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

00:37:21

Character Studies: Steven Universe (2013-2020)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/01/01

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

00:51:55

Christmas With The Simpsons (1989-1997)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/12/24

While its Halloween episodes tend to get far more attention, The Simpsons has inevitably aired a number of yuletide episodes. In fact, the very first episode of the program takes place at Christmas (although that wasn't part of the original plan). It's possible to track the growth, evolution, and decline of The Simpsons through the way it has approached the 25th of December throughout its lengthy run. And yes, that's what Ryan, Cheryl, and Sylvan do during this recording. Discussion topics this

00:42:33

Last Christmas (2019)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/12/18

Perhaps interested in creating a seasonal perennial that would yield residual checks for years to come, Emma Thompson spent eight years trying to make a movie based on the popular Wham! song "Last Christmas". The resulting film, starring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding, was released shortly after the death of former Wham! frontman George Michael. It received a critical drubbing, but still made a healthy profit at the box office. It's still too soon to tell if Last Christmas will have a long shelf

00:55:29

Gremlins (1984)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/12/11

One of the most profitable films of a year that had no shortage of memorable blockbusters, Gremlins is a horror comedy centering on a family besieged by folkloric monsters during the holiday season. Made with a relatively modest budget and cast with no major stars, Gremlins succeeded largely due to Joe Dante's idiosyncratic direction, Chris Columbus's novel script, and the ingenuity demonstrated by the team operating the film's inventive puppets. Ryan is joined by Rachel for a detailed examination

00:28:02

The Killer Shrews (1959)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/12/04

The Killer Shrews is a cheaply-made horror movie about a guy who finds himself on an island filled with genetically-altered monsters (who look an awful lot like hand puppets). Nobody involved in the production felt that they were making high art or even something that would be fun to watch. The Killer Shrews exists because a dude who owned a regional theater chain needed something to fill a scheduling block and absolutely anything would do. It would be very easy to dissect The Killer Shrews as an

00:39:56

Key Episodes: Bob's Burgers Thanksgiving Episodes...

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/11/27

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

00:52:33

The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/11/20

Spinning off from the long-running animated TV sitcom, The Bob's Burgers Movie finds the Belchers struggling to keep financially afloat after a massive sinkhole opens up right in front of the family restaurant. A slim beacon of hope exists in the possibility of their landlord being lenient with the rent until things are sorted, but even that option is jeopardized when a skeleton found in the sinkhole results in a murder investigation. Ultimately, it falls upon the Belcher children to solve the

00:36:19

Splash (1984)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/11/13

The script for Splash, a romantic comedy where a jaded New Yorker falls in love with a mermaid, had been kicking around Hollywood for a while before Disney became interested. Ultimately, it became the first project released by Touchstone Pictures, a brand that Disney created in order to produce movies that fell outside the carefully-cultivated Disney identity. Starring relatively unknown actors Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah, Splash defied expectations to become a critical and commercial success. It

00:47:10

It: Chapter Two (2019)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/11/06

Several decades after narrowly avoiding the appetites of the supernatural monster who manifests as their darkest fears, the band of lovable misfits from the prior movie are now adults struggling to live their lives and deal with a trauma that they only vaguely remember. Unfortunately for them, the creature survived their fateful encounter and has emerged from hibernation to prey on the vulnerable once again. Since Ryan covered the first movie with Cheryl and Sylvan, they both return for a

00:51:28

It (2017)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/10/30

Centering on a group of outcast kids who are being terrorized by a hungry supernatural entity that knows their deepest fears, It was a bestselling Stephen King novel before it was adapted into a 1990 TV movie. Horror buffs do have fond memories of that film because of a memorable performance by Tim Curry as the villain, but many were still excited by the prospect of the story getting a big screen treatment from a major Hollywood studio. Split into two films (the novel is massive), this recording

00:51:58

Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/10/23

Often credited with kicking off the Universal Monsters series that gave us Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), and The Wolf Man (1941), The Phantom of the Opera was created at great expense and with numerous production woes. Intended from the onset to be a vehicle for superstar actor Lon Chaney, his scene-stealing performance and memorably gruesome makeup job still manages to engage audiences almost a hundred years after the movie's 1925 debut. While Phantom of the Opera has been adapted to the

00:53:45

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/10/16

Eager to repeat the success of 1965's A Charlie Brown Christmas, CBS instructed director Bill Melendez, producer Lee Mendelson, and writer/creator Charles M. Schulz to craft another Peanuts holiday special that they could rebroadcast year after year indefinitely. Mendelson pushed Halloween as the next logical step and, after bringing back most of the original voice cast and musician Vince Guaraldi, the team produced another seasonal perennial. Freely adapted from one of Schulz's storylines in the

01:02:30

Christine (1983)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/10/09

Easily the most popular entry in the "killer car" microgenre, Christine centers upon an awkward, dweeby teenage boy who is gradually corrupted by an evil spirit found inside the vintage automobile that gives the film its name. Directed by John Carpenter as the Stephen King source novel was being prepared for publication, Christine received mixed reviews, earned modest success at the box office, and quickly became a perennial on late night cable and at video rental stores. Few would proclaim

00:43:11

Jaws (1975)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/10/02

The result of an infamously prolonged and troubled shoot, Jaws was greeted with critical acclaim and record-breaking box office from the moment of its release. Not every hit movie maintains a good reputation and a looming presence in pop culture as it ages, but Jaws has arguably grown in esteem in the six decades since it was released. Jaws has "inspired" scores of knockoffs, director Steven Spielberg would soon become a dominant figure in Hollywood, film studios would use Jaws as a case study in

00:47:56

Ever After (1998)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/09/25

Looking to reinvent her image after starring in a string of lowbrow erotic thrillers throughout the 1990's, Drew Barrymore grew passionate about a script that reframed the Cinderella story through the lenses of historical fiction and third wave feminism. The resulting Ever After was a commercial hit that charmed millions of millennial girls and led to Barrymore starring in a series of warm, bubbly romcoms like The Wedding Singer (1998), Never Been Kissed (1999), and 50 First Dates (2004). Ryan is

01:09:12

Character Studies: Jubilee (X-Men: The Animated...

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/09/19

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,

00:36:27

9 to 5 (1980)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/09/11

9 to 5 centers on the vicarious charge yielded from three working women overthrowing their company's corrupt, misogynistic, and bigoted boss. Initially pitched as a dramatic vehicle for Jane Fonda, 9 to 5 struck gold once it was retooled as a wacky office comedy with its feminist subtext framed in a satirical vein. While very much an ensemble story that gives just as much screen time to Fonda and Lily Tomlin, 9 to 5 is often remembered primarily for a hit theme song and breakout acting performance

01:08:48

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/09/04

One of the cornerstones of the period that animation geeks refer to as The Disney Renaissance, Beauty and the Beast loosely adapts the classic French fairytale into a 90 minute musical extravaganza containing equal parts humor and pathos. Pleased with the success of The Little Mermaid (1989), Disney executives instructed the filmmakers to take an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to the follow-up. Beauty and the Beast had its share of creative issues and tragedy; the first director was

01:07:40

Double Feature: Suspiria (1977 & 2018)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/08/28

Suspiria, whether we're talking about Dario Argento's original film or the remake directed by Luca Guadagnino, centers upon a young American woman attending a prestigious German dance academy run by a coven of witches. That being said, the two films differ greatly when it comes to length, storytelling, music, acting, editing, color sense, and thematic subtext. Rachel really wanted to put both movies side by side and deconstruct what made each of them tick. Ryan was a little wary of the added

00:58:04

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2022/08/21

We're checking off a big one here. Arguably the most celebrated film produced during Hollywood's golden era, The Wizard of Oz takes L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's novel and throws an unprecedented amount of money, care, talent, and hammy performances at it. The result is a miasma of iconic visuals, memorable songs, and iconic one-liners that still retains its ability to overwhelm the senses decades later. Ryan is joined by Sylvan for a dialogue about this oft-discussed film. It's pretty much

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