School of Movies

Big Fish

[School of Movies 2020]

This one is going to be a tough listen for some. We stand by our assertion that it remains the best Tim Burton film, and one that feels both like and unlike his body of work. Our main focus is on the relationship between disgruntled adult son Will and his dying father Edward, who has spent this young man's whole life telling him fantastical tales that can't possibly be true. So if you've lost someone it may be hard to hold things together.

This was a very personal film for our sponsor and it broke us several times. And unexpectedly so, because this was marketed and regarded by most as a fun, visually stunning and quirky romance, focusing on the young, handsome, charming Ewan McGregor version of Edward, and his delicate bride-to-be played by Alison Lohman. But it's the biting point between cold reality and beguiling fantasy that we're interested in.

This episode was commissioned by Kat Essman. 

Guest

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

[School of Movies 2020]

This time around, rather than those nasty little monsters attacking small-town Norman Rockwell America they have their sights set on the big city. The original was clearly a horror movie made with kids in mind. This one is a comedy with a ghoulish sensibility. A corporate lifestyle filled with technology that is supposed to make things easier but only serves as a hindrance? That is fertile ground for gremlin-based chaos!

It is also the one where Gizmo steps up and becomes a real character with intentions and regrets, and for that reason we consider G2 downright essential viewing, whether you've seen G1 or not. It's also a better initial foray for youngsters because they swap the malevolence for hilarity. The kids can always go back and watch New Batch: Origins after that. 

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse  @BLCAgnew 

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg @KidDogg  

 

Gremlins

[School of Movies 2020]

Small town Americana is laid siege to, by a hoard of violent little monsters. It's tough to say whether this is appropriately frightening or frighteningly appropriate, seeing as it's all about ignoring the very clear rules given by those who are aware of what damage can be done by an outbreak like this. "I don't care what the experts say. I'll feed my mogwai after midnight and throw as much water on him as I like!"

This was an early movie for Joe Dante, produced by Spielberg, written by Chris Columbus, creature effects by Chris Walas. And it's dark and nasty and gruesome and hailed as an anti-holiday classic. 

This episode was commissioned by Andy Rodriguez.

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse  @BLCAgnew 

Neil Taylor of TheKidDogg @KidDogg  

A Few Good Men

[School of Movies 2020]

A tough and hard episode for a tough and hard year. We don't usually cover courtroom dramas, but this was both a commissioned episode and one of Sharon's favourites as a teen.

A young Aaron Sorkin penned this play about what happens when a certain unauthorised military disciplinary practice goes horribly wrong. It was based on a real life account, and was used to juxtapose the untouchability of the top brass with the scapegoating of young marines who pledged their life to their unit. 

We do talk about parallels with the police, and this episode, while swift is fairly merciless. There's also a few uses of the other F-bomb in the movie clips. It's also the third Rob Reiner film we've covered without planning to in the space of just a few months. At this rate we'll have his body of work done by year-end (which should happen in around 280 years time).

This episode was commissioned by Martin Hooie

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

[School of Everything Else 2020]

A completely spoilerific discussion on all five seasons of the modern, second version of She-Ra. I honestly don't know how much someone who has never seen the show will get out of this one, but if you've finished it you'll be in hog heaven.

We have eight minds and voices gathered, and they are all going to talk about 25+ characters over a tightly focused two and a half hour runtime.  It may sound too strictly controlled, but I marvelled at how incisive everyone managed to be under these restrictions. This is quite a feat of podcasting.

This episode was commissioned by Zac Malm, Carsten Immel and James Glass . 

Guests:

Maya Santandrea

Lyra Shaw

Lauren Yeomans

Mel Curtis

Holly Dotson

Collin of The Cinema Cephalopod 

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

[School of Movies 2020]

The year of Spielberg continues (though I have a feeling 2020 isn't going to be remembered for this, no matter how good we make the shows) with the second Indiana Jones movie, which is in fact a prequel. There's... reasons for that.

Ditching the writer of The Empire Strikes Back, producer George Lucas brought in the duo who would pen Howard the Duck, and decided to really lean on the colonial atmosphere of movies that were racist as hell fifty years before this film emerged into cinemas. 

I think the best way I put it is you can easily *watch* Raiders of the Lost Ark followed by Temple of Doom, and have a good time with both, but it's quite another thing to start an explorative and enthusiastic film analysis with the first and then graduate to the second. It feels like a booby trap and the floor falls away. And you tumble into a pit of spikes, lava and dodgy representation for Asian people, women, frankly even white dudes!

Guest

Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa

This is Spinal Tap

[School of Movies 2020]

Hot on the heels of The Princess Bride our unexpected Rob Reiner mini-season continues with one of the loudest mockumentaries of all time.  Fictional band Spinal Tap gear up for their big American comeback tour carrying them from New York to Japan. Along the way they experience inconsistent catering presentation, an album cover with zero visual information and a bust-up between their two passionate creative forces that may spell the end of their musical career. 

And all of it is captured on film in improvised, painfully human fashion. Join us as we void our musical guts with the band that has had more drummers than albums. 

This episode was commissioned by  Kevin Veighy, Dan Mayer and Nick Ord.

• Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You
• Gimme Some Money
• Hell Hole
• Sex farm
• Nigel Tufnel Solo
• America
• Rock and Roll Creation
• Stonehenge
• Break Like the Wind
• Jazz Odyssey
• Big Bottom
• Cups and Cakes
• Listen to the Flower People
• Heavy-Duty Rock & Roll
• The Majesty of Rock

Guests

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse  @BLCAgnew 

Nick Ord of the Midnight Movies blog  https://midnightmoviesonline.wordpress.com/ 

 

The Good Dinosaur

[School of Movies 2020]

How does one discuss the worst Pixar film? When a studio accomplishes so much and changes the industry, should we not simply forgive them their mishaps and move on? We decided, not necessarily. Because delving into where things went wrong can in fact better illuminate when they get their pieces of art so very right. 

 

So what we have here is an exploration of a downright bungled production with one of the most erratic tones of any animated film we've seen, veering between cutie-patootie and gut-churning nightmare, seemingly scene to scene.  It's what would happen if you asked Werner Herzog to reboot The Care Bears. A series of genuinely baffling choices and a disbelief suspended on gossamer-thin threads, this one makes Cars look like a documentary of entirely grounded concepts. 

 

We were worried this would come off as too negative, when we recorded it a long while ago, but listening back I'm proud of how incisive and merciless our approach was. And it makes the shows where we shower the best movies with adulation all the more genuine. 

Mystery Men

[School of Movies 2020]

As we languish in the ellipses between Phases 3 and 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Batman goes on hold, Superman hangs in the balance, Wonder Woman waits for her delayed sequel release, and the X-Men are quietly reshaped by Disney's Fungineers, and the only big bit of news for this breakdown in the age of superheroes is the Snyder Cut finally getting a chance to be put together. 

So tonight, we here at School of Movies remember the other guys (not the movie with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell) the losers (not the movie with Zoe Saldana and Chris Evans) the outsiders (not the movie with Matt Dillon and the Karate Kid), the wannabe vigilantes who just end up making things worse (not Watchmen).

Adapted from the Flaming Carrot comics, but not actually featuring the Flaming Carrot, this movie is almost entirely inept, shambolic, misjudged and ridiculous. Wholly appropriate, considering who it's about; a cadre of buffoons who want to help people in a city of the delusional, where the appointed good guys are actually kind of self-aggrandizing idiots too. Mystery Men has all the makings of a cult favourite, beloved by its fans (including us), and here you'll find out why.

This episode was commissioned by Jamas Enright. 

Guests

Em from Verbal Diorama  @VerbalDiorama 

Victoria Grieve  @VixenVVitch 

The Princess Bride

[School of Movies 2020]

It is inconceivable that we've not covered this movie yet, but there is a shortage of perfect movies, and it would be a shame to waste one. We've danced around doing this abbreviated adaptation of a kissing book for years, and eventually a commission gave us no further excuses, we had to say 'as you wish'. 

Both well-known and beloved with the fervour afforded cult classics, this clever spin on fairy tales leaves most of the other attempts in the dust, through a combination of an amazing cast, a razor-sharp script delivered with impeccable, deadpan timing, and at the core a big, beating, romantic heart. 

This episode was commissioned by Chris Finik. 

Guests

Victoria Grieve  @VixenVVitch 

Brenden Agnew of Cinapse  @BLCAgnew  

Mackenzie Easton  @KenziePhoenix of Rainbow Connection @MuppetsPod  

Nathan Bertram @bertnerdtram of Video Game: The Movie: The Podcast  @VGTMPodcast