would put Tarantino on the map, and while Reservoir Dogs would cement his name as a director, just as El Mariachi did for Robert Rodriguez, the key to getting From Dusk till Dawn made, would be the film many believe to be his magnum opus: Pulp Fiction ... With the power of Pulp Fiction behind him, Tarantino would enlist his friend Robert Rodriguez to direct, Tarantino himself to star, and arrange a deal with Miramax to pump up a $2 million budget to $17 million, as long as they could get the movie made in six months from start to finish... I would love to hear your thoughts on From Dusk till Dawn ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Pow
S5 E228 · Thu, October 19, 2023
Hellraiser (1987)
We'll tear your soul apart.... From the depths of hell comes body horror, an exploration of sexual desire, lust and gratification, and the pleasure pain theory, as hedonistic Frank Cotton solves the Lament Configuration and receives a gruesome demise, only to be accidentally resurrected. Hellraiser is unlike any other horror movie of its time, not just for its content, but for the risk New World took on a first-time writer-director, based on his own novella rooted in sadomasochism, with no major stars involved in the production. It was planned for a direct to video release, until executives realised how special and different this movie was... they invested more money, and it birthed not only a new resurrection scene for Frank Cotton, but also a horror icon in Pinhead. And who knew so much lube and condoms were necessary for horror movie making in the 1980s... Jesus wept I would love to hear your thoughts on Hellraiser (1987) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler,
S5 E227 · Thu, October 12, 2023
Poltergeist (1982)
They're here... Some of the '80s most influential and popular films wouldn't exist without Steven Spielberg, and Poltergeist is one of them. But its origins aren't from ghost stories, but in UFO sightings, and it would be Spielberg's hesitance to do a sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind that would lead him down the path of creating a pseudo sci-fi horror sequel called Night Skies , itself based on the Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter of 1955. Night Skies , a dark story of malevolent aliens terrorizing a rural family, would never materialise, but it would create the basis for two cinematic classics - one rooted in sci-fi, and the other in horror. The former would become E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and the latter, would become Poltergeist ... But the story of Poltergeist doesn't end there. Its legacy is one of miscredits, alleged stolen work, game-changing visual effects, the MPAA PG rating, the absolute industry clout of Spielberg, and its own ghoulish curse, culminating in the tragic deaths of its talented young stars. This house is clean I would love to hear your thoughts on Poltergeist (1982) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patr
S5 E226 · Thu, October 05, 2023
Wishmaster
Be careful what you wish for... Wishmaster might not be up in the realms of horror classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th , but for a low budget cheesy '90s horror fantasy, it has serious horror pedigree. Directed by visual effects maestro Robert Kurtzman, executively produced by Wes Craven and containing cameos from a whole host of screen horror legends, Wishmaster revels in its campy horror roots, and gives the Disney version of a benevolent and funny genie offering three wishes, a total makeover. This djinn is a creature not to be messed with, but the stories of jinn go way back, through Arabic folklore and into the Islamic holy book, the Quran, where jinn are even mentioned as one of the creatures made by God, and as a result they have responsibilities to fulfil, and will face similar judgement as both humans and angels. But, your wish (for this episode) is my command... I would love to hear your thoughts on Wishmaster ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heat
S5 E225 · Thu, September 28, 2023
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg quite famously refused to take on a sequel to his iconic shark movie, Jaws, (as referenced in last week's episode on Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D and Jaws: The Revenge . But when it came to a sequel to his iconic dinosaur movie, Jurassic Park , covered on this podcast in episode 57 back in August 2020 , Spielberg returned to the director's chair, despite having just set up the studio DreamWorks, and filming Jurassic Park and Schindler's List back-to-back. While Michael Crichton was writing the sequel novel, The Lost World , Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp were putting together ideas for their own movie sequel. They would take the best bits of both, but that didn't mean The Lost World: Jurassic Park was the easy directorial gig that Spielberg assumed it would be... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Lost World: Jurassic Park ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat,
S5 E224 · Thu, September 14, 2023
Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D & Jaws: The Revenge
The first ever triple-bill episode, as voted for by Patrons of this podcast for Sequeltember, on the history and legacy of Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D & Jaws: The Revenge ! The sequels to the previous episode on Jaws . Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water. JAWS 2 was wanted pretty much immediately after the success of Jaws , but Steven Spielberg wasn't interested in reprising his directorial role. The director they did find, John D. Hancock, was fired after a month, and the production had already spent huge amounts of time and money. Once Jeannot Szwarc came on board, tensions with star Roy Scheider would escalate. Not that Scheider wanted to come back... JAWS 3-D . The third dimension is terror, but it wasn't always terror. Famously, Jaws 3 started life as a National Lampoon spoof, called Jaws 3 People 0 , to be directed by Joe Dante, and co-written by John Hughes. When Universal quashed that idea, it was decided to capitalise on the rise of threequels with 3D, to give Jaws 3 the edge. Jaws 3-D would be filmed at SeaWorld Orlando, and would be the first 3-D film to use ArriVision, but the increased costs meant cutting back on visual effects... JAWS: THE REVENGE . This time, it's personal. Or at least it was for Sid Sheinberg. Universal desperately needed a financial boost after a string of box office disappointments in 1986, and he decided to revive the Jaws franchise one final time. He would give director Joseph Sargent complete creative control, and Sheinberg's wife Lorraine Gary would come out of retirement to reprise her role as grieving widow Ellen Brody, in return for an effects-heavy shark movie to be released in just nine months time. It would be set in the Bahamas, feature triple Oscar-nominee Michael Caine, and have its ending changed after its US release. Trigger warning for this part of the episode for the tragic story of child actor Judith Barsi, which references child abuse and murder. I would love to hear your thoughts on Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D & Jaws: The Revenge ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website <a href="https://my.captivate.fm/verbaldiorama.com" rel="noopene
S5 E223 · Thu, September 07, 2023
X-Men: Days of Future Past
We start Sequeltember 2023 with the sequel to last June’s episode on X-Men: First Class - itself a movie that didn’t deserve to be as good as it was, but it really was. When a sequel to X-Men: First Class was announced, fan expectation was high. Not only did it adapt a much beloved and influential comic book series, it also announced it was bringing the original trilogy cast and the new cast together, for the first and only time… But bringing together the new and old casts for X-Men: Days of Future Past wasn't easy, due to scheduling issues, other work commitments, and a surprise pregnancy. And just how did Anna Paquin only get two seconds of screen time for five days worth of work? I would love to hear your thoughts on X-Men: Days of Future Past ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Jason, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip and Michele! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent pa
S5 E222 · Wed, August 30, 2023
The Wedding Singer
Welcome to 1985! Where CD players were brand-new, everyone loved Flock of Seagulls, everyone wanted to join the Mile High Club, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" and Billy Idol gets it, I don't know why she doesn't get it... The Wedding Singer started life as one of Adam Sandler's trademark man-child comedies. It became something different after the involvement of two incredibly famous women - Drew Barrymore, and the late Carrie Fisher. It's also the annual birthday episode, which means I literally do wanna grow old with you. Not as old as Rosie, although I do perform a mean Rapper's Delight... Keanu Reeves is a Wedding Singer I would love to hear your thoughts on The Wedding Singer ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip and Michele! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https
Bonus · Thu, August 24, 2023
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
SURPRISE! No-one knew this one was coming. Not the Patrons, and no-one on social media. This week was going to have no episode, but I really wanted to do an episode on the crazy story behind Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey , and how a sequel this wacky and ambitious ever got made in the first place. A sequel that references Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal, as well as containing evil robot versions of Bill & Ted, and the characters dying and ending up in hell. It's a lot more fun than the sequel was going to be, that's for certain! Just a small episode, but a most non-heinous one. STATION!! I would love to hear your thoughts on Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip and Michele! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S5 E220 · Thu, August 17, 2023
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure almost wasn’t so excellent. Its original plot had to be changed during shooting, a major role was left uncast until the last minute, its original ending was abandoned for being, honestly, most heinous, and its production company went bankrupt during post-production. But, just like the movie, its ending was most triumphant. Bill and Ted would pass their history report, form Wyld Stallyns, and their music would create utopia on Earth. The movie would become cemented in 80s comedy, for not being totally bogus and giving us two of cinema's most bodacious heroes, as well as two sequels. Not to mention, it invented the internet (sort of!) and highlights the power of non-traditional scholastic education. Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes! I would love to hear your thoughts on Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip and Michele! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most ex
S5 E219 · Thu, August 10, 2023
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Two households (Baz Lurhmann & 20th Century Fox) , both alike in dignity, In fair Verona (Australia / Hollywood) , where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge (Strictly Ballroom was a huge success) break to new mutiny, (mutiny = partnership) Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. (there was no blood that I'm aware of) From forth the fatal loins of these two foes (they decided to collaborate, non-fatally) A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life; (They made Romeo + Juliet, which is a tragedy) Whose misadventured piteous overthrows (Kidnappings, illness and storms plagued the set) Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife. (As far as I know, everyone's parents were ok with it) The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love, (A 72-day shoot culminating in the joint onscreen deaths of both characters) And the continuance of their parents’ rage, (Would you want to be a Montague or a Capulet?) Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove, (Parents just don't understand!) Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage; (And this movie is exactly two hours long) The which if you with patient ears attend, (48 minutes worth of patient ears, please) What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. (This episode was a labour of love, I hope you enjoy it!) I would love to hear your thoughts on William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by
S5 E218 · Thu, August 03, 2023
There's Something About Mary
A spec script sitting in development hell at Touchstone Pictures, called There's Something About Mary , wouldn't be the raunchy r-rated comedy it ended up becoming. Originally written more straight, with Ted as a creepy stalker hiring a PI to track down the girl he crushed on at high school, once the Farrelly Brothers got involved, it became more of a comedy (with traces of those stalker tendencies still included) and 20th Century Fox wanted in. R-rated comedies were big business in the '80s, but by the '90s romcoms were sincere, sweet and told us that love conquered all. There's Something About Mary would not only change the formula for what a romantic comedy could be, it also ushered in the new age of R-rated raunchy, gross-out humour that would make producer/directors like Judd Apatow huge in the future. There’s Something About Mary was, in essence, a trendsetter. But it never set out to be one. I would love to hear your thoughts on There's Something About Mary ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Nicholas, Zo,
S5 E217 · Thu, July 27, 2023
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot: Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each prayer accepted, and each wish resigned; It's been almost 20 years since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was released, and it feels like nothing else comes close to depicting the cyclical nature of relationships so honestly, or so deftly. With pitch-perfect performances from Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet (both playing against type), a stellar supporting cast of Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Tom Wilkinson, and an atypical non-linear structure showing the deterioration of Joel and Clementine's relationship in reverse. Who among us hasn’t asked what they’d do to remove the pain and hurt of an ex? Do soul mates exist? Are we constantly drawn to the same people, or people who remind us of the same people? Would we choose the instant gratification of memory removal, or the constant pain and sadness associated to that person leaving your life? Is it better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all? I would love to hear your thoughts on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio <str
S5 E216 · Thu, July 20, 2023
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
"They're coming to get you, Barbra!" You always ask for more horror, so I'm giving you the original and best. The genre-defining low budget zombie movie, an influential horror classic, an unintentional social and political commentary on racial inequality. George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. The story of zombies has been rooted in culture for decades, and black history has its own myths, based around the Afro-Haitian slave trade, where slaves would welcome death to escape slavery, but feared being resurrected after death for an eternity of servitude. This movie teaches us that being good doesn't mean you'll survive; that in the zombie apocalypse, everyone is doomed, and hope is non-existent. Night of the Living Dead remains constantly relevant, ground-breaking horror, incorporating societal tensions and anxieties of the 1960s and beyond. And it's in the public domain, so lots of other people have remade, remastered, colourized and rebooted it... The original, though, is timeless. The ending to this movie will live with me forever. I would love to hear your thoughts on Night of the Living Dead (1968) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Clau
S5 E215 · Thu, July 13, 2023
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
Don't Panic “Hitchhiker’s by its very nature has always been twisty and turny, and going off into every direction. A film demands a certain shape and discipline that the material just isn’t inclined to fit into.” This is a quote by Douglas Adams, creator and writer of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy . Despite his (and many others') opinion that the material was mostly harmless (and unfilmable!), Adams was adamant for the big screen adventures of Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian and Marvin, after successful BBC radio and TV series, and stage shows. A movie version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was originally mooted in 1982, which would never materialise, but it led to Adams' relaxation of the idea that all his characters must be British, and Adams was fully involved throughout writing the screenplay. The project was resurrected in early 2001 by director Jay Roach, and once again Douglas Adams would write the screenplay, adding new material and insisting only Arthur needed to be British... Adams' sudden death in May 2001 left the producers with two options: say "So long, and thanks for all the fish", or "Don't panic" and carry on with the movie Douglas Adams so desperately wanted to see... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/Composition
S5 E214 · Thu, July 06, 2023
Hot Shots! & Hot Shots! Part Deux
Another Nanorama (episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information) on the history and legacy of Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft's follow-up to the wildly successful Airplane ! and The Naked Gun ... Hot Shots! prime target for spoofing was Top Gun , but despite the material being right there, writing it turned into a potential life-imitating-art situation, when tensions started to build in the Gulf, and in the summer of 1990, Iraq (led by Saddam Hussein) invaded Kuwait, leading to a real US-led military coalition to liberate Kuwait. In the meantime, 20th Century Fox had already committed to filming at the start of 1991, with a plan to shelve the movie if things in the Gulf didn't improve... Obviously, the movie was released, as planned, and it led to Hot Shots! Part Deux, but the issue then was what to spoof next. There was no Top Gun sequel, but 80s action stars had been turning to comedy in recent years, with varying degrees of success. For every Twins , there was a Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Speaking of Sylvester Stallone.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Hot Shots! & Hot Shots! Part Deux ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio <stro
S5 E213 · Thu, June 22, 2023
Pacific Rim
Guillermo del Toro loves Japanese cinema, no more so than his passion for kaiju films, and it's this joy that fuels a loving homage to kaiju cinema like Pacific Rim , and it's this movie that concludes Kaijune for this very reason. A director known for his cinematic monsters, and his metaphors for man being the monster, was surely ripe for a kaiju movie. Pacific Rim is often misjudged and misunderstood as just a smashy smashy monster robot B-movie, but it's a beautifully made B-movie, a heartfelt attempt at making something wholly unique, with del Toro’s trademark world building. It only happened, though, because del Toro's passion project fell through. Pacific Rim would be his consolation prize, but it would also become the most fun he'd ever have on any of his sets. My appearance on Unequal Sequel, talking about my best, worst and dream sequel, can be found here . No guesses for the worst sequel. Surprise for my dream sequel, as it's very much linked... I would love to hear your thoughts on Pacific Rim ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Si
S5 E212 · Thu, June 15, 2023
Shin Godzilla (Shin Gojira)
It was the US Godzilla remake that spurred Toho into making their own brand-new Godzilla remake. Not the previous episode's 1998 Godzilla , but Gareth Edwards' 2014 Godzilla , which ended up becoming a huge hit worldwide, and giving Toho the confidence that they could continue the long-running franchise. Shin Godzilla was announced in 2015, and just like the 1954 original it emulated, it would be a Godzilla born of disaster and tragedy, as well as a Godzilla who was a terrifying threat to mankind. A Godzilla who not only evolved, but evolved quickly to suit his surroundings; that spewed fire, radiation and destruction in his wake. How will Japan's government cope with such an intense, immense threat? Why, have multiple meetings, of course... I would love to hear your thoughts on Shin Godzilla (Shin Gojira) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip and Michele! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: <s
S5 E211 · Thu, June 08, 2023
Godzilla (1998)
From the depths of Kaijune comes the King of the Monsters.... GODZILLA ! But not the Godzilla many fans were expecting when a US remake was announced in the '90s, and not the first attempt to make a US version of the legendary kaiju. Steve Miner had tried to get a 3D version off the ground in 1983, and then there was the infamous Jan de Bont version in 1994. Both stories are fascinating enough, but always lurking in the background of the 1994 version were Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. They'd been offered Godzilla in the early '90s but turned it down repeatedly. After the 1994 project imploded due to budgetary concerns, they were offered it again. It would be the combined movies of Armageddon and Deep Impact that changed Emmerich's path, and sent him to accept a US remake of Godzilla , alongside Dean Devlin, with full creative control for the pair. And as we know, full creative control always goes to plan... I would love to hear your thoughts on Godzilla (1998) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will,
S5 E210 · Thu, June 01, 2023
The Host (괴물) (2006)
Bong Joon-ho is a fascinating director, and for the start of Kaijune, a theme month dedicated to cinematic monsters, I simple had to start with The Host , one of his lesser-known films but also one of his most accomplished. Bong Joon-ho does tend to make movies about monsters, but usually they’re figurative monsters. Capitalism, colonialism, greed, class inequalities, social injustice. But here, this is a literal monster born from humanity's greed, government conspiracy and environmental disaster. A monster who will eat anyone and anything in its path. A monster Bong was insistent to show in its entirety up front, and in daylight. Centred around the everyday Park family, and hapless father Gang-du, a shop worker who's pitied and berated by his family, loses his daughter in the panic after the monster appears out of the Han River. Gang-du ends up incarcerated and lobotomized, but still does everything in his limited power to find and save Hyun-seo, who refuses to be damselled and in turn protects and saves a younger child from being eaten by the monster. But is the monster really the monster? Or is America the monster? It's a deeply personal and relatable family story, wrapped in a monster movie. No wonder it broke box office records in South Korea... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Host (괴물) (2006) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/Compositionsbychloe/" rel="noopener noreferrer"
S5 E209 · Thu, May 25, 2023
Heathers
Heathers wasn't the first teen black comedy, but it certainly would go on to define teen movies going forward, with movies like Clueless , Jawbreaker and Mean Girls all benefitting from Heathers ' influence, either vernacularly, sartorially or thematically. A candy-coloured world juxtaposed against the metaphorical "high school is hell", Veronica Sawyer is a member of the Heathers, the most popular, and most hated clique at Westerburg High. Led by Heather, aided by Heather and brought up in the rear by Heather, Veronica is not a Heather, but she might as well be, especially when she starts being influenced by bad boy loner J.D.... Heathers would take a satirical look at teen suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, sexual assault, fatphobia, peer pressure (Teenage Suicide. Don't Do It!), but is possibly most well-known for being remarkably prescient when it comes to school shootings. 35 years ago, a student shooting classmates in the cafeteria was the stuff of far-fetched imaginations ran wild. Nowadays, it's become a horrific reality. The extreme always seems to make an impression... I would love to hear your thoughts on Heathers ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, An
S5 E208 · Thu, May 11, 2023
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
"Play Ja Ja Ding Dong!" Ok, ok... But also, to celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest being held here in the UK, and in support of Ukraine, the history and legacy of not only the contest itself, but also Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Will Ferrell first saw the contest in 1999, and became a huge fan. It would take him over 20 years to bring a movie to the big screen, and it would be a movie endorsed by the European Broadcast Union. It had to balance a fine line between being an introduction to the competition for people who new nothing about the kitsch, campy song contest, and a love letter to its fans and participants. No-one expected it to become Oscar-nominated, though... I would love to hear your thoughts on Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip and Michele! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S5 E207 · Thu, May 04, 2023
Wreck-It Ralph
I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be than me. Wreck-It Ralph may be really good at wrecking, and Fix-It Felix really good at fixing, but Disney had been working on a video game movie since the late 80s without success. Starting as High Score, and then Joe Jump, it would be 2008 when the project would finally be "rebooted" as Reboot Ralph. At one point Ralph wasn't even the lead character, it was Felix. But then they realised that following the story of the bad guy, and his journey to redemption, was actually a lot more interesting that following the good guy. Wreck-It Ralph was born, and to legitimise his world, they decided to contact video game companies to licence actual characters for Litwak's Arcade, which went surprisingly well - everyone wanted on board - Nintendo, Sega, Capcom etc. Over 180 characters later, they didn't just have a movie, they had a universe. They also had a remarkably sweet and brilliant story about just being yourself, not letting others define you, and a reminder that difference is a powerup. A playable version of Fix-It Felix Jr is available at https://kbhgames.com/game/fix-it-felix-jr The Who Framed Roger Rabbit episode of The Rewind Movie Podcast is available here I would love to hear your thoughts on Wreck-It Ralph ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.</a
S5 E206 · Thu, April 27, 2023
Bring It On
I'm sexy, I'm cute, I'm popular to boot... the introductory scene to Bring It On is infamous in 2000s pop culture for its tongue-in-cheek look at the world of cheerleading. Bring It On though, was born of a fascination with competitive cheerleading, and the fact that as it's seen as primarily a women's sport, and not really a sport in itself, despite the skill and athleticism necessary. Writer Jessica Bendinger knew she had something special, and it took many pitches to get a studio to believe in her cheerleader comedy, rooted deeply in the politics of cheerleading, as well as cultural appropriation and white guilt, something not many 2000s high school comedies would touch with a ten-foot spirit stick. But there was another cheerleader movie being made at the same time, one that would steal a lead cast member and tempt another... I would love to hear your thoughts on Bring It On ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett and Philip! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Brett
S5 E205 · Thu, April 20, 2023
Hustlers (2019)
Hustlers was always going to be a tough sell. Based on the true story of a group of strippers who conned rich, white men, writer and director Lorene Scafaria found herself trying to sell it to... rich white men, who were less than enthusiastic about it. The key was the involvement of Jennifer Lopez. Not only was it the casting of Scafaria's dreams, Lopez had the skill and connections to make the production a reality. She would also receive lavish praise for her performance as Ramona Vega, and the whole cast would achieve a newfound respect and admiration for strippers through the training they undertook to appear in the film. While the movie didn't garner the accolades many thought it should have, it's a wonderful time capsule of the late 2000s fashion and music of the era, and the dynamic between Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez grounds it in heartbreaking reality. Drain the clock, not the c*ck... I would love to hear your thoughts on Hustlers (2019) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett and Philip! EPISODE THANKS TO....</p
S5 E204 · Thu, April 13, 2023
Hidden Figures
More than half a century after NASA launched astronauts into space, you’d think all the stories about these groundbreaking missions had been told. But they hadn't. Margot Lee Shetterly's father worked at NASA, and the stories of the women of NASA were commonplace among the local community, but the world was yet to know the incredible true story of the African-American female mathematicians, and how integral their work was to the space race. Lee Shetterly's book, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race , was optioned for a film even before she finished writing it, and told the stories of four African-American women. Katherine Johnson (1918-2020) Dorothy Vaughan (1910-2008) Mary Jackson (1921-2005) Christine Darden (1942- ) While only three of those women's experiences made it into the movie, the story (while containing a few embellishments) is a remarkable one of hard work, grit and determination, set against the backdrop of racially and gender segregated America. I would love to hear your thoughts on Hidden Figures ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Bre
S5 E203 · Thu, April 06, 2023
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a witty social satire on gender and class that also serves as a celebration of female ingenuity and solidarity, decked out in beautiful brightly coloured ball gowns and diamonds. It’s a love story, but not in the traditional sense; it puts female friendship front and centre, and remains one of the best buddy comedies. Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe are electric together, their friendship is obvious, they’re flawless, with pitch perfect comedic timing. It remains a Golden Age Hollywood movie well ahead of its time in relation to sexuality, representation of intelligence, feminism and a celebration of pop culture. It turns 70 years old this year, can you believe?! A kiss on the hand may be quite continental... I would love to hear your thoughts on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett and Philip! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Brett @dissectthatfilm . Listen to Dissect That Film in your podcast app of choice</l
S5 E202 · Thu, March 30, 2023
Hot Rod & Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Another Nanorama (episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information) on the history and legacy of The Lonely Island's debut and sophomoric cinematic comedies: Hot Rod and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Hot Rod was written originally for Will Ferrell before it ended up in development hell. The Lonely Island, then brand new on Saturday Night Live, were utilising the internet for comedy sketches way before it was cool, and SNL producer Lorne Michaels knew the trio would be perfect for Paramount's Hot Rod script. While Hot Rod wouldn't set the box office alight, it would become a huge hit on DVD, and a cult favourite, propelling The Lonely Island to the big leagues. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping , unlike Hot Rod , was created, written, directed by and starring The Lonely Island, and drew inevitable comparisons with the king of the music mockumentary This is Spinal Tap. Chronicling the meteoric rise of Conner4Real, former lead singer of The Style Boyz, his fall from grace and ultimate redemption, it's a lovingly scathing parody of the music industry and like Hot Rod , struggled at the box office before finding an audience. It's a good job Conner is so humble... Time for the catchphrase verse! I would love to hear your thoughts on Hot Rod & Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/Compositionsbychloe/
S5 E201 · Thu, March 23, 2023
Reign of Fire
It's the apocalypse of 2020 with dragons, and that's really all you need to know about this movie. But also, in the late '90s, the estimated $300 million spec script for Reign of Fire was toned down and eventually made for just $60 million, starring two future Oscar-winning actors, and visual effects that would leave a lasting legacy on cinematic dragons going forward. It makes Reign of Fire even more impressive a feat than it already is. Reign of Fire deserves way more respect than anyone gives it, and it all started with Dalmatians and dinosaurs, but not the Spielberg ones you're thinking of... Let the ReignofFirennaisance begin! I would love to hear your thoughts on Reign of Fire ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett and Philip! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Brett @dissectthatfilm . Listen to Dissect That Film in your podcast app of choice Scott @MSMRpod . Listen to Monkey See Monkey Review in your podcast
S5 E200 · Thu, March 16, 2023
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true. Thanks for supporting 200 episodes of this podcast! The Wizard of Oz is still as relevant, vibrant and perfect as ever. It was a beloved children’s book, that manifested into a cultural cinematic icon. And despite the colours, the textures, the joyous wonder of the wonderful world of Oz, there’s such a darkness to the story. The state-of-the-art, beautiful Technicolor world belies the pain, abuse, injuries and illnesses on set. Whoever said "art is pain" did might have been talking about the making of one of Hollywood’s outstanding masterpieces. While memories may have been tarnished over the years, and accounts vastly differ of the experience and treatment, that didn’t stop many from believing the set of The Wizard of Oz was cursed. MGM took a huge risk making The Wizard of Oz . It would take 20 years to make a profit, but it would become one of the first 25 films to be included in the National Film Registry. It became a yearly family tradition through the advent of TV, then VHS, DVD and Blu-ray to become the most seen and most influential movie of all time. The Wizard of Oz remains a timeless classic, with one of the most fascinating histories and legacies to ever be included on Verbal Diorama. For more on the theft and eventual recovery of the ruby slippers, listen to the No Place Like Home Podcast I would love to hear your thoughts on The Wizard of Oz (1939) ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | <a href="https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=emmcgo
S5 E199 · Thu, March 09, 2023
Wayne's World
Party on Wayne, and Party on Garth - it's only Aurora's finest basement-dwelling public access cable show. Wayne's World ! Wayne's World. Party time. Excellent! From its beginnings as a Saturday Night Live sketch, to its democratization of America's cable public access TV network, arguably Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar were the YouTubers of their day, and probably also invented podcasts... maybe... But Wayne's World , for all its humour, pop culture references, fourth wall breaking, introducing the world to megababe Tia Carrere (SCHWING!) and satirization of media and product placement, actually wasn't a particularly easy film to make. Feuding leads, a first-time studio director, bereavement and a big name star post-sex tape scandal may not seem like a recipe for box-office success, but Wayne's World defied its critics to inspire a generation of millennials, and would resurrect Queen's music career in the US, thanks to a certain iconic head banging scene. But will this episode have the sad ending, the Scooby-Doo ending, or the mega happy ending? Diddly doo, diddly doo, diddly doo, diddly doo.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Wayne's World ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat,
S5 E198 · Thu, February 23, 2023
Tangled
Seven A.M., the usual morning line-up, start on the chores and sweep 'til the floor's all clean, polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up, sweep again, and by then it's like 7:15 And so I read a book, or maybe two or three, I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery, I'll play guitar and knit, and cook and basically Just wonder when will my life begin? Tangled's life began like every other Disney movie. In fact, it was quite similar to Enchanted ; a live-action/animation hybrid called Rapunzel Unbraided . Rapunzel Unbraided would become Rapunzel , which would become Tangled , and unlike Rapunzel's 70ft golden locks, it's a bit of a messy story, with lots of change behind the scenes, lots of delays and a lot of talk of "four quadrant appeal". Tangled's long, arduous production would lead to it becoming the most expensive animated film ever made - a feat shared with The Lion King (2019), and it would also pave the way for Walt Disney Animation Studio's highest grossing animated film since The Lion King (1994)... I would love to hear your thoughts on Tangled ! CONTACT .... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em.| This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe . Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons : Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy
S5 E197 · Fri, February 17, 2023
Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death
This podcast is now four year old, so to celebrate, here's the fifth of five very special episodes on Wallace and Gromit, on the final of their short films, A Matter of Loaf and Death Thank you for your support over the last four years! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S5 E196 · Thu, February 16, 2023
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
This podcast is now four year old, so to celebrate, here's the fourth of five very special episodes on Wallace and Gromit, on their only feature-length theatrical adventure Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Thank you for your support over the last four years! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E195 · Wed, February 15, 2023
Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave
This podcast is now four year old, so to celebrate, here's the third of five very special episodes on Wallace and Gromit, on the third of their short films, A Close Shave . Thank you for your support over the last four years! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E194 · Tue, February 14, 2023
Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers
This podcast is now four year old, so to celebrate, here's the second of five very special episodes on Wallace and Gromit, on the second of their short films, The Wrong Trousers . Thank you for your support over the last four years! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E193 · Mon, February 13, 2023
Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out
This podcast is now four year old, so to celebrate, here's the first of five very special episodes on Wallace and Gromit, on the first of their short films, A Grand Day Out . Thank you for your support over the last four years! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E192 · Thu, February 09, 2023
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! / The Pirates! Band of Misfits
One doesn't know why. Perhaps it's his luxuriant beard, or his gleaming teeth, or the way he smells faintly of coconuts, but we have taken a shine to this pirate. With different names depending on where you are in the English-speaking world, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (or The Pirates! Band of Misfits ) already feels like an anomaly in Aardman's stellar back catalogue. Based on the best-selling books by Gideon Defoe, who also writes the screenplay, The Pirates feels similar, yet also vastly (or should that be avastly?) different to the rest of its Aardman cousins. It's not set in the UK, for a start, and it was a wildly ambitious project; the biggest thing the team at Aardman had ever achieved. It was a movie of many firsts for the company, including the first (and only) Aardman movie to offend the leprosy community. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! / The Pirates! Band of Misfits ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu and Brett! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Brett for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ dissectthatfilm on Twitter and his podcast Dissect That Film on all your podcast apps. Scott for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ MSMRpod on Twitter and his podcast Monkey See Mon
S4 E191 · Thu, February 02, 2023
Perfect Blue
Satoshi Kon's debut feature-length animated movie is often cited as not just as masterpiece of animation, but a masterpiece of cinema full stop. Darren Aronofsky, in particular, has not only credited Perfect Blue as inspiration for a scene in Requiem for a Dream , there are also striking similarities between Perfect Blue and his Oscar-winning psychological horror Black Swan . Mima and Nina, anyone? Controversies aside, Perfect Blue was made on the cusp of the home internet revolution, and horrifically depicts a young woman being judged, stalked and harassed online. Kon wanted to highlight concerns over otaku , the groups of fans becoming obsessed with certain media, but as genius as Satoshi Kon was, even he couldn't have predicted how serious online toxic fan culture would become. I would love to hear your thoughts on Perfect Blue ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu and Brett! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Pete for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ PodcastMCFC on Twitter and his podcast Middle Class Film Class on all your podcast apps. Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. and Brendan for his patron thoughts, too! Twitter peeps @ChatsunamiPod @SP_Filmviewers @The80sMoviePod @AndWhyNotPod @thecultworthy @Calum_H_Cooper @GartbagePod
S4 E190 · Thu, January 26, 2023
The Emperor's New Groove
The Emperor's New Groove , unfortunately lumbered as part of the blame for the beginning of the end of Disney's Renaissance period, is actually three movies in one: The original movie that was never made, Kingdom of the Sun The movie we got And the documentary that Disney does not want you to see, The Sweatbox In this episode, I'm going to be telling you about all three; plus the alleged DreamWorks plan by ex-Disney chief Jeffrey Katzenberg to beat Disney to release with The Road to El Dorado , the fact The Emperor's New Groove didn't have a script until two weeks after it was released, and how The Emperor's New Groove accurately predicted the tonal change to Hollywood animation in the 2000s. If anyone asks you how did Disney managed to make The Emperor’s New Groove , you could just refer them to this episode, or you could simply say “well, ya got me, by all accounts, it doesn’t make sense”. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Emperor's New Groove ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu and Brett! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Sunni for her patron thoughts. You can find her @ Bookofliespod on Twitter and her podcast Book of Lies on all your podcast apps. Brett for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ dissectthatfilm on Twitter and his podcast Dissect That Film on all your podcast apps. Andy for his patron tho
S4 E189 · Thu, January 19, 2023
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a movie with a Guinness World Record, an Oscar nomination and, miraculously, an R-rating. That R-rating contributed to it being the highest grossing R-rated animated film for seventeen years, too. If the Motion Picture Association of America had their way, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut would have been rated NC-17, but the irony doesn't stop there. The kids of South Park; Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny sneak into an R-rated movie, discover all the swears and their parents condemn the movie for being a terrible influence; and this is exactly what happened in real life, not just with the movie, but with the hit TV show that preceded it. South Park set out to offend everyone. The fact that this movie's main antagonists are Saddam Hussein and censorship goes someway to show how South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut prided itself on tackling current affairs, as well as its own form of social justice. It's a righteous warning against overbearing parenting, quick to blame popular culture for social issues, and the notion that cursing is bad on its own. It's also a terrific musical, still holds up remarkably well 23 years later, and proves that, should we need reminding, animation is very much not just for children. BARBRA STREISAND! I would love to hear your thoughts on South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu and Brett! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and h
S4 E188 · Thu, January 12, 2023
Inside Out (2015)
Who's your friend who likes to play? BING BONG BING BONG! Inside Out captures the science of emotions, memory and personality remarkably accurately for an animated feature. In fact, getting the science right was paramount to the team at Pixar. It’s as accurate as the science in a Pixar movie can be, because it still needs to be entertaining, but it’s more accurate than it needs to be. Director Pete Docter, already a steady hand at Pixar after directing Monsters Inc. and Up , had an idea based on the changing personality of his then pre-teen daughter. What was going on inside her head? Why was she becoming introverted and withdrawn at eleven years of age? John Lasseter loved the idea, and Inside Out moved forward, but the questions about the human mind continued. How is the stream of consciousness influenced by emotions? How do feelings affect the way we remember the past? And how would you describe an 11-year-old girl's emotional life? Take her to the moon for me. I would love to hear your thoughts on Inside Out (2015) ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu and Brett! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy and Mike for their patron thoughts. You can find them @ geeksaladradio @ gundam_guyver on Twitter and their podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Brett for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ dissectthatfilm on Twitter and his podcast Dissect That Film on all your podcas
S4 E187 · Thu, January 05, 2023
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
Comparisons to Avatar aside, FernGully: The Last Rainforest is a film of a lot of firsts. It wasn't just one of the first animated features to combine traditional and computer animation; it was also one of the first to be produced with remote artists, Robin Williams' first animated role (no, not the Genie!), and the first movie to be screened at the UN General Assembly. It's also got itself a spot in the Guinness World Records , too! Portions of its profits were donated to Greenpeace, the Rainforest Foundation Fund, and the Sierra Club, as well as a special fund benefiting environmental projects worldwide that was administered by the Smithsonian Institution. This was a movie that fully believed in its mission to help save the environment, and it all started with a mother's bedtime stories to her children in Byron Bay, Australia... I would love to hear your thoughts on FernGully: The Last Rainforest ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Jonathan and BRAND-NEW PATRONS Stu and Brett! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Laurel for her patron thoughts. You can find her @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter and her podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps. Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Simon for his patron thoughts. You can find him @simon_exton on Twitter and his podcast The Exton Moss Experiment
S4 E186 · Thu, December 22, 2022
The Nightmare Before Christmas
What's this?! What's this?! There's colour everywhere! It's officially the final episode of Verbal Diorama of 2022, and my dreams of producing an episode on The Nightmare Before Christmas become a reality, just before Christmas! While this may have been Tim Burton's idea, and Tim Burton's vision, the real maestros behind the scenes on The Nightmare Before Christmas were undoubtedly Henry Selick and Danny Elfman, and both would be burned by their experiences working on this movie. But The Nightmare Before Christmas has left an indelible legacy, not just in its music and merchandise; it also shaped the future of stop-motion animation, and made it one of the greatest and glorious forms of cinematic art. MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL! SEE YOU IN 2023 FOR MORE ANIMATION SEASON, AND MORE VERBAL DIORAMA! I would love to hear your thoughts on The Nightmare Before Christmas ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler and Jonathan. BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Brendan , for his Patron thoughts too! Twitter peeps @BurghFan004 @SoWizardPodcast @smith_cb @kjevans2 @bestfilmeverpod @Drumble @Jbiss @dissectthatfilm @dtmasterson @Binge_Lord_Dan Instagram folk @itsamusicalpod @sp_filmviewers <l
S4 E185 · Thu, December 15, 2022
The Muppet Christmas Carol
There's (a little more than) One More Sleep 'Til Christmas , and with a Thankful Heart , it's time for Verbal Diorama to give some festive love to The Muppet Christmas Carol , so It Feels Like Christmas , finally! Starring Kermit, Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens, Rizzo the Rat as himself, and the inimitable Michael Caine in his career-defining role as Ebenezer Scrooge, The Muppet Christmas Carol is not only one of the greatest adaptations of Dickens' A Christmas Carol , but also one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made, and this year it celebrates its 30th anniversary with a remastered version on Disney+, complete with the "lost" song "When Love is Gone". But out of over 150 adaptations of A Christmas Carol over the decades, how is the Muppet version so faithful to the source material, and why does it continue to endure? It's a story of loss, grief and redemption, and that's just the behind-the-scenes of this movie. The YouTube video by dress historian Abby Cox I refer to in this episode is here I would love to hear your thoughts on The Muppet Christmas Carol ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler and BRAND-NEW PATRON Jonathan. BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Laurel for her patron thoughts. You can find her @ TheMidnightMyth on Twitter and her podcast The Midnight Myth on all yo
S4 E184 · Thu, December 08, 2022
Edward Scissorhands
After Tim Burton made his phenomenally successful Batman movie, he had his choice of personal projects, including a Batman sequel and a Beetlejuice sequel, but he chose this deeply personal story based on a sketch he had drawn as a withdrawn teenager; of a thin, solemn man with what looked like scissors for hands. Enlisting the help of screenwriter Caroline Thompson, together they would craft the ultimate gothic fairy-tale, based on classic Universal monster movies where the monster is the purest, innocent soul; as well as a beautiful Christmas movie, filmed on location in the scorching Florida suburb of Carpenters Run. I would love to hear your thoughts on Edward Scissorhands ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly and Tyler. BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Pete for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ TheRealPEEEETE on Twitter and his podcast Middle Class Film Class on all your podcast apps. Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Derek for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ derekjones198 on Twitter and his podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps. And Nicholas for his patron thoughts too! Twitter peeps @dissectthatfilm @The80sMoviePod @mhowe1980 Instagram folk None this time Facebook chums No
S4 E183 · Thu, December 01, 2022
Batman Returns
Tim Burton didn't intend to return for Batman Returns after his smash hit Batman movie in 1989, but after Warner Bros gave him free rein on the project and allowed him to fully "Burtonize" the movie, he agreed. The result was, unsurprisingly a completely Tim Burton Batman movie. Full of the typical gothic, macabre, dark and sexualised version of Gotham you'd expect. Warner Bros, though, didn't expect it, and neither did their family friendly merchandising team. I would love to hear your thoughts on Batman Returns ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly and Tyler BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Pete for his patron thoughts. You can find him @TheRealPEEEETE on Twitter and his podcast Middle Class Film Class on all your podcast apps. Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Zo for his patron thoughts. You can find him @AlonzotheArtist on Twitter and his podcast Back Look Cinema on all your podcast apps. Derek for his patron thoughts. You can find him @derekjones198 on Twitter and his podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps. Aly, Nicholas and Brendan for their patron thoughts too! Twitter peeps @kevin_thecritic @KMacMusic @russlovesmovies @CatchingCinema @TapwaterAlice @dissectthatfilm @SwayzeofArabia @laughmatician @BiggerMoviePod @JoshieMcsquashy @adri
S4 E182 · Thu, November 24, 2022
Super Troopers
Super Troopers is a remarkable achievement - a comedy with no established comedic stars, an unknown director, and a very low budget that seemingly came out of nowhere, to become a huge hit when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001. And while I hate talking about Harvey Weinstein on this podcast, for obvious reasons, he was pivotal to Super Troopers ' initial financial success, which only snowballed in the advent of the VHS & DVD rentals market, and positive word of mouth. The continued cult classic status though, that's all down to the chaps of Broken Lizard.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Super Troopers ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly and brand-new patron Tyler ! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Pete for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ TheRealPEEEETE on Twitter and his podcast Middle Class Film Class on all your podcast apps. Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Derek for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ derekjones198 on Twitter and his podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps. Twitter peeps @dissectthatfilm @VincentAsher @friendlysparpod @SwayzeofArabia @FilmStripPod @Oral_mfc Instagram folk @wollywollygong Facebook chums Tony</li
S4 E181 · Thu, November 17, 2022
Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in)
Not your average vampire story, Let the Right One In is a haunting, beautiful and unique take on vampiric lore, as twelve-year-old Oskar meets Eli, a young girl who moves into his building with her guardian. But Eli is more than she seems, as her 'father' Håkan is seen butchering young men and trying to collect their blood. His constant failure leads her to take matters into her own hands, and people in the small, snowy Swedish town of Blackeburg start disappearing and a woman she attacks starts to change... Oskar and Eli are two sides of the same coin. Eli is the monster that sweet, bullied Oskar wishes he could be, and Oskar... he's the companion Eli needs to survive. But just who are the real monsters in this story? I would love to hear your thoughts on Let the Right One In ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny and brand-new patron Alyson! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Vern for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ cinema_recall on Twitter and his podcast Cinema Recall on all your podcast apps. Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Pete for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ TheRealPEEEETE on Twitter and his podcast Middle Class Film Class on all your podcast apps. Aly for her Patron thoughts, too! Twitter peeps @WooLongTalks @DWLundberg Instagram folk <l
Bonus · Thu, November 10, 2022
X-Men: The Animated Series - Night of the Sentinels Parts 1 & 2
Halloween 2022 was the 30th anniversary of the airing of Night of the Sentinels Part 1 , the pilot episode of X-Men: The Animated Series, with Night of the Sentinels Part 2 airing a week later. Her original plan to launch an X-Men animated series had failed in 1989, but a couple of years later Fox Kids CEO Margaret Loesch was adamant she would get the X-Men on the small screen. The series itself was a risky move, but debuting with a story about the Sentinels was even more risky. And Stan Lee wasn't as involved as you might think! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E179 · Thu, October 20, 2022
Train to Busan (부산행)
The movie that Edgar Wright called the "Best zombie movie I've seen in forever." and "my favourite zombie film of the 21st Century", Train to Busan is nothing short of phenomenal. With perfect action set pieces, the claustrophobia of being trapped in a zombie-filled train, and interpersonal and class conflicts brewing throughout, what starts as the simple story of a workaholic father taking his daughter to visit her mother in Busan becomes a gripping, heart-wrenching and terrifying experience that never lets up. Yeon Sang-ho's live-action directorial debut ramps up the tension and terror in equal measure, but also gives us characters we care about and root for, as fatherhood is placed front and centre. This is one train you won't want to miss! Or maybe you will. Zombies and all that. I would love to hear your thoughts on Train to Busan (부산행) ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather and Danny BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Vern for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ CinemaRecall on Twitter and his podcast Cinema Recall on all your podcast apps. Pete for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ TheRealPEEEETE on Twitter and his podcast Middle Class Film Class on all your podcast apps. Twitter peeps @nobodyasked4pod @NikolisKitchen @ayumpp @BurghFan004 @Oral_mfc @TheCatFilmFan @ChatsunamiPod @chrismoviedm @RockolaDelRolo @ThiefCGT @BitesSoho Instagram folk</
S4 E178 · Thu, October 13, 2022
One Cut of the Dead (Kamera o Tomeru na!)
One Cut of the Dead was a movie that came together in only eight days, with a tiny budget, that its own actors paid to be in. Not only would it garner major financial success, earning over a thousand times its budget back, it would also be a huge critical success (100% on Rotten Tomatoes!). Most importantly, it encapsulates exactly why this podcast exists in the first place - to celebrate every facet of the production of movies. The pain, the joy and the hard work of everyone involved. One Cut of the Dead is a blood-splattered (yet sincere) love letter to low-budget independent film-making. Watch the movie before listening though, please! POM! I would love to hear your thoughts on One Cut of the Dead (Kamera o Tomeru na!) ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny and Haley BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Pete for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ TheRealPEEEETE on Twitter and his podcast Middle Class Film Class on all your podcast apps. Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Scott for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ MSMRpod on Twitter and his podcast Monkey See Monkey Review on all your podcast apps. Plus Brendan and Nicholas for their patron thoughts, too! Twitter peeps @marcpaters0n @dazzalovesmovie @movie_drone @
S4 E177 · Thu, October 06, 2022
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a patron pick by Pete, is a visual and audible treat. A sweeping epic about love, loyalty, lust and oppression, and a genre-defining Hollywood game-changer when it came to bringing Chinese wuxia martial arts films over to Western audiences. From terrific performances by Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi, to stunning cinematography and outstanding fight choreography, it's a movie that truly has something for everyone. Despite critical and commercial acclaim in the west, it wasn't well received everywhere though. Laura Suen analyses the fight scene between Yu Jen and Yu Shu Lien in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon I would love to hear your thoughts on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny and BRAND-NEW PATRON Haley! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Pete , for picking this episode and for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ TheRealPEEEETE on Twitter and his podcast Middle Class Film Class on all your podcast apps. Andy , for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Derek , for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ derekjones198 on Twitter and his podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps. Twitter peeps @DWLundberg @deafheaven </u
S4 E176 · Thu, September 29, 2022
Addams Family Values
To mirth, to merriment, to manslaughter! What defines a loving family? Is is the rosy-cheeked cheery-faced privileged bullies at Camp Chippewa, or is it The Addams Family? Pause for thought. The answer is, and always will be, The Addams Family's honest depiction of love and acceptance. This is not only on full display once again in Addams Family Values , but includes a clear message from writer Paul Rudnick on America's republican views on "family values", and how that is always code for exclusion and hatred. Addams Family Values is timeless; a perfect Thanksgiving movie, a perfect Halloween movie, and the perfect depiction of a familial love that can be any race, any sexuality, any belief and any gender. And it adds an iconic Joan Cusack performance to the mix, just in case you were wanting more. "But Debbie... PASTELS ?" I would love to hear your thoughts on Addams Family Values ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather and Danny BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Pete for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ PodcastMCFC on Twitter and his podcast Middle Class Film Class on all your podcast apps. Zo for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ BackLookCinema on Twitter and his podcast Back Look Cinema on all your podcast apps. Nicholas
S4 E175 · Thu, September 22, 2022
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Come with me if you want to listen.... to one of the biggest episodes I've ever made on one of the most ground-breaking and important sequels ever made. From the original 1984 low budget slasher, to a big budget action sci-fi spectacular, Terminator 2: Judgment Day upped the stakes in every conceivable way. With James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton returning, and a new Terminator threatening young John Connor, T2 smashes and slices and shoots its way into cinema history, with non-stop action, perfectly paced and a glorious mix of practical and CG effects that, while rudimentary at the time, shaped modern advancements in CG. It's truly the daddy of all sequels. There is no fate but what we make. BEFORES AND AFTERS ARTICLE - THE TECH OF TERMINATOR 2 - AN ORAL HISTORY T2 TEASER TRAILER I would love to hear your thoughts on Terminator 2: Judgment Day ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather and Danny BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Derek for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ derekjones198 on Twitter and his podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps. Zo for his patro
Bonus · Thu, September 15, 2022
WandaVision
The MCU has changed a hell of a lot in 15 months. Back in June 2021 Loki was on everyone's lips, my Avengers series was winding to the end of Phase 3, and Marvel had officially started Phase 4 of the MCU with WandaVision ... (and June 2021 is when this episode was originally recorded.) Post Vision's death at the hands of Thanos, and the resulting snap, Wanda Maximoff is bereft. She ends up in Westview, NJ; a small town where Vision had big dreams for their future together. So, based on the US sitcoms she grew up watching in Sokovia, Wanda creates that future. It's a fascinating exploration of grief, love, loss and power, told through Wanda as she and Vision live "happily" in different eras of American sitcoms. They marry, have children, and this manifestation of life is as real for Wanda as it could ever be. It's a great showcase for the range of both Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, and explores trauma, grief and complex mental health issues as being the main antagonists in a superhero story. Who's been messing up everything, though? This episode was originally released as a Patreon exclusive in June 2021... and is being re-released to everyone to fill a gap in my schedule due to being ill recently. Technically it counts in Sequeltember, as a sequel to Avengers: Age of Ultron/Infinity War/Endgame etc.... Since this recording, we've obviously had a continuation of Wanda's story in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - this episode makes no mention of the events of that movie, because it wasn't out when I recorded it. ;-) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E173 · Thu, September 08, 2022
Blade II
The daywalker returns to Verbal Diorama for Sequeltember, and this time he has a Blood Pack. Guillermo del Toro admired Stephen Norrington's Blade so much, he analysed it in depth once he took the reins for Blade II . He wanted to build on the world of Blade (1998) by upping the blood, gore, martial arts and monsters, while also staying true to Norrington's original vision. On its release in 2002, critics were mixed on Blade II , and even now it sits at a disappointing 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, but Blade II gave us more than the return of Wesley Snipes in the role he was born to play, more than the resurrection of Whistler, more than the always perfect Ron Perlman, or more than the terrifyingly beautiful design for the Reapers. Blade II left a lasting legacy, which is still being felt today, and without it cinema would be very different and slightly less full of beautiful monsters... I would love to hear your thoughts on Blade II ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather and Danny BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Zo for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ BackLookCinema on Twitter and his podcast Back Look Cinema on all your podcast apps. Twitter peeps @dad_sleepy @holmesmoviespod @soyouthinkpod @hesster56 @HarrymetMovies @kevin_thecritic @BurghFan004 <l
S4 E172 · Thu, September 01, 2022
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The power of the sun, in the palm of my hands... Welcome to Sequeltember: The Sequel. Another round of sequels to movies previously featured on Verbal Diorama, and the month starts with a sequel that surpassed its genre-defining original. Spider-Man 2 is, 18 years after its release, still widely regarded as one of the best comic book movies ever made. It's not hard to see why. It has a relatable, human story at its heart, a villain with pathos, gives us the familiar cinematic beats we expect from superhero cinema, as well as accessibility to casual viewers. A blend of truly remarkable practical and CG effects make Doc Ock a ground-breaking antagonist, brought to life by the one and only Alfred Molina. Sam Raimi's trilogy peaks here. I would love to hear your thoughts on Spider-Man 2 (2004) ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Jason, Ian D, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather and Danny BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Derek for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ derekjones198 on Twitter and his podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps. Zo for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ BackLookCinema on Twitter and his podcast Back Look Cinema on all your podcast apps. And Brendan for his patron thoughts. Twitter peeps @HarrymetMovies @bestfilmeverpod @AtPedes
S4 E171 · Tue, August 30, 2022
Grease 2
Spending my vacation in the summer sun, gettin' lots of action and a lots of fun, scorin' like a bandit 'til the bubble burst, suddenly it got to be August 31st! Come on everybody, gather 'round, I'm gonna show you how to knock 'em down. When I'm on the ball, I'm the number one, and I'm gonna show you how it's done. It's time for the annual birthday episode! While I pride myself on being your Girl For All Seasons, sometimes you have to Do It for Our Country and forget the Charades . It's time for the superior Grease to reign supreme - Grease 2! Who's That Guy ? It's Maxwell Caulfield! Who's looking for a Cool Rider ? well, me, but also Michelle Pfeiffer! No need to be Prowlin ' through your podcast app looking for a Rock-a-Hula-Luau . We'll Be Together , and ( Love Will) Turn Back the Hands of Time to go Back to School Again in 1961 at Rydell High, as the T-Birds and Pink Ladies return to Score Tonight. Any unauthorised Reproduction of this birthday episode is strictly prohibited. MY GREASE 2 ARTICLE FOR FILM STORIES Adrian Zmed & The T-Birds - Solid Gold This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E170 · Thu, August 25, 2022
Twins (ft. Drew and Matt from Sequel Pitch)
Auguest concludes, with the first, second and third rule in a crisis situation... I have no respect for those who have no respect for logic. Joining me to talk about Ivan Reitman's fan-favourite Arnold Schwarzenegger & Danny DeVito buddy comedy TWINS are two hosts of a podcast that could be the twin podcast to Verbal Diorama; Drew and Matt from Sequel Pitch! I know, right! Practically twins! While we only have three fathers between us, not six, our podcasts were separated at birth, only to find each other much later. Very much like the story of Julius and Vincent Benedict, coincidentally also the names of Matt's twin daughters. Arnold Schwarzenegger was known as an '80s action hero, following hits like The Terminator and Commando. He wanted to branch out into comedy and a chance meeting with Ivan Reitman at a ski resort would give him the chance. The idea they pitched to Universal was simple: Schwarzenegger. DeVito. Twins . Together Reitman, Schwarzenegger and DeVito would also take no up-front salary, but instead a portion of the profits, which would yield a unexpected and unprecedented windfall for all three. This episode is also filled with way more innuendo an '80s buddy comedy should facilitate, as well as some great Arnie impressions. And did you know that in real life science is taking steps towards creating an actual Julius Benedict, using three-parent IVF? Tonight is your night, bro! Drew ( @DrewToynbee ) and Matt ( @V1KingXL ) host Sequel Pitch alongside Ross and Andy. You can find their back catalogue of brilliant episodes in your podcast app of choice, and they're on Twitter as @SequelPitch I would love to hear your thoughts on Twins! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review
S4 E169 · Thu, August 18, 2022
Ex Machina (ft. Jack from Sequelisers)
Auguest continues! Impulse. Response. Fluid. Imperfect. Patterned. Chaotic. All words to describe this podcast, but also uttered by Nathan describing the brain of his ultimate creation; Ava. But can Ava pass as human? Let's find out as we delve into Alex Garland's (sort-of!) directorial debut, EX MACHINA ! This week's guest wasn't lucky, he was chosen. I had to use all of my self-awareness, imagination, manipulation, sexuality and empathy to be joined by the terrific Jack Chambers-Ward from Sequelisers, who was made to be on this podcast talking about Ex Machina. Despite all of his work so far, Ex Machina might very well be Alex Garland's masterpiece. A complex, character-driven piece, on the power of nature vs future, nature vs nurture and man vs object of desire. Basically this movie and this episode.... is all about Kyoko. Kyoko is the key. Don't believe us? Listen in and we'll explain why.... If you've created a conscious machine, it's not the history of man. That's the history of gods. The YouTube video we mention several times, by Shaun, is titled How Wikipedia Got Ex Machina (2014) Wrong and is available here Jack ( @jlwchambers ) hosts Sequelisers alongside Matt Stogdon and Tim Maytom. You can find their back catalogue of brilliant episodes in your podcast app of choice, and they're on Twitter as @Sequelisers I would love to hear your thoughts on Ex Machina! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, S
S4 E168 · Thu, August 11, 2022
Dogma (ft. Andy from Geek Salad)
Auguest continues! Snootch to the motherf**king nootch! Verbal Diorama returns for another guest hosted episode for probably the best movie writer/director Kevin Smith has ever made - DOGMA . There's no pleasure, no rapture, no exquisite sin greater than being joined for Dogma by the human embodiment of the Buddy Christ, Andy from Geek Salad, for his Holy Trinity of guest appearances. He has a penchant for the dramatic, but unlike other fallen angels, he won't kill you for your sins. Kevin Smith tapped into his lapsed Catholicism and wrote an ambitious, controversial and theologically actually-rather-respectful; reverent, yet irreverent story. You people! If there isn't a movie about it, it's not worth knowing, is it? Andy (aka Perennial Commenter Andy!) hosts Geek Salad along with regular contributors Mike, Katherine and Joe. You can find their back catalogue of brilliant episodes in your podcast app of choice, and they're on Twitter as @geeksaladradio I would love to hear your thoughts on Dogma! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Jason, Ian D, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete and Heather BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Andy, for being awesome and coming on! Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)</p
S4 E167 · Thu, August 04, 2022
Basic Instinct (ft. Gali from The Rewind Movie Podcast)
Auguest, a month of amazing guest-hosted episodes, begins! I'd have to be pretty stupid to host a podcast about killing and then kill him the way I described in my podcast. I'd be announcing myself as the killer. I'm not stupid. TW: This episode includes a discussion about a scene which depicts forced sex/sexual assault/rape as well as Sharon Stone's recent revelations that she did not consent to her genitals being shown on screen. It's not just global warming, Verbal Diorama is officially getting hotter, and finally tackling the definitive erotic thriller of the '90s - BASIC INSTINCT! A spec script that Mario Kassar of Carolco paid $3 million for, which became the movie everyone was talking about, but mainly for one infamous scene in particular. Joining me for this sexy investigation is a man who can wield an ice pick like no other. A man who likes rough edges, and a podcaster who falls for the wrong guest appearance. It’s Gali from The Rewind Movie Podcast. Will Gali make it out of the episode alive? Will I charge him with smoking? Will he get off before he gets offed? Or will we f**k like minks, raise rugrats, and live happily ever after? Maybe forget the rugrats... Gali hosts The Rewind Movie Podcast along with Devlin, Patrick and Matt. You can find their back catalogue of brilliant episodes in your podcast app of choice, and they're on Twitter as @rewindmoviecast I would love to hear your thoughts on Basic Instinct! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Jason, Ian D, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete and Heather BRAND-NEW <a hr
S4 E166 · Thu, July 28, 2022
Airplane!
Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts for the latest episode of this podcast. What is it? Well, it's an audio file you can listen to at any time, but that's not important right now. Surely Verbal Diorama can't be serious? Well, Verbal Diorama is serious, and don't call me Shirley. I'm Em, I'm your pilot for this flight, and the life of everyone on board depends upon just one thing: finding a podcast host who can not only fly this plane, but who didn't have fish for dinner. We have clearance, Clarence. Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor? Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit podcasting... I would love to hear your thoughts on Airplane! ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Jason, Ian D, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete and brand-new patron Heather! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy and Mike for their patron thoughts. You can find them @ geeksaladradio / @ gundam_guyver on Twitter and their podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Pete for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ TheRealPEEEETE on Twitter and his podcast Middle Class Film Class on all your podcast apps. Nicholas , Stuart and Ian for their patron thoughts, too! Twitter peeps @DirectorNeil @nobodyasked4pod @VincentAsher @NeededRoads @AlyInASpin @AtPedestrian @SwayzeofArabia @toptenpods @DallasKing1138 @GorillaBrainPod @T
S4 E165 · Mon, July 25, 2022
Promising Young Woman
Another Nanorama (episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information) on the history and legacy of Promising Young Woman , and how important this movie is, regardless of your gender. If this movie makes you feel uncomfortable, it's doing its job. TW: This episode covers suicide, rape, sexual abuse, lack of rape convictions, as well as a rant on the recent overturning by the US Supreme Court of Roe vs Wade, making abortions illegal in some US States and limiting reproductive healthcare. Believe women Respect women Fight for women If you need to talk to someone - https://www.samaritans.org/ Please consider supporting abortion and reproductive rights charities in the US - https://abortionfunds.org/funds/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E164 · Thu, July 21, 2022
The Terminator
It was a fever dream while making Piranha II: The Spawning that gave James Cameron his idea for a terrifying metal endoskeleton crawling through flames. From that initial idea, he would write a draft, and with the help of Gale Anne Hurd, he would have a script that would sell to Orion, and funding from Hemdale Film Corporation. That script was called The Terminator. Made for a comparatively tiny $6.5 million, The Terminator would surpass all expectations, including that of Orion, and of its star Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a role that he'd admit in later life was his personal favourite character. With practical effects by Stan Winston Studio and Fantasy II, a tightly paced story and taking inspiration from slasher horror, The Terminator terminated the competition on its release in October 1984. It created a franchise, created a star and created a director. Come with me if you want to listen... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Terminator ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Jason, Ian D, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas, Zo, and brand-new patrons Kev and Pete! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Derek for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ derekjones198 on Twitter and his podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps. Zo for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ backlookcinema on Twitter and hi
S4 E163 · Thu, July 14, 2022
District 9
It's not every first time director who hits it out of the park with their first feature, especially one based on an original idea, with an unknown cast. Luckily (or rather unluckily for Halo ), an existing project that had brought them together had crumbled, and so a partnership began between powerhouse producer Peter Jackson, fresh off his The Lord of the Rings trilogy and newcomer Neill Blomkamp. Based on Blomkamp's 6-minute short film Alive in Joburg , District 9 takes South Africa's recent history and translates it into a science fiction satire, asking the simple question of "How would humans treat alien refugees?" and is it really any different to "How would white people treat black people?" While District 9 has its controversies and critics, it was a fresh and interesting take on the alien invasion genre in 2009, and while you would have thought a sequel would be forthcoming rather quickly, District 10 has never quite materialised... Alive in Joburg is available to watch at https://youtu.be/ZlgtbEdqVsk I would love to hear your thoughts on District 9 ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Jason, Ian D, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas and Zo! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Zo for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ backlookcinema on Twitter and his podcast <
S4 E162 · Thu, July 07, 2022
Mars Attacks!
Ack ack ackack ACK ACK! Based on the Topps trading cards of the same name, a movie version of Mars Attacks! first started gathering pace in the mid-80s, but without Tim Burton's involvement. After several years in development hell, screenwriter Jonathan Gems and director Tim Burton got involved, with a script which was costed by Warner Bros at $250 million to make. Not even Titanic would cost that much. To get the cost down, compromises had to be made, and while eight months of stop-motion work had been completed, the decision was made to scrap most of it for CG Martians, which reduced the budget enough to allow production to commence. At the same time, rival studio 20th Century Fox was working on their own big budget special effects-laden alien invasion movie, you might have heard of; Independence Day , and director Roland Emmerich wanted to beat Burton to the punch... I would love to hear your thoughts on Mars Attacks! ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Jason, Ian D, Sunni, Drew, Nicholas and Zo. BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy and Mike for their patron thoughts. You can find them @geeksaladradio / @gundamguyver on Twitter and their podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Dave for his patron thoughts. Nicholas for his patron thoughts. Twitter peeps @CapitalGamesPod @Neillbert @VincentAsher @AndrewGordge @marcpaters0n @holmesmoviespod @AtPedestrian @SatMornPod @a
S4 E161 · Thu, June 30, 2022
Enchanted
Enchanted started life as something very different to what it ended up becoming. Originally conceived as an R-rated comedy with no songs, it was purchased by Touchstone Pictures and eventually made its way to becoming a Disney property, which meant a serious tone down of the material. Going through several directors and writers, eventually it landed with Tarzan and 102 Dalmatians director Kevin Lima. He envisaged a love letter to Disney's past, taking inspiration from Shrek and Who Framed Roger Rabbit , enlisting the song writing abilities of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, and giving us the inimitable Amy Adams as the simply enchanting Giselle... I would love to hear your thoughts on Enchanted ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Jason, Ian D, Sunni, Drew and Nicholas BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Sunni for her patron thoughts. You can find her @ Bookofliespod on Twitter and her podcast Book of Lies on all your podcast apps. Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Nicholas and Brendan for their Patron thoughts, too! Twitter peeps @DWLundberg @SeanGeekPodcast @SoWizardPodcast @CapitalGamesPod @OSWpodcast1 @AtPedestrian @KevinRBrackett Instagram folk @retroramblepod @friendlysparpod @fourieraaitjie Facebook chums Tony M Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme
S4 E160 · Mon, June 27, 2022
Romancing the Stone & The Jewel of the Nile
Another Nanorama (episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information) on the history and legacy of 1984 smash-hit adventure romantic comedy Romancing the Stone and its rushed sequel The Jewel of the Nile ... Romancing the Stone was written by waitress Diane Thomas, and in a true rags-to-riches story was sold to producer Michael Douglas for $250,000. Filmed on location in the Mexican jungle, Romancing the Stone was beset with problems, but the real issues were going on behind the scenes, because 20th Century Fox thought it would be a huge flop... The Jewel of the Nile was rushed into production to capitalise on the huge success of Romancing the Stone , but it was a production with more problems that its predecessor. From the change in writer and director, to Kathleen Turner's unwillingness to return and subsequent lawsuit threat. Illness would plagued the shoot in Morocco and multiple tragedies would occur, too. But when the going gets tough... This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E159 · Thu, June 23, 2022
Mortal Kombat (1995) & Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
GET OVER HERE! In a change to the scheduled episode, a smaller Nanorama (episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information) on the history and legacy of the original Mortal Kombat film adaptation from 1995, and its much maligned sequel... YOUR SOUL IS MINE! Mortal Kombat , as a video game, was a worldwide phenomenon. It made sense to make it into a movie. It really was an unprecedented hit, too. And it all started with the arcade game for Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Midway Games' love of Jean-Claude Van Damme.... TEST YOUR MIGHT! Mortal Kombat: Annihilation promised three times the ambition of the first movie, with more fights, more special effects and more Outworld. It did follow through on those promises, to be fair to varying degrees of success, but there was some genuine innovation behind the scenes... FINISH HER! Dom O'Brien's article on Mortal Kombat: Annihilation FLAWLESS VICTORY! MOOORTALLL KOMMMBATTT!!! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E158 · Thu, June 16, 2022
Team America: World Police
Team America: World Police started out as an homage to Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds mixed with Jerry Bruckheimer all-action, post 9/11 US foreign policy and a hint of disaster movies. It's likely that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone simply had no idea what they were in for when they agreed to make this movie and release it in October 2004. They had five months(!) Five months to make a fully practical movie starring marionettes, with scale sets and explosions and montages and sex! With zero CGI. Did they do it? Bleep yeah. This episode explains how, and why we should be retrospectively praising this movie for more than its satire. I would love to hear your thoughts on Team America: World Police ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Sunni, Drew & brand-new patron Nicholas! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Derek for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ derekjones198 on Twitter and his podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps. Nicholas for his patron thoughts too! Twitter peeps @TheRealPEEEETE @FantayziaR @SeanGeekPodcast @CapesOnTheCouch @AaronishJackson @The80sMoviePod @Oral_mfc @SwayzeofArabia @Johnathanblade @eilfmovies @PodcastWtcc @PiecingPod @NeededRoads @AtPedestria
S4 E157 · Thu, June 09, 2022
The Suicide Squad (2021)
Heroes Through the Decades comes to a close in the 2020s with The Suicide Squad , proving that even villains can become heroes when given a second chance. Literally. When David Ayer's Suicide Squad was released in 2016, it was not the original movie he envisioned. Affected by the critical hammering of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , Warner Bros set about making Suicide Squad lighter and more comedic, and David Ayer's version of the movie was substantially changed. The movie was a huge financial success in 2016, but a critical flop. Hence all the calls to #ReleaseTheAyerCut. While a sequel to Suicide Squad had been planned to happen immediately after, several factors, including the unavailability of Will Smith and Margot Robbie, and David Ayer choosing not to return meant the sequel remained unmade... That was until James Gunn was fired by Disney over controversial ten-year-old tweets in July 2018. This was an opportunity Warner Bros and DC jumped on immediately, hiring Gunn and giving him free reign over whatever DC projects he wanted to make. He chose to make his version of Suicide Squad. The Suicide Squad. And, excuse the inappropriate pun, but it's marvellous. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Suicide Squad (2021) ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Sunni and Drew BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Derek for his patron thoughts. You can find him @derekjones198 on Twitter and his
S4 E156 · Thu, June 02, 2022
X-Men: First Class
After the financial success of X-Men: The Last Stand , X-Men spin-offs X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men Origins: Magneto were both being developed at about the same time at 20th Century Fox. Due to the Writer's Guild of America strike in 2007-2008, production on Magneto was halted and put on the back burner, whereas Wolverine managed to scrape through the system. When Wolverine was released and didn't do quite as well as Fox hoped, the idea for an Origins franchise, and specifically the Magneto spin-off, was shelved, until the idea for a young X-Men movie came back into executives' minds after dabbling in it in the mid 2000s. The two ideas for young X-Men and a Magneto origin story, along with the name X-Men: First Class , were mushed together to start a new trilogy. There were serious time constraints on this production though. It would end up coming together in just thirteen(!) months, with literal days between finishing the post-production and its premiere. The fact X-Men: First Class is as xceptional as it is, well, it's quite miraculous. I would love to hear your thoughts on X-Men: First Class ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Sunni and Drew BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy and Mike for their patron thoughts. You can find them @ geeksaladradio / @ gundam_guyver on Twitter and their podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Sunni for her patron thoughts. You can find her @ bookofliespod on Twitter and her podcast Book of Lies on
S4 E155 · Thu, May 26, 2022
Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man gave us an origin story of great power and great responsibility, in more ways than one, but also a story that ordinary nerds could relate to. From humble origins as a throwaway character in a cancelled comic book title, to Marvel's flagship character, a movie version of Spider-Man has been in the works since the early '80s with differing results. Enjoy my new feature "Corman, Cannon, Carolco and Columbia "! A trip through the web of un-made Spider-Man movies of years past, but how each of them made Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002) possible, and with it started breaking financial box office records left, right and centre. Cannon teaser trailer for their Spider-Man movie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqvzRqWRQnw Amalgamated Dynamics Green Goblin mask & make-up test - https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/blog/spider-man-green-goblin-adi-makeup-test I am so high, I can hear heaven. I would love to hear your thoughts on Spider-Man (2002) ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Sunni and Drew BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Derek for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ derekjones198 on Twitter and his podcast The Midnight Myth
S4 E154 · Thu, May 19, 2022
Blade (1998)
Heroes Through the Decades ass kicks into the '90s, with Wesley Snipes' cool, charismatic badass vampire hunter - Blade! In 1971 the Comics Code Authority updated its code criteria, which had been in place since 1954, relaxing the rules on the depiction of horror in comics. For the first time, vampires were allowed in comic books. Marvel's first pseudo-vampire character, Morbius the Living Vampire sowed the seeds for the second; Blade the Vampire Hunter . Wesley Snipes was originally interested in making an adaptation of Black Panther before his attention was piqued with a movie adaptation of Blade . In many ways, it feels like the character of Blade was made for Wesley Snipes, and he not only decided to star in Blade , but also produce it through his production company Amen Ra Films. Snipes was literally and figuratively invested in this production. Snipes, along with writer David S. Goyer (who fought against studios trying to whitewash the character) and director Stephen Norrington, formed a trifecta of creative passion for Blade; for his story, the homage paid to Hong Kong action films and to make this story as bloody, gory and fun as it could be. Insert very '90s techno rave music here. IT'S BLOOD RAVE TIME! I would love to hear your thoughts on Blade (1998) ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Sunni and Drew BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. <s
S4 E153 · Thu, May 12, 2022
Batman (1989)
Heroes Through the Decades kapows into the 1980s, and is there any superhero as ubiquitous as Batman? Found in comics, in movies and TV, on lunchboxes, as toys and as one of the best-known silhouettes in the world, Batman's omnipresence in pop culture might be commonplace today, but while Batman was a hugely popular comic book series (and '60s TV show!), the Caped Crusader as we know him shifted into popular culture in 1989, not only with the release of this movie, but with BATMANIA! Batman was a movie built from the ground up for merchandising potential, and that famous black and yellow Batman logo adorned everything in the run-up to the release of this movie, including clothing, trading cards and bags. Teaser posters were stolen from bus stops and subway stations. Pre-production of Batman was long and arduous, with fan expectations at fever pitch, and when Michael Keaton's name was announced, 50,000 letters of complaint were sent to the production. This episode also pays its respect to the late Bill Finger, a man who was never originally credited for co-creating Batman, and it took a novelist and documentary filmmaker's persistence to get Finger the posthumous credit he deserved. I would love to hear your thoughts on Batman (1989) ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Sunni and brand-new patron DREW! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Claudia for her patron thoughts.
S4 E152 · Thu, May 05, 2022
Superman (1978)
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Verbal Diorama's Heroes Through the Decades miniseries, continuing into the 1970s! Whether you know him as Clark Kent, Kal-El, the Man of Steel, the Man of Tomorrow, or just as Superman, that famous tights-and-cape combo emblazoned with the S on his chest is a symbol of a lot of things: Hope, courage, freedom, love... truth, justice and the American way, and a movie with a rich history in comic books, that was made in part because of Zorro , and in another due to 1966's Batman . The late Christopher Reeve is perfectly cast as both Clark Kent and Superman, in a landmark superhero film by the late Richard Donner. Donner's personality clashes with father-and-son producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind led to him being fired from Superman II, despite him completing reportedly 75% of the sequel.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Superman (1978) ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Jason and Sunni. BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Sam for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ MovieReviewsIn on Twitter and his podcast Movie Reviews in 20 Q 's on all your podcast apps. Brendan for his patron thoughts. Twitter peeps @SeanGeekPodcast @mrlondon_ncb @NikolisKitchen @LaunchingTPilot @spocklightpod @ConnectionsCult Instagram folk <u
S4 E151 · Thu, April 28, 2022
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
In the first episode of my Heroes Through the Decades miniseries, I'm starting in the sixties, and the crowing jewel of Ray Harryhausen's stellar career, with his trademark glorious stop-motion creature set pieces, in a movie I grew up watching - Jason and the Argonauts . Jason may be the hero on-screen, but Harryhausen is the hero behind it. From its basis in the Greek myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece , to Ray Harryhausen's early career and the influence he had seeing King Kong (1933) to becoming the protégé of Willis H. O'Brien (the animator of King Kong), Harryhausen would end up surpassing his mentor in every way and became a one-man behemoth of Hollywood visual effects, influencing Peter Jackson, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, amongst others. This episode was so much fun to put together and will definitely not be my last foray into the work of Harryhausen, a man who irrevocably changed Hollywood and defined the modern blockbuster in more ways than one. I would love to hear your thoughts on Jason and the Argonauts (1963) ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Jason and Sunni. BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Laurel for her patron thoughts. You can find her @ TheMidnightMyth on Twitter and her podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps. Brendan for his patron thoughts, too! Twitter peeps @30P
S4 E150 · Thu, April 21, 2022
A Scanner Darkly
What does a scanner see? Into the head? Down into the heart? Does it see into me? Into us? Clearly or darkly? I hope it sees clearly because I can't any longer see into myself. I see only murk. I hope for everyone's sake the scanners do better, because if the scanner sees only darkly the way I do, then I'm cursed and cursed again. Welcome to the 150th episode of Verbal Diorama, and an episode on two things this podcast is renowned for: animation and Keanu Reeves! Richard Linklater's 2006 movie A Scanner Darkly is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Philip K. Dick, in turn based on his amphetamine addiction in the early '70s, and the resulting psychosis he experienced. Making A Scanner Darkly using interpolated rotoscoped animation was the ideal choice for a dystopian, drug-fuelled movie that's so disassociated with reality. The live-action portion of the movie was filmed without incident, but when it came to the animation, time and budgetary concerns would cause the original senior animation team to walk out six months into production. They wanted more time and more money to finish the project. Rather than grant them their wish, the producers would fire and replace them... I would love to hear your thoughts on A Scanner Darkly ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Jason and Sunni. BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Vern for his patron thoughts. You can find him @ cinemarecall </stron
S4 E149 · Thu, April 14, 2022
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
Warning. This episode contains jokes about balls. Lots of balls. Sports movies are ten-a-penny in Hollywood, sports comedies even more so. There's nothing funnier than a ball being flung in the vicinity of a person's face or private parts, let's be honest. But DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story is more influential than you might think. Not only is it a sharp satire of the fitness and health industry, but it also unofficially marked the creation of a real American professional dodgeball league, as well as reintroducing a sport seen as vicious and cruel to the general population, by some deft physical comedy showing the sport as indeed vicious and cruel, but also hilariously funny. Rawson Marshall Thurber's directorial debut is self-assured, witty and fun, and has the benefit of the association of Ben Stiller's production company. Despite his busy 2004 schedule, Stiller was very hands on, and White Goodman remains one of his funniest, and most quotable, characters. DodgeBall goes balls deep into an obscure, relatively unknown sport, so I do the same with this movie. Grab life by the balls and enjoy! I would love to hear your thoughts on DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Jason and BRAND-NEW patron Sunni. BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Scott for his patron thoughts. You can find him @MSMRpod on Twitter and his podcast Monkey See Monkey Review on all your podcast apps. Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad</
S4 E148 · Thu, April 07, 2022
The Crow (1994)
The Crow is so bittersweet to talk about. It’s a dark, but stunning visual movie that looks unlike anything else. It’s hard to avoid the idea that perhaps Brandon Lee’s untimely death contributed to the popularity of the movie, and who knows if the movie would have been as big without the shadow of his death looming over it, but it’s hard to deny the screen presence of Brandon Lee, and that this could have easily been his breakthrough to mainstream Hollywood. As a tribute to Brandon Lee, it stands unparalleled. He’ll always been remembered for this one great movie, and it was incredibly brave of his family to allow this to be completed and released, let alone the technical marvel it was to complete and release in his memory. Brandon Lee literally gave his life for this movie, and I’d be perfectly happy for it to never be remade or rebooted. Undoubtedly it will be one day, but even without the controversy behind the scenes, it would be very hard to match the tone and feel of The Crow . The Crow remains compelling, foreboding and eerie, exactly as it's intended to. As far as legacies go, Brandon Lee may have one of the shortest, but he also has one of the greatest. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Crow (1994) ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D and Jason BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Derek for his patron thoughts. You can find him @derekjones198 on Twitter and his podcast The Midnight M
S4 E147 · Thu, March 31, 2022
Starship Troopers
I'm doing my part! Young people all over the globe are joining up to save the future. We must meet this threat with our courage, our valour, indeed with our very lives to ensure that human civilization, not insect, dominates this galaxy now and always! All right, let's sum up. This year we explored the failure of democracy. How our social scientists brought our world to the brink of chaos. We talked about the veterans, how they took control and established the stability that has lasted for generations since. You know these facts, but have I taught you anything of value this year? The only good bug is a dead bug. Every day, Federal scientists are looking for new ways to kill bugs. Shoot a nuke down a bug hole, you got a lot of dead bugs. This is for all you new people. I have only one rule. Everybody fights, no one quits. If you don't do your job, I'll kill you myself. Welcome to the Roughnecks! I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order. They're doing their part. Are you? Join the Mobile Infantry and save the world. Service guarantees citizenship. Do you want to know more? Screen test for CG bugs I would love to hear your thoughts on Starship Troopers ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D and Jason BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Derek for his patron thoughts. You can find him @derekjones198 on Twitter and his podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps.<
S4 E146 · Thu, March 24, 2022
Deep Blue Sea
For 145 episodes, Jess was an almost constant feature on Verbal Diorama, whether that was by making noises in the background, featuring on episodes as herself, or just by being in the next room during recording. Jess passed away after a brief period of illness on 15th March 2022, aged almost 18. She was a guiding light, my constant companion, and brought joy to literally everyone who knew her. She was my best friend. So in tribute to, and in celebration of, her long and extremely loving life and her supersized brain (not achieved by any gene therapies), an episode featuring some really big fish, and a movie that borrows liberally from Jaws, Jurassic Park and Alien , mixing high-end production values with R-rated pulpy, lowbrow thrills, and very little actual science. Interestingly, scientists in real life have been using shark antibodies to help find treatments for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s , so maybe Deep Blue Sea is actually slightly prophetic? Deepest bluest, my hat is like a shark's fin. I would love to hear your thoughts on Deep Blue Sea ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D and Jason BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio This pod
S4 E145 · Thu, March 10, 2022
My Best Friend's Wedding
My Best Friend's Wedding - a romcom without the rom - was remarkably different in its original script. There were only two lines of dialogue for George (then named Digger), Kimmy just magically forgave all of Julianne's transgressions and not only that, but Julianne would be rewarded at the end of the movie by, not getting her man, but getting a man - a handsome stranger at the wedding played by John Corbett. It's not often that a test audience screening will save a movie, but it's safe to say a test screening saved My Best Friend's Wedding , by taking away Julianne's "happily ever after" without the movie ending on a downer, and giving Kimmy some real fight and agency. These changes would turn My Best Friend's Wedding into a sleeper hit of a movie that charmed audiences and critics in 1997, and still does to this day. Is Verbal Diorama crème brûlée or jell-o, though? I would love to hear your thoughts on My Best Friend's Wedding ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D and Jason BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Luke for his Patron thoughts Twitter peeps @DWLundberg @fabflicks Instagram folk None this time Facebook chums None this time Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compos
S4 E144 · Mon, February 28, 2022
Toy Story 4
The official line from Disney and Pixar post the release of Toy Story 3 in 2010 was "we're not planning Toy Story 4" The honest truth was, they were, and they had been for several months too. Originally not planned as a continuation of the story, Toy Story 4 was intended to be a romantic comedy focused on Woody and Bo Peep, but all that soon changed..... Can I finish Animation Season with a bang? YES I CAN-ADA! Animation Season 2022 is now over, but it will be back next year! I would love to hear your thoughts on Toy Story 4 ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D and Jason BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E143 · Thu, February 24, 2022
Toy Story 3
Animation Season 2022 finally reaches Pixar! After the huge success of Toy Story in 1995 and Toy Story 2 in 1999, a sequel seemed inevitable, but it'd take eleven years and a lot of behind the scenes issues. With the relationship between Disney and Pixar soured, Disney exercised its right to make sequels without Pixar's involvement. Disney decided to forge ahead with Toy Story 3 through their own newly-created CG animation studio - Circle Seven Animation. What happened next is hardly child's play, but in 2006 a deal was made for Disney to buy Pixar, ensuring the Toy Story threequel was in good hands once more. This was always going to be the end.... until it wasn't. The stop-motion remake of Toy Story 3 is available at https://youtu.be/YfduDq5gLnE I would love to hear your thoughts on Toy Story 3 ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D and brand-new patron Jason! BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy and Mike from Geek Salad for their Patron thoughts! You can find them at @geeksaladradio & @gundam_guyver on Twitter. Find Geek Salad in all good podcast apps! Ian D for his Patron thoughts! Twitter peeps @DWLundberg @Stuntgoat75 @EverTrendingPod @YNFMoviePod @HarrymetMovies @Jbiss @chestymorgan Instagram folk @friendlysparpod Facebook chums None this time Theme
S4 E142 · Thu, February 17, 2022
The Lion King (1994)
To celebrate the third birthday of this podcast, I wanted to take a look into the history and legacy of The Lion King , a movie that, despite some plagiarism controversy, became the biggest commercial success of Disney's Renaissance, and the highest-grossing animated movie of all time (until the next episode of this podcast, at least!) Thank you for being here with me and supporting me and this podcast over the last three years! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E141 · Wed, February 16, 2022
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
To celebrate the third birthday of this podcast, I wanted to take a look into the history and legacy of Beauty and the Beast , a movie that started out as a non-musical, but was scrapped, started again as a musical, and eventually became the first animated feature film to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award. Thank you for being here with me and supporting me and this podcast over the last three years! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S4 E140 · Tue, February 15, 2022
The Little Mermaid (1989)
To celebrate the third birthday of this podcast, I wanted to take a look into the history and legacy of The Little Mermaid , a movie that not only changed Disney's fortunes, but also changed the face of animation forever. Thank you for being here with me and supporting me and this podcast over the last three years! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E139 · Thu, February 10, 2022
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is such an underrated gem. I know I say that a lot, but it is. Adults fall into the trap of seeing a bright, colourful, funny animated movie, and assuming it's "just for children" (as we know from the Verbal Diorama mantra, animation is not just for children!), but also because it is a bright, colourful, funny animated movie that just happens to masquerade as something way more deep and meaningful than its looks or title might suggest. There's a serious undercurrent of childhood bullying and the insecurities that stem from that, workplace sexism, waste culture, greed and excess, the fast food epidemic and obesity as well as the environmental crisis we all find ourselves in. Plus, we can all relate to wanting to make that one person proud, who doesn't seem to truly understand us. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, in their writing & directorial debut, gave us something really special to chew on here. It's yummy, and would foreshadow their greatness to come... See also episodes on The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Mitchells vs The Machines.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D. BRAND-NEW Merch STORE! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps. Scott for his patron thoughts. You can find him @MSMRpod on Twitter and his podcast Monkey See Monkey Review on all your podcast apps. Simon for tagging
S3 E138 · Thu, February 03, 2022
Anastasia
Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov, the fourth child and fourth consecutive daughter for Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Tsarina Alexandra, was a disappointment at the time of her birth. She wasn't the long-awaited son and heir for the couple. He would come along three years later. And, well, the rest of the tragic story of the Russian imperial family is fairly well-known. But Anastasia has led a remarkable life post her premature assassination by the Bolsheviks in 1918. Rumours of her survival and escape to Europe swirled in the post-war years, culminating in a multitude of imposters claiming to be her. The true story of Anastasia and the Romanov family is so tragic, it's hard to believe anyone would want to make a movie out of it, let alone an animated movie, and a musical at that. Don Bluth and Gary Goldman's 1997 animation can hardly be accused of historical accuracy, but as the rival for Disney's princess-based movies of their Renaissance, Anastasia more than holds her own, with beautiful animation, an all-star voice cast, and a wonderful score and songs. Ironically, despite the rivalry between Fox and Disney at the time, Disney now own Fox, and they also now own Anastasia. That doesn't make her a Disney Princess, but it makes her close to being one. I would love to hear your thoughts on Anastasia! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star rate & review at https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D. Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy and Mike from Geek Sala
S3 E137 · Mon, January 31, 2022
Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no Haka)
For the longest time I knew I wanted to cover Grave of the Fireflies . This is a movie that needs to be talked about, but I've put it off so many times. Honestly, this is a movie burned into my brain, and one that always makes me sob uncontrollably every single time. This is why it's a slightly shorter-than-normal Nanorama episode. The shorter episode is not a comment on the quality of this movie. In fact, in the Verbal Diorama mantra of "animation is not a genre" rings true for this movie more than any other. It's intimate and harrowing, and shows how during times of war, that innocence and childhood spirit are as fragile as the light from a firefly. War is too often depicted as one nation’s triumph over another's. As a person from a nation who has historically been on the winning side, it’s easy to say “We won the war”. We won the war, but what did we lose? And what did the other side lose? We’re so focussed on winning, that we don’t think about the true casualties of war; the children who are left behind. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E136 · Thu, January 27, 2022
The Prince of Egypt
Meant to be the first animated DreamWorks movie (it wasn't, thanks to DreamWorks bringing the release date of Antz forward to annoy Disney), The Prince of Egypt takes a well-known Biblical tale (the basis of three of the biggest religions in the world; Christianity, Islam and Judaism) and grounds it in humanity and empathy, by making it a simple tale of two brothers; one who's destined to be Pharaoh, and the other a former Hebrew slave. A sprinkling of artistic licence gives the story of Exodus way more depth and meaning, to a story that already has plenty. This is a movie that deals with slavery, infanticide, plagues and the wrath of God, and yet it's still suitable for the whole family. The Prince of Egypt never sugar coats its serious undertones, either. What it does do, is tell a story that is the cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide, in a 2D hand drawn animated format that is accessible, beautiful and complemented by CG. That's the power of animation, right there. The Historical Accuracy of The Prince of Egypt - dailyhistory.org I would love to hear your thoughts on The Prince of Egypt! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star rate & review at https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D. Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts! You can find him at @
S3 E135 · Thu, January 20, 2022
Corpse Bride
Corpse Bride , a co-production between Tim Burton Productions and Laika, is a genuinely heart-warming, beautifully made gothic fairy tale based on Jewish-Russian folk tales. It has a great cast and stunning visuals, but honestly despite seeing it several years ago, I could not remember a thing about it. Watching it again for this podcast was like watching it for the very first time. And therein lies the problem with Corpse Bride ; it's overshadowing by the other Tim Burton heart-warming , beautifully made gothic fairy tale: The Nightmare Before Christmas . They even share a Danny Elfman soundtrack! But, Corpse Bride deserves recognition. It's revolutionary puppet work and digital filming techniques make it stand out. It's a classic love triangle where true love never dies, and ultimately if you love someone you should set them free. While The Nightmare Before Christmas will come to this podcast eventually, Corpse Bride comes first because it deserves more love than it gets. I would love to hear your thoughts on Corpse Bride! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star rate & review at https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D. Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts! You can find him at @geeksaladradio on Twitter. Find Geek Salad in all good podcast apps! Ian D for his Patron thoughts! Twitter peeps @JamieGarwood Instagram folk @sassylassy76</li
S3 E134 · Thu, January 13, 2022
Wolfwalkers
Wolfwalkers takes the myth and legend everyone knows surrounding werewolves, and transports it to a stunning 2D hand-drawn animated version of Kilkenny in 1650's Ireland, during the Cromwellian occupation of the country, and a dark time for Irish Catholics. At its heart it's a story about the unlikely friendship between Robyn, an English immigrant to Ireland and daughter of the new local wolf hunter and Mebh, a Wolfwalker who lives in the forest with her mother and a pack of wild wolves, set against a backdrop of tyranny, oppression and fear. The final part of their Irish Folklore Trilogy is, to put it simply, a stunning piece of animation innovation. Cartoon Saloon are a force to be reckoned with. Everything about this movie is incredible, from the animation, the story and the stellar voice cast. If you haven't seen this movie. Go. Do it now! You won't regret it. I would love to hear your thoughts on Wolfwalkers! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star rate & review at https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D. Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Ian D & Brendan for their Patron thoughts! Twitter peeps @stoghz Instagram folk @sassylassy76 @theafternoontune Facebook chums None this time Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Ch
S3 E133 · Thu, January 06, 2022
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Welcome to Animation Season 2022! Happy New Year and Ba weep granah weep nini bong to you all! We're starting this new season with a movie that traumatised a generation of children - The Transformers: The Movie . Transformers started out as a toy line, and became a comic and a TV series, and it was making huge profits for parent company Hasbro, but what do you do when you want to introduce a whole new toy line and get rid of the old ones? Why, you make a feature length animation to kill off the ones you don't want anymore. It'll be easy, right? Well, turns out Hasbro ignored the advice of seasoned writer Ron Friedman, who insisted killing Optimus Prime would be a terrible idea. Hasbro went ahead and massacred not only Optimus, but other fan favourite characters, just to get kids to want new toys. While this decision is seen as one of the worst ideas in Transformers history, it arguably made The Transformers: The Movie into more than meets the eye, and while the move failed at the box office, its legacy in animation history would be preserved as an emotionally impactful story for millions of fans, and is now a beloved cult classic. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Transformers: The Movie GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and brand-new patron Ian D! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO....<
S3 E132 · Wed, December 22, 2021
Klaus
Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays! It looks like you’ve been good this year. How do I know? Well, this episode will only show in your podcast app if you’re officially on Santa’s nice list, so well done for being a really good person and keep up the excellent work! And who better to help you celebrate your good deeds, than Klaus ? Verbal Diorama will return in 2022! Wishing you a fun, safe and brilliant holiday season! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E131 · Tue, December 21, 2021
Krampus
Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays! It looks like you might have been a little bit naughty this year. No judgement from me, but this episode will only show in your podcast app if you’re on Santa’s naughty list! And who better to teach you a lesson if you’ve been naughty, than Krampus? Verbal Diorama will return in 2022! Wishing you a fun, safe and brilliant holiday season! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E130 · Mon, December 20, 2021
Thor: Ragnarok (ft Sam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's)
What were you the God of again? Joining me on this special bumper conclusion to Chris-mas 2021, is the awesome Sam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's. He's an all-round legend, and a well-known Marvel nerd, and I simply had to have him for this episode on Thor: Ragnarok . After two previous Thor movies, Marvel decided to hire Kiwi Taika Waititi, impressed with his show reel consisting of Big Trouble in Little China and Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston would return, along with Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/Hulk and a slew of famous faces, including Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban and Jeff Goldblum. But the soft reboot Thor: Ragnarok , for all its '80s synth Mark Mothersbaugh score, vibrant colour scheme, physical comedy and crackling script, deftly masquerades a dark look at Odin's past as a malevolent king, grooming a child to follow his rule and abandoning her when she turns out to be more powerful than him. This is a movie about colonialism, the whitewashing of history and dysfunctional families, and mostly asks the question; was the true bad guy Odin all along? Leaning into Chris Hemsworth's comic timing and natural wit was a stroke of genius, and rejuvenates the character and the series, and finally seems to be showing the God of Thunder's true on-screen potential. Now, kneel before your Queen! Joining me to discuss Thor: Ragnarok is Sam Hurley, host of the podcast Movie Reviews in 20 Q's and author of Compliance . He's an amazing podcaster, nerd and all-round good guy and I'm delighted that he not only joined me for this episode, but he will be returning in 2022 for Thor: Love and Thunder! You can follow him at @MovieReviewsIn on Twitter, where you'll find top quality podcasting ! I would love to hear your thoughts on Thor: Ragnarok! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com <p
S3 E129 · Mon, December 13, 2021
Thor: The Dark World
After the success of Kenneth Branagh's Thor in 2011, a sequel for the God of Thunder was quickly put into motion, with a quick turnaround of two years. The race was on to find a director with a passion for the project, which they did in Patty Jenkins. Her appointment was a big deal too: she would have been the first female director to helm a movie in the MCU. Ultimately Jenkins' passion didn't align with Marvel's vision for the sequel, and so they parted ways, leaving Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor with the hefty, and hasty, task of putting together a cohesive sequel. What Taylor gave Marvel though, wasn't the movie we ended up with. Marvel executives, led by Kevin Feige, reworked the movie and requested an additional 35 days of reshoots to "fix" The Dark World . For all its faults, there are some beacons of light though; Thor and Loki together remain the backbone of this trilogy, and then there was a special appearance at MCU Comic-Con in 2013 which really got audiences salivating.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Thor: The Dark World! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave and Chris! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Brendan, for his Patron thoughts! Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter Follow, subscribe & listen to Geek Salad in yo
S3 E128 · Mon, December 06, 2021
Thor
Whosoever listens to this episode, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor. It's Phase 1 of the MCU. We've just had Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2 - all very grounded and Midgard-based. It was the perfect time, therefore to not only introduce a cosmic location, but a character steeped in rich Norse mythology. In 2011, we got Thor , aka Doth Mother Know You Weareth Her Drapes In Space . This movie introduced the masses to the titular God of Thunder (or is it God of Hammers?), as Chris Hemsworth proved he could do more than play Captain Kirk's father, and gave the unworthy, spoiled crown prince of Asgard eventual humour and humility, in this very traditional fish-out-of-water tale of a god, literally amongst men, transported to small town Puerto Antiguo, New Mexico where he meets physicist Jane Foster, as well as a recognisable Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. An adaptation of Thor had been in the works since 1991, with Sam Raimi keen to take on the Asgardian God. This movie was rejected by 20th Century Fox, but had it been greenlit, the superhero movie landscape would look very different today.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Thor! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave and Chris! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Brendan, for his Patron thoughts! Andy from Geek Salad for
Bonus · Mon, November 29, 2021
Alien vs. Predator & Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Welcome to the third Nanorama episode - episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information. For this episode, I'm concluding the Alien franchise by talking a little about the saga's attempts at crossover events: Alien vs Predator was conceived instead of James Cameron's Alien 5, and was going to be the crossover event to end all crossover events. An Alien and a Predator smackdown, set on Earth, given a very distinct Resident Evil vibe, thanks to its director Paul W.S. Anderson. While it didn't set the critics alight, it did decent enough box office to give us a sequel.... Aliens vs Predator: Requiem continued the story from the end of the first movie, with the inclusion of the Predalien. It's a shame the movie was so dark that the audience could barely see the creature. Directed by first-time directors, and experienced visual effects artists, the Brothers Strause; AvP: Requiem wanted to up the stakes, make it more personal AND more gory.... This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E126 · Thu, November 25, 2021
That Thing You Do!
1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4.... Everyone's favourite movie uncle Tom Hanks isn't as known for his directorial or screenwriting career, as he is for his many Oscar-winning acting roles. That Thing You Do! was his first foray into both directing and writing, and boy does he knock it out of the park with this. It's a charming, sweet, nostalgic tale of Erie, PA teenagers Guy, Jimmy, Lenny and Tobias (the retrospectively named bass player!). They are the Oneders, and they enter a talent competition with a ballad written by Jimmy and Lenny, but that replacement drummer Guy ups the tempo on, causing everyone to want to dance along. The Oneders, renamed The Wonders, along with Jimmy's girlfriend Faye, go on a whirlwind of musical success, but the music industry is not a forgiving master, and like many real life bands, the Wonders become one-hit wonders. It could easily be a cautionary tale, but it's just so joyous and charming, invoking an era of timelessness, recalling the bygone days of Americana, the British Invasion that started with The Beatles, as well as the politics of the music industry, with an earworm of a theme song that might even be better than the theme song of this podcast. This was a passion project for Tom Hanks, and you can tell. It oozes careful thought, and the level of behind the scenes talent working on this movie belies Hanks' inexperience behind the screen. Everything about this movie is, excuse the pun, wonderful. Liv Tyler has beautiful hair, and RIP Adam Schlesinger. I would love to hear your thoughts on That Thing You Do! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Ma
S3 E125 · Thu, November 18, 2021
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (ft Nick from Nikoli's Kitchen)
Featuring five-time award winning podcaster Nicholas Haskins..... and Tits McGee. Actually, it's me, Em, Tits McGee is on vacation. Joining me is the Ron Burgundy of podcasting. A man who has many leather bound books and whose apartment smells of rich mahogany, a man who can play jazz flute like no other - Nicholas Haskins of the podcast Nikoli's Kitchen. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy , if not a movie everyone's seen, is definitely a movie everyone has quoted. The lexicon of Anchorman still holds true, but not many people know that Ron Burgundy and Veronica Corningstone were loosely based on real news anchors: Mort Crim and Jessica Savitch. Savitch in particular was a trailblazer for women in news, starting as a diversity hire and becoming the station's first female reporter and one of the first women to anchor an evening network news broadcast. Sixty percent of the time, it’s a movie that works every time, because while the zeitgeist surrounding the movie still holds up, the movie itself (especially in the light of modern sensibilities and the #MeToo Movement) really kinda doesn't. This is despite the fact it was a radical re-think behind scripted comedy, and really one of the first of the 2000s era improvised Judd Apatow bromantic comedies. Verbal Diorama, in German though, does actually mean "whale's vagina". Joining me to discuss Anchorman is Nick Haskins, host of the podcast Nikoli's Kitchen and creator of Livestream for the Cure . He's the best of men and I'm delighted that he not only joined me for this episode, but he will be returning in future, too. You can follow his soothing honey vocals at @NikolisKitchen on Twitter, and listen out for me kicking off Season 3 of Nikoli's Kitchen very soon! I would love to hear your thoughts on Anchorman! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podca
S3 E124 · Thu, November 11, 2021
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
I can't believe how cute this episode is! On the surface, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion is a very simple premise. Two friends, happy with their lot in life, suddenly realise that maybe their post-high school existence isn't as brilliant as they first thought. Car dealership cashier Romy White and unemployed fashionista Michele Weinberger decide to go to their ten-year high school reunion AND pose as successful businesswomen to impress their graduating class. Their ruse? They invented Post-its! It's a '90s pop culture bubble of a movie, but it's also more than it's fluffy exterior might suggest. It really is all about the power of friendship, and that success is measured on your own terms. To some, success might be marriage and children, to others it might be writing for Vogue or becoming a billionaire entrepreneur. To Romy and Michele, success is being themselves, with each other. I would love to hear your thoughts on Romy and Michele's High School Reunion! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack and Dave! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter Griff from The Paul and Griff Show for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @paulngriffshow on Twitter Kristin from So I'm W
S3 E123 · Thu, November 04, 2021
GoldenEye
You know the name. You know the number. He has a licence to kill, he likes his vodka martinis shaken, not stirred. He's a sexist misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the Cold War.... And then, along came GoldenEye . Propelling James Bond into the post-Cold War, post-fall of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall, and a technologically advanced 1995. It had been six years since the previous Timothy Dalton Bond, and Pierce Brosnan's interpretation feels worlds, and decades, away from Dalton's. GoldenEye was the first James Bond movie to not take reference from any of Ian Fleming's original novels or short stories, however instead is a direct homage to Fleming himself, and his work during the Second World War. This was the millennial’s Bond, and while Pierce Brosnan’s career as Bond didn’t quite land the way this movie took off, Brosnan would create the template for a more modern James Bond going forward and leave a lasting legacy in the franchise that has so far remained unmatched. Not to mention, that N64 game is cracking! For England! I would love to hear your thoughts on GoldenEye! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack and brand-new patron Dave! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy and Mike from Geek Salad for their Patron thoughts. You can find them @geeksaladradio on Twitter Derek from
S3 E122 · Sat, October 30, 2021
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
SURPRISE!! In the grand tradition of surprise Halloween episodes, and following last year's Halloween episode Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight , I wanted to cover another underappreciated cult classic that probably not many other podcasts will this spooky season - Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Not the excellent TV series, (although I have done an episode on Hush ), but the 1992 movie that introduced Buffy to the world. Kristy Swanson is the eponymous slayer, in Joss Whedon's feature film writing debut, and it's a movie he's canonically abandoned, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer really doesn't deserve the hate. It's a fun movie, and Kristy Swanson really is a good Buffy, just not the Buffy we all know. It's the beginnings of a character that would evolve from 1997-2003 under the skills and talents of Sarah Michelle Gellar, but let's not take anything away from Swanson. This version of Buffy works as an introduction to the character, to slayer and vampire lore, and to elongated hammy death scenes. With a big name cast, including Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Paul Reubens and Luke Perry, this Buffy might be a little more fluffy, but this Buffy also slays. How funky is your chicken? Happy Halloween! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E121 · Thu, October 28, 2021
Jennifer's Body (ft Helen O'Hara from Empire)
You could say Jennifer's Body was wildly misunderstood on its release in 2009. Just seen as yet another titillating teen horror capitalising on the sexuality of its lead actor Megan Fox, and heralded as neither funny nor scary; the Diablo Cody-penned, Karyn Kusama-directed, horror-comedy seemed to be destined for the DVD bargain bin.... And then, in recent years, the tide has turned because now people seem to not only understand it, but appreciate it. Its commentary on female relationships, society's pressure on women and, more recently, the #MeToo movement highlighting sexual harassment and abuse in the media, and the commodification of women's bodies by powerful men, Jennifer's Body is now seen as a feminist cult horror and has been retrospectively reappraised. (TW for discussions of rape, sexual abuse and sexual harassment, specifically related to the Harvey Weinstein case) Joining me to discuss Jennifer's Body is Helen O'Hara , editor-at-large of Empire , co-host of the Empire Film Podcast , author of Women vs Hollywood: The Fall and Rise of Women in Film and host of the podcast Women vs Hollywood . It was amazing and fascinating to chat to Helen about this movie, and I'd highly recommend her book! You can find her @HelenLOHara on Twitter. Huge thanks for coming on to Verbal Diorama, Helen! I would love to hear your thoughts on Jennifer's Body! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.
S3 E120 · Sun, October 24, 2021
Prometheus & Alien: Covenant
Welcome to the second Nanorama episode - episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information. For this episode, I'm continuing with the Alien franchise by talking a little about the saga's attempts at prequels: Prometheus brought back Alien director Ridley Scott, to distance itself from the franchise and delve into the origins of humanity, and the story around Alien's space jockey with a big-name cast including Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba, but while it was a financial success, audiences struggled with this Alien prequels reliance on philosophical ideas about the creation of humanity. and distinct lack of actual aliens.... Alien: Covenant , also directed by Ridley Scott, distanced itself from its prequel, by returning to its franchise roots and almost disregarding the plot and characters of the previous movie (bar Michael Fassbender's David). It was being worked on at the same time as Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5, which would reunite Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn as Ripley and Hicks. No guesses which movie out of the two got cancelled as a result.... This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E119 · Thu, October 21, 2021
The Addams Family (1991)
They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky, and they're finally on Verbal Diorama. **click click** The Addams Family , based on Charles Addams' comic strips and the TV show that preceded it, might be a fun family Halloween movie, but the behind-the-scenes troubles for this production are so plentiful that it's a miracle that The Addams Family not only exists, but is as good as it is. From fainting directors, to quitting cinematographers, the sale of the movie during production and rights issues that would plague the movie's release in certain countries on DVD 'til 2013, The Addams Family is like a swan - graceful and serene above the water, thrashing about below. Not that you can tell from the movie of course; even the visual effects still hold up 30 years later. It's perfectly cast too, with actors that still define the roles - Anjelica Huston, the late Raúl Juliá and Christina Ricci - The Addams Family is a delightfully macabre Halloween movie that the whole family can enjoy, and is complimented by a sequel that in many ways is better than the original, but that's for a future episode. Let's not talk about Addams Family Reunion though..... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Addams Family! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will and Jack. Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent
S3 E118 · Thu, October 14, 2021
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Are we ready to talk about Keanu's best role in cinema? Ok, so it might not be exactly that, but I have a LOT of love for Francis Ford Coppola's lavish, sublime and gorgeous adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula . So much so that I don't even mind Keanu's stilted performance - it's no way as bad as many say it is, although that might be my bias shining through. It's a visual treat for the eyes, with stunning costume design by first-time costume designer Eiko Ishioka and incredibly practical in-camera special effects, headed by first-time visual effects director Roman Coppola (son of Francis Ford Coppola), as well as an unforgettable lead performance by the one and only Gary Oldman as Count Dracula; an icon of literature, TV and cinema for almost 100 years. This movie showed us that love, lust, sexual desire and terror are not mutually exclusive, and Coppola's vision would not only give us the only Academy Award-winning adaptation of the Dracula story, but also shape the way vampires (and the legendary Count himself) are portrayed in modern cinema. I love you too much to condemn you. I would love to hear your thoughts on Bram Stoker's Dracula! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will and Jack. Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladr
S3 E117 · Thu, October 07, 2021
Slither
James Gunn is mostly known nowadays for his work with Marvel Studios for the Guardians of the Galaxy duology (and his famous firing and re-hiring from said company), and his most recent DC release The Suicide Squad which he made during his Marvel hiatus (similarities between this movie and the character of Starro not withstanding!) Before Marvel took a chance on him, he was a reasonably well known writer, having worked on the two Scooby-Doo live action movies, as well as writing Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake. After his work on Dawn of the Dead he started writing Slither , a tribute and homage to the horror B-movies he loved. With obvious homages to Shivers, The Blob, The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (but not Night of the Creeps , despite popular opinion that it is!), Slither is a gruesome, grotesque, imaginative take on an alien creature's plans to dominate the Earth, featuring excellent practical creature effects and imagery that you won't forget for a long time. And what does the sex toy industry have to do with the production of Slither ? Find out in this episode! I would love to hear your thoughts on Slither! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan, Sam and brand-new patrons Will and Jack! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons:
S3 E116 · Wed, September 29, 2021
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
The final episode of Sequeltember, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is, in many ways a total anomaly. It's likely many a millennial's first foray into the Gremlins universe (Gremlinverse?) due to it's focus on the cartoonish humour, rather than the horror aspects of the 1984 original. Plus it’s not often a director gets to make a sequel that the studio is so desperate for that they will relinquish creative control. This is a movie that knows it’s a cash grab sequel, but makes a mockery of it. It successfully manages to lampoon everything about its own world and mythology, even down to the ridiculous rules of Mogwai ownership. There’s no denying that Gremlins (1984) is a classic, and yet Gremlins 2 somehow manages to elevate itself because it knows the premise of the first movie is ridiculous. It doesn’t just stop at self-referencing and satirising itself though, it takes the Hollywood system of sequels and just throws shot after shot, while also upping the ante of its own production by making more diverse; literally a new batch of Gremlins. Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a completely self-aware, insane commentary on '80s excess, commercialism and greed, as well as being hilariously and fourth-wall-breakingly funny. That alone makes it one of the best sequels ever made, and the perfect end to this Sequeltember season. I would love to hear your thoughts on Gremlins 2: The New Batch! The previous episode on Gremlins can be found at https://www.verbaldiorama.com/episode/gremlins GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, D
Bonus · Sun, September 26, 2021
Alien 3 & Alien Resurrection
Welcome to the first Nanorama episode - episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information. For this inaugural Nanorama, I'm continuing with the Alien franchise by talking a little about the multiple screenplay attempts for Alien 3 and the differences between David Fincher's experiences working with 20th Century Fox to Jean-Pierre Jeunet's on Alien Resurrection . Alien 3 reportedly had several attempts at a screenplay, most of which didn't even include Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley, but some remnants of plot did end up in the final film, including how we ended up on a prison ship for David Fincher's directorial debut, which he has since disowned. Alien Resurrection also started without Ripley, as a smaller budget spin off focused on a clone of Newt, until Joss Whedon got involved with the script. Sigourney Weaver was adamant she was not going to return to the franchise for Alien Resurrection, but then she got offered a huge salary, an executive producer credit and the previously deceased Ripley got cloned... Special thanks to friends and excellent human beings over at The Rewind Movie Podcast @rewindmoviecast , for allowing use of their specially made cover art for Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection for this episode of Verbal Diorama. Art is by Devlin https://devlindoesdrawing.com . Listen to The Rewind Movie Podcast's entire Alien Quadrilogy series . This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E114 · Wed, September 22, 2021
Aliens
In the pantheon of great sequels, nothing comes close to James Cameron's Aliens . It takes everything great about Ridley Scott's Alien and builds on it. It gives us more backstory for Ripley, more human characters for Ripley (and the audience) to form relationships with, and more importantly (especially as it's in the name), more aliens! The Alien Queen is both antithetic and comparable to Ripley. They're both mothers, both fiercely protective of their young, but unlike the alien queen's selfish motherhood, Ripley is selfless, and will die to protect young orphan Newt (which is even more poignant in the Director's Cut after finding out about the death of Ripley's own daughter) Unlike Alien's H.R. Giger designs, these xenomorphs are from the mind of James Cameron and the legendary Stan Winston studio, providing practical puppets that are still awe-inspiring and terrifying 35 years later. Everything about this movie is perfect, except maybe the situation surrounding Vazquez. I just don't believe that muscular Latina actresses didn't exist in 1986.... Special thanks to friends and excellent human beings over at The Rewind Movie Podcast @rewindmoviecast , for allowing use of their specially made cover art for Aliens for this episode of Verbal Diorama. Art is by Devlin https://devlindoesdrawing.com . Listen to The Rewind Movie Podcast's Aliens episode, and their entire Alien Quadrilogy series . I would love to hear your thoughts on Aliens! The previous episode on Alien can be found at https://www.verbaldiorama.com/episode/alien GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL D
S3 E113 · Thu, September 16, 2021
The Mummy Returns
100 episodes ago, I covered The Mummy (1999). It's still the greatest movie ever made. The Mummy Returns , the 2001 sequel to The Mummy, was always going to struggle to live up to the fun, charismatic original (especially in my eyes) Nowadays, The Mummy is revered as a modern classic that reinvigorated pulp action adventure movies, but The Mummy Returns languishes in the sand dunes of Hamunaptra for its visual effects; which are often labelled on the internet as "the worst VFX shot(s) ever". But The Mummy Returns was always planned to be bigger in scale and scope, and that included visually. Writer/director Stephen Sommers wanted to eclipse the original with more monsters. In many ways, The Mummy Returns achieves that desired upgrade, in others it doesn't. It has grand ambitions, even though it doesn't quite meet them. 20-year-old visual effects are never going to look great against modern standards, especially when the visual effects team were struggling with time and budget constraints. Maybe it's about time we cut The Mummy Returns some slack, and appreciate what it does do well? It may not reach the high heights of its predecessor, but it's a fun sequel that deserves your appreciation. Corridor Crew's fix for the "worst VFX shot ever" is available to watch here . I would love to hear your thoughts on The Mummy Returns! The previous episode on The Mummy can be found at https://www.verbaldiorama.com/episode/the-mummy-1999 GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon
S3 E112 · Thu, September 09, 2021
Toy Story 2
Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln! Toy Story 2 has a story to tell! Yes, it's the first Pixar sequel, momentous in its own right, but it started off as a Disney direct-to-video sequel, with a character called Senorita Cactus and a talking Bullseye, voiced by Martin Short.... Then it became a theatrical release! Then it got deleted accidentally! Then it got deleted on purpose! Then it got remade in nine months! Just one of these facts would be a miracle. Toy Story 2 has four. Pixar went above and beyond to ensure Toy Story 2 didn't just match Toy Story; that it surpassed it visually and emotionally, and introduced new characters without sacrificing the arcs of existing characters. Truly, Jessie and Bullseye feel like they've always been in Andy's room. Toy Story 2 could have easily been just a direct-to-video cash grab, but making it a theatrical release was the thing that brought in the big buck-buck-bucks, and cemented it as Pixar's greatest franchise. The article on the Pixar blooper reels can be found here I would love to hear your thoughts on Toy Story 2! The previous episode on Toy Story can be found at https://www.verbaldiorama.com/episode/toy-story GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam! B
S3 E111 · Thu, September 02, 2021
X-Men 2
Mutants. Since the discovery of their existence, they have been regarded with fear, suspicion, often hatred. Across the planet debate rages. Are mutants the next link in the evolutionary chain? Or simply a new species of humanity, fighting for their share of the world? Either way, it is an historical fact that sharing the world has never been humanity's defining attribute. X-Men 2 took the mould made by its 2000 predecessor, and made it bigger, bolder and better. For the first movie in Sequeltember, I take a look into its guaranteed greenlighting after the first movie's success, the comic book storyline behind the plot, and the introduction of one of the greatest comic book characters put to film; Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler - a blue-skinned demon with a kind heart and strong faith that also happens to feature in one of the greatest cold opens of any superhero movie. Honestly, it's just such a shame that this movie, as well as its predecessor, is so blighted by association to Bryan Singer. His behaviour on the set of this movie actually got a major cast member injured and yet the guy still kept getting hired.... X-Men 2 is widely seen as one of the best X-Men movies, and started the evolution of superhero cinema. Well mutation is the key to our evolution.... I would love to hear your thoughts on X-Men 2! The previous episode on X-Men can be found at https://www.verbaldiorama.com/episode/x-men GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott,
S3 E110 · Mon, August 30, 2021
Labyrinth
Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered , It's my birthday and because I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave , I've brought you a gift ! Here's the third annual birthday episode - a special episode based on one of the defining movies of my life. You've had The Iron Giant and Jurassic Park , and now.... I have reordered time, I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for you. Jim Henson's Labyrinth , starring David Bowie & Jennifer Connelly is still magic to me. The puppet work is some of the best put to screen, and yet it was such a financial disappointment it devastated Jim Henson, making it the last movie he directed. It really is a phenomenal achievement though. It also introduced me to one of my first on-screen crushes: the legendary David Bowie. How you turn my world, you precious thing. I move the stars for no one , except my listeners. How are you enjoying my labyrinth ? And don't forget to Dance, Magic Dance! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E109 · Thu, August 26, 2021
Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno)
Most of us grew up on adaptations of fairy tales; on stories of princesses, animal companions, and ultimately a happily ever after ending. Guillermo del Toro successfully interprets and deconstructs the fairy tale in his 2006 masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth, by blending a nightmarish fantasy world of fauns, fairies and quests, with a similarly nightmarish real world of war, fascist regimes and evil stepparents with beautiful practical effects and make-up. Disobedience is often seen as "wrong", but in this story, disobedience is framed as the right thing to do. Ofelia disobeys and follows her own gut and suffers the consequences. Mercedes and Doctor Ferriero disobey Captain Vidal to help the rebel fighters. Ofelia's disobedience and choices shape the morals of this story - that evil is bad, innocence is good and that faun's are never completely trustworthy. Everything about this beautiful, dark, twisted fairy-tale is perfectly realised on screen. I truly believe this is del Toro's magnum opus, and a movie everyone needs on their to-watch list. I would love to hear your thoughts on Pan's Labyrinth! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter Derek and Laurel from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. Yo
S3 E108 · Thu, August 19, 2021
Alien
In space, no one can hear you scream. Thankfully though, they can hear a podcast. I think. Comparisons to Jaws aside, Alien remains one of the seminal science fiction horror movies of all time, generating fear through its H.R. Giger designed sets and creature work, and the copious amounts of sexual and phallic imagery denoting the ultimate in terror - the fear of sexual violence, specifically male rape. With a character roster that was cast without gender prejudice came one of cinema's greatest ever heroes - Ellen Ripley. A character who loses none of her strength or femininity, in a cinematic landscape where women were portrayed as only being one or the other. Sigourney Weaver cemented herself as an icon, and the Xenomorph cemented itself as willing to do whatever it takes to get off this planet and breed. From egg, to facehugger, to chestburster and then fully-grown Xenomorph, is there any cinematic creature so revered, fascinating or iconic than this perfect organism? If we've learned anything, it's to go into quarantine when you need to. It keeps everyone safe! And always listen to the smart woman with the cat.... ;-) Speaking of cats, yes Jess is in this episode. Unlike Jonesy though, she does not perform on cue..... Special thanks to friends and excellent human beings over at The Rewind Movie Podcast @rewindmoviecast , for allowing use of their specially made cover art for Alien for this episode of Verbal Diorama. Art is by Devlin https://devlindoesdrawing.com . Listen to The Rewind Movie Podcast's Alien episode , and their entire Alien Quadrilogy series . I would love to hear your thoughts on Alien! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
S3 E107 · Thu, August 12, 2021
Last Action Hero
Last Action Hero had everything going for it. An in-demand script which enticed the biggest action star in Hollywood in Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Shane Black re-write, a credible action director in John McTiernan, a huge production budget (for the time) and a huge marketing budget. This was going to be the cinematic event of 1993. Except, it wasn't. A certain dinosaur movie went ahead and became that instead. So, what went wrong for Last Action Hero ? Quite a lot, as it happens. But it didn't fail for want of trying. Everyone on board loved this movie. So much so it was overhyped to the press, and expected to be a huge summer blockbuster. Naturally. when it wasn't, it was disappointment all round. There is, however, a lot to enjoy in Last Action Hero . That's if you can find it in the uneven tone and numerous plot holes. And can anyone explain the presence of Whiskers, the cartoon cat, in the Jack Slater film universe? Anyone?! I would love to hear your thoughts on Last Action Hero! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Mike and Andy from Geek Salad for their Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad <a href="https://twitter.com/geeksaladradio
S3 E106 · Thu, August 05, 2021
Jaws
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water this summer season, the cultural and societal behemoth that is Jaws finally makes an appearance in the waters around Verbal Diorama. But, don't worry, it's probably just a boat propeller killing all these random victims. Certainly not a huge 25ft long shark. Nope. No sharks in these parts. Jaws has a rather famously tumultuous production, running over budget on time and cost, as well as those pesky mechanical sharks really not behaving as they should. Who'd have thought that sea water could mess up pneumatic hoses and neoprene foam? Steven Spielberg's sophomore directorial feature remains one of cinema's greatest and most enduring classics. It's even more remarkable when you know the full story behind the production, marketing and release which cemented Jaws as the first summer blockbuster, and changed the face of how Hollywood movies were released. Sharks would continue to be feared and vilified due to the reputation placed on them for Jaws , and not just because Bruce kept playing up. Statistically though, we're more of a threat to them, than they are to us. You'd think Spielberg would learn about the pitfalls of working with animatronic creatures, but clearly he still made Jurassic Park almost 20 years later..... I would love to hear your thoughts on Jaws! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch
S3 E105 · Thu, July 29, 2021
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road is not the movie you'd expect after the three very masculine Mad Max movies that came before it, but it's the Mad Max movie we needed. While arguably Tom Hardy's titular Max is side-lined by Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa, it's done for a good reason - to give Max something pure to fight for and alongside. Women are not treated kindly in this post-apocalyptic wasteland, and whereas Max has no drive (excuse the pun), nor any ideology, Furiosa has a dream and a mission; to get these young women and their babies to safety in the Green Place. While the men in the story have a singular mission, the women in the story work together. And honestly, it's wonderful. With fantastic cinematography, production design, stunt work and choreography, Mad Max: Fury Road sets itself apart from other action movies of the 2010s. Quite simply, this movie is the bread and butter of why Verbal Diorama is here. It's feminist, it's bold, it has beauty in its imperfections, but mostly it's just a celebration of great practical effects and George Miller's striking visuals and vision. Oh, what a day! What a lovely day! I would love to hear your thoughts on Mad Max: Fury Road! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Derek and Laurel from The Midnight Myth fo
S3 E104 · Thu, July 22, 2021
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
From the same studio who brought you Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , and the producers of literally everything great that came out in the last 10+ years comes the best movie of 2021. Yep, I said it. The Mitchells vs. The Machines is the best movie of 2021. No hyperbole, either. This is also the studio that brought us The Emoji Movie , proving that things can only get better if you have a passionate and brilliant team of weirdos behind the scenes. The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a watercolour painting brought spectacularly to life, but it's also a deeply emotional and hilarious movie, with a great cast, that's all about tradition vs technology, the forthcoming robot apocalypse (Alexa and Siri are plotting, I swear!), but mostly about family, love, being weird and embracing it. Never forget - you guys are my people. Behold! Cinema! My Film Stories article on The Mitchells vs. The Machines is here I would love to hear your thoughts on The Mitchells vs. The Machines! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can
S3 E103 · Thu, July 15, 2021
The Frighteners
The Frighteners is more important than you realise. Not only was it a landmark of visual effects in 1996, it also starred one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the 80s/90s in his last live-action leading role: Michael J. Fox. Directed by Peter Jackson, The Frighteners languishes nowadays in some sort of film-based purgatory. Not cult classic enough to be deemed one, not good enough to be seen as a classic horror comedy and not bad enough to be "so bad it's good". Honestly, it seems mostly forgotten. Verbal Diorama is here to change that. The Frighteners literally changed the face of cinema. It gave us the birth of Peter Jackson as an auteur. It cemented the fledgling New Zealand film industry as a serious competitor to the US. It showed what a small Kiwi visual effects company like Weta Digital could achieve. All of which have gone on to huge success via a certain trilogy of movies that follow this one. Not to mention, it's a really spooky, fun movie! Death might be no way to make a living, but we should all give The Frighteners the respect it deserves. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Frighteners! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twi
S3 E102 · Thu, July 08, 2021
Deadpool
Wade Wilson: mercenary, talker, fourth-wall breaker and extremely self-aware comic book super-anti-hero. In a cinematic world where superheroes are commonplace, it makes sense for Deadpool to be the perfect tonic. A hero who isn't a hero, but is super. Deadpool, as a character, is pretty different to anyone else. Deadpool, as a movie, is certainly unlike anything Sony, Fox, Universal or Marvel Studios themselves had ever dared to put out. It's R-Rated, with graphic violence, lots of blood, strong language and scenes of a sexual nature. With the MCU relatively sexless, Deadpool's sex-positive, kink-positive and queer-positive nature really feels like a breath of fresh air in a growingly stale superhero landscape. And audiences loved it. They couldn't get enough of the merc with a mouth. What started as a project languishing in development hell, turned into a neutered cameo in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and became a passion project for Ryan Reynolds, with leaked test footage the catalyst for Wade Wilson's actual cinematic debut. Really, Ryan Reynolds deserves most of the praise. Deadpool is a character he seems born to play, and he relishes it. In fact, it's almost like Deadpool has been playing Ryan Reynolds since the early 2000s.... Deadpool's original leaked test footage can be found here I would love to hear your thoughts on Deadpool! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch
Bonus · Thu, July 01, 2021
The Room / The Disaster Artist (ft interview with Greg Sestero) (+AMA!)
To celebrate the 100 episodes preceding it, here's a special episode about Tommy Wiseau's cult classic disasterpiece The Room , and the movie all about the making of The Room , The Disaster Artist . The Room holds a special place in many peoples' hearts, despite often being labelled as one of the worst movies ever made. The Disaster Artist is based on Greg Sestero's book of the same name, which is in turn based on his time working on The Room , and his friendship with writer/producer/director/actor Tommy Wiseau. Oh, hi Mark! This episode also includes a special interview with "Mark" from The Room; actor, writer and producer Greg Sestero , on his memories working on The Room, his experience writing The Disaster Artist , and how The Room 's positivity continues to spread. A huge thank you to Greg for taking the time to chat with me. This episode also features cameos from Sam (Movie Reviews in 20 Q's) and Nick (Nikoli's Kitchen) who also deserve huge thanks. To Sam for getting me to watch The Room in the first place, persuading me to do this episode, and suggesting I contact Greg Sestero for an interview. And to Nick, a huge fan of The Room, and one of the kindest, most amazing people in the world. I just like to watch you guys! Thank you both hugely for getting involved, for sending me all those The Room GIFS and for introducing this episode. Anyway, how's your sex life? The episode ends with a brief AMA featuring questions from listeners and fellow podcasters. Thank you to everyone who took part! You're tearing me apart, listeners! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E100 · Thu, June 24, 2021
Avengers: Endgame
So, Infinity War finished, Thanos won. He snapped away half the universe's population and what was left? Less people, a cleaner environment and more resources to go around? Sure. Thanos was right on that point, but there was also international grief, overwhelming loss and an inability to move on for some. Five years later while Tony Stark retired to a cabin in the woods with his now-wife Pepper and daughter Morgan, other members of the Avengers struggled with the intense guilt and grief the previous five years had caused them. Their only hope - a time heist. Restore those who are gone but keep what they have. Whatever it takes 11 years and 22 movies comes to this. The culmination of Marvel Studios Infinity Saga. Let's all just take a moment to thank that rat stowing away in Scott Lang's van.... Thanks for being here for 100 episodes. I love you 3000. I would love to hear your thoughts on Avengers: Endgame! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and brand-new patron Sam! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent patrons: Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter. Sam from Mov
S3 E99 · Thu, June 17, 2021
Avengers: Infinity War
Remember when Joss Whedon's The Avengers was the ultimate in superhero team ups? A mere six years later, brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, fresh off Captain America: Civil War , upped the ante and delivered the ultimate ultimate superhero team up - with more action! More characters! More bad guys! More of everything! And then, the Avengers lost. Thanos not only collected all the Infinity Stones, he snapped his fingers and decimated half of the universe's population, including many of the characters we'd only just been introduced to. Star-Lord was gone. Spider-Man was gone. Black Panther was gone. All hope vanished with a click of his fingers. This was the rare superhero movie where the villain won. But to Thanos, he was the hero, and Avengers: Infinity War treads carefully to frame Thanos as the protagonist of his own dark, twisted superhero story. The Russo brothers deftly juggle old characters and new, as well as delving into the philosophical themes of sacrifice. There are real consequences in Infinity War, as well as that uneasy feeling of "maybe Thanos is right ?" Avengers was big. This is enormous, and yet it never feels overstuffed and still carries huge emotional weight. In fact, you could say Infinity War is perfectly balanced, as all things should be. I would love to hear your thoughts on Avengers: Infinity War! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa and brand-new patron Dan! Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs,
S3 E98 · Thu, June 10, 2021
Avengers: Age of Ultron
I'd wager that if you ask anyone at random what their favourite Avengers movie, Age of Ultron would rarely be the first choice. The middle child of the franchise, this was the one that had the most riding on it, and it suffered for its great ambitions. Because Age of Ultron , retrospectively, isn't a bad movie. It's trying to tell a horror story, in the vein of Frankenstein, and the themes of creator vs creation, and Gods and Monsters, is rampant throughout. It feels more disjointed and less confident than its predecessor, probably because Joss Whedon was under an incredible amount of pressure, from both Marvel Studios and fans, to deliver. It was an impossible task in many ways. Age of Ultron missteps a fair bit, especially in its treatment of Black Widow, but manages to introduce new characters who take the franchise to bigger and better things in future. Wanda and Vision are real highlights for me. And then there's Pietro, who suffers the Joss Whedon character death, but for good reason due to a shared rights deal with Fox. Give Age of Ultron another chance. I did, and I'm glad. I enjoyed it more as a horror movie than a superhero movie, and it's not often I say that! I would love to hear your thoughts on Avengers: Age of Ultron! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian and brand-new patron Lisa! Buy Merch! <a href="https://verbaldiorama.com/merch" rel="noopener nor
S3 E97 · Thu, June 03, 2021
The Avengers (2012)
I am Em of Verbal Diorama, and I am burdened with glorious purpose. Because really, aren't we all here for Loki, God of Mischief, the wonderful Tom Hiddleston just chewing every inch of CG scenery? But he's not the only highlight of this movie, because pretty much everything about The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble as it was marketed here in the UK, don't worry though, it's still The Avengers to most of us!) is pure unadulterated brilliance. Nick Fury's quote about "an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people" relates to both on and off screen. While you can date character team-up duos back to the 1940s, no other movie has successfully brought together multiple characters from their own (very different) film franchises and teamed them up to fight together against a common foe. The Avengers was a huge risk, but paid off in buckets. Iron Man had been a success, but The Avengers was filming even before Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor was released; there was every chance those movies would bomb. Many other studios have tried to replicate the formula Marvel have succeeded with, but while this movie's team can claim "We have a Hulk", Marvel Studios can claim "We have Kevin Feige". I would love to hear your thoughts on The Avengers (no, not the spy one!) GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Scott, Mark, Brendan and brand-new patron Ian! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldi
S3 E96 · Thu, May 27, 2021
The Monster Squad
In 1987, Fred Dekker made a little movie that did so badly it was pulled from US theatres after just two weeks.... Like all cult classics though, The Monster Squad showed it had nards, and only grew in audiences estimations through VHS and TV screenings, through to DVD and Blu-ray, and to sold-out fan screenings and events. While attempts have been made to reboot The Monster Squad, and in the shadow of Universal's attempt at a Dark Universe, something like The Monster Squad would be the perfect showcase for all their classic cinematic monsters..... but let's not talk about the fact they wanted nothing to do with this movie, nor were they interested in resurrecting their classic monsters in the late '80s. Times sure do change. What doesn't is a fresh, funny script by Fred Dekker and Shane Black (aka Black and Dekker!), endearing child actors, incredible make-up and creature effects and some seriously emotional beats that, yes, still make me cry. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Monster Squad! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Scott, Mark and Brendan. Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad <a href="http
S3 E95 · Thu, May 20, 2021
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
"We're men. We're men in tights. We roam around the forest looking for fights. We're men. We're men in tiiiiiights. We rob from the rich and give to the poor, that's right!" Robin Hood: Men in Tights isn't here to be fine art, this is no Criterion Collection inductee. It's the simple story you know of the outlaw who robs the rich to feed the poor, except unlike some other Robin Hoods', he can speak with an English accent. As a fellow English accent speaker, I feel completely qualified to take on Mel Brooks' 1992 Robin Hood parody with as much aplomb as Robin taking on Little John to pass a tiny bridge over 2 cm of water. I shoot an arrow bullseye into a target with this, as I explain the roots of Robin Hood: Men in Tights from a TV show cancelled in 1975, as well as Michael Jackson's links to the screenplay. Simply put, I love this movie and it never fails to make me laugh. Hey Blinkin! Did you say Abe Lincoln? I would love to hear your thoughts on Robin Hood: Men in Tights! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Scott, Mark and Brendan. Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Andy and Mike from Geek Salad for their Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Sala
S3 E94 · Thu, May 13, 2021
Beetlejuice
All you need to do to summon him is say his name three times.... Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! For many, this is one of Tim Burton's greatest moments as a director. The sharp, macabre, funny story of Adam and Barbara Maitland, a recently deceased couple who find the living are haunting their house. They struggle to get rid of Charles and Delia Deetz through normal means, and so enlist the help of "bio-exorcist" Betelgeuse - a madcap frenzied perverse Ghost with the Most, with a scene-stealing 90% ad-libbed performance by Michael Keaton. But Beetlejuice originally started as a serious horror movie, so how did it become a horror comedy with "B-movie visual effects" (Tim Burton's words, not mine!) that takes a serious look at death, the afterlife and identity? It's showtime! I would love to hear your thoughts on Beetlejuice! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Scott, Mark and Brendan. Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Andy and Mike from Geek Salad for their Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter and their Beetlejuice YouTube episode is
S3 E93 · Thu, May 06, 2021
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a true phenomenon, in all senses of the word. To coin a phrase from its sequel, it found the Holy Grail of filmmaking for being not only a commercial smash hit, but also became a critical darling and received multiple awards recognition. With the juggernaut pairing of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg at the helm, you'd think Raiders of the Lost Ark would have had it easy coming to the big screen.... but it really didn't. Plagued with on-set troubles, sickness, time and budget constraints meant that perfectionist Spielberg learned to like takes instead of love them. But that lean approach to filmmaking gave Raiders of the Lost Ark the same amount of raw grit and determination that Indiana Jones himself possessed, and an icon rolled into cinemas, where it stayed for an incredibly long time too.....! And it influenced The Mummy (1999), which is probably its greatest achievement. I jest of course.... or do I? I would love to hear your thoughts on Raiders of the Lost Ark! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor, Scott, Mark and Brendan. Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Scott from Monkey See Monke
S3 E92 · Thu, April 29, 2021
Children of Men
Children of Men, a prescient dystopian science-fiction drama asks a simple question. If human beings couldn't reproduce, what would happen to the world? Director Alfonso Cuarón made, what I consider his masterpiece, in 2006 and yet it's never felt more resonant, or prescient, than it does today. This is a movie that hasn't aged a day, and probably never will. It's a bleak, grim look at a dystopian not-too-distant future, loosely based on P.D. James original novel The Children of Men . While I have a minor gripe about one of the changes from book to screen, overall I truly believe Children of Men is a movie everyone needs to see. With breathtaking long takes and special effects, thought-provoking imagery and the harsh realisation that pretty much all of this movie has come (or is coming) true Children of Men remains one of those remarkable movies that just didn't seem to find an audience back in 2006. Let's change that. I would love to hear your thoughts on Children of Men! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor, Scott, Mark and Brendan. Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Scott from Monkey See Monkey Review<
S3 E91 · Thu, April 22, 2021
Dirty Dancing (ft Mark Asquith from Captivate)
On the surface, a fan-favourite coming-of-age movie told through the eyes of young, innocent, naïve Baby Houseman as she has the time of her life meeting sexy, "bad boy" dance instructor Johnny Castle on her family holiday to the Catskill Mountains in the summer of 1963. She learns to dance, he learns to love. It's all very romantic. It's a feeling, a heartbeat. But, underneath it's more than that. Class divides, prejudice, discrimination, illegal abortion, sex - all the things that flew over my head when I first saw it aged 11-12. Dirty Dancing took big risks to come to the big screen, and it's those risks that make it an endearing classic, adored by millions, over 30 years later. Joining me in my kinda dancing, is a brilliant partner. Mark Asquith only saw this movie for the first time last year - and loved it! He brings a unique perspective to the chat, and bizarrely, some watermelons.... Massive thanks to Mark for taking the time to guest on this podcast and make sure you check out his work! He's the CEO of Rebel Base Media , and I can attest that Captivate is a brilliant podcast host, so if you're looking for a new podcast host, you can sign up to Captivate . He also hosts Star Wars podcast Spark of Rebellion , as well as The Podcast Accelerator ; a great show with loads of helpful hints and tips on podcasting. There's no spaghetti arms on this chap.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Dirty Dancing! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: <a href="h
S3 E90 · Thu, April 15, 2021
The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada is often referred to as a "chick flick", which I'd argue is not only inaccurate, but also a little insulting to such a fantastic exploration of feminine status, class and power. It allows its female characters to have agency, ambition and respect, despite them not being the archetypal “female character”. Meryl Streep brings complexity, nuance and vulnerability to Runway editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly, who in the hands of anyone else would just be a one-note villain. If a man is hard-working, demanding and rude, he's just ambitious but if a woman is the same, she's immediately calculating or labelled a b*tch. Why are those traits acceptable for men in positions of power, but not women? If you watch The Devil Wears Prada and you despise Miranda Priestly, ask yourself why? Is it because you just don't like her character, or is it because society tells you that women shouldn't behave this way? Honestly, the more I watch this movie, the more I love Miranda! Anne Hathaway is the perfect juxtaposition to Miranda too, and let's not forget this movie gave Emily Blunt her breakthrough. While the references to size and dieting may have dated a little, it's still a stylish, gorgeous and ground-breaking movie that demands your attention. Now accepting applications for my first and second assistant.... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Devil Wears Prada! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor, Scott and brand new patrons Mark and Brendan ! Buy Merch! </st
S3 E89 · Thu, April 08, 2021
Hook
Hook Hook, show us the Hook! Verbal Diorama is a podcast known for its very good form, and was given three days to learn to fly, fight and crow and become The Pan. I like to think I'm more of a Rufio (Rufio, Ru-Fi-Ohhhhhhh!) actually. Hook is one of my childhood favourites. It's my favourite Peter Pan movie by far, and honestly it pains me that most people don't like it, let alone love it. Yes, it has problems; the fact Peter doesn't become Peter Pan for over an hour and a half is one I'll acknowledge off the bat, but it also has really high highs. Literal flying being one! Robin Williams being another and the importance of finding your happy thoughts as adults. The message might be saccharin sweet, but it's an important one. Don't forget the innocence of childhood, keep your imagination flowing and, mostly importantly, play with your children. Keep your children young for as long as possible. Don't make them grow up too fast. Quite simply, I think Hook is Bangarang, despite what Steven Spielberg himself says. I would love to hear your thoughts on Hook! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor and Scott! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Laurel and Derek from The Midnight Myth for their Patron thoughts. You can find their bangarang episode on
S3 E88 · Thu, March 25, 2021
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Why don't we appreciate Samantha Caine and Charly Baltimore the same way we appreciate Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley? Why do we choose Die Hard at Christmas instead of The Long Kiss Goodnight? What is explosions, if not Renny Harlin persevering? I have so many questions about why we, as a movie-going public, don't appreciate The Long Kiss Goodnight enough. Geena Davis is an absolute standout, playing two complex, interesting protagonists with different personalities and skillsets. Samuel L Jackson's wardrobe is the sharpest it's ever looked, and the chemistry between Davis and Jackson is top notch. It's a damn fine Shane Black script, with all the wit and humour you'd expect and a damn fine Renny Harlin action movie, with all the high octane explosions and lack of physics you'd expect. It's the best action movie you've probably never seen, but you should. The British Medical Journals referenced in the episode: Memories aren't made of this: amnesia at the movies by Sallie Baxendale The butler(s) DID it - dissociative identity disorder in cinema by Peter Byrne I would love to hear your thoughts on The Long Kiss Goodnight! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor and Scott! Buy Merch! <st
S3 E87 · Thu, March 18, 2021
Josie and the Pussycats
Hello, I'm Em. And yes, I'm a podcast host. No, I said cappuccino. I'm here to talk to you about something very important. And no, it's not about me or my podcast. I'm here to talk about subliminal messages in rock and roll music. Or as it's simply known in some cultures, 'rock music'. You see, for years the government has been wisely coercing teenagers to buy products they normally wouldn't want, just to get their money. Fact! Kids don't have bills to pay. Fact! They don't pay taxes. But! They do babysit and hold minimum wage jobs that earn them wads of cash as substantial as, well, my body of work. But kids today aren't dumb. They're not gonna buy just anything. That's why the government has been planting small subliminal advertising suggestions in today's rock music. The results? We can now get these kids to buy just about anything. We can have them chasing a new trend every week. And that is good for the economy. And what's good for the economy... is good for the country. So God bless the United States Of America - the most ass-kickin' country... in the world! And god bless Josie and the Pussycats ! (Let's hope this episode isn't a "take the Chevy to the levy" situation. Du Jour means seat belts! Du Jour means crash positions!) Ross Burlingame's IndieGoGo for Best Movie Ever: A Totally Jerkin' Book , an oral history of Josie and the Pussycats can be found here Jess and I would love to hear your thoughts on Josie and the Pussycats! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Ja
S3 E86 · Thu, March 11, 2021
Krull
If you love the idea of Lord of the Rings meets Arthurian legend meets Star Wars meets Dungeons and Dragons, then Krull is right up your alley.... While it's a movie with recognisable flaws, that doesn't mean my love for it is lessened in any way. Prince Colwyn's quest to save his Princess Lyssa from the evil Beast in the Black Fortress will always hold a very special place in my heart, despite the infanticide, the gruesome character deaths and the Slayers' brain worms. Seriously, those brain worms are nightmare fuel! Krull is a really special movie for me, it has a wonderful James Horner score, gorgeous special effects and character design, and ultimately the power of love will always defeat absolute evil. Who cares about script and character development?! Right?! I would love to hear your thoughts on Krull! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com BRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor and Scott! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad in your app of choice! Twitter peeps <u
S3 E85 · Thu, March 04, 2021
Big Trouble in Little China
In the first of March's look into cult movie classics, Big Trouble in Little China nowadays looks like a movie that should have been destined for success. It had the capable charismatic hero, and Kurt Russell playing the guy who thinks he's the hero. Throw in the damsels in distress, creepy villain, ancient sorcery, high-action martial arts choreography and Chinese mythology and mysticism, and it makes no sense that it flopped at the box office. Unlike most '80s movie where Chinese characters were cliched tropes, Big Trouble in Little China, with its primarily Asian cast, at least attempts to respect Chinese myths and legends. Just remember, if you need a green-eyed girl to break your centuries-old curse, don't be like David Lo Pan, get her consent before the marriage ceremony! The parody of Gangnam Style I mentioned is Lo Pan Style and it's hilarious! I would love to hear your thoughts on Big Trouble in Little China! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor and Scott! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad <a href="https://twitter.com/ge
S3 E84 · Thu, February 25, 2021
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Roald Dahl quite famously hated most of the film adaptations of his famous books, but I think he'd quite like this one. Wes Anderson takes his keen idiosyncratic eye and took Fantastic Mr. Fox and made it, well, fantastic! From the juddery stop-motion animation, to the anachronistic American sounding heroes, these anthropomorphic animals have hearts, minds and relatable insecurities. It's quote-unquote cussing fantastic. I would love to hear your thoughts on Fantastic Mr. Fox! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor and Scott! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Emily from I Drink Your Podcast for her Patron thoughts. You can find I Drink Your Podcast @IDYP_podcast on Twitter Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter Subscribe, follow and listen to all these wonderful podcasts in your app of choice! Twitter peeps @cinema_recall @MovieReviewsIn <
S3 E83 · Wed, February 17, 2021
Robin Hood (1973)
To celebrate Verbal Diorama's second birthday, here's a Bronze Age joy. Oo-de-lally! This fox is a FOX! It might borrow from other Disney movies, but that doesn't make it any less of a fan favourite. Robin Hood Thanks for your continued support! More fun to come in Year Three! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E82 · Tue, February 16, 2021
The Jungle Book (1967)
To celebrate Verbal Diorama's second birthday, here's a Silver Age delight The last movie Walt Disney worked on before his death, and based on Rudyard Kipling's stories about the man-cub Mowgli. With a jungle this fun, why would any of us want to go to the man-village? The Jungle Book Thanks for your continued support! More fun to come in Year Three! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S3 E81 · Mon, February 15, 2021
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
To celebrate Verbal Diorama's second birthday, here's a Golden Age treat. It may be 84 years old, but it's still as timeless, elegant and truly awe-inspiring as ever.... Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Here's a link to one of the missing songs by the dwarfs - Music in Your Soup Thanks for your continued support! More fun to come in Year Three! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S2 E80 · Thu, February 11, 2021
Ghost in the Shell (1995) (Kōkaku Kidōtai)
The Matrix, Westworld, Metal Gear Solid, Cyberpunk 2077, AI: Artificial Intelligence.... all have been inspired by the legendary Ghost in the Shell. Ghost in the Shell is a ground-breaking landmark of animation; a cyberpunk dystopian masterpiece, with beautiful cityscapes, engaging characters led by Major Motoko Kusanagi and a story about humanity's reliance on being connected. If Cher from Clueless was describing it, she'd say it was "way existential", and she'd be right. What makes us who we are? What could we gain from transhumanism? With deep roots in philosophy, existentialism, and an exploration of gender identity; Ghost in the Shell proves, if any were necessary, that animation is not just a medium for children, and that animation can explore philosophical themes through rich storytelling and creative visuals and also provide a stark warning for our future. I would love to hear your thoughts on Ghost in the Shell! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor and Scott! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Emily from I Drink Your Podcast for her Patron thoughts. You can find I Drink Your Podcast @IDYP_podcast on Twitter Andy from <
S2 E79 · Thu, February 04, 2021
Shrek
Once upon a time, there was a brave knight, who went to the tallest tower of the scariest castle on his noble steed, to vanquish the dragon and save the beautiful princess held captive within. The knight and the princess fall in love, but she was destined to marry another. The knight stops the wedding as they admit their love. They live happily ever after. The end. Peel back those onion layers for an alternative take on the fairy tales of old, and a big middle finger from Jeffrey Katzenberg to Michael Eisner as we take a deep dive into Shrek's swamp, talk about its difficult beginnings, the premature death of its main voice actor and its attempts to subvert fairy tale genres before succumbing to become the very thing it wanted to subvert! In many ways, it's hard to believe this movie is 21 years old. In other ways, it shows its age. Not on the poop and fart jokes though, they're timeless! I would love to hear your thoughts on Shrek! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor and Scott! NEW! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons To both Andy & Mike from
S2 E78 · Thu, January 28, 2021
Chicken Run
What came first? The chicken or the egg? It's a question as old as time, and one pondered by all the great philosophers, scientists, scholars and farmers. In the field of Aardman's big screen successes, Chicken Run comes first. It's still the highest grossing stop-motion animated movie ever made, and Aardman's literal and figurative fingerprints are all over these English chicks. (I'm sorry for all the chicken-based puns that follow, I really am) What could have easily been a one-chick pony, Aardman definitely didn't count their chickens before they hatched, and partnered with Dreamworks to produce Chicken Run. In one fowl swoop, they delivered a movie that was universally beloved. Poultry in motion and really clucking eggscellent. Look no feather, Chicken Run is a truly wonderful movie that should beak your interest. (This is why they didn't invite me to work on the script for Chicken Run!) I would love to hear your thoughts on Chicken Run! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor and Scott! NEW! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons</str
S2 E77 · Thu, January 21, 2021
Your Name. (Kimi no Na wa)
How can I write about Your Name? Is it possible to convey the jaw dropping beauty and breath-taking majesty of Your Name with words? I'm not really sure it is, but I take a stab at it in Episode 77 anyway, because Your Name is truly something magical and resplendent to witness. A simple boy meets girl love story, with an added element of celestial forces; Your Name takes a simple story and elevates it to a visual treat as well as an emotional powerhouse. Put simply, if you don't believe in true love or soulmates, you'll walk away from Your Name believing that both are possible, that connections between strangers exist and that person you took a double-glance at in the street may have been someone you knew, but you just don't remember that you knew them. I would love to hear your thoughts on Your Name! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor and Scott! NEW! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Special thanks to the wonderful Scott from Monkey See Monkey Review podcast for sharing his Patron thoughts! You can find Monkey See Monkey Rev
S2 E76 · Thu, January 14, 2021
The Secret of NIMH
The Secret of NIMH is the epitome of a simple tale, beautifully told with the sort of stunning hand-drawn animation that Walt Disney Animation was known for during the Golden Age of Disney. Coincidentally, Don Bluth used to work at Disney, so he knew the tricks of the trade and went ahead with his own animation studio and a dark adaptation of Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, itself based on a real scientific study of rodent societal overpopulation. Mrs Brisby; mouse, widow, badass single mother, needs to move her family from the farmer's field where she lives and goes on an adventure to find and befriend the Rats of NIMH; super intelligent, highly skilled rodents who her late husband Jonathan helped escape the laboratory where they were all experimented on. It's beautiful, dark, twisted and delightful nightmare fuel! Don Bluth deserved more appreciation from us all than he ever got. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Secret of NIMH! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor and Scott! NEW! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Most excellent Patrons Special thanks to
S2 E75 · Thu, January 07, 2021
Coco
Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to Animation Season! The first movie in the season is the newest movie featured and also the highest grossing. It's also probably the most culturally significant, emotionally resonant and spiritual of the season too. Pixar's Coco . I feel like this movie is more comparable to Kubo and the Two Strings than it is to its fellow Day of the Dead animated stable-mate The Book of Life. But while it's set during Dia de los Muertos, it's more about the power of family, of music and of celebrating life. It's a stunning and powerful look into Mexican family life and culture, and it's one of Pixar's greatest achievements. I would love to hear your thoughts on Coco! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Trevor and Scott! NEW! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Special and massive thanks to long-time patron Claudia for allowing me to interview her about her experiences of Dia de los Muertos and her thoughts on Coco as a Mexican-American. Her contribution to this episode is invaluable. Also thanks to Andy from Geek Salad and Derek & Laurel from The Midn
S2 E74 · Wed, December 23, 2020
Gremlins
Before you listen to this episode, you need to follow a few rules. Keep this episode away from sunlight (that's easy, the days are still short....) Never get this episode wet. But most importantly, no matter how much this episode pleads, no matter how much it begs, NEVER FEED EPISODE 74 AFTER MIDNIGHT! Got it?! Good. This episode is sweet and lovely, but it could multiply and turn into a download monster, and no-one wants that.... Hang on.... I want a download monster....! Gremlins, from three of Hollywood's most well-known names; Chris Columbus, Steven Spielberg and Joe Dante, is a perfect little Mogwai of a movie. It has everything I love - puppets, animatronics, marionettes, stop-motion, and it's really quite scary. So scary, in fact, it helped pave the way for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to create a brand-new rating in-between PG and R. In the UK it remained 15 rated until it was reclassified as a 12A. My DVD is still a 15, though. I'm quite proud. This episode also features a cameo from my little Mogwai Jess, who goes full Gremlin halfway through to disrupt the recording with a paper bag. Seriously, I could not write better comedy than she provides. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, have a great New Year and Verbal Diorama shall return in 2021, with Animation Season 2.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Gremlins! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff,
S2 E73 · Thu, December 17, 2020
Captain America: Civil War
Steve Rogers and Tony Stark could never be accused of being best buds. There's always been a resentment there from Tony, especially when his father admired Steve Rogers so much, and it's always been simmering in the background. They've worked together as colleagues, to fight the Chitauri invasion of New York and came together again, with the Avengers, to fight Tony's creation Ultron. But Ultron really was the breaking point for a lot of things in Tony's life. Suffering from PTSD after the events of the Avengers, he truly believed creating Ultron would benefit the world. Now racked with guilt and remorse, and alone after Pepper ends their relationship, Tony Stark sees the Sokovia Accords as a way to make things right. Steve Rogers, however, disagrees. He's seen what happens when men are given power over others, that freedom isn't supposed to involve fear and that bureaucracy and red tape will only resolve a situation the people in charge want to see resolved. Saving innocent lives shouldn't need to be agreed beforehand by a committee. The Avengers may not be perfect, but they're all the world has. And so, the Avengers split. It's friends vs friends as tensions reach boiling point after Bucky Barnes is accused of bombing innocent people at the Accords signing, including King T'Chaka of Wakanda. Steve, being Steve, sees a situation pointing south, and he can't ignore it.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Captain America: Civil War, or the entire Captain America trilogy! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardie
S2 E72 · Thu, December 10, 2020
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The First Avenger ended with Steve Rogers defeating HYDRA and waking up in the modern day. Captain America barely had a chance to understand what was going on before he was thrust into fighting the Chitauri invasion in The Avengers. Post the Battle of New York and Phase 1 of the MCU as a whole, the world is aware of potential threats from other worlds, as well as the mightiest heroes Earth has to fight them, but The Avengers are disbanded for now, and Captain America is working for S.H.I.E.L.D, along with spy Natasha Romanov. The thing is, not only is HYDRA not defeated, they've been infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D over the last fifty years and the measures designed to protect the world from future threats is actually going to be used to annihilate HYDRA opposition. There's only one man who can step up.... Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a superhero movie, but it's also a brilliant political thriller, and it's this ability to mix the super and the very real fear of oppression and paranoia over drone attacks, surveillance states and conspiracy theories that makes The Winter Soldier sit towards the very top of the best that Marvel Studios have ever released. It's got great Cap, tense and brilliant choreographed fight scenes, espionage, returning villains, the best Black Widow put to screen and Robert Redford! It's top tier Marvel, imminently rewatchable and gloriously fun. But wait... that Winter Soldier chap looks familiar....?!? I would love to hear your thoughts on Captain America: The Winter Soldier! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Th
S2 E71 · Thu, December 03, 2020
Captain America: The First Avenger
Talk about Captain America: The First Avenger? I can do this all day. It's one of the MCUs most underrated gems. It's less bombastic than most in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its World War II setting grounds the movie in an alternate reality. Chris Evans brings depth and humility to Steve Rogers, after the super serum that turns him into the star-spangled man with a plan, but mostly before, when he's just regular Steve. The fact the movie dwells on pre-serum Steve for so long is actually one of its major strengths - we get to know the man behind the super soldier. A man of honesty, compassion, humility and an overwhelming desire to fight for freedom. It shapes the Captain America he is to become. And what a Cap! I would be remiss not to mention one of the MCU's finest leading ladies. Hayley Atwell took her role as Peggy Carter and made it so iconic, she got her own (excellent, may I add) two-season TV series as a companion piece. While it's drowned out of the MCU by bigger, bolder and brighter future entries, Captain America: The First Avenger is a solid piece of work, headlined by Joe Johnston (of The Rocketeer!) and does a great job bringing serious heart and soul to the MCU as a whole. I would love to hear your thoughts on Captain America: The First Avenger ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily and brand-spanking new patrons Michael and Matt! NEW! Buy Merch! <a href="h
S2 E70 · Thu, November 26, 2020
Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), to give it its full name (until that changed to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey) is the first and only movie released in 2020 that I'm covering in 2020, but to be honest there's not many 2020 movies out there. It's also the last movie I saw in cinemas before the COVID-19 pandemic. I've seen this movie three times this year, and each time I love it that little bit more. It's the antidote to 2020. A wild, brash, profanity-laden colourful comic book come to life. Harley is unreliable, bubbly, unique and unpredictable, but sticking her with a girl gang was ultimately the best choice for her character development. Women supporting women supporting a young girl who needs help when she steals a diamond from the narcissistic, misogynistic crime lord Roman Sionis (who also stole the diamond too, to be fair). Harley is joined by Black Canary, Renee Montoya and Huntress to protect young Cassandra Cain from Black Mask and his violent and sadistic tendencies. Building on the groundwork first developed by Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie really shines and brings depth and character to Harley, who's more than just a pretty face in shiny hot pants for this movie, and I'm happy about that. This might be called Birds of Prey, but it's really all Harley's movie. That might be a bone of contention for some. Me, I'm just glad this movie exists at all, and that it's so much brazen fun! And remember, psychologically speaking, vengeance rarely brings the catharsis we hope for. Unless you make me drop the perfect egg sandwich. I would love to hear your thoughts on Birds of Prey! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com
S2 E69 · Thu, November 19, 2020
Atomic Blonde
The Atomic Blonde and John Wick comparisons are not lost on me, and trust me when I say that I love Atomic Blonde to a similar, but very different degree to the John Wick(s). Because while both use colour very dramatically, and thrive on that ultra stylized violence I clearly have a passion for, while John Wick is all about vengeance, Lorraine Broughton is all about espionage, and Charlize Theron remains one of the most brilliant and bold actors working in Hollywood. Often criticised for having style over substance, and I understand why, but when it's this stylish.... I have zero complaints. The stunts are perfection (mostly performed by Charlize herself) and the music, while mainly from the early 80s, takes this very real depressing end of the Cold War setting and makes it pop with neon funk. James McAvoy is also great. No one says an f-bomb like he does. Atomic Blonde won't please everyone, but it pleases me. A lot. Now give me that John Wick/Atomic Blonde crossover! I would love to hear your thoughts on Atomic Blonde! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff and Luke! NEW! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Twitter peeps @BlkGirlsDoStuff <p
S2 E68 · Thu, November 12, 2020
Black Panther
This one feels so bitter-sweet to be talking about. This episode was originally scheduled for mid-September, but due to the sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman on 28th August, I postponed it out of respect. After V for Vendetta it feels right to be talking about a hero who inspired so many, and by that I don't just mean T'Challa as the Black Panther, but Chadwick Boseman himself. A man of grace, integrity, poise and power. A man who meant so much to so many. The character of T'Challa, introduced in Captain America: Civil War in 2016 isn't the first black on-screen superhero, but he's the most accessible. Children across the world could look to T'Challa, Okoye, Shuri and Nakia and see themselves represented on screen. African traditions are explored and Killmonger remains one of the MCU's most well-rounded and fascinating villains. Just a kid from Oakland who was abandoned by his family, his bitter and twisted attempt to ascend to the throne of his father's homeland and change Wakanda for, what he believes is, the greater good. It's a beautifully realised, perfectly acted celebration of African culture, heritage and people, and I love it. And to Chadwick. You are loved, you are missed, thank you. Wakanda Forever! I would love to hear your thoughts on Black Panther! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff and Luke! NEW! Buy Merch! <a href="https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama" rel="noop
S2 E67 · Thu, November 05, 2020
V for Vendetta
Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to cover V for Vendetta, and you may call me Verbal Diorama. I would love to hear your thoughts on V for Vendetta! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff and brand new patron Luke! NEW! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Twitter peeps @derekjones198 @capunderstands @Oral_mfc @Wizard_Matt @Cut_totha_Chase @simon_exton @VixenVVitch @ThePeterBriggs @geeksaladradio @SeanGeekPodcast <p
S2 E66 · Fri, October 30, 2020
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
SURPRISE!! I kept this off the schedule just in case I couldn't quite pull it off, but having recently rewatched it, I decided to do a bonus episode on Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight just for Halloween, which deserves WAY more recognition than it gets. From a great well-known cast of faces, such as William Sadler, Jada Pinkett, Billy Zane, Dick Miller and Thomas Haden Church to some genuinely spooky great practical effects and world building, Demon Knight really delivers in a way most low-budget horror movies don't. Not to mention it's probably the only horror movie where a black woman is the final girl and she saves the world! I never thought I'd say that Billy Zane was the best part of anything.... he chews the scenery like never before or again as The Collector. Maybe he's entranced me into doing this episode? Maybe I'm possessed? What is this green goo?! Happy Halloween! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S2 E65 · Thu, October 29, 2020
Ghostbusters (2016) (ft Simon Brew from Film Stories)
Listen, for all the online discourse in 2016, Ghostbusters (2016) is in no way as bad as it's been made out to be. Is it perfect? No. Is it the superior Ghostbusters? No. Is it the Anti-Christ of the Ghostbusters universe? No. Do I find it hilariously funny and love these women? YES! Is Chris Hemsworth the most gifted human being in the world other than Keanu Reeves? Probably! Joining me with his own proton pack of appreciation for Ghostbusters, is Simon Brew. Editor of Film Stories magazine/website and host of Film Stories podcast. Together we're taking on the ghosts of reboots, and taking aim at the misogynists and hate-spewers of the world. Just because Ghostbusters 2016 exists, and it exists for a reason mind you, it doesn't erase or belittle Ghostbusters or Ghostbusters II. There's enough room for all these incredibly talented and funny actors to bust ghosts in Hollywood. Ghostbusters III had been in the pipeline for years and years, until a reboot of the story was optioned instead and announced to be a female team. The trailer, released online in early 2016, quickly generated a slurry of hateful, misogynistic and racist remarks and even death threats to its director. Death threats! For a movie! You can't make this up.... While I'll admit it's not my favourite Ghostbusters movie, Ghostbusters 2016 has a special place in my heart and it does some brilliantly innovative things with its visuals and 3D. I'm sad we won't get to see these characters again. Especially Holtzmann, she's AWESOME! Thank you to the wonderful Simon Brew for being brilliant and occasionally hilarious. You can find his work at https://www.filmstories.co.uk/ or on Twitter @filmstoriespod and listen to the Film Stories podcast if you like what I do, but you want someone who's much much better at it (despite his insistence to the contrary). Charge the lines, create the vortex, break the barriers..... I would love to hear your thoughts on Ghostbusters (2016)! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website <a href="https://verbaldiorama.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank
S2 E64 · Thu, October 22, 2020
Scream
Before we start, a trigger warning. Scream is unfortunately inspired by some gruesome, horrific true crime events which are mentioned briefly in this episode. Although I don't go into details, I do mention violence and sexual assault, so if you'd rather not hear this part of the story, please skip the following times 15:54-17:53 . I do mention a warning before it starts too. The section lasts just under two minutes. Full disclosure - I had not seen Scream until watching it for this episode. I had seen clips, such as Drew Barrymore's phone call scene, but nothing else. It's safe to say that clip stuck with me, and ever since I was frightened to watch it. But watch it I have! Hear what I think of it in the episode! Viewers' love of watching people being (fictionally) killed is certainly not limited to 20th/21st century horror movies, but undoubtedly Scream's biggest claim to fame is the fact it's credited with reviving the dead (excuse the pun!) slasher genre. There was another that came before it though, something that also tried to be bold and blur the lines between tired horror clichés and tropes. Another Wes Craven movie.... As pretty much a total non-horror fan, researching this episode has opened up a fascinating world of horror fact and fiction, and might have actually made me want to watch some other horror classics (but it might take me a while - Scream did scare me!) From Scream's true crime roots, to its well-known cast and ability to mix horror and comedy, it remains a firm horror fan favourite. I can see why. The opening scene is, probably, one of the most iconic of modern cinema, with maybe one exception.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Scream ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser
S2 E63 · Thu, October 08, 2020
Coraline
I thought we'd play a game.... It's been 9 months since I last featured a Laika movie, and I've waited a long time on purpose to bring Coraline to the podcast. Because Coraline is scary. It's a genuine horror movie that just happens to be animated. And like most horror, it's the real life elements that Coraline speaks about; family, trust, attempted kidnap and deceptive adults that are the real horror elements at play. We all wish for another version of our lives, but is the grass always greener on the other side? Based on the excellent Neil Gaiman novella, and expertly directed by Henry Selick, of The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach fame, Coraline is a masterpiece of stop motion, an expertly devised web of horror and this was only Laika's first attempt to make their own animated features. With sprinkles of The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, as well as one of very few films to really make excellent use of 3D, keep your eye on Coraline.... Laika's achievement is, as always, simply astonishing. Now you're going to stay here forever. I would love to hear your thoughts on Coraline! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike and Griff! NEW! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, mugs, hoodies
S2 E62 · Thu, October 01, 2020
Scooby-Doo (2002)
Scooby-dooby-doo! Where are you? We've got some work to do now! I'm joined by my furry sidekick Jess (she's not happy we're discussing a movie about a dog!) to talk all about the 2002 live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo (and a little about its sequel Monsters Unleashed). We all grew up with some iteration of Scooby-Doo, and it's that nostalgia that fuels this movie, along with some great performances from its young core cast, including real-life couple Freddie Prinze Jr and Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Fred and Daphne, alongside a scene-stealing Matthew Lillard as Shaggy and pitch perfect Linda Cardellini and Scooby-Doo, as himself. Originally conceived as a slightly more risqué movie, with more sexual references, drugs and bad language, it was seriously watered down to appeal to the family friendly audience, but titbits of that previous R-rated cut remain. Scooby-Doo was never going to win Academy Awards, but it's super fun, super self-aware and so very very super 2000s and I'm here for it for all those reasons and more. Here's the original animated intro to this movie, which is brilliant - https://youtu.be/QepaSw6w5bs Hang on, that's not Jess.... it's..... Lady Katrina Pussenkatz, host of Verbal Diorama's rival podcast! And she would have got away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling listeners! I would love to hear your thoughts on Scooby-Doo! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, J
S2 E61 · Thu, September 24, 2020
The Rocketeer
There are many astonishing things about The Rocketeer.... Its origins in pulp serials its authentic comic book style its unknown leading man its innocence and timelessness its beautiful score by James Horner its stunning art deco poster But the most amazing, brilliant, incredible thing about The Rocketeer, is how much people love it. Despite its lacklustre box office, and the fact that Disney have never seemed to care much about it, people who watch The Rocketeer LOVE The Rocketeer. Maybe because of its charm and innocence? Maybe because you can get lost in this anachronistic retro-yet-modern 1930s period Los Angeles? Or maybe that its because it depicts a nice, kind every-man hero who finds a jet-pack and realises he can use it to fly? And he then uses that power to fight Nazis? Maybe it really is just that simple? The Rocketeer might be a simple story, well executed, but it's one of Disney's truly underrated gems. We need less people saying "The Rocka-who?" and more people discovering the joy of Dave Stevens' iconic superhero. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Rocketeer! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike and Griff! NEW! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldiorama Tees, m
S2 E60 · Thu, September 17, 2020
The Princess Bride
This is it. The Princess Bride. As You Wish. Death cannot stop my true love for this movie. All it can do is delay it for 59 episodes. Verbal Diorama, inconceivably, goes downhill from here because there is no movie as perfect as one about fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love AND miracles... There's a shortage of perfect movies in the world. It would be a pity not to cover this one. From William Goldman's perfect novel, to the many attempts to get it made, to Rob Reiner's insistence it was the perfect movie for him, it truly is a tale of overcoming adversity, believing in yourself, fighting for want you want and, unironically, twue wuv! Because everyone involved loves this movie, and pretty much everyone who watches it loves it too. True love is real, and it's all for The Princess Bride. Life is pain (highness) right now in the world, but there's no to blave going on here, this movie will make you feel better. Have fun storming the castle! Don't rush me, sonny. You rush a podcaster, you get rotten podcasts! Maybe I could come over and read it again to you tomorrow..... Jill Bearup's YouTube video on the sword fight of Westley and Inigo from a stage combat point of view can be found here I would love to hear your thoughts on The Princess Bride! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy,
S2 E59 · Thu, September 10, 2020
Death Becomes Her
In a change to the scheduled programming, Death Becomes Her moves up the schedule slightly and marks the first appearances on the podcast for global Hollywood icons Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn. Yes, Bruce Willis is also in this movie, and he's quite good, but the appeal for Death Becomes Her has always, for me, been Streep and Hawn, who wanted a star vehicle for them both and when Thelma and Louise fell through, in swooped Robert Zemeckis, a man who needs little introduction. Death Becomes Her is an effects-driven, yet cautionary tale on society's obsession with youth and beauty, the pitfalls (or should that be stairfalls?) of female rivalry, as well as highlighting what really is important in life. It comments on Hollywood's obsession with female starlets seemingly never ageing and the pressures women are under to be constantly beautiful, thin and desirable. It's also wickedly funny and bitingly satirical. Critics at the time, however, did not agree. Style over substance was essentially many a critics' thought. Meryl Streep would rule out ever returning to effects-driven movies, but the legacy of Death Becomes Her lives on in other ways.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Death Becomes Her! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike and Griff! NEW! Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/verbaldiorama
S2 E58 · Thu, September 03, 2020
10 Things I Hate About You
I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car, I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots and the way you read my mind; I hate you so much it makes me sick, it even makes me rhyme. I hate the way you're always right, I hate it when you lie, I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call, But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all. The truth is, there's not even 1 Thing I Hate About 10 Things I Hate About You. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all. It's got pitch perfect Julia Stiles, as rebellious, headstrong Kat Stratford and a breakthrough performance by Heath Ledger. Together, they're dynamite. There's honestly more than 10 Things I Love About 10 Things I Hate About You (and there's a difference between like and love, because I like my Skechers, but I love my Prada backpack!). It's just too good to be true, and defies expectations of '90s teen movies, while simultaneously ignoring and respecting its Shakespearean heritage. The Taming of the Shrew is notoriously problematic and seen as an impossible text to adapt, but when you have Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah writing the script, you'll naturally be in good hands. Who needs affection when I have blind hatred? (I can confirm, you can indeed be whelmed in Europe.) I would love to hear your thoughts on 10 Things I Hate About You! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/verbald
S2 E57 · Mon, August 31, 2020
Jurassic Park
It's got awe-inspiring practical puppets, flawless CGI, fantastic performances, awesome cinematography and Unix systems (I know this!). Welcome to Jurassic Park! 27 years later, it's still the T-Rex of action, adventure, horror and sci-fi, as billionaire John Hammond and his team of scientists spend so much time thinking they could, they don't stop to think if they should. Directed by Steven Spielberg, it remains one of his most enduring and appealing classics, and shades of his earlier classic Jaws are apparent throughout. The primary cast; Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum are returning for next year's Jurassic World: Dominion but as fun as those 'World' movies are (and I enjoy the first one very much), the pure Adrenalin, fear, sardonic wit and exquisite framing of Jurassic Park simply can never be topped by other dinosaur movies. Many have questioned why they thought it would be a good idea to resurrect man-eating dinosaurs for a theme park, and surely humans aren't that dumb and selfish. There are humans out there that won't even wear a goddamn face mask to protect others though, so.... The truth is.... women really did inherit the Earth in Jurassic Park. I would love to hear your thoughts on Jurassic Park! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike and Griff! EPISODE THANKS TO.... Twitter peeps @PulpCereal @geeksaladradio @NFTDT</p
S2 E56 · Thu, August 27, 2020
X-Men (2000)
Mutation: it is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward. X-Men, based on the comic books created in 1963 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, like many projects in Hollywood, moved around from studio to studio until it landed at Fox and in the lap of producer Lauren Schuler Donner. It turned out that her young assistant would make waves on this production, and end up becoming the most powerful name in superhero cinema.... but more on him another time. We have a lot to thank X-Men for. Despite being a team of super-powered mutants, X-Men's grounded style, deep roots in real life civil rights history and a real historical setting mean it remains relatable and focused on real marginalised groups, discrimination, ostracization and the fear of the unknown, unlike other superhero movies. It remains surprisingly relevant twenty years after release, which calls to the strength of Stan Lee's creations. Other better X-Men movies came and went (and arguably some worse ones!) and then other better Marvel movies arrived and took the X-Men's crown, and while X-Men will forever be tarnished due to the serious allegations made towards its director, its legacy in not just superhero cinema, but arguable modern cinema, remains unrivalled. Simply put.... X-Men was a game-changer and in that regard it's x-ceptional. I would love to hear your thoughts on X-Men! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/verbaldiorama" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_
S2 E55 · Thu, August 20, 2020
Moana (aka Vaiana/Oceania)
Make way, make way for Disney's first computer generated animated foray into the Polynesian islands, mythology and culture (although not the first animated foray - that goes to Lilo and Stitch!) to the island of Motonui, and its future chief Moana; a young woman who feels a call to the ocean (not surprising as her name literally means 'ocean') and is tasked with finding the demigod Maui, restoring the stolen heart of Te Fiti, and in doing so re-establish the natural ecological harmony, rediscover her voyaging heritage and save her people. Just an average mission for any sixteen-year-old girl, am I right? Directed by Disney stalwarts John Musker and Ron Clements, Moana is gorgeous, vibrant and dazzling; the characters are interesting and relatable, the almost entirely Polynesian cast are fantastic and the music.... you do not need to get me started on the music! The soundtrack is a delight from start to finish. Lin-Manuel Miranda really is a shiny treasure fit for the shell of Tamatoa. Moana is a Disney Princess for all to aspire to be like. Auli'i Cravalho is such a revelation in this movie. Her voice belies her young years (lest we forget, she was just 14-years-old when cast, and 15 when performing!) Sure, Moana has issues and I'd be remiss not to mention Disney's attempts to be inclusive and culturally sensitive, despite having an Oceanic Story Trust to advise on cultural sensitivity, have backfired for some Pacific Islanders on the depictions of Maui and the Kakamora, but on the whole Moana is a JOY. It's the best movie Disney have released in the last 20 years, despite it being trounced by its Disney stable-mate Zootopia at awards season.... (Zootopia is great, but I prefer Moana, personally) I am a girl who loves my island. I am the girl who loves the sea. Moana calls me. Here's the link to Lindsay Ellis' YouTube video essay on Pocahontas, where she compares it to Moana. I would love to hear your thoughts on Moana! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... <p
S2 E54 · Thu, August 06, 2020
Galaxy Quest (ft Andy from Geek Salad)
Computer, what topic is episode 54 on? "Galaxy Quest" Episode 54 is on Galaxy Quest! Pedal to the metal, and get ready for some vertical Thermian handclaps for the crew of the NSEA Protector with returning special guest Crewman #6..... aka Andy from Geek Salad! You may remember him from Episode 23 on Mystery Men. He's the plucky comic relief in this episode, and unlike Guy Fleegman's Crewman #6 on the show, he lives to the end of episode 54! Galaxy Quest's historical documents have been off-air for 18 years but the illustrious crew are still making appearances at conventions near you! We have Jason Nesmith, as the handsome, brave Commander Peter Quincy Taggart; Gwen (just how does she fit her boobs into her suit, though?) DeMarco as Lt. Tawny Madison; By Grabthar's Hammer, it's Alexander Dane as Dr. Lazarus; Tommy Webber, who's grown up so fast, as Lt. Laredo and Fred Kwan as the sardonic, sarcastic Tech Sgt Chen. It might have been off-air, but the fans still love the historical documents. Especially the Thermian people, who take cosplay to a whole new level and recreate the ship, from scratch, and even include an authentic "bad guy". These really are fans from another world! And if there's any movie that celebrates fan culture and appreciates fandom, it's Galaxy Quest. Never Give Up! Never Surrender! I would love to hear your thoughts on Galaxy Quest! SPECIAL THANKS.... to the out-of-this-world brilliant podcaster and all-round excellent human being, Andy for joining me to chat about Galaxy Quest. Give him a hand, he's (not) British. You can find his podcast Geek Salad on all good podcast apps, their website https://geeksalad.podbean.com/ and make sure you check out Episode 197 - We Can Remember It For You Wholesale (ft. me!), and the other 196 quality episodes on movies, video games, music, tv.... basically a veritable smorgasbord of great content! You can follow Andy on Twitter @geeksaladradio , check out Geek Salad on Facebook or watch Geek Salad's Retro Reviews on the Geek Salad YouTube channel ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/verbald
S2 E53 · Thu, July 30, 2020
Serenity (2005)
Serenity, the continuation and culmination of Joss Whedon's one-season space western TV show Firefly, had the full backing of Universal after acquiring the rights of Firefly from Fox, who really didn't have a clue what Firefly was, or even the common decency to air all the episodes in order.... this is not the first time Fox have been world-class a-holes on something I've featured on this podcast. Although arguably Serenity exists because of Universal's desire for the project, Joss Whedon's skills as a writer/director and the returning cast for bringing these beloved characters back to life, it actually exists because of one reason: The Browncoats. Fandom is power, passion, strength and unity. Fandom grew Firefly and made Serenity happen. Without the Browncoats, we would never have had Serenity. They don't just aim to misbehave, they aim to transform this miscarriage of justice. Although fandom wasn't enough to resurrect Firefly for a second season or create a sequel to Serenity, the fact we got Serenity at all is miraculous. This cancelled TV show, this ragtag crew of underdogs ended up with a feature length movie that introduced new characters, tied up arcs, looked and sounded beautiful and was a worthy end to the stories of Mal Reynolds and his crew. It was also loved by fans and critically acclaimed. That just doesn't happen for one-season TV shows, let alone TV shows that were unduly cancelled. Firefly and Serenity are the rare and precious jewels in Joss Whedon's crown. Or should that be his pretty floral bonnet.....? I would love to hear your thoughts on Serenity or Firefly! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or <a href="https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/verbal-diorama-803268" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_bl
S2 E52 · Thu, July 23, 2020
The Nice Guys
The Nice Guys, upon its release in May 2016, found itself facing off against a comedy sequel, an animated movie of a million-selling mobile game and two separate superhero franchise sequels. It's really no wonder it suffered at the U.S. box office. An original idea, from the always brilliant mind of Shane Black, needed room to breathe and find its feet. Sadly, it never got to do that. Had it been released in June, like it was supposed to, it might have made the $217 million that the other comedy buddy movie it swapped release dates with did. Can you tell I'm bitter about that? The Nice Guys had two big name stars (Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling), several up-and-comers (Margaret Qualley and the terrific Angourie Rice) and a Hollywood icon (Kim Basinger) in its cast. It followed Shane Black's other directorial efforts; his debut Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and the 20th highest grossing movie of all time, Iron Man 3 . It's really quite brilliant, actually. For the titular (and ironic) "nice guys who aren't actually nice guys "; as Private Investigator Holland March, Ryan Gosling excels at physical comedy, with Russell Crowe's Jackson Healy as the grumpy tough-guy straight man. As casting decisions for a comedy go, you'd never suspect they'd be this perfect together, but they are. The script is witty, dark and hilarious. The setting, 1977 Los Angeles, centred around the adult movie industry, feels seedy yet exuberant. Seriously - this movie should have made buckets of cash!! Although The Nice Guys failed commercially, critically it passed with flying colours. The few who did see it raved about it and arguably it's well on its way to cult classic status. It deserves to be talked about on a podcast, and most importantly it deserves to be watched and enjoyed. I really do think it's one of Shane Black's best. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Nice Guys! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/revi
S2 E51 · Thu, July 16, 2020
Down With Love
Paying tribute to the classic no-sex sex comedies from the late '50s and early '60s, Down With Love is a wonderful, bright, kitschy romcom classic that seems to be well regarded, if not completely well remembered. Renee Zellweger (fresh from Chicago ) and Ewan McGregor (fresh from Moulin Rouge ) tackle roles similar to those made famous by girl-next-door-turned-sex-symbol Doris Day and serious-actor-turned-romantic-lead Rock Hudson, in a genuinely wonderful pastiche to their movies Pillow Talk (1959), Lover Come Back (1961) and Send Me No Flowers (1964). (I watched Pillow Talk as part of my prep for this episode, and I have to say it's a truly delightful movie and Doris Day is incredible in it! Please watch it if you can!) Down With Love is so impressive in its desire to not only be set in the sixties, but also to be filmed like it were filmed in the Sixties. It's meant to look like it was filmed in Technicolor. The thought that went into it is insane, from authentic props and vintage fabrics for costuming, to wanting the sets to actually look just like sets. Down With Love is not a film steeped in realistic depictions of 1962 New York. It's meant to look wonky. It relishes, and adores, the world its set in. The entire cast look like they're having the best time ever. Did I mention how hot Ewan McGregor is? I'm not sure I did.... And if, like me, you start the movie as a Down With Love girl (or guy, or person), you'll end it stating "Here's To Love". I would love to hear your thoughts on Down With Love ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: <a href=
S2 E50 · Thu, July 09, 2020
Toy Story
Here we are.... 50 episodes later! It's been a genuine delight to produce fifty episodes of this podcast and I wanted to do something special for #50. There's no animated movie so ingrained in modern culture, so beloved by everyone and such a pioneer in modern animation than Pixar's Toy Story. But I didn't just want to tell the story of Toy Story, because the story of Pixar is integral to the story of Toy Story. Pixar knew they wanted to make the first feature-length fully computer animated film. They knew they could do it. They just had to figure out how.... The whole creation of Toy Story was fraught with issues. It's remarkable it ever made it to the screen at all. But it did, and look what it did..... The early test animation for Toy Story, featuring a completely different character of Woody, can be found here The Toy Story full length live-action remake can be found here Whether this is your first episode listening or your 50th episode.... thanks for being here. I've really appreciated your support. Here's to the next 50 episodes (or infinity!) and beyond....! I would love to hear your thoughts on Toy Story ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, S
S2 E49 · Thu, July 02, 2020
The Muppets
It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, it’s time to meet The Muppets on Verbal Diorama tonight... today... In this special Patron-chosen episode, I go behind the curtain on 2011's The Muppets. The Muppets have been in everyone's lives, whether through The Muppet Show, the eight big screen offerings, or just through general media. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal et al. are some of the most famous faces and names in Hollywood. This episode is a little different to most episodes of Verbal Diorama. I wanted to pay tribute to The Muppets, to this movie and to the people behind the scenes, but without losing any of the magic that make The Muppets such a unique and wonderful part of all our lives. It's important to have those warm, safe feelings of nostalgia and also to introduce the things we love to the next generation. The Muppets teach us to always be kind, to love others and yourself and to embrace your weirdness. We could all do with more of The Muppets in our lives. Whether you're a man or a muppet, or just having a me party, life's a happy song when you look at the pictures in your head. So join the lovers, the dreamers and me in finding the rainbow connection. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Muppets ! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldiorama Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy and Mike </p
S2 E48 · Thu, June 25, 2020
The Thing (1982)
When it came to thinking of a horror movie I'd love to feature, The Thing (1982) was top of my list. It's not a movie most would associate with someone who admits to not liking horror, but the combination of science fiction and horror remains one of my favourite genre mixes (see also Alien!) It's also a movie that continues to delight and terrify me. The practical effects, created by Rob Bottin (only 21 years of age at the time) still hold up as visually inventive, repulsive and unforgettable, almost 40 years later. It's an accolade that the recent 2011 prequel could never have lived up to (and yes, I saw it recently, so I will talk about it a little, if only to serve as a highlight to how excellent the 1982 movie really is!) On the surface a graphic, gory body horror, but it's not the gore that makes it scary, it's the emotional and mental horror, as it depicts the descent into fear, madness and paranoia that this group of twelve men encounter and the toxic masculinity which prevents them from actually working together to face their fears. The titular alien, nameless and faceless, remains sentient even at a cellular level, which adds to the fear factor. How do you know every cell of The Thing is dead? It's a stark contrast to 1982's other well-known alien movie, where that alien (E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial) is sweet, kind and befriends small children. Then critically derided, now critically lauded; it's a true masterclass in showing the isolation and despair of the characters and the lengths to which The Thing will go to survive, gift wrapped in glorious nightmare-fuel special effects by Rob Bottin. But how do you know this is the real episode 48? Could it just be a copy? Look for the light in my eyes.... The original Randall William Cook stop-motion Blair-Thing can be seen in this clip here The Fangoria art contest entries from 1981 are available to view here ! I would love to hear your thoughts on The Thing ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com or vis
S2 E47 · Thu, June 18, 2020
Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke, or Mononoke Hime to give it its Japanese name, could have been covered in February for the anniversary along with Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbour Totoro or Spirited Away, but honestly I'm glad I can devote a whole regular-sized episode to it, because it's so jam-packed full of greatness. As much as I love all the aforementioned movies from the legendary writer/director Hayao Miyazaki, Princess Mononoke really is something more epic. It's more adult, more complex, more violent and graphic, and while Mr Miyazaki himself would never admit to it being a masterpiece, it truly is. With an English dub written by Neil Gaiman, it's widely considered one of the best translations of the original Japanese script. While Ghibli loved Gaiman's work, his name was removed from the credits and the U.S. release of Princess Mononoke was purposely ruined by real-life villain and nasty piece of work Harvey Weinstein, who gets mentioned several times just for being a massive a-hole when Disney appointed Miramax the distributor. No surprise there. Princess Mononoke, though, is a masterclass of character and world building, all encompassed in a beautiful shell of traditional animation, with the minimal of CGI (in places you wouldn't expect!) and doesn't actually have a true antagonist. Every character struggles with being consumed by hate, even the empathetic Ashitaka - one of few male lead characters featured in Miyazaki's stories, but who remains a force for good, despite the evil growing within him. We all have the power to co-exist with each other, and with the natural world. Now, more than ever, the demon of hate is threatening to consume modern society. Princess Mononoke might be set during feudal Japan, but its message of love, acceptance and co-existence is more relevant now than it has ever been. Whole Hog Theatre's incredible stage production of Princess Mononoke can be found here Joshua Garrity's video can be found here I would love to hear your thoughts on Princess Mononoke ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me genera
S2 E46 · Thu, June 11, 2020
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One was the first anthology movie announced post the Disney takeover of Lucasfilm in 2012; the year after Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens had enticed and delighted audiences across the world. The rogue one, you might say... Rogue One, born of the simple question "how did the Death Star plans end up with Princess Leia?" is probably most famous for its CGI recreations of Grand Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia, and its enduring of lengthy re-shoots to change the narrative of the third act and insert additional scenes. To be honest, it's not as dramatic a change as people think it is. The trailer contained shots that were never intended to even be in the finished movie. Grand Moff Tarkin.... well that's another issue entirely. At least Carrie Fisher was alive to approve her younger likeness.... As a spin-off of the existing Skywalker Saga, Rogue One remains separate to the existing story enough to be talked about independently, but connected enough to matter in the timeline between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. In fact, I'd argue it enriches the world of Star Wars. It shows the true sacrifice of rebellion; the nameless soldiers who gave their lives for a greater cause are given names. It's a powerful reminder on the cost of war. We never hear about Jyn, Cassian, Chirrut, Baze, Bodhi, Saw or K-2SO ever again (ignoring the fact that we can't, because the characters didn't exist in 1977!!) because we never hear the names of soldiers lost to war. Moral, ethical and character issues aside, it remains one of my favourite Star Wars movies. Not the favourite, but certainly up there. It's enjoyable, with some great cinematography, memorable characters, and like all rebellions, it's built on hope. Right now, we could all do with a little more of that. I would love to hear your thoughts on Rogue One ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin and Cat for supporting V
S2 E45 · Thu, May 28, 2020
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Little Shop of Horrors, based on the off-Broadway musical, in turn based off the 1960 Roger Corman dark comedy The Little Shop of Horrors... is probably my favourite ever screen musical. It contains within several elements that never fail to delight me: -Rick Moranis - a true gem of a man, on-and-off screen, who was a regular for all us 80s and 90s kids growing up -It's a musical - with music and lyrics by the award-winning team of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman -Practical effects - the puppet work is some of the greatest ever put to screen, with Frank Oz at the helm and a talented team of professional puppeteers (including Brian Henson), Audrey II feels real, tangible and a genuine threat to our heroes Seymour and Audrey At the time, the most expensive motion picture Warner Bros had ever released, it had a lot riding on its mean, green shoulders. It failed to deliver at the box office but has since become a cult classic on VHS, and it was the first ever DVD to be recalled for content.... and not for the busting of balls, although the song " Mean, Green Mother From Outer Space " was the first song containing naughty words to be nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. It didn't win, sadly. And nor did it win for Visual Effects, but at least it lost that to Aliens.... The cast is flawless and an 80s/90s kid's dream; Rick Moranis is the perfect nerdy, unconfident Seymour that we can all immediately root for. Ellen Greene (reprising her role from the stage) has a meek, shrill voice for Audrey, which transforms into a powerful set of pipes once singing, showing Audrey's inner strength. Steve Martin's Orin Scrivello (D.D.S!) is memorable and threatening enough to be fed to a carnivorous plant without us caring all that much for his loss and additional cameos from Bill Murray, Jim Belushi, Christopher Guest and John Candy just add to the brilliance of the production. And finally, Levi Stubbs just IS Audrey II. His charisma and charm flows through an inanimate puppet, adding to the experience of seeing Audrey II come to life on screen. Famously filmed with an original ending which was scrapped due to a very negative test screening, a new ending was hastily put together and it was the only ending available until the previously only black-and-white footage was digitally coloured and enhanced for released in 2012. "Don't Feed The Plants" - the final song and footage from the Director's Cut, is available on YouTube. It's all table-top miniatures created by Richard Conway and it's delightful - watch it here! A remake is in the pipeline, but I guarantee it will never be able to emulate the charm, nostalgia or dream-like quality of this, and while this in itself is a remake, it's hard to not fall completely in love with everything about it
S2 E44 · Thu, May 21, 2020
A Knight's Tale
STOMP-STOMP-CLAP STOMP-STOMP-CLAP STOMP-STOMP-CLAP STOMP-STOMP-CLAP It's the unmistakable beat of Queen's 1977 anthem "We Will Rock You", filling an arena, as a massive crowd of people do a human wave. The competitors enter the stadium and the crowd goes wild at seeing their favourite sportsperson. The competitors are announced loudly, as a hush falls over the crowd, and the sport begins.... It could be the scene at any modern sporting event, except it's actually in medieval Europe, the sport is actually jousting (and occasionally sword fighting) and Heath Ledger's William Thatcher is the star of the show. It was supposed to be his master Sir Ector, except he's sadly no longer of the mortal realm, or as Roland puts it, he's pooped himself to death (except he didn't use pooped!) William, with the help of his friends Roland, Wat and Geoffrey (Chaucer!) becomes the seeker of serenity, the protector of Italian virginity, the enforcer of our Lord God, the one, the only, Sir Ulllrrrich von Lichtenstein.... to prove that you don't need to be noble to be a knight. While not his most accomplished or memorable performance in his short career, it's a role Heath Ledger is perfect for - a charming, handsome, down-on-his-luck squire who just wants to change his fortunes and be more than what his destiny as a peasant offers him. It's something we can all relate to; the want to change our stars. A Knight's Tale isn't high art, award-winning or historically accurate, it's just a really fun time. It's got sport, it's got dancing, it's got David Bowie (music, not in-person) and it's got a cast that genuinely had a great time together making this movie. If anything, this movie just highlights what a brilliant and special young talent Heath Ledger was; it wasn't his first role, but it was his first lead role and his face alone was the focus of a massive marketing campaign for the movie, which ended up being marred by a critic called David Manning. He may sound familiar.... While Heath Ledger undoubtedly went on to star in bigger and better roles in Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight, his untimely death aged just 28 is still a dagger to my heart. Just imagine what he could have achieved had he not passed away so young.... Thankfully, we have wonderful performances like this to remember him by. I would love to hear your thoughts on A Knight's Tale ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube
S2 E43 · Thu, May 14, 2020
A League of Their Own
In 1943, Philip K. Wrigley (of chewing gum fame!) founded the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in order to maintain sport and public morale during World War II, at a time when many eligible young men, including professional sportsmen, were drafted to fight overseas. Whilst A League of Their Own is a mostly fictional account of the players and founders behind the AAGPBL, it still tells a story of the real-life resilience, spirit and tenacity of the young women involved, many of whom had husbands fighting in the war, coming together to provide entertainment and boost the morale of the nation through sport, despite the sexism and misogyny of the era. Penny Marshall's 1992 movie remains my favourite, and dare I say it, the greatest sports movie of all time. A story of determination, sisterly love, sacrifice and friendship within the very real backdrop of World War II, when women could finally prove they were more than just potential housewives and mothers. Geena Davis embodies the 40s starlet as the statuesque, seemingly perfect Dottie Hinson. Tom Hanks, playing against type as alcoholic ex-player-turned-manager Jimmy Dugan delivers most of the movie's iconic lines. Lori Petty as Kit Keller, just wants to step out of her older sister's perfect shadow and Madonna, in probably one of her most beloved screen roles, as "All The Way" Mae Mordabito, with a great on-screen comedic partnership with Rosie O'Donnell's brash Doris Murphy. Even though the real AAGPBL was dismantled in 1954, its legacy lives on in this movie. It encapsulates a time in recent history that not many are still alive to tell the story of. Sadly, Mary Pratt, the last remaining member of that inaugural 1943 Rockford Peaches roster, passed away just before this episode was released. She lived to 101 and spent her life championing women's sport. These women were inspirational, trail-blazing, legacy-creating and really were in a league of their own. I would love to hear your thoughts on A League of Their Own ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to patrons Simon E, S
S2 E42 · Thu, May 07, 2020
The John Wick Trilogy (ft Laurel & Derek from The Midnight Myth)
For clarification, this episode discusses and spoils: John Wick John Wick: Chapter 2 John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum The Boogeyman. Baba Yaga. Mr Wick. Jonathan. Jardani Jovonovich.... John Wick is known by many names, but everyone knows of him and everyone should fear him. Especially if you kill the one thing he loves most in the world, and the only link to his recently deceased wife; the one woman who helped him leave this life behind. John Wick does what John Wick does best: rains vengeance on everyone involved, digging himself even deeper into the world he was so desperate to leave. John Wick is a man of myth and legend, so who better to join me to talk mythology, history and Slavic folklore than the incomparable Derek and Laurel of The Midnight Myth; two of the kindest and smartest people podcasting right now. It was a genuine joy to dissect these incredibly in-depth and beautiful movies with them. It's easy to dismiss the John Wick movies as mindless violence, and to declare Keanu Reeves a one-trick pony ( I would never !), but we discuss the real life myths and legends surrounding the movie, how Keanu is the perfect John Wick and that these movies are deeper and more meaningful than you think they are. It was never just a puppy .... I would love to hear your thoughts on John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2 or John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Massive thanks to Derek and Laurel for being involved in this episode. You can download all episodes of The Midnight Myth from any podcast app, or visit their website at midnightmyth.com . They're also available on Twitter @themidnightmyth, Instagram & Facebook @midnightmythpodcast and I highly recommend their amazing podcast! Thank you to patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason and Kristin for supporting Verbal Diorama. You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Appl
S2 E41 · Thu, April 30, 2020
Tremors
The perfect homage and satire of classic 50s monster B-movies, Tremors initially failed to set the box office alight. Like most cult classics it found a resurgence on VHS and ended up spawning multiple sequels, a prequel, a 2003 one-season TV show and a failed 2018 TV pilot starring Kevin Bacon, back as Val McKee. Praised for its special effects work, the chemistry between Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward and a female lead character who's actually there to do something more than just look pretty and be damseled, Tremors remains a cult and fan favourite 30 years after its release in 1990. There's good reason why; it mixes humour and terror perfectly. This movie gave me serious nightmares as a child, and watching it now it's easy to see why. The Graboids are more than just dumb monsters, they learn and evolve and attempt to outwit the humans at every turn. The creature design is equal parts phenomenal and terrifying. Emulating Jaws by not showing the monster initially and only what it could do, worked wonders for a creature that made you afraid to walk through the desert. Having fully practical effects meant each Graboid (and their little snakey mouths) felt tangible and a real threat to our heroes. Substandard CGI-driven monster movies are ten-a-penny nowadays (thanks, Sharknado!) and Tremors is a movie that will no doubt be remade one day, but it'll never capture the heart, humour and horror that made the original such a classic. Everyone seems to love Tremors (except my mother....!) I would love to hear your thoughts on Tremors ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek and Jason, and new Patron Kristin for supporting Verbal Diorama. You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and Podchaser and I'd very much appreciate that! My
S2 E40 · Thu, April 23, 2020
Bridesmaids
I find Paul Feig's directorial career fascinating; Spy, The Heat, A Simple Favour and Ghostbusters, all female-fronted and each of them a lot of fun and very enjoyable in their own right. 2011's Bridesmaids really was the catalyst, not only for Paul Feig's career, but the Hollywood careers of Saturday Night Live alumna Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, for Rose Byrne to prove her comedic timing and for a standout Oscar-nominated performance by Melissa McCarthy. This is more than just "the female Hangover". This is Bridesmaids. It's better, it's funnier, it treats its characters like people and it's more relatable. Without Bridesmaids, we would almost certainly not have Girls Trip, Pitch Perfect, Booksmart or Trainwreck, among others, and our lives would be less rich without all of them. (They're all great - I highly recommend them!) Bridesmaids didn't just get a nomination for a supporting actress Oscar either; Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo's screenplay was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.You think women can't be funny? Well, you're wrong. Women can be funny, they can be gross, they can be sweet and they can be powerful. Bridesmaids means more for women in Hollywood than you might think. It means more for women than you might think. It means a hell of a lot just to me. Bridesmaids, while it does resort to hilarious potty humour (literally!) also has a deep and meaningful core of the values of friendship, beneficial relationships and mental health that The Hangover doesn't dare go near. These women are real women, flaws and all, and they deserve that effing cookie! I would love to hear your thoughts on Bridesmaids ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek and Jason for supporting Verbal Diorama! You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and <a href="https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/verbal-diorama-803268" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_bla
S2 E39 · Thu, April 16, 2020
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Four years after Hellboy , Hellboy II: The Golden Army came out. Bigger, bolder and more del Toro than its predecessor, it concentrated on its existing characters and introduced a more complex and interesting antagonist in the dedicated, skilled warrior Prince Nuada - fighting for the survival of his dying race as humanity continues its greed and desire to consume everything around it. Influences of Tolkien and del Toro's other famous works are apparent throughout, as is the lack of the occult and horror elements of the previous movie. This time, we have tooth fairies, trolls and elves to deal with, not to mention the small matter of 4900 golden mechanical indestructible robots. There will never be a day I don't lament the fact we will never see this trilogy come to fruition with a third Hellboy movie, but boy, am I glad we got Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army . In a world of superhero and comic book movies, these stand out independently and together as some of the most original, beautiful and interesting adaptations of their source material. While Peter Briggs did not co-write the sequel to Hellboy , he features once again to talk about the spin-off he was asked to write that ultimately never materialised: Hellboy: Silverlance . Thanks to Peter for permitting me to include this. I would love to hear your thoughts on Hellboy II: The Golden Army ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek and Jason for supporting Verbal Diorama! You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and Podchaser and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com <
S2 E38 · Thu, April 09, 2020
Hellboy (2004)
Hellboy, as a concept, shouldn't work as well as it did in 2004. (Well, we saw what rebooting it in 2019 did....) Mike Mignola's comic blends folklore, mythology, the paranormal and Lovecraftian horror, and needed a director who could take all that and make it visually appealing, and coherent to the layman. It also needed a lead actor who could portray the strength, vulnerability and humour needed for a main character who would put off the most conservative of viewer just by being a big red demon with the word 'hell' his name. The winning combination of Guillermo del Toro's direction and Ron Perlman headlining made Hellboy from what could have been a dull, lifeless mess to a rich, funny, heartwarming, visually stunning story of a comic book hero that came years before the MCU made superheroes the norm. Ron Perlman simply is Hellboy. He will always be Hellboy. Sorry David Harbour, but it's true. With a cast rounded out by the master of bodily expression Doug Jones, a subdued but intense Selma Blair and the always wonderful late John Hurt, Hellboy really stands out as something special against the X-Men and Spider-Man movies of the same era. This episode also includes a virtual interview with the co-writer of the screen story, Peter Briggs, who very kindly took some time out to answer some questions I sent him and recorded his responses. He can be found on Twitter @ThePeterBriggs. This is only the second interview he has ever done on Hellboy, so I'm delighted he was able to feature on this episode! The first interview is available here and is an interesting read! Next week we conclude this double feature with Hellboy II: The Golden Army! I would love to hear your thoughts on Hellboy ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek and special thanks to new Patron Jason, who's joined as a Ted Theodore Logan patron, for supporting Verbal Diorama! You can rat
S2 E37 · Mon, March 30, 2020
Clueless
Verbal Diorama returns from partying with the Haitians..... I mean from the hiatus.... for one of the greatest comedies ever made - Clueless. On the surface, just like any of the umpteen other 90s teen movies, but dig a little deeper and Clueless is a sharp, satirical and heartfelt look at teenagers; the way they speak, dress and think, in a thinly veiled adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Emma . Witty, sweet and way existential, Amy Heckerling directed, wrote and and enlisted a perfect ensemble cast of relative unknowns who have mostly all gone on to bigger and better things; including the likes of Paul Rudd and the late Brittany Murphy. The star of the show is undoubtedly Alicia Silverstone, plucked from an Aerosmith video, into the role of shallow, but sweet Cher. Misguided in love and life (other than trips to the mall) but don't underestimate her. Cher contains surprise depth and character growth and knows her Shakespeare as well as her Alaia (it's like, a totally important designer!). Alicia Silverstone deserved to be a big star, but despite a few choice roles in the late 90s and early 00s her star never really materialised, but whatever.... she's a total Betty in this movie. This movie taught me the words 'sporadic' and 'tardy', and that there was such a thing as a Pauly Shore movie. There's not many movies that you can say teach you vernacular and that hold up this well 25 years later. And in conclusion may I please remind you that it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty. I would love to hear your thoughts on Clueless ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel and Derek for supporting Verbal Diorama! You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and Podchaser and I'd very much appreciate that! <
S2 E36 · Sun, March 01, 2020
Treasure Planet
Welcome to the first episode of year two and the final episode of my ten-episode animation season. Gosh, Treasure Planet is stunning. Every detail of its aesthetic is glorious to behold, and the fact that its directors Ron Clements and John Musker were so determined to get it made is truly an outstanding achievement. From its illustrious pedigree, to the 70/30 rule, to the use of Deep Canvas, this is a technical marvel of an animated movie that just seems to have been largely forgotten, but it doesn't deserve to be. While there are issues, it really does stand up as one of the most beautiful Disney movies I've ever seen. And it's quite like Titan A.E. In more ways than one. I would love to hear your thoughts on Treasure Planet ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel and Derek for supporting Verbal Diorama! To support the show on Patreon from just $2 a month, have a look over at https://www.patreon.com/verbaldiorama and choose your Keanu - you can now get the majority of episodes early too! You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: Twitter peeps @TheMidnightMyth @hanszargow Instagram pals @mobisze @whythisfilmpodcast @tmi_podcast2018 Facebook chums Erik Carlson Andy DeSisto Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
S1 E35 · Sun, February 16, 2020
Spirited Away
Verbal Diorama has been going for one year! To celebrate, I asked Twitter to choose between Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke or Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Twitter chose Spirited Away. Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi Thank you so much for listening and supporting the podcast for the past year - you rock! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E34 · Sun, February 16, 2020
My Neighbour Totoro
Verbal Diorama has been going for one year! To celebrate, here's the first ever Studio Ghibli movie I saw as a child - My Neighbour Totoro. Tonari no Totoro Thank you so much for listening and supporting the podcast for the past year - you rock! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E33 · Sun, February 16, 2020
Howl's Moving Castle
Verbal Diorama has been going for one year! To celebrate, here's my favourite Studio Ghibli movie - Howl's Moving Castle Hauru no Ugoku Shiro Thank you so much for listening and supporting the podcast for the past year - you rock! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E32 · Thu, February 06, 2020
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
"Alright, let's do this one last time. My name is Peter Parker. I was bitten by a radioactive spider, and for 10 years, I've been the one and only– Spider-Man. I'm pretty sure you know the rest." "Alright, people, let’s do this one last time. My name is Peter B. Parker. I was bitten by a radioactive spider. And for the last 22 years– I thought I was the one and only Spider-Man. What a day. I'm pretty sure you know the rest."" "Alright, people. Let’s start at the beginning one last time. My name is Gwen Stacy. I was bitten by a radioactive spider, And for the last 2 years, I've been the one and only Spider-Woman. You guys know the rest." "My name is Peter Parker. I was bitten by a radioactive spider. In my universe, it's 1933 and I’m a private eye. I like to drink egg creams and I like to fight Nazis. A lot. Sometimes, I let matches burn down to my fingertips just to feel something, anything." "Hi, guys! Konichiwa! Hajimemashite yoroshiku! My name is Peni Parker. I was bitten by a radioactive spider. I'm from New York in the year 3145. I have a psychic link with a spider who lives inside my father's robot, and we're best friends forever." "My name is Peter Porker. I was bitten by a radioactive pig. I'm a photographer for the Daily Beagle. When I'm not pooching around, I'm working like a dog trying to sniff out the latest story. I frolic, and I dance, and I do this with my pants...." "Okay, let's do this one last time, yeah? For real this time. This is it. My name is Miles Morales. I was bitten by a radioactive spider, And for like 2 days, I've been the one and only Spider-Man. I think you know the rest. I finished my essay, saved a bunch of people, got hit by a drone, I did this with my dad, met my roommate finally, slapped a sticker where my dad's never gonna find it, and when I feel alone, like no one understands what I'm going through, I remember my friends who get it. I never thought I'd be able to do any of this stuff, but I can. Anyone can wear the mask. You could wear the mask. If you didn't know that before, I hope you do now. 'Cause I'm Spider-Man, and I'm not the only one. Not by a long shot." I would love to hear your thoughts on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l
S1 E31 · Thu, January 30, 2020
The Lego Movie
One day, a talented lass or fellow, a special one with face of yellow, will make the Piece of Resistance found from it's hiding refuge underground, and with a noble army at the helm, this Master Builder will thwart the Kragle and save the realm, and be the greatest, most interesting, most important person of all times. All this is true because it rhymes. Lego, the most popular toy in the entire world, does not need a movie based on it. In fact, Lego executives originally didn't want it to be made. They didn't want it to potentially tarnish their legacy; a brand that had been successful for almost 70 years and sold 600 billion bricks. The fact that The Lego Movie exists is amazing in itself. That it's not just a shameless feature-length advertisement for toys is even more so. It's witty, smart, fun and appeals to all ages, a lot like the toy bricks it's representing but unlike those bricks, there are no rules other than the rule of enjoyment. It parodies everything, pays homage to everything, details everything and exaggerates everything. This movie really does have everything. EVERYTHING IS AWESOME! I would love to hear your thoughts on The Lego Movie ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to our Patreon Producer Sade, patrons Simon E, Jardiel, Claudia and Simon B for supporting Verbal Diorama! To support the show on Patreon from just $2 a month, have a look over at https://www.patreon.com/verbaldiorama and choose your Keanu - you can now get the majority of episodes early too! You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: <p
S1 E30 · Thu, January 23, 2020
The Incredibles
Most parents think their kids are gifted. Most kids think their parents are heroes (whilst also being really embarrassing!). Most families are super, but only the Parr family is Incredible. Unlike the other movies featured in the animation season so far, The Incredibles was a massive critical and commercial success for Brad Bird, the first out-of-house film-maker Pixar brought into the fold. While his previous movie, The Iron Giant (see episode 17!) failed to make a mark at the box office, The Incredibles flew high, without capes, into the hearts and minds of millions. But don't be fooled. It's not just your standard superhero movie. It has layers and layers of complexity in its style and substance. It's a study about family, mid-life crises, marital problems and identity, and it does it whilst balancing action, comedy and character perfectly and most importantly, it never sugar-coats the serious real-world danger of being a superhero. It's bright, colourful, gorgeous, fun and endlessly quotable. This is my favourite Pixar movie for a reason. I think it's super. You sly dog, you got me monologuing! (Well, it's a solo podcast, so it's kinda inevitable) I would love to hear your thoughts on The Incredibles ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to our Patreon Producer Sade, patrons Simon E, Jardiel, Claudia and Simon B for supporting Verbal Diorama! To support the show on Patreon from just $2 a month, have a look over at https://www.patreon.com/verbaldiorama and choose your Keanu - you can now get the majority of episodes early too! You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: Twitter peeps Andy @geeksaladradio Dave @NFTDT Sade @offscreenbabble - Patreon producer Sade, here! @SeanGeekPodcast @derekjones198 @AttheflicksPod @iused2watchthis @Friends
S1 E29 · Thu, January 16, 2020
Kubo and the Two Strings
If you saw Kubo and the Two Strings, you'd probably be in agreement with me when I say that's it's the most stunning achievement in stop motion filmmaking, and Laika deserve all the accolades. The problem is, not many people did see it. In fact although it's arguably Laika's best work, it's also one of their biggest financial failures, which is a travesty and we should all hang our heads in shame (me included - I first saw it on Blu-Ray!). Telling the story of a young boy on an epic quest, it's a tale of the bond of family (especially mothers and sons), found family, courage, power, memories and ultimately that kindness is a strength, not a weakness. The sheer feat of skill, technology, engineering, innovation and determination is etched into every snowflake and leaf all the way up to a record breaking 16 foot tall skeleton puppet. In short, this movie surpasses technical achievement. It's exceptional. And, like me, you'll probably cry a lot. Visit Laika's YouTube Channel here I would love to hear your thoughts on Kubo and the Two Strings ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to our Patreon Producer Sade, patrons Simon E, Jardiel, Claudia and Simon B for supporting Verbal Diorama! To support the show on Patreon from just $2 a month, have a look over at https://www.patreon.com/verbaldiorama and choose your Keanu - you can now get the majority of episodes early too! You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: Twitter peeps @SYIMS_Podcast @FalseStartsPod @Robnoady @TheMiddleborne @GnarlyJimbob Instagram folk @mobisze @vegimorph @thisfilmislit Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - <a href="https://ww
S1 E28 · Thu, January 09, 2020
Akira (ft Anita & Ciara from The Unexceptionals)
The animation season continues with Akira, pre-recorded in November 2019, live at SAMM's Peterborough, where I met up with my special guests Anita and Ciara from The Unexceptionals podcast, and quite frankly they couldn't have been nicer and more brilliant. Set in 2019, the legendary anime Akira is more relevant to our real 2019 than our 1988 could have possibly predicted. It's a story of isolation, fear and the corruption of power and youth, and asks questions about our existence and the evolution of humanity post-disaster. This version of Neo-Tokyo contrasts between the bright beautiful neon cityscape and the dismal dark downtown streets where young people like Tetsuo and Kaneda face an uncertain future. It's also a movie that continues to influence other movies; Inception, Chronicle and The Matrix all take themes from Akira and with a Taika Waititi-directed live-action remake in the pipeline, Akira will continue to inspire cinema for years to come. We also talk about the movies that influenced Akira's look, such as Blade Runner and Tron. Basically, this movie looks, sounds and feels stunning. In summary, I recorded Akira with the collective noun "A-Ciara" and we had, quite frankly, a massive amount of fun talking about an iconic anime that you should be watching! It's worth noticing there is occasionally a bit of an echo on my voice (because their mics also picked me up!) but I've tried to reduce it. Hopefully it's not too off-putting! Massive thanks to the hilarious and amazing Anita and Ciara for guesting on Akira. They can be found and followed at @_unexceptionals on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook, and the first season of The Unexceptionals can be downloaded wherever you get your podcasts from. The second season will be out early this year, so watch out for that! I would love to hear your thoughts on Akira ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to our Patreon Producer Sade, patrons Simon E, Jardiel, Claudia and new patron Simon B for supporting Verbal Diorama! To support the show on Patreon from just $2 a month, have a look over at https://www.patreon.com/verbaldiorama and choose your Keanu! You can rate or review the s
S1 E27 · Tue, December 24, 2019
Arthur Christmas
Our animation season kicks off with a heartwarming family Christmas favourite, starring Dasher, Dancer, Prancer....erm, Bambi, John, the one with the white ear and Santa's youngest son Arthur, who'll do anything to get young Gwen Hines a present on Christmas morning after she's accidentally missed by Santa's high-tech delivery system. It's a movie that comments on inter-generational conflict, inheritance, our reliance on technology and loss of tradition, as well as our own egotistical behaviours, but mostly it's about the true meaning of Christmas - compassion, family, belief and the joy of giving. It's also gorgeous and very British, courtesy of the genius of Aardman Animation. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! PS I swear I was not drunk during recording! Also, Jess was around for editing. I would love to hear your thoughts on Arthur Christmas! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to our Patreon Producer Sade and patrons Simon, Jardiel and Claudia for supporting Verbal Diorama! To support the show on Patreon from just $2 a month, have a look over at https://www.patreon.com/verbaldiorama and choose your Keanu You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E26 · Sat, December 21, 2019
Constantine
Keanu Reeves is often criticised for not "acting" enough in his movies. He may not be the John Constantine of comic book fans dreams, but with his literal devil-may-care attitude and cynical despondence on full display, I think he pretty much nails this John Constantine - a man at the end of his life, desperate to save enough souls from damnation so he can go to Heaven after a teenage suicide attempt leaves him with no option but to go to Hell. Pair him with Rachel Weisz, (a woman who could make a movie of herself cooking eggs and I'd watch it), and her effervescent charm, it really is great to watch them together. Religious subtexts aside, this is a movie about faith in humanity too. John's faith is restored by his dealings with Weisz's bereaved police detective Angela Dodson and although he becomes a hero, it's not really about his journey to heroism, more about giving the finger to authority and doing the right thing. Listen, I know you know how much I loved Dredd for its ability to adapt its source material so effectively, and Constantine is not without source material (and a more faithful TV show), but if this movie was called anything else, it wouldn't be as derided as it unfortunately was. It still looks good after 15 years, and while some of the performances stand out as being less than hellblazing (I'm looking at you Gavin Rossdale!), Keanu's is pretty great actually - and I'm not the only person who thinks so (thankfully!) I would love to hear your thoughts on Constantine ! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to our Patreon Producer Sade, patrons Simon and Jardiel and new patron Claudia for supporting Verbal Diorama! To support the show on Patreon from just $2 a month, have a look over at https://www.patreon.com/verbaldiorama and choose your Keanu (John Constantine is an option!!) You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the
S1 E25 · Sun, December 15, 2019
Stardust
Once upon a time, there was a prince. His name was Neil Gaiman. He wrote a book called Stardust. He wished upon a fallen star for it to be excellent, be directed by the extremely talented Matthew Vaughn and star some of Hollywood's all time greats plus a league of British comedic talent and a young up-and-coming actor called Charlie Cox. His wish came true. He lived happily ever after. The end. Stardust is great! Even my nephew loves it and he's three! Oh and I just realised Captain Shakespeare is a literal Sky Captain. Call back to Sky Captain! I would love to hear your thoughts on Stardust! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to our Patreon Producer Sade, and patrons Simon and Jardiel for supporting Verbal Diorama! To support the show on Patreon from just $2 a month, have a look over at https://www.patreon.com/verbaldiorama and choose your Keanu..... You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: Twitter peeps @NFTDT @trivia_chic @thisfilmislit Instagram folk @contrarianprime @sherbert_lemons @bookofliespodcast Real Life My sister My 3 year old nephew! Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E24 · Thu, December 05, 2019
Passengers
2016's Passengers, starring Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence and Hollywood heartthrob Chris Pratt should have had an easy journey to sci-fi greatness. Its script was championed in the 2007 Hollywood Black List, it enticed an Oscar nominated director and Sony believed in it so much they upped the budget to $120 million. There was a lot riding on the success of the Starship Avalon's 120-year voyage to Homestead II. The problem is..... it's meant to be romantic, but just ends up feeling, well, really creepy. Passengers is a movie with a lot of promise. It wants to be a cautionary tale on our reliance on technology and trusting of big corporations, the social and class divide between the rich and the poor, for us to ask questions about moral quandaries, to empathise with a character’s isolation and loneliness and the broader implications of artificial intelligence but it kinda takes all these interesting and rich discussions and bookends them with “yeah, but they’re both really hot” and never really satisfactorily answers any of the moral questions it asks of itself. It's a shame. The thing is, it could very easily be fixed with a few choice edits.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Passengers! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com Thank you to our Patreon Producer Sade, and also our new patrons Simon and Jardiel for supporting Verbal Diorama! To support the show on Patreon from just $2 a month, have a look over at https://www.patreon.com/verbaldiorama and choose your Keanu..... You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: Twitter peeps @BlkGirlsDoStuff @capunderstands @SYIMS_Podcast @BTipplers @MoviesWork @iused2watchthis @alwayscriticpod @RoleplayRetcon @robinhoodpod @kolbytoldme @core_xtra @cwordpod @CuylerisGreen @litgamingarena <
S1 E23 · Thu, November 14, 2019
Mystery Men (ft Andy from Geek Salad)
"When you doubt your powers, you give power to your doubts." I'm joined by the mysterious and manly Andy from Geek Salad to discuss whoever smelled it dealt it, disco not being dead and clouds of radically fluctuating deviant chaotrons. With a huge and established cast of great 90s comedians and character actors as the Six Very Nearly Dead Guys With a Temporary Reprieve, 1999's Mystery Men had everything going for it. It was smart, daft and funny, it commented on capitalism and superhero cynicism but also came out well before the superhero genre boomed. In many ways, it was a movie before its time. Roughly 15 years before its time. It also had the unfortunate experience of coming out in the same day in America as The Sixth Sense, which dominated the box office, leaving Mystery Men feeling like the Invisible Boy at most cinemas. It also feels very reminiscent of Joel Schumacher's Batman movies, with a bright colour palette and vibrant neon CG cityscapes. Not the most pleasant comparison in the world to make, but a comparison it is. In the modern era of superhero movies dominating the box office, as well as all the merchandising and branding, it's refreshing to see a movie tackle the "other guys" and the fact that they are just everyday normal people, trying their best to be exceptional and to do the right thing. Everyone loves an underdog story. These are the forking biggest underdogs. No need to Shovel it in your face. I don't want to make you Furious. Will we ever find out if Lance Hunt and Captain Amazing are the same person? Lance Hunt wears glasses you see, and Captain Amazing doesn't, so it's really tricky to tell if those rumours are true.... Slight mistake in the episode: Janeane Garofalo's character is called Carol, not Karen! Ooops. Don't set Carmine the Bowler on me, please! I would love to hear your thoughts on Mystery Men! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the f
Bonus · Thu, October 31, 2019
Hush, Buffy the Vampire Slayer S4E10
Can't even shout, can't even cry The Gentlemen are coming by Looking in windows, knocking on doors They need to take seven and they might take yours Can't call to mom, can't say a word You're gonna die screaming but you won't be heard. Happy Halloween! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E21 · Sun, October 27, 2019
Legally Blonde
Never judge a book by its cover. We're told that as children and throughout life, and yet we all still do it. We all revert to those tired stereotypes that blondes are dumb, ice-cold or overtly sexual bombshells who steal husbands. The truth is, although those tropes have been around in movies since the 1930s, change is coming. And whilst that change didn't start with Legally Blonde, it was definitely a massive catalyst for Hollywood to change its way of thinking, and also us... the viewing public. Reese Witherspoon gives us a smart, funny, kind and thoughtful Elle Woods who just happens to be super popular and President of her sorority. Whoever you are, you can root for and find common ground with Elle. She's the feminist hero you never knew you needed, but we all need a bit more Elle in our lives. Getting into Harvard Law..... what, like it's hard?! It's really not, actually. I would love to hear your thoughts on Legally Blonde! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: Twitter peeps @TheMidnightMyth @BlkGirlsDoStuff Instagram folk @moviesatthematt @_unexceptionals @lorraine_purdon_ Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E20 · Thu, October 17, 2019
Edge of Tomorrow
Edge of Tomorrow is not just your typical action sci-fi Edge of Tomorrow is not just your typical Tom Cruise action sci-fi Edge of Tomorrow is not just your typical Tom Cruise action sci-fi with time loops Edge of Tomorrow is not just your typical Tom Cruise action sci-fi with time loops where he dies spectacularly and hilariously every single time. Edge of Tomorrow is an Emily Blunt action sci-fi; because whilst Tom Cruise headlines the movie, Emily Blunt is the star and so is her character Rita Vrataski. So, forewarning, this episode contains strong feelings towards Emily Blunt.... but to be fair I am nice about Tom Cruise too. This Cruise is my favourite Cruise and this movie is all the better for his performance.... ...but mainly because of Emily Blunt. I would love to hear your thoughts on Edge of Tomorrow! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: Twitter peeps Andy from @geeksaladradio @capunderstands @robinhoodpod @NerdsWithFriend @CookinWithGrief @Dreamofdragons @trevorcarlee @kevin_thecritic @30Podcast @jonboy274 Instagram folk @shuffleonline @fuelled_funny @tfgifpodcast @moviesatthematt @vegimorph Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe -
S1 E19 · Sun, October 06, 2019
Logan
Hugh Jackman's swansong as Wolverine is nothing like any superhero comic book movie ever. It's a brutal, gory, painful look at the life of an ageing hero, a man whose life consists of numbing his pain with booze whilst caring for a frail, elderly, dementia suffering Charles Xavier. You feel every inch of their suffering and vulnerability in a world where mutants are no longer born and where Charles is so unpredictable they've declared his brain a weapon of mass destruction..... And so we meet Laura - a young mutant very much like Logan, a young mutant who brings Charles joy and gives Logan a reason to not walk away from this fight. Fox Studios could have made a standard CGI-filled world-ending standard superhero movie. The fact they chose to make something so personal, so character-driven and so emotionally-weighted with real world stakes was such a massive risk. It paid off. Critically, commercially and, most importantly, for characters we've known and loved since 2000. We need to see more studios make more movies like this. I would love to hear your thoughts on Logan! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com (I always forget to say it in the episode!) Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: Twitter peeps Andy from @geeksaladradio @capunderstands @trivia_chic @derekjones198 @MoviesWork @robinhoodpod @cinema_recall @kevin_thecritic @GenuineChitChat @SSOUITSpodcast @gtthpod Instagram folk @thosemovieguyspodcast @moviesatthematt Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios. See <a st
S1 E18 · Sun, September 15, 2019
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Have you seen that movie by Edgar Wright? Shaun of the Dead? I love that movie. No, the other one. Hot Fuzz - I always quote it! No, neither of those, the one with the young lad as the lead Baby Driver! Oh my god, such a cool movie, great soundtrack None of those! The other other other other Edgar Wright movie! The World's End? Get out! If this conversation has happened to you, you're not alone. Scott Pilgrim vs The World is actually brilliant, but so are all of Edgar Wright's other movies, and so poor Scott Pilgrim tends to be forgotten. I want to change that. Scott Pilgrim has a phenomenal cast, great music, brilliant fight choreography and more video game references than all video games combined (probably). It about heart, strength, character and defeating your new loves' evil exes. What's more relateable than that? Most importantly, I've found a new ringtone and a way to swear on the podcast without actually swearing - all thanks to this movie! I would love to hear your thoughts on Scott Pilgrim vs The World! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com (I always forget to say it in the episode!) Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: Twitter peeps @capunderstands @Le_Meanderthals @Wyattrocks @PulpCereal @trivia_chic @foodhistorypod @thedcabrera @TroytlePower Instagram folk @contrarianprime @thethirstpod @thereal_johng Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique S
S1 E17 · Sat, August 31, 2019
The Iron Giant
If you've downloaded this because you've seen The Iron Giant - big pat on the back and well done for doing so! Take a listen as I go on an almighty rant about why people under-appreciate animation and why The Iron Giant contradicts the myth that animation is just for children, whilst also being a master-class in animation, theme, characters and voice talent. If you've downloaded this because you haven't seen The Iron Giant, but trust what comes out of my mouth, I'm going to say..... PLEASE WATCH THE IRON GIANT! And then come back and listen for all the reasons above. It saddens me you haven't seen it, but I understand why. 1999 was incredibly saturated for excellence in cinema. But this..... this is worth the watch. If you only trust me once, trust me on this. This is not just animation. Animation is never just animation. The Iron Giant proves more so than any animated feature that to class animation as "just" animation is plain and simply idiotic. Animation is not a genre. Animation is everything. The Iron Giant is a masterpiece. Bravo Brad Bird. You clever amazing man. I might just love you more than Keanu..... (maybe not, but it's close!) Pete Townshend's A Friend of a Friend animated video for 1989's The Iron Man is at https://youtu.be/LpiYXRt5MyM I would love to hear your thoughts on The Iron Giant! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! Buy yourself a copy of The Iron Giant for my birthday. Genuinely all I could ever want. My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their co ntributions to this episode: Twitter peeps @MoviesAtTheMatt @HeresSandy @LaunchingTPilot @FeministHotdog @20thCenturyGeek @agirlherhorror @RobertC46302033 Instagram folk @itsnotjoe @thethirstpod Next up? Well you'll have to listen to find out, so go do the Wright thing..... ;-
S1 E16 · Mon, August 26, 2019
Willow
There were lots of fantasy movies which came out in the 80s. Flash Gordon, The Dark Crystal, Krull, The Neverending Story, Legend and Labyrinth to name a few. None were, however, as sweet-natured, innocent and kind as Willow, with a marvellous central performance from a mature beyond his years teenage Warwick Davis. (He was actually 17 during filming, not 18 like I say in the episode.... ooops!) You simply couldn't have Willow without Warwick. Nor could you have Willow without the ground-breaking special effects; a mixture of animatronics, stop-motion, miniatures, animation, over-sized sets, blue-screen compositing, rear projection, as well as ILM’s innovative 2D transformation system, called MORF. This movie contains so much state-of-the-art special effects work that they had to scale down production to stop the budget from being blown! Don't even get me started on that James Horner score. It's so beautiful it makes me cry! Simply put, whilst the story is simple, this movie is magic. Willow...... You Are Great! I would love to hear your thoughts on Willow! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! For Augstravaganza, please don't donate to Ko-fi. Instead please donate to shinecharity.org.uk/donate so they can provide advice and support to families dealing with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and related conditions. Any Ko-Fi donations I receive in the month of August will instead be donated to Shine. My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: Twitter peeps @30podcast @gundam_guyver Instagram folk @sheenanigans83 @rcarteaga_h24 @leppieladdie @ginatinel Next up is The Iron Giant - look out for that in your podcatcher on 31st August! Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Compositionsbychloe/" target="_blan
S1 E15 · Mon, August 19, 2019
John Carter
Jarsoomians! Welcome to Barsoom Airlines. Exits are here, here, here and here. Please fasten your seat belts, there's a lot of turbulence on our journey and honestly we're all in for a bumpy ride to visit John Carter (of Mars). John Carter, fictional hero of the American Civil War and of Edgar Rice Burroughs' popular Barsoom series of novels should have had an easy road to Hollywood glory. His name in lights should have enticed men, women and children to his big screen adventures, with multiple sequels, telling a story beloved by many. He should be as big as Star Wars or Avatar, movies that were inspired by his adventures. He's not though. His movie spent 81 years in development hell before being released, flopping terribly and fading into relative obscurity. It's almost like it's a swear word in Disney canon, (because lest we forget, this is a Disney movie). The House of Mouse wants nothing more to do with this character or this movie. Join me, as we follow John to Mars, discover why Mars was actually deemed part of the problem, how an inexperienced director managed to get complete creative control over a $250 million movie and just how they managed to market an Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation without even mentioning Edgar Rice Burroughs. The thing is, it's actually not a terrible movie. It's convoluted and confusing, but it's also fun and interesting. It's just not the masterpiece it should have been. Ock, ohem, oktei, weis, Barsoom! References: Bob Clampett's test footage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTAlgZlqwnQ Kerry Conran's presentation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfry_GeXst8 John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood by Michael D Sellers - https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Carter-Gods-Hollywood-filmmakers/dp/0615682316 I would love to hear your thoughts on John Carter! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama YouTube @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama [at] gmai l [dot] com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that!</p
S1 E14 · Tue, August 13, 2019
The Matrix
What is The Matrix? No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Matrix! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! For Augstravaganza, please don't donate to Ko-fi. Instead please donate to shinecharity.org.uk/donate so they can provide advice and support to families dealing with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and related conditions. Any Ko-Fi donations I receive in the month of August will instead be donated to Shine. My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Special thanks to Lorraine & Harrie from Show Me The Podcast - come back to podcasting soon, we miss you! Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: Twitter peeps Andy @geeksaladradio Jason @WooLongTalks @_unexceptionals @MeteorReviews Christy @KillerFunPod @bluesoxcircle @cinema_recall Jeff @AttheflicksPod @FeministHotdog @PulpCereal @iused2watchthis @SelectWomanTaft Instagram folk @richkidd266 @vergimorph @unitanda @ozzy_aydo Next up is John Carter - look out for that in your podcatcher in about a week's time! Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E13 · Sun, August 04, 2019
The Mummy (1999) (ft Jason from Woo Long Talks)
I... I may not be an explorer, or, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am! I….. am the girl who really really loves The Mummy. Wholly, completely, absolutely despite its flaws, I love it. I can watch it every damn day. It's the perfect mix of action, adventure, romance, comedy and horror, with peak Brendan Fraser and perfect Rachel Weisz. Hollywood just doesn't make movies like this anymore. Like Evie Carnaghan, I need a Rick O'Connell to help me decipher the hieroglyphs of this wonderful slice of pulp cinema, and who better that literally one of the nicest guys in podcasting?! Despite the curse on this episode ("The curse, beware of the curse!"), I'm finally joined by Jason from WooLongTalks, on our third attempt, to gush over this movie. We avoid the Hom Dai, and delve into the tombs of Hamunaptra to find a nice gooey Mummy; its history involving the likes of legendary horror directors like Clive Barker and Wes Craven, but the main reason The Mummy exists at all? A little pig called Babe. Now listen, this movie is twenty years old this year and whilst it's aged reasonably well, we know it's not perfect. We chat a little about some of the problematic aspects of the movie and the quite gaping plot holes, but honestly, I still love it. Now this is the only Dark Universe we could ever need! Death is only the beginning. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Mummy! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! For Augstravaganza, please don't donate to Ko-fi. Instead please donate to shinecharity.org.uk/donate so they can provide advice and support to families dealing with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and related conditions. Any Ko-Fi donations I receive in the month of August will instead be donated to Shine. My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: My mum! She finds this movie very scary, but her thoughts are included, so thanks Mum! Twitter peeps Sade from @offscreenbabble @PulpCereal Claudia @youreonclaud9 @canuckinomicon @Capt_Hang
S1 E12 · Sun, July 21, 2019
Charlie's Angels (2000)
Good morning Angels. Good morning Charlie! Three, is the magic number. You have three blind mice, three little pigs and you always, always have three Angels. Three extraordinary women who work for one man, Charles Townsend, played by three extraordinary actresses. Drew Barrymore and her production company Flower Films had a vision for a Charlie's Angels movie; she wanted it to be fun, campy and inspirational, where the women were just as sexy as they were funny, as they were skilled at martial arts. So she set out, with her production company partner Nancy Juvonen and pitched her idea, her choice of first time movie director and her vision to the studio. By some miraculous turn of events, she got it, and so did we, and boy it's just so much fun to watch! Charlie's Angels is often lampooned as a terrible movie. Whilst it's not perfect, it has a great cast who worked incredibly hard, and have built life-long friendships because of this movie. Just don't talk about that moonwalk. It's not a moonwalk, Drew! Also, don't talk about that time Bill Murray headbutted the director. Also also, don't talk about the argument between Lucy Liu and Bill Murray. Maybe just don't talk about Bill Murray at all, ok. Also, don't talk about salaries. Or the many many screenwriters and script edits. How is this movie even coherent?! I would love to hear your thoughts on Charlie's Angels! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com For those interested in my amazing new theme song, here's some info about who did it and how you can get in touch with them if you want a cracking good new song for your podcast, or for any project really. If you do, make sure you say Em from Verbal Diorama sent you. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Compositions by Chloe Facebook Production by Ellis Powel
S1 E11 · Sun, July 07, 2019
X-Men Dark Phoenix (ft ChinLin from The Bingeables Podcast)
The Phoenix will rise..... But will she, though? I'm joined by ChinLin from The Bingeables Podcast to talk about the final part of Fox's landmark X-Men franchise, which started in 2000 and all but kicked off the modern fascination with superheroes. There's been sequels, prequels, spin-offs and now this, an(other) adaptation of one of the X-Men's most well known and loved story lines: The Dark Phoenix Saga. Truthfully, the movie is a bit of a mess, however we both love the X-Men and so we find some things to enjoy, but we can't help but wonder what could have been of this movie had certain other events not been going on at the time. It could have been great, it should have been great. Mostly though, our thoughts are summarised by the phrase.... "What the Vuk was that?!" #WhatTheVuk You can find ChinLin and The Bingeables on Twitter @bingeablespod and you should follow and listen to ChinLin and Isaac if you don't already! I would love to hear your thoughts on X-Men Dark Phoenix! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Special thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: @AtTheFlickspod @youreonclaud9 @doctorshades24 Lorraine from @smtpcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E10 · Fri, June 28, 2019
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (ft Sade from Offscreen Babble)
Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for us. Gaaaah me hearties! Ahoy there! This be Em and I be joined by me co-captain for this voyage across the seven seas, Sade from Offscreen Babble. It might be trifle bad luck to have women aboard yer ship, but avast! We batten down the hatches to reach that horizon, stoppin' off on islands filled with Aztec gold and copious amounts of rum, where we will always remember the day we met Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?! Thar's blood, scares, violence and enough sexual tension to make the lily-livered faint. Be ye sure t'is a Disney movie? Don't end up in Davy Jones' locker! Hoist the Jolly Roger with us on the fastest ship on that there ocean - the Black Pearl! But be warned, there be a curse on this here ship, so watch out for Captain Barbossa and his mutinous crew! Are ye aboard? Say AYE! (The boring non pirate bit!) Massive thanks to Sade for coming on the show. You can find Offscreen Babble on Twitter @offscreenbabble , Facebook @offscreenbabble and Instagram @offscreenbabble and you should follow & listen to Sade & Kyle if you don't already! Their Etsy store is available at https://etsy.me/2Rxqqtc - please support them and buy one of Sade's amazing pins! I would love to hear your thoughts on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Also thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: @vegimorph Andy @geeksaladradio @alwayscriticpod @FalseStartsPod <a href="https://twitter.com/boxofficepulp" targe
S1 E9 · Sun, June 16, 2019
Aladdin 1992 & Aladdin 2019
So, this is a little bonus episode I did after watching 2019's Aladdin and inevitably compared it to 1992's Aladdin; the movie I watched the most as a child. Spoilers for the new 2019 Aladdin (although to be honest, if you know the 1992 movie, you should really know the rough plot - it's very similar!) I also go into the production history of 1992's Aladdin, and the legacy of Robin Williams incredible performance and why we have Ferngully: The Last Rainforest to thank for all of this. I would love to hear your thoughts on either version of Aladdin! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E8 · Thu, June 13, 2019
Speed (ft Kristin from So I'm Watching This Show)
Pop quiz hotshot. There’s a podcast in your ears. Once that podcast reaches 8 episodes a guest is introduced. If that guest chooses the best action thriller movie, this podcast blows up (and by that we mean figuratively rather than literally!) What do you do? What do you do? Turns out you do a lot, for a long time and then take ages to get it out of the door. Trust me, I understand the irony of a podcast episode about Speed being 3+ hours long and being released 1+ weeks late. It's a bit of a change to the usual format, but still enjoyable I hope! Thank you to the wonderful Kristin from So I'm Watching This Show for guest hosting on this very unspeedy of episodes, but honestly we had such a blast recording and just having a bit of a chat about one of the best action movies of the 90s; a movie that still raises the tension after 25 years, with great chemistry between its leads and a genuinely unhinged bad guy who constantly raises the stakes. Basically, we spend a long time gushing over how wonderful this movie is, despite the unrealistic depiction of traffic in Los Angeles and a bus that can go over 30mph - we know they don't exist in real life! Keanu is great, Sandra is great, Dennis is great. This is the pinnacle of 90s action movies and it still stands the test of time. (The less said about Speed 2 the better.) Get ready for rush hour! You can find So I'm Watching This Show at http://soimwatching.com and they're on Twitter @soimwatching and Instagram @soimwatchingthisshow and you should follow & listen to Wil & Kristin if you don't already! I would love to hear your thoughts on Speed! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Special thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: My lovely friend Claudia @youreonclaud9 <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vegimorph/?hl=en
S1 E7 · Sun, May 19, 2019
The Cabin in the Woods
So, you have this girl, probably a virgin but always beautiful and occasionally really stupid. She's in a slasher movie, so you know she's going to run towards danger, ignore all the signs of the monster and probably witness all her friends being slaughtered. She's the final girl. She'll probably survive to star in your sequel. But what if there was a movie that wanted to deconstruct all the tropes of slasher movies? What if it's all a big reality TV show, where the "reality stars" are just the pawns of the corporate bigwigs who manufacture the arena? What if all those horror tropes are subverted? What if we take these tropes and satirise them, and essentially make fun of the whole genre whilst also paying homage to the genre? It's really rather marvellous that The Cabin in the Woods actually manages to achieve all those things! The Cabin in the Woods is brilliant at subverting those tropes. The characters are never who they seem to be, and neither are the monsters. Written by Joss Whedon (he who already successfully subverted the classic blonde girl in a horror movie who always dies first in Buffy the Vampire Slayer!) and Drew Goddard who also directed, they don't skimp on the horror, comedy or the classic horror Easter eggs. You think you know the story? Think again! I would love to hear your thoughts (and theories!) on The Cabin in the Woods! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Special thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: Harrie from Show Me The Podcast - make sure you follow them @smtpcast on Twitter and subscribe at https://anchor.fm/show-me-the-podcast for more from Harrie & Lorraine! @SYIMS_Podcast @bingeablespod @WooLongTalks @BlkGirlsDoStuf
S1 E6 · Mon, May 06, 2019
Pleasantville
Ahh, the 1950s. A time of tradition; where fathers were the breadwinners and worked the 9 to 5, mothers were homemakers and caregivers and children were obedient. Men ruled the roost, women ruled the kitchen and children were seen and not heard. Are you looking for the ideal place to raise your nuclear family? Choose Pleasantville! An idyllic black and white utopia with no sex, drugs, rock and roll or emotion of any kind. It's swell! Ahh Pleasantville. The town of choice for repressed sitcom families everywhere. The town of choice for 90s movie siblings to crash into and change irrevocably. Are you looking for the ideal movie about repression and the power of change? Choose Pleasantville! An idyllic black and white utopia, where you can introduce sex to the people, words into books, art onto walls and emotion into the every day lives of the perfect residents. It's pasty, but it won't be for long! Pleasantville is a movie that uses the metaphors of inserting colour into a predominantly black and white movie to represent change, and also the fear of change. On the surface it’s the story of a pair of teenagers who upset a fictional world, but underneath it has layers of deeper meaning. What is a perfect life? Who are we if all we do is follow the status quo? It’s a story about being more than what other people might want you to be. I would love to hear your thoughts on Pleasantville! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website has been set up and is at https://verbaldiorama.com And remember, nothing is as simple as black and white. Special thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: Kristin from @soimwatching @philthebear @attheflickspod @VincentAsher See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/priva
S1 E5 · Mon, April 22, 2019
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Most movies contain some blue screen in some way (some, green!). If your movie is full of complex special effects, or set on some vast, wholly imagined alien world, you need that blue (or green) screen to be able to insert those computer generated backdrops, with your actors in the foreground pretending to be in that world. In the early 2000s, brothers Kerry and Kevin Conran had an idea..... what if they could shoot a complete movie using these blue screen backdrops, set in an alternative 1939 New York, where robots attack the city and only a brave pilot and a smart reporter could save the world?! Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was the result of years of painstaking hard work and determination. Its effects were revolutionary for the time, and paved the way for modern movies. You think Sin City or 300 started this revolution? Nope, it was Sky Captain! Whilst the visuals don't always hold up 15 years later, the premise and ambition of the movie really does. Plus Jude Law is super hot, but this episode isn't 30 minutes of me telling you something you already know! Simply put, a lot of today's movies owe a great debt to Sky Captain, including the MCU, not only for the remarkable visual effects but also in other ways you might not realise.... I also talk about the Ottensian dieselpunk style of this movie, and reference a particular article - the link for which is below - if you're interested in knowing more about the differing styles of dieselpunk: http://web.archive.org/web/20110612203223id_/http://ottens.co.uk/gatehouse/dieselpunk_articles-4.php I would love to hear your thoughts on Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! As I mentioned at the end of this episode, I've recently set up a ko-fi page and if you'd like to buy me a coffee, that would help me tremendously! You can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama and I'd be very grateful for your support! The battle for tomorrow is about to begin... Special thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: Rich from @WooLongTalks <a href="
S1 E4 · Sun, April 07, 2019
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Miracles don't happen every day, especially in Hollywood. If something is too complicated, they'll make it easier. If something goes over budget, they'll cancel it. If it's too raunchy, they'll tone it down. You get the picture. Making a movie; a good movie, is hard in any town, but especially in Toontown. This ain't no fairy-tale; it's a story of sex, violence, murder and patty cake. Why don't you do right, indeed! Who Framed Roger Rabbit was complicated, expensive and a feat of technological marvel. It had a long and difficult production, not to mention a vast array of characters, all of whom had to be individually licensed to appear. A movie like this will never be made again. It shouldn't exist but it does. It truly is a miracle. There's one man we have to thank, and rather surprisingly I don't mean Robert Zemeckis! This episode contains full spoilers for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, so if you haven't seen the movie, I'd highly recommend you do so! And where have you been all your life if you haven't seen this movie?! I would love to hear your thoughts on Who Framed Roger Rabbit! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com Smile, darn ya, smile! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E3 · Sun, March 17, 2019
Dredd
It's not every day that you see a movie described as "a glorious ballad of bloodshed". Yeah, that's how I would describe Dredd and I did on this very podcast! I bet you're thinking of Stallone right now.... well get Sly out of your head because this Dredd is better, bloodier and more faithful to the source material than the 1995 version, and all the better for it. It's got a great score, great performances and looks so much more expensive than its budget would suggest, but not that many people saw it at the box office. Sad face. This episode does contain some spoilers for Dredd, but I implore you to download, stream or buy this movie if you can. It's a lot of fun, and as remakes go (because technically yes, it is a remake even if the original movie was inferior!) it's up there with the best you can think of. The Bring Back Dredd campaign was passionate and powerful, and although a second movie never has and probably never will materialise, it's time judgement came to the movie industry and Dredd is recognised for the masterpiece it truly is. I would love to hear your thoughts on Dredd! You can get in touch on: Instagram @verbaldiorama Twitter @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com Judgement time......!! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E2 · Sun, March 10, 2019
Captain Marvel
SURPRISE! This is not episode 2. Well it is, but it also isn't, because episode 2 is about [redacted] and this is about Captain Marvel. I did a little minisode on Captain Marvel and how I felt about it after seeing it. The "real" episode 2 will be out shortly, but in the meantime have a listen to why I loved Captain Marvel so much. Let me know your thoughts on Captain Marvel too: Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Thanks for listening and keep your ears open for the actual episode 2, coming soon! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
S1 E1 · Sat, February 16, 2019
Titan A.E.
Welcome to the first episode of Verbal Diorama! In this inaugural episode, I discuss the movie that literally sunk Fox Animation Studios; the groundbreaking and risk-taking Titan A.E.; a movie that's rich in history and legacy, as well as infamous for being one of the biggest financial flops of all time. *Hint* It's actually not a bad movie, I liked it, but it does have issues! I also briefly talk about my favourite movie of last year, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. You can follow me on: Instagram @verbaldiorama Twitter @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com Thanks for listening! Em See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Trailer · Thu, February 14, 2019
Verbal Diorama: Your new favourite film history podcast.
Verbal Diorama. The podcast all about the history and legacy of movies you know, and movies you don't. Available wherever you get your podcasts! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
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