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

00:42:16

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2024/06/02

This is the second film adaptation of Sheila Burnford's classic children's novel, but the first where the trio of animal protagonists have their thoughts conveyed to us through celebrity voice actors (Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, and Don Ameche). Like in the book and in the 1963 movie, we center on two dogs and a cat going on a perilous quest through the mountains in order to return to their home. A bear, a mountain lion, a porcupine, and an agitated turkey are among their obstacles. Ryan

01:00:31

Double Feature: A Hard Day's Night (1964) vs. Spice...

Reel Deep Dive ·

2024/05/19

Filmed on a shoestring budget and released with modest expectations for box office success, A Hard Day's Night is a fluffy, goofy, and deeply unserious film that happened to capture one of the 20th century's most beloved cultural institutions at the apex of their popularity. The movie's approachable charm left a lasting influence on the marketing of pop musicians going forward; a very prominent example is Spice World, a spiritual successor that was produced when the Spice Girls were at

00:33:05

Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2024/05/05

Originally intended as a light, comedic riff on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball soon outgrew that modest ambition and became one of the most popular action-adventure serials in modern storytelling. Soon expanding into a multimedia franchise, the Dragon Ball saga was spun off into at least twenty theatrically-released anime films; Ryan and Latisha discuss one of these movies in this recording. The topics in this episode's dialogue include Dragon

00:46:49

Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2024/04/21

Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation earns the esoteric distinction of being the first original animated movie to be released direct to video in the United States. That sounds like a minor fact (and it is), but the movie's commercial success paved the way for a cottage industry of similar projects to flood department stores and video rental establishments for decades to come. It's also an entertaining and enjoyable snapshot of the time and place where it was created, showing its

00:49:14

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2024/04/07

The smash success of Universal's 1931 Frankenstein adaptation made a sequel practically mandatory. Director James Whale felt that it'd be impossible to top the first film and was therefore reluctant to return, but the studio eventually lured him back with a juicy paycheck, a promise to greenlight one of Whale's passion projects, and nigh-total creative control over what eventually became Bride of Frankenstein. Still assuming that the gothic atmosphere and graphic scares of Frankenstein

00:44:53

Fantastic Voyage (1966)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2024/03/24

Taking place in a world where the United States and the Soviet Union are engaged in an arms race over shrink ray technology, Fantastic Voyage has the premise of a low budget B movie. 20th Century Fox, however, cast the film with prominent movie stars, spent lavishly on special effects, and promoted the film with an aggressive marketing campaign. While it didn't quite make it to profitability during its initial box office run, Fantastic Voyage easily made up for that shortfall when it came to

01:27:56

Shorts: Fleischer Superman (1941-43)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2024/03/10

Produced for an unusually high budget in the nascent years of the character, the seventeen animated shorts starring Superman marked a significant high water mark in the Golden Age of Animation. Crafted with care and using tech that was on the bleeding edge of film animation, the shorts were highly successful and made a significant impact on both the cartoon medium and the development of Superman as a pop culture institution. Ryan is joined by Sylvan, Sarah, and Carlos for a long discussion about

00:30:22

Shorts: Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared (2011-16)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2024/02/25

Produced on a whim by a bunch of art students in between their proper assignments, the first Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared Short went viral on YouTube. Centering on some hapless puppets experiencing existential horror through vividly graphic musical numbers, Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared struck a chord with an online audience receptive to its ambiguity and strangeness. The unexpected success of the initial video led to a crowdfunding campaign for additional shorts and, after a failed pilot, a

00:36:12

Ponyo (2008)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2024/02/11

Riffing on Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid", Ponyo centers upon a young sea creature who bonds with a little boy on the surface world. Their budding relationship, however, is put to the test when the fundamental balance of nature is placed in jeopardy by both magical interference and humanity's poor stewardship of the oceans.Directed by Hayao Miyazaki with care and studious attention to detail, Ponyo connected deeply with audiences and grossed more than any other

00:47:10

Double Feature: Murder on the Orient Express (1974 &...

Reel Deep Dive ·

2024/01/28

One of the most popular authors to ever write anything, Agatha Christie would inevitably find Hollywood eager to adapt her work to the silver screen. As per usual, the quality of their many attempts has been uneven at best, but the enduring appeal of the murder mystery means that it's hard to imagine that we won't keep seeing new takes. Murder on the Orient Express, arguably Christie's most iconic work, has gotten a number of high profile interpretations in cinema. Ryan, along with

00:46:31

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2024/01/14

Following the disappointing reception of X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and X-Men Origins Wolverine (2009), Fox decided that a soft reboot of their superhero franchise was in order. Set in the 1960's, X-Men: First Class juxtaposes the formation of the team alongside the Cuban Missile Crisis and the usual metaphors regarding civil rights. A profitable film interpreted as a badly-needed course correction, X-Men: First Class resulted in three direct sequels and is still frequently cited as one of the

00:47:32

Yellow Submarine (1968)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/12/31

Largely greenlit because The Beatles felt that an animated feature would settle their three picture deal with United Artists without requiring much effort on their part, the cast and crew of Yellow Submarine were given a shoestring budget and a mere 11 months to crank out a completed movie. Somehow, the team supervised by director George Dunning and character designer Heinz Edelmann overcame these hurdles, delivering a cheeky, fantastical, and imaginatively surreal fairy tale that was quickly

00:59:16

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/12/25

Aside from Gone With The Wind, Meet Me in St. Louis is the most popular film released by MGM during the Golden Age of Hollywood. A lush, sentimental, and deeply nostalgic musical centered on a middle class family going through personal changes during the 1904 World's Fair, this film charmed critics, wowed audiences, got a heap of Oscar nods, established Vincente Minnelli as a director, and furthered Judy Garland's status as a romantic lead. Ryan is joined by Sylvan for a closer inspection

00:54:51

The Santa Claus (1994)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/12/19

Originally written as a vehicle for Bill Murray, The Santa Claus was rebuilt around the comedic persona of sitcom actor Tim Allen and thrust into theaters shortly before the onset of the 1994 holiday season. While greeted with lukewarm reviews that damned it with faint praise, The Santa Claus was still a sizable hit that (briefly) established Allen as a movie star. This film also had legs; after several periods of dormancy, The Santa Claus was spun off into an enduring franchise. Ryan is joined by

00:57:40

Christmas With Batman (1992-2003)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/12/10

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

00:49:58

Candyman (1992)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/12/03

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

00:39:06

The Neverending Story (1984)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/11/26

Loosely adapted from the metafictional children's novel written by Michael Ende, The Neverending Story centers upon a young boy (Barret Oliver) who gets immersed into a fantasy book whose plot seems to be magically affected by how it is read. The most expensive film produced outside of America or the Soviet Union at the time, The Neverending Story failed to catch on in an especially competitive 1984 film market in the United States. It did, however, sell lots of tickets overseas and, thanks to

00:44:25

Character Studies: Muffin from Bluey (2018-2023)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/11/19

Centered upon the vivid imaginations of a family of anthropomorphic blue heelers, Bluey is an animated children's television show that has taken the world by storm thanks to its endearing characters, playful sense of humor, and emphasis on gentle parenting and unstructured play. In many ways, Bluey has captivated parents more than its target demo of toddlers; Sylvan is a big fan and their choice of Bluey as a podcast subject was pretty much inevitable. Ryan and Cheryl are also present for a

00:39:53

Cyrano (2021)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/11/13

Derived from Erica Schmidt's musical retelling of Edmond Rostand's oft-staged play, Cyrano stars Peter Dinklage as the titular protagonist. Caught in romantic intrigue alongside him is Haley Bennett as Roxanne and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Christian. The basic plot of this version isn't too different from most of the traditional renditions, but several key alterations are present in both the text and the subtext of Cyrano; this is apparent both in the dialogue and in the songs composed by

00:44:34

Pokémon: The First Movie (1998)

Reel Deep Dive ·

2023/11/05

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

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