School of Movies

Parenthood

[School of Movies 2026]

A surprisingly personal and tender show, dealing with some difficult subject matter comes out of this criminally forgotten 1989 Ron Howard family comedy drama.

It was a staple of my childhood and looking back, it seems like I took on board a great deal of the life lessons experienced by the amazing ensemble cast of the Buckman Megafamily, which include Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Diane Wiest, Rick Moranis, Harleyy Kozak, Tom Hulce, Martha Plimpton, Jason Robards and stellar performances from both a young Keanu Reeves and Joaquin Phoenix.

Whether you're a parent yourself or not, you had someone appointed with the task of looking after you when you were a child, and whether they did a good, bad or mixed bag of a job, chances are you're going to find something in here to relate to. Definitely one to listen to when you can give it time to absorb, and my god, watch this movie!

X-Men '97 (Season 1)

[School of Everything Else 2026]

This is the best thing Marvel have ever made out of X-Men. That is not hyperbole. Stack up every comic, every animated series, every video game and every movie, and only a handful even come close to this level of both crafted quality and ferocious realisation of evolved central themes.

The original X-Men '92 show ran all the way up to September 1997 with the 76th episode "Graduation Day". The show had suddenly plummeted in quality after a really solid first four seasons when the budget was slashed and the animation switched to the lowest bidder studio possible. Marvel were broke and this was a sorry end to their flagship animated series which in the 90s was really only rivalled by Batman and Radioactive Spider-Man in terms of cultural footprint. That theme song lives in our head rent-free and the MCU have been teasing us with the jingle for years now.

However, this follow-up series that requires no prior knowledge to appreciate, hit the ground sprinting with a voice cast that were a mix of the familiar and powerful new performers, stunning hand-drawn animation and an uncompromising, fearless confrontation of the world that hates and fears mutants, holding up a black mirror to our own.

Guest:

Chris Finik @finmonster09

Dispatch

[School of Everything Else 2026]

This is a commissioned episode for Chris Finik, and Alejandra Vargas (both of whom guest on this show) as well as Sarah Montgomery and Self.

The remnants of the shattered team at Telltale, seminal adventure game developers of the 2000s and 2010s return as AdHoc Studio with one of the very best of its type. The premise is simple enough, almost rote by today's standards; In a world of superpowered criminals private security firm SDN send out problem-solving metahumans. The A-Team are all Avengers-Level heroes that America can be proud of, but we don't get to interact with them.

Instead, we as the weary Robert Robertson III, last in his family to wear the Mecha Man suit, have been tasked with coordinating the Z-Team, a bunch of grumpy, rude losers circling the drain and all on the cusp of being fired.

What we do and say as Robert, the people we grow closer with, and the jobs we send them out to do will be the difference between a complete disaster and perhaps a group of friends who do something right for once in their wretched lives.

It's fantastic!

Guests:

Alejandra Vargas

Chris Finik

Fantastic Four: First Steps

[School of Movies 2026]

Finally, after twenty years of half-assed attempts (thirty if you count the Roger Corman production never intended to see the light of day) to bring Marvel's First Family to the big screen, they actually nailed it... mostly.

First Steps delivers not just the Silver Age superheroes, but the era itself, in a gorgeous, memorable, hopeful vision of the Kennedy-Era 1960s (one where racism has been dealt with, and women don't struggle to be taken seriously). This alternate Earth of 828 is put in jeopardy when a version of Galactus (who isn't just a big angry CG cloud) comes calling.

Setting aside a dedicated section to air our misgivings over two crucial factors, (wherein Sharon comes up with one subtle but significant story change that blows me away) this episode brings us closer to Doomsday, where these fantastic folks will play prominent roles.

William Shakespeare's Star Wars Trilogy

[School of Everything Else 2026]

It's not often we talk about audiodramas on here, the last one I recall that wasn't made by me was the phenomenal World War Z in 2011. THESE three were what I needed in order to care about Star Wars again. Scholar Ian Doescher published the first three (of what would expand to nine and beyond) in lovely hardback book form between 2013 and 2014 envisioning how The Star Wars Original Trilogy would have sounded had it been written by William Shakespeare. But the audio versions we had not listened to until recently, and we absolutely love them.

On this show you will be transported to a galaxy far, far away, one dimension over from the version we're all familiar with, where Rebels and Imperials alike speak in iambic pentameter and soliloquise their innermost thoughts and motivations. It's funny as hell, often rather disarmingly touching and helps garner a fresh perspective on these immortal tales.

Amadeus

[School of Movies 2026]

For this episode we were lucky enough to be able to bring in stand-up comedian and 18th Century history nut Jenny Zigrino. We gave Jenny free reign on the choice of movie to talk about and she went for her favourite; the story of the greatest composer who ever lived, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This masterpiece, directed by Milos Foreman and based on a 1979 stage play swept the Oscars in 1985 and if you've never had the pleasure you'll soon find out why.

You can find Jenny's standup material easily on YouTube, and check out her website where she is currently fundraising for her next show: https://www.jennyzigrino.com/ It was an absolute pleasure to have her on.

And for fans of irevenrent sexy alternate history I also showcase one of my own personal favourite projects, The Princess Thieves, the audiodrama of which can be found here: https://newcentury.bandcamp.com/

Guest: Jenny Zigrino

Forrest Gump

[School of Movies 2026]

The 1994 film that ate The Shawshank Redemption's lunch, dinner, supper, breakfast and second-breakfast at the Oscars. A deeply polarising melodrama recounting several decades of American Boomer history, showcasing cutting-edge face-mapping technology that looked unintentionally unsettling even then, and laying down confused messages along the way.

We attempt to read Gump fairly, consulting the direction the source book took, and taking into consideration Robert Zemekis' own views on the world, in particular focusing on the mostly-glimpsed journey of Forrest's running mate, Jenny.

The Shawshank Redemption

[School of Movies 2026]

One of the most passionately beloved movies of the 1990s, and indeed all of film history, it is peculiar that while you will meet people who haven't seen this film, you will never meet people who don't like it and gleefully tell you so. The fact that when Shawshank first emerged it was largely ignored or made fun of for having a convoluted name, and lost almost every award it was nominated for to Forrest Gump (coming next week) is remarkable in retrospect.

It really only hit and became abidingly popular when it reached television screens. Perhaps the story itself does not suit being sat in a cinema with a lot of strangers feeling awkward and emotionally charged over this prison drama, and it in fact calls for a more intimate, quiet level of attention

One thing is for sure, it made for one hell of a podcast, and we were lucky enough to get back Ryan Estrada, our man in South Korea who once again holds a deep connection with this very special movie: www.ryanestrada.com

Guest: Ryan Estrada

The Truman Show

[School of Movies 2026]

Truman Burbank lives a charmed existance, residing on a little island town that is distinctly old fashioned and twee. In reality, Truman's every movement is being broadcast to the viewing planet, and has been since his infancy. But Truman is beginning to suspect something is up, and his unseen father figure Christoph (compellingly played by Ed Harris) is working hard to restore the show to its comforting routine.

A surprisingly abiding dramatic sci-fi classic from the late 90s and one of Jim Carrey's finest (and least irritating) performances. This movie is somehow more relevant today in the era of parasocial fixation on people who broadcast their lives all day and night, than it was in the late 90s when this wasn't possible.

And welcome back to the show, Ryan Estrada, our man in South Korea who has a special attachment to this multilayered film: www.ryanestrada.com

Guest: Ryan Estrada

Next Week: The Shawshank Redemption

Casablanca

[School of Movies 2026]

'The Lies of Casablanca'. That was going to be my original title for this episode. When I got to sit down and watch this impeccable film on the big screen, it struck me how often the main characters lie; to each other, to themselves, to us... and yet we as the audience are almost always in the advantagous position of being able to clearly discern each lie.

So, Sharon and I delved into a true classic, venerated throughout the second half of the 20th Century, but now somewhat in decline on lists of Greatest Films of All Time, unseated by the works of Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve. However, there is something so very fitting about going back to something powered by nostalgia, its original audience now long-dead, but its central message; 'For the love of god, we must defy Nazis' delivered at a point in history that Hitler still hadn't been beaten, feels more relevent than ever.