Verbal Diorama

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 test screening saved My Best Friend's Wedding, by taking away Julianne's "happily ever after" without the movie ending on a downer, and giving Kimmy some real fight and agency. These changes would turn My Best Friend's Wedding into a sleeper hit of a movie that charmed audiences and critics in 1997, and still does to this day.Is Verbal Diorama crème brûlée or jell-o, though? I would love to hear your thoughts on My Best Friend's Wedding !GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D and JasonBRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps.Luke for his Patron thoughtsTwitter peeps@DWLundberg@fabflicksInstagram folkNone this timeFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 your thoughts on Toy Story 4 !GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D and JasonBRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come!Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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, but in 2006 a deal was made for Disney to buy Pixar, ensuring the Toy Story threequel was in good hands once more. This was always going to be the end.... until it wasn't.The stop-motion remake of Toy Story 3 is available at https://youtu.be/YfduDq5gLnE I would love to hear your thoughts on Toy Story 3 !GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D and brand-new patron Jason!BRAND-NEW Merch STORE!! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy and Mike from Geek Salad for their Patron thoughts! You can find them at @geeksaladradio & @gundam_guyver on Twitter. Find Geek Salad in all good podcast apps!Ian D for his Patron thoughts!Twitter peeps@DWLundberg@Stuntgoat75@EverTrendingPod@YNFMoviePod@HarrymetMovies@Jbiss@chestymorganInstagram folk@friendlysparpodFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Verbal Diorama.The podcast all about the history and legacy of movies you know, and movies you don't.Available wherever you get your podcasts!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 undercurrent of childhood bullying and the insecurities that stem from that, workplace sexism, waste culture, greed and excess, the fast food epidemic and obesity as well as the environmental crisis we all find ourselves in. Plus, we can all relate to wanting to make that one person proud, who doesn't seem to truly understand us.Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, in their writing & directorial debut, gave us something really special to chew on here. It's yummy, and would foreshadow their greatness to come...See also episodes on The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Mitchells vs The Machines.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs !GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D.BRAND-NEW Merch STORE! T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps.Scott for his patron thoughts. You can find him @MSMRpod on Twitter and his podcast Monkey See Monkey Review on all your podcast apps.Simon for tagging the actual Phil Lord who then I had a little Twitter convo with. You can find him @simonbrew/@filmstoriespod on Twitter and his podcast Film Stories on all your podcast apps.Ian D & Brendan - thank you for your comments too! Much appreciated!Twitter peeps@HarrymetMovies@Stuntgoat75@chlovol6@WachowskiLesserInstagram folkNone this timeFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 and escape to Europe swirled in the post-war years, culminating in a multitude of imposters claiming to be her. The true story of Anastasia and the Romanov family is so tragic, it's hard to believe anyone would want to make a movie out of it, let alone an animated movie, and a musical at that. Don Bluth and Gary Goldman's 1997 animation can hardly be accused of historical accuracy, but as the rival for Disney's princess-based movies of their Renaissance, Anastasia more than holds her own, with beautiful animation, an all-star voice cast, and a wonderful score and songs.Ironically, despite the rivalry between Fox and Disney at the time, Disney now own Fox, and they also now own Anastasia. That doesn't make her a Disney Princess, but it makes her close to being one. I would love to hear your thoughts on Anastasia!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star rate & review at https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D.Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy and Mike from Geek Salad for their Patron thoughts! You can find him at @geeksaladradio on Twitter. Find Geek Salad in all good podcast apps!Emily from I Drink Your Podcast for her Patron thoughts! You can find her at @IDYPpodcast on Twitter. Find I Drink Your Podcast in all good podcast apps!Ian D & Claudia for their Patron thoughts!Twitter peeps@RussophilesU@TallKapp@VintageVideoPod@Kevhaney@ThiefCGT@chlovol6@sarahkm703Instagram folk@friendlysparpodFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 than any other.It's intimate and harrowing, and shows how during times of war, that innocence and childhood spirit are as fragile as the light from a firefly.War is too often depicted as one nation’s triumph over another's. As a person from a nation who has historically been on the winning side, it’s easy to say “We won the war”. We won the war, but what did we lose? And what did the other side lose? We’re so focussed on winning, that we don’t think about the true casualties of war; the children who are left behind.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 way more depth and meaning, to a story that already has plenty. This is a movie that deals with slavery, infanticide, plagues and the wrath of God, and yet it's still suitable for the whole family.The Prince of Egypt never sugar coats its serious undertones, either. What it does do, is tell a story that is the cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide, in a 2D hand drawn animated format that is accessible, beautiful and complemented by CG. That's the power of animation, right there. The Historical Accuracy of The Prince of Egypt - dailyhistory.orgI would love to hear your thoughts on The Prince of Egypt!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star rate & review at https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D.Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts! You can find him at @geeksaladradio on Twitter. Find Geek Salad in all good podcast apps!Ian D & Brendan for their Patron thoughts!Twitter peeps@HarrymetMovies@ThiefCGT@TheMiddleborne@RobnoadyInstagram folk@sassylassy76@friendlysparpodFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 , beautifully made gothic fairy tale: The Nightmare Before Christmas. They even share a Danny Elfman soundtrack!But, Corpse Bride deserves recognition. It's revolutionary puppet work and digital filming techniques make it stand out. It's a classic love triangle where true love never dies, and ultimately if you love someone you should set them free. While The Nightmare Before Christmas will come to this podcast eventually, Corpse Bride comes first because it deserves more love than it gets.I would love to hear your thoughts on Corpse Bride!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star rate & review at https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D.Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts! You can find him at @geeksaladradio on Twitter. Find Geek Salad in all good podcast apps!Ian D for his Patron thoughts!Twitter peeps@JamieGarwoodInstagram folk@sassylassy76Facebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 against a backdrop of tyranny, oppression and fear.The final part of their Irish Folklore Trilogy is, to put it simply, a stunning piece of animation innovation. Cartoon Saloon are a force to be reckoned with. Everything about this movie is incredible, from the animation, the story and the stellar voice cast.If you haven't seen this movie. Go. Do it now! You won't regret it. I would love to hear your thoughts on Wolfwalkers!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Give this podcast a five-star rate & review at https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D.Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Ian D & Brendan for their Patron thoughts!Twitter peeps@stoghzInstagram folk@sassylassy76@theafternoontuneFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 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 Optimus Prime would be a terrible idea. Hasbro went ahead and massacred not only Optimus, but other fan favourite characters, just to get kids to want new toys.While this decision is seen as one of the worst ideas in Transformers history, it arguably made The Transformers: The Movie into more than meets the eye, and while the move failed at the box office, its legacy in animation history would be preserved as an emotionally impactful story for millions of fans, and is now a beloved cult classic.I would love to hear your thoughts on The Transformers: The MovieGET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and brand-new patron Ian D!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on TwitterDerek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @derekjones198 / @TheMidightMyth on TwitterMark from 100 Things We Learned from Film for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @100thingspod on TwitterEmily from I Drink Your Podcast for her Patron thoughts. You can find her @IDYPpodcast on TwitterFollow, subscribe & listen to Geek Salad in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@VincentAsher@notthatbadcast@NikolisKitchen@HarrymetMovies@NeededRoads@ThiefCGT@PhiltheBear@dazzalovesmovie@BetamaxPod@30Podcast@ayumpp@Johnathanblade@ShahirDaud@JohnathanbladeInstagram folk@englishbystephenFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 with Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/Hulk and a slew of famous faces, including Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban and Jeff Goldblum.But the soft reboot Thor: Ragnarok, for all its '80s synth Mark Mothersbaugh score, vibrant colour scheme, physical comedy and crackling script, deftly masquerades a dark look at Odin's past as a malevolent king, grooming a child to follow his rule and abandoning her when she turns out to be more powerful than him. This is a movie about colonialism, the whitewashing of history and dysfunctional families, and mostly asks the question; was the true bad guy Odin all along?Leaning into Chris Hemsworth's comic timing and natural wit was a stroke of genius, and rejuvenates the character and the series, and finally seems to be showing the God of Thunder's true on-screen potential.Now, kneel before your Queen! Joining me to discuss Thor: Ragnarok is Sam Hurley, host of the podcast Movie Reviews in 20 Q's and author of Compliance. He's an amazing podcaster, nerd and all-round good guy and I'm delighted that he not only joined me for this episode, but he will be returning in 2022 for Thor: Love and Thunder! You can follow him at @MovieReviewsIn on Twitter, where you'll find top quality podcasting!I would love to hear your thoughts on Thor: Ragnarok!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris and brand-new patron Stuart!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 Alan Taylor with the hefty, and hasty, task of putting together a cohesive sequel. What Taylor gave Marvel though, wasn't the movie we ended up with. Marvel executives, led by Kevin Feige, reworked the movie and requested an additional 35 days of reshoots to "fix" The Dark World.For all its faults, there are some beacons of light though; Thor and Loki together remain the backbone of this trilogy, and then there was a special appearance at MCU Comic-Con in 2013 which really got audiences salivating.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Thor: The Dark World!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave and Chris!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Brendan, for his Patron thoughts!Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on TwitterFollow, subscribe & listen to Geek Salad in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@TheCinemaGuys@Craigsg1Instagram folk@friendlysparpodFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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?), as Chris Hemsworth proved he could do more than play Captain Kirk's father, and gave the unworthy, spoiled crown prince of Asgard eventual humour and humility, in this very traditional fish-out-of-water tale of a god, literally amongst men, transported to small town Puerto Antiguo, New Mexico where he meets physicist Jane Foster, as well as a recognisable Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.An adaptation of Thor had been in the works since 1991, with Sam Raimi keen to take on the Asgardian God. This movie was rejected by 20th Century Fox, but had it been greenlit, the superhero movie landscape would look very different today....I would love to hear your thoughts on Thor!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave and Chris!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Brendan, for his Patron thoughts!Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on TwitterDerek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @TheMidnightMyth on TwitterSam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @MovieReviewsIn on TwitterFollow, subscribe & listen to Geek Salad, The Midnight Myth and Movie Reviews in 20 Q's in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@ItsAMusicalPod@DWLundberg@NikolisKitchen@Craigsg1@films_that@bestfilmeverpod@NextToTheAisle@FilmEffectPod@Rachelherrera11@ThiefCGT@Johnathanblade@TheCinemaGuysInstagram folk@friendlysparpod@thebasementbingeFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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. Anderson. While it didn't set the critics alight, it did decent enough box office to give us a sequel....Aliens vs Predator: Requiem continued the story from the end of the first movie, with the inclusion of the Predalien. It's a shame the movie was so dark that the audience could barely see the creature. Directed by first-time directors, and experienced visual effects artists, the Brothers Strause; AvP: Requiem wanted to up the stakes, make it more personal AND more gory....This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 written by Jimmy and Lenny, but that replacement drummer Guy ups the tempo on, causing everyone to want to dance along.The Oneders, renamed The Wonders, along with Jimmy's girlfriend Faye, go on a whirlwind of musical success, but the music industry is not a forgiving master, and like many real life bands, the Wonders become one-hit wonders.It could easily be a cautionary tale, but it's just so joyous and charming, invoking an era of timelessness, recalling the bygone days of Americana, the British Invasion that started with The Beatles, as well as the politics of the music industry, with an earworm of a theme song that might even be better than the theme song of this podcast. This was a passion project for Tom Hanks, and you can tell. It oozes careful thought, and the level of behind the scenes talent working on this movie belies Hanks' inexperience behind the screen.Everything about this movie is, excuse the pun, wonderful. Liv Tyler has beautiful hair, and RIP Adam Schlesinger. I would love to hear your thoughts on That Thing You Do!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave and brand-new patron Chris!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on TwitterLaurel from The Midnight Myth for her Patron thoughts. You can find her @TheMidnightMyth on TwitterFollow, subscribe & listen to Geek Salad and The Midnight Myth in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@WeWatchedAThing@DWLundberg@A_November_Man@The_FJ_Podcast@cheapseatcastInstagram folk@girlymovienightFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 holds true, but not many people know that Ron Burgundy and Veronica Corningstone were loosely based on real news anchors: Mort Crim and Jessica Savitch. Savitch in particular was a trailblazer for women in news, starting as a diversity hire and becoming the station's first female reporter and one of the first women to anchor an evening network news broadcast.Sixty percent of the time, it’s a movie that works every time, because while the zeitgeist surrounding the movie still holds up, the movie itself (especially in the light of modern sensibilities and the #MeToo Movement) really kinda doesn't. This is despite the fact it was a radical re-think behind scripted comedy, and really one of the first of the 2000s era improvised Judd Apatow bromantic comedies. Verbal Diorama, in German though, does actually mean "whale's vagina".Joining me to discuss Anchorman is Nick Haskins, host of the podcast Nikoli's Kitchen and creator of Livestream for the Cure. He's the best of men and I'm delighted that he not only joined me for this episode, but he will be returning in future, too. You can follow his soothing honey vocals at @NikolisKitchen on Twitter, and listen out for me kicking off Season 3 of Nikoli's Kitchen very soon!I would love to hear your thoughts on Anchorman!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will and Jack.Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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-its!It's a '90s pop culture bubble of a movie, but it's also more than it's fluffy exterior might suggest. It really is all about the power of friendship, and that success is measured on your own terms. To some, success might be marriage and children, to others it might be writing for Vogue or becoming a billionaire entrepreneur. To Romy and Michele, success is being themselves, with each other.I would love to hear your thoughts on Romy and Michele's High School Reunion!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack and Dave!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on TwitterGriff from The Paul and Griff Show for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @paulngriffshow on TwitterKristin from So I'm Watching This Show / Another Buffy Podcast for her Patron thoughts. You can find her @soimwatching on Twitter or by following #anotherbuffypodcastSubscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad, The Paul and Griff Show, So I'm Watching This Show and Another Buffy Podcast in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@FilmEffectPod@anightmarepod@tannerhelps@NerdrovertInstagram folk@friendlysparpodFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 the first James Bond movie to not take reference from any of Ian Fleming's original novels or short stories, however instead is a direct homage to Fleming himself, and his work during the Second World War. This was the millennial’s Bond, and while Pierce Brosnan’s career as Bond didn’t quite land the way this movie took off, Brosnan would create the template for a more modern James Bond going forward and leave a lasting legacy in the franchise that has so far remained unmatched.Not to mention, that N64 game is cracking!For England!I would love to hear your thoughts on GoldenEye!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack and brand-new patron Dave!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy and Mike from Geek Salad for their Patron thoughts. You can find them @geeksaladradio on TwitterDerek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @TheMidnightMyth on TwitterGriff from The Paul and Griff Show for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @paulngriffshow on TwitterSubscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad, The Midnight Myth and The Paul and Griff Show in your podcast app of choice!And also to Patron Brendan for his thoughts!Twitter peeps@thatfkingguy@ShoottheFlick@Oral_mfc@SpyHards@ItsAMusicalPod@TheCinemaGuys@NikolisKitchen@alatereviewer@GorillaBrainPod@LaunchingTPilot@willf86Instagram folkNone this timeFacebook chumsErikTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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, and it's a movie he's canonically abandoned, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer really doesn't deserve the hate. It's a fun movie, and Kristy Swanson really is a good Buffy, just not the Buffy we all know. It's the beginnings of a character that would evolve from 1997-2003 under the skills and talents of Sarah Michelle Gellar, but let's not take anything away from Swanson. This version of Buffy works as an introduction to the character, to slayer and vampire lore, and to elongated hammy death scenes.With a big name cast, including Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Paul Reubens and Luke Perry, this Buffy might be a little more fluffy, but this Buffy also slays.How funky is your chicken?Happy Halloween! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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, society's pressure on women and, more recently, the #MeToo movement highlighting sexual harassment and abuse in the media, and the commodification of women's bodies by powerful men, Jennifer's Body is now seen as a feminist cult horror and has been retrospectively reappraised. (TW for discussions of rape, sexual abuse and sexual harassment, specifically related to the Harvey Weinstein case)Joining me to discuss Jennifer's Body is Helen O'Hara, editor-at-large of Empire, co-host of the Empire Film Podcast, author of Women vs Hollywood: The Fall and Rise of Women in Film and host of the podcast Women vs Hollywood. It was amazing and fascinating to chat to Helen about this movie, and I'd highly recommend her book! You can find her @HelenLOHara on Twitter. Huge thanks for coming on to Verbal Diorama, Helen!I would love to hear your thoughts on Jennifer's Body!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will and Jack.Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 Elba, but while it was a financial success, audiences struggled with this Alien prequels reliance on philosophical ideas about the creation of humanity. and distinct lack of actual aliens....Alien: Covenant, also directed by Ridley Scott, distanced itself from its prequel, by returning to its franchise roots and almost disregarding the plot and characters of the previous movie (bar Michael Fassbender's David). It was being worked on at the same time as Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5, which would reunite Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn as Ripley and Hicks. No guesses which movie out of the two got cancelled as a result.... This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 during production and rights issues that would plague the movie's release in certain countries on DVD 'til 2013, The Addams Family is like a swan - graceful and serene above the water, thrashing about below. Not that you can tell from the movie of course; even the visual effects still hold up 30 years later.It's perfectly cast too, with actors that still define the roles - Anjelica Huston, the late Raúl Juliá and Christina Ricci - The Addams Family is a delightfully macabre Halloween movie that the whole family can enjoy, and is complimented by a sequel that in many ways is better than the original, but that's for a future episode. Let's not talk about Addams Family Reunion though.....I would love to hear your thoughts on The Addams Family!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will and Jack.Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on TwitterJack from Sequelisers for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @Sequelisers on TwitterSubscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad and Sequelisers in your podcast app of choice!And also to Patron Claudia for her thoughts!Twitter peeps@30Podcast@stoghz@Garbsy@DWLundbergInstagram folkNone this timeFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 special effects, headed by first-time visual effects director Roman Coppola (son of Francis Ford Coppola), as well as an unforgettable lead performance by the one and only Gary Oldman as Count Dracula; an icon of literature, TV and cinema for almost 100 years.This movie showed us that love, lust, sexual desire and terror are not mutually exclusive, and Coppola's vision would not only give us the only Academy Award-winning adaptation of the Dracula story, but also shape the way vampires (and the legendary Count himself) are portrayed in modern cinema.I love you too much to condemn you.I would love to hear your thoughts on Bram Stoker's Dracula! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will and Jack.Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on TwitterDerek and Laurel from The Midnight Myth for their Patron thoughts. You can find them @TheMidnightMyth on TwitterSubscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad and The Midnight Myth in your podcast app of choice!And also to Patron Claudia for her thoughts!Twitter peeps@aliceoliverTV@MoviesWorkInstagram folk@contrarianprime@stuntgoatanimationFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique StudioThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 Dawn of the Dead remake. After his work on Dawn of the Dead he started writing Slither, a tribute and homage to the horror B-movies he loved.With obvious homages to Shivers, The Blob, The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (but not Night of the Creeps, despite popular opinion that it is!), Slither is a gruesome, grotesque, imaginative take on an alien creature's plans to dominate the Earth, featuring excellent practical creature effects and imagery that you won't forget for a long time.And what does the sex toy industry have to do with the production of Slither? Find out in this episode!I would love to hear your thoughts on Slither! GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan, Sam and brand-new patrons Will and Jack!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Sam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @MovieReviewsIn on TwitterSubscribe, follow and listen to Movie Reviews in 20 Q's in your podcast app of choice!And also to Patron Dan for his thoughts!Twitter peeps@WeWatchedAThingInstagram folk@thecinemaguys@stuntgoatanimationFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 successfully manages to lampoon everything about its own world and mythology, even down to the ridiculous rules of Mogwai ownership.There’s no denying that Gremlins (1984) is a classic, and yet Gremlins 2 somehow manages to elevate itself because it knows the premise of the first movie is ridiculous. It doesn’t just stop at self-referencing and satirising itself though, it takes the Hollywood system of sequels and just throws shot after shot, while also upping the ante of its own production by making more diverse; literally a new batch of Gremlins.Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a completely self-aware, insane commentary on '80s excess, commercialism and greed, as well as being hilariously and fourth-wall-breakingly funny. That alone makes it one of the best sequels ever made, and the perfect end to this Sequeltember season.I would love to hear your thoughts on Gremlins 2: The New Batch! The previous episode on Gremlins can be found at https://www.verbaldiorama.com/episode/gremlinsGET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on TwitterDerek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @TheMidnightMyth on TwitterAnd Brendan for his Patron thoughts, too!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad and The Midnight Myth in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@BrickedPit@TheCatFilmFan@DWLundberg@Oral_mfc@WithSherman@sequelsonly@DannyBrownCA@movie_drone@TooaPennyInstagram folk@sp_filmviewers@pod_appetit@thecoolnesschroniclesFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 Ellen Ripley, but some remnants of plot did end up in the final film, including how we ended up on a prison ship for David Fincher's directorial debut, which he has since disowned. Alien Resurrection also started without Ripley, as a smaller budget spin off focused on a clone of Newt, until Joss Whedon got involved with the script. Sigourney Weaver was adamant she was not going to return to the franchise for Alien Resurrection, but then she got offered a huge salary, an executive producer credit and the previously deceased Ripley got cloned... Special thanks to friends and excellent human beings over at The Rewind Movie Podcast @rewindmoviecast, for allowing use of their specially made cover art for Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection for this episode of Verbal Diorama.Art is by Devlin https://devlindoesdrawing.com. Listen to The Rewind Movie Podcast's entire Alien Quadrilogy series. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 motherhood, Ripley is selfless, and will die to protect young orphan Newt (which is even more poignant in the Director's Cut after finding out about the death of Ripley's own daughter)Unlike Alien's H.R. Giger designs, these xenomorphs are from the mind of James Cameron and the legendary Stan Winston studio, providing practical puppets that are still awe-inspiring and terrifying 35 years later.Everything about this movie is perfect, except maybe the situation surrounding Vazquez. I just don't believe that muscular Latina actresses didn't exist in 1986.... Special thanks to friends and excellent human beings over at The Rewind Movie Podcast @rewindmoviecast, for allowing use of their specially made cover art for Aliens for this episode of Verbal Diorama.Art is by Devlin https://devlindoesdrawing.com. Listen to The Rewind Movie Podcast's Aliens episode, and their entire Alien Quadrilogy series. I would love to hear your thoughts on Aliens! The previous episode on Alien can be found at https://www.verbaldiorama.com/episode/alien GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on TwitterScott from Monkey See Monkey Review for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @MSMRpod on TwitterDerek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @TheMidnightMyth on TwitterAnd Brendan for his Patron thoughts, too!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad, Monkey See Monkey Review and The Midnight Myth in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@chancewhitmore5@hugosposts@moviemania77@ThiefCGT@PhiltheBearInstagram folk@xerxeshavelock@sassylassy76@nzwaffles@vegimorphFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 The Mummy Returns was always planned to be bigger in scale and scope, and that included visually. Writer/director Stephen Sommers wanted to eclipse the original with more monsters. In many ways, The Mummy Returns achieves that desired upgrade, in others it doesn't. It has grand ambitions, even though it doesn't quite meet them.20-year-old visual effects are never going to look great against modern standards, especially when the visual effects team were struggling with time and budget constraints. Maybe it's about time we cut The Mummy Returns some slack, and appreciate what it does do well? It may not reach the high heights of its predecessor, but it's a fun sequel that deserves your appreciation. Corridor Crew's fix for the "worst VFX shot ever" is available to watch here.I would love to hear your thoughts on The Mummy Returns! The previous episode on The Mummy can be found at https://www.verbaldiorama.com/episode/the-mummy-1999GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on TwitterGriff from The Paul and Griff Show for his Patron thoughts. You can find The Paul and Griff Show @paulngriffshow on TwitterAnd Brendan for his Patron thoughts, too!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@DWLundberg@Oral_mfc@shaylayy@JLWChambers@switchenvelope@90s_all@TheMiddleborneInstagram folk@friendlysparpod@thedigressorFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 beyond to ensure Toy Story 2 didn't just match Toy Story; that it surpassed it visually and emotionally, and introduced new characters without sacrificing the arcs of existing characters. Truly, Jessie and Bullseye feel like they've always been in Andy's room. Toy Story 2 could have easily been just a direct-to-video cash grab, but making it a theatrical release was the thing that brought in the big buck-buck-bucks, and cemented it as Pixar's greatest franchise. The article on the Pixar blooper reels can be found hereI would love to hear your thoughts on Toy Story 2! The previous episode on Toy Story can be found at https://www.verbaldiorama.com/episode/toy-storyGET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on TwitterAnd Dan & Brendan for their Patron thoughts, too!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@PandaShaun@NextToTheAisle@KenziePhoenixInstagram folkNone this timeFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 Sequeltember, I take a look into its guaranteed greenlighting after the first movie's success, the comic book storyline behind the plot, and the introduction of one of the greatest comic book characters put to film; Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler - a blue-skinned demon with a kind heart and strong faith that also happens to feature in one of the greatest cold opens of any superhero movie.Honestly, it's just such a shame that this movie, as well as its predecessor, is so blighted by association to Bryan Singer. His behaviour on the set of this movie actually got a major cast member injured and yet the guy still kept getting hired.... X-Men 2 is widely seen as one of the best X-Men movies, and started the evolution of superhero cinema. Well mutation is the key to our evolution.... I would love to hear your thoughts on X-Men 2! The previous episode on X-Men can be found at https://www.verbaldiorama.com/episode/x-men GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy & Mike from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on TwitterDerek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find The Midnight Myth @TheMidnightMyth on TwitterSam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's for his Patron thoughts. You can find Movie Reviews in 20 Q's @MovieReviewsIn on TwitterSubscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad, The Midnight Myth and Movie Reviews in 20 Q's in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@FilmEffectPod@ArguingWMyself@ThiefCGT@DWLundberg@NextToTheAisle@Johnathanblade@trivia_ladInstagram folk@friendlysparpodFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 & Jennifer Connelly is still magic to me. The puppet work is some of the best put to screen, and yet it was such a financial disappointment it devastated Jim Henson, making it the last movie he directed. It really is a phenomenal achievement though. It also introduced me to one of my first on-screen crushes: the legendary David Bowie. How you turn my world, you precious thing. I move the stars for no one, except my listeners. How are you enjoying my labyrinth? And don't forget to Dance, Magic Dance!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 this story, disobedience is framed as the right thing to do. Ofelia disobeys and follows her own gut and suffers the consequences. Mercedes and Doctor Ferriero disobey Captain Vidal to help the rebel fighters. Ofelia's disobedience and choices shape the morals of this story - that evil is bad, innocence is good and that faun's are never completely trustworthy. Everything about this beautiful, dark, twisted fairy-tale is perfectly realised on screen. I truly believe this is del Toro's magnum opus, and a movie everyone needs on their to-watch list.I would love to hear your thoughts on Pan's Labyrinth!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on TwitterDerek and Laurel from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find The Midnight Myth @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter and their Pan's Labyrinth episode is hereSam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's for his Patron thoughts. You can find Movie Reviews in 20 Q's @MovieReviewsIn on TwitterAnd to Ian and Brendan for their Patron thoughts as well!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad, The Midnight Myth and Movie Reviews in 20 Q's in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@bestfilmeverpod@ThiefCGT@wafflesthemagicInstagram folkNone this timeFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 ever heroes - Ellen Ripley. A character who loses none of her strength or femininity, in a cinematic landscape where women were portrayed as only being one or the other. Sigourney Weaver cemented herself as an icon, and the Xenomorph cemented itself as willing to do whatever it takes to get off this planet and breed.From egg, to facehugger, to chestburster and then fully-grown Xenomorph, is there any cinematic creature so revered, fascinating or iconic than this perfect organism?If we've learned anything, it's to go into quarantine when you need to. It keeps everyone safe! And always listen to the smart woman with the cat.... ;-)Speaking of cats, yes Jess is in this episode. Unlike Jonesy though, she does not perform on cue..... Special thanks to friends and excellent human beings over at The Rewind Movie Podcast @rewindmoviecast, for allowing use of their specially made cover art for Alien for this episode of Verbal Diorama.Art is by Devlin https://devlindoesdrawing.com. Listen to The Rewind Movie Podcast's Alien episode, and their entire Alien Quadrilogy series. I would love to hear your thoughts on Alien!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on TwitterScott from Monkey See Monkey Review for his Patron thoughts. You can find Monkey See Monkey Review @MSMRpod on TwitterDerek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find The Midnight Myth @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter and their Alien episode is hereEmily from I Drink Your Podcast for her Patron thoughts. You can find I Drink Your Podcast @IDYPodcast on TwitterAnd to Dan and Brendan for their Patron thoughts as well!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad, Monkey See Monkey Review, The Midnight Myth and I Drink Your Podcast in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@ThiefCGT@Oral_mfc@ConnectionsCult@trivia_chic@SpyHards@ItsAMusicalPod Instagram folk@friendlysparpod@betamaxvideoclub@marcelokampos@criticandthecommonman@sp_filmviewersFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 for want of trying. Everyone on board loved this movie. So much so it was overhyped to the press, and expected to be a huge summer blockbuster. Naturally. when it wasn't, it was disappointment all round.There is, however, a lot to enjoy in Last Action Hero. That's if you can find it in the uneven tone and numerous plot holes. And can anyone explain the presence of Whiskers, the cartoon cat, in the Jack Slater film universe? Anyone?! I would love to hear your thoughts on Last Action Hero!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Mike and Andy from Geek Salad for their Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter and their Last Action Hero episode is hereSubscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@Stuntgoat75@CherryBombsPod@jamesrowlingInstagram folkNone this timeFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 as they should. Who'd have thought that sea water could mess up pneumatic hoses and neoprene foam?Steven Spielberg's sophomore directorial feature remains one of cinema's greatest and most enduring classics. It's even more remarkable when you know the full story behind the production, marketing and release which cemented Jaws as the first summer blockbuster, and changed the face of how Hollywood movies were released.Sharks would continue to be feared and vilified due to the reputation placed on them for Jaws, and not just because Bruce kept playing up. Statistically though, we're more of a threat to them, than they are to us.You'd think Spielberg would learn about the pitfalls of working with animatronic creatures, but clearly he still made Jurassic Park almost 20 years later.....I would love to hear your thoughts on Jaws!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Derek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find The Midnight Myth @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter and their Jaws episode is hereMike and Andy from Geek Salad for their Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter and their Jaws episode is hereSam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's. You can find Movie Reviews in 20 Q's @MovieReviewsIn on Twitter and their Jaws episode is available hereGriff from The Paul and Griff Show. You can find The Paul and Griff Show @paulngriffshow on Twitter.Vern from Cinema Recall. You can find Cinema Recall @cinema_recall on Twitter.And to Brendan too, for his Patron thoughts!Subscribe, follow and listen to The Midnight Myth, Geek Salad, Movie Reviews in 20 Q's, The Paul and Griff Show and Cinema Recall in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@AttheflicksPod@Y2Craig@filmrageyyc@OSWpodcast1@retro_tube@Stuntgoat75@KirstieBennett8@SwayzeofArabia@roundherepcInstagram folkNone this timeFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe FacebookLyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 get these young women and their babies to safety in the Green Place.While the men in the story have a singular mission, the women in the story work together. And honestly, it's wonderful.With fantastic cinematography, production design, stunt work and choreography, Mad Max: Fury Road sets itself apart from other action movies of the 2010s. Quite simply, this movie is the bread and butter of why Verbal Diorama is here. It's feminist, it's bold, it has beauty in its imperfections, but mostly it's just a celebration of great practical effects and George Miller's striking visuals and vision.Oh, what a day! What a lovely day!I would love to hear your thoughts on Mad Max: Fury Road!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Derek and Laurel from The Midnight Myth for their Patron thoughts. You can find The Midnight Myth @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter.Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter.Mark from 100 Things We Learned from Film. You can find 100 Things We Learned from Film @100thingspod on Twitter.Sam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's. You can find Movie Reviews in 20 Q's @MovieReviewsIn on Twitter and their Mad Max: Fury Road episode is available hereAnd to Dan and Brendan too, for their Patron thoughts!Subscribe, follow and listen to The Midnight Myth, Geek Salad, 100 Things We Learned from Film and Movie Reviews in 20 Q's in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@NikolisKitchen@stuartgarside@TheCinemaGuys@Oral_mfc@SpyHards@thecountdownpc@CalumTheFilmGuy@YNFMoviePod@chicklitpodInstagram folkNone this timeFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe FacebookLyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 painting brought spectacularly to life, but it's also a deeply emotional and hilarious movie, with a great cast, that's all about tradition vs technology, the forthcoming robot apocalypse (Alexa and Siri are plotting, I swear!), but mostly about family, love, being weird and embracing it.Never forget - you guys are my people.Behold! Cinema!My Film Stories article on The Mitchells vs. The Machines is hereI would love to hear your thoughts on The Mitchells vs. The Machines!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter.Scott from Monkey See Monkey Review for his Patron thoughts. You can find Monkey See Monkey Review @MSMRpod on Twitter.And to Dan and Brendan too, for their Patron thoughts!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad and Monkey See Monkey Review in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@ConnectionsCult@Nerdrovert@russlovesmovies@GeeksWthShields@clareellenhope@KidsWatchingInstagram folk@sassylassy76@sp_filmviewersFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe FacebookLyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 forgotten.Verbal Diorama is here to change that. The Frighteners literally changed the face of cinema. It gave us the birth of Peter Jackson as an auteur. It cemented the fledgling New Zealand film industry as a serious competitor to the US. It showed what a small Kiwi visual effects company like Weta Digital could achieve. All of which have gone on to huge success via a certain trilogy of movies that follow this one. Not to mention, it's a really spooky, fun movie!Death might be no way to make a living, but we should all give The Frighteners the respect it deserves. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Frighteners!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter.Sam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's for his Patron thoughts. You can find Movie Reviews in 20 Q's @MovieReviewsIn on Twitter.Scott from Monkey See Monkey Review for his Patron thoughts. You can find Monkey See Monkey Review @MSMRpod on Twitter.And to Dan and Brendan too, for their Patron thoughts!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad, Movie Reviews in 20 Q's and Monkey See Monkey Review in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@Oral_mfc@StephenPress3@holmesmoviespod@chancewhitmore5@ihateyourtasteInstagram folk@thepodcastnobodyaskedfor@nikoliskitchen@itgoesdowninthepm@sassylassy76Facebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe FacebookLyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 language and scenes of a sexual nature. With the MCU relatively sexless, Deadpool's sex-positive, kink-positive and queer-positive nature really feels like a breath of fresh air in a growingly stale superhero landscape.And audiences loved it. They couldn't get enough of the 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 catalyst for Wade Wilson's actual cinematic debut.Really, Ryan Reynolds deserves most of the praise. Deadpool is a character he seems born to play, and he relishes it. In fact, it's almost like Deadpool has been playing Ryan Reynolds since the early 2000s.... Deadpool's original leaked test footage can be found hereI would love to hear your thoughts on Deadpool!GET IN TOUCH.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter.Derek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find The Midnight Myth @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter.And to Dan and Brendan too, for their Patron thoughts!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad and The Midnight Myth in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@Oral_mfc@KirstieBennett8Instagram folkNone this timeFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe FacebookLyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 Tommy Wiseau. Oh, hi Mark! This episode also includes a special interview with "Mark" from The Room; actor, writer and producer Greg Sestero, on his memories working on The Room, his experience writing The Disaster Artist, and how The Room's positivity continues to spread. A huge thank you to Greg for taking the time to chat with me. This episode also features cameos from Sam (Movie Reviews in 20 Q's) and Nick (Nikoli's Kitchen) who also deserve huge thanks. To Sam for getting me to watch The Room in the first place, persuading me to do this episode, and suggesting I contact Greg Sestero for an interview. And to Nick, a huge fan of The Room, and one of the kindest, most amazing people in the world. I just like to watch you guys! Thank you both hugely for getting involved, for sending me all those The Room GIFS and for introducing this episode. Anyway, how's your sex life?The episode ends with a brief AMA featuring questions from listeners and fellow podcasters. Thank you to everyone who took part! You're tearing me apart, listeners!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 previous five years had caused them.Their only hope - a time heist. Restore those who are gone but keep what they have. Whatever it takes11 years and 22 movies comes to this. The culmination of Marvel Studios Infinity Saga. Let's all just take a moment to thank that rat stowing away in Scott Lang's van.... Thanks for being here for 100 episodes. I love you 3000.I would love to hear your thoughts on Avengers: Endgame!GET IN TOUCH....Twitter @verbaldioramaInstagram @verbaldioramaFacebook @verbaldioramaLetterboxd @verbaldioramaEmail verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] comWebsite verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Dan and brand-new patron Sam!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merchTees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter.Sam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's for his Patron thoughts. You can find Movie Reviews in 20 Q's @MovieReviewsIn on Twitter.Scott from Monkey See Monkey Review for his Patron thoughts. You can find Monkey See Monkey Review @MSMRpod on Twitter.Derek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find The Midnight Myth @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter.And to Brendan and Claudia too, for their Patron thoughts!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad, The Midnight Myth, Monkey See Monkey Review and Movie Reviews in 20 Q's in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@FilmEffectPod@JohnathanbladeInstagram folk@friendlysparpod@contrarianprime@nikoliskitchen@sp_filmviewersFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe FacebookLyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 we'd only just been introduced to. Star-Lord was gone. Spider-Man was gone. Black Panther was gone. All hope vanished with a click of his fingers.This was the rare superhero movie where the villain won. But to Thanos, he was the hero, and Avengers: Infinity War treads carefully to frame Thanos as the protagonist of his own dark, twisted superhero story.The Russo brothers deftly juggle old characters and new, as well as delving into the philosophical themes of sacrifice. There are real consequences in Infinity War, as well as that uneasy feeling of "maybe Thanos is right?"Avengers was big. This is enormous, and yet it never feels overstuffed and still carries huge emotional weight.In fact, you could say Infinity War is perfectly balanced, as all things should be.I would love to hear your thoughts on Avengers: Infinity War!GET IN TOUCH....Twitter @verbaldioramaInstagram @verbaldioramaFacebook @verbaldioramaLetterboxd @verbaldioramaEmail verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] comWebsite verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa and brand-new patron Dan!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merchTees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter.Derek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find The Midnight Myth @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter.Scott from Monkey See Monkey Review for his Patron thoughts. You can find Monkey See Monkey Review @MSMRpod on Twitter.And to Brendan too, for his Patron thoughts!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad, The Midnight Myth and Monkey See Monkey Review in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@MovieReviewsIn@CookinWithGrief@FilmEffectPodInstagram folk@friendlysparpodFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe FacebookLyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 confident than its predecessor, probably because Joss Whedon was under an incredible amount of pressure, from both Marvel Studios and fans, to deliver.It was an impossible task in many ways.Age of Ultron missteps a fair bit, especially in its treatment of Black Widow, but manages to introduce new characters who take the franchise to bigger and better things in future. Wanda and Vision are real highlights for me. And then there's Pietro, who suffers the Joss Whedon character death, but for good reason due to a shared rights deal with Fox.Give Age of Ultron another chance. I did, and I'm glad. I enjoyed it more as a horror movie than a superhero movie, and it's not often I say that!I would love to hear your thoughts on Avengers: Age of Ultron!GET IN TOUCH....Twitter @verbaldioramaInstagram @verbaldioramaFacebook @verbaldioramaLetterboxd @verbaldioramaEmail verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] comWebsite verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreonThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian and brand-new patron Lisa!Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merchTees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent patrons:Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter.Derek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find The Midnight Myth @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter.Scott from Monkey See Monkey Review for his Patron thoughts. You can find Monkey See Monkey Review @MSMRpod on Twitter.Mark from 100 Things We Learned from Film for his Patron thoughts. You can find 100 Things We Learned from Film @100thingspod on Twitter.Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad, The Midnight Myth, Monkey See Monkey Review and 100 Things We Learned from Film in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@MovieReviewsIn@SeanGeekPodcast@definingdisney@DWLundberg@ThePeterBriggs@BeaverDoes@MoviesWork@PatrickWaggett@ShoottheFlick@chancewhitmore5@need_3_mugsInstagram folkNone this timeFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe FacebookLyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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 group of remarkable people" relates to both on and off screen.While you can date character team-up duos back to the 1940s, no other movie has successfully brought together multiple characters from their own (very different) film franchises and teamed them up to fight together against a common foe.The Avengers was a huge risk, but paid off in buckets. Iron Man had been a success, but The Avengers was filming even before Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor was released; there was every chance those movies would bomb. Many other studios have tried to replicate the formula Marvel have succeeded with, but while this movie's team can claim "We have a Hulk", Marvel Studios can claim "We have Kevin Feige".I would love to hear your thoughts on The Avengers (no, not the spy one!)GET IN TOUCH....Twitter @verbaldioramaInstagram @verbaldioramaFacebook @verbaldioramaLetterboxd @verbaldioramaEmail verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] comBRAND NEW Website verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join the Patreon: patreon.com/verbaldioramaThank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Matt, Scott, Mark, Brendan and brand-new patron Ian!Buy Merch! https://teespring.com/stores/verbaldioramaTees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!EPISODE THANKS TO....Most excellent PatronsAndy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter.Scott from Monkey See Monkey Review for his Patron thoughts. You can find Monkey See Monkey Review @MSMRpod on Twitter.Derek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find The Midnight Myth @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter.And Claudia and Brendan for their Patron thoughts too!Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad, Monkey See Monkey Review and The Midnight Myth in your podcast app of choice!Twitter peeps@MovieReviewsIn@PatrickWaggett@Johnathanblade@SoWhatHappensN1@McLaindaveInstagram folk@friendlysparpodFacebook chumsNone this timeTheme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme SongMusic by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe FacebookLyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacyOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy