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

00:38:42

Vampyr (1932)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/10/29

Looking to take on a more commercial project after the lackluster box office of the critically acclaimed The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), writer/director Carl Theodore Dreyer decided that a horror movie was the way to go. Loosely adapted from Sheridan Le Fanu's story collection 'In a Glass Darkly', Vampyr was filmed on location in the French countryside with a cast primarily composed of non-actors. Its shoestring budget forced the filmmakers to rely on symbolic imagery and allusive

00:33:39

Time After Time (1979)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/10/22

Writer/director Nicholas Meyer is best known for his contributions to the better Star Trek films of the 1980's, but he was noticed by the Federation due to Time After Time, a quirky romcom in which a time traveling H.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper across 1970's San Francisco. Anchored by a cast that includes Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, and Mary Steenburgen, Time After Time charmed audiences and has been spun off in a multitude of ways. Ryan, Cheryl, and (especially) Sylvan were far

00:37:53

The Ring (2002)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/10/08

Based on Koji Suzuki's 1991 novel and loosely remade from Hideo Nakata's 1998 film adaptation, the 2002 Hollywood take on The Ring was a sleeper hit that shrewdly played off a number of prevalent trends found at the turn of the millennium (it lifted its color palette from The Matrix, it featured a precocious child character like the one found in The Sixth Sense, and it engaged in a guerilla marketing campaign like The Blair Witch Project). The Ring also set off a few trends of its own; among

00:56:46

Seed of Chucky (2004)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/10/02

The fifth installment in the Child's Play/Chucky franchise, Seed of Chucky involves the titular killer doll starting a family. While noted upon its release for leaning into the campier elements of the slasher genre, Seed of Chucky might be distinguished more by its focus on transgender themes, an uncommon practice in Hollywood during the turn of the millennium. Ryan is joined by Pete, Cheryl, Sylvan, Toby, and Mordecai for an examination of this interesting cinematic time capsule. There is some

00:51:18

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/09/24

Bigger, bolder, more ambitious, and more character-driven than its predecessor, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 also got better reviews and took in a heftier box office. It is often cited as one of the few MCU movies that possesses a distinct visual character and a unique directorial voice. Ryan is joined by Toby, Cheryl, and Sarah for a conversation about this rousing, emotive crowd pleaser. Talking points largely center on the movie's embrace of humor, needle drops, and found family narrative

00:51:04

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/09/10

Among the most successful and beloved films in the expansive Marvel Studios catalog, Guardians of the Galaxy was initially seen as a bit of a risk due to its offbeat character designs and obscure source material. However, because of strong performances, a fun array of needle drops, and storytelling that judiciously balances humor and heart, a sci-fi movie about a sentient tree and a talking space raccoon made over $700 million at the international box office and was soon spun off into a multimedia

00:37:00

Legend (1985)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/09/03

Featuring lavish sets, elaborate makeup effects, numerous references to European folklore, and ascending new superstar Tom Cruise as the main protagonist, Legend was director Ridley Scott's attempt to transfer the appeal of the fantasy genre from the printed page to the silver screen. It failed to attract much of an audience while in theaters, but Legend gradually acquired a following through home video and frequent broadcasts on basic cable. As such, the film has enjoyed a long cultural

00:51:48

Shorts! The Three Stooges with Curly Howard (1936-47)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/08/27

The most popular, visible, and imitated member of The Three Stooges by a significant margin, Curly Howard's manic physical comedy, childlike comedic persona, and arsenal of catch phrases were often perceived as the core of the comedy team's popular appeal. Often seen as a tragic figure beyond the camera, Curly Howard's various addictions and excesses would torpedo his private life and ultimately lead to an early grave. Ryan is joined by Rachel for a discussion of four short films that

00:34:59

Spaceballs (1987)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/08/20

Spaceballs yielded mediocre box office returns and was widely criticized as a creative misfire for director/co-writer/supporting actor Mel Brooks, but it quickly found an audience through home video and constant broadcasts on basic cable. By lampooning the culturally-omnipresent Star Wars franchise, Spaceballs served as an accessible entrypoint for younger people looking to get into Mel Brooks' filmography; for many born well after Brooks' heyday in the 1970's, Spaceballs is often the

00:44:09

Meet the Feebles (1989)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/08/13

Shortly after Bad Taste (1987) and well before The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Peter Jackson directed a lowbrow Muppets parody entitled Meet the Feebles. Taking place on a puppet-run variety show comparable to what Kermit and the gang typically do, the anthropomorphic animals in this film spend a bit more time doing drugs, shooting porn, having Viet Nam flashbacks, and plotting against each other. Released to mixed reviews and indifferent box office, Meet the Feebles crawled its way to cult

00:39:20

Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/08/06

The success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) demonstrated that splashy cartoon crossovers would grab a great deal of attention. One of the more odd and timely results of this fact was Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, an anti-drug PSA where Bugs Bunny, Papa Smurf, Garfield, Alf, Winnie the Pooh, and Michelangelo team up to stop an adolescent boy from getting addicted to crack. Spurred through production by Roy Disney and financed by McDonald's, Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue was broadcast on

00:50:00

Session 9 (2001)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/07/30

Session 9 is a mediocre horror movie released to a collective shrug at the turn of the last century. It is, however, notable to Ryan, Sylvan, and Cheryl since it was filmed in their hometown and set at Danvers State Hospital, a reputably haunted mental institution that inspired H.P. Lovecraft's Arkham Asylum and therefore sits in the core of local legend. In particular, this film gives Sylvan, who holds a degree in public history, a reason to delve into the complex and interesting backstory of

00:46:12

Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge (1989)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/07/23

Infamous exploitation film producer Thomas Fries, hoping to kick start a slasher movie franchise comparable to Halloween or Friday the 13th, greenlit Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge, a project that retold Phantom of the Opera in a suburban mall with superfluous nudity, splatter effects, and several kung fu fight sequences. Quickly churned out with little care and even less in the way of budget, this film was soundly rejected by both critics and audiences; even fans of campy horror cheese

00:46:06

Cat People (1942)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/07/16

Following the commercial disappointment of artistically ambitious films like Citizen Kane (1941) and the Magnificent Ambersons (1942), RKO began shifting its priorities towards workmanlike crowd pleasing instead of chasing Oscars. Among other things, this meant restructuring its B-movie division. Producer Val Lewton was brought in to oversee a series of films intended to compete against Universal's Monster line; this meant that each movie would be made with a tight budget, run for less than 75

00:41:26

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/07/09

Shamelessly churned out to capitalize on the success of Shirley Jackson's megahit horror novel The Haunting of Hill House, this low budget thriller was given the legally distinct title of House on Haunted Hill in the hopes of tricking audiences into thinking it was an official adaptation. That should give one an indication of what to expect from the film, a gimmicky cavalcade of lowbrow cheese held down by the hammy charisma of Vincent Price and the workmanlike proficiency of director William

00:47:06

Meet the Robinsons (2007)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/07/02

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

00:40:31

Harvey Girls (1946)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/06/25

Originally developed as a dramedy for Clark Gable, the success of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! compelled MGM to retool Harvey Girls as a musical romcom for Judy Garland. Boasting massive sets, lavish costumes, a saturated technicolor palette, and several elaborate song and dance numbers, Harvey Girls used all that frippery to tell a story about the wild west being tamed by the waitresses of a fast food restaurant. It was received with moderate critical praise, a healthy box office, and

00:51:24

Shorts! The Three Stooges with Moe Howard (1934-48)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/06/18

The leader of The Three Stooges both on and off the screen, Moe Howard's comedic role in the troupe usually boiled down to driving the plot and handing out slapsticky abuse to his subordinates. The trappings of vaudeville all but demanded that at least one of the performers take on such a role; Moe might be the epitome of such a thing. Ryan is joined by Rachel for a close look at four Three Stooges shorts that prominently showcase Moe's abilities (this includes 1940's "You Nazty

00:45:47

Over The Garden Wall (2014)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/06/11

A TV miniseries created by animator Patrick McHale for Cartoon Network, Over the Garden Wall focuses upon two siblings who are lost within a strange, mystical, and existentially-threatening forest. Its emphasis on dark fantasy and 1890's pop culture provided stark contrast to the other fare being produced for children's television at the time, something that many found to be refreshing. Over the Garden Wall was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, strong ratings, and a bevy of awards. It has

00:57:45

King Kong (1933)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/06/04

Often perceived as the first Hollywood blockbuster, King Kong casts an undeniably long shadow upon movie history. Its special effects, soundtrack, and emphasis on larger-than-life spectacle established precedents that big tentpole movie releases still follow to the modern day. A number of its images rival Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Singing in the Rain, and The Wizard of Oz when it comes to Golden Age Hollywood iconography. Kong has never gone away, as evidenced by the barrage of

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