PODCAST

Reel Deep Dive

Ryan Valentine

Does the world really need yet another movie podcast? Probably not, but I made one anyways.

arts performing arts

All Episodes

01:05:16

Batman Returns (1992)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/12/27

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

00:26:44

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/12/20

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

00:46:57

Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/12/13

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

00:43:36

Black Christmas (1974)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/12/06

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

01:07:26

Heavy Metal (1981)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/11/29

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

00:44:12

Addams Family Values (1993)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/11/22

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

00:35:43

Village of the Damned (1960)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/11/15

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

00:36:09

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/11/08

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

00:47:49

Pryde of the X-Men (1989)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/11/01

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

00:45:56

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/10/25

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

00:45:23

Halloween (1978)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/10/18

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

00:28:04

Ghostwatch (1992)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/10/11

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

00:44:38

Double Feature: Waxworks (1924) and Waxwork (1988)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/10/04

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

00:46:19

Bloodsport (1988)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/09/27

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

00:43:36

Matilda (1996)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/09/20

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

00:34:17

Run Lola Run (1998)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/09/13

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

00:26:19

Caravan Of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/09/06

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

00:52:36

Metropolis (1927)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/08/30

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

00:27:01

Chopping Mall (1986)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/08/23

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

00:46:58

Key Episodes: The Night Gallery (1969-1973)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/08/16

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

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