Shows
Reel Deep DiveChristmas With Batman (1992-2003)Due to their penchant for solving problems by punching things, superheroes aren't inherently conducive to Christmas stories. They can, however, function as handy counterprogramming in the same way as semi-ironic seasonal fare like Die Hard, Gremlins, or Silent Night, Deadly Night. As such, most popular superheroes have been featured in yuletide-themed fare over the years.
Ryan, Cheryl, and Jacinta are all dorky millennials, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they feel that the pinnacle of superhero Christmas can be found in the DC Animated Universe, a series of cartoon programs beginning in 1992 with Batman: The...
2023-12-1057 min
Reel Deep DiveCandyman (1992)One of the most noteworthy slashers of its period, Candyman centers upon a Chicago semiotics student (Virginia Madsen) who blunders into the wrath of a supernatural folklore spirit (Tony Todd). Based on a Clive Barker short story that uses ghosts to symbolize income inequality in Liverpool, writer/director Bernard Rose moved the setting to Chicago and gave the narrative a subtext that comments on American racism.
Ryan is joined by Rachel for a lengthy discussion about this atmospheric, moody, and complicated film. While citing a handful of the extensive academic commentary done on Candyman, Ryan and Rachel...
2023-12-0349 min
Reel Deep DivePokémon: The First Movie (1998)Released when the Pokémon multimedia franchise was at the zenith of its initial mania, Pokémon: The First Movie received critical scorn but easily became an unqualified smash due to its passionate international fanbase of 6-11 year olds. Very much in this demographic is Latisha, who joins Ryan for an in depth talk about this interesting time capsule of late-90's pop culture.
Ryan and Latisha do go into Pokémon's origins in gaming and how it was quickly spun off into manga, anime, trading cards, and lots of other mediums, but much of the thematic con...
2023-11-0544 min
Reel Deep DiveMeet the Robinsons (2007)Released during a period with increased competition from rival studios, Meet the Robinsons marks a transitional period in Disney's approach to animated feature films. The company had just bought Pixar and appointed John Lasseter as chief creative officer. Meet the Robinsons was already nearing completion when this occurred, but Lasseter had at least 60% of the film redone before it debuted in theaters to mild critical response and disappointing box office.
While frequently written off as a minor entry in the Disney catalog, the massive size and reach of the Mouse ensured that Meet the Robinsons was nonetheless...
2023-07-0247 min
Reel Deep DiveCare Bears II: A New Generation (1986)While originally conceived as greeting card mascots with an accompanying toy line, the Care Bears debuted in a market where children's media was freshly-deregulated and immersed in shameless commercialism. It was perhaps inevitable that these characters would be spun off into an animated toy commercial that was barely masquerading as an entertainment property, but the success of the IP was far from certain. Still, despite its limited budget and rushed production schedule, the first Care Bears movie made a killing at the box office in 1985, outgrossing the much more expensive Disney effort The Black Cauldron. A theatrical continuation then...
2023-05-2853 min
Reel Deep DiveShorts! The Three Stooges with Larry Fine (1934-52)While his screen persona is arguably the least defined of the Three Stooges, Larry Fine is frequently argued as the glue that holds the act together. While not as driven as Moe, as wild as Curly, or as physical as Shemp, Larry's role as the relative voice of reason (and his penchant for bizarre ad-libs) adds ballast to many a Stooges short. That, combined with his almost musically-acute sense of timing, means that studious viewers will easily find many ways in which Larry Fine's performance elevates the humor in most anything he appeared in.
...
2023-03-1958 min
Reel Deep DiveLittle Women (2019)Arguably the most ambitious and accomplished of the many, many outside media adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 coming-of-age novel, Greta Gerwig's 2019 take on Little Women scored rave reviews and high box office returns. Its studio, knowing that period dramas with lots of actorly moments tend to do well at the Oscars, campaigned hard for it during awards season (it got lots of major award nominations, but it won only a few fancy trophies).
Little Women is one of Sylvan's favorite things ever, so they suggested it to Ryan as a podcast subject. Little Women is a massive...
2023-03-1256 min
Reel Deep DiveToy Story (1995)While Toy Story holds the distinctions of being the first computer animated feature film and the IP that established Pixar's brand identity, its endurance in pop culture goes far beyond its groundbreaking elements. Toy Story is a deeply emotive and humanizing film that also possesses great story structure, a deep bench of likable characters, and a warmly relatable sense of humor. Toy Story becomes all the more remarkable when one looks into the behind the scenes drama; there were hundreds of ways this project almost fell of the rails, but somehow everything came together exactly when it needed to.
2023-02-261h 04
Reel Deep DiveCasablanca (1942)Made at the height of World World II, Casablanca centers on a group of drunks, gamblers, criminals, refugees, cops, and Nazis contending for a valuable set of papers that can ensure one safe transit out of the reach of the Third Reich. These documents wind up in the hands of saloon owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), meaning that everyone from corrupt police Captain Renault (Claude Rains) to Rick's old flame Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) suddenly take a serious interest in his actions and motives.
While a moderate success with critics and audiences upon release, Casablanca cleaned up at...
2023-02-0549 min
Reel Deep DiveTroop Beverly Hills (1989)Troop Beverly Hills is a late 1980's comedy centering on a privileged housewife (Shelley Long) taking a position as the leader of her daughter's Wilderness Girls group. This is initially so she can demonstrate her resolve to her estranged husband (Craig T. Nelson), but she gradually bonds with her child (Jenny Lewis), forms connections with the other girls, and develops a rivalry with the Culver City troop run by the conniving Velda Plendor (Betty Thomas).
Troop Beverly Hills received a critical drubbing and it bombed in theaters, but it built an appreciative cult audience among millennial girls...
2023-01-2241 min
Reel Deep DiveCity Lights (1931)Defying the ascent of talkies, Charlie Chaplin conceived and filmed City Lights as a romantic comedy in pantomime and released it well after the silent era was dead. Despite this, City Lights was an acclaimed success and is routinely argued as Chaplin's masterpiece. It's also Ryan's favorite Chaplin film, meaning that he was eager to drag Sylvan and Cheryl in for a discussion about its merits, impact, and legacy.
Discussion topics for this one include the film's troubled production, Chaplin's contentious relationship with co-star Virginia Cherrill, the movie's progressive (for its time) depictions of physical disability, Chaplin's...
2023-01-0835 min
Reel Deep DiveCharacter Studies: Steven Universe (2013-2020)The titular character of Steven Universe is a young boy whose heritage stems from both the human race and a species of alien gem people rebelling against an intergalactic colonial state. Caught in the middle of this centuries-long conflict, Steven is forced to grow up very quickly over the course of the series. This leads him to take a very idiosyncratic approach to concepts like kindness, empathy, understanding, and self-actualization. Naturally, the program's in depth explorations of emotional intelligence have had a pronounced effect on its target audience of young people (and also Steven Universe's many adult fans).
2023-01-0137 min
Reel Deep DiveKey Episodes: Bob's Burgers Thanksgiving Episodes (2012-20)The TV sitcom is arguably the most widespread artistic representation of ordinary, quotidian life and, as such, many sitcoms tackle popular holidays on their episodes. It is Ryan's opinion that Bob's Burgers handles Thanksgiving with better craft and thematic focus than just about any other program of its kind. He brings on Sarah for a discussion about three of these episodes, all of which were scripted by Wendy and Lizzie Molyneux.
Conversational topics for this recording include Linda's Thanksgiving song, patriarchal neediness, and how Bob distinguishes himself from just about every other TV sitcom dad. Ryan and...
2022-11-2739 min
Reel Deep DiveCharacter Studies: Jubilee (X-Men: The Animated Series 1992-96)This recording is intended to be the first of a series of podcast episodes focusing on X-Men: The Animated Series. Instead of framing things on key episodes or writers integral to the series, this particular facet of Reel Deep Dive will instead take a character from the program and break things down from their perspective. Since Jubilee served as the audience POV figure for much of X-Men: The Animated Series, Ryan is starting things off with her. We'll do episodes focusing on Storm, Rogue, Wolverine, Beast, and other fan favorites if this one gets enough clicks to justify such...
2022-09-191h 09
Reel Deep DiveLegends of the Hidden Temple (1993-95)Following the smash success of Double Dare, children's cable network Nickelodeon produced a flurry of game shows over the course of the next decade and a half. Legends of the Hidden Temple, like most of these programs, imitated Double Dare's blend of trivia questions and obstacle course challenges. However, as one would likely infer based on the title of the program, Legends of the Hidden Temple framed itself in the aesthetic of "lost world" adventure romances like King Solomon's Mines, The Man Who Would Be King, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Included among the show's elaborate set pieces...
2022-08-1430 min
Reel Deep DiveSlaxx (2020)Slaxx, a 2020 Canadian horror comedy, is about a clothing outlet being terrorized by a pair of jeans possessed by the vengeful ghost of a slain sweatshop worker. As that brief description implies, Slaxx is both deeply absurd and highly didactic. It crams a lot of indictments of fast fashion, the retail mindset, and capitalism into its lean 77 minute running time, but also tosses in plenty of slapstick murder gags and broadly awful caricatures getting what's coming to them.
Ryan is joined by Cheryl for a breakdown of this low budget sleeper hit. Discussion topics naturally include the...
2022-07-1734 min
Reel Deep DiveDoctor Strange (1978)Following the success of the Incredible Hulk television show that began airing in 1977, American networks tried to find another Marvel superhero who could captivate the viewers at home. Among their selected candidates was Doctor Strange, a heroic wizard whose comics had attracted a cult audience of children, fantasy nerds, and collegiate stoners ever since he was created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee in 1963. CBS commissioned Philip DeGuere to direct a film that would serve as a pilot for a potential series; exploitation film regular Peter Hooten was cast as Doctor Strange while Jessica Walter, who'd later attain wider...
2022-05-0140 min
Reel Deep DiveKey Episodes: The Twilight Zone by Richard Matheson (1959-1963)This recording is the third in a series that breaks down The Twilight Zone through its writing staff. If you'd like to visit (or revisit) the prior installments centering upon Jerry Sohl and Charles Beaumont, feel free to scroll down. You will not, however, miss out on any important context if you just dive in here.
Probably the most esteemed Twilight Zone writer who isn't Rod Serling, winnowing down Richard Matheson's episodes to a representational trio is a mental challenge to anyone who is even a little nerdy. As such, Ryan conscripted Rachel and Sylvan to select...
2022-04-1138 min
Reel Deep DiveRebel Without A Cause (1955)Originally envisioned as a trashy, lowbrow exploitation thriller, Rebel Without A Cause got a massive boost to its budget when the success of East Of Eden (1955) convinced Warner Brothers that James Dean was a rising star worth more of an investment. Alongside director Nicholas Ray, Dean carefully molded the coming-of-age story into a tragic, Shakespearean melodrama. Released just after Dean's sudden death, Rebel Without A Cause struck a nerve in the American psyche and has remained a pop culture fixture to the present day.
Ryan is joined by Rachel for an in-depth breakdown of this Hollywood classic...
2022-03-2053 min
Reel Deep DiveKey Episodes: The Simpsons by Conan O'Brien (1992-93)One of the bedrock pop cultural institutions of its time, The Simpsons is unsurprisingly a formative TV experience for many of the commentators on Reel Deep Dive. Like with The Twilight Zone, Ryan has decided to tackle the program by doing a series of recordings where he and his guests break down the program by focusing on the most influential members of its writing staff.
First up is Conan O'Brien, whose long career as a talk show host makes him the only Simpsons writer who's a celebrity outside of nerd circles. We're taking a look at the...
2022-02-1345 min
Reel Deep DiveHoward The Duck (1986)Based on a goofy, satirical comic book published by Marvel in the 1970's, Howard The Duck was produced by George Lucas when he was considered the man with the Midas touch. One of the most infamous box office failures of all time, the movie lost money, ruined careers, and flooded the world with duck puns. However, because of its omnipresence on basic cable and video rental store shelves, this film gradually became a cult favorite among Gen X and millennial audiences.
Ryan is joined by Cheryl for a close reading of this weird mess. Those of you l...
2022-01-3032 min
Reel Deep DiveKey Episodes: The Tick Season 1 (1994-95)The network execs who greenlit The Tick as a Saturday morning cartoon were baldly trying to replicate the smash success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This is a bit more obvious upon examination; like the Ninja Turtles, The Tick was based on an indie comics series by an eccentric artist from New England, the show features many toyetic character designs, and much of the TMNT cast was hired to voice various characters (including the titular protagonist). However, while The Tick was popular enough to get renewed for two additional seasons and the IP remained in the public imagination...
2022-01-0939 min
Reel Deep DivePurple Rain (1984)A loosely autobiographical account of Prince's rise in the Minneapolis music scene, the Purple Rain film is a wild, messy, silly, uneven, and idiosyncratic time capsule. While one could argue that Purple Rain is a bit slight as a movie, its soundtrack was a juggernaut that sold millions of copies, was played endlessly on Top 40 radio, captured the essence of an era, and even spurred congressional hearings due to horny song lyrics. As such, Purple Rain has become a generational touchstone like few other hit movies of the 1980's.
Ryan is joined by Cheryl for an in...
2021-12-2639 min
Reel Deep DiveThe Mummy (1999)Ostensibly a remake of the low budget 1932 horror movie, writer/director Stephen Sommers' take on The Mummy borrows more heavily from Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) than German Expressionism. A rollicking, high octane adventure story with scenic vistas, elaborate special effects, and a bombastic score from Jerry Goldsmith, The Mummy received mixed reviews and bountiful box office. While it was pretty shameless about being a disposable throwback to the popcorn entertainments of yore, The Mummy has had sturdier legs than what many had assumed in 1999. In addition to two direct sequels and a mess of spinoffs, The Mummy supercharged...
2021-11-141h 00
Reel Deep DiveHouse (1977)A dazzlingly unique cult film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, House follows seven teenage girls as they unwittingly enter a realm haunted by the bitter (and voracious) ghost of a woman waiting in vain for her long dead fiancé. That's a fairly basic premise for a haunted house feature, but Obayashi's avant garde instincts collide in kaleidoscopic ways with the movie's homemade special effects, amateur performances, odd musical score, and the studio's insistence that there be nudity. The result is an expressionistic and madcap film that stands alone in the cinematic landscape; it's certainly very different from Jaws (1975), which producers a...
2021-10-3146 min
Reel Deep DiveHellraiser (1987)Adapted from his own novella, Clive Barker's directorial efforts on Hellraiser are often lambasted for their amateurish touch and brusque storytelling (and few critics were harsher about it than Barker himself). Still, Hellraiser struck a chord with audiences for its bold ambition, its uncompromising commitment to the grotesque, and its unapologetic exploration of sadomasochism. This film led to nine direct sequels, an upcoming reboot, and a barrage of merchandise and brand extensions. The film's principle monster, nicknamed Pinhead by the crew, also become an unlikely October kitsch mascot in the same vein of Dracula, Freddy Krueger, and The Crypt...
2021-10-1056 min
Reel Deep DiveThe Invisible Man (1933)Pitched shortly after the success of Dracula (1931), but not put into development until after Frankenstein (1931), The Invisible Man outgrossed most of its predecessors in the Universal Monsters megafranchise and is probably one the main reasons why the studio kept cranking these things out for the next twenty-five years. Reasonably faithful to its source novel (H.G. Wells had veto power over the script), The Invisible Man is fondly remembered for its groundbreaking visual effects; the film predates the widespread adoption of green screen technology by decades and treated audiences to something that nobody had ever seen before. This movie...
2021-10-0334 min
Reel Deep DiveDeath To Smoochy (2002)This episode centers upon a film about the seedy underbelly of children's entertainment. A scummy kid's TV host (Robin Williams) loses his gig after getting caught up in a bribery scandal. His replacement (Edward Norton) is a wholesome, guileless entertainer who has to contend with the sabotage attempts made by his predecessor, but his true test comes when his well-defined ethical code is tested by the widespread corruption and late stage capitalistic excesses of the modern media landscape. Catherine Keener, Harvey Fierstein, Jon Stewart, Pam Ferris, Michael Rispoli, Vincent Schiavelli, and Danny Woodburn give supporting performances.
Death...
2021-09-1952 min
Reel Deep DiveKey Episodes: The Silver Surfer (1998)Following the conclusion of long-running X-Men and Spider-Man programs that dominated Saturday morning TV ratings during the early-to-mid 1990's, the Fox network commissioned Saban to adapt other Marvel properties to replace them. Among them was The Silver Surfer, starring a spacefaring wanderer with a psychedelic aesthetic, thematic ties to medieval folklore, and an enduring cult audience. The show, which earned solid ratings but was still canceled after one season due to Saban's financial struggles and Marvel's bankruptcy issues, drew heavily from the style of comics artist Jack Kirby and the ponderous melodrama of comics writer/editor Stan Lee. It...
2021-08-221h 06
Reel Deep DiveThe Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920)Ryan picked a still image of Cesare for Reel Deep Dive's thumbnail, so it was only a matter of time before The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari was the subject of an episode. The first German Expressionist film and one of the most influential works in the history of cinema, The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari is noteworthy for the psychological allegories in its set dressing, the story's antiauthoritarian bent, and for (possibly) being the first movie to have a twist ending.
Ryan is joined by Cheryl and Pete for this one. Discussion points include Tim Burton's debt to...
2021-08-1532 min
Reel Deep DiveMegamind (2010)Megamind was a moderately successful film, but it was buried during an especially competitive year for family-friendly animated films. Tangled, Toy Story 3, How To Train Your Dragon, Shrek Forever After, The Secret World Of Arriety, and Despicable Me also came out in 2010; so yeah, Megamind isn't even the only family-friendly animated film of 2010 to feature a supervillain as its protagonist. Even among cartoon nerds, this movie is frequently overlooked.
So, why are we covering it on this show? Well, it's a sentimental childhood favorite of Rachel, who really wanted to talk about it. Ryan is less enthusiastic...
2021-08-0846 min
Reel Deep DiveWhen Harry Met Sally (1989)One of the quintessential romantic comedies, When Harry Met Sally follows its titular characters through a twelve year period where their prickly acquaintance gradually evolves into a close friendship and ultimately a marriage. This film either established or popularized a great number of tropes that are associated with romcoms; it's not an overstatement to label When Harry Met Sally as one of the most imitated American films ever made.
Ryan is joined by Rachel for this episode. Talking points include the film's quaint (and heteronormative) question about whether men and women can be friends without sexual tension sp...
2021-07-111h 02
Reel Deep DiveThe Great Muppet Caper (1981)Following the success of 1979's The Muppet Movie (and the final season of the television show), Jim Henson and his team dialed up their ambitions for the next installment in the franchise. Just about every aspect of The Muppet Movie that people liked was brought back, except bigger and bolder. Did you enjoy the numerous celebrity cameos? Well, here are even more of those. Did you like all the running gags and groaner puns? There's an endless barrage of that sort of thing in this movie. Were you impressed with how they got Kermit to ride a bike in...
2021-06-2141 min
Reel Deep DiveBatman: The Movie (1966)Reel Deep Dive returns to the world of Batman with the character's first feature film (if you don't count the awful 1940's serials, which get a passing mention). Ryan is joined by Cheryl as they discuss the Dynamic Duo's efforts to foil a wicked plot by Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman to dehydrate ambassadors of the (not quite) United Nations into colorful powder and then ransom them for a billion dollars. Shark repellent, ball-point bananas, cartoonish Russian accents, and the inability to dispose of explosives are touched upon along the way.
Ryan and Cheryl are both Batman...
2021-06-131h 00
Reel Deep DiveThe Rescuers (1977)Often considered one of the few bright spots during a particularly inauspicious creative rut in Disney's history, The Rescuers marked a key transitional phase of the company's evolution. The Rescuers is the last Disney animated film to feature significant contributions from any of the Nine Old Men, the core animators from the studio's golden era. The Rescuers is also the first Disney animated film to feature significant contributions from animators who'd be important to the Disney Renaissance period that'd begin with 1989's The Little Mermaid. The Rescuers is also the only Disney animated film to have Don Bluth as...
2021-06-0642 min
Reel Deep DiveThe Fog (1980)Reel Deep Dive returns to the filmography of John Carpenter and Debra Hill with this supernatural horror film. Set in a sleepy coastal city in the midst of its centennial festivities, The Fog's action centers upon a group of vengeful ghosts who sweep into the community under the cover of a glowing fog and exact vengeance for the deliberate shipwreck that killed them upon the city's founding. It features an ensemble cast headlined by Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh, and Hal Holbrook.
Ryan is joined by Cheryl and Pete as they deconstruct the...
2021-05-3030 min
Reel Deep DiveShorts! Wallace & Gromit (1989-1995)Reel Deep Dive makes its first foray into the world of short films by doing a study of the first three Wallace & Gromit outings. 1989's A Grand Day Out began life as a student film by animator Nick Park and, after a laborious six year creative process, became an unexpected smash hit. Its two follow-ups, 1993's The Wrong Trousers and 1995's A Close Shave, solidified the starring duo's status as British pop culture icons while winning awards, generating lucrative spinoff characters, and driving cheese sales.
Ryan is joined by Rachel for this deconstruction of a widely-beloved comedic...
2021-05-1648 min
Reel Deep DiveWinchester (2018)Winchester, alternatively known as Winchester: The House That Ghosts Built, is a 2018 horror film that had been in some form of development since 2009. It's an anachronistic take on the infamous Winchester Mystery House, a building erected by the wealthy rifle heiress Sarah Winchester. This woman was convinced that she was being haunted by the vindictive ghosts of those killed by the Winchester repeating rifle, so the house was under perpetual renovation during her lifetime and it bears many architectural curiosities that were supposed to trap, confuse, and misdirect vengeful spirits.
Cheryl picked this film because it reminded...
2021-05-0928 min
Reel Deep DiveLone Wolf And Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)Closely adapted from the classic manga series, Lone Wolf And Cub: Sword of Vengeance is the first of a film series that ran for six installments between 1972 and 1974. It stars Tomisaburo Wakayama as Ogami Itto, a disgraced former executioner to the shogun. He is forced to travel the Japanese countryside with his young son in a heavily-armed baby carriage. Together, the two take on dirty jobs in the hopes of one day exacting vengeance against the wicked clan who framed Itto for the crimes that caused his fall from grace.
Ryan is joined by Rachel for this...
2021-05-0345 min
Reel Deep DiveGodzilla Vs. Kong (2021)Godzilla Vs. Kong is a deliberately silly movie that accidentally got swept up in a number of larger forces. It's the first major studio film to make a big splash in American theaters during the pandemic, meaning that cultural historians of later generations may examine it as a signpost of how society reacted to the specter of Covid-19. Did audiences show up to Godzilla Vs. Kong for its promises of escapism? Did they buy tickets because this was simply the first massive studio release to come out after much of the population decided that it was officially safe to...
2021-04-2532 min
Reel Deep DiveMortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)In order to boost their engagement, many film podcasts will schedule episodes relevant to the current discourse in the cinema landscape. Reel Deep Dive is hesitant to chase after trending topics, but Ryan just happened to record a discussion about this direct-to-DVD Mortal Kombat animated film. So, he's scheduling it a week before a new Mortal Kombat film is debuting in theaters and HBO Max. Maybe we'll get a few extra clicks out of it...
Regardless, Ryan's had a bee in his bonnet about this movie ever since he stumbled across it. Cheryl has been dragged in...
2021-04-1825 min
Reel Deep DiveBlood Quantum (2019)Blood Quantum is a Canadian zombie film written, produced, directed, and starring First Nations people. It centers on an Indigenous Reservation that becomes a refuge during an archetypical zombie apocalypse. In this film's universe, indigenous people are immune to infection from zombie bites. This puts them in a precarious position when white refugees arrive at their compound and beg for sanctuary. The metaphors in the subtext of this plot are about as obvious as zombies wandering around a shopping mall, but Blood Quantum is very much an exploitation film whose focus lies upon gore and mayhem.
Ryan...
2021-04-1129 min
Reel Deep Dive2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)Reel Deep Dive continues its breakdown of the Fast & The Furious franchise with its second installment, often argued as the worst installment in the series. Vin Diesel declined to participate, meaning that Paul Walker's street racing foil is now played by Tyreese Gibson. They've been conscripted to infiltrate a Floridian drug cartel and take down its kingpin by being really, really good at stunt driving. Hijinks, high speed chases, and half-assed ad-libbed dialogue ensues.
Ryan is joined by Sarah and Pete as they dissect this mediocre action movie. Discussion topics include the problems inherent in going back...
2021-04-0442 min
Reel Deep DiveLoving Vincent (2017)The plot of Loving Vincent takes place a year after the death of its titular character and centers upon a young man obsessively seeking the truth behind the artist's suspicious suicide. That being said, the core appeal of the film lies not in its story but rather in its storytelling. Loving Vincent was famously animated through hundreds of oil paintings that were painstakingly retouched by hand before each frame was shot. This process is a laborious, unprecedented approach whose result is an utter wonder to behold.
Ryan is joined by Cheryl for a discussion about this singular...
2021-03-2826 min
Reel Deep DiveBridge On The River Kwai (1957)Reel Deep Dive hasn't really covered an old fashioned "dad movie" yet, so Rachel suggested that we talk about director David Lean's first foray into epic cinematic storytelling. Set during World War II, Bridge On The River Kwai concerns a group of British POWs tasked with building a strategically-valuable bridge on a path between Rangoon and Siam. Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) is initially uncooperative with his Japanese captors, but ultimately grows obsessed with completing the project, often to the detriment of his men. This conflict comes to a head when a team of commandos attempt to destroy the...
2021-03-2154 min
Reel Deep DiveWandaVision Episodes 7-9 (2021)We're wrapping up our coverage of WandaVision with this episode. Ryan is joined by Sarah and Nicole to discuss Wanda processing her trauma, reckoning with inflicting her grief upon the citizens of Westview, coping with the loss of her family, confronting the story's main antagonists, and (since this is an MCU product) providing some teasers about what's coming next.
Discussion topics for this segment centers upon how art meditates upon loss, how the structure of network sitcoms intersects with the storytelling in serialized superhero comics (and how both can be a balm for the messiness of real...
2021-03-1433 min
Reel Deep DiveZardoz (1974)Zardoz lingers in the public imagination as an unintentionally hilarious creative misfire. It was written, directed, and produced by a supremely confident John Boorman, fresh off a succession of creative and commercial triumphs. It features Sean Connery skulking about in both a red diaper and a wedding dress. This first ten minutes of the film showcases a floating stone head that lectures people about how the penis is evil before it vomits rifles at them. For some, Zardoz is a cautionary tale about artistic hubris. For others, it ranks alongside Troll 2, The Room, Plan 9 From Outer Space, and Birdemic...
2021-03-0740 min
Reel Deep DiveWandaVision Episodes 4-6 (2021)This is the second of three Reel Deep Dive episodes covering WandaVision. Feel free to scroll down and click on the preceding installment if you'd like to listen to us cover episodes 1-3.
For this installment, Ryan is joined by Sarah and Nicole as he deconstructs the middle segment of Wanda and Vision's story-arc. This covers the period where Wanda's sitcom reality warp are being monitored by government agencies in the outside world. Certain elements of Wanda's trauma are explored more deeply, the Vision's suspicions of his wife are agitated, and "special guest stars" complicate matters further.
2021-02-2825 min
Reel Deep DiveThe Karate Kid (1984)Plenty of fun things on the internet lose their appeal once their creators begin tracing trends. A sense of joy is lost when one stops writing about what they care about and focus instead upon what they think will drive clicks.
Conversely, anyone who produces a podcast, video essay, or blog post is doing so for an audience. Even the most iconoclastic maverick has to be at least a little bit conscientious of what people actually want to watch or listen to.
This is a roundabout way to explain why this episode of Reel Deep...
2021-02-2141 min
Reel Deep DiveKey Episodes: The Twilight Zone by Jerry Sohl (1963-64)This episode kicks off a series of features centering on The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling's classic anthology show of sci-fi, twist endings, and socio-political allegories. We're going to be dividing them up based on writers. Ryan had too much trepidation about tackling Serling or Richard Matheson for the initial outing, so we're talking about the three episodes that Jerry Sohl ghostwrote on behalf of Charles Beaumont. They include "Queen of the Nile", "The New Exhibit", and the iconic "Living Doll" episodes.
Ryan is joined by Rachel and Sylvan for a dialogue about the background, narrative construction, and...
2021-02-1445 min
Reel Deep DiveTerror Of Mechagodzilla (1975)It's fairly common knowledge that the first Godzilla film was a thinly-veiled allegory for nuclear devastation. However, while parables about ecological ruin and government fallibility never quite left the series, Godzilla's growing appeal among small children meant that his sequels would get progressively more colorful and silly as the years went on. Terror of Mechagodzilla, the subject for this episode, came out when its star was depicted as an unambiguous superhero; it wound up being the final installment in the franchise's Shōwa Period (iterations of Godzilla are named after whoever happened to be emperor of Japan at the t...
2021-02-0732 min
Reel Deep DiveWandaVision Episodes 1-3 (2021)A common complaint about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that its films often come off as the homogenous product of an anonymous assembly line. The superhero comics that they're derived from are often the formulaic result of journeymen frantically scrambling to meet deadlines for an audience of undiscerning eight year olds, but the longevity of certain characters have meant that creative teams have interpreted them through many different perspectives. Superheroes are a mash-up of a number of 1930's pulp adventure tropes and many other aspects of genre fiction have been applied to them over the decades. For instance, over...
2021-01-3135 min
Reel Deep DiveThe Fast And The Furious (2001)The Fast And The Furious was a successful movie, but it's unlikely that anyone in 2001 could predict that it would be the starting point for a massively-successful and influential franchise that's beloved the world over, has begrudgingly won critical accolades, and is still going strong after two decades. A teenaged Ryan certainly didn't think so when a high school friend dragged him in to see the first movie in theaters; he was unimpressed and skipped all the sequels despite the fact that all the cool kids started getting on board when the fifth one came out.
At...
2021-01-2444 min
Reel Deep DiveSelena (1997)Ryan definitely wouldn't have picked this topic if left to his own devices; he's not a big Selena listener and he's not usually fond of biopics for iconic musicians (he later had to cut a lot of ranting on the latter subject out of the episode because it veered too far away from relevancy). Sylvan, on the other hand, had an adolescent obsession with the charismatic Tejano vocalist profiled in this film.
Shot less than two years after the death of its subject, Selena helped make Jennifer Lopez a star while providing a salve for mourning fans...
2021-01-1749 min
Reel Deep DiveStagecoach (1939)Stagecoach is a film that revived the Western as a film genre, solidified John Ford as one of the iconic Western directors, and made John Wayne into a star. It's also a strong ensemble feature that boasts gripping action scenes, gorgeous shots of Monument Valley, tight editing, layered characterization, and defining performances from Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, and Thomas Mitchell.
Ryan is joined by Rachel for this look at one of the defining gems of Golden Age Hollywood. This is the first Western covered by Reel Deep Dive, so there's some dialogue about how Western cinema helped...
2021-01-1053 min
Reel Deep DiveThe Inferno (1911)This adaptation of Dante Alighieri's narrative poem, one of the earliest feature-length films, finds the poet braving the terrors of hell with Virgil as a guide. Drawing from Gustave Doré's famed engravings and employing many of the trick photography techniques pioneered by Georges Méliès, The Inferno caused an instant sensation upon its 1911 debut and has yet to lose its ability to strike audiences. Only about a third of the film's three hours have survived to the present day, but The Inferno remains a bold, unique, and captivating example of cinema's formative era.
Ryan is joi...
2021-01-0345 min
Reel Deep DiveBatman Returns (1992)The 1989 Batman film was one of the most successful films ever released up to that point, so director Tim Burton was given a staggering budget and a great deal of creative autonomy when he was lured back in to direct its sequel. The resulting film remains one of the most idiosyncratic blockbusters ever released by a major American studio. Batman Returns was a major tentpole release that was consciously marketed to small children, but also featured a homicidal protagonist, plenty of kink play, a rapey sewer mutant as the principle bad guy, and a convoluted plot involving a disgraced...
2020-12-271h 05
Reel Deep DiveA Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)The surprise success of A Charlie Brown Christmas has led to a deluge of sequels, spin-offs, imitations, parodies, and merchandising tie-ins over the course of the seven decades since its premiere. Despite that, this film remains unique among holiday specials for its sincere, forthright, and unpretentious approach to the seasonal depression, social anxiety, and endless commodification that bears down on us every December.
Ryan is joined by his ten year old nephew Toby for this episode. Toby struggled to sit through this one, hiding under his chair or finding an excuse to leave the room whenever the...
2020-12-2026 min
Reel Deep DiveMuppet Christmas Carol (1992)There are numerous screen versions of Charles Dickens' 1843 holiday fable 'A Christmas Carol', but to many millennials (Ryan included) the definitive take is the 1992 Brian Henson film. The first major Muppet project to be undertaken after the untimely death of Jim Henson, Muppet Christmas Carol stars Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge with Kermit, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, and various other Muppets filling out the bulk of the supporting players.
Ryan is joined by his brother Sylvan as they deconstruct this perennial nostalgic favorite. They touch upon the various creative choices made by the filmmakers that distinguish this movie...
2020-12-1346 min
Reel Deep DiveBlack Christmas (1974)One of the formative slasher movies, Black Christmas concerns a sorority house accosted by an unknown killer who slaughters young college students from his base in the building's attic. It features an eerie score from Carl Zittrer, grounded direction from Bob Clark, and strong performances from Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder. While only a modest success in its day, Black Christmas gained an enduring cult rep and its stylistic innovations were imitated by many subsequent horror movies, most notably Halloween (1978).
Ryan is joined by Rachel as he describes and deconstructs this film. Talking points for this episode...
2020-12-0643 min
Reel Deep DiveHeavy Metal (1981)Reel Deep Dive has previously held discussions about how adolescent male power fantasies are transferred to celluloid, but Heavy Metal ranks among the most transparent and shameless attempts to graft a 14-year-old-boy's desires to a feature film. An animated sci-fi/fantasy anthology film based on the popular comics magazine, Heavy Metal is crammed to the gills with superfluous nudity, buckets of gore, psychedelic visuals, and late 70's dad rock.
Ryan is joined by Rachel, who hadn't seen the film or even heard of it prior to watching it for this episode. She's a bit shaken by the...
2020-11-291h 07
Reel Deep DiveAddams Family Values (1993)Some of the episodes for this podcast center on big milestones that are significant to the history of cinema. Others, such as this episode, focus on films that Ryan watched an awful lot as a child. Addams Family Values was one of those movies that Ryan put on at least a couple times a year. His family still plays it on every Thanksgiving, hence the decision to post this episode a few days before the holiday.
Ryan is joined by his brother Sylvan; they were molded by this film even moreso than Ryan (particularly by Christina Ricci's...
2020-11-2244 min
Reel Deep DiveVillage of the Damned (1960)A sleepy English village is beset by a strange, alien phenomenon that impregnates every person with a functioning uterus. The resulting children are cold, distant brood parasites with a collective hive mind and terrifying psychic abilities. They soon begin terrorizing the community while British intelligence studies other areas of the world suffering from comparable situations. Many, including the film's main protagonist, conclude that the human race is being invaded by extraterrestrial conquerors.
That's the basic gist of Village of the Damned, a tightly-paced supernatural thriller released during the height of the Cold War. Ryan is joined by...
2020-11-1535 min
Reel Deep DiveForbidden Planet (1956)When a person in the modern day is asked to picture the aesthetic of retro sci-fi, they'll probably conjure imagery rooted in 1956's Forbidden Planet. Loosely based upon Shakespeare's The Tempest, Forbidden Planet was a bold and ambitious attempt to apply MGM's penchant for colorful spectacle to science fiction. Its success affected much of what followed in the genre, including Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, Star Wars, and Futurama. Its music is also noteworthy for being the first Hollywood film score composed exclusively with electronic instruments.
Ryan and Rachel discuss all those points, but they also carve...
2020-11-0836 min
Reel Deep DivePryde of the X-Men (1989)Ryan hosts a movie dork podcast in his spare time. Also, he's the type of guy who writes about himself in the third person while composing its episode descriptions. With those things in mind, it's not shocking to state that he can be an insufferable geek on occasion. However, the apex of his insufferable geekiness lies with the X-Men, a franchise he's been obsessed with since the age of six. Once he gets started, it becomes very difficult for Ryan to shut up about his very important opinions about these very important characters.
As such, Ryan's been...
2020-11-0147 min
Reel Deep DiveLittle Shop of Horrors (1986)There must have been a time when the very existence of Little Shop of Horrors seemed like an oddity. It is, after all, a campy musical about a killer plant whose songbook cribs liberally from mid-20th century R&B music. However, after several decades worth of amateur productions and a steady presence on both cable TV and streaming services, Little Shop of Horrors has established itself as a persistent mainstay in the popular consciousness.
Both Ryan and Rachel participated in school productions of Little Shop and they talk about their experiences as they deconstruct the 1986 film...
2020-10-2545 min
Reel Deep DiveHalloween (1978)One could plausibly argue that Halloween is one of the most imitated movies ever made. It was hardly the first horror film whose plot points drive it to what is now known as the slasher subgenre, but it created or calcified most of the tropes that define the idiom. Its impressive feat of reaping massive returns on its tiny investment guaranteed an onslaught of sequels, reboots, remakes, rip-offs, and parodies. Halloween's shadow extends to the present day and it's unlikely to dissipate anytime soon.
Ryan is joined on this episode by Sylvan, who had never seen the...
2020-10-1845 min
Reel Deep DiveGhostwatch (1992)Found footage is a film genre where some (or all) of the work is presented as if it were discovered film or video recordings. The events on the screen are shown through the perspective of one of the characters, often with commentary presented in real time. This approach is often used in horror movies. Rachel is a big fan of found footage; Ryan considers it a storytelling crutch frequently used by lazy filmmakers on cheap productions.
Ghostwatch is a staged "report" of a haunted English home. It was, in the hopes of attaining a veneer of plausibility...
2020-10-1128 min
Reel Deep DiveDouble Feature: Waxworks (1924) and Waxwork (1988)Being an aficionado of schlocky horror movies from the 80's, Cheryl picked Waxwork when it was her turn to select the subject for an installment of Reel Deep Dive. While digging up background info on the film for his notes, Ryan stumbled across the fact that Waxwork is supposedly a remake of Waxworks, a German Expressionist film from 1924. He asked Cheryl if it'd be cool if they compared and contrasted the two movies for the episode. Cheryl was keen on the idea, setting up a dilemma over the fact that, aside from the title, these two movies don't actually...
2020-10-0444 min
Reel Deep DiveBloodsport (1988)At the apex of 1980's action excess, Jean-Claude Van Damme carved out a niche for himself in this low budget martial arts film. Bloodsport was a moderate success at the box office, but grew a much bigger following through home video and basic cable broadcasts. Its most prominent features include amateurishly hammy acting, choppy cinematography, and Van Damme's penchant for silly gesticulations, humorously odd facial contortions, and finding any pretext he can to do a split. Ryan and Rachel touch upon each of these points in their deconstruction of Bloodsport, but they also discuss its drawn-out production, gloriously cheesy...
2020-09-2746 min
Reel Deep DiveMatilda (1996)The titular character of Matilda is a precocious little girl who contends against corrupt, neglectful parents and a tyrannical school principal. Directed by Danny DeVito and based on the 1988 book by beloved children's author Roald Dahl, Matilda was a box office disappointment that gradually became a cult classic through home video and TV broadcasts (a popular subject for this podcast). Ryan is joined by Sarah and Toby for this episode. They talk about why Matilda connected so deeply with Sarah when she was the same age as the protagonist. They go into detail about the movie's infamous chocolate cake...
2020-09-2043 min
Reel Deep DiveRun Lola Run (1998)Run Lola Run has a pretty straightforward premise: The titular character needs to acquire 100,000 Deutschmarks in twenty minutes in order to keep her boyfriend from getting killed by the mob. She seems to be stuck in a Groundhog Day-styled time loop until she can manage to accomplish this feat. The film itself is as lean, propulsive, and tightly-edited as that premise implies.
That being said, Run Lola Run manages to cram many layers into its 80 minute runtime. Ryan and Rachel compare Run Lola Run to other time loop movies, but they also touch upon the film's thematic...
2020-09-1334 min
Reel Deep DiveCaravan Of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984)Being a movie nerd podcast where movie nerds talk about movie nerd stuff, it was probably inevitable for Reel Deep Dive to do an episode about the Star Wars saga at some point. On the other hand, it's a bit less expected for this program to go with a minor, disposable TV movie centering on the cosmic teddy bears for its maiden outing in this particular franchise.
Ryan is joined on this episode by Peter Cronan, host of the Fearless Films Podcast. They go over the plot of Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure. They also delve...
2020-09-0626 min
Reel Deep DiveMetropolis (1927)One of the landmarks of cinema, Fritz Lang's Metropolis is a 1927 German Expressionist science fiction drama about a huge, futuristic city where the wealthy live a life of decadent privilege on top of the backs of the struggling masses. Freder, its main protagonist, is shaken from his complacency by the ethereally-beautiful labor organizer Maria and her revelations about the cruelty found in the lower levels of Metropolis. Things go sideways when Freder's wicked father disguises a killer robot as Maria and sends her to infiltrate a group of workers attempting to unionize.
As that paragraph strongly suggests...
2020-08-3052 min
Reel Deep DiveChopping Mall (1986)Producer/director Roger Corman is arguably the biggest name in the wide, varied landscape of cinematic schlock. His massive catalog, including 55 films he directed and at least 385 he produced, ranges from Little Shop of Horrors (1960) to Sharktopus (2010). Corman was also something of a cinematic kingmaker; James Cameron, Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Sylvester Stallone, Martin Scorsese, and William Shatner are among those who paid their dues on Corman movies before moving on to bigger and better things.
For this episode of Reel Deep Dive, Ryan and Cheryl take a look at Chopping Mall, the cheesy...
2020-08-2327 min
Reel Deep DiveKey Episodes: The Night Gallery (1969-1973)Writer and television producer Rod Serling attained his status as a 20th century pop culture icon due to The Twilight Zone, the sci-fi anthology program that he created, oversaw, narrated, and frequently scripted from 1959-1964. That show has made Serling an impressively enduring figure in the ever-shifting landscape of American media, but it's not the only anthology show that he curated. We're going to be talking about the other one on this episode.
Rachel spent her adolescence watching The Night Gallery and credits it with spurring her interest in horror fiction. For Reel Deep Dive, she's selected...
2020-08-1646 min
Reel Deep DiveSonic The Hedgehog (2020)In the interest of keeping his guests engaged (and broadening his horizons beyond the stuff he's already interested in), Ryan likes to alternate the choosing of Reel Deep Dive's subjects. The consequence of this policy is that Toby, Ryan's nine year old nephew, chose the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog film as the focus of this week's episode. Ryan had little interest in deconstructing this film (or even watching it), but it was Toby's turn to pick the movie and fair's fair.
Most of the chatter surrounding the promotion and release of this video game adaptation centered upon the...
2020-08-0928 min
Reel Deep DiveSherlock Jr. (1924)One of the most beloved comedies of the silent era, Sherlock Jr. is a brisk, economically-edited film whose layers belie its short running time. Over the course of 45 minutes, Sherlock Jr. functions as a platform for madcap slapstick, a showcase for ludicrously-dangerous stunts, an opportunity to show off trick photography, a conduit for relatable physical acting, and plenty more.
Ryan is joined by Rachel for a chat about this enduring movie; discussion topics include how the loose plot is structured around the gags, the movie's connection to the still-notorious Fatty Arbuckle scandal, how Sherlock Jr. is referenced...
2020-08-0233 min
Reel Deep DivePhantom of the Paradise (1974)Change is constant, but Hollywood was in an especially volatile position of flux in the late 60's and early 70's. The prestige musical, one of the most reliable moneymaking formats in filmmaking from the Depression onward, had crashed and burned with the failures of Doctor Dolittle (1967) and Hello Dolly (1969). Suddenly, the dependable formulas weren't working anymore.
This period saw film studios take moderate gambles on young, artful directors who grew up watching movies, internalized lots of theoretical ideas in film school, and wanted to do self-serious takes on the pop culture trash they loved as children. This r...
2020-07-2647 min
Reel Deep DiveDouble Feature: Much Ado About Nothing (1993 & 2012)So far, every conversational topic in an episode of Reel Deep Dive has centered on a single film. In the hopes of shaking things up, Ryan and Rachel are breaking down two cinematic spins on the Bard's famous romantic comedy. The first one is Kenneth Branagh's 1993 effort starring Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, Michael Keaton, Kate Beckinsale, Denzel Washington, and Robert Sean Leonard. The other subject is Joss Whedon's 2012 film starring Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Fran Kranz, Nathan Fillion, Jillian Morgese, Clark Gregg, and Sean Maher.
There's naturally going to be some comparing and contrasting when it comes...
2020-07-191h 06
Reel Deep DiveThor: Ragnarok (2017)The interconnected web of Marvel Studios films is easily the most successful movie franchise of the 21st century. Naturally, it's impossible for something this massive to get along without drawing some detractors. 2017's Thor: Ragnarok is one of the earliest Marvel films to conscientiously reflect some of the common criticisms leveled against its predecessors (bland color grading, boring musical score, unremarkable villain, cookie-cutter direction, homogeneous tone, etc). Also, the film has an interesting dichotomy between its lighthearted approach and the heavy themes present in the story's subtext.
Ryan is joined by his sister Sarah and his 9 year o...
2020-07-1144 min
Reel Deep DiveClone High (2002-2003)Reel Deep Dive starts commenting on television with this episode, a discussion about an MTV cartoon that built up a significant cult audience after its cancellation. While the program did launch the careers of noted directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, it's still best-known for its intriguing concept involving a high school filled with teenage clones of historical figures.
Ryan and Rachel focus upon four episodes in Clone High's brief run. Throughout their breakdown, they chat about the program's lampooning of family sitcoms and teen movies, its deluge of history nerd jokes, its talent for stretching its...
2020-07-041h 00
Reel Deep DiveClue (1985)Most box office duds fade to obscurity once their underperforming theatrical runs have concluded, but a lucky handful stumble into positive reappraisal and a lengthy post-release afterlife. The most prominent example is arguably Frank Capra's 1946 Christmas perennial It's A Wonderful Life, but a number of other films earned enduring cult status once the advent of cable television spurred numerous stations to pad their programming blocks with then-unpopular films whose broadcast rights were cheap to acquire. This phenomenon was especially generous to 1980's cheese like Beastmaster (1982), Dragnet (1987), and several films directed by John Carpenter.
The subject for this...
2020-06-2833 min
Reel Deep DiveRope (1948)Any podcast devoted to movie nerd minutiae is obligated to talk about Alfred Hitchcock at some point. In addition to that, a podcast devoted to movie nerd minutiae is probably also required to touch upon auteur theory during its existence.
Reel Deep Dive has decided to kill two birds with one stone by focusing on Rope, arguably the Hitchcock film with the most precise, distinct, and meticulous scene-blocking. Yes, that's a bold claim to make, but we stand behind it.
Rachel and Ryan chat about Rope's "single take" gimmick, but they also delve into the...
2020-06-2134 min
Reel Deep DiveTeen Titans Go! To The Movies (2018)Parody lies at the bedrock of human expression. People have been poking fun at genre tropes ever since the first genre trope calcified into being.
With that in mind, it's useful to mention that parody will still be a novel concept to the next generation. For many, Teen Titans Go! has served as their introduction to the burlesque, winking lampoon. In fact, Teen Titans Go! was many a child's first foray into the superhero genre, lampoon or otherwise.
Ryan is joined by Sarah and Toby for this discussion of the feature film extension of Teen...
2020-06-1427 min
Reel Deep DiveAirplane! (1980)There aren't many films that can be credited with creating an entire subgenre, but Airplane! certainly qualifies. It's difficult to imagine what the past four decades of parody films would've been like if this weird little lampoon hadn't been as big of a hit as it was. Airplane! turned the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker team into a cottage industry and it completely changed the career trajectory of character actor Leslie Nielsen, but its impact left even more ripples. Airplane! defied the assumptions of what kind of comedic film could make money. Airplane! redefined how a comedy film could be structured...
2020-06-0735 min
Reel Deep DiveThe Lion King (1994)While it feels impossible to imagine this in a world where Disney is currently a cultural monopoly, the House of Mouse was once in such dire straits that it was seriously considering the prospect of permanently shutting down production of its animated films. Instead, the studio put out The Little Mermaid (1989), a lower-budgeted and story-focused effort whose success put Disney back on the map. This led to a streak of lucrative, fondly-remembered movies during a period that is now referred to as "The Disney Renaissance".
This episode zeroes in on The Lion King, the commercial peak of...
2020-05-3154 min
Reel Deep DiveStar Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)Star Trek is one of Rachel's core fandoms, so it was really only a matter of time before Reel Deep Dive handled a film in this long-running franchise. Rachel chose Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, a film often seen as one of the weaker entries in the saga. Both Rachel and Ryan think that it's actually a pretty solid movie, so one of the discussion points is why Search For Spock is dismissed as frequently as it is.
Other topics include the film's actor-centric direction, the dicey gambit of using death and resurrection as a...
2020-05-2448 min
Reel Deep DiveFantastic Planet (1973)At some point, American media decided that there was only two idioms for the field of animation...
1. Family-friendly product derived from the Disney formula.
2. Raunchy, sophomoric material that serves as a counterpoint to Disney formula.
Fantastic Planet, produced in France and Czechoslovakia, doesn't fit into either of those idioms. Instead, it's a thoughtful, meditative, and psychedelic parable regarding animal rights, racism, and Cold War politics. It's definitely not a kid's cartoon, but it isn't nearly as self-consciously "naughty" as an episode of Family Guy.
Ryan is joined by Becki for an episode...
2020-05-1716 min
Reel Deep DiveMoulin Rouge (2001)It's Rachel's turn to pick the subject and she went with Baz Luhrmann's gaudy take on the big-budget musical. Moulin Rouge was a big favorite of Rachel's during her adolescence and it remains a solid "comfort movie" that she puts on whenever she's bored or tired or just wants to have something familiar playing in the background.
Join Ryan and Rachel as they probe this film, a product that audiences seem to love and/or loathe. Discussion topics include Luhrmann's distinctly grandiose style, how the movie plays off its historical setting, the plot's adhesion to tropes prevalent...
2020-05-1040 min
Reel Deep DiveCasino Royale (2006)Hollywood has been consistently producing James Bond movies for almost sixty years at this point. And, while the early installments were a bold new voice in the filmmaking landscape, the franchise stopped innovating after 1964 and has been appropriating whatever happened to be popular in contemporary action cinema since 1973. While every movie is a reflection of the world that created it, the 007 films are a particularly interesting time capsule of what was going on in pop culture throughout its existence.
For this episode, Ryan and Sarah frame their discussion around Casino Royale, a self-serious reboot of the series...
2020-05-0348 min
Reel Deep DiveMy Little Pony: The Movie (1986)Ronald Reagan's ascension to the American presidency led to a wave of deregulatory practices that remains lauded (and imitated) by conservatives to the present day. Among these practices was the repeal of FCC protocols that prevented children's programming from engaging in direct marketing. This led to a slew of cartoons that were thinly-veiled toy commercials for the impressionable youth of the 80's.
This episode of Reel Deep Dive focuses on My Little Pony, one of the most financially successful examples of this idiom. Together, Ryan and Sylvan will examine this franchise's 1986 theatrical feature. Themes under discussion will...
2020-04-2545 min
Reel Deep DivePerfect Blue (1997)So far, Ryan's been running things on Reel Deep Dive. He picks the subject, writes up the talking points for the episode, guides the structure of the discussion, and even writes the descriptive captions for this page (he feels weird while writing about himself in the third person). This episode, centered upon Satoshi Kon's psychological horror anime Perfect Blue, changes that dynamic. Rachel picked the subject, drafted the discussion template, and directs the trajectory of the conversation.
Join Rachel and Ryan as they take a good, long look at this influential character study. Thematic motifs include Perfect...
2020-04-1834 min
Reel Deep DiveThe X From Outer Space (1967)On occasion, it's impossible to definitively state why a certain film has clung to our collective memory. This is not the case with The X From Outer Space; people remember this movie because its titular kaiju is a cosmic chicken monster. That being conceded, The X From Outer Space still has a curious legacy that's worth exploring.
What motivated the venerated Shochiku Studios to try its hand at making a low-budget Godzilla knock-off? Why does this silly, silly movie have a subplot about the evils of interracial romance? What's going on with the 2008 sequel where the chicken...
2020-04-1410 min
Reel Deep DiveEaster Parade (1948)Our last episode focused on The Broadway Melody, the film that established MGM as the foremost producer of movie musicals. This episode centers upon Easter Parade, a film created in the midst of numerous box-office juggernauts from MGM's song-and-dance crew. At this point, the shaky, uncertain structure of The Broadway Melody had long since been polished into a slick, consistent, and crowd-pleasing formula.
Sylvan and Ryan delve into this popular icon of The Golden Age of Hollywood and discuss the pitfalls of crafting blockbusters through a safe, conservative assembly line (there are comparisons to the Marvel Studios...
2020-04-1254 min
Reel Deep DiveThe Broadway Melody (1929)The Broadway Melody is arguably the first movie musical; its success kicked off decades of ever-more-elaborate musicals from MGM. The Broadway Melody was also the first sound movie to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It spawned four (sorta) sequels and a remake. One of its songs ("You Were Meant For Me") has been performed by everyone from Bing Crosby to Gene Kelly to Sting.
So, considering that The Broadway Melody broke so many barriers and achieved every quantifiable measure of a successful film, why has it been consigned to the dustbin of cinema history? Ryan...
2020-04-0815 min
Reel Deep DiveMortal Kombat (1995)One of the most prominent subgenres in action cinema is the "tournament movie": this is a film where the protagonist enters a fighting contest where they battle a series of incrementally more powerful opponents before facing off against the main villain at the climax. While effective in popular movies like Enter the Dragon (1973) and Bloodsport (1988), this structure might be even more suitable to the medium of video games. Mega-popular game franchises like Street Fighter (1987) and Mortal Kombat (1992) make strong use of the tournament movie template.
This episode of Reel Deep Dive explores the 1995 attempt to take Mortal...
2020-04-0549 min
Reel Deep DiveSpider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)For this episode, we're taking the 2018 animated superhero hit and using it to examine the techniques of animation, the limits of heroic narrative, and how the monomyth template of Joseph Campbell is used by Hollywood screenwriters.
And, since this is a kid's movie, Ryan is joined by his nine year old nephew Toby (who struggles with the audio equipment somewhat). Ryan's a cynical old nerd who overanalyzes everything (hence this show's existence), but Toby's smack dab in the midst of the demo that this type of film is marketed to; grabbing a bit of his perspective is s...
2020-03-2849 min
Reel Deep DiveThe Mark of Zorro (1920)Not every fictional character has the longevity of Sherlock Holmes, Hercules, or Dracula. Some popular figures fade to the position where most people seem to vaguely know who they are without anyone seeming to give a damn about them. Such is the fate of Zorro, the proto-superhero who fights for justice in colonial-era California.
For this episode, Ryan digs into the 1920 silent action film that put Zorro on the map while cementing star Douglas Fairbanks as the archetypal costumed swashbuckler. Talking points include the movie's cinematography, its pioneering stunts, the nature of its source material, and why...
2020-03-2213 min
Reel Deep DiveCitizen Kane (1941)The first episode of a podcast usually involves people struggling with the audio equipment (and there's some of that here). So, with that in mind, it's probably unfair to expect the maiden voyage of a movie podcast to have a firm sense of identity in place.
Knowing that we're still figuring things out, we thought that we'd start things off with the simple topic of what's allegedly the greatest film of all time (insert sarcasm gif here).
Join Ryan Valentine and Rachel Bolton as they deconstruct Orson Welles' 1941 magnum opus. Talking points will include Citizen...
2020-03-1728 min