School Of Movies

[School of Movies 2021] We begin a trilogy of shows taking us through time, space and the afterlife that begins here with this abidingly enjoyable romp through history, pilfering various key figures to make the deadline on a school report. We talk about how the time travel seems utterly nonsensical at first, but actually remains consistent and makes an internally logical sense within the adventure itself. And also how Bill & Ted, with their affable approach to life often touch on a profound wisdom by accident. We also hear from a couple of air-guitarists who have travelled right the way through delusion to emerge the other side as rock gods, before going back in. Our guest for all three shows is Jesse Ferguson of the Recorded Tomorrow podcast, which is all about time travel. You might want to go back to Episode 6 and start with paradoxes, because I'm on that one. Jesse's co-host, Jonathan also joins us for this first outing. Guests: Jesse Ferguson @TheDapperDM and Jonathan H. Liu @jonathanhliu  fr

[School of Movies 2021] This follow-up to a fantastic debut in 2017 was long-awaited, much-anticipated and spent several years in production. At the end of a blockbuster-drought of a year, we were all looking forward to sinking back into the comfortable environs of an inspiring superhero story. Perhaps with some tactfully handled real-world symbolism in there, and a call to arms for women in particular. Unfortunately, this thing is a HUGE mess. It makes so many baffling decisions that it was actually tricky to keep up with. By the time we'd finished reacting to one moment, another had flown by. So we're giving this one the all-clear for you to listen to, whether you've seen the movie or not. Because we CANNOT spoil it any more than Warner Bros. have done.  The show ran long, so there is a 45-minute Cutting Class episode coming to Patreon with everything that didn't make the final cut. Because editing is important!  Stonespring Maidens is now available to buy from Amazon in paperback. Guests: Hollywoo Ac

[School of Movies 2021] We round off the year of Spielberg by going back to his roots as a filmmaker. And while this is a 2011 movie, directed by J.J. Abrams which Steve produced, I mean far more than  it simply evoking Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. There's more cinematic alchemy at play here than even we realised, when we took on this project, and we are very happy to share our findings with you all. Suffice to say this is Abrams' most personal movie, and it feels odd that it was largely dismissed and overlooked at release, despite its qualities, while the similarly flavoured (and also fantastic) Stranger Things became a global phenomenon five years later. And I go into the fundamental differences in creator backgrounds there. This movie is fairly simple, and moves in broad strokes, but there are many subtleties and elements that it's easy to miss. We hope we can encourage you to open your eyes for a second look. 

[School of Movies 2021] I've never known such a bad movie to be so loved, either secretly and shamefully, or boldly and unapologetically. If you're in either camp, lean into the second one. Firstly because why should you have guilty pleasures? Especially now. Unless you're eating mushrooms, growing to twice your size and jumping on the heads of those who call it garbage, you're not hurting anyone. Own that love.  And secondly, knowing that some people who grew up with the disastrous first big budget attempt at adapting a major video game to the big screen and still care about it would bring some joy to the hearts of those who had to make the thing. For this episode, where we focus on what went wrong behind the scenes, we brought in the Franchise Killer podcast, who take that same angle on their show, examining the movies that went wrong from a more explorative angle. It was fantastic having these folks on and I urge you lot to check out their show. https://franchisekillerpod.podbean.com/ Guests: From th

[School of Movies 2020] This show covers three movies: Enter the Ninja (1980) Revenge of the Ninja (1983) and Ninja III: The Domination (1984). They are hard to get hold of and almost entirely unconnected with each other, and they are violent, shoddy and absolutely hilarious. The connection is Cannon films and wildly talented actor and martial artist Sho Kosugi, who is the villain in the first, the hero in the second and support in the third. And of course none of these characters are the same man.  What we have here is an absolute treat; An enormous buffet, containing many surprisingly effective moments hidden among the weird and dangerous decisions made while filming all of them. No expense was spent, and no actor got through with their dignity fully intact.   Guests: Hollywoo Actress  Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea From Sequentially Yours  Kaoru Negisa  @Moonpanther22 and Debbie Morse  @bastet8300

[School of Everything Else 2020] Part 3 of 6 The third of three shows on Season 1 of Gravity Falls. Season 2 will be covered in 2021. We round off the first batch of episodes with a showcase of villainy, as a crazed piglet who holds small-town America in his thrall seeks unlimited power for himself. And on the other side of the reality curtain, a chaotic yellow triangle man hatches his schemes. There's also a hilarious take on boy bands which was in fact creator Alex Hirsch apologising to his sister Ariel for being such a scornful bounder, admonishing her musical taste when they were tweens.  Episodes Covered: Boss Mabel/Bottomless Pit/Carpet Diem/Boys Crazy/Land Before Swine/Dreamscapers/Gideon Rises Guests: Victoria Luna B. Grieve:  @VixenVVitch  Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse From Sequentially Yours  Kaoru Negisa  @Moonpanther22 and Debbie Morse  @bastet8300

[School of Everything Else 2020] Part 2 of 6 The second of three shows on Season 1 of Gravity Falls. Season 2 will be covered in 2021. We return to one of the best animated series' to grace the TV screen. A rich, hilarious, fast-paced puzzle-box of twisty mysteries and subversive, genre-savvy capers. Tween twins Dipper and Mabel Pines are staying with their Grunkle Stan for the summer, at his combination gift-shop and rube-trap. But strange things are both out there in the woods, and inside the wooden walls of the Mystery Shack. Both seasons are available on Disney+ And if you have already finished it and want something similar but haven't yet sunk your beak into The Owl House, that's what's for dessert.  Episodes Covered: Double Dipper/Irrational Treasure/The Time-Traveller's Pig/Fight Fighters/Little Dipper/Summerween Guests: Victoria Luna B. Grieve:  @VixenVVitch  Theo Leigh of The New Century Multiverse From Sequentially Yours  Kaoru Negisa  @Moonpanther22 and Debbie Morse  @bastet8300

[School of Everything Else 2020] Part 1 of 6 Throughout the year we will be releasing episodes covering one of our very favourite animated shows, now available worldwide on Disney+ which is why we waited until now. Most people haven't seen this, so you can watch along with us. We won't spoil any later episodes and the podcasts won't release all at once. Next week the Spielberg Season continues with E.T. The Extra Terrestrial.  The elevator pitch for this one is "The Simpsons meets Twin Peaks". A pair of twins, one of them fascinated by strange and mysterious things, the other determined to have fun at all times go to stay for the summer with their grotty con-man of a Great Uncle Stan. As it turns out; Gravity Falls, this sleepy Pacific Northwestern Town is filled with both strange and mysterious things and fun! Episodes Covered: Tourist Trapped / The Legend of the Gobblewonker / Headhunters / The Hand that Rocks the Mabel / The Inconveniencing / Dipper vs. Manliness Guests: Victoria Luna B. Grieve:  @Vi

[School of Movies 2020] Way back at the end of 2019 (Remember when we could get right up in each other's faces?) we recorded this show with Victoria Grieve, expecting it to be a riotous session of taking the book and film to task. Things got more complicated than that, as it turns out Victoria really liked certain elements of Spielberg's adaptation (as did many viewers). And then one of the worst migraines I've ever had hit me about twenty minutes into recording. We decided around that time to do a full-on Spielberg season and didn't realise how it would become the focal point of our 2020, so the raw footage of this one waited to find a final form that would be entertaining and informative and not just footage of me groaning from where I lay under the desk. The edit took several passes, new material and some clips from when We Hate Movies spanked the pants off this one. I'm really proud of the final show as it stands. And if you LOVE the Ready Player One movie and want to hear more of the positive angle, t

[School of Movies 2020] Two Spielberg films that failed to capture the hearts and minds of the cinemagoing public. The Adventures of Tintin (2011) was his only animated foray, and the only one so far shot on digital rather than film. Made around the time Disney closed down Image Movers Digital because attempting wholly performance-captured films plunges the viewer into the uncanny valley. This one has more in common with Indiana Jones than even the obvious comparisons. And The BFG, one of the most beloved books from one of the most beloved children's authors. A film that feels several decades too late for contemporary tastes, remains remarkably faithful to the source material and adds to and improves upon it in almost every way that could be marketed to families (it's about giants eating children). Yet it was dismissed by everyone.  We provide you here with some really solid reasons to track down both of these for a couple of Sunday afternoons worth of fantasy adventure. 

[School of Movies 2020] An obscure 2001 French period drama slash monster hunt, martial-arts mystery blockbuster, that only some of you will have seen. This is a show we've been looking forward to bringing you for many, many years. Also known as Le Pacte Des Loups in its homeland.  You can listen to half of this episode without having seen the movie. We keep the secrets to a spoiler section at the end, but we do thoroughly recommend tracking down and watching this strange, sexy, frequently crazy blend of flavours. One thing it definitely isn't is mediocre. Joining us is a man who seems to effortlessly elevate everything he's a part of, and our discussion was rich and tasty. Alasdair is closely connected with Escape Artists Inc. a place to find a smorgasbord of stirring audio fiction https://escapeartists.net/  Guests Alasdair Stuart @AlasdairStuart

[School of Movies 2020] I recall when Crystal Skull came out it was around the time angry dudes on the internet were starting to really pick apart the prequels and why they had been betrayed on the promises made to them by George Lucas (to my shame that's how my movie podcast got started, but at least we'd moved on by week four). So the reception to this massively successful film was conversely very ugly in the fan community. And while we don't usually strive for a balanced argument this one felt like it needed a real examination as to both its faults and qualities. So we reunited all of the guests from the previous three Indy shows, some of whom love it, some of whom loathe it, and the results make for one of the more fascinating discussions in the Spielberg series. Is this film really all that bad? And if you take a few infamous elements of contention out, what are you left with? Guests Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa James Batchelor of Bond and Beyond  @James_Batchelor Kevin Vei

[School of Movies 2020] It's safe to say that right now we all need something relaxing and engaging. Luckily Spielberg is right here for us with this 1960s period piece about a charming teenage confidence trickster, and the straight-laced government agent trying to bring him in. One of the greatest pleasures of this year-long exploration of Steve's work has been rediscovering just how fantastic this particular movie is, especially in HD. It's stylish and exciting, touching and bittersweet. And since it's based on a true story it's also fascinating to watch how far this kid will push his theatrics.  Two of the best, most understated performances from both Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, at a very specific turning-point for cinema, accompanied by the coolest of jazzy John Williams scores. Next week we round off our Indiana Jones saga with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

[School of Everything Else 2020] This is a special episode deliberately timed to around the American Election and not far off the official Brexit from Europe. It's a time of great anxiety, so we wanted to give ourselves and our listeners a dose of perspective. So I've collated ten different types of future seen in movies, and I've ranked them from the very worst to the very best. That way we can talk them all through in order, starting with horrendous scenarios that make what we're experiencing right now maybe not quite so utterly apocalyptic in our minds. And we finish on visions of unity, cooperation and progress that might give us something to hope for. Guests: Hollywoo Actress  Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea Brendan Agnew of Cinapse  @BLCAgnew Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow @TheDapperDM Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg

[School of Movies 2020] Duelling Comets! In 1998, because of the way the movie industry works (or used to) we got not one but TWO films within months of each other, about the Earth facing an extinction-level event from the heavens. Both films largely concern themselves with the American response, both involve sending up a shuttle to blow the meteor apart, both feature lower-scale destruction as a fireworks show selling-point, and both are filled with bad performances from a cast that includes great actors.  What we did here on their 22nd anniversary is tackle one and then the other, comparing and contrasting their differing approaches. By the time the credits roll you'll just be happy that it's not the end of the world.

[School of Movies 2020] To date Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise have worked together twice in their careers. And since they were two dark future-shock movies that were released close together in the early 2000s we figured we'd cover them both as a double-bill.  It's fairly extraordinary what a different world we are seeing here, than just a few years beforehand in the 90s. And in particular the age of terror paranoia of War of the Worlds now feels like a distant memory, what with everything happening at this moment. Like looking back on the cold war during the age of terror.  So these are both pretty grim, and we decided to pep them up with some fun moments for you, including a look back over Cruises' family-averse portfolio, and rather more talk of penguins than I think *anyone* expected. 

[School of Movies 2020] What existed for years as an ongoing project for Stanley Kubrick became one of the only treehouses he let his friend Steven in on. Eventually Stan decided his approach alone could not ideally shape A.I. for the screen, and that this story needed Spielberg to direct. Stan offered to play producer. And then he died. So Steven picked up the pre-production art, concepts and development, including the Robin Williams footage directed and recorded by Kubrick himself, abandoned what script existed and wrote one himself for only the second time. He then made a dark fairy-tale about humankind and our robotic children whom we both neglect and abuse. It ends up a requiem for a self-destructive civilization that could not overcome their fear and anger. And at the heart of it is a little robot boy who has been irresponsibly programmed to love one human mother forever.  Of all of Spielberg's films to give a second chance at absorbing the depths and the shadows and the heartbreak, *this one* may t

[Digital Drift 2015] The second 2015 re-release from our dino season. You can go back to the separate School of Movies Archive podcast feed that a lot of people don't know about, but it has more than 200 of our pre-2017 shows. On there you'll find our episodes on Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World and at some point in the future we'll tackle Fallen Kingdom.  This one is a weird and tonally dissonant path, relative to the original masterpiece. We uncover the movie of the book that Michael Crichton was pressured into writing after the success of the first movie, the content of which was largely scrapped for what Sharon magnificently dubs in this episode “Benny Hill with dinosaurs.” Guests: Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg James Perkins of The Digital Fix

[School of Movies 2020] A long time ago, around late 2013, Sharon and I recorded a shortish piece on Hook. It was just before Robin Williams passed, and so the file sat in our archive, unreleased, along with the one on Mrs Doubtfire. We just didn't want to be scornful of something he had done during that period of shock and mourning. Eventually in 2015 we combined that section with a new one on the 2003 Peter Pan to make a comparative show, and it did not compare favourably. I put that down to us really liking the Jason Isaacs version and nobody else seemingly giving a stuff.  Anyway, we went back to Hook for our year of Spielberg, now with the blu ray in hand and a deeper appreciation of Steven's aims. And you know what? We really liked it this time. And this was again before I read up on the weird, staggered production woes this thing had. I can recommend a video called "Yesterworld: The Troubled History of Steven Spielberg's Hook: A Classic That Should Have Been." We also went back to Jurassic Park to s

[Digital Drift 2015] Way back when Jurassic World was released (and we were all excited for what might have been the first really good Jurassic sequel) Digital Drift as this show was known at the time, put out one of our best episodes ever, on the 1993 original. So this is both a re-release and an essential, restored component of the Spielberg season.  Still as fresh and endlessly entertaining to us as it was decades ago, this film is rarely out of our re-watching rotation, and as such I know it frame by frame and word by word.  We take you through every scene and get to the bottom of why this is such an appealing, evergreen and effective movie.  Guests: Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse James Perkins of The Digital Fix