Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

"The Voice of Reason 2" & "A Grain of Truth"

Come for the vampires and the silver sword, stay for allusions to classic American literature and brutal refutation of Pascal's wager. Sapkowski is a master of pacing and pivots, and this story was just a joy for us to read. We discuss the story's quiet, pointed navigation of faith, hope, "monsters" and humanity - and the terrible difficulty of living your principles. There are also some fascinating technical moments where Sapkowski restricts the reader's view and understanding of a situation, feeding us piecemeal provocations and brilliantly guiding / engaging our imaginations. The execution of this story is as fruitful as its messaging, and we get into all of it!

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Lions and tigers and divisive experimental animation styles oh my! We're taking a look at Ralph Bakshi's 1978 Lord of the Rings adaptation today and neither of us has ever seen anything like it. We discuss our first impressions and take a closer look at the mechanics of Bakshi's "mixed media" approach to animation. There are so many different art styles and directions on screen at any given time that the film develops a delirious, kaleidoscopic, totally unique character. After we finish up with the movie, we work through some of your wonderful and illuminating feedback!

Theresa's Horror Article: https://books.google.ca/books/about/The_Fantastic_Horizon.html?id=HG-vjhQqE_cC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&redir_esc=y

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We're switching things up again today to look at a painting - in this case one of Vincent Van Gogh's most provocative works, Head of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette. Maggie's got all the historical and academic context ready to go and Cam's got a laundry list of intriguing, baseless ideas - this is still Second Breakfast. We discuss the painting as a commentary / reaction to the art world's constant, endless demands for naturalism, and then look for signs of VGV's process and develop a theory about when the cigarette was added and what that might mean for it's overall message. We think the immediate dark humor of the piece is masking a harsher, more nuanced statement about technique and innovation.

High Resolution image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Vincent_van_Gogh_-_Head_of_a_skeleton_with_a_burning_cigarette_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

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Discussion of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King [Extended Edition] in Glorious 4K!

This finale is so operatic and meticulous that the occasional flaws really stand out. This film's editorial work masterfully expands on the book by integrating the scattered storylines to create powerful new echoes and parallels between our characters' movements. The violence is ratcheted up to such an abstract, visceral degree that it can only be described as "crunchy" - there is a visceral horror here that not many films successfully capture. But with those achievements, there comes a stark failing: the absence of The Scouring of the Shire and piecemeal undoing of The Grey Havens. The film seems to aggressively alter Tolkien's message about "home" and growing up, while taking pains to keep the hobbits from maturing and proving themselves. It all culminates with a strange, Frankenstein-ed rendition of the Grey Havens where Frodo's departure seems not only confusing, but - somehow - absolutely unnecessary. We break it all down with great aplomb and Cam goes on a passionate rant about ginger snaps.

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Holy monarchy, Batman! We were absolutely blown away by this (as the film labels itself) "fable of a true tragedy". Join us as we dive into the Kubrickian elements of this film and the ways in which the audience is supremely unsettled by Diana's experience in the Royal Family. Kristen Stewart shines brighter than all the Crown Jewels combined, as her outstanding performance makes us question over and over what is real and what is imagined. The film features ghosts, hauntings, and characters interacting with their own preoccupations - Steven Knight was definitely wearing his Peaky Blinders hat when he wrote this script. This film challenges our modern view of the Royal Family (particularly that born from The Crown), and is a tragically, horrifically, and devastatingly beautiful portrayal of Diana Spencer.

Leena Norms's Spencer video: https://youtu.be/0i4-NR94Ujw

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Discussion of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King [Extended Edition] in Glorious 4K!

Maybe more than any of the other Peter Jackson Middle-earth movies, ROTK is a story of interpretation and addition. Some characters and chapters are cut entirely, but in their absence we get to see a brand new account of Aragorn's parlay with the army of the dead, an expansion of Elrond's influence, a very different version of the "Scouring of the Shire," and important narrative promotions for Legolas, Théoden, and Faramir. We discuss all of these tweaks and wrinkles, and the larger idea of adapting the spirit of a text even when it results in concrete changes to the story. Oh what a thoughtful adaptation this is!

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Christopher Tolkien is back with the fourth volume of his History of the Lord of the Rings, Sauron Defeated. We discuss the unused epilogue starring a middle-aged Sam updating his daughter on the futures of some beloved characters - and then he gives the most heartbreaking monologue about "Mr. Frodo" that you could possibly imagine. We also get some revelations about the magic cancer than afflicts some of JRRT's most important characters, an outline about Gandalf's possible return to the Shire before the Grey Havens chapter, the original leader of the Scouring of the Shire rebellion, and a tantalizing hint about the Black Riders' role during the Mount Doom climax.

We also read through some fantastic listener feedback. Join the conversation as we wrap up our Tolkien coverage and prepare to dive into the world of The Witcher!

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Well this one is an emotional rollercoaster - the last Tolkien chapter has arrived, and we finally get a peek behind the curtain! Tolkien gives us a glimpse of Middle-earth's heaven and much more information about the strange magical cancer that awaits everyone who spends too much time with a magical object. Then Sam takes his place as the new historian / protagonist / leader of the Grey Company, the story begins anew, and we finally know the ending of The Lord of the Rings.

Join us next week as we begin to discuss the Return of the King movie and our last installment of Christopher Tolkien's History of LOTR.

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"The Voice of Reason 1" & "The Witcher"

Boom! The first short story of the Witcher universe starts off with a bang. Morality, politics, wizards, violence - this story is teeming with provocations and hints about the world that Geralt of Rivia finds himself in. We work through a dozen of these fascinating mission statements in an effort to find out what kind of fantasy story Andrzej Sapkowski is creating here. It's absolutely electric, steeped in classic fantasy and mythology while feeling startlingly original the whole time. We are excited to dive into this series, and hope you'll join us for the ride!

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GEE WHIZ this chapter is divisive, and Cam and Maggie certainly have differing opinions on it! Join us for a big ole discussion about satisfying story structure, Tolkien's geopolitical commentary, curtain calls, "strong men," wartime leaders - and all the usual stuff about ghosts and echoes.

We also talk about some of your wonderful feedback and end the episode with a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT about the future of the show! We love you lots, and we'll see you again on Tuesday!

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