Reel Deep Dive

Reel Deep Dive

By Ryan ValentineArtsPerforming Arts
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Reel Deep Dive episodes

  • Little Women (2019)

    Arguably the most ambitious and accomplished of the many, many outside media adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 coming-of-age novel, Greta Gerwig's 2019 take on Little Women scored rave reviews and high box office returns. Its studio, knowing that period dramas with lots of actorly moments tend to do well at the Oscars, campaigned hard for it during awards season (it got lots of major award nominations, but it won only a few fancy trophies).


    Little Women is one of Sylvan's favorite things ever, so they suggested it to Ryan as a podcast subject. Little Women is a massive tome, so every film adaptation emphasizes different elements of the source material in their respective takes; there's lots of conversation about the choices that Gerwig made and how they contrasted against prior versions. Most notably, Gerwig chose a nonchronological structure for the film and inserts dialogue about the limited options most women faced in 19th century America. Ryan, Sylvan, and Cheryl touch upon that, but attention is also paid to Gerwig's more subtle directorial touches, the nuanced performances by all the major actors, and the movie's clever use of color grading as a storytelling device.

    Plus, since this is compulsory for any and all discussions of Little Women, there's a brief dialogue about Jo's proper placement in the queer spectrum. 

    57 min
  • Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

    One of the most acclaimed films of 2022, Everything Everywhere All At Once follows a struggling laundromat owner (Michelle Yeoh) as she navigates dealings with a stern IRS agent (Jamie Lee Curtis), her disapproving father (James Hong), her disappointed husband (Ke Huy Quan), and her distant child (Stephanie Hsu). Things take a turn when she gets roped into a wider struggle centered upon various alternate versions of herself from many parallel worlds. All of these realities involve figures making choices that led to radically different lifestyles, leading our protagonist to intense introspection, significant personal growth, and more than a little kung fu.


    Made with a relatively small budget and crew, Everything Everywhere All At Once charmed critics and audiences with its abundant creativity, embrace of absurdist humor, and thoughtful exploration of both familial relationships and the Asian-American experience. Ryan is joined by Cheryl for a discussion about this game-changing feature. Cheryl chose this film as a subject because the mother/daughter interactions resonated with her on a personal level, so the dialogue touches upon that element of the film numerous times. Other talking points include nihilism, absurdism, Dadaism, how Everything Everywhere All At Once compares to other multiversal films, and the (dubious) scientific plausibility of the multiverse existing in real life. 

    46 min
  • Toy Story (1995)

    While Toy Story holds the distinctions of being the first computer animated feature film and the IP that established Pixar's brand identity, its endurance in pop culture goes far beyond its groundbreaking elements. Toy Story is a deeply emotive and humanizing film that also possesses great story structure, a deep bench of likable characters, and a warmly relatable sense of humor. Toy Story becomes all the more remarkable when one looks into the behind the scenes drama; there were hundreds of ways this project almost fell of the rails, but somehow everything came together exactly when it needed to.


    Toy Story was the first movie that Rachel saw in theaters and it remains one of her personal favorites. She joins Ryan to discuss how this film comments on mortality, capitalism, existentialism, disillusionment, and the nature of purpose.

    Ryan and Rachel also have a discussion about whether The Santa Claus or the Ernest movies are any good.    

    1 hr 5 min
  • Shorts! UPA Films by John Hubley (1949-51)

    Founded shortly after unionization struggles at Disney resulted in a talent exodus, United Productions of America (UPA) specialized in wartime propaganda cartoons before subcontracting for Columbia Pictures. Their output, heavily indebted to abstracted modern art and limited animation, pushed the boundaries of what an animated short film could be. This recording focuses on four groundbreaking cartoons supervised by director John Hubley; their embrace of wry humor, experimental aesthetics, and unconventional story structure won loud accolades, won many awards, and sent ripples throughout the animation community in ways that are still being felt today.


    Ryan is joined by Cheryl and Sylvan for a discussion about this pioneering filmmaker. Thematic topics include McCarthyism, the universality of abstracted artistry, the tensions between commerce and expression in show business, and how limitation can breed creativity. 

    37 min
  • Good Will Hunting (1997)

    Film distributor Miramax spent the 80's and 90's cannily marketing its products with great success to critics, audiences, and film award committees. One of the biggest beneficiaries of Miramax gamesmanship was Good Will Hunting, a coming-of-age drama surrounding a troubled Bostonian math prodigy. Good Will Hunting only had one famous actor in its cast and its story could not be easily boiled down into an elevator pitch, but it ultimately became a big hit that won breathless accolades, collected numerous award statues, and launched the careers of Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Minnie Driver.   


    Ryan is joined by Sylvan and Sarah for an in depth dialogue about this quiet, memorable movie. Discussion topics include Good Will Hunting's approach to class tension, its relationship to child abuse as a narrative device, and how its simplified lessons about emotional vulnerability reveal how we can shape masculine-coded values such as honor, strength, and stoicism.   

    And yeah, this is one of those recordings where we inevitably have to talk about Harvey Weinstein.

    47 min
  • Casablanca (1942)

    Made at the height of World World II, Casablanca centers on a group of drunks, gamblers, criminals, refugees, cops, and Nazis contending for a valuable set of papers that can ensure one safe transit out of the reach of the Third Reich. These documents wind up in the hands of saloon owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), meaning that everyone from corrupt police Captain Renault (Claude Rains) to Rick's old flame Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) suddenly take a serious interest in his actions and motives.


    While a moderate success with critics and audiences upon release, Casablanca cleaned up at the Oscars and became a popular screening favorite at independent cinemas for decades to come. This has caused Casablanca to rise to esteem until it's routinely argued as one of the finest Hollywood films ever made. It's a personal favorite of Ryan; he's joined by Cheryl for an in-depth discussion about Casablanca's impact and longevity. Thematic topics include Casablanca's effect as a propaganda film, how its production defies auteur theory, and why nobody has had the means or ability to produce a direct sequel or remake in the nine decades since Casablanca's release.

    Ryan and Cheryl do touch upon the numerous forms of media that either homage or parody Casablanca, including that time Bugs Bunny did it. 

    50 min
  • Reservoir Dogs (1992)

    Centering on a group of jewel thieves bickering with increasing severity after a heist goes horribly wrong, Reservoir Dogs broke several molds, inspired numerous imitators, and immediately turned writer/director Quentin Tarantino into an adjective. Its brisk pace, unconventional structure, fondness for pastiche, cavalier approach to violence, and rambling dialogue became hallmarks of independent cinema for the remainder of the decade (and beyond). It would be difficult to fully assess the shadow that Reservoir Dogs left on pop culture in the years since its debut.


    Of course, Ryan and Rachel try to make an assessment anyways. Discussion topics for this recording include how Reservoir Dogs approaches masculinity, how postmodern philosophy colors the film, and Tarantino's debt to the French New Wave and New Hollywood movements. 

    1 hr 14 min
  • Troop Beverly Hills (1989)

    Troop Beverly Hills is a late 1980's comedy centering on a privileged housewife (Shelley Long) taking a position as the leader of her daughter's Wilderness Girls group. This is initially so she can demonstrate her resolve to her estranged husband (Craig T. Nelson), but she gradually bonds with her child (Jenny Lewis), forms connections with the other girls, and develops a rivalry with the Culver City troop run by the conniving Velda Plendor (Betty Thomas).


    Troop Beverly Hills received a critical drubbing and it bombed in theaters, but it built an appreciative cult audience among millennial girls due to constant broadcasts on basic cable throughout the 1990's. It is now often seen as a fun, campy time capsule of 80's fashion and unapologetic girliness.

    Ryan is joined by Sylvan, Cheryl, and Pete for an examination of this kitschy gem. Discussion topics include the film's approach to feminism, class struggle, and story structure. Ryan, ever the killjoy, points out the sobering parallels between the movie's references to the Marcos dictatorship and the recent (as of the recording) election of Bongbong Marcos.  

    41 min
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)

    Arguably the most fantastical (and sexy) of the Bard's comedies, A Midsummer Night's Dream was first adapted into a movie in 1925 and has received numerous treatments since. This podcast episode delves into a 1999 Hollywood treatment directed by Michael Hoffman and starring Kevin Kline, Anna Friel, Stanley Tucci, Christian Bale, Rupert Everett, Michelle Pfeiffer, Calista Flockhart, Dominic West, and a whole lot of bicycles. This take on the story received lukewarm reviews and tepid box office, but Ryan has a soft spot for this one and he really wanted to talk about it on record. He's joined by Sylvan and Cheryl.


    Discussion topics include the play's approach to sexuality, the story's historical blind spots to patriarchy, how the film tries to expand the depth of Bottom without altering the source material's text, and what A Midsummer Night's Dream has to say about the tragical farce of the failed artist.  

    39 min
  • City Lights (1931)

    Defying the ascent of talkies, Charlie Chaplin conceived and filmed City Lights as a romantic comedy in pantomime and released it well after the silent era was dead. Despite this, City Lights was an acclaimed success and is routinely argued as Chaplin's masterpiece. It's also Ryan's favorite Chaplin film, meaning that he was eager to drag Sylvan and Cheryl in for a discussion about its merits, impact, and legacy.


    Discussion topics for this one include the film's troubled production, Chaplin's contentious relationship with co-star Virginia Cherrill, the movie's progressive (for its time) depictions of physical disability, Chaplin's influence on Looney Tunes, Chaplin's portrayal of class struggle, and how one approaches art made by gross, shitty, and sometimes evil artists (Ryan brings up how the ending of City Lights "inspired" the finale of Woody Allen's Manhattan). 

    36 min

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