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

00:28:12

Sonic The Hedgehog (2020)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/08/09

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

00:33:35

Sherlock Jr. (1924)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/08/02

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

00:47:05

Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/07/26

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

01:06:04

Double Feature: Much Ado About Nothing (1993 & 2012)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/07/19

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

00:44:30

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/07/11

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

01:00:13

Clone High (2002-2003)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/07/04

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

00:33:49

Clue (1985)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/06/28

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

00:34:47

Rope (1948)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/06/21

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

00:27:19

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (2018)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/06/14

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

00:35:32

Airplane! (1980)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/06/07

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

00:54:28

The Lion King (1994)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/05/31

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

00:48:54

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/05/24

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

00:16:39

Fantastic Planet (1973)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/05/17

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

00:40:42

Moulin Rouge (2001)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/05/10

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

00:48:58

Casino Royale (2006)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/05/03

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

00:45:01

My Little Pony: The Movie (1986)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/04/25

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

00:34:54

Perfect Blue (1997)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/04/18

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

00:10:44

The X From Outer Space (1967)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/04/14

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

00:54:39

Easter Parade (1948)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/04/12

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

00:15:08

The Broadway Melody (1929)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2020/04/08

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

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