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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!
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SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser
Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon
Thank 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
Derek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find The Midnight Myth @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter and their Alien episode is here
Emily from I Drink Your Podcast for her Patron thoughts. You can find I Drink Your Podcast @IDYPodcast on Twitter
And 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
Instagram folk
Facebook chums
Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.
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....
SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser
Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon
Thank 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 here
Subscribe, follow and listen to Geek Salad in your podcast app of choice!
Twitter peeps
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Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.
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....
SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser
Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon
Thank 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 here
Mike and Andy from Geek Salad for their Patron thoughts. You can find Geek Salad @geeksaladradio on Twitter and their Jaws episode is here
Sam 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 here
Griff 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
Instagram folk
Facebook chums
Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.
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....
SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser
Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon
Thank 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 here
And 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
Instagram folk
Facebook chums
Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.
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 here
I would love to hear your thoughts on The Mitchells vs. The Machines!
GET IN TOUCH....
SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser
Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon
Thank 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
Instagram folk
Facebook chums
Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.
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....
SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser
Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon
Thank 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
Instagram folk
Facebook chums
Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.
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 here
I 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.com
SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser
Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon
Thank 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
Instagram folk
Facebook chums
Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.
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!
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 takes
11 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....
SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser
Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon
Thank 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/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.
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
Instagram folk
Facebook chums
Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.
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....
SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser
Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon
Thank 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/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.
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
Instagram folk
Facebook chums
Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios.
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