Shows
Academy Vs Audience2025's Oscar SnubsWhile Claire and Erin are away, Dan digs into the idea of Oscar snubs, why the term still matters, and which big or acclaimed films of 2025 are conspicuously absent from the 2026 Oscars. Wicked: For Good and Avatar: Fire and Ash are follow-ups to past Best Picture nominees; why couldn't they make the shortlist? And which two films does Dan think the internet is right to feel should have been more loved by the Academy? Find out here!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
2026-02-0528 minAcademy Vs Audience2011: The Artist and the FuriousWe reach the second silent movie to win Best Picture, and it only took 83 years. French-made silent era throwback The Artist claims Best Picture, and briefly launches Jean Dujardin in America, through nostalgia, hijinks, and one adorable dog. Erin, Claire, and Dan find themselves charmed, partially from having experienced this era at the beginning of this journey. But audiences were flocking to Brazil, as the Fast and Furious films evolved into their best self with Fast Five, in which Dom and Brian form a supergroup of car-based criminals to pull off a heist while avoiding the pursuit of Dwayne...
2026-01-221h 43
RecoveredEpisode 104: SuspiriaeDan and Keith head to Germany for two movies on three key things: dance, magic, dance! In 1977, Italian director Dario Argento told the tale of an American ballerina caught up in a German dance academy secretly run by witches... witches that go from zero to murder alarmingly quickly. The visuals were sharp and colourful, but the story seemed thin... then in 2017, Luca Guadagnino went with starker greys, more dance, and so much story Dan and Keith need shovels to unpack it all. Which Suspiria succeeded in which ways? Is the original Argento's best movie? Is the remake Dakota Johnson's...
2026-01-151h 48Academy Vs AudienceYear in Review 2025As the year comes to a close, it's time to look back at a year of cinema, and look forward to what our 2025 episode may look like. Erin, Claire, and Dan try to figure out what might be crowned Best Picture. Erin compares her heart favourite to what she thinks might win, Claire tries to remember if she saw a movie not for this podcast (She did! Several! Go Claire!), and Dan shows how fun he is at parties by presenting multiple ranked lists. What's leading the Oscar race so far? What Wicked: For Good hot takes do we...
2025-12-251h 17Academy Vs Audience(Trans)Formative Franchises with Munsi Parker-MunroeAs we take our last between-decade break, Munsi Parker-Munroe returns to challenge Dan to a game. Munsi looks back at franchises from their youths, and asks Dan to guess which they genuinely liked, which they pretended to like because they were popular and boy-coded (and Munsi was at the time also boy-coded and hoping to be popular), and which they would have liked if only they'd felt safe indulging in them. Dan weighs in as someone who knew he wasn't supposed to like certain girl-coded shows, but figured what the patriarchy didn't know wouldn't hurt it. What holds up...
2025-12-111h 09RecoveredEpisode 101: Phantoms, Operas 1: A Phantoms ThreadAt last it arrives! In sleep it sang to you, in dreams it came... the Phantoms of the Operas Mega-Saga begins! Dan and Keith head way, way back to the silent era for the first film adaptation of Gaston Leroux's gothic horror novel the Phantom of the Opera, with Lon Chaney as the signature Phantom. Then it's off to China for Chinese cinema's first ever horror movie, the loose Phantom remake Song at Midnight, which may have added an element to Phantom lore? Back in America, the 40s tried a version that was too little Phantom, too much Opera...
2025-12-041h 49Academy Vs Audience2009: The Na'vi Locker (w/ Kevin Weir)Awards season 2009 came down to a telenovela-worthy duel between Kathryn Bigelow with her war drama The Hurt Locker, and her ex-husband James Cameron, delivering his second consecutive Highest Grossing Movie Ever with Avatar. Kevin Weir re-joins Erin, Claire, and Dan to break it all down. Claire is not thrilled, Dan explains how a later release makes Hurt Locker seem much better, Erin posits you can only like movies about one war. But then it's off to Pandora, to dig into the groundbreaking visuals and threadbare narrative of Avatar, the global phenomenon everybody forgets is one of history's most successful...
2025-11-271h 46Academy Vs AudienceDoes That Best Picture Need a Remake?While schedules align, Dan presents a one-man crossover between us and Recovered by asking the question... do the Best Pictures of the 20th century need or warrant a remake? From Wings to American Beauty (at which point they're all so recent it's a hard no), Dan skims through 72 years of Oscars darlings to sum up potential remakes: which could be, which should be, which must not, which already have been, and some fancasts along the way. Do we need a 2020s take on Gone With the Wind? Marty? Platoon? Dan assumes you asked, and he has the answers.
2025-10-0217 minRecoveredEpisode 94: 13s of GhostsThrow on your special glasses and get ready to get haunted as Dan and Keith dig into 13 Ghosts. Back in 1960, William Castle attempted a new gimmick: a special pair of glasses for audiences that either made ghosts appear, or made the movie utterly incomprehensible, as a family inherits their ghost-hunting uncle's house only find it filled with approximately a dozen ghosts. Forty-one years later, it's the cast in the special glasses as Tony Shalhoub must save his family from a little over ten ghosts with help from Matthew Lillard, and a bit of ghost writing from James Gunn. James...
2025-08-281h 33Academy Vs Audience2000: Gladiator ImpossibleWe enter a new century by jumping back to an old trend and an adaptation of an old TV show, seems about right for 21st century Hollywood. First, the Oscar goes to Ridley Scott's Gladiator, a return to old-school sword and sandal action, only without the Jesus angle. Historical accuracy is nowhere to be found, the plot doesn't merit a lot of deep thought, but Erin, Claire, and Dan answer the important question: are they, in fact, entertained? And then Dan gets a special treat: one and only one (unless the Academy makes wild choices in 2026) chance to talk...
2025-06-261h 36RecoveredEpisode 89: Two Bes or Not Two Bes (feat. Olav Rokne)People always say "You couldn't make a [insert Mel Brooks classic] today." But were there movies Mel Brooks shouldn't have remade? That's the question facing Dan and Keith, presented by guest Olav Rokne of the Hugo Book Club, as we tackle To Be Or Not To Be. In 1942, Jack Benny starred in a farcical comedy about a theatre troupe rallying to save the Polish resistance from the Nazi occupiers, an occupation that was still very much ongoing during the film's release. Did that make the comedy a tough line to walk? Then, four decades later, Mel Brooks produced and...
2025-06-201h 26Academy Vs AudienceDan's Extra Credit Corner: The Missions ImpossibleBefore we reach the 2000s and spend half an episode breaking down Dan's least favourite entry of one of his favourite franchises, he's here to get the Mission: Impossible brainrot out of his system by breaking down the evolution of the franchise and which film did what the best. From it's lower-key suspense thriller origins to its recent final (unless...) origins, best squads, best villains, and best teammates in a quickie burst for you, the listeners, while Claire and Erin are distracted.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at...
2025-05-2929 minAcademy Vs Audience1998: Love, War, and Asteroids (feat. Kevin Weir)It's 1998, and was all fair in love and war? Some say no, as Harvey Weinstein launched an Oscar campaign of attrition to get himself an award for theatre kids' ideal romcom Shakespeare in Love, while also slandering rival Steven Spielberg's intense war movie Saving Private Ryan. Claire, Erin, Dan, and returning guest Kevin break down both, ask whether Shakespeare deserves the hate it got for defeating Private Ryan, what each film does well, whether Dan is wrong about his preference or if he's just speaking truth to power (or in this case internet film bros), and who had the...
2025-05-012h 12RecoveredEpisode 85: Rolled BallsLllllllllet's get ready to ROLLERBALL! Dan and Keith dig into the 1975 cult classic dystopic sports flick Rollerball, in which James Caan must rise up against the world's corporate overlords by playing the best darn game of Rollerball he can, after about an hour of worldbuilding that only partially builds the world. In the early 2000s, legendary action director John McTiernan attempted to remake it for the Extreme Sports era, a truly epic mess of a process that sank his entire career. Dan and Keith dig into both, to see which era Rolled Balls the best: New Hollywood's heady-philosophical-white man...
2025-04-241h 19Academy Vs AudienceExtra Credit: Titanic II (feat. Keith Kollee)While Erin and Claire are busy on a stage, Dan succumbs to his ongoing Titanic brainrot, and drags his Recovered co-host Keith along for the ride by asking: did Titanic need or warrant a remake? Not the movie... the BOAT. Dan and Keith walk through how a replica Titanic is not equipped to compete in the modern cruise market, something it was never designed or priced for, and why one right-wing Australian politician has spent the last 13 years telling the press he's gonna do it, he gonna make a new Titanic any day now. Can a modern-day Titanic replica...
2025-04-1726 minRecoveredEpisode 84: Zontar Conquers the World (feat. John Tebbutt)Beloved friend of the podcast and Video Vulture John Tebbutt is back, and he's got a doozy for Dan and Keith. Schlock king Roger Corman unites Mission: Impossible's Peter Graves, iconic western villain Lee Van Cleef, and B-movie queen Beverly Garland for the sci-fi thriller, question mark, It Conquered the World, in which a Venusian alien lures an Earth scientist into helping it seize control of our world, and only the scientist's wife and best friend can turn him away from his alien pal. The following decade, a much less iconic schlock filmmaker changed the names and VIRTUALLY NOTHING...
2025-04-101h 36Academy Vs Audience1997: Titanic, BabyyyyyyyThe day Erin's been waiting for arrives as she, Claire, and Dan dig into the third of three Joint Champion Juggernauts, James Cameron's Titanic. A star crossed romance between Jack and Rose is plagued by class differences, a cruel fiancé, and oh yes the boat they're on plowing into an iceberg. Records are smashed, feelings are felt, Dan's only a little bitter about one of the other nominees being defeated, and the AVA team unpacks it all. Grab your ticket and come aboard for the ride!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy P...
2025-04-031h 51RecoveredEpisode 82: Death WishesHit the big city streets and get ready to look for vengeance, kind of, as Dan and Keith take on the Death Wishes. Back in 1994, Charles Bronson found his most iconic role as an architect who lashes out at random street criminals in the wake of an attack on his family. Dan and Keith break it down, how much it differs from the sequels that followed, and why that's Reagan's fault. Forty-four years later, Eli Roth and Bruce Willis give the story a new spin, while hewing closer to the revenge thriller post-70s audiences expect. What do our...
2025-03-1352 minRecoveredEpisode 80: Hulks, Incredible?As the MCU returns from hiatus, Dan and Keith look back at the film that set up Captain America: Brave New World... that being 2008's The Incredible Hulk. First, in 2003, Ang Lee and a young producer named Kevin Feige attempted a deep, psychological Hulk, with comic-book-style editing, examinations of trauma and repressed memories, and a bit of a whackadoo climax, that may have been all theme, no plot. Five years later, Feige made one of the debut movies of his Marvel Cinematic Universe experiment a safer, simpler Hulk story... that was sandwiched between two much bigger superhero hits and...
2025-02-131h 16RecoveredEpisode 79: Pet Ceme--Seme--SematariesGrab your shovel and prepare to make bad choices as Dan and Keith unearth the Pet Semataries! Way way back in the 1980s, during the heyday of Stephen King adaptations, a former star of Star Trek: TNG and a future star of Time Trax took on an adaptation of Pet Sematary, the one Stephen King book that scared Stephen King. Three decades later, another attempt was made, which didn't start changing things up until the back third, then changed a lot. Which do Dan and/or Keith prefer? Why did Dan insist on mentioning Time Trax in the synopsis...
2025-01-301h 05RecoveredEpisode 78: Getting The Crow Remake Over WithDan and Keith take a deep sigh, say "This may as well happen," and get into two takes on The Crow. First, the extremely 90s original with Brandon Lee and a bunch of cool character actors. How does it hold up? How does the tragedy at the core of the movie affect the viewing? Breaking down the unsafe production that cost us a rising star in Brandon Lee and imagining what might have been had someone safety checked that blank. Thirty years later, a remake limped into theatres, and Dan and Keith dig into what went wrong and how...
2025-01-161h 21Academy Vs Audience2024: Year in ReviewErin, Claire, and Dan look back at the films they watched over 2024, both new releases, old classics first seen, or the stuff they watched for this, for you, the listeners. Claire visits classic horror, Dan breaks down some possible Best Picture nominees and what they have going for and against them, Erin reflects on franchises she's seen for the first time, and as a bonus nobody talks about Megalopolis. This time. Join us in looking back on 2024 in film, and what a future episode may be!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy...
2025-01-091h 14RecoveredEpisode 74: Twister(s)Dan and Keith go storm chasing with Twister and Twisters! Back in the 90s, Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt chased tornadoes for non-specific Science while staying ahead of their rival who was out for vague Profit in a simple storm flick that became one of the top hits of 1996. A whopping 28 years later, Hollywood took another crack at it with Twisters, which despite its title has the approximate same number of tornadoes but being a Movie From the Mid 2020s DOES have more Glen Powell. Dan and Keith unpack motivations, quirky casts, film language, and how it's a little...
2024-11-2158 minAcademy Vs AudienceMinisode: Dan's Extra Credit CornerWhile the gang takes a minute to catch up and prepare to get further into the 90s, we present a special mini-episode of Dan's Extra Credit Corner. A quick and dirty ranking of the Predator franchise, a look into why no film since our next entry has managed to win the Big Five Oscars, and for the feature presentation, an excerpt from Dan's deep dice into Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis, one movie guaranteed not be a Best Picture or Box Office Champ, and why it's the most fascinating failure of a movie in five years. It's a speed run...
2024-11-1419 minRecoveredEpisode 73: 3:10 to TWOmasDan and Keith head back to the old west for two takes on the gritty western 3:10 to Yuma. Both versions see a desperate rancher agree to escort an outlaw bandit to the train to a prison in Yuma, something his gang is very willing to kill to prevent. In 1957, the conflict comes from the growing connection between Dan the rancher and Ben the bandit, and Ben probes and tests Dan's resolve through a long wait in a hotel for the train's arrival. The 2007 remake casts Russell Crowe and Christian Bale for a more action-packed version, but does it lose...
2024-11-071h 13RecoveredEpisode 72: Dawns, RedIt's another 80s classic (question mark) with a largely overlooked remake as Dan and Keith take on the Red Dawns! Back in Reagan's America, Hollywood wove a tale of America being invaded by a Russian/Cuban alliance, which took a very elaborate amount of set-up to justify, held at bay by rising stars Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Jennifer Grey, and Lea Thompson. The fierce Soviet alliance brought America to its knees overnight, but couldn't withstand six teenagers with attitudes. In 2012, after a few years on the shelf, an updated version was released with a new invading enemy... that had...
2024-10-241h 50Academy Vs Audience1989: Miss Daisy and the Last Bat-Crusade (feat. Munsi Parker-Munroe)At the end of the 80s, the Oscars found themselves short on meaningful, artful, epics, tried to find some heartwarming story about ending racism, and settled for Driving Miss Daisy. Meanwhile, Hollywood began to pay attention to the worldwide box office instead of just the US, and we have our first split between domestic and international box office champions. Batman and Indiana Jones battled for box office supremacy, and who are we to pick a favourite? Munsi Parker-Munroe returns to help Claire, Erin, and Dan dissect whether Driving Miss Daisy is actually a bad movie or just disliked as...
2024-10-172h 06Academy Vs Audience1988: It's Rain(ing) Man, Hallelujah (feat. Chris Gibbins)It's the one Joint Champion of the 1980s, as neither Oscars nor audience can resist Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise teaming up for the road movie Rain Man, which also serves as perhaps the first major pop culture depiction of autism. Here to help Claire, Erin, and Dan break down the movie's efforts to examine neurodivergence is Dan's big brother Dr. Chris Gibbins, psychologist specializing in this exact topic, so a fun break from work for Chris. How are the medical professionals depicted this time around, and which is the favourite? What would the 2024 version of this look like...
2024-10-031h 39RecoveredEpisode 69: 21st Century KongsDan and Keith are back into the Kings Kong, starting with Peter Jackson's 2005 remake. Fresh off Lord of the Rings, the future Sir Peter goes back to the 1930s in a lavish remake that references and homages the original while still adding a contemporary sensibility. Dan has some flowers for the filmmaking, while Keith thinks maybe Jackson put too much mustard on it. Then we return to the Monsterverse with Kong: Skull Island, a new take on Kong lore with a new story and a new way to make Man the real monster, as an all-star cast heads to...
2024-09-122h 08Academy Vs Audience1985: Out of the Future (feat. Gina Stewart)It's 1985 and the tonal gap between Academy winners and Audience favourite isn't getting smaller. The Oscar goes to Meryl Streep and Robert Redford's languidly paced, ill-fated romance in Out of Africa. Returning guest Gina Stewart joins Erin, Claire, and Dan to explain how the actual Karen Blixen's memoir of life in colonial Africa was mutated into an Oscar-bait romance. The audience turned out stronger for the unhinged sci-fi comedy Back to the Future, which would pave the way for a generation's worth of comedic hot takes, but does it still work as a movie? And what's Dan got to...
2024-08-221h 55RecoveredEpisode 64: Nightmare AlleysA day at the circus gets very noir as Dan and Keith walk down two different Nightmare Alleys. Carnie Stanton Carlisle has dreams of making the big time with a mentalist act, one he must purloin from his employers in the carnival, and that dream goes very well until it very doesn't. In 1946, swashbuckling actor Tyrone Power tried to break out of his usual type as the con man Stan, in a version that does well but perhaps strains against 1940s film regulations. Over seven decades later, spooky visionary Guillermo Del Toro takes another swing at the story, with...
2024-07-041h 46RecoveredEpisode 58: Reboots to Come RevisitedBack in early 2023, Dan and Keith did a special two-part episode looking at franchises speeding towards a reboot, and reboot/remakes hitting screens in 2023. Now they return for updates: which franchises are getting closer to hitting the screen? Which are farther away somehow and why? Plus Dan gives brief reviews of Wonka, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Evil Dead Rise, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, plus if you pay attention, there's an accidental sneak peek of our next episode. Tune in!
2024-04-111h 18RecoveredEpisode 53: Fletch QuestsTime for some whodunnits and laughs as Dan and Keith delve into the comedic mysteries of Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher, investigative journalist. Way way back in the 1980s, Chevy Chase found success bringing the popular novel character to life as Fletch solves crimes through SNL sketches and determination. Over three decades and one failed attempt by Kevin Smith later, a new Fletch arrives in the almost annoyingly chiseled features of Jon Hamm in the tragically underseen Confess, Fletch. Who wears the mantle best? Or has the best supporting cast? Can Dan and Keith come up with actual criticisms, or will...
2024-01-181h 14RecoveredEpisode 51: Freddy Vs Jason Vs Michael BayThe Recovered Slasher Saga reaches the conclusion, as Dan and Keith take on the time Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes tried to reinvent Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger for a new generation, following the eras rules for a horror remake: bigger gore, too much CGI, and get a Supernatural cast member in there. Is this Jason the meaty murderer we'd been wanting? We certainly get a less cartoonish Freddy, but at what cost? Unpack the successes and failures of the remakes, and hear Dan and Keith's final rankings.
2023-12-212h 02RecoveredEpisode 49: Dan V Keith 2: Freddy Vs JasonAfter 10 Fridays the 13th and seven Nightmares on various Elm Streets, Dan and Keith arrive at the penultimate stop of the slasher saga: the title bout of Freddy Vs Jason. The dream terrors of Freddy Krueger collide with the brutal and blunt kills of Jason Vorhees, while Dan and Keith battle over best or worst cast member, casting conspiracy theories, and whether the movie hinges entirely on the last 20 minutes. Join in for the donnybrook!
2023-11-231h 12Academy Vs Audience1963: SEX BOMBS (feat. John Tebbutt)It's 1963, and both Hollywood and the UK were starting to poke at the boundaries of film censors. First off, the best picture winner, England's Tom Jones, in which the title character tries to win his lady Sophie (whoa, She's a Lady), but can't resist saying "What's New Pussycat" to any woman with a come hither look. Our special guest, Video Vulture John Tebbutt, explains to Claire, Erin, and Dan that It's Not Unusual to find the appeal may have shifted since the Sexual Revolution. Speaking of sex and revolution, the people flocked to see Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, twice...
2023-08-241h 46Academy Vs Audience1961: DANCE FIGHT (feat. Keith Kollee)Welcome, listeners, to the Academy Vs Audience/Recovered crossover! Dan, Erin, and Claire welcome Dan's Recovered co-host Keith Kollee to dig into 1961's Joint Champion, West Side Story, the only movie whose every film remake is an Oscar contender. The gang digs into this story of rival gangs, racial tensions, corrupt cops, amazing progressive trans representation, and if there's time, the star-crossed lovers at the center of this Romeo and Juliet riff*. The songs, the dance fights, the weird shifts to the song order, and more in Part One of our West Side Stories Deep Dive. Check it out n...
2023-07-271h 14RecoveredEpisode 41: Piranhae!Get set to get wet, because Dan and Keith are heading into the water for two takes on murder fish! In 1978, king of schlock Roger Corman gives newbie director Joe Dante a break with his Jaws knock-of Piranha, then decades later the self-aware schlock of the 2010s cranked the spicy content to 11 for the oddly star-studded Piranha 3D. Dan and Keith unpack the hedonism, the gore, the inevitable second act pacing issues, how much more child-peril the 70s were willing to accept, if this entire genre is an attack on 60s counter-culture, and whether more money for more effects...
2023-07-191h 32Academy Vs Audience1959: Ben of the Hurs (feat. Gina Stewart)Here at the end of another decade, Dan, Claire, and Erin ask a question: can a movie have too much Jesus but also way too little Jesus at the same time? It's our second biggest Joint Champion Juggernaut, Ben-Hur, in which Charlton Heston pursues vengeance via chariot while Forrest Gumping his way through the New Testament. Claire and Erin cry out for slash-fic, Dan makes his final statement on the failures of 50s Bible Epics, and our guest Gina Stewart is here to tell us all about the original novel, and how a nearly four hour movie still managed...
2023-06-291h 20RecoveredEpisode 36: So It's Come to This... The Justice League EpisodeAfter 18 films of Batmans dark or campy, Supermans classic and infamous, and the two V-ing each other, the journey concludes, and it's time to tackle the Justice Leagues. Dan and Keith unpack all four hours of Zack Snyder's Justice League, examine the new scenes the studio hammered into the theatrical cut, and look at the strengths and weaknesses of each versions (yes, they each have both)... and also prove that neither of these are the "worst Justice League movie," thanks to a failed TV pilot from the 1990s that the nascent internet wouldn't allow to fade out of memory...
2023-05-112h 46RecoveredEpisode 35: Dan V Keith on Batman V SupermanAnd so, after 11 movies' worth of eight Batmen, and six movies covering three Supermen, Dan and Keith arrive at their intersection: Zack Snyder's... let's call it divisive opus Batman V Superman. Keith hates, Dan likes it, they're digging into to who's right while admitting that "flawless masterpiece vs worst movie ever" discourse is just, it's just, it's exhausting. So grab your Kryptonite spear and your Lasso of Truth and let's get to unpacking Batfleck, Snyder, and the worst arguments hardcore Snyder fans employ.
2023-04-271h 26Academy Vs Audience1933 RevisitedWe've hit a perfect storm of host conflicts, so while we recharge in our various ways, enjoy a trip down memory lane, beginning with 1933, in which eventual recurring guest Munsi Parker-Munroe joined Claire, Erin, and Dan for, perhaps, the worst combination of movies we've yet discussed: Cavalcade and Eddie Cantor's... best?... movie, Roman Scandals. Look back and laugh with us!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
2023-04-201h 25RecoveredEpisode 34: Legally Complicated Revenge (feat. John Tebbutt)John Tebbutt, your Video Vulture, is back to walk Dan and Keith through the history of Donald Westlake's Parker novels, and the feature films similar to but legally distinct from his classic anti-hero protagonist. Back in the 1960s, classic Tough Guy Lee Marvin plays "Walker," the Parker-esque crook out to wring his rightful cut of some heist money out of organized crime syndicate The Outfit in Point Blank. Then, a little over three decades later, Payback sees Mel Gibson takes on the same story as "Porter," but an ambiguous ending and unforgivable dog-related crime get the director fired and...
2023-04-132h 20RecoveredEpisode 33: Supermans, Four: A Quest for GeeksWith the journey through nearly every cinematic Batman complete, Dan and Keith turn their gaze to the film history of the Man of Tomorrow, the Last Son of Krypton, Superman! From Reeves to Reeve to Routh to... 'Ry Cavill, we take on every theatrically released Superman, and review the legacy of Richard Donner in both this franchise and beyond. Keith picks apart powers and Dan tries to bring up Smallville as little as he can, for you, listeners, for you. Join us as we go up, up, and away into Super-lore!
2023-03-303h 14Academy Vs AudienceBonus: 95th Oscars Recap (feat. Olav Rokne)Erin and Dan are joined by returning guest and Hugo Book Club co-runner Olav Rokne to dissect the latest crop of Best Picture nominees, in the wake of learning who won what, and how many of the ten nominees went home empty-handed (Claire will be back next time). Who deserved what? Who maybe snuck onto the shortlist undeservedly? Which of these movies is Erin willing to watch recreationally, and which do Dan or Olav talk her out of? And who was better at guessing the winners, our host or our guest? We find out live*!*Not actually...
2023-03-231h 29RecoveredEpisode 32: Quiet Western FrontsIn the wake of the 95th Oscars (recorded before they happened), Dan and Keith take on two takes of a classic war story from opposite ends of film history with All Quiet on the Western Front, and how it's evolved from the dawn of the sound era to the age of the Netflix Exclusive. First, a look the 1930 OG, the third film ever to win Best Picture, less of a story than a sketch the-absolute-opposite-of-comedy about war trauma, then jump to just recently with the 2022 version, where Keith and Dan have some disagreements over how well it translated. It's...
2023-03-161h 16RecoveredEpisode 31: Tombs Raided (feat. Emma Gallaher)Dan and Keith plunge into forgotten crypts to unearth an examination of the cinematic takes on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider! First, Oscar winner Angelina Jolie takes Lara through two movies, one hyper-dumb but somewhat fun, one that's more competent but less interesting. Then, once the video games reinvent themselves to target a new audience, Oscar winner Alicia Vikander brings this new less hyper-sexualized Lara to life. And to guide our hosts through this journey, actress and Croft enthusiast Emma Gallaher is here to explain Croft Boys, easter eggs, and how little Lara Croft movies actually require constant daddy issues...
2023-03-021h 53Academy Vs Audience1954: Waterfronts and White ChristmasesErin, Claire, and Dan get a break from feature-length Sunday School sermons to talk about two possible Good Actually movies! Thanks, 1950s! First, young Marlon Brando reinvents film acting for the better in the hard hitting On The Waterfront, and your hosts are here to, gush, unpack a few flaws, examine the line everyone thinks they know, and look at how the HUAC tried to ruin it. Then Bing Crosby and Irving Berlin are back for songs, spectacular dance numbers, banter, and a plot so thin you can read a newspaper through it in White Christmas. But who cares...
2023-02-231h 23RecoveredEpisode 30: The Batmanning ReturnsRound two of Recovered's journey through cinematic Bat-history! We leave behind the aggressive camp of the 90s and plunge into a aggressive realism of the 21st century Bats... with a detour into things animated and block-based along the way. Will we find the Best Batman? Which two wildly different movies are the lead competitors? What makes for a happy or sad ending to a Bat-flick? Dan and Keith discuss, argue, and maybe reach consensus. Or just get tired. It's been so many Batmen.
2023-02-162h 57RecoveredEpisode 29: The Batmanning BeginsThe time has come, the promised day has arrived: Keith and Dan begin their journey through the entire cinematic history of the Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader, the goddamn Batman. This instalment takes us from the camp days of Adam West to the camp revival of Joel Schumacher, as our hosts assess each era by the aesthetics, characters, story, action, and Dan's many opinions on music. We may not find The Best Batman Movie just yet, but have we found the worst? We'll see. Strap on your utility belts, get your atomic engines to speed, and join us for...
2023-02-022h 27Academy Vs Audience1952: The Greatest Show Sarcastic Air QuotesIt's our first joint champion of the 1950s! Good news, no bible stories. Less good news, Cecil B. DeMille really wanted people to know how neat he thinks the circus is. There are love triangles that make a Hellraiser puzzle box look simple, criminals lurking in the shadows, many plot-relevant elephants, and yet all of it is somehow drowned out by monotonous circus montages and severe overacting. Claire, Erin, and Dan dig into 1952's The Greatest Show on Earth, and question the veracity of the title. Sometimes via a musical number.Find all of our episodes and...
2023-01-261h 08RecoveredEpisode 28: Reboots Yet To Be 2We've talked about what the big superhero franchises should do next, now Dan and Keith dive into 2023's crop of reboots, remakes, and requels to see what's worth getting excited for. Evil Dead is back? Hell yes. Can an Exorcist requel compete with Conjuring spin-offs? Are we sure the Wonka origin movie isn't a joke? Which is the one we're angriest we have to root for? All this and Dan forcing Keith to think about James Bond again in part two of our look forward.
2023-01-1943 minAcademy Vs Audience1951: Dancing, Disciples, Doofuses (feat. Munsi Parker-Munroe)Erin, Claire, Dan, and returning guest Munsi Parker-Munroe unpack some terrible leading men as the Oscars get musical while the audience goes to Sunday School. First, Gene Kelley brings us the songs of the Gershwins, some incredible dance numbers, and a romance that set gender relations back fifty years in An American in Paris. Does the dancing defy the duncery? We discuss, then jump back to the new testament where Quo Vadis dares to ask "How much less likeable can our male leads get," and "How much can a movie be about Jesus without actually showing Jesus?" The answer...
2023-01-121h 36RecoveredEpisode 27: Reboots Yet To Come (part one)While taking a holiday break, Dan and Keith sat by roaring fires to sip seasonal beverages* and discuss not remakes that have been made, but those yet to come. Some major IPs are barreling towards rebooting; what do they need to do to improve on what's already been done? From the tone of Marvel's First Family to underused villains to criminally neglected characters, Dan and Keith and a sudden guest look into what the next wave of superhero movies should be including.*Wine has seasons.
2023-01-051h 11Academy Vs Audience1950: Eve and DelilahIt's the 1950s, and we kick off the decade with two very different movies. First, legit classic All About Eve brings us into the backstabbing world of being a woman in theatre through immortal frienemies Margo Channing and Eve Harrington; then, Cecil B. DeMille kicks off 50s Hollywood's obsession with feature length Sunday School classes in Samson and Delilah. Erin, Claire, and Dan love the sass and drama of Eve, but have some strong notes for Delilah. Real highs and lows, and we're here to guide you through the storm.Find all of our episodes and the...
2022-12-291h 38RecoveredEpisode 26: Two Very Quiet EveningsRecovered remains festive in our own weird way as Dan and Keith dig into the horror classic Silent Night, Deadly Night, and its 2010s remake simply titled Silent Night. Santas are out to punish the guilty in elaborate, gory ways, and Keith and Dan struggle to parse exactly why and to form any sort of connection with the rapidly introduced victims. Which sinister Santa is committing the most holly, jolly, homicides? Listen now to find out!
2022-12-221h 38Academy Vs AudienceMini-episode: 2022 in ReviewBefore jumping into the 1950s, Erin, Claire, and Dan take a moment to reflect on 2022 in film. What could/should win Best Picture? What's the probable Box Office Champ? Will we see our first Joint Champion in nearly two decades? And which movies delighted us but won't be mentioned on Oscar night? Join us as we look back on 2022 in film.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
2022-12-1538 minRecoveredEpisode 25: Grinches and the Art of Stealing ChristmasRecovered gets festive as Dan and Keith dig into three takes on Dr. Seuss' classic heist tale, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. A brief overview of the animated short, then the two big screen Grinches: Jim Carrey in a rubber fursuit, and the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch as what Keith hates to learn is The Grinch Tumblr Got Horny For. Who Grinched the best? Had the least obtrusive backstory? What is "Oncest" and will Keith ever recover from finding out? All this and some very good dogs as Recovered gets Grinchy!
2022-12-081h 34Academy Vs AudienceThere Now Follows a Brief IntermissionWith the 1940s wrapped up, Dan, Claire, and Erin take some time to recharge before diving into 1950s Bible Epics, and while they do so, enjoy an outtake from back in the 30s or 40s. Back soon with some true classics, some regrettable leading men, the episode where we say "Good-bye Bing, Hello Marlon," and much more.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
2022-12-0114 minRecoveredEpisode 24: Fistful of Djangos (w/ John Tebbutt)Special guest John Tebbutt, the Video Vulture, joins Dan and Keith through a tour of cinematic Djangos. In the beginning, the spaghetti western Django introduces a mysterious gunfighter with a coffin; decades later, Japan gets into the Django game with the Quentin Tarantino-backed-and-co-starring Sukiyaki Western Django, somehow set in feudal Japan, the old west, and also Tudor England maybe; then we follow Tarantino to the closest he's ever come to a remake (still pretty far but hey we're here anyway), the historical revenge flick Django Unchained. The body counts are high and the cinematic swings are big, come with...
2022-11-242h 27Academy Vs Audience1948: A Year For the Theatre KidsIt's 1948, and our movies are catnip for theatre kids. First up, Sir Laurence Olivier takes on what's clearly a dream project in Hamlet, and while the Oscars favoured him, Hamlet enthusiasts Claire and Erin have some notes while Dan explains which contemporary horror franchise it slots right into. Next up, The Red Shoes talks passion, obsession, and ballet, and your hosts are passionately obsessed with the results. It's everything a theatre kid could want, in theory, and we're here to dissect it for you.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various...
2022-11-031h 18RecoveredEpisode 22: Hells RaisedDan and Keith have such sights to show you, as Recovered tackles Hellraiser! Travel back to the late 80s, as horror Maestro Clive Barker adapts his own novella about the Cenobites, unearthly beings with no distinction between pleasure and pain, and how they become minor players in one young woman's struggle against her step-mother and abusive, recently undead uncle. Then catch up to... a couple of weeks ago, as a new take on the Cenobites and their leader, known to us as Pinhead, stalk a group of 20-somethings in a desperate search for a cohesive theme. Does an upgrade...
2022-10-271h 30Academy Vs Audience1947 Part 2: Return of the Bing1947's box office champ is weirdly hard to track down, but we found it, so it's time to talk Welcome Stranger! Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald reunite in a movie very desperate to recapture the magic of Going My Way, only with doctors instead of priests. Does letting Bing be sassier and kiss ladies make up for the relative lack of Father Chuck-style improbable do-gooding? Does an old, crotchety doctor distrusting his young replacement make as much sense as with priests? Does a town this small need a hospital? Erin, Claire, and Dan dig into all of it and...
2022-10-2048 minRecoveredEpisode 21: Flatlines and the Doctors Who Cross ThemWelcome to spooky season! Dan and Keith begin to settle into the Halloween spirit with the brat pack (citation needed) thriller Flatliners and the 2010s remake that see med students attempting to peek beyond the veil to see what waits beyond death, only to learn the answer is varying amounts of murder ghosts. The original assembles an early 90s all star ensemble, with Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, a top half Baldwin Brother, and the delightful Oliver Platt, while the remake gathers Elliot Page, Cassian Andor, Elena From The Vampire Diaries, and some other people. Who's doing the...
2022-10-131h 01Academy Vs Audience1947 Part 1: Underrated Peck ActionIt's 1947, and the Academy thinks it's time America had a frank talk about how many Nazis are running around two years after World War II ended. Human avatar of gravitas Gregory Peck leads Gentleman's Agreement, in which a journalist goes looking for antisemitism in New York for a story, and finds that it's very much like trying to get a sip of water from a fire hose. Erin, Claire, and Dan dig into Gentleman's Agreement's deep dives into the many faces of bigotry, from the out-and-proud to the self-haters to the "nice people" who think they're allies but lack...
2022-10-0655 minRecoveredEpisode 20: Ocean's 30Three movies, two cities, 30 heisters! Dan and Keith go back to the 60s for Ocean's 11, the Rat Pack's heist flick that gave them an excuse to party in Vegas, then hop to 2001 for the remake that spawned a franchise, and to 2018 for the female led requel Ocean's 8! Who had the best crew? The best heist? Could they maybe have had better female roles sooner? (Hint: yes.) Did people in the 60s even LIKE heist movies? We dig into all of this and more as Recovered takes on the Dannys Ocean.
2022-09-292h 07Academy Vs Audience1946: The Best Years [citation needed] Of Our LivesIt's our third joint champion in five episodes! In the wake of WWII ending, both audiences and the Academy turned out for what might be the coming-home-from-war-movie, The Best Years of Our Lives. Three hours' worth of three men from three military branches having three different struggles returning home, and almost all of them get some sort of resolution! Come on the journey as Erin, Claire, and Dan gush over the film's unlikely MVP, and grapple with how a movie can be three whole hours long yet still have so little actual plot.Find all of our ep...
2022-09-2241 minRecoveredPoseidon's AdventuresGet set to get wet as Recovered goes to sea for the Poseidon Adventure, one of the highlights of the 70s disaster flick craze, and it's 2000s remake, simply titled Poseidon. The 70s bring a star-studded cast, and the remake is filled with actors Dan knows from things Keith refuses to watch. Ships are flipped, lives are lost, and don't get attached to the actors playing the captain. Which doomed ship and its passengers had the best set piece spectacle? Who had the most pathos? Is there a version of this that could nail both a little more than...
2022-09-151h 28Recovered18: PoltergeistsDan and Keith venture back into horror for iconic 80s classic Poltergeist, and the 2010s sequel they needed to be reminded happened. We dig into the big questions: who really directed the original? How can the remake star both Sam Rockwell and Jared Harris yet pass this unmemorably? Who's using the supporting cast better? If practical effects can be this jaw dropping, why keep messing with digital replacements? Join Dan and Keith now, for.... they're heeeeeeerrrrrrre
2022-09-011h 31Academy Vs Audience1944: Comfort Flicks With BingIt's our second Joint Champion of the 1940s, and what Dan calls "The Yancey Cravat of the 40s," as Claire, Erin, and Dan dive into Going My Way with Bing Crosby. Father Chuck O'Malley rolls into town with military grade love and tolerance, and no supporting character will escape without their lives being improved through uncut Mr. Rogers belief in their best selves. Is Father Chuck a man or some sort of divine intervention? Does this movie's success prove schmaltz sells, and if so, why does it argue the contrary? Wrap yourself in a big soft quilt with us...
2022-08-2558 minRecoveredDeath Races 2000 and SomethingDan and Keith speed into the far flung future year of 2000 as envisioned by 1975, for the dystopic blood sport of Death Race 2000. Car-based gladiators slaughter their way through a cross-country race of miles and mayhem in a world dominated by the cruelty of minority rule fascism, where the resistance can't stop fighting each other long enough to make a difference, people are weirdly okay with Nazis, and the only unbelievable part is the notion that David Carradine is the sexy one in the cast. Then jump forward to the Unspecified Future as Death Race gets remade with the only...
2022-08-181h 59RecoveredEpisode 16: Totally RecalledIs this the real life?Is this just fantasy?Your wife tried to kill youCan you escape to reality?Total Recalls Get your ass to Mars and seeeeeeeeDan and Keith take on two very rough adaptations of Philip K. Dick's We Can Remember It For You Wholesale: Arnold Schwarzenegger's hyper-violent 90s classic Total Recall, and Colin Farrell's 2012 remake. Not only do we tackle who did what better, we go deep: what's real? What's imagined? What choices in storytelling and visual language swing the needle in which directions? And which d...
2022-08-041h 30RecoveredEpisode 15: CandymenGrab your hook and your beard of bees as Dan and Keith return to horror through Candyman! First we dive into the Clive Baker-inspired 90s original, as Virginia Madsen is haunted by the iconic Tony Todd through the ghettos of Chicago, then jump aaaaallll the way to 2021 as Jordan Peele helps usher in Nia DaCosta's remake that turns out to be a surprise sequel... a "requel," as they're called... which hits hard with the current times and doesn't skimp on the visuals as Yahya Abdul-Mateen II uncovers a whole new Candyman mythos with surprising connections to what came before...
2022-07-211h 16Academy Vs Audience1941: Valleys, Green? (feat. Olav Rokne)It's 1941: the valleys are green, the accent work is shoddy, and nobody's cast age-appropriate. Erin, Claire, Dan, and special guest Olav Rokne (co-runner of the Hugo Book Club blog) take on How Green Was My Valley, one of the more infamous Best Picture winners, to figure out if Film History gives it more hate than it deserves. Some find simple beauty, some find subtle anti-capitalist themes, Dan tells us which scene he could watch on a loop for two hours, all agree that casting choices make it impossible to judge time. Then we jump across the pond to another...
2022-07-141h 38Recovered14: Lucky Sevens Part 2: The MagnificentsOur two-part look into the legacy of the Seven Samurai continues as Dan and Keith take on the western so nice they made it twice, The Magnificent Seven! The manliest men of the early sixties put a cowboy twist on Kurosawa's samurai epic, then a surprising number of decades later, Denzel Washington reunites with Antoine Fuqua, director of Training Day and The Equalizer, to bring modern audiences a new, racially diverse, Handsome Chris-enhanced remake. How'd it turn out? New classic or Xerox of a Xerox? Keith and Dan have some notes.
2022-07-072h 01Academy Vs Audience1940: Gloom and BoomAcademy Vs Audience enters a new decade, and celebrates with improved audio quality over last episode (albeit some internet issues from a host). It's Alfred Hitchcock's only Best Picture winner with the gloomy, creeping dread of Rebecca, giving us our first appearance of Sir Laurence MF'n Olivier; meanwhile the audience embraces old familiar friends doing old familiar things. Our Clark Gable Renaissance ends as it began; alongside Claudette Colbert, as Gable, Colbert, Spencer Tracey, and Frank Morgan play the distilled version of their archetypes in the oil-soaked bromance Boomtown. Olivier is haunted by the past, Gable and Tracey chase...
2022-06-291h 36RecoveredEpisode 13: Lucky Sevens Part 1: Samurai and SwordsIn a topic too big for one episode, Dan and Keith travel back to feudal Japan to revisit Akira Kurosawa's classic, The Seven Samurai, and the films it inspired. There's a lot to break down: legendary warriors, a town in crisis, and a debate among our co-hosts on Toshiro Mifune's wardrobe choices for the big siege, and then it's time to jump forward to 21st century China for The Seven Swords, which is said to be based on a Chinese novel, but still somehow ends up a Magnificent Seven remake, only much, much bleaker.We hear you, w...
2022-06-231h 36Academy Vs Audience1939: Blown AwayThe time has come; Erin, Claire, and Dan take on the most successful movie ever made. As we reach the end of the 1930s, it's time for the big show, the absolute unit of filmmaking, the OG Blockbuster, Gone With the Wind. Four hours of movie with so much to unpack: does this movie love the Confederacy? Does it want you to love the Confederacy? Or is the amount of self-delusion among our core cast a subtle commentary? Is Gone With the Wind worth watching? With recommendations on other creators with their own perspectives, because your humble hosts can't c...
2022-06-161h 32RecoveredEpisode 12: The Movies MuppetIt's time to play the music. It's time to light the lights. It's time to unpack Muppets on Recovered 'cast tonight. Dan and Keith re-examine that old, forgotten emotion of "joy" as they revisit Jim Henson's The Muppet Movie and Jason Segel's tribute/reboot, The Muppets. Brace for hot takes on quality of cameos and quantity of Gonzo. Is there ever such a thing as ENOUGH Gonzo? But now let's get things started on the most hilarious, not nefarious, quite contrarious, so gregarious, it's Recovered's Muppet movie SHOOOOOOW! [trumpet gag]
2022-06-091h 59Academy Vs Audience1938: No Thoughts, Just Vibes (feat. Kevin Weir)1938: fascism is on the march, Europe is on the brink of a devastating global conflict, and Hollywood says "Let's just chill, okay?" Frank Capra takes his first swing at "No man is poor who has friends" with You Can't Take It With You, taking a chance on young actor James Stewart, while audiences turn out in unprecedented droves as Walt Disney's first feature-length animated movie opens in January, planting the first flag for the future Empire of Joy. An awed hush for Snow White and Seven Dwarves. Between the two, it's just sweet times, occasional dances, and just vibing...
2022-06-021h 26RecoveredEpisode 11: Ghosts, Busting (feat. Chris Stewart)Dan and Keith take on Ghostbusters, the franchise that went from Original to Reboot and back again through the 1984 classic, the 2016 reboot Answer the Call, and the 2021 requel Afterlife. And if you have a dose of some movie ghosts, I think you'd better call... Chris Stewart, host of leading Ghostbusters podcast The Crossrip. Our hosts and special guest dig into the complicated making of the original... during which, as part of his ongoing crusade to hate everything Dan loves, Keith has some notes for the movie... weigh the successes and failures of Answer the Call and why it's so...
2022-05-262h 29Academy Vs Audience1937: Fools and HorsesIn 1937, The Life of Emile Zola takes on real French scandal the Dreyfuss Affair... eventually... and by winning Best Picture sets the unfortunate precedent of "A biopic doesn't HAVE to be about the most interesting person in the story." Meanwhile, the Gable Renaissance continues as audiences flocked to rom-com Saratoga, the final movie of Jean Harlow, which makes Erin ask "Was Clark Gable good? Or was Clark Gable good at being Clark Gable?"(Some say another film ruled the box office in 1937. Dan says "Not if nobody bought a ticket until 1938 it didn't" and will die on...
2022-05-191h 25RecoveredEpisode 10: Crimes and PunishersGet ready for a lot of "Not good but as good as it gets" takes as Dan and Keith dig into three different Punisher movies. Dolph Lundgren goes straight to video, Thomas Jane has the darkest origin with the least amount of Punishing, and Ray Stevenson tries to actually be in a comic book movie. Who does it best? Or least worst? We try to find an answer, with much love for two random mobsters and many references to Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's seminal Punisher book, Welcome Back Frank. Dan has... so much to say about Welcome Back...
2022-05-122h 18Academy Vs Audience1936: Greats and Disasters1936 sees the first Great Man Biopic take Best Picture in a highly, HIGHLY sanitized biography of Broadway legend Florenz Ziegfeld. Clare and Erin get swept up in the showmanship of the musical numbers, while Dan can only see a grim portent of empty calorie actor showcase biopics to come. Meanwhile, audiences turn out to see Clark Gable attempt to survive the San Francisco earthquake of 1936. One's a disaster movie, but are the movies disasters? Listen and find out!Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
2022-05-051h 19RecoveredEpisode 9: James Bond in Thundered BallsLong time Bond fan Dan walks lifetime Bond hater Keith through vintage Bond flick Thunderball, and the decades-long legal battle that resulted in there being two of them. Plus why it took so long to get Blofeld and SPECTRE into the Craig era Bonds the Thunderballs that could have been, and why Dan wouldn't be the best underwater cinematographer, all while breaking down two spins on "Bond looks for stolen nukes in the Caribbean." Which Thundered Ball reigns supreme?
2022-04-282h 07Academy Vs Audience1935: Gable on a BoatOur second Joint Champion, and our Clark Gable renaissance continues! The third attempt at Mutiny on the Bounty both snags the big trophy and the hearts of the crowds, with Charles Laughton as a cruel Captain Bligh and Clark Gable bringing the charm as Fletcher Christian. Claire, Erin, and Dan dig into the movie, the true history of the titular mutiny, the futility of shipping breadfruit, how Bligh's life and legacy became defined by being overthrown, and how this movie changed the Oscars. Obey your captain: listen now!Find all of our episodes and the rest of...
2022-04-211h 12RecoveredEpisode 8: Conans, BarbariansWhat is best in life? Is it either cinematic adaptation of Conan the Barbarian? Dan and Keith are here to find out as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jason Momoa each take on the titular barbarian, to... mixed results. Also we touch on the scope of this podcast and Keith learns about Horse Girl movies. Come on, you know you want to how we ended up there.
2022-04-131h 51RecoveredEpisode 7: April Fool's DaysDan and Keith take on cult 80s horror flick April Fool's Day and its straight-to-DVD remake, asking the question: when the thing a movie's famous for is a twist ending, CAN you do a remake? Are you counting on your audience not having seen the original? In which case, why a remake? Also, Dan begins his crusade to get a DVD release of the criminally underrated fantasy/action series G Vs E. All this and plenty of laughs at the expense of attempted horror.
2022-03-311h 42Academy Vs Audience1933: [Fail Trumpet] (feat. Munsi Parker-Munroe)Is 1933 the worst year in cinema? Dan certainly thinks so, and Erin, Claire, and special guest Munsi Parker-Munroe don't have compelling arguments to the contrary. The Academy hands the big trophy to historical flyover drama Cavalcade, or in Dan's words "Boring Cimarron," and the team is once again haunted by the attempted comedy and racial hate crimes of repeat box office champion Eddie Cantor. Dare you listen? Well, as our guest Munsi once asked, "Are you an Eddie CAN-tor, or an Eddie CAN'T-or?" Tune in now for all the quality rage at a bygone era you could ask for.
2022-03-241h 24RecoveredEpisode 6: Vacations, All We Ever WantedHit the Holiday Road as Dan and Keith re-examine an old idea from times past, before the Plague Days... "Vacations." Our hosts head back to the early 80s to see how Chevy Chase's road trip shenanigans in National Lampoon's Vacation have aged, then hop to the 2010s as Ed Helms leads a new generation of Griswalds in a sequel/remake hybrid we have since learned is now called a "requel." Much love gets thrown to Beverly D'Angelo and the always delightful Skyler Gisondo, a deep dive into why theme parks don't close in the summer, and more as we...
2022-03-162h 04Academy Vs Audience1932: The Hotel and the HooliganIt's 1932, and one of the first all-star casts snags the top trophy at the Oscars... and also an inauspicious place in Oscar history. Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and two Barrymores join forces in Grand Hotel... but audiences instead drifted to a musical comedy that's hardly comedic and barely musical. That's right, our nemesis arrives as Eddie Cantor stars in The Kid From Spain, and a lot of makeup is used for evil. Dan, Claire, and Erin find the simple joys of Grand Hotel (especially friend of the podcast Lionel Barrymore) then attempt to destroy early 30s box office titan...
2022-03-111h 40RecoveredEpisode 5: [Insert Name] and the Chocolate FactoriesCome with me, and you'll be, in a world of dueling chocolate factories! Recovered takes on two very different approaches to Roald Dahl's immortal children's adventure book-slash-Saw precursor horror tale Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or as 70s cinema knew it, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Two Wonkas enter, one Wonka leaves! Then the other one does. We don't have the power to erase Wonkas. But which Factory had the best visuals? Best kids? Wasted time less egregiously? Dan and Keith get right to the bottom of this edible candy wonderland to find out, through Dan's hot takes...
2022-03-061h 38Academy Vs Audience1931: Yancey and the TrampAcademy vs Audience reaches 1931, where we encounter the bonkers, ridiculous, near-plotless majesty that is Cimarron, first western to win Best Picture, and the glory of its almost cartoonishly righteous lead, Yancey Cravat. Erin and Claire experience Yancey for the first time, while Dan explains how Frontier Journalist and Vigilante Preacher Yancey Cravat, Attorney at Law, became his new icon. And he can be yours as well. Embrace Yancey Cravat.And then Charlie Chaplin's here for our Last Stand of the Silent Era! What a good year, thanks 1931!Find all of our episodes and t...
2022-03-031h 19RecoveredEpisode 4: Jobs ItalianoIt's heist time! Dan and Keith travel back to the long ago 1960s for Michael Caine and Noel Coward in The Italian Job, then hop to the not-quite-so-long-ago 2003 for an all-star crew in a remake that's trying to be a remake in as few ways as possible. Cunning plans, betrayals, feature-length ads for Mini-Coopers, and Dan and Keith disagreeing about heist movies. Come on the ride!
2022-02-271h 47Academy Vs Audience1930: Hell's Quiet on the Angels FrontAcademy Vs Audience enters the 1930s! War! Huh. Good god, y'all, what is it good for? Well, World War One stories snag the Best Picture Oscar through the gripping, harrowing, anti-war film All Quiet on the Western Front, while Howard Hughes conquers the box office with his tale of World War One aviators, Hell's Angels... and still manages to lose money. Who tackled the war better, the Oscar darling or the people's champion? Maybe we've tipped our hand but join us for the ride. And hear the first rumblings of Dan's Film History Nemesis.Find all of...
2022-02-241h 28RecoveredEpisode 3: The Candidates ManchurianRecovered gets paranoid as Dan and Keith dive into two paranoid journeys into mind control with the Manchurian Candidate, the movie whose twist became the lexicon. Frank Sinatra and Denzel Washington unravel conspiracies, lost loves are found and lost again, while Angela Lansbury and Meryl Streep pull the strings. Who wore it best? Whose sinister conspiracy reigns supreme? Is there a point to hiding the reveal of a plot point so well known it's the Winter Soldier's nickname?
2022-02-201h 10Academy Vs Audience1929: First Joint Champion, Worst Joint Champion?As we exit the 20s, we hit our very first Joint Champion. Erin, Claire, and Dan examine The Broadway Melody, first talkie to win Best Picture, and theorize that it won both Best Picture and the box office crown because the 20s weren't great at good choices. There are songs, supporting characters who should have resulted in lawsuits, and almost a plot or character worth caring about: as they sing at us over and over, it's The Broadway Melody.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
2022-02-171h 10RecoveredEpisode 2: Our Bloody ValentinesWhat better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than with two takes on pickaxe murder enthusiast Harry Warden in My Bloody Valentine? Dan and Keith dig into the mine murders of the 1981 original, and how much the 2009 remake, from that brief period when Hollywood really wanted the guys from Supernatural in their horror movies, relied on 3D effects that you likely won't see streaming it at home. Iconic kills, awkward love triangles, multiple "Or IS he" twists, and why these movies are basically the same as Academy Award winner The Deer Hunter.
2022-02-141h 41
Academy Vs Audience1928: The Jazz WingersWelcome to Academy Vs Audience, a journey through Oscar history looking at the Academy's Best Pictures, the Box Office Champions, and where award ceremonies or public opinion went right or very, very wrong. To begin, a little bit of both, as your freelance film historians Dan, Erin, and Claire dig into the very first Oscars. The only year with two Best Pictures celebrates the silent era, while the box office champ signals its end. Thrills, beauty, and some very uncomfortable racism follow.Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at...
2022-02-051h 34
RecoveredEpisode 1: Mortal KombatsWelcome to Recovered, breaking down Hollywood’s favourite trend, the remake! This week, Dan and Keith invite you to “Get over here” as they dig into the two attempts to make a movie out of Mortal Kombat. [Dan, you have a better Mortal Kombat joke in you, find it before we publish this. -K]
2022-02-041h 29