School of Movies

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 

Shrek

[School of Movies 2020]  

On the 19th anniversary of the release of this game-changing animated movie, we look back on the alchemy at work which made this such an abiding hit.

Effectively one giant, green middle-finger to Disney, this caper resonated strongly with audiences who wanted to defy that wholesome, controlling and overbearing megacorporation with its twee fairy tales of slender, pretty people with dreams and songs and irritating animal sidekicks. Shrek was more like regular people, selfish, bitter and obnoxious, with irritating animal sidekicks.

As well as the movie, we get to highlight some of the best aspects of the Shrek musical, which in  a strange way carries things full-circle.  This show was rather special, for reasons you'll find out at the end. 

Guests:

Victoria Luna B. Grieve:  @VixenVVitch  

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

[School of Movies 2020]

In comparison to the enjoyable, solid-enough campy, juvenile, playful original 1995 movie, THIS is a spectacular departure in the direction of chaotic, nonsense. this is what the Mortal Kombat movie would have been if quality was unimportant to the creators. 

It's as dumb and cheesy as a sack of Trump chew-toys, and at the same time weirdly specific and accurate on costume and character appearance. It has almost everyone from the Mortal Kombat 3 game, even going to far as to name-check the few who they couldn't squeeze in. But every single version of everyone is utterly wasted. 

But it's still deliriously entertaining, and our show on it is a ton of fun.

Guests

Hollywoo Actress  Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea 

Jason "Chewie" Slate @TheManaPool 

Mortal Kombat (1995)

[School of Movies 2020]

Lunatic sorcerer holds a fighting contest to determine whether or not another dimension is allowed to invade ours. They have to win ten in a row. Also there may or may not be fatalities.

This 1995 movie was one of the first video game adaptations for the big screen and somehow manages to remain one of the best. Mainly because it's colossal fun and doesn't seem to be so embarrassed about its subject matter. It doesn't toss out the story and world for something more superficially realistic.

This episode was a ton of fun to record, and frankly that's something most of us need right now. Next week we cover the sequel. And before you start tweeting at me, yes I know Cary Tagawa resumed his beloved role of Shang Tsung in the 11th Video game. of 2019. 

Guests

Hollywoo Actress  Maya Santandrea @Mayasantandrea 

Mike Hearn  @MikePHearn  

Dan Hoeppner @MightyMegatron0 

Jason "Chewie" Slate @TheManaPool 

Westworld

[School of Movies 2020]

This Commission was for the 1973 movie, but this allowed us to contrast the events and philosophies of Michael Crichton's seminal techno-thriller with those of the 2016 HBO show. And we take you on a brisk tour through a land that poses more questions than it answers. 

It was decided upon that the fortysomething men and women of an alternate 1983 would like nothing better than to visit the wild west, medieval Europe and ancient Rome to fight, kill and shag anyone they so chose. For that they would need to be provided with lifelike robots to defile... So much to unpack here. So much psychoanalysis needed. 

In terms of spoilers we examine the whole movie and allude to things that happen during Season 1 of the TV show, but no more than that. 

 This episode was commissioned by Eric Jones.