School of Movies

Final Fantasy VI

[School of Everything Else 2023]

There are many reasons why this 1994 instalment in the long-running Square franchise winds up high on lists of the very best RPGs of all time. It is an ensemble piece with an immediately engrossing story and endearing, growing party of misfits, oddballs and freaks. 

The concept of an oppressive, evil empire messing with powerful magic to secure its dominance isn't new at all, but rarely does a single self-contained game tell such a world-spanning tale with no one character standing out as the obvious leader. They are all heroes in their own stories. This, along with Chrono Trigger and Earthbound was the high bar on character-based RPGs that followed in the 90s, and notably during the return to retro style that followed the MMORPG goldrush of the 2000s. Astonishing music from the legendary Nobuo Uematsu gave so many of these memorable characters their own themes, while the superficially simple pixel art and modest map pushed the Super Nintendo to its limits with rich, hidden depths and texture. 

Sharon had to sit this episode out, though she did play and complete the whole game after finishing Final Fantasy IV and then VII, both of which are past and future podcasts for this show. In her place is Maya Souris; smart, dazzling stunt-lady, scuba diver and total nerd. And since this was my first proper play-through and being one of her favourite games of all time, she guided me along the way, and we wound up with a truly engrossing and enthusiastic discussion. So, whether you've played this masterpiece yet or not, you are in for a treat.

The Studio Ghibli Series Part 7: Howl’s Moving Castle

[School of Movies 2023]

Having now won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Ghibli was facing the retirement of one of their absolute linchpins. Hayao Miyazaki wanted to go out with a bang, so adapted another favourite book of his. Howl was popular, but readers had things to say about changes that were made.

After that, his son Goro Miyazaki tried his hand at being a director in the elder's absence. adapting another treasured childhood fantasy, which was declared the worst Ghibli ever upon launch (we don't think that's fair in hindsight; Goro has done way worse since).

So, the grumpy Dad returned with a sweet little mermaid story about why his grandchild is just as cute as a button. He would later attempt and fail at retirement several more times!

2004: Howl's Moving Castle (1m 35s)

2006: Tales from Earthsea (44m 21s)

2008: Ponyo (1h 3m 35s)

In the middle of our show there is an essay piece from our friend Alejandra Vargas.

(NOTE: Part 6, which will be Spirited Away has not yet been recorded, but we will be releasing that as our finale, because it is our favourite.)

Matilda: The Musical

[School of Movies 2023]

This, folks, is arguably the greatest adaptation of one of Roald Dahl's books made to date. Taking everything that was great about the 1988 book (one of his last, only followed by Esio Trot, The Vicar of Nibbleswick and The Minpins) and one of the abiding favourites for many kids and previously-kids who aren't entirely sure if they have truly grown up yet.

It's about a schoolgirl who develops telekinetic powers that she uses to banish a truly horrific headteacher. But that is merely the skeletal plot, there is so much there about being lonely, being neglected and abused and using your frustrations for something positive (making this the Anti-Carrie). And that was conducted in the beloved Mara Wilson and Danny DeVito film from 1996. 

But in turning this thing into a successful West-End musical Tim Minchin added some truly memorable, frequently brilliant songs, a whole sub-plot about a story Matilda is weaving together, even more significance for the role of Miss Honey (played with astonishing fragility by Lashana Lynch). It's also a little less mean-spirited than a lot of Dahl's work, which makes it more suited to newer generations. 

Alisha Weir absolutely kills it as Matilda, and Emma Thompson is unrecognisably foul as the monstrous Agatha Trunchbull. This film adaptation of the musical play adaptation is a Netflix-funded production, so should be possible to see right now. And with Wonka on the way from the director of Paddington, we hope this is the beginning of a 2020s Dahlaissance.

The Studio Ghibli Series Part 5: Princess Mononoke

[School of Movies 2023]

Many would call this period the crowning glory of Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki in particular. The maturity and refusal to pull his punches that came with the rich, dark and complex Princess Mononoke illustrated that when it came to humankind's strained, abusive relationship with Nature itself, that bloodshed was an inevitability,

He followed this up with a personal favourite of mine, Spirited Away in 2001, but we have a dedicated show on that coming at the very end of this series.

1997: Princess Mononoke (1m 45s)

1999: My Neighbors the Yamadas (51m 30s)

2002: The Cat Returns (1h 4m 30s)

The other two are oddities; Yamadas was from Isao Takahata (of Grave of the Fireflies and Balls of the Raccoon) and it's a significant departure from all other Ghibli movies, in terms of animation style and content, being based heavily on a Japanese comic strip about family life. And following that we have Ghibli's only sequel to date, though tonally quite different from Whisper of the Heart, The Cat returns takes place in the same world.

In the middle of our show there are feature essays from  long-time friends of the show

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse  @BLCAgnew "Living With Miyazaki - Part 7" (34m 10s)

Josh Garrity of Cane and Rinse @CombineHunter with his piece from a short-lived but extremely potent YouTube series "The Animation Archives - Part 4" (44m 30s)

Streets of Rage

[School of Everything Else 2023]

The greatest brawler series in the history of video games. If you haven't yet had the pleasure of playing one of the four Streets of Rage, even if beat-'em-ups aren't your thing you owe it to yourself to investigate the sheer *craft* of these classics. 

Beginning with the original in 1991 and refined to magnificence with the second in 1992. They need to be looked at in conjunction with their contemporaries like Double Dragon (1987) the excellent Final Fight (1989) and Turtles in Time (1992) as well as looking forward down the chain of influence to Scott Pilgrim (2010), Fight'N Rage (2017) the recent Battletoads (2020) and the sublime TURTs nerdgasm Shredder's Revenge (2022).

As we go through the history of how these were made, by surprisingly small teams with focus on sound design, music, rhythm and variety a picture is formed of a creative ethic. They're also colossal fun! 

That is until you hit the North American release of Streets of Rage 3 (1994) which becomes a nightmare slog. We explain what went so horribly wrong there. But you can skip right past that one and move on to the pinnacle of not only the series but the genre; the modern-day masterpiece that is Streets of Rage 4 (2020).

Brigsby Bear

[School of Movies 2023]

This is one you almost certainly won't have heard of, but will be happy you found it through School of Movies. It's the tale of a young man named James who has grown up in a post-apocalyptic bunker, raised by his loving parents and wondering what's outside. One night a raid by the cops results in his "parents" being carted off to jail, as it turns out they kidnapped him as an infant and hid him here. Now he has to come to terms with the real world and the awkward fit of his new family and potential friends.

Thing is though, he's a colossal nerd for Brigsby Bear. That long-running TV show about a space-faring teddy with a surprisingly deep lore for James to obsess over. However, double-twist... Brigsby was never shown on TV because it was being created by his kidnapper-Father (played by Mark Hamill). Undaunted, James sets out on a personal quest to finish the story for himself.

In an unusual show setup we examine the film through two contrasting lenses. Firstly from a long-time fan whose obscure commission this is, and secondly through a professional expert on mental conditions who has only just seen it.

Guests:

Nama Chibitty @namathenerd

Dr Hunter Mulcare @realhuntermmm 

Devil’s Advocate

[School of Movies 2023]

Impressive, silly or impressively silly? Those are just three of the possible responses to this 1997 theological legal thriller with overtones of several flavours of horror, including paranoia, demonic and financial. 

It's the forked tale of a hotshot Florida lawyer named Kevin who has never lost a case, despite representing cartoonishly villainous defendants. He is recruited by a swanky New York legal firm, headed up by a devilishly charismatic fellow with a deep, dark secret. Can you guess what it is?

This was a commissioned show for Greg Downing and it was great fun finally getting our teeth into this overblown Paradise-Lost-meets-Pelican-Brief panto, starring a wildly overacting Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves and a breakout tormented-wife role for a young Charlize Theron.

V for Vendetta

[School of Movies 2023]

The Wachowskis are back! This time in producer capacity with their friend James McTeigue who wend on to direct The Raven, five episodes of Sense8 and (our personal favourite, the critically panned but hugely enjoyable, blood-spattered throwback) Ninja Assassin. 

In an alternate history dystopian Britain, a young lady named Evey Hammond is rescued by a shadowy figure in a mask who calls himself V and seeks to fight back against their tyrannical oppressors. This is an adaptation of one of the most celebrated graphic novels of all time. Alan Moore originally spun this out over several years in the early 1980s, depicting our country as a near-future, fascist police state that was a cautionary tale to those living under the iron fist of the Thatcher regime. Our guest, Victoria has read this book repeatedly and is able to delineate with truly fascinating insight, the powerful changes made for this 2006 movie. 

You will also find out quite a lot about Guy Fawkes and his part in the conspiracy to blow up Parliament in the early17th Century, and why even though he and his companions failed, their bungled plan still has deep, historical significance. 

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve:  @VixenVVitch 

Ghost in the Shell

[School of Movies 2023]

One of the most significant and influential anime movies of all time. Absolutely instrumental in inspiring a big chunk of The Matrix in terms of aesthetic and pondering, metaphysical philosophy.

This began as a single-volume cyberpunk manga series written by Masamune Shirow between 1989-1991. That was adapted into the 1995 movie which is the focus of this episode. After that came a bunch of television we are not touching, a sequel focused on the character of Batau, named Innocence, which we recommend, a re-envisioned remaster called 2.0 which swaps the janky 90s CG and green aesthetic for janky 2000s CG and amber aesthetic. Then a bunch more movies and TV and manga.

And then in 2017, American studios who always seem to keep making the same mistakes when they adapt anime directly into live action filmed a giant mistake in 2017. The Scarlett Johansson movie is actually better than it could have been, but it makes a fine talking point as comparison between the attitudes and approaches to the presentation of what seems like the same story but is actually quite different.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation

[School of Everything Else 2023]

This is quite an extraordinary case. A Netflix show released in two chunks of five episodes apiece, six months apart, back in 2021. 93% fresh with professional critics. And if you sit down and watch it, this is the best Masters of the Universe story ever told. 

And EVERYBODY HATES IT! 

Seriously, go check YouTube and get bombarded by the scorn and bile. Observe the 38% audience score. Try finding ANY positive analysis from the fans. It might get easier with time, (especially as a lot of folks only watched the first episode and then reacted with outrage, and many did not catch the second half of the series after all those months) but when we put this episode together our decision had to be to NOT second-guess all the people who loathe this show, and their reasons for hatred.

Some cold hard facts about it: He-Man is killed in the first episode. From that point on, Eternia is in trouble, and that could have dire, far-reaching consequences. The focus is on Teela, Prince Adam's former bodyguard, furious at being lied to for years, and with her one job in tatters. But she's the one who has to get the gang back together, form an uneasy alliance with an old enemy, and journey to both Heaven and Hell in order to potentially make things right again.

It has a stunning voice cast, including Mark Hamill, Lena Heady, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Stephen Root, Griffin Newman, Diedrich Bader, Susan Eisenberg, Phil LaMarr, Cree Summer, Kevin Michael Richardson, Tony Todd, Justin Long, Alicia Silverstone, and an all-too-brief cameo from Kevin Conroy. 

It has true character growth, dramatic confrontations, untrodden ground explored, secrets revealed and bittersweet decisions made. It is exceptionally good, and apparently here is the only place you're going to be told about that.