Verbal Diorama

Verbal Diorama

Boost

Boost

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 actually exist! Welcome to Verbal Diorama. The podcast all about the history and...

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

This podcast is now six! And to celebrate, some post-Renaissance Disney.If Atlantis really existed, no one wrote about it until Plato, who did so 9,000 years after its destruction. Atlantis: The Lost Empire draws from Plato's original Atlantis myth, as well as classic adventures stories like Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864) and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), Victorian-era adventure fiction and steampunk, various New Age interpretations of Atlantis, and elem

Feb 20, • 47:44

Hercules (1997)

This podcast is now six! And to celebrate, some Renaissance Disney.The story of Heracles is revered across Greek mythology, but this isn't Heracles. This is Hercules. Same guy, kind of, but this isn't just a retelling of a Greek myth—it's a whole exploration of what makes a true hero; taking some "creative liberties" with the original myth—goodbye tragic backstories, hello superhero narratives (as well as Disney's penchant for merchandise!)Hercules’ journey from zero to hero is basically the sto

Feb 17, • 50:03

(Basil) The Great Mouse Detective

This podcast is now six! And to celebrate - some pre-Renaissance Disney.Basil may just be a little mouse, but this little mouse packed a mighty punch for Disney during a time when the animation studio was teetering on the edge of disaster. With a mix of clever storytelling, dark visuals, and a villain who’s as charismatic as he is frightening, Basil proves that sometimes, the smallest heroes can save the day—or in this case, an entire animation division! The Great Mouse Detective (or Basil the G

Feb 13, • 46:19

Shrek 2

Shrek and Fiona, fresh off their 'happily ever after', are invited to a Royal Ball in celebration of their marriage. It's being held, far far away in the kingdom of Far Far Away, by Fiona's parents, the King and Queen of Far Far Away, aka Mum and Dad. But hold on to your boots (Puss), because Shrek, being an actual ogre, faces a bit of a challenge fitting in with the royal family—especially when they expected the dashing Prince Charming, instead of a swamp-dwelling ogre. Shrek 2 builds on its pr

Feb 6, • 54:00

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

In 1992, US President George H.W. Bush famously remarked, during a speech at the Annual Convention of the National Religious Broadcasters, that the American family needs to be “a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons.”The longest-running American animated series, longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, both in seasons and individual episodes. The Simpsons is, quite frankly, a phenomenon, and the long-awaited The

Jan 30, • 47:16

ParaNorman

Speaking of a family with gifts, young Norman Babcock happens to be able to speak to the dead, making him a social outcast to humans, but also probably the only person who can stop zombies rising from their graves...ParaNorman's unique approach to horror allows it to explore serious societal issues through animation, and creatively blends animated horror with heartfelt themes of acceptance and understanding. Laika Studios have never been one to follow the leader, and while other studios were foc

Jan 23, • 50:34

Encanto

Welcome to The Family Madrigal, and the Surface Pressure hiding underneath the perfect façade of a magical family with wonderful gifts - everyone except Mirabel. Who probably wonders "What Else Can I Do?" on the regular, when her Abuela seems to blame her for everything.All Of You probably know the intergenerational trauma this movie perfectly depicts, but it's also a movie that took the time to show deep love and respect for Colombia, mi encanto. By having a Colombian Cultural Trust, and direct

Jan 16, • 46:51

Turning Red

There's Nobody Like U, Turning Red.Turning Red is a ground-breaking animated film, rightfully kicking off Animation Season 2025 in style, with magical puberty front and centre, that addresses the universal struggles of adolescence through the story of Mei Lee, a 13-year-old girl caught between her familial obligations and her burgeoning independence.Domee Shi's feature-length directorial debut represents a significant milestone as Pixar's first solo female director and first female director of c

Jan 9, • 45:50

(From the Archive) The Transfomers: The Movie (1986)

Happy New Year and Ba weep granah weep nini bong to you all! Transformers started out as a toy line, and became a comic and a TV series, and it was making huge profits for parent company Hasbro, but what do you do when you want to introduce a whole new toy line and get rid of the old ones? Why, you make a feature length animation to kill off the ones you don't want anymore. It'll be easy, right?Well, turns out Hasbro ignored the advice of seasoned writer Ron Friedman, who insisted killing Optimu

Jan 2, • 46:41

Elf

Before we learn how all about the history and legacy of a modern Christmas classic, let's recite the "Code of the Elves," shall we? Number one; "Treat every day like Christmas." Number two; "There's room for everyone on the nice list." Number three; "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear."Just for those listeners on Santa's nice list, the enduring appeal of Elf lies in its ability to resonate with audiences of all ages, and the importance of believing in the mag

Dec 23, 2024 • 42:50

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Looks like you've found yourself on Santa's Naughty List!How the Grinch Stole Christmas isn't just a beloved holiday classic; it’s a deep dive into the complexities of acceptance, compassion, and the true spirit of Christmas, that also contains a Mean One!From Dr. Seuss's iconic original story to its 1966 animated version and the 2000 live-action adaptation featuring Jim Carrey, the Grinch's transformation from a cynical hermit to a figure of redemption mirrors our own struggles with loneliness

Dec 19, 2024 • 40:29

Lethal Weapon (1987)

Perennial Christmas classic Lethal Weapon redefined the buddy cop genre with its festive setting, unique characters and the undisputed chemistry between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Shane Black's screenplay combined humour and action and made it a benchmark for future action films, and Richard Donner's direction brought a skilled touch to the film's pacing and storytelling. Unlike other buddy cop or action movies of the 80s, it also explores deep themes of depression, grief, and trauma, particul

Dec 12, 2024 • 37:39

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Before I begin, I notice that Chancellor Jarnathan is not present...?I'm back from an extended break, deciding to do an episode on Dungeons & Dragons, and its fifty-year history and legacy as the most popular TTRPG in the world. Easing myself back into podcasting slowly, then, because it's safe to say nothing has impacted geek culture like Dungeons & Dragons, since its debut in 1974. It evolved from its early iterations to mainstream popularity, especially with the rise of its fifth edition. It

Dec 5, 2024 • 57:24

(From the Archive) Your Name. (君の名は。)

How can I write about Your Name? Is it possible to convey the jaw dropping beauty and breath-taking majesty of Your Name with words? I'm not really sure it is, but I take a stab at it in Episode 77 anyway, because Your Name is truly something magical and resplendent to witness. A simple boy meets girl love story, with an added element of celestial forces; Your Name takes a simple story and elevates it to a visual treat as well as an emotional powerhouse.Put simply, if you don't believe in true l

Nov 28, 2024 • 52:58

(From the Archive) A League of Their Own (1992)

In 1943, Philip K. Wrigley (of chewing gum fame!) founded the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in order to maintain sport and public morale during World War II, at a time when many eligible young men, including professional sportsmen, were drafted to fight overseas.Whilst A League of Their Own is a mostly fictional account of the players and founders behind the AAGPBL, it still tells a story of the real-life resilience, spirit and tenacity of the young women involved, man

Nov 21, 2024 • 1:01:33

(From the Archive) Josie and the Pussycats

Hello, I'm Em. And yes, I'm a podcast host. No, I said cappuccino. I'm here to talk to you about something very important. And no, it's not about me or my podcast. I'm here to talk about subliminal messages in rock and roll music. Or as it's simply known in some cultures, 'rock music'.You see, for years the government has been wisely coercing teenagers to buy products they normally wouldn't want, just to get their money.Fact! Kids don't have bills to pay. Fact! They don't pay taxes. But! They do

Nov 14, 2024 • 49:37

(From the Archive) Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight

From a great well-known cast of faces, such as William Sadler, Jada Pinkett, Billy Zane, Dick Miller and Thomas Haden Church to some genuinely spooky great practical effects and world building, Demon Knight really delivers in a way most low-budget horror movies don't.Not to mention, it's probably the only horror movie where a black woman is the final girl, and she saves the world!I never thought I'd say that Billy Zane was the best part of anything.... he chews the scenery like never before or a

Nov 7, 2024 • 46:34

Halloween (1978)

Halloween has a complex and multifaceted legacy, intertwining themes of fear, adolescence, and societal commentary. The exploration of the concept of the 'Final Girl,' epitomized by Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Laurie’s character represents resilience and survival, challenging traditional gender roles often depicted in horror films, and her casting was just a simple publicity stunt really. Her mother was the original scream queen, Janet Leigh, and Psycho's DNA is woven throughout t

Oct 31, 2024 • 52:31

Friday the 13th (1980)

There's a curse at Camp Crystal Lake. It's going to be a Long Night at Camp Blood. Except that didn't turn out to be the title of this movie.The original Friday the 13th cleverly subverts horror tropes by making the killer a middle-aged mother, capitalizing on the fears associated with the number 13, as well as the success of Halloween in 1978.Betsy Palmer's portrayal of Pamela Voorhees, who only shows up in the final moments, makes her one of horror's most subversive, and yet misremembered vill

Oct 24, 2024 • 44:21

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

40 years ago, slashers took a terrifying turn, when Wes Craven suggested that we could not only be haunted by our nightmares, but also die from the creatures within them.Craven's creation of Freddy Krueger stemmed from a haunting childhood memory that inspired the character - called Fred Krueger in this movie only - and the true unexplained deaths of Cambodian immigrants who randomly died in their sleep. While cinema was becoming saturated with cheap, clichéd knock-offs after Halloween and Frida

Oct 17, 2024 • 42:34

Child's Play (1988)

Horror icon Chucky was originally created by UCLA student Don Mancini, evolving from a script originally titled 'Batteries Not Included' which then became 'Blood Buddy', where the character was named Buddy.Potential lawsuit with Hasbro aside, Buddy would eventually become Chucky; the movie was eventually renamed Child's Play, and would become a ground-breaking horror film that successfully combined dark comedy with genuine suspense. The animatronics used for Chucky were state-of-the-art for the

Oct 10, 2024 • 49:31

Bill & Ted Face the Music

Bill & Ted creators Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson, along with stars Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, always assumed Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey would be the last time anyone would see Bill S. Preston Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan together on the big screen ever again.Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey hadn't done the business of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and so all four men went their own ways in Hollywood, each carving their own successful careers.It wasn't until a random red carpet comment in 200

Oct 3, 2024 • 41:40

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Verbal Diorama: It’s hip, it’s now, it’s wow and how?!After the huge success of both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, Sam Raimi wanted to finish his Spider-Man trilogy with a bang.Originally planning to have Sandman and the Vulture, along with a non-New Goblin Harry Osborn against Peter Parker's newly adored Spider-Man, plans would evolve somewhat as time passed, with Avi Arad instead wanting fan favourite anti-hero Venom to be a secondary antagonist alongside Sandman.Sam Raimi wasn't keen on Venom,

Sep 26, 2024 • 49:51

Batman Forever

Batman Forever, for all its neon grandiose spectacle, was purely created as the anthesis to Batman Returns. While retrospectively, Batman Returns is seen as one of the best Batman movies, the backlash around the movie's dark, violent and sexual nature led to parents revolting, and Warner Bros scrambling to make Batman family-friendly again.Enter Joel Schumacher, a guy with a strong movie making record, who was more than happy to follow Warner Bros family-friendly mantra, with his own accoutremen

Sep 19, 2024 • 52:16

Jurassic Park III

After Steven Spielberg took the reins for both Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic World, it was time for some fresh meat for Jurassic Park III, which was the first to not be directed by Spielberg and not be based on a Michael Crichton novel.Jurassic Park III would start to have problems early, though. The original script was thrown out five weeks before filming was due to start, with the project already having spent $18 million. New writers Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor were quickly hir

Sep 12, 2024 • 51:52

Snowpiercer (설국열차) (2013)

Bong Joon-ho’s dedication to making Snowpiercer, and making it his way, is as always a true testament to his greatness as a director, and a visionary director at that. You don’t start something in 2005 and take seven years to develop it if you don’t have that passion for the project. In many ways the scale and scope of Snowpiercer led Bong to want to make smaller films - his next film would be Okja for Netflix, and then he’d make Parasite - undoubtedly his most important, acclaimed and successfu

Aug 31, 2024 • 48:35

Prey (2022)

Hollywood cinema has often featured Native American men in Westerns as brutal, hypermasculine barbarian warriors, and Native American women as hyper-sexualised or a quiet subservient. They'd also often be portrayed by white actors in brownface.How remarkable that a Predator prequel aimed to set this injustice right?Despite not being of Native American descent, director Dan Trachtenberg and writer Patrick Aison knew that they needed to make this movie as authentic as possible to the 1700s in the

Aug 22, 2024 • 54:19

Predator (1987)

From the depths of the Mexican jungle, an elite team of special forces are sent in to rescue hostages, but unbeknownst to them, they're the ones who are being hunted.Predator, originally known as Hunter, was a spec script by brothers Jim and John Thomas that was slid under the door at 20th Century Fox, and ended up being sold without an agent or a lawyer. While its premise changed slightly from that initial iteration, it did under the weight of its star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who would be a huge

Aug 15, 2024 • 47:49

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is beloved by fans of the franchise, and lauded as the best Star Trek movie, with Khan himself as one of the standout villains, and Spock's sacrifice and resulting death as an emotional high point.That wasn't always the case though. In fact, Spock's death was leaked to fans during production, and fans were not happy, even resorting to sending death threats to producer Robert Sallin.Sallin, though, is one of the MVPs of this whole production. He would never work on

Aug 8, 2024 • 54:58

(From the Archive) Deadpool

I don't usually re-release old episodes, however with Deadpool & Wolverine out now, I thought it might be nice to go back and revisit the groundbreaking first solo outing for everyone's favourite R-rated sex-positive, kink-positive and queer-positive, blood-splattering foul-mouthed merc with a mouth.What started as a project languishing in development hell, turned into a neutered cameo in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and became a passion project for Ryan Reynolds, with leaked test footage the catal

Aug 1, 2024 • 53:23

(From the Archive) Logan

I don't usually re-release old episodes, however with Deadpool & Wolverine out now, I thought it might be nice to go back and revisit one of Fox's greatest achievements, and Hugh Jackman's (original) swansong as Logan. A brutal, gory, painful look at the life of an ageing hero, a man whose life consists of numbing his pain with booze whilst caring for Charles Xavier, a frail, elderly, dementia suffering shadow of his former self.When Logan happens upon a young girl who's remarkably like him, she

Jul 31, 2024 • 59:01

Zoolander

Starting life as a skit for the VH1 Fashion awards, Derek Zoolander would become an international sensation, and be vying for his fourth consecutive VH1 Male Model of the Year. It's an impressive feat for a man as ridiculously good-looking as he is.Inspired by the success of Austin Powers, the idea was to make a feature length movie out of Derek's life and successes, but filming during the 2000 Autumn fashion season in New York, and at the real VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, meant they could only fil

Jul 25, 2024 • 50:05

Cloverfield

Cloverfield, or one of its many other names, was greenlit in a shroud of secrecy, and that secrecy continued throughout production.Actors were auditioned without even being told what they were auditioning for, just that it was a new untitled J.J. Abrams project, and the Abrams name was enough to whet the appetites of not only the actors involved, but also the general public.After a teaser trailer debuted alongside Transformers in the summer of 2007, fans were desperate to find out anything about

Jul 18, 2024 • 53:54

The Bourne Identity (2002)

Remember when action movie heroes didn’t have to think and just beat up a load of bad guys? Jason Bourne heralded the change when The Bourne Identity came out in 2002, and heroes became as vulnerable as they could be dangerous.It was a troubled production, led by Doug Liman, who fought for years to get the rights to the material, and get the movie made in his own chaotic and frenetic directorial style - a style that didn't sit well with the producers or the executives at Universal.Liman didn't j

Jul 11, 2024 • 48:55

Independence Day

Roland Emmerich is not known for being an auteur director, but he is known for his disaster movies; the most defining and well-known of which is Independence Day. A movie that was almost called Doomsday. Can you imagine celebrating our Doomsday every 4th of July? A movie called Independence Day, released around Independence Day 1996, was never going to be anything other than a spectacle of American patriotism and the archetypal blockbuster. It was expensive, it was lucrative, and it was bombasti

Jul 4, 2024 • 1:00:04

Super Mario Bros. (1993)

Last year, Super Mario Bros celebrated its 30th anniversary. It was a fairly muted celebration, but its acknowledgement for the most part came with the release of the new Super Mario Bros Movie, an Illumination animation starring Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy & Jack Black, with many websites also acknowledging the movie that came thirty years before.It's well documented that this is a movie with problems, but what it really was, was the true definition of "creative differences". It would have a y

Jun 27, 2024 • 1:01:45

Bowfinger

As a movie about movie making, Bowfinger leaves no stone unturned in its ruthless attempt to expose filmmaking in Hollywood, and just like this podcast, how difficult it is to get any movie actually made. Granted, it is slightly harder when your action hero doesn't know he's in it... It mocks the range of cliched Hollywood personas, from the waning diva to naïve ingenue turned sexy starlet. It pokes fun at studio executives who seem to be primarily concerned with their vintage vehicles rather th

Jun 20, 2024 • 45:57

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Star Trek ran for three seasons on NBC before being cancelled in 1969 due to low ratings. It was after this that the show went into syndication, that its popularity started growing, and it developed a cult following.Due to the original series' popularity in syndication, Paramount Pictures began to consider making a Star Trek film as early as 1972 and by 1975, a film version of Star Trek was announced - Star Trek: Planet of the Titans (although that wasn't the only one!)Star Trek: Planet of the T

Jun 13, 2024 • 57:05

Knives Out

After finishing Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, director Rian Johnson had a brief window of opportunity to make another movie, and decided to go back to an old idea from the mid 2000s, based on the Agatha Christie's murder mysteries and the Choose Your Own Adventure books he loved reading as a child.Wait a minute - I read a tweet about a New Yorker article about this episode... Taking cues from Alfred Hitchcock, he would devise Knives Out, a whodunit where you would find out who did it up

Jun 6, 2024 • 47:56

West Side Story (1961) & West Side Story (2021)

West Side Story's origins as a Tony award-winning stage musical based on Romeo and Juliet meant it was ripe for a film adaptation. Stage director and choreographer Jerome Robbins was set to co-direct with Oscar-winning director Robert Wise; it would be written for the screen by Ernest Lehman, retaining the beautiful score, songs and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.Wise would direct the dramatic scenes, and Robbins the musical sequences, in a lavish, expensive adaptation, shot on

May 30, 2024 • 1:09:15

The Italian Job (1969) & The Italian Job (2003)

The Italian Job (1969) is the epitome of what would become Cool Britannia. It celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, and has lost none of its Britishness. In fact, for the quintessentially British cult classic, they had to have the cool car of the 1960s youth - the Mini - for the quintessential British heist.Setting the film in Turin also gave them the bonus of having access to Fiat's locations and vehicles. Fiat and the city of Turin were incredibly welcoming to the production, despite all

May 23, 2024 • 52:13

Dawn of the Dead (1978) & Dawn of the Dead (2004)

After Night of the Living Dead, George Romero branched out, not wanting to be typecast as a zombie movie director. It was a tour of the Monroeville Mall that put the idea in his head, of a satire about consumerism. He would quickly have a rough idea in his head, a follow-up venture into the world of the undead.Romero and his producer Richard P. Rubinstein started the process of procuring US investors for his new zombie movie, but no one showed any interest. No one in the US anyway.Romero's frien

May 16, 2024 • 54:08

(From the Archive) X-Men: The Animated Series - Night of the Sentinels Parts 1 & 2 (1992)

I don't usually re-release old episodes, however the revival of X-Men: The Animated Series as X-Men '97 on Disney+ has been a tremendous success, not only with fans, but also critics. The show has been praised for revitalising the MCU, and being the template on which Marvel need to move forward with on future projects.X-Men '97 has been made with so much love for the original series, as well as the comic books; updating the animation, but keeping the same characters we know and love, and even so

May 9, 2024 • 37:05

Clash of the Titans (1981) & Clash of the Titans (2010)

Release the Kraken! Twice!Clash of the Titans had been an idea since the late 1950s, with writer Beverley Cross writing a treatment in 1969 called Perseus and the Gorgon's Head. At the time, producer Charles H. Schneer and legendary animator Ray Harryhausen were working on other films, and so what became Clash of the Titans would have to wait until 1977 to start pre-production.It would eventually release in 1981 and include not only one of Harryhausen's most memorable creatures, Medusa, but also

May 2, 2024 • 47:37

The Flintstones (1994)

64 years ago, The Flintstones became the first ever animated prime time sitcom in the US, and 30 years ago, the live-action film was released. A live action adaptation of The Flintstones first came about in 1985, but it wouldn't be 'til Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment acquired the rights in 1992 that the project started moving forward, but by that point eight writers had already had a crack at the script...Once Spielberg, and mega fan director Brian Levant, got involved, many more writer

Apr 25, 2024 • 44:10

Shakespeare in Love

The history and legacy of Shakespeare in Love is long-winded and complicated, but how is it that a movie can be wholly and completely tarnished by one man?I don't know. It's a mystery.From its beginnings as a project for Universal starring Julia Roberts, to it being shut down after spending $6 million and losing Julia Roberts, to being resurrected in the worst possible way by actual real-life villain Harvey Weinstein; the story of Shakespeare in Love has comedy, romance and tragedy, just like an

Apr 18, 2024 • 52:19

Van Helsing (2004)

After making The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, Stephen Sommers wanted to make a small movie; no monsters, no action, no visual effects, just something simple, but then he started thinking about all the Universal monster movies he loved as a child, and came up with a collective story of three monsters, connected by one man - Van Helsing - but not the Abraham Van Helsing you knew....Gabriel Van Helsing would be serving alongside Dracula with the Knights of the Holy Order before having to kill him.

Apr 11, 2024 • 42:31

Back to the Future

Great Scott, it’s the 250th episode! Where we’re going, we don’t need roads, and if my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to get the history and legacy of Back to the Future! It's a story of how Romancing the Stone, Coca-Cola's takeover of Columbia and Double Indemnity came together to make Back to the Future a possibility.Back in the days when Ronald Reagan, the actor! was president and you needed a nuclear reaction to generation 1.21 jigowatts of elec

Apr 4, 2024 • 1:07:43

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) & Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003)

In 1993, before they were acquired by Eidos, a little games developer in Derby called Core Design were working on their new action adventure game. It was an Indiana Jones-style 3D platformer; revolutionary for its time, and not just because of the immense 3D world and cleverly designed levels, but the protagonist was a woman.Her name was Lara Croft, and the game was Tomb Raider.In the mid-90s, Lara Croft became a virtual celebrity, and while Eidos demanded more and more Tomb Raider games, the wh

Mar 28, 2024 • 53:05

Fighting with My Family

Sport biopics are usually only reserved for well known big-name sportspeople from yesteryear - people like Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, James Hunt and Niki Lauda, or stories based in reality with fictional characters.What makes Fighting with My Family, and Paige’s story so different, is that not only did she achieve the WWE Divas Champion at the tender age of 21, she also won that title just ten years ago, and she comes from a working class family from Norwich, that had just so happened to be

Mar 21, 2024 • 43:59

A Quiet Place

For Women's History Month and Mother's Day, here in the UK, silence is deafening for a spec script written in an unconventional way, that happened to get picked up by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes production company.Taking inspiration from silent movies from Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Jacques Tati, as well as horror classics like Jaws, Alien and Alfred Hitchcock's filmography, A Quiet Place started life as an almost dialogue free script, written in 2016.The original screenplay can be foun

Mar 14, 2024 • 45:15

Wonder Woman

It's International Women’s Day tomorrow, and if we’re talking about someone who represents feminism, women’s rights, gender equality and reproductive rights, there’s no fictional character used to represent this as frequently on International Women’s Day than Wonder Woman.A character born from polyamory, first-wave feminism and also linked to the very first birth control clinic in the United States; Wonder Woman was the only one of DC's top tier heroes to not have her own solo headline movie, af

Mar 7, 2024 • 46:56

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

The final episode of Animation Season 2024, and one of Walt Disney's crowning achievements in animation: Sleeping Beauty.Doing another princess movie after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella seemed like the obvious choice, but it was also risky. Walt Disney didn't want to make the same thing again, and wanted to wow the public with yet another cinematic visual masterpiece to prove Disney were the pioneering animation studio. A "moving illustration".To do this he enlisted Eyvind Earle

Feb 22, 2024 • 42:27

Celebrating five years of Verbal Diorama

5 years, 244 episodes, 258 histories and legacies. I guess I need to crack on and do some more... Thank you to you all for supporting me over five years of podcasting.Huge thanks to Russell, Brett, Tracy, Josh, KT, Oti, Jack, Scott and Zack for being kind enough to send me some messages of congratulations.Lots of love to you all! Thanks for listening!

Feb 17, 2024 • 15:01

Mars Needs Moms

For the final fifth birthday episode, Disney could see that motion capture was quickly becoming the next big thing for animation, and they wanted in. They teamed up with Robert Zemeckis to make A Christmas Carol, and then Mars Needs Moms, based on a children's book, written to persuade a young child to eat his vegetables.But Mars Needs Moms would not only be incredibly dark for a family animated film, and venture deep into the realms of the uncanny valley, it would also become a huge box office

Feb 16, 2024 • 26:21

The Emoji Movie

Sir Patrick Stewart has never had a role that could officially be described as "poop", until now.For the second fifth birthday episode, The Emoji Movie was Sony's $1 million winning bid on making a movie all about those little characters you use on WhatsApp instead of actual words, and to ensure this was completed before anyone else had a chance, it came together in under two years!Unfortunately, it was a critical disaster. Insert shocked face emoji here!

Feb 15, 2024 • 24:37

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

Quite famously a movie that almost destroyed DreamWorks by losing $125 million, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas doesn't deserve its negative reputation as a box office bomb, and the final traditional 2D animated film from the studio. It instead deserves to be featured as one of the fifth birthday episodes of this podcast.Only five years late, too!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Feb 14, 2024 • 25:03

The Black Cauldron

The Black Cauldron is notorious for being one of Disney's darkest and scariest movies, and it is, but there's a beauty in its darkness that's unrivalled. The score does feel mismatched in places and the characters aren't very well-developed, but there's something truly ambitious there, and the animation has moments of sheer awe-inspiring brilliance. It really is a work of visual art.But you can see the behind-the-scenes troubles even in its animation - while some scenes are some of the most chal

Feb 8, 2024 • 41:20

Nimona

Based on ND Stevenson's graphic novel, Nimona started life with Blue Sky Studios, and when Blue Sky was acquired by Disney in its purchase of 20th Century Fox, originally Nimona's production continued. When Disney officially cancelled Nimona, it came as no surprise to the team working on the movie. While officially the reasons for cancellation were financial, rumours swirled that Disney didn't like the LGBTQ themes, and opposed a same-sex kiss.But Nimona, and the crew behind the movie, refused t

Feb 1, 2024 • 41:20

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Guillermo del Toro once said “No single character in history has had as deep of a personal connection to me as Pinocchio.”And this is coming from a guy who loves his passion projects. So much so that you could arguably say that every Guillermo del Toro project is a passion project, but not every Guillermo del Toro passion project gets made... It took fifteen years for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio to finally reach the big and small screen, in a year with two other Pinocchio adaptations - the Di

Jan 25, 2024 • 38:54

How to Train Your Dragon

Based on Cressida Cowell's childhood experiences of living in a remote cottage in Scotland, her How to Train Your Dragon series of books was a wild success, and so naturally Hollywood came calling.The writer/director team of Lilo and Stitch came on board the project, and the whole mythology surrounding the island inhabitants of Berk, and the mythology and biology surrounding its dragon neighbours, was built from the ground up.How to Train Your Dragon not only has the style, the substance, the en

Jan 18, 2024 • 42:16

WALL-E

Animation Season returns... with one of Pixar's most important movies, and one with a prescient message. Andrew Stanton had pitched an idea about the last robot on earth back in 1994. It would take eight years for the project to materialise properly, and was originally conceived as Robinson Crusoe and The Last Man on Earth, becoming a Planet of the Apes-style humans-as-aliens reveal, before its robotic love story blossomed, and along with it, a stark warning for the future of humanity, our relia

Jan 11, 2024 • 39:58

Home Alone

John Hughes' pair of 1989 comedies Uncle Buck and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation would become integral to the production of his next screenplay, Home Alone, based on the simple idea of "what would it be like if I left one of my young children home alone while I went on vacation?"It really was a case of lightning in a bottle, with the perfect John Hughes screenplay, a young and willing director in Chris Columbus, the perfect cast, led by the-then eight-year-old Macaulay Culkin, in a perfor

Dec 24, 2023 • 42:28

Die Hard

The story of Die Hard starts in the mid-sixties, and the film adaptation of a dark film noir detective drama novel, The Detective, starring Frank Sinatra. That film warranted a sequel, but the sequel novel Nothing Lasts Forever would take eleven years to be written, and its film adaptation would take a further nine years to make it to the big screen, with some major changes.Gone was Frank Sinatra reprising his role, and the death of the character's on-screen daughter. The dark, depressing story

Dec 17, 2023 • 43:35

The Holiday

A fairy-tale English cottage set in a tranquil country garden. Snuggle up by an old stone fireplace and enjoy a cup of cocoa. An enchanting oasis of tranquillity in a quiet English hamlet, just forty minutes from exciting London.No, it's not Verbal Diorama HQ, but the description of Iris Simpkins' traditional English country cottage in The Holiday, the quintessential Christmas romantic comedy that only seems to get better and more appreciated with age. You could say it has gumption.Derided by cr

Dec 10, 2023 • 35:56

Street Fighter (1994)

Street Fighter is one of those movies that does feel lacking, incomplete, and cut to shreds, and then you realise it is indeed all of those things because of the various issues on set. Capcom’s constant demands, Raúl Julia's illness and recovery from surgery, Jean-Claude Van Damme's regular absences from set, and a constantly changing filming schedule, not to mention the MPAA requesting constant cuts to give it the all important PG-13 rating. Under different circumstances, Street Fighter could a

Nov 30, 2023 • 40:19

Donnie Darko

A first time writer-director, in the right place at the right time, developed a story about a troubled young man, in the wrong place at the right time, as Donnie Darko became a dark twisted tale of cultural significance against a mind-bending plot, and resulting controversy surrounding its use of gun wielding after Columbine, and imagery of a plane crash just after 9/11.These factors would mean it would flop when it did eventually reach US cinemas in October 2001, however Donnie Darko would find

Nov 23, 2023 • 32:02

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 of Superman II, which we do), as voted for by Patrons of this podcast for, on the history and legacy of Superman II, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III & Superman IV: The Quest for Peace ! The sequels to the previous episode on SupermanSUPERMAN II was inevitable after Richard Donner completed 75% of the movie, filmed at the same time as Superman (1978). His work on the sequel was halted dur

Nov 16, 2023 • 56:04

Mamma Mia!

Before Barbenheimer, there was The Dark Mamma. Two polar opposite movies going head-to-head at the box office, and both ending up huge successes in very different ways.The film adaptation of Mamma Mia! was never planned to be Universal's big summer 2008 hit, in fact it wasn't until test screenings that they realised what a gem they had on their hands.Mamma Mia! would not beat The Dark Knight at the box office, but it would blaze its own trail, for a jukebox musical based on a running stage produ

Nov 2, 2023 • 45:33

From Dusk till Dawn

It's got Tarantino's trademark dialogue, Rodriguez's trademark visuals and Salma Hayek dancing seductively in a bikini... what more could you want in a crime thriller slash vampire movie?Originating as a story by future Wishmaster director and KNG EFX visual effects master Robert Kurtzman, which he planned to direct as a low budget horror film, that all changed when he enlisted a then-unknown Quentin Tarantino to write the screenplay. This was well before Reservoir Dogs would put Tarantino on th

Oct 26, 2023 • 36:35

Hellraiser (1987)

We'll tear your soul apart....From the depths of hell comes body horror, an exploration of sexual desire, lust and gratification, and the pleasure pain theory, as hedonistic Frank Cotton solves the Lament Configuration and receives a gruesome demise, only to be accidentally resurrected.Hellraiser is unlike any other horror movie of its time, not just for its content, but for the risk New World took on a first-time writer-director, based on his own novella rooted in sadomasochism, with no major s

Oct 19, 2023 • 34:15

Poltergeist (1982)

They're here...Some of the '80s most influential and popular films wouldn't exist without Steven Spielberg, and Poltergeist is one of them.But its origins aren't from ghost stories, but in UFO sightings, and it would be Spielberg's hesitance to do a sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind that would lead him down the path of creating a pseudo sci-fi horror sequel called Night Skies, itself based on the Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter of 1955.Night Skies, a dark story of malevolent aliens terro

Oct 12, 2023 • 46:37

Wishmaster

Be careful what you wish for... Wishmaster might not be up in the realms of horror classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th, but for a low budget cheesy '90s horror fantasy, it has serious horror pedigree.Directed by visual effects maestro Robert Kurtzman, executively produced by Wes Craven and containing cameos from a whole host of screen horror legends, Wishmaster revels in its campy horror roots, and gives the Disney version of a benevolent and funny genie offering three wis

Oct 5, 2023 • 35:47

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Steven Spielberg quite famously refused to take on a sequel to his iconic shark movie, Jaws, (as referenced in last week's episode on Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D and Jaws: The Revenge.But when it came to a sequel to his iconic dinosaur movie, Jurassic Park, covered on this podcast in episode 57 back in August 2020, Spielberg returned to the director's chair, despite having just set up the studio DreamWorks, and filming Jurassic Park and Schindler's List back-to-back.While Michael Crichton was writing the s

Sep 28, 2023 • 45:32

Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D & Jaws: The Revenge

The first ever triple-bill episode, as voted for by Patrons of this podcast for Sequeltember, on the history and legacy of Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D & Jaws: The Revenge ! The sequels to the previous episode on Jaws. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water. JAWS 2 was wanted pretty much immediately after the success of Jaws, but Steven Spielberg wasn't interested in reprising his directorial role. The director they did find, John D. Hancock, was fired after a month, and the production

Sep 14, 2023 • 53:10

X-Men: Days of Future Past

We start Sequeltember 2023 with the sequel to last June’s episode on X-Men: First Class - itself a movie that didn’t deserve to be as good as it was, but it really was. When a sequel to X-Men: First Class was announced, fan expectation was high. Not only did it adapt a much beloved and influential comic book series, it also announced it was bringing the original trilogy cast and the new cast together, for the first and only time… But bringing together the new and old casts for X-Men: Days of Fut

Sep 7, 2023 • 54:12

The Wedding Singer

Welcome to 1985! Where CD players were brand-new, everyone loved Flock of Seagulls, everyone wanted to join the Mile High Club, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" and Billy Idol gets it, I don't know why she doesn't get it...The Wedding Singer started life as one of Adam Sandler's trademark man-child comedies. It became something different after the involvement of two incredibly famous women - Drew Barrymore, and the late Carrie Fisher.It's also the annual birthday episode, which means I literally

Aug 31, 2023 • 32:52

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

SURPRISE!No-one knew this one was coming. Not the Patrons, and no-one on social media. This week was going to have no episode, but I really wanted to do an episode on the crazy story behind Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and how a sequel this wacky and ambitious ever got made in the first place. A sequel that references Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal, as well as containing evil robot versions of Bill & Ted, and the characters dying and ending up in hell.It's a lot more fun than the seque

Aug 24, 2023 • 24:41

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure almost wasn’t so excellent. Its original plot had to be changed during shooting, a major role was left uncast until the last minute, its original ending was abandoned for being, honestly, most heinous, and its production company went bankrupt during post-production.But, just like the movie, its ending was most triumphant. Bill and Ted would pass their history report, form Wyld Stallyns, and their music would create utopia on Earth. The movie would become cement

Aug 17, 2023 • 46:21

William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Two households (Baz Lurhmann & 20th Century Fox), both alike in dignity,In fair Verona (Australia / Hollywood), where we lay our scene,From ancient grudge (Strictly Ballroom was a huge success) break to new mutiny, (mutiny = partnership)Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. (there was no blood that I'm aware of)From forth the fatal loins of these two foes (they decided to collaborate, non-fatally)A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life; (They made Romeo + Juliet, which is a trag

Aug 10, 2023 • 48:53

There's Something About Mary

A spec script sitting in development hell at Touchstone Pictures, called There's Something About Mary, wouldn't be the raunchy r-rated comedy it ended up becoming.Originally written more straight, with Ted as a creepy stalker hiring a PI to track down the girl he crushed on at high school, once the Farrelly Brothers got involved, it became more of a comedy (with traces of those stalker tendencies still included) and 20th Century Fox wanted in.R-rated comedies were big business in the '80s, but b

Aug 3, 2023 • 51:32

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!The world forgetting, by the world forgot:Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!Each prayer accepted, and each wish resigned;It's been almost 20 years since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was released, and it feels like nothing else comes close to depicting the cyclical nature of relationships so honestly, or so deftly. With pitch-perfect performances from Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet (both playing against type), a stellar supporting cast of Kirsten

Jul 27, 2023 • 51:06

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

"They're coming to get you, Barbra!"You always ask for more horror, so I'm giving you the original and best. The genre-defining low budget zombie movie, an influential horror classic, an unintentional social and political commentary on racial inequality. George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead.The story of zombies has been rooted in culture for decades, and black history has its own myths, based around the Afro-Haitian slave trade, where slaves would welcome death to escape slavery, but fear

Jul 20, 2023 • 51:16

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Don't Panic“Hitchhiker’s by its very nature has always been twisty and turny, and going off into every direction. A film demands a certain shape and discipline that the material just isn’t inclined to fit into.”This is a quote by Douglas Adams, creator and writer of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Despite his (and many others') opinion that the material was mostly harmless (and unfilmable!), Adams was adamant for the big screen adventures of Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Tr

Jul 13, 2023 • 50:32

Hot Shots! & Hot Shots! Part Deux

Another Nanorama (episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information) on the history and legacy of Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft's follow-up to the wildly successful Airplane! and The Naked Gun...Hot Shots! prime target for spoofing was Top Gun, but despite the material being right there, writing it turned into a potential life-imitating-art situation, when tensions started to build in the Gulf, and in the summer of 1990, Iraq (led by Saddam Hussein) invaded Kuwait, leadi

Jul 6, 2023 • 34:51

Pacific Rim

Guillermo del Toro loves Japanese cinema, no more so than his passion for kaiju films, and it's this joy that fuels a loving homage to kaiju cinema like Pacific Rim, and it's this movie that concludes Kaijune for this very reason.A director known for his cinematic monsters, and his metaphors for man being the monster, was surely ripe for a kaiju movie. Pacific Rim is often misjudged and misunderstood as just a smashy smashy monster robot B-movie, but it's a beautifully made B-movie, a heartfelt

Jun 22, 2023 • 59:39

Shin Godzilla (Shin Gojira)

It was the US Godzilla remake that spurred Toho into making their own brand-new Godzilla remake. Not the previous episode's 1998 Godzilla, but Gareth Edwards' 2014 Godzilla, which ended up becoming a huge hit worldwide, and giving Toho the confidence that they could continue the long-running franchise.Shin Godzilla was announced in 2015, and just like the 1954 original it emulated, it would be a Godzilla born of disaster and tragedy, as well as a Godzilla who was a terrifying threat to mankind.

Jun 15, 2023 • 46:01

Godzilla (1998)

From the depths of Kaijune comes the King of the Monsters.... GODZILLA!But not the Godzilla many fans were expecting when a US remake was announced in the '90s, and not the first attempt to make a US version of the legendary kaiju.Steve Miner had tried to get a 3D version off the ground in 1983, and then there was the infamous Jan de Bont version in 1994. Both stories are fascinating enough, but always lurking in the background of the 1994 version were Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. They'd bee

Jun 8, 2023 • 1:09:08

The Host (Gwoemul) (2006)

Bong Joon-ho is a fascinating director, and for the start of Kaijune, a theme month dedicated to cinematic monsters, I simple had to start with The Host, one of his lesser-known films but also one of his most accomplished.Bong Joon-ho does tend to make movies about monsters, but usually they’re figurative monsters. Capitalism, colonialism, greed, class inequalities, social injustice. But here, this is a literal monster born from humanity's greed, government conspiracy and environmental disaster.

Jun 1, 2023 • 42:32

Heathers

Heathers wasn't the first teen black comedy, but it certainly would go on to define teen movies going forward, with movies like Clueless, Jawbreaker and Mean Girls all benefitting from Heathers' influence, either vernacularly, sartorially or thematically.A candy-coloured world juxtaposed against the metaphorical "high school is hell", Veronica Sawyer is a member of the Heathers, the most popular, and most hated clique at Westerburg High. Led by Heather, aided by Heather and brought up in the rea

May 25, 2023 • 35:54

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

"Play Ja Ja Ding Dong!"Ok, ok...But also, to celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest being held here in the UK, and in support of Ukraine, the history and legacy of not only the contest itself, but also Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Will Ferrell first saw the contest in 1999, and became a huge fan. It would take him over 20 years to bring a movie to the big screen, and it would be a movie endorsed by the European Broadcast Union. It had to balance a fine line between being an in

May 11, 2023 • 44:03

Wreck-It Ralph

I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be than me.Wreck-It Ralph may be really good at wrecking, and Fix-It Felix really good at fixing, but Disney had been working on a video game movie since the late 80s without success. Starting as High Score, and then Joe Jump, it would be 2008 when the project would finally be "rebooted" as Reboot Ralph. At one point Ralph wasn't even the lead character, it was Felix.But then they realised that followin

May 4, 2023 • 50:57

Bring It On

I'm sexy, I'm cute, I'm popular to boot... the introductory scene to Bring It On is infamous in 2000s pop culture for its tongue-in-cheek look at the world of cheerleading.Bring It On though, was born of a fascination with competitive cheerleading, and the fact that as it's seen as primarily a women's sport, and not really a sport in itself, despite the skill and athleticism necessary. Writer Jessica Bendinger knew she had something special, and it took many pitches to get a studio to believe in

Apr 27, 2023 • 47:07

Hustlers (2019)

Hustlers was always going to be a tough sell. Based on the true story of a group of strippers who conned rich, white men, writer and director Lorene Scafaria found herself trying to sell it to... rich white men, who were less than enthusiastic about it.The key was the involvement of Jennifer Lopez. Not only was it the casting of Scafaria's dreams, Lopez had the skill and connections to make the production a reality. She would also receive lavish praise for her performance as Ramona Vega, and the

Apr 20, 2023 • 43:05

Hidden Figures

More than half a century after NASA launched astronauts into space, you’d think all the stories about these groundbreaking missions had been told.But they hadn't.Margot Lee Shetterly's father worked at NASA, and the stories of the women of NASA were commonplace among the local community, but the world was yet to know the incredible true story of the African-American female mathematicians, and how integral their work was to the space race.Lee Shetterly's book, Hidden Figures: The American Dream a

Apr 13, 2023 • 42:54

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a witty social satire on gender and class that also serves as a celebration of female ingenuity and solidarity, decked out in beautiful brightly coloured ball gowns and diamonds. It’s a love story, but not in the traditional sense; it puts female friendship front and centre, and remains one of the best buddy comedies. Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe are electric together, their friendship is obvious, they’re flawless, with pitch perfect comedic timing. It remains a Go

Apr 6, 2023 • 53:30

Hot Rod & Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Another Nanorama (episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information) on the history and legacy of The Lonely Island's debut and sophomoric cinematic comedies: Hot Rod and Popstar: Never Stop Never StoppingHot Rod was written originally for Will Ferrell before it ended up in development hell. The Lonely Island, then brand new on Saturday Night Live, were utilising the internet for comedy sketches way before it was cool, and SNL producer Lorne Michaels knew the trio wou

Mar 30, 2023 • 45:45

Reign of Fire

It's the apocalypse of 2020 with dragons, and that's really all you need to know about this movie.But also, in the late '90s, the estimated $300 million spec script for Reign of Fire was toned down and eventually made for just $60 million, starring two future Oscar-winning actors, and visual effects that would leave a lasting legacy on cinematic dragons going forward. It makes Reign of Fire even more impressive a feat than it already is.Reign of Fire deserves way more respect than anyone gives i

Mar 23, 2023 • 51:53

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true. Thanks for supporting 200 episodes of this podcast!The Wizard of Oz is still as relevant, vibrant and perfect as ever. It was a beloved children’s book, that manifested into a cultural cinematic icon. And despite the colours, the textures, the joyous wonder of the wonderful world of Oz, there’s such a darkness to the story. The state-of-the-art, beautiful Technicolor world belies the pain,

Mar 16, 2023 • 1:00:24

Wayne's World

Party on Wayne, and Party on Garth - it's only Aurora's finest basement-dwelling public access cable show. Wayne's World! Wayne's World. Party time. Excellent!From its beginnings as a Saturday Night Live sketch, to its democratization of America's cable public access TV network, arguably Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar were the YouTubers of their day, and probably also invented podcasts... maybe... But Wayne's World, for all its humour, pop culture references, fourth wall breaking, introducing th

Mar 9, 2023 • 46:09

Tangled

Seven A.M., the usual morning line-up, start on the chores and sweep 'til the floor's all clean, polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up, sweep again, and by then it's like 7:15And so I read a book, or maybe two or three, I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery, I'll play guitar and knit, and cook and basicallyJust wonder when will my life begin?Tangled's life began like every other Disney movie. In fact, it was quite similar to Enchanted; a live-action/animation hybrid called Rapun

Feb 23, 2023 • 47:37

Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death

This podcast is now four year old, so to celebrate, here's the fifth of five very special episodes on Wallace and Gromit, on the final of their short films, A Matter of Loaf and DeathThank you for your support over the last four years!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Feb 17, 2023 • 26:59

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

This podcast is now four year old, so to celebrate, here's the fourth of five very special episodes on Wallace and Gromit, on their only feature-length theatrical adventure Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Thank you for your support over the last four years!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Feb 16, 2023 • 36:34

Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave

This podcast is now four year old, so to celebrate, here's the third of five very special episodes on Wallace and Gromit, on the third of their short films, A Close Shave.Thank you for your support over the last four years!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Feb 15, 2023 • 21:12

Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers

This podcast is now four year old, so to celebrate, here's the second of five very special episodes on Wallace and Gromit, on the second of their short films, The Wrong Trousers.Thank you for your support over the last four years!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacyChartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Feb 14, 2023 • 20:59

Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out

This podcast is now four year old, so to celebrate, here's the first of five very special episodes on Wallace and Gromit, on the first of their short films, A Grand Day Out.Thank you for your support over the last four years!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacyChartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Feb 13, 2023 • 16:03

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! / The Pirates! Band of Misfits

One doesn't know why. Perhaps it's his luxuriant beard, or his gleaming teeth, or the way he smells faintly of coconuts, but we have taken a shine to this pirate.With different names depending on where you are in the English-speaking world, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (or The Pirates! Band of Misfits) already feels like an anomaly in Aardman's stellar back catalogue.Based on the best-selling books by Gideon Defoe, who also writes the screenplay, The Pirates feels similar, yet a

Feb 9, 2023 • 49:31

Perfect Blue

Satoshi Kon's debut feature-length animated movie is often cited as not just as masterpiece of animation, but a masterpiece of cinema full stop.Darren Aronofsky, in particular, has not only credited Perfect Blue as inspiration for a scene in Requiem for a Dream, there are also striking similarities between Perfect Blue and his Oscar-winning psychological horror Black Swan. Mima and Nina, anyone?Controversies aside, Perfect Blue was made on the cusp of the home internet revolution, and horrifical

Feb 2, 2023 • 46:52

The Emperor's New Groove

The Emperor's New Groove, unfortunately lumbered as part of the blame for the beginning of the end of Disney's Renaissance period, is actually three movies in one:The original movie that was never made, Kingdom of the SunThe movie we gotAnd the documentary that Disney does not want you to see, The SweatboxIn this episode, I'm going to be telling you about all three; plus the alleged DreamWorks plan by ex-Disney chief Jeffrey Katzenberg to beat Disney to release with The Road to El Dorado, the fa

Jan 26, 2023 • 48:52

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a movie with a Guinness World Record, an Oscar nomination and, miraculously, an R-rating. That R-rating contributed to it being the highest grossing R-rated animated film for seventeen years, too.If the Motion Picture Association of America had their way, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut would have been rated NC-17, but the irony doesn't stop there. The kids of South Park; Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny sneak into an R-rated movie, discover all the

Jan 19, 2023 • 43:21

Inside Out (2015)

Who's your friend who likes to play? BING BONG BING BONG!Inside Out captures the science of emotions, memory and personality remarkably accurately for an animated feature. In fact, getting the science right was paramount to the team at Pixar. It’s as accurate as the science in a Pixar movie can be, because it still needs to be entertaining, but it’s more accurate than it needs to be.Director Pete Docter, already a steady hand at Pixar after directing Monsters Inc. and Up, had an idea based on th

Jan 12, 2023 • 55:23

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

Comparisons to Avatar aside, FernGully: The Last Rainforest is a film of a lot of firsts. It wasn't just one of the first animated features to combine traditional and computer animation; it was also one of the first to be produced with remote artists, Robin Williams' first animated role (no, not the Genie!), and the first movie to be screened at the UN General Assembly. It's also got itself a spot in the Guinness World Records, too!Portions of its profits were donated to Greenpeace, the Ra

Jan 5, 2023 • 47:00

The Nightmare Before Christmas

What's this?! What's this?! There's colour everywhere! It's officially the final episode of Verbal Diorama of 2022, and my dreams of producing an episode on The Nightmare Before Christmas become a reality, just before Christmas!While this may have been Tim Burton's idea, and Tim Burton's vision, the real maestros behind the scenes on The Nightmare Before Christmas were undoubtedly Henry Selick and Danny Elfman, and both would be burned by their experiences working on this movie.But The Nightmare

Dec 22, 2022 • 46:41

The Muppet Christmas Carol

There's (a little more than) One More Sleep 'Til Christmas, and with a Thankful Heart, it's time for Verbal Diorama to give some festive love to The Muppet Christmas Carol, so It Feels Like Christmas, finally!Starring Kermit, Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens, Rizzo the Rat as himself, and the inimitable Michael Caine in his career-defining role as Ebenezer Scrooge, The Muppet Christmas Carol is not only one of the greatest adaptations of Dickens' A Christmas Ca

Dec 15, 2022 • 58:40

Edward Scissorhands

After Tim Burton made his phenomenally successful Batman movie, he had his choice of personal projects, including a Batman sequel and a Beetlejuice sequel, but he chose this deeply personal story based on a sketch he had drawn as a withdrawn teenager; of a thin, solemn man with what looked like scissors for hands.Enlisting the help of screenwriter Caroline Thompson, together they would craft the ultimate gothic fairy-tale, based on classic Universal monster movies where the monster is the purest

Dec 8, 2022 • 51:39

Batman Returns

Tim Burton didn't intend to return for Batman Returns after his smash hit Batman movie in 1989, but after Warner Bros gave him free rein on the project and allowed him to fully "Burtonize" the movie, he agreed.The result was, unsurprisingly a completely Tim Burton Batman movie. Full of the typical gothic, macabre, dark and sexualised version of Gotham you'd expect.Warner Bros, though, didn't expect it, and neither did their family friendly merchandising team.I would love to hear your thoughts on

Dec 1, 2022 • 58:16

Super Troopers

Super Troopers is a remarkable achievement - a comedy with no established comedic stars, an unknown director, and a very low budget that seemingly came out of nowhere, to become a huge hit when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001.And while I hate talking about Harvey Weinstein on this podcast, for obvious reasons, he was pivotal to Super Troopers' initial financial success, which only snowballed in the advent of the VHS & DVD rentals market, and positive word of mouth. The con

Nov 24, 2022 • 35:27

Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in)

Not your average vampire story, Let the Right One In is a haunting, beautiful and unique take on vampiric lore, as twelve-year-old Oskar meets Eli, a young girl who moves into his building with her guardian.But Eli is more than she seems, as her 'father' Håkan is seen butchering young men and trying to collect their blood. His constant failure leads her to take matters into her own hands, and people in the small, snowy Swedish town of Blackeburg start disappearing and a woman she attacks starts

Nov 17, 2022 • 44:55

X-Men: The Animated Series - Night of the Sentinels Parts 1 & 2

Halloween 2022 was the 30th anniversary of the airing of Night of the Sentinels Part 1, the pilot episode of X-Men: The Animated Series, with Night of the Sentinels Part 2 airing a week later.Her original plan to launch an X-Men animated series had failed in 1989, but a couple of years later Fox Kids CEO Margaret Loesch was adamant she would get the X-Men on the small screen. The series itself was a risky move, but debuting with a story about the Sentinels was even more risky. And Stan Lee wasn'

Nov 10, 2022 • 36:25

Train to Busan (부산행)

The movie that Edgar Wright called the "Best zombie movie I've seen in forever." and "my favourite zombie film of the 21st Century", Train to Busan is nothing short of phenomenal.With perfect action set pieces, the claustrophobia of being trapped in a zombie-filled train, and interpersonal and class conflicts brewing throughout, what starts as the simple story of a workaholic father taking his daughter to visit her mother in Busan becomes a gripping, heart-wrenching and terrifying experience tha

Oct 20, 2022 • 47:14

One Cut of the Dead (Kamera o Tomeru na!)

One Cut of the Dead was a movie that came together in only eight days, with a tiny budget, that its own actors paid to be in. Not only would it garner major financial success, earning over a thousand times its budget back, it would also be a huge critical success (100% on Rotten Tomatoes!).Most importantly, it encapsulates exactly why this podcast exists in the first place - to celebrate every facet of the production of movies. The pain, the joy and the hard work of everyone involved.One Cut of

Oct 13, 2022 • 42:27

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a patron pick by Pete, is a visual and audible treat. A sweeping epic about love, loyalty, lust and oppression, and a genre-defining Hollywood game-changer when it came to bringing Chinese wuxia martial arts films over to Western audiences. From terrific performances by Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi, to stunning cinematography and outstanding fight choreography, it's a movie that truly has something for everyone.Despite critical and commercial acclaim

Oct 6, 2022 • 49:18

Addams Family Values

To mirth, to merriment, to manslaughter!What defines a loving family? Is is the rosy-cheeked cheery-faced privileged bullies at Camp Chippewa, or is it The Addams Family?Pause for thought.The answer is, and always will be, The Addams Family's honest depiction of love and acceptance. This is not only on full display once again in Addams Family Values, but includes a clear message from writer Paul Rudnick on America's republican views on "family values", and how that is always code for exclusion a

Sep 29, 2022 • 53:42

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Come with me if you want to listen.... to one of the biggest episodes I've ever made on one of the most ground-breaking and important sequels ever made. From the original 1984 low budget slasher, to a big budget action sci-fi spectacular, Terminator 2: Judgment Day upped the stakes in every conceivable way. With James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton returning, and a new Terminator threatening young John Connor, T2 smashes and slices and shoots its way into cinema history, with

Sep 22, 2022 • 1:23:46

WandaVision

The MCU has changed a hell of a lot in 15 months. Back in June 2021 Loki was on everyone's lips, my Avengers series was winding to the end of Phase 3, and Marvel had officially started Phase 4 of the MCU with WandaVision... (and June 2021 is when this episode was originally recorded.)Post Vision's death at the hands of Thanos, and the resulting snap, Wanda Maximoff is bereft. She ends up in Westview, NJ; a small town where Vision had big dreams for their future together.So, based on the US sitco

Sep 15, 2022 • 47:58

Blade II

The daywalker returns to Verbal Diorama for Sequeltember, and this time he has a Blood Pack.Guillermo del Toro admired Stephen Norrington's Blade so much, he analysed it in depth once he took the reins for Blade II. He wanted to build on the world of Blade (1998) by upping the blood, gore, martial arts and monsters, while also staying true to Norrington's original vision.On its release in 2002, critics were mixed on Blade II, and even now it sits at a disappointing 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, but Bl

Sep 8, 2022 • 47:59

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

The power of the sun, in the palm of my hands...Welcome to Sequeltember: The Sequel. Another round of sequels to movies previously featured on Verbal Diorama, and the month starts with a sequel that surpassed its genre-defining original.Spider-Man 2 is, 18 years after its release, still widely regarded as one of the best comic book movies ever made. It's not hard to see why. It has a relatable, human story at its heart, a villain with pathos, gives us the familiar cinematic beats we expect from

Sep 1, 2022 • 1:06:18

Grease 2

Spending my vacation in the summer sun, gettin' lots of action and a lots of fun, scorin' like a bandit 'til the bubble burst, suddenly it got to be August 31st!Come on everybody, gather 'round, I'm gonna show you how to knock 'em down. When I'm on the ball, I'm the number one, and I'm gonna show you how it's done.It's time for the annual birthday episode! While I pride myself on being your Girl For All Seasons, sometimes you have to Do It for Our Country and forget the Charades. It's time for t

Aug 31, 2022 • 34:58

Twins (ft. Drew and Matt from Sequel Pitch)

Auguest concludes, with the first, second and third rule in a crisis situation...I have no respect for those who have no respect for logic. Joining me to talk about Ivan Reitman's fan-favourite Arnold Schwarzenegger & Danny DeVito buddy comedy TWINS are two hosts of a podcast that could be the twin podcast to Verbal Diorama; Drew and Matt from Sequel Pitch!I know, right! Practically twins!While we only have three fathers between us, not six, our podcasts were separated at birth, only to find

Aug 25, 2022 • 1:06:27

Ex Machina (ft. Jack from Sequelisers)

Auguest continues!Impulse. Response. Fluid. Imperfect. Patterned. Chaotic. All words to describe this podcast, but also uttered by Nathan describing the brain of his ultimate creation; Ava. But can Ava pass as human? Let's find out as we delve into Alex Garland's (sort-of!) directorial debut, EX MACHINA!This week's guest wasn't lucky, he was chosen. I had to use all of my self-awareness, imagination, manipulation, sexuality and empathy to be joined by the terrific Jack Chambers-Ward from Sequeli

Aug 18, 2022 • 2:11:16

Dogma (ft. Andy from Geek Salad)

Auguest continues!Snootch to the motherf**king nootch! Verbal Diorama returns for another guest hosted episode for probably the best movie writer/director Kevin Smith has ever made - DOGMA.There's no pleasure, no rapture, no exquisite sin greater than being joined for Dogma by the human embodiment of the Buddy Christ, Andy from Geek Salad, for his Holy Trinity of guest appearances. He has a penchant for the dramatic, but unlike other fallen angels, he won't kill you for your sins. Kevin Smith t

Aug 11, 2022 • 1:21:21

Basic Instinct (ft. Gali from The Rewind Movie Podcast)

Auguest, a month of amazing guest-hosted episodes, begins! I'd have to be pretty stupid to host a podcast about killing and then kill him the way I described in my podcast. I'd be announcing myself as the killer. I'm not stupid. TW: This episode includes a discussion about a scene which depicts forced sex/sexual assault/rape as well as Sharon Stone's recent revelations that she did not consent to her genitals being shown on screen.It's not just global warming, Verbal Diorama is officially gettin

Aug 4, 2022 • 1:24:17

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 just one thing: finding a podcast host who can not only fly this plane, but who didn't have fish for dinner.We have cl

Jul 28, 2022 • 51:10

Promising Young Woman

Another Nanorama (episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information) on the history and legacy of Promising Young Woman, and how important this movie is, regardless of your gender.If this movie makes you feel uncomfortable, it's doing its job.TW: This episode covers suicide, rape, sexual abuse, lack of rape convictions, as well as a rant on the recent overturning by the US Supreme Court of Roe vs Wade, making abortions illegal in some US States and limiting reproducti

Jul 25, 2022 • 30:33

The Terminator

It was a fever dream while making Piranha II: The Spawning that gave James Cameron his idea for a terrifying metal endoskeleton crawling through flames. From that initial idea, he would write a draft, and with the help of Gale Anne Hurd, he would have a script that would sell to Orion, and funding from Hemdale Film Corporation.That script was called The Terminator. Made for a comparatively tiny $6.5 million, The Terminator would surpass all expectations, including that of Orion, and of its star

Jul 21, 2022 • 55:12

District 9

It's not every first time director who hits it out of the park with their first feature, especially one based on an original idea, with an unknown cast.Luckily (or rather unluckily for Halo), an existing project that had brought them together had crumbled, and so a partnership began between powerhouse producer Peter Jackson, fresh off his The Lord of the Rings trilogy and newcomer Neill Blomkamp.Based on Blomkamp's 6-minute short film Alive in Joburg, District 9 takes South Africa's recent histo

Jul 14, 2022 • 51:52

Mars Attacks!

Ack ack ackack ACK ACK!Based on the Topps trading cards of the same name, a movie version of Mars Attacks! first started gathering pace in the mid-80s, but without Tim Burton's involvement.After several years in development hell, screenwriter Jonathan Gems and director Tim Burton got involved, with a script which was costed by Warner Bros at $250 million to make. Not even Titanic would cost that much.To get the cost down, compromises had to be made, and while eight months of stop-motion work had

Jul 7, 2022 • 54:08

Enchanted

Enchanted started life as something very different to what it ended up becoming. Originally conceived as an R-rated comedy with no songs, it was purchased by Touchstone Pictures and eventually made its way to becoming a Disney property, which meant a serious tone down of the material.Going through several directors and writers, eventually it landed with Tarzan and 102 Dalmatians director Kevin Lima. He envisaged a love letter to Disney's past, taking inspiration from Shrek and Who Framed Roger R

Jun 30, 2022 • 47:47

Romancing the Stone & The Jewel of the Nile

Another Nanorama (episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information) on the history and legacy of 1984 smash-hit adventure romantic comedy Romancing the Stone and its rushed sequel The Jewel of the Nile...Romancing the Stone was written by waitress Diane Thomas, and in a true rags-to-riches story was sold to producer Michael Douglas for $250,000. Filmed on location in the Mexican jungle, Romancing the Stone was beset with problems, but the real issues were going on be

Jun 27, 2022 • 35:23

Mortal Kombat (1995) & Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

GET OVER HERE!In a change to the scheduled episode, a smaller Nanorama (episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information) on the history and legacy of the original Mortal Kombat film adaptation from 1995, and its much maligned sequel...YOUR SOUL IS MINE!Mortal Kombat, as a video game, was a worldwide phenomenon. It made sense to make it into a movie. It really was an unprecedented hit, too. And it all started with the arcade game for Terminator 2: Judgement Day and M

Jun 23, 2022 • 40:52

Team America: World Police

Team America: World Police started out as an homage to Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds mixed with Jerry Bruckheimer all-action, post 9/11 US foreign policy and a hint of disaster movies. It's likely that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone simply had no idea what they were in for when they agreed to make this movie and release it in October 2004.They had five months(!)Five months to make a fully practical movie starring marionettes, with scale sets and explosions and montages and sex! W

Jun 16, 2022 • 1:07:45

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Heroes Through the Decades comes to a close in the 2020s with The Suicide Squad, proving that even villains can become heroes when given a second chance. Literally. When David Ayer's Suicide Squad was released in 2016, it was not the original movie he envisioned. Affected by the critical hammering of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros set about making Suicide Squad lighter and more comedic, and David Ayer's version of the movie was substantially changed. The movie was a huge financi

Jun 9, 2022 • 1:05:35

X-Men: First Class

After the financial success of X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men spin-offs X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men Origins: Magneto were both being developed at about the same time at 20th Century Fox. Due to the Writer's Guild of America strike in 2007-2008, production on Magneto was halted and put on the back burner, whereas Wolverine managed to scrape through the system. When Wolverine was released and didn't do quite as well as Fox hoped, the idea for an Origins franchise, and specifically the Magneto

Jun 2, 2022 • 1:07:06

Spider-Man (2002)

Spider-Man gave us an origin story of great power and great responsibility, in more ways than one, but also a story that ordinary nerds could relate to.From humble origins as a throwaway character in a cancelled comic book title, to Marvel's flagship character, a movie version of Spider-Man has been in the works since the early '80s with differing results.Enjoy my new feature "Corman, Cannon, Carolco and Columbia"! A trip through the web of un-made Spider-Man movies of years past, but how each o

May 26, 2022 • 1:14:49

Blade (1998)

Heroes Through the Decades ass kicks into the '90s, with Wesley Snipes' cool, charismatic badass vampire hunter - Blade!In 1971 the Comics Code Authority updated its code criteria, which had been in place since 1954, relaxing the rules on the depiction of horror in comics. For the first time, vampires were allowed in comic books. Marvel's first pseudo-vampire character, Morbius the Living Vampire sowed the seeds for the second; Blade the Vampire Hunter.Wesley Snipes was originally interested in

May 19, 2022 • 57:27

Batman (1989)

Heroes Through the Decades kapows into the 1980s, and is there any superhero as ubiquitous as Batman? Found in comics, in movies and TV, on lunchboxes, as toys and as one of the best-known silhouettes in the world, Batman's omnipresence in pop culture might be commonplace today, but while Batman was a hugely popular comic book series (and '60s TV show!), the Caped Crusader as we know him shifted into popular culture in 1989, not only with the release of this movie, but with BATMANIA!Batman was a

May 12, 2022 • 1:03:45

Superman (1978)

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Verbal Diorama's Heroes Through the Decades miniseries, continuing into the 1970s!Whether you know him as Clark Kent, Kal-El, the Man of Steel, the Man of Tomorrow, or just as Superman, that famous tights-and-cape combo emblazoned with the S on his chest is a symbol of a lot of things:Hope, courage, freedom, love... truth, justice and the American way, and a movie with a rich history in comic books, that was made in part because of Zorro, and in another due

May 5, 2022 • 1:03:33

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

In the first episode of my Heroes Through the Decades miniseries, I'm starting in the sixties, and the crowing jewel of Ray Harryhausen's stellar career, with his trademark glorious stop-motion creature set pieces, in a movie I grew up watching - Jason and the Argonauts. Jason may be the hero on-screen, but Harryhausen is the hero behind it.From its basis in the Greek myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece, to Ray Harryhausen's early career and the influence he had seeing King Kong (1933) to becomi

Apr 28, 2022 • 58:41

A Scanner Darkly

What does a scanner see? Into the head? Down into the heart? Does it see into me? Into us? Clearly or darkly? I hope it sees clearly because I can't any longer see into myself. I see only murk. I hope for everyone's sake the scanners do better, because if the scanner sees only darkly the way I do, then I'm cursed and cursed again.Welcome to the 150th episode of Verbal Diorama, and an episode on two things this podcast is renowned for: animation and Keanu Reeves! Richard Linklater's 2006 movie A

Apr 21, 2022 • 42:32

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story

Warning. This episode contains jokes about balls. Lots of balls.Sports movies are ten-a-penny in Hollywood, sports comedies even more so. There's nothing funnier than a ball being flung in the vicinity of a person's face or private parts, let's be honest.But DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story is more influential than you might think. Not only is it a sharp satire of the fitness and health industry, but it also unofficially marked the creation of a real American professional dodgeball league, as we

Apr 14, 2022 • 45:35

The Crow (1994)

The Crow is so bittersweet to talk about. It’s a dark, but stunning visual movie that looks unlike anything else. It’s hard to avoid the idea that perhaps Brandon Lee’s untimely death contributed to the popularity of the movie, and who knows if the movie would have been as big without the shadow of his death looming over it, but it’s hard to deny the screen presence of Brandon Lee, and that this could have easily been his breakthrough to mainstream Hollywood.As a tribute to Brandon Lee, it stan

Apr 7, 2022 • 45:37

Starship Troopers

I'm doing my part!Young people all over the globe are joining up to save the future. We must meet this threat with our courage, our valour, indeed with our very lives to ensure that human civilization, not insect, dominates this galaxy now and always!All right, let's sum up. This year we explored the failure of democracy. How our social scientists brought our world to the brink of chaos. We talked about the veterans, how they took control and established the stability that has lasted for generat

Mar 31, 2022 • 46:06

Deep Blue Sea

For 145 episodes, Jess was an almost constant feature on Verbal Diorama, whether that was by making noises in the background, featuring on episodes as herself, or just by being in the next room during recording. Jess passed away after a brief period of illness on 15th March 2022, aged almost 18. She was a guiding light, my constant companion, and brought joy to literally everyone who knew her. She was my best friend.So in tribute to, and in celebration of, her long and extremely loving life and

Mar 24, 2022 • 42:55

My Best Friend's Wedding

My Best Friend's Wedding - a romcom without the rom - was remarkably different in its original script. There were only two lines of dialogue for George (then named Digger), Kimmy just magically forgave all of Julianne's transgressions and not only that, but Julianne would be rewarded at the end of the movie by, not getting her man, but getting a man - a handsome stranger at the wedding played by John Corbett.It's not often that a test audience screening will save a movie, but it's safe to say a

Mar 10, 2022 • 42:32

Toy Story 4

The official line from Disney and Pixar post the release of Toy Story 3 in 2010 was "we're not planning Toy Story 4"The honest truth was, they were, and they had been for several months too. Originally not planned as a continuation of the story, Toy Story 4 was intended to be a romantic comedy focused on Woody and Bo Peep, but all that soon changed.....Can I finish Animation Season with a bang? YES I CAN-ADA! Animation Season 2022 is now over, but it will be back next year! I would love to hear

Feb 28, 2022 • 26:28

Toy Story 3

Animation Season 2022 finally reaches Pixar!After the huge success of Toy Story in 1995 and Toy Story 2 in 1999, a sequel seemed inevitable, but it'd take eleven years and a lot of behind the scenes issues.With the relationship between Disney and Pixar soured, Disney exercised its right to make sequels without Pixar's involvement. Disney decided to forge ahead with Toy Story 3 through their own newly-created CG animation studio - Circle Seven Animation. What happened next is hardly child's play,

Feb 24, 2022 • 43:49

The Lion King (1994)

To celebrate the third birthday of this podcast, I wanted to take a look into the history and legacy of The Lion King, a movie that, despite some plagiarism controversy, became the biggest commercial success of Disney's Renaissance, and the highest-grossing animated movie of all time (until the next episode of this podcast, at least!)Thank you for being here with me and supporting me and this podcast over the last three years!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3

Feb 17, 2022 • 37:09

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

To celebrate the third birthday of this podcast, I wanted to take a look into the history and legacy of Beauty and the Beast, a movie that started out as a non-musical, but was scrapped, started again as a musical, and eventually became the first animated feature film to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award.Thank you for being here with me and supporting me and this podcast over the last three years!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev

Feb 16, 2022 • 36:24

The Little Mermaid (1989)

To celebrate the third birthday of this podcast, I wanted to take a look into the history and legacy of The Little Mermaid, a movie that not only changed Disney's fortunes, but also changed the face of animation forever.Thank you for being here with me and supporting me and this podcast over the last three years!

Feb 15, 2022 • 34:30

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is such an underrated gem. I know I say that a lot, but it is.Adults fall into the trap of seeing a bright, colourful, funny animated movie, and assuming it's "just for children" (as we know from the Verbal Diorama mantra, animation is not just for children!), but also because it is a bright, colourful, funny animated movie that just happens to masquerade as something way more deep and meaningful than its looks or title might suggest.There's a serious undercurre

Feb 10, 2022 • 45:28

Anastasia

Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov, the fourth child and fourth consecutive daughter for Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Tsarina Alexandra, was a disappointment at the time of her birth. She wasn't the long-awaited son and heir for the couple. He would come along three years later.And, well, the rest of the tragic story of the Russian imperial family is fairly well-known.But Anastasia has led a remarkable life post her premature assassination by the Bolsheviks in 1918. Rumours of her survival

Feb 3, 2022 • 46:31

Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no Haka)

For the longest time I knew I wanted to cover Grave of the Fireflies. This is a movie that needs to be talked about, but I've put it off so many times. Honestly, this is a movie burned into my brain, and one that always makes me sob uncontrollably every single time. This is why it's a slightly shorter-than-normal Nanorama episode. The shorter episode is not a comment on the quality of this movie. In fact, in the Verbal Diorama mantra of "animation is not a genre" rings true for this movie more t

Jan 31, 2022 • 18:51

The Prince of Egypt

Meant to be the first animated DreamWorks movie (it wasn't, thanks to DreamWorks bringing the release date of Antz forward to annoy Disney), The Prince of Egypt takes a well-known Biblical tale (the basis of three of the biggest religions in the world; Christianity, Islam and Judaism) and grounds it in humanity and empathy, by making it a simple tale of two brothers; one who's destined to be Pharaoh, and the other a former Hebrew slave.A sprinkling of artistic licence gives the story of Exodus w

Jan 27, 2022 • 45:22

Corpse Bride

Corpse Bride, a co-production between Tim Burton Productions and Laika, is a genuinely heart-warming, beautifully made gothic fairy tale based on Jewish-Russian folk tales. It has a great cast and stunning visuals, but honestly despite seeing it several years ago, I could not remember a thing about it. Watching it again for this podcast was like watching it for the very first time.And therein lies the problem with Corpse Bride; it's overshadowing by the other Tim Burton heart-warming , beautiful

Jan 20, 2022 • 44:59

Wolfwalkers

Wolfwalkers takes the myth and legend everyone knows surrounding werewolves, and transports it to a stunning 2D hand-drawn animated version of Kilkenny in 1650's Ireland, during the Cromwellian occupation of the country, and a dark time for Irish Catholics. At its heart it's a story about the unlikely friendship between Robyn, an English immigrant to Ireland and daughter of the new local wolf hunter and Mebh, a Wolfwalker who lives in the forest with her mother and a pack of wild wolves, set ag

Jan 13, 2022 • 42:08

The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

Welcome to Animation Season 2022!Happy New Year and Ba weep granah weep nini bong to you all! We're starting this new season with a movie that traumatised a generation of children - The Transformers: The Movie.Transformers started out as a toy line, and became a comic and a TV series, and it was making huge profits for parent company Hasbro, but what do you do when you want to introduce a whole new toy line and get rid of the old ones? Why, you make a feature length animation to kill off the one

Jan 6, 2022 • 46:02

Klaus

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays! It looks like you’ve been good this year. How do I know? Well, this episode will only show in your podcast app if you’re officially on Santa’s nice list, so well done for being a really good person and keep up the excellent work!And who better to help you celebrate your good deeds, than Klaus?Verbal Diorama will return in 2022! Wishing you a fun, safe and brilliant holiday season!

Dec 22, 2021 • 24:50

Krampus

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays! It looks like you might have been a little bit naughty this year. No judgement from me, but this episode will only show in your podcast app if you’re on Santa’s naughty list!And who better to teach you a lesson if you’ve been naughty, than Krampus?Verbal Diorama will return in 2022! Wishing you a fun, safe and brilliant holiday season!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Dec 22, 2021 • 24:04

Thor: Ragnarok (ft Sam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's)

What were you the God of again?Joining me on this special bumper conclusion to Chris-mas 2021, is the awesome Sam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's. He's an all-round legend, and a well-known Marvel nerd, and I simply had to have him for this episode on Thor: Ragnarok.After two previous Thor movies, Marvel decided to hire Kiwi Taika Waititi, impressed with his show reel consisting of Big Trouble in Little China and Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston would return, along

Dec 20, 2021 • 1:34:50

Thor: The Dark World

After the success of Kenneth Branagh's Thor in 2011, a sequel for the God of Thunder was quickly put into motion, with a quick turnaround of two years. The race was on to find a director with a passion for the project, which they did in Patty Jenkins. Her appointment was a big deal too: she would have been the first female director to helm a movie in the MCU.Ultimately Jenkins' passion didn't align with Marvel's vision for the sequel, and so they parted ways, leaving Game of Thrones director Ala

Dec 13, 2021 • 45:57

Thor

Whosoever listens to this episode, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.It's Phase 1 of the MCU. We've just had Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2 - all very grounded and Midgard-based. It was the perfect time, therefore to not only introduce a cosmic location, but a character steeped in rich Norse mythology. In 2011, we got Thor, aka Doth Mother Know You Weareth Her Drapes In Space.This movie introduced the masses to the titular God of Thunder (or is it God of Hammers?),

Dec 6, 2021 • 44:25

Alien vs. Predator & Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

Welcome to the third Nanorama episode - episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information.For this episode, I'm concluding the Alien franchise by talking a little about the saga's attempts at crossover events:Alien vs Predator was conceived instead of James Cameron's Alien 5, and was going to be the crossover event to end all crossover events. An Alien and a Predator smackdown, set on Earth, given a very distinct Resident Evil vibe, thanks to its director Paul W.S. An

Nov 29, 2021 • 31:43

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 Tobias (the retrospectively named bass player!). They are the Oneders, and they enter a talent competition with a ballad

Nov 25, 2021 • 45:03

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (ft Nick from Nikoli's Kitchen)

Featuring five-time award winning podcaster Nicholas Haskins..... and Tits McGee.Actually, it's me, Em, Tits McGee is on vacation. Joining me is the Ron Burgundy of podcasting. A man who has many leather bound books and whose apartment smells of rich mahogany, a man who can play jazz flute like no other - Nicholas Haskins of the podcast Nikoli's Kitchen.Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, if not a movie everyone's seen, is definitely a movie everyone has quoted. The lexicon of Anchorman still

Nov 18, 2021 • 1:18:48

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

I can't believe how cute this episode is!On the surface, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion is a very simple premise. Two friends, happy with their lot in life, suddenly realise that maybe their post-high school existence isn't as brilliant as they first thought. Car dealership cashier Romy White and unemployed fashionista Michele Weinberger decide to go to their ten-year high school reunion AND pose as successful businesswomen to impress their graduating class.Their ruse? They invented Post

Nov 11, 2021 • 39:53

GoldenEye

You know the name. You know the number. He has a licence to kill, he likes his vodka martinis shaken, not stirred. He's a sexist misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the Cold War....And then, along came GoldenEye. Propelling James Bond into the post-Cold War, post-fall of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall, and a technologically advanced 1995. It had been six years since the previous Timothy Dalton Bond, and Pierce Brosnan's interpretation feels worlds, and decades, away from Dalton's.GoldenEye was

Nov 4, 2021 • 41:34

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

SURPRISE!!In the grand tradition of surprise Halloween episodes, and following last year's Halloween episode Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, I wanted to cover another underappreciated cult classic that probably not many other podcasts will this spooky season - Buffy the Vampire Slayer.Not the excellent TV series, (although I have done an episode on Hush), but the 1992 movie that introduced Buffy to the world. Kristy Swanson is the eponymous slayer, in Joss Whedon's feature film writing debut

Oct 30, 2021 • 29:14

Jennifer's Body (ft Helen O'Hara from Empire)

You could say Jennifer's Body was wildly misunderstood on its release in 2009. Just seen as yet another titillating teen horror capitalising on the sexuality of its lead actor Megan Fox, and heralded as neither funny nor scary; the Diablo Cody-penned, Karyn Kusama-directed, horror-comedy seemed to be destined for the DVD bargain bin....And then, in recent years, the tide has turned because now people seem to not only understand it, but appreciate it.Its commentary on female relationships, societ

Oct 28, 2021 • 1:16:34

Prometheus & Alien: Covenant

Welcome to the second Nanorama episode - episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information.For this episode, I'm continuing with the Alien franchise by talking a little about the saga's attempts at prequels:Prometheus brought back Alien director Ridley Scott, to distance itself from the franchise and delve into the origins of humanity, and the story around Alien's space jockey with a big-name cast including Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Idris E

Oct 24, 2021 • 31:50

The Addams Family (1991)

They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky, and they're finally on Verbal Diorama. **click click**The Addams Family, based on Charles Addams' comic strips and the TV show that preceded it, might be a fun family Halloween movie, but the behind-the-scenes troubles for this production are so plentiful that it's a miracle that The Addams Family not only exists, but is as good as it is.From fainting directors, to quitting cinematographers, the sale of the movie d

Oct 21, 2021 • 38:58

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Are we ready to talk about Keanu's best role in cinema?Ok, so it might not be exactly that, but I have a LOT of love for Francis Ford Coppola's lavish, sublime and gorgeous adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. So much so that I don't even mind Keanu's stilted performance - it's no way as bad as many say it is, although that might be my bias shining through.It's a visual treat for the eyes, with stunning costume design by first-time costume designer Eiko Ishioka and incredibly practical in-camera

Oct 14, 2021 • 45:46

Slither

James Gunn is mostly known nowadays for his work with Marvel Studios for the Guardians of the Galaxy duology (and his famous firing and re-hiring from said company), and his most recent DC release The Suicide Squad which he made during his Marvel hiatus (similarities between this movie and the character of Starro not withstanding!)Before Marvel took a chance on him, he was a reasonably well known writer, having worked on the two Scooby-Doo live action movies, as well as writing Zack Snyder's Daw

Oct 7, 2021 • 38:44

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

The final episode of Sequeltember, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is, in many ways a total anomaly. It's likely many a millennial's first foray into the Gremlins universe (Gremlinverse?) due to it's focus on the cartoonish humour, rather than the horror aspects of the 1984 original. Plus it’s not often a director gets to make a sequel that the studio is so desperate for that they will relinquish creative control.This is a movie that knows it’s a cash grab sequel, but makes a mockery of it. It success

Sep 30, 2021 • 50:35

Alien 3 & Alien Resurrection

Welcome to the first Nanorama episode - episodes slightly shorter, but focusing on interesting titbits of information.For this inaugural Nanorama, I'm continuing with the Alien franchise by talking a little about the multiple screenplay attempts for Alien 3 and the differences between David Fincher's experiences working with 20th Century Fox to Jean-Pierre Jeunet's on Alien Resurrection.Alien 3 reportedly had several attempts at a screenplay, most of which didn't even include Sigourney Weaver's

Sep 26, 2021 • 28:09

Aliens

In the pantheon of great sequels, nothing comes close to James Cameron's Aliens. It takes everything great about Ridley Scott's Alien and builds on it. It gives us more backstory for Ripley, more human characters for Ripley (and the audience) to form relationships with, and more importantly (especially as it's in the name), more aliens!The Alien Queen is both antithetic and comparable to Ripley. They're both mothers, both fiercely protective of their young, but unlike the alien queen's selfish m

Sep 22, 2021 • 53:29

The Mummy Returns

100 episodes ago, I covered The Mummy (1999). It's still the greatest movie ever made. The Mummy Returns, the 2001 sequel to The Mummy, was always going to struggle to live up to the fun, charismatic original (especially in my eyes)Nowadays, The Mummy is revered as a modern classic that reinvigorated pulp action adventure movies, but The Mummy Returns languishes in the sand dunes of Hamunaptra for its visual effects; which are often labelled on the internet as "the worst VFX shot(s) ever".But Th

Sep 16, 2021 • 51:55

Toy Story 2

Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln! Toy Story 2 has a story to tell!Yes, it's the first Pixar sequel, momentous in its own right, but it started off as a Disney direct-to-video sequel, with a character called Senorita Cactus and a talking Bullseye, voiced by Martin Short....Then it became a theatrical release! Then it got deleted accidentally! Then it got deleted on purpose! Then it got remade in nine months!Just one of these facts would be a miracle. Toy Story 2 has four. Pixar went above and beyo

Sep 9, 2021 • 47:57

X-Men 2

Mutants. Since the discovery of their existence, they have been regarded with fear, suspicion, often hatred. Across the planet debate rages. Are mutants the next link in the evolutionary chain? Or simply a new species of humanity, fighting for their share of the world? Either way, it is an historical fact that sharing the world has never been humanity's defining attribute.X-Men 2 took the mould made by its 2000 predecessor, and made it bigger, bolder and better. For the first movie in Sequeltemb

Sep 2, 2021 • 52:17

Labyrinth

Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, It's my birthday and because I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave, I've brought you a gift! Here's the third annual birthday episode - a special episode based on one of the defining movies of my life. You've had The Iron Giant and Jurassic Park, and now.... I have reordered time, I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for you.Jim Henson's Labyrinth, starring David Bowie & Jennif

Aug 30, 2021 • 42:41

Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno)

Most of us grew up on adaptations of fairy tales; on stories of princesses, animal companions, and ultimately a happily ever after ending.Guillermo del Toro successfully interprets and deconstructs the fairy tale in his 2006 masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth, by blending a nightmarish fantasy world of fauns, fairies and quests, with a similarly nightmarish real world of war, fascist regimes and evil stepparents with beautiful practical effects and make-up.Disobedience is often seen as "wrong", but in

Aug 26, 2021 • 51:09

Alien

In space, no one can hear you scream.Thankfully though, they can hear a podcast. I think. Comparisons to Jaws aside, Alien remains one of the seminal science fiction horror movies of all time, generating fear through its H.R. Giger designed sets and creature work, and the copious amounts of sexual and phallic imagery denoting the ultimate in terror - the fear of sexual violence, specifically male rape.With a character roster that was cast without gender prejudice came one of cinema's greatest ev

Aug 19, 2021 • 1:00:23

Last Action Hero

Last Action Hero had everything going for it. An in-demand script which enticed the biggest action star in Hollywood in Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Shane Black re-write, a credible action director in John McTiernan, a huge production budget (for the time) and a huge marketing budget.This was going to be the cinematic event of 1993. Except, it wasn't. A certain dinosaur movie went ahead and became that instead.So, what went wrong for Last Action Hero? Quite a lot, as it happens. But it didn't fail f

Aug 12, 2021 • 49:40

Jaws

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water this summer season, the cultural and societal behemoth that is Jaws finally makes an appearance in the waters around Verbal Diorama. But, don't worry, it's probably just a boat propeller killing all these random victims. Certainly not a huge 25ft long shark. Nope. No sharks in these parts. Jaws has a rather famously tumultuous production, running over budget on time and cost, as well as those pesky mechanical sharks really not behaving

Aug 5, 2021 • 57:13

Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road is not the movie you'd expect after the three very masculine Mad Max movies that came before it, but it's the Mad Max movie we needed. While arguably Tom Hardy's titular Max is side-lined by Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa, it's done for a good reason - to give Max something pure to fight for and alongside. Women are not treated kindly in this post-apocalyptic wasteland, and whereas Max has no drive (excuse the pun), nor any ideology, Furiosa has a dream and a mission; to

Jul 29, 2021 • 59:27

The Mitchells vs. The Machines

From the same studio who brought you Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and the producers of literally everything great that came out in the last 10+ years comes the best movie of 2021.Yep, I said it.The Mitchells vs. The Machines is the best movie of 2021. No hyperbole, either.This is also the studio that brought us The Emoji Movie, proving that things can only get better if you have a passionate and brilliant team of weirdos behind the scenes.The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a watercolour pai

Jul 22, 2021 • 53:20

The Frighteners

The Frighteners is more important than you realise.Not only was it a landmark of visual effects in 1996, it also starred one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the 80s/90s in his last live-action leading role: Michael J. Fox. Directed by Peter Jackson, The Frighteners languishes nowadays in some sort of film-based purgatory. Not cult classic enough to be deemed one, not good enough to be seen as a classic horror comedy and not bad enough to be "so bad it's good". Honestly, it seems mostly forgott

Jul 15, 2021 • 41:43

Deadpool

Wade Wilson: mercenary, talker, fourth-wall breaker and extremely self-aware comic book super-anti-hero. In a cinematic world where superheroes are commonplace, it makes sense for Deadpool to be the perfect tonic. A hero who isn't a hero, but is super.Deadpool, as a character, is pretty different to anyone else. Deadpool, as a movie, is certainly unlike anything Sony, Fox, Universal or Marvel Studios themselves had ever dared to put out. It's R-Rated, with graphic violence, lots of blood, strong

Jul 8, 2021 • 52:43

The Room / The Disaster Artist (ft interview with Greg Sestero) (+AMA!)

To celebrate the 100 episodes preceding it, here's a special episode about Tommy Wiseau's cult classic disasterpiece The Room, and the movie all about the making of The Room, The Disaster Artist.The Room holds a special place in many peoples' hearts, despite often being labelled as one of the worst movies ever made. The Disaster Artist is based on Greg Sestero's book of the same name, which is in turn based on his time working on The Room, and his friendship with writer/producer/director/actor T

Jul 1, 2021 • 1:04:18

Avengers: Endgame

So, Infinity War finished, Thanos won. He snapped away half the universe's population and what was left?Less people, a cleaner environment and more resources to go around? Sure. Thanos was right on that point, but there was also international grief, overwhelming loss and an inability to move on for some. Five years later while Tony Stark retired to a cabin in the woods with his now-wife Pepper and daughter Morgan, other members of the Avengers struggled with the intense guilt and grief the previ

Jun 24, 2021 • 1:20:55

Avengers: Infinity War

Remember when Joss Whedon's The Avengers was the ultimate in superhero team ups? A mere six years later, brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, fresh off Captain America: Civil War, upped the ante and delivered the ultimate ultimate superhero team up - with more action! More characters! More bad guys! More of everything!And then, the Avengers lost.Thanos not only collected all the Infinity Stones, he snapped his fingers and decimated half of the universe's population, including many of the characters w

Jun 17, 2021 • 1:00:07

Avengers: Age of Ultron

I'd wager that if you ask anyone at random what their favourite Avengers movie, Age of Ultron would rarely be the first choice. The middle child of the franchise, this was the one that had the most riding on it, and it suffered for its great ambitions.Because Age of Ultron, retrospectively, isn't a bad movie. It's trying to tell a horror story, in the vein of Frankenstein, and the themes of creator vs creation, and Gods and Monsters, is rampant throughout. It feels more disjointed and less confi

Jun 10, 2021 • 54:01

The Avengers (2012)

I am Em of Verbal Diorama, and I am burdened with glorious purpose. Because really, aren't we all here for Loki, God of Mischief, the wonderful Tom Hiddleston just chewing every inch of CG scenery?But he's not the only highlight of this movie, because pretty much everything about The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble as it was marketed here in the UK, don't worry though, it's still The Avengers to most of us!) is pure unadulterated brilliance. Nick Fury's quote about "an idea to bring together a gr

Jun 3, 2021 • 1:06:07

The Monster Squad

In 1987, Fred Dekker made a little movie that did so badly it was pulled from US theatres after just two weeks....Like all cult classics though, The Monster Squad showed it had nards, and only grew in audiences estimations through VHS and TV screenings, through to DVD and Blu-ray, and to sold-out fan screenings and events.While attempts have been made to reboot The Monster Squad, and in the shadow of Universal's attempt at a Dark Universe, something like The Monster Squad would be the perfect sh

May 27, 2021 • 45:05

Robin Hood: Men in Tights

"We're men. We're men in tights. We roam around the forest looking for fights. We're men. We're men in tiiiiiights. We rob from the rich and give to the poor, that's right!"Robin Hood: Men in Tights isn't here to be fine art, this is no Criterion Collection inductee. It's the simple story you know of the outlaw who robs the rich to feed the poor, except unlike some other Robin Hoods', he can speak with an English accent.As a fellow English accent speaker, I feel completely qualified to take on M

May 20, 2021 • 41:26

Beetlejuice

All you need to do to summon him is say his name three times....Beetlejuice!Beetlejuice!Beetlejuice!For many, this is one of Tim Burton's greatest moments as a director. The sharp, macabre, funny story of Adam and Barbara Maitland, a recently deceased couple who find the living are haunting their house. They struggle to get rid of Charles and Delia Deetz through normal means, and so enlist the help of "bio-exorcist" Betelgeuse - a madcap frenzied perverse Ghost with the Most, with a scene-steali

May 13, 2021 • 49:48

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a true phenomenon, in all senses of the word. To coin a phrase from its sequel, it found the Holy Grail of filmmaking for being not only a commercial smash hit, but also became a critical darling and received multiple awards recognition. With the juggernaut pairing of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg at the helm, you'd think Raiders of the Lost Ark would have had it easy coming to the big screen.... but it really didn't. Plagued with on-set troubles, sickness, time an

May 6, 2021 • 55:40

Children of Men

Children of Men, a prescient dystopian science-fiction drama asks a simple question. If human beings couldn't reproduce, what would happen to the world?Director Alfonso Cuarón made, what I consider his masterpiece, in 2006 and yet it's never felt more resonant, or prescient, than it does today. This is a movie that hasn't aged a day, and probably never will.It's a bleak, grim look at a dystopian not-too-distant future, loosely based on P.D. James original novel The Children of Men. While I have

Apr 29, 2021 • 54:30

Dirty Dancing (ft Mark Asquith from Captivate)

On the surface, a fan-favourite coming-of-age movie told through the eyes of young, innocent, naïve Baby Houseman as she has the time of her life meeting sexy, "bad boy" dance instructor Johnny Castle on her family holiday to the Catskill Mountains in the summer of 1963. She learns to dance, he learns to love. It's all very romantic. It's a feeling, a heartbeat. But, underneath it's more than that. Class divides, prejudice, discrimination, illegal abortion, sex - all the things that flew over my

Apr 22, 2021 • 1:00:47

The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada is often referred to as a "chick flick", which I'd argue is not only inaccurate, but also a little insulting to such a fantastic exploration of feminine status, class and power. It allows its female characters to have agency, ambition and respect, despite them not being the archetypal “female character”. Meryl Streep brings complexity, nuance and vulnerability to Runway editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly, who in the hands of anyone else would just be a one-note villain. If a

Apr 15, 2021 • 50:28

Hook

Hook Hook, show us the Hook!Verbal Diorama is a podcast known for its very good form, and was given three days to learn to fly, fight and crow and become The Pan. I like to think I'm more of a Rufio (Rufio, Ru-Fi-Ohhhhhhh!) actually. Hook is one of my childhood favourites. It's my favourite Peter Pan movie by far, and honestly it pains me that most people don't like it, let alone love it. Yes, it has problems; the fact Peter doesn't become Peter Pan for over an hour and a half is one I'll acknow

Apr 8, 2021 • 50:43

The Long Kiss Goodnight

Why don't we appreciate Samantha Caine and Charly Baltimore the same way we appreciate Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley?Why do we choose Die Hard at Christmas instead of The Long Kiss Goodnight?What is explosions, if not Renny Harlin persevering?I have so many questions about why we, as a movie-going public, don't appreciate The Long Kiss Goodnight enough. Geena Davis is an absolute standout, playing two complex, interesting protagonists with different personalities and skillsets. Samuel L Jackson'

Mar 25, 2021 • 47:24

Josie and the Pussycats

Hello, I'm Em. And yes, I'm a podcast host. No, I said cappuccino. I'm here to talk to you about something very important. And no, it's not about me or my podcast. I'm here to talk about subliminal messages in rock and roll music. Or as it's simply known in some cultures, 'rock music'. You see, for years the government has been wisely coercing teenagers to buy products they normally wouldn't want, just to get their money. Fact! Kids don't have bills to pay. Fact! They don't pay taxes. But! They

Mar 18, 2021 • 51:25

Krull

If you love the idea of Lord of the Rings meets Arthurian legend meets Star Wars meets Dungeons and Dragons, then Krull is right up your alley....While it's a movie with recognisable flaws, that doesn't mean my love for it is lessened in any way. Prince Colwyn's quest to save his Princess Lyssa from the evil Beast in the Black Fortress will always hold a very special place in my heart, despite the infanticide, the gruesome character deaths and the Slayers' brain worms. Seriously, those brain wor

Mar 11, 2021 • 48:14

Big Trouble in Little China

In the first of March's look into cult movie classics, Big Trouble in Little China nowadays looks like a movie that should have been destined for success.It had the capable charismatic hero, and Kurt Russell playing the guy who thinks he's the hero. Throw in the damsels in distress, creepy villain, ancient sorcery, high-action martial arts choreography and Chinese mythology and mysticism, and it makes no sense that it flopped at the box office.Unlike most '80s movie where Chinese characters were

Mar 4, 2021 • 36:53

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Roald Dahl quite famously hated most of the film adaptations of his famous books, but I think he'd quite like this one. Wes Anderson takes his keen idiosyncratic eye and took Fantastic Mr. Fox and made it, well, fantastic!From the juddery stop-motion animation, to the anachronistic American sounding heroes, these anthropomorphic animals have hearts, minds and relatable insecurities.It's quote-unquote cussing fantastic.I would love to hear your thoughts on Fantastic Mr. Fox!GET IN TOUCH....T

Feb 25, 2021 • 39:48

Robin Hood (1973)

To celebrate Verbal Diorama's second birthday, here's a Bronze Age joy.Oo-de-lally! This fox is a FOX! It might borrow from other Disney movies, but that doesn't make it any less of a fan favourite.Robin HoodThanks for your continued support! More fun to come in Year Three!Mentioned in this episode:Livestream for the Cure 8The 8th annual Livestream for the Cure takes place between 29th May to 1st June 2024, with indie content creators (including myself!) from across the world taking part and rai

Feb 17, 2021 • 30:48

The Jungle Book (1967)

To celebrate Verbal Diorama's second birthday, here's a Silver Age delightThe last movie Walt Disney worked on before his death, and based on Rudyard Kipling's stories about the man-cub Mowgli. With a jungle this fun, why would any of us want to go to the man-village?The Jungle BookThanks for your continued support! More fun to come in Year Three!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Feb 16, 2021 • 32:09

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

To celebrate Verbal Diorama's second birthday, here's a Golden Age treat.It may be 84 years old, but it's still as timeless, elegant and truly awe-inspiring as ever....Snow White and the Seven DwarfsHere's a link to one of the missing songs by the dwarfs - Music in Your SoupThanks for your continued support! More fun to come in Year Three!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Feb 15, 2021 • 42:36

Ghost in the Shell (1995) (Kōkaku Kidōtai)

The Matrix, Westworld, Metal Gear Solid, Cyberpunk 2077, AI: Artificial Intelligence.... all have been inspired by the legendary Ghost in the Shell. Ghost in the Shell is a ground-breaking landmark of animation; a cyberpunk dystopian masterpiece, with beautiful cityscapes, engaging characters led by Major Motoko Kusanagi and a story about humanity's reliance on being connected. If Cher from Clueless was describing it, she'd say it was "way existential", and she'd be right. What makes us who we a

Feb 11, 2021 • 43:13

Shrek

Once upon a time, there was a brave knight, who went to the tallest tower of the scariest castle on his noble steed, to vanquish the dragon and save the beautiful princess held captive within. The knight and the princess fall in love, but she was destined to marry another. The knight stops the wedding as they admit their love. They live happily ever after. The end.Peel back those onion layers for an alternative take on the fairy tales of old, and a big middle finger from Jeffrey Katzenberg to Mi

Feb 4, 2021 • 52:49

Chicken Run

What came first? The chicken or the egg? It's a question as old as time, and one pondered by all the great philosophers, scientists, scholars and farmers.In the field of Aardman's big screen successes, Chicken Run comes first. It's still the highest grossing stop-motion animated movie ever made, and Aardman's literal and figurative fingerprints are all over these English chicks.(I'm sorry for all the chicken-based puns that follow, I really am)What could have easily been a one-chick pony, Aardma

Jan 28, 2021 • 42:20

Your Name. (Kimi no Na wa)

How can I write about Your Name? Is it possible to convey the jaw dropping beauty and breath-taking majesty of Your Name with words? I'm not really sure it is, but I take a stab at it in Episode 77 anyway, because Your Name is truly something magical and resplendent to witness. A simple boy meets girl love story, with an added element of celestial forces; Your Name takes a simple story and elevates it to a visual treat as well as an emotional powerhouse.Put simply, if you don't believe in true l

Jan 21, 2021 • 52:18

The Secret of NIMH

The Secret of NIMH is the epitome of a simple tale, beautifully told with the sort of stunning hand-drawn animation that Walt Disney Animation was known for during the Golden Age of Disney. Coincidentally, Don Bluth used to work at Disney, so he knew the tricks of the trade and went ahead with his own animation studio and a dark adaptation of Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, itself based on a real scientific study of rodent societal overpopulation.Mrs Brisby; mouse, widow, badass single mot

Jan 14, 2021 • 45:20

Coco

Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to Animation Season! The first movie in the season is the newest movie featured and also the highest grossing. It's also probably the most culturally significant, emotionally resonant and spiritual of the season too. Pixar's Coco.I feel like this movie is more comparable to Kubo and the Two Strings than it is to its fellow Day of the Dead animated stable-mate The Book of Life. But while it's set during Dia de los Muertos, it's more about the power of fam

Jan 7, 2021 • 1:10:37

Gremlins

Before you listen to this episode, you need to follow a few rules.Keep this episode away from sunlight (that's easy, the days are still short....)Never get this episode wet. But most importantly, no matter how much this episode pleads, no matter how much it begs, NEVER FEED EPISODE 74 AFTER MIDNIGHT! Got it?! Good. This episode is sweet and lovely, but it could multiply and turn into a download monster, and no-one wants that....Hang on.... I want a download monster....! Gremlins, from three of H

Dec 24, 2020 • 52:00

Captain America: Civil War

Steve Rogers and Tony Stark could never be accused of being best buds. There's always been a resentment there from Tony, especially when his father admired Steve Rogers so much, and it's always been simmering in the background. They've worked together as colleagues, to fight the Chitauri invasion of New York and came together again, with the Avengers, to fight Tony's creation Ultron.But Ultron really was the breaking point for a lot of things in Tony's life. Suffering from PTSD after the events

Dec 17, 2020 • 1:07:32

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The First Avenger ended with Steve Rogers defeating HYDRA and waking up in the modern day. Captain America barely had a chance to understand what was going on before he was thrust into fighting the Chitauri invasion in The Avengers.Post the Battle of New York and Phase 1 of the MCU as a whole, the world is aware of potential threats from other worlds, as well as the mightiest heroes Earth has to fight them, but The Avengers are disbanded for now, and Captain America is working f

Dec 10, 2020 • 49:01

Captain America: The First Avenger

Talk about Captain America: The First Avenger? I can do this all day.It's one of the MCUs most underrated gems. It's less bombastic than most in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its World War II setting grounds the movie in an alternate reality.Chris Evans brings depth and humility to Steve Rogers, after the super serum that turns him into the star-spangled man with a plan, but mostly before, when he's just regular Steve. The fact the movie dwells on pre-serum Steve for so long is actually one of

Dec 3, 2020 • 1:05:23

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), to give it its full name (until that changed to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey) is the first and only movie released in 2020 that I'm covering in 2020, but to be honest there's not many 2020 movies out there. It's also the last movie I saw in cinemas before the COVID-19 pandemic. I've seen this movie three times this year, and each time I love it that little bit more.It's the antidote to 2020. A wild, brash, profanity-laden colou

Nov 26, 2020 • 58:51

Atomic Blonde

The Atomic Blonde and John Wick comparisons are not lost on me, and trust me when I say that I love Atomic Blonde to a similar, but very different degree to the John Wick(s). Because while both use colour very dramatically, and thrive on that ultra stylized violence I clearly have a passion for, while John Wick is all about vengeance, Lorraine Broughton is all about espionage, and Charlize Theron remains one of the most brilliant and bold actors working in Hollywood.Often criticised for having s

Nov 19, 2020 • 54:13

Black Panther

This one feels so bitter-sweet to be talking about. This episode was originally scheduled for mid-September, but due to the sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman on 28th August, I postponed it out of respect. After V for Vendetta it feels right to be talking about a hero who inspired so many, and by that I don't just mean T'Challa as the Black Panther, but Chadwick Boseman himself. A man of grace, integrity, poise and power. A man who meant so much to so many.The character of T'Challa, introduced i

Nov 12, 2020 • 1:05:14

V for Vendetta

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a vot

Nov 5, 2020 • 51:54

Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight

SURPRISE!!I kept this off the schedule just in case I couldn't quite pull it off, but having recently rewatched it, I decided to do a bonus episode on Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight just for Halloween, which deserves WAY more recognition than it gets.From a great well-known cast of faces, such as William Sadler, Jada Pinkett, Billy Zane, Dick Miller and Thomas Haden Church to some genuinely spooky great practical effects and world building, Demon Knight really delivers in a way most low-budg

Oct 31, 2020 • 45:54

Ghostbusters (2016) (ft Simon Brew from Film Stories)

Listen, for all the online discourse in 2016, Ghostbusters (2016) is in no way as bad as it's been made out to be. Is it perfect? No. Is it the superior Ghostbusters? No. Is it the Anti-Christ of the Ghostbusters universe? No. Do I find it hilariously funny and love these women? YES! Is Chris Hemsworth the most gifted human being in the world other than Keanu Reeves? Probably! Joining me with his own proton pack of appreciation for Ghostbusters, is Simon Brew. Editor of Film Stories magazine/web

Oct 29, 2020 • 1:31:16

Scream (1996)

Before we start, a trigger warning.Scream is unfortunately inspired by some gruesome, horrific true crime events which are mentioned briefly in this episode. Although I don't go into details, I do mention violence and sexual assault, so if you'd rather not hear this part of the story, please skip the following times 15:54-17:53. I do mention a warning before it starts too. The section lasts just under two minutes.Full disclosure - I had not seen Scream until watching it for this episode. I had s

Oct 22, 2020 • 50:43

Coraline

I thought we'd play a game....It's been 9 months since I last featured a Laika movie, and I've waited a long time on purpose to bring Coraline to the podcast. Because Coraline is scary. It's a genuine horror movie that just happens to be animated. And like most horror, it's the real life elements that Coraline speaks about; family, trust, attempted kidnap and deceptive adults that are the real horror elements at play. We all wish for another version of our lives, but is the grass always greener

Oct 8, 2020 • 51:17

Scooby-Doo (2002)

Scooby-dooby-doo! Where are you? We've got some work to do now!I'm joined by my furry sidekick Jess (she's not happy we're discussing a movie about a dog!) to talk all about the 2002 live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo (and a little about its sequel Monsters Unleashed).We all grew up with some iteration of Scooby-Doo, and it's that nostalgia that fuels this movie, along with some great performances from its young core cast, including real-life couple Freddie Prinze Jr and Buffy herself, Sarah M

Oct 1, 2020 • 49:26

The Rocketeer

There are many astonishing things about The Rocketeer.... Its origins in pulp serialsits authentic comic book styleits unknown leading manits innocence and timelessnessits beautiful score by James Hornerits stunning art deco posterBut the most amazing, brilliant, incredible thing about The Rocketeer, is how much people love it. Despite its lacklustre box office, and the fact that Disney have never seemed to care much about it, people who watch The Rocketeer LOVE The Rocketeer.Maybe because of it

Sep 24, 2020 • 57:11

The Princess Bride

This is it. The Princess Bride. As You Wish. Death cannot stop my true love for this movie. All it can do is delay it for 59 episodes.Verbal Diorama, inconceivably, goes downhill from here because there is no movie as perfect as one about fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love AND miracles...There's a shortage of perfect movies in the world. It would be a pity not to cover this one.From William Goldman's perfect novel, to the many attempts to get it mad

Sep 17, 2020 • 53:30

Death Becomes Her

In a change to the scheduled programming, Death Becomes Her moves up the schedule slightly and marks the first appearances on the podcast for global Hollywood icons Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn.Yes, Bruce Willis is also in this movie, and he's quite good, but the appeal for Death Becomes Her has always, for me, been Streep and Hawn, who wanted a star vehicle for them both and when Thelma and Louise fell through, in swooped Robert Zemeckis, a man who needs little introduction.Death Becomes Her is

Sep 10, 2020 • 44:50

10 Things I Hate About You

I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair.I hate the way you drive my car, I hate it when you stare.I hate your big dumb combat boots and the way you read my mind;I hate you so much it makes me sick, it even makes me rhyme.I hate the way you're always right, I hate it when you lie,I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry.I hate it when you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call,But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you, not even close, not e

Sep 3, 2020 • 50:36

Jurassic Park

It's got awe-inspiring practical puppets, flawless CGI, fantastic performances, awesome cinematography and Unix systems (I know this!). Welcome to Jurassic Park!27 years later, it's still the T-Rex of action, adventure, horror and sci-fi, as billionaire John Hammond and his team of scientists spend so much time thinking they could, they don't stop to think if they should.Directed by Steven Spielberg, it remains one of his most enduring and appealing classics, and shades of his earlier classic Ja

Aug 31, 2020 • 55:35

X-Men (2000)

Mutation: it is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward. X-Men, based on the comic books created in 1963 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, like many projects in Hollywood, moved around from studio to studio until it landed at Fox and in the lap of producer Lauren Schuler Donner. It

Aug 27, 2020 • 1:04:20

Moana

Make way, make way for Disney's first computer generated animated foray into the Polynesian islands, mythology and culture (although not the first animated foray - that goes to Lilo and Stitch!) to the island of Motonui, and its future chief Moana; a young woman who feels a call to the ocean (not surprising as her name literally means 'ocean') and is tasked with finding the demigod Maui, restoring the stolen heart of Te Fiti, and in doing so re-establish the natural ecological harmony, rediscove

Aug 20, 2020 • 1:05:30

Galaxy Quest (ft Andy from Geek Salad)

Computer, what topic is episode 54 on?"Galaxy Quest"Episode 54 is on Galaxy Quest!Pedal to the metal, and get ready for some vertical Thermian handclaps for the crew of the NSEA Protector with returning special guest Crewman #6..... aka Andy from Geek Salad! You may remember him from Episode 23 on Mystery Men. He's the plucky comic relief in this episode, and unlike Guy Fleegman's Crewman #6 on the show, he lives to the end of episode 54!Galaxy Quest's historical documents have been off-air for

Aug 6, 2020 • 1:56:03

Serenity (2005)

Serenity, the continuation and culmination of Joss Whedon's one-season space western TV show Firefly, had the full backing of Universal after acquiring the rights of Firefly from Fox, who really didn't have a clue what Firefly was, or even the common decency to air all the episodes in order.... this is not the first time Fox have been world-class a-holes on something I've featured on this podcast.Although arguably Serenity exists because of Universal's desire for the project, Joss Whedon's skill

Jul 30, 2020 • 1:00:03

The Nice Guys

The Nice Guys, upon its release in May 2016, found itself facing off against a comedy sequel, an animated movie of a million-selling mobile game and two separate superhero franchise sequels. It's really no wonder it suffered at the U.S. box office. An original idea, from the always brilliant mind of Shane Black, needed room to breathe and find its feet. Sadly, it never got to do that. Had it been released in June, like it was supposed to, it might have made the $217 million that the other comedy

Jul 23, 2020 • 36:18

Down With Love

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 from Chicago) and Ewan McGregor (fresh from Moulin 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 movies Pillow Talk (195

Jul 16, 2020 • 44:37

Toy Story

Here we are.... 50 episodes later! It's been a genuine delight to produce fifty episodes of this podcast and I wanted to do something special for #50.There's no animated movie so ingrained in modern culture, so beloved by everyone and such a pioneer in modern animation than Pixar's Toy Story. But I didn't just want to tell the story of Toy Story, because the story of Pixar is integral to the story of Toy Story.Pixar knew they wanted to make the first feature-length fully computer animated film.

Jul 9, 2020 • 54:22

The Muppets

It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, it’s time to meet The Muppets on Verbal Diorama tonight... today...In this special Patron-chosen episode, I go behind the curtain on 2011's The Muppets. The Muppets have been in everyone's lives, whether through The Muppet Show, the eight big screen offerings, or just through general media. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal et al. are some of the most famous faces and names in Hollywood.This episode is a little different to

Jul 2, 2020 • 37:09

The Thing (1982)

When it came to thinking of a horror movie I'd love to feature, The Thing (1982) was top of my list. It's not a movie most would associate with someone who admits to not liking horror, but the combination of science fiction and horror remains one of my favourite genre mixes (see also Alien!)It's also a movie that continues to delight and terrify me. The practical effects, created by Rob Bottin (only 21 years of age at the time) still hold up as visually inventive, repulsive and unforgettable, al

Jun 25, 2020 • 53:48

Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke, or Mononoke Hime to give it its Japanese name, could have been covered in February for the anniversary along with Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbour Totoro or Spirited Away, but honestly I'm glad I can devote a whole regular-sized episode to it, because it's so jam-packed full of greatness. As much as I love all the aforementioned movies from the legendary writer/director Hayao Miyazaki, Princess Mononoke really is something more epic.It's more adult, more complex, more violen

Jun 18, 2020 • 51:59

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rogue One was the first anthology movie announced post the Disney takeover of Lucasfilm in 2012; the year after Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens had enticed and delighted audiences across the world. The rogue one, you might say...Rogue One, born of the simple question "how did the Death Star plans end up with Princess Leia?" is probably most famous for its CGI recreations of Grand Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia, and its enduring of lengthy re-shoots to change the narrative of the third act

Jun 11, 2020 • 53:48

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Little Shop of Horrors, based on the off-Broadway musical, in turn based off the 1960 Roger Corman dark comedy The Little Shop of Horrors... is probably my favourite ever screen musical.It contains within several elements that never fail to delight me:-Rick Moranis - a true gem of a man, on-and-off screen, who was a regular for all us 80s and 90s kids growing up-It's a musical - with music and lyrics by the award-winning team of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman-Practical effects - the puppet work i

May 28, 2020 • 1:03:54

A Knight's Tale

STOMP-STOMP-CLAPSTOMP-STOMP-CLAPSTOMP-STOMP-CLAPSTOMP-STOMP-CLAPIt's the unmistakable beat of Queen's 1977 anthem "We Will Rock You", filling an arena, as a massive crowd of people do a human wave. The competitors enter the stadium and the crowd goes wild at seeing their favourite sportsperson. The competitors are announced loudly, as a hush falls over the crowd, and the sport begins....It could be the scene at any modern sporting event, except it's actually in medieval Europe, the sport is actu

May 21, 2020 • 48:08

A League of Their Own

In 1943, Philip K. Wrigley (of chewing gum fame!) founded the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in order to maintain sport and public morale during World War II, at a time when many eligible young men, including professional sportsmen, were drafted to fight overseas.Whilst A League of Their Own is a mostly fictional account of the players and founders behind the AAGPBL, it still tells a story of the real-life resilience, spirit and tenacity of the young women involved, man

May 14, 2020 • 1:00:53

The John Wick Trilogy (ft Laurel & Derek from The Midnight Myth)

For clarification, this episode discusses and spoils:John WickJohn Wick: Chapter 2John Wick: Chapter 3 ParabellumThe Boogeyman. Baba Yaga. Mr Wick. Jonathan. Jardani Jovonovich.... John Wick is known by many names, but everyone knows of him and everyone should fear him. Especially if you kill the one thing he loves most in the world, and the only link to his recently deceased wife; the one woman who helped him leave this life behind. John Wick does what John Wick does best: rains vengeance on ev

May 7, 2020 • 2:03:31

Tremors

The perfect homage and satire of classic 50s monster B-movies, Tremors initially failed to set the box office alight. Like most cult classics it found a resurgence on VHS and ended up spawning multiple sequels, a prequel, a 2003 one-season TV show and a failed 2018 TV pilot starring Kevin Bacon, back as Val McKee.Praised for its special effects work, the chemistry between Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward and a female lead character who's actually there to do something more than just look pretty and be

Apr 30, 2020 • 45:35

Bridesmaids

I find Paul Feig's directorial career fascinating; Spy, The Heat, A Simple Favour and Ghostbusters, all female-fronted and each of them a lot of fun and very enjoyable in their own right.2011's Bridesmaids really was the catalyst, not only for Paul Feig's career, but the Hollywood careers of Saturday Night Live alumna Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, for Rose Byrne to prove her comedic timing and for a standout Oscar-nominated performance by Melissa McCarthy. This is more than just "the female Han

Apr 23, 2020 • 50:36

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Four years after Hellboy, Hellboy II: The Golden Army came out. Bigger, bolder and more del Toro than its predecessor, it concentrated on its existing characters and introduced a more complex and interesting antagonist in the dedicated, skilled warrior Prince Nuada - fighting for the survival of his dying race as humanity continues its greed and desire to consume everything around it.Influences of Tolkien and del Toro's other famous works are apparent throughout, as is the lack of the occult and

Apr 16, 2020 • 1:11:38

Hellboy (2004)

Hellboy, as a concept, shouldn't work as well as it did in 2004. (Well, we saw what rebooting it in 2019 did....)Mike Mignola's comic blends folklore, mythology, the paranormal and Lovecraftian horror, and needed a director who could take all that and make it visually appealing, and coherent to the layman. It also needed a lead actor who could portray the strength, vulnerability and humour needed for a main character who would put off the most conservative of viewer just by being a big red demon

Apr 9, 2020 • 1:24:43

Clueless

Verbal Diorama returns from partying with the Haitians..... I mean from the hiatus.... for one of the greatest comedies ever made - Clueless.On the surface, just like any of the umpteen other 90s teen movies, but dig a little deeper and Clueless is a sharp, satirical and heartfelt look at teenagers; the way they speak, dress and think, in a thinly veiled adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Emma. Witty, sweet and way existential, Amy Heckerling directed, wrote and and enlisted a perfect ens

Mar 30, 2020 • 48:38

Treasure Planet

Welcome to the first episode of year two and the final episode of my ten-episode animation season.Gosh, Treasure Planet is stunning. Every detail of its aesthetic is glorious to behold, and the fact that its directors Ron Clements and John Musker were so determined to get it made is truly an outstanding achievement.From its illustrious pedigree, to the 70/30 rule, to the use of Deep Canvas, this is a technical marvel of an animated movie that just seems to have been largely forgotten, but it doe

Mar 1, 2020 • 49:21

Spirited Away

Verbal Diorama has been going for one year! To celebrate, I asked Twitter to choose between Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke or Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Twitter chose Spirited Away.Sen to Chihiro no KamikakushiThank you so much for listening and supporting the podcast for the past year - you rock! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Feb 16, 2020 • 38:51

My Neighbour Totoro

Verbal Diorama has been going for one year! To celebrate, here's the first ever Studio Ghibli movie I saw as a child - My Neighbour Totoro.Tonari no TotoroThank you so much for listening and supporting the podcast for the past year - you rock! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Feb 16, 2020 • 32:50

Howl's Moving Castle

Verbal Diorama has been going for one year! To celebrate, here's my favourite Studio Ghibli movie - Howl's Moving CastleHauru no Ugoku ShiroThank you so much for listening and supporting the podcast for the past year - you rock! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Mentioned in this episode:Livestream for the Cure 8The 8th annual Livestream for the Cure takes place between 29th May to 1st June 2024, with indie content creators (including myself!) from across the world taking

Feb 16, 2020 • 34:51

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

"Alright, let's do this one last time. My name is Peter Parker. I was bitten by a radioactive spider, and for 10 years, I've been the one and only– Spider-Man. I'm pretty sure you know the rest.""Alright, people, let’s do this one last time. My name is Peter B. Parker. I was bitten by a radioactive spider. And for the last 22 years– I thought I was the one and only Spider-Man. What a day. I'm pretty sure you know the rest."""Alright, people. Let’s start at the beginning one last t

Feb 6, 2020 • 1:09:30

The Lego Movie

One day, a talented lass or fellow,a special one with face of yellow,will make the Piece of Resistance foundfrom it's hiding refuge underground,and with a noble army at the helm,this Master Builder will thwart the Kragle and save the realm,and be the greatest, most interesting, most important person of all times.All this is true because it rhymes.Lego, the most popular toy in the entire world, does not need a movie based on it. In fact, Lego executives originally didn't want it to be made. They

Jan 30, 2020 • 1:03:19

The Incredibles

Most parents think their kids are gifted. Most kids think their parents are heroes (whilst also being really embarrassing!). Most families are super, but only the Parr family is Incredible.Unlike the other movies featured in the animation season so far, The Incredibles was a massive critical and commercial success for Brad Bird, the first out-of-house film-maker Pixar brought into the fold. While his previous movie, The Iron Giant (see episode 17!) failed to make a mark at the box office, The In

Jan 23, 2020 • 1:02:25

Kubo and the Two Strings

If you saw Kubo and the Two Strings, you'd probably be in agreement with me when I say that's it's the most stunning achievement in stop motion filmmaking, and Laika deserve all the accolades.The problem is, not many people did see it. In fact although it's arguably Laika's best work, it's also one of their biggest financial failures, which is a travesty and we should all hang our heads in shame (me included - I first saw it on Blu-Ray!).Telling the story of a young boy on an epic quest, it's a

Jan 16, 2020 • 1:00:09

Akira (ft Anita & Ciara from The Unexceptionals)

The animation season continues with Akira, pre-recorded in November 2019, live at SAMM's Peterborough, where I met up with my special guests Anita and Ciara from The Unexceptionals podcast, and quite frankly they couldn't have been nicer and more brilliant.Set in 2019, the legendary anime Akira is more relevant to our real 2019 than our 1988 could have possibly predicted. It's a story of isolation, fear and the corruption of power and youth, and asks questions about our existence and the evoluti

Jan 9, 2020 • 1:59:48

Arthur Christmas

Our animation season kicks off with a heartwarming family Christmas favourite, starring Dasher, Dancer, Prancer....erm, Bambi, John, the one with the white ear and Santa's youngest son Arthur, who'll do anything to get young Gwen Hines a present on Christmas morning after she's accidentally missed by Santa's high-tech delivery system.It's a movie that comments on inter-generational conflict, inheritance, our reliance on technology and loss of tradition, as well as our own egotistical behavi

Dec 24, 2019 • 40:15

Constantine

Keanu Reeves is often criticised for not "acting" enough in his movies. He may not be the John Constantine of comic book fans dreams, but with his literal devil-may-care attitude and cynical despondence on full display, I think he pretty much nails this John Constantine - a man at the end of his life, desperate to save enough souls from damnation so he can go to Heaven after a teenage suicide attempt leaves him with no option but to go to Hell.Pair him with Rachel Weisz, (a woman who could make

Dec 21, 2019 • 38:12

Stardust

Once upon a time, there was a prince. His name was Neil Gaiman. He wrote a book called Stardust. He wished upon a fallen star for it to be excellent, be directed by the extremely talented Matthew Vaughn and star some of Hollywood's all time greats plus a league of British comedic talent and a young up-and-coming actor called Charlie Cox.His wish came true.He lived happily ever after.The end.Stardust is great! Even my nephew loves it and he's three!Oh and I just realised Captain Shakespeare is a

Dec 15, 2019 • 42:57

Passengers

2016's Passengers, starring Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence and Hollywood heartthrob Chris Pratt should have had an easy journey to sci-fi greatness. Its script was championed in the 2007 Hollywood Black List, it enticed an Oscar nominated director and Sony believed in it so much they upped the budget to $120 million. There was a lot riding on the success of the Starship Avalon's 120-year voyage to Homestead II.The problem is..... it's meant to be romantic, but just ends up feeling, well, really

Dec 5, 2019 • 45:28

Mystery Men (ft Andy from Geek Salad)

"When you doubt your powers, you give power to your doubts."I'm joined by the mysterious and manly Andy from Geek Salad to discuss whoever smelled it dealt it, disco not being dead and clouds of radically fluctuating deviant chaotrons.With a huge and established cast of great 90s comedians and character actors as the Six Very Nearly Dead Guys With a Temporary Reprieve, 1999's Mystery Men had everything going for it. It was smart, daft and funny, it commented on capitalism and superhero cynicism

Nov 14, 2019 • 1:39:49

Hush, Buffy the Vampire Slayer S4E10

Can't even shout, can't even cryThe Gentlemen are coming byLooking in windows, knocking on doorsThey need to take seven and they might take yoursCan't call to mom, can't say a wordYou're gonna die screaming but you won't be heard.Happy Halloween! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Oct 31, 2019 • 39:11

Legally Blonde

Never judge a book by its cover.We're told that as children and throughout life, and yet we all still do it. We all revert to those tired stereotypes that blondes are dumb, ice-cold or overtly sexual bombshells who steal husbands.The truth is, although those tropes have been around in movies since the 1930s, change is coming. And whilst that change didn't start with Legally Blonde, it was definitely a massive catalyst for Hollywood to change its way of thinking, and also us... the viewing public

Oct 27, 2019 • 37:18

Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow is not just your typical action sci-fiEdge of Tomorrow is not just your typical Tom Cruise action sci-fiEdge of Tomorrow is not just your typical Tom Cruise action sci-fi with time loopsEdge of Tomorrow is not just your typical Tom Cruise action sci-fi with time loops where he dies spectacularly and hilariously every single time.Edge of Tomorrow is an Emily Blunt action sci-fi; because whilst Tom Cruise headlines the movie, Emily Blunt is the star and so is her character Rita Vr

Oct 17, 2019 • 47:43

Logan

Hugh Jackman's swansong as Wolverine is nothing like any superhero comic book movie ever. It's a brutal, gory, painful look at the life of an ageing hero, a man whose life consists of numbing his pain with booze whilst caring for a frail, elderly, dementia suffering Charles Xavier. You feel every inch of their suffering and vulnerability in a world where mutants are no longer born and where Charles is so unpredictable they've declared his brain a weapon of mass destruction.....And so we meet Lau

Oct 6, 2019 • 58:22

Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Have you seen that movie by Edgar Wright?Shaun of the Dead? I love that movie.No, the other one.Hot Fuzz - I always quote it!No, neither of those, the one with the young lad as the leadBaby Driver! Oh my god, such a cool movie, great soundtrackNone of those! The other other other other Edgar Wright movie!The World's End?Get out!If this conversation has happened to you, you're not alone. Scott Pilgrim vs The World is actually brilliant, but so are all of Edgar Wright's other movies, and so poor S

Sep 15, 2019 • 41:53

The Iron Giant

If you've downloaded this because you've seen The Iron Giant - big pat on the back and well done for doing so! Take a listen as I go on an almighty rant about why people under-appreciate animation and why The Iron Giant contradicts the myth that animation is just for children, whilst also being a master-class in animation, theme, characters and voice talent.If you've downloaded this because you haven't seen The Iron Giant, but trust what comes out of my mouth, I'm going to say..... PLEASE WATCH

Aug 31, 2019 • 40:23

Willow

There were lots of fantasy movies which came out in the 80s. Flash Gordon, The Dark Crystal, Krull, The Neverending Story, Legend and Labyrinth to name a few. None were, however, as sweet-natured, innocent and kind as Willow, with a marvellous central performance from a mature beyond his years teenage Warwick Davis. (He was actually 17 during filming, not 18 like I say in the episode.... ooops!)You simply couldn't have Willow without Warwick. Nor could you have Willow without the ground-breaking

Aug 26, 2019 • 35:16

John Carter

Jarsoomians! Welcome to Barsoom Airlines. Exits are here, here, here and here. Please fasten your seat belts, there's a lot of turbulence on our journey and honestly we're all in for a bumpy ride to visit John Carter (of Mars).John Carter, fictional hero of the American Civil War and of Edgar Rice Burroughs' popular Barsoom series of novels should have had an easy road to Hollywood glory. His name in lights should have enticed men, women and children to his big screen adventures, with multiple s

Aug 19, 2019 • 34:49

The Matrix

What is The Matrix?No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.I would love to hear your thoughts on The Matrix! You can get in touch onTwitter @verbaldioramaInstagram @verbaldioramaFacebook @verbaldioramaor you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions:verbaldiorama@gmail.comYou can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that!For Augstravaganza, please don't donate to Ko-fi. Instead pleas

Aug 13, 2019 • 1:01:27

The Mummy (1999) (ft Jason from Woo Long Talks)

I... I may not be an explorer, or, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am! I….. am the girl who really really loves The Mummy.Wholly, completely, absolutely despite its flaws, I love it. I can watch it every damn day. It's the perfect mix of action, adventure, romance, comedy and horror, with peak Brendan Fraser and perfect Rachel Weisz. Hollywood just doesn't make movies like this anymore.Like Evie Carnaghan, I need a Rick O'Con

Aug 4, 2019 • 2:40:51

Charlie's Angels (2000)

Good morning Angels.Good morning Charlie!Three, is the magic number. You have three blind mice, three little pigs and you always, always have three Angels. Three extraordinary women who work for one man, Charles Townsend, played by three extraordinary actresses.Drew Barrymore and her production company Flower Films had a vision for a Charlie's Angels movie; she wanted it to be fun, campy and inspirational, where the women were just as sexy as they were funny, as they were skilled at martial arts

Jul 21, 2019 • 49:51

X-Men Dark Phoenix (ft ChinLin from The Bingeables Podcast)

The Phoenix will rise.....But will she, though?I'm joined by ChinLin from The Bingeables Podcast to talk about the final part of Fox's landmark X-Men franchise, which started in 2000 and all but kicked off the modern fascination with superheroes. There's been sequels, prequels, spin-offs and now this, an(other) adaptation of one of the X-Men's most well known and loved story lines: The Dark Phoenix Saga.Truthfully, the movie is a bit of a mess, however we both love the X-Men and so we find some

Jul 7, 2019 • 1:53:39

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (ft Sade from Offscreen Babble)

Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for us.Gaaaah me hearties! Ahoy there! This be Em and I be joined by me co-captain for this voyage across the seven seas, Sade from Offscreen Babble. It might be trifle bad luck to have women aboard yer ship, but avast! We batten down the hatches to reach that horizon, stoppin' off on islands filled with Aztec gold and copious amounts of rum, where we will always remember the day we met Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?!Thar's blood, scares, violence and enough sexual tens

Jun 28, 2019 • 3:08:47

Aladdin 1992 & Aladdin 2019

So, this is a little bonus episode I did after watching 2019's Aladdin and inevitably compared it to 1992's Aladdin; the movie I watched the most as a child.Spoilers for the new 2019 Aladdin (although to be honest, if you know the 1992 movie, you should really know the rough plot - it's very similar!)I also go into the production history of 1992's Aladdin, and the legacy of Robin Williams incredible performance and why we have Ferngully: The Last Rainforest to thank for all of this.I would love

Jun 16, 2019 • 18:42

Speed (ft Kristin from So I'm Watching This Show)

Pop quiz hotshot. There’s a podcast in your ears. Once that podcast reaches 8 episodes a guest is introduced. If that guest chooses the best action thriller movie, this podcast blows up (and by that we mean figuratively rather than literally!) What do you do? What do you do?Turns out you do a lot, for a long time and then take ages to get it out of the door. Trust me, I understand the irony of a podcast episode about Speed being 3+ hours long and being released 1+ weeks late. It's a bit of a cha

Jun 13, 2019 • 3:13:51

The Cabin in the Woods

So, you have this girl, probably a virgin but always beautiful and occasionally really stupid. She's in a slasher movie, so you know she's going to run towards danger, ignore all the signs of the monster and probably witness all her friends being slaughtered. She's the final girl. She'll probably survive to star in your sequel.But what if there was a movie that wanted to deconstruct all the tropes of slasher movies? What if it's all a big reality TV show, where the "reality stars" are just the p

May 19, 2019 • 35:48

Pleasantville

Ahh, the 1950s. A time of tradition; where fathers were the breadwinners and worked the 9 to 5, mothers were homemakers and caregivers and children were obedient. Men ruled the roost, women ruled the kitchen and children were seen and not heard. Are you looking for the ideal place to raise your nuclear family? Choose Pleasantville! An idyllic black and white utopia with no sex, drugs, rock and roll or emotion of any kind. It's swell!Ahh Pleasantville. The town of choice for repressed sitcom fam

May 6, 2019 • 32:41

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Most movies contain some blue screen in some way (some, green!). If your movie is full of complex special effects, or set on some vast, wholly imagined alien world, you need that blue (or green) screen to be able to insert those computer generated backdrops, with your actors in the foreground pretending to be in that world. In the early 2000s, brothers Kerry and Kevin Conran had an idea..... what if they could shoot a complete movie using these blue screen backdrops, set in an alternative 1939 N

Apr 22, 2019 • 33:08

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Miracles don't happen every day, especially in Hollywood. If something is too complicated, they'll make it easier. If something goes over budget, they'll cancel it. If it's too raunchy, they'll tone it down. You get the picture. Making a movie; a good movie, is hard in any town, but especially in Toontown. This ain't no fairy-tale; it's a story of sex, violence, murder and patty cake. Why don't you do right, indeed!Who Framed Roger Rabbit was complicated, expensive and a feat of technological ma

Apr 7, 2019 • 33:57

Dredd

It's not every day that you see a movie described as "a glorious ballad of bloodshed". Yeah, that's how I would describe Dredd and I did on this very podcast!I bet you're thinking of Stallone right now.... well get Sly out of your head because this Dredd is better, bloodier and more faithful to the source material than the 1995 version, and all the better for it. It's got a great score, great performances and looks so much more expensive than its budget would suggest, but not that many people sa

Mar 17, 2019 • 40:52

Captain Marvel

SURPRISE!This is not episode 2.Well it is, but it also isn't, because episode 2 is about [redacted] and this is about Captain Marvel.I did a little minisode on Captain Marvel and how I felt about it after seeing it. The "real" episode 2 will be out shortly, but in the meantime have a listen to why I loved Captain Marvel so much.Let me know your thoughts on Captain Marvel too:Twitter @verbaldioramaInstagram @verbaldioramaFacebook @verbaldioramaLetterboxd @verbaldioramaThanks for listening and kee

Mar 10, 2019 • 9:15

Titan A.E.

Welcome to the first episode of Verbal Diorama!In this inaugural episode, I discuss the movie that literally sunk Fox Animation Studios; the groundbreaking and risk-taking Titan A.E.; a movie that's rich in history and legacy, as well as infamous for being one of the biggest financial flops of all time. *Hint* It's actually not a bad movie, I liked it, but it does have issues!I also briefly talk about my favourite movie of last year, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.You can follow me on:Instagra

Feb 16, 2019 • 41:36