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PODCAST

Verbal Diorama

Are you interested in how movies are made? Do you wonder how a film went from conception to completion? If so, Verbal Diorama, hosted by Em, is the award-winning(!) podcast for you! Movies are tough to make, and Verbal Diorama is here to celebrate the coming together of teams of extraordinary cast and crew, bringing us movies that inspire us, delight us, make us laugh, make us cry and frighten us. This podcast discovers the stories behind the scenes, and proves how amazing it is that movies

tv & film film history

All Episodes

41:47

The Devil's Advocate (1997)

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/09/25

What happens when you mix Keanu Reeves, a scenery-chewing Al Pacino, and a Faustian bargain?Andrew Neiderman's novel was originally going to be adapted in the early 90s, directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Brad Pitt, but casting Satan proved difficult and so the project was halted.Speak of the devil, the O.J. Simpson trial gave new life to this story, and everyone became interested in courtroom drama and corrupt lawyers. The movie was resurrected, with Keanu Reeves choosing it over Speed 2, and

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45:23

(From the Archive) Down With Love

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/09/18

Paying tribute to the classic no-sex sex comedies from the late '50s and early '60s, Down With Love is a wonderful, bright, kitschy romcom classic that seems to be well regarded, if not completely well remembered.Renee Zellweger (fresh fromChicago) and Ewan McGregor (fresh fromMoulin Rouge) tackle roles similar to those made famous by girl-next-door-turned-sex-symbol Doris Day and serious-actor-turned-romantic-lead Rock Hudson, in a genuinely wonderful pastiche to their moviesPillow Talk (1959),

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37:20

The Usual Suspects

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/09/11

Verbal Diorama meets Verbal Kint in a neo-noir crime thriller, based somewhat on a true story, from the mind of Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie.An idea based on a line from Casablanca, The Usual Suspects takes five felons in a line-up and creates the layers of deceit and twists, before the final realisation that Keyser Söze may not be who we thought it was - or was he?Who is Keyser Söze?With a heavyweight cast of big names and character actors, everyone in this movie is impeccable

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54:01

Showgirls

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/09/04

30 years on, the tide is turning for Showgirls.Showgirls is remembered for its outlandish dialogue, the over-the-top performances, culminating in controversy, cult status, and unapologetic campiness. It's widely regarded as a mess, a critical and commercial flop, and poor Elizabeth Berkley took the brunt of the blame.Showgirls is polarizing, for many it's a guilty pleasure drenched in excess, but for others, it’s a train wreck that’s hard to look away from. This movie is no financial flop though, in

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01:11:01

Pride and Prejudice (1995) (ft. Kim & Alice from...

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/08/31

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a person in possession of a birthday must be in want of a celebration. However little known the feelings or views of such a person may be on their first entering into another year of life, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of their surrounding acquaintance, that they are considered as the rightful object of some one or other of their neighbours' party-planning endeavours."My dear friends," began our heroine (for heroine she must be called, being the

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59:17

Barbie

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/08/28

Hi Barbies, hi Kens!Podcast Barbie hosts this very special pink, plastic fantastic episode on the history and legacy of Barbie - the doll and the movie!From her humble beginnings in the late 50s, through various controversies along the way, Barbie has been symbolic of girlhood, and of embracing the idea that girls can be whatever they want to be through play, not just as mothers with babydolls.As Barbie is based on the body of an actual young woman, the idea of a live action Barbie movie made sense

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34:20

Red Sonja (1985)

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/08/21

Red Sonja is based on Red Sonja, which is, in turn, partially based on Red Sonya. The Red Sonya interpretation is credited as such for this movie, however it's actually based on Red Sonja, not Red Sonya. And during production, it was briefly called Red Sonia.Confused? I'm not surprised.So many Sonjas/Sonyas/Sonias. And what about Conan, I mean, Kalidor?Sonja/Sonya's evolution from Robert E. Howard's historical 16th-century warrior to Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith's iconic Marvel Comics fantasy

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52:03

Black Widow (2021)

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/08/14

Natasha Romanoff. Daughter. Sister. Avenger.Natasha made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Iron Man 2 as a mysterious S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, quickly becoming a core member of the Avengers despite lacking superpowers. The character evolved from a supporting femme fatale into one of the MCU's most complex heroes; a former Russian child assassin grappling with her dark past while seeking redemption through heroic acts, and finally finding a family. Her journey culminated in the ultimate sacrifice in

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56:50

(From the Archive) Superman II, Superman II: The...

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/08/07

James Gunn's Superman (2025) is in cinemas right now, and is really good! It has a wonderful central performance by David Corenswet, and is as colourful as it is hopeful, and we need that right now. As I'm off this week, it felt like a good time to revisit the late Christopher Reeve's iconic performances in Superman II, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III & Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.Technically the first ever quadruple-bill episode (if you also count the Richard Donner cut

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01:04:19

(From the Archive) Superman (1978)

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/07/31

James Gunn's Superman (2025) is in cinemas right now, and is really good! It has a wonderful central performance by David Corenswet, and is as colourful as it is hopeful, and we need that right now. As I'm off this week, it felt like a good time to revisit the late Christopher Reeve's iconic performance in Superman (1978).Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Verbal Diorama'sHeroes Through the Decadesminiseries, continuing into the 1970s!Whether you know him as Clark Kent, Kal-El, the Man of Steel,

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55:18

Batman & Robin

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/07/24

From batnips to ice-themed villains and the not-so-subtle campiness, Joel Schumacher's neon-soaked superhero spectacle dives deep into the wacky world of Gotham City’s dynamic duo as they face off against Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy. Batman & Robin stands as one of cinema's most notorious cautionary tales about franchise excess. What began as Warner Bros' attempt to create the ultimate summer blockbuster became a $125 million lesson in how beloved characters can be transformed into walking toy

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40:23

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/07/17

When we think of movies with Hollywood defining legacies, Mr. & Mrs. Smith wouldn't be the first that springs to mind.A fun, comedic mid-2000s action flick, capitalising on the chemistry of its two stunningly beautiful leads; it became the movie that defined a generation of celebrity culture, and sold hundreds of thousands of gossip magazines.But it all could have been very different, had it not been for The Stepford Wives.The film's inception, a chaotic filming schedule that resulted in

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50:58

Tombstone (1993)

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/07/10

What happens when Hollywood egos, sabotage campaigns, and directorial chaos collide in the Arizona desert? Tombstone is a film that survived one of the most tumultuous productions in Western movie history to become a beloved cult classic.You think the gunfight at the O.K. Corral was dramatic? That's nothing compared to Kevin Costner's alleged studio sabotage campaign, the director who got fired just one month into filming, and how Kurt Russell allegedly secretly took over directing duties while

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55:33

Cutthroat Island

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/07/03

Cutthroat Island has quite the reputation. It's known as the infamous pirate flick that sank a studio, as well as the entire pirate genre, but that's not completely true. In many ways, Cutthroat Island might just be more of a misunderstood gem, that happens to have been created when Carolco Pictures was at the very end of its life - mired in debt, and struggling to stay afloat. Cutthroat Island was its last chance. Cutthroat Island was never the reason Carolco fell into bankruptcy, but it didn't

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37:33

Lake Placid

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/06/26

In 1999, Stan Winston Studios and Digital Domain joined forces to create one of cinema's most convincing monsters - the massive crocodile from "Lake Placid." Winston's team, fresh off "Jurassic Park," built a groundbreaking 30-foot animatronic that could actually function underwater using waterproofed hydraulics and urethane skin - a technical marvel that had previously destroyed lesser movie creatures. With snapping jaws, moving eyes, and a thrashing tail, this mechanical beast terrorized actors in

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47:40

Anaconda (1997)

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/06/19

In 1997, Anaconda slithered into cinemas with a secret: every second of computer-generated snake footage cost $100,000 to create. This wasn't just another creature feature—it was Sony Pictures Imageworks' first fully computer-animated character and a technical nightmare that pushed both digital and practical effects to their limits.To mitigate that cost, and to the benefit of this movie, they decided to rely heavily on practical animatronic snakes. The real hero of this movie was Walt Conti, whose

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45:43

(From the Archive) That Thing You Do!

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/06/12

I'm currently taking a break from the podcast, however I think you might enjoy this slightly older episode on That Thing You Do!1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4....Everyone's favourite movie uncle Tom Hanks isn't as known for his directorial or screenwriting career, as he is for his many Oscar-winning acting roles.That Thing You Do!was his first foray into both directing and writing, and boy does he knock it out of the park with this.It's a charming, sweet, nostalgic tale of Erie, PA teenagers Guy, Jimmy, Lenny and

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51:50

(From the Archive) Airplane!

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/06/05

I'm currently taking a break from the podcast, however I think you might enjoy this slightly older episode on Airplane!Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts for the latest episode of this podcast. What is it? Well, it's an audio file you can listen to at any time, but that's not important right now.Surely Verbal Diorama can't be serious? Well, Verbal Diorama is serious, and don't call me Shirley. I'm Em, I'm your pilot for this flight, and the life of everyone on board depends upon

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54:59

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim & The...

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/05/29

The final of five special episodes to celebrate this podcast's 300th episode, focused on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, this episode goes into what happened after The Lord of the Rings - namely The Hobbit trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: the Rings of Power, and the various struggled with the rights, plus multiple lawsuits that were filed after The Lord of the Rings.The possibility of losing the rights led to New Line and Warner Bros fast-tracking The Lord of the Rings: The War

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01:03:50

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [Part 4...

Verbal Diorama ·

2025/05/22

In the fourth of five special episodes to celebrate this podcast's 300th episode, focused on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, and we're diving deep into the epic finale of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King.The Return of the King had a monumental impact on the film industry, and epic box office success, raking in over $1.1 billion worldwide. The film swept the Academy Awards, winning all 11 nominations, including Best Picture, a feat shared only

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