School Of Movies

[School of Everything Else 2025] We return to the Forgotten Realms of Baldur's Gate III and do our best to remember what happened during our games. This time we get to talk about Shadowheart, a cleric who is deeply embroiled in an oppressive cult, in service to Dark Mommy (luckily, she just joined the club). On that note, we talk about character similarities as a strength and a weakness. We talk Karlach, a towering, flaming, somewhat terrifying Tiefling barbarian who spends most of her time on fire and is in fact sweet-natured, affable and excited to be doing quests with friends. We also discuss the limitations that rear their heads within a game where you can pretty much do anything. Then there's Wyll Ravengard, the Blade of Frontiers, who lost an eye and gained two horns, while in service of another Dark Mommy. And then there's the great big roly-poly bear, shapeshifting elf druid Halsin, who has proved... rather popular. We also talk about the most insidious villain in Act 1 of the game, as well as our smo

[School of Everything Else 2025] One of the most ambitious projects for our podcast to date, this commission required the purchase of a PlayStation 5 and presents myself, Sharon and our teenager Willow with a massive and exceptionally dense and rich 80-hour tabletop-style RPG to battle through... each on our own individual quests. To that end, this is the first of three shows covering the celebrated 2023 game by Larian Studios. The second is a session the three of us recorded the day after this one, covering more of our extensive notes and experiences, and the third is yet to be recorded at the time of release, but will entail bringing in many guests to talk about their personal adventures and the endgame. These initial two cover mostly the first act of three, as it makes sense to give us all a big chunky meal to chew over, but save dessert for last. It is relatively spoiler-free, as Sharon and I have no idea what's going to happen in the future and Willow, who has actually completed the game and raced up beh

[School of Movies 2025] Maybe THE most American of children's properties from the 1980s, G.I. Joe began life as a big doll that boys could dress up for war, but as public sentiment turned against the conflict in Vietnam, Hasbro nudged their chunky action figure towards more of an adventure brand. Then in Reagan's 80s, Joe was relaunched as A Real American Hero, the first massively successful multimedia campaign designed to sell toys through cartoons and comics. But following that period of relative peacetime, Joe fared less well in the 90s, and most definitely struggled in the 2000s. In this show we discuss the cartoon and its characters, the 1987 animated film and the 2009 attempt to launch a live action movie franchise with The Rise of Cobra. Is it really as jingoistic and flag-waving as first impressions convey? Is it gross and macho or actually kind of sweet? We have further listening on this matter with two After School Clubs on the 2013 sequel, Retaliation (the one starring the Rock) and the solo Snake

[School of Movies 2025] All the way back in 2013 when Man of Steel was coming out, I covered the four Christopher Reeve Superman movies on a single podcast with dutiful guests Taylor Nova and Paul Gibson. I recently re-listened to it in the run-up to James Gunn's Superman and I was flabbergasted at how much my attitude had changed; specifically to the first two films directed by Richard Donner and steered with confidence and the contributions of an amazing creative team. I was dismissive, persnickety and downright rude. So, here now is a much-needed revisit, twelve years wiser, and following the life and death (forced-resurrection and death again) of the Snyderverse. Now, in the 2020s the purity and heart and soul on display here are desperately needed. And after watching the exceptional Documentary "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story" (2024) which is essential viewing and gets a trailer at the end of this show, I realised that going back to his Kal-El was in order. Joining us this time are two comic nerd

[School of Everything Else 2025] It was a long time coming. The remake itself has been mooted as far back as the early 2000s, and the wait for it was half of my life. But then, when this astonishing game finally landed in 2020, a time when we all needed to escape to other worlds, I found myself paralysed with indecision within the game, unable to move for metatextual reasons. Finally returning to it in 2025 I was able to play through and savour the experience with Sharon and Willow watching along. It is magnificently chaotic and chaotically magnificent. How could a remake which goes so much further than the simple graphical and musical polish we were all hoping for still manage to knock it out of the park, despite the inherent need to drag old players out of their comfort zones and somehow impress upon new players, the meaning and significance imbued into every moment and character? On this show, following on from our 2023 episode on the 1997 original, Sharon and I do our best to elaborate on these mountainou

[School of Movies 2025] An absolutely fascinating 2018 movie where the challenge for the filmmakers was to confine themselves only to a computer screen and the various apps and websites, embodying John Cho's frantically worried David Kim as a blinking cursor, scouring the internet for any trace of his missing teenager Margot. None of this would be anywhere near as riveting if they didn't hook you early with a small, personal tale of a fragile, happy family, made familiar in digital home movies. The opening of the film rivals Pixar's UP in terms of soft-hearted appeal and devastating loss until you're fully on board and wholly behind the salvaging of the strained father-daughter relationship that remains. But the formerly exciting information superhighway is now an intimidating labyrinth that devours people's lives whole, and Margot may now be beyond David's reach. This was a commission for Greg Downing and we firmly suggest you watch Searching before listening to our show. But don't wait, don't put it on hold

[School of Movies 2025] One of the most astonishing action epics in cinema history, and almost nobody who saw it managed to do so in the cinema! At least in the West. This historical epic, popularised by Netflix plays extremely fast and loose with the facts, reimagining the lives of two of India's most celebrated revolutionaries to have intersected. RRR tells the story of Komaram Bheem, a man of the Gond Tribe who is searching for a little girl taken from his people by despicable English Colonial Governor Scott Buxton. Worried about the human tsunami inbound, Buxton's awful wife brings in Police Officer Raju to intercept and catch Bheem alive. BUT in Shakespearean fashion, the two under assumed identities unknowingly become firm friends, and as it turns out Raju is secretly trying to climb the ranks and gain access to guns for a revolution, and the best way to do that will be to stop his new brother-in-arms and bring him in for execution. It is a rip-roaring tiger-tale of unbound ferocity, mixed with a refres

[School of Movies 2025] Two of the most successful films of the 20s, both of them built on the winning formula of bewildered people from the real world being plunged into an alternate dimension which allows them to encounter pleasingly recognisable elements from the video games that general audiences like, on their way towards assisting with deposing a tyrannical warmonger. The problem for us is that Super Mario Bros. is a long-running and beloved series of platformers, kart racers and RPGs, whereas Minecraft is a creative building block survival indie hit gone corporate phenomenon, that wound up dominating the 2010s to the point of being used as a teaching aid in schools. These are VERY different kinds of games... so why are their movies the same? This show combines my 2023 first impressions After School Club on the Mario movie, and new recordings where Sharon and especially Willow (the catchment audience) talk about both of them.

[School of Everything Else 2025] Neurodivergent elf seeks party for spell-gathering, demon-slaying and appreciating life a whole lot more... Despite our longstanding NO ANIME rule (which nevertheless still allows us to occasionally do shows on the movies we love within that medium, and you folks have been good as gold insofar as overprescribing anime shows when you know it will overwhelm us with volume) this commissions season saw us so in need of emergency funds that we opened the door to not one but two beloved recent series'. However, while we instantly found Delicious in Dungeon to be captivating, funny, charming, hilarious and nerdy in the most appealing easy-sell way possible, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End was much more of a slow-burn. And while we came out the other side appreciating many of the subtleties there were some glaring creative decisions which actively ruffled our feathers. So, to ensure this would be talked about with passion and enthusiasm in a way that would help us see the best in it, we

[School of Everything Else 2025] Chances are you have neither played nor even heard of this 2024 sci-fi indie game. We hadn't, and as we proceeded through a tale of a dystopia where everyone is cloned from the same person, yet has their own distinct name, outfit and personality, we couldn't see exactly why Hollywoo actress Maya Souris commissioned it... And then we got to Act 3. The prospect of watching this as a Let's Play went out the window. I have never seen a video game justify its medium so hard and confidently, and I recommend listening to this whole show, regardless of your intention to play.

[School of Everything Else 2025] This is a commissioned show for Chris Finik, The Jonin Monkey, Banzai Tree and Sixblazer. We recruited Willow as a guest, since they were immediately smitten with this 24-episode first season. We heartily recommend you cast aside your worries and just delve into this podcast episode, regardless of having seen the show or not. While you will find out things that are going to happen, we can't spoil the show for you, only make it richer with more texture to get your teeth into. The on-paper synopsis is a bunch of misfits searching an underground labyrinth for one of their number, lost to a dragon. The experience itself is a gourmet tour of eating the monsters that attack them. The longer term quest is a better balance of the delicate and deadly ecosystem that abounds in tabletop RPGs. So, grab your cooking knife and your shield reforged into a pot, light the magic circle and let's get to the nosh.

[School of Everything Else 2025] One of the most beloved 90s RPGs, and one of the few on Super Nintendo that was released in the UK. So, while I envied Americans for getting Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV and VI, Earthbound and Breath of Fire, THIS ONE was my first actual big console RPG. And it has problems; real playability issues that make it hard to recommend for everyone in the 20s. You'll find Mana fans who say that these don't matter, but they absolutely do. A fine comparison I came upon while mulling this one over was Breath of the Wild. Absolutely gorgeous, engrossing you in a luscious world dominated by fertile nature, but Link's swords breaking after half a dozen battles are not going to make the game more fun and engaging for everyone. And yet, there IS that immersion, there is the overwhelming emotional response that Mana fans have to the music and art style, and there's the undeniably satisfying THWACK of the combat. So, come on a journey with us and the three intrepid adventuring kids, Primm,

[School of Movies 2025] After the harsh, oppressive atmosphere of I Saw the TV Glow we turn to an altogether funnier tale of trans discovery with Vera Drew's semiautobiographical, anarchic reshaping of DC's Clown Princess of Crime. From the painfully normalising cornfields of Smallville, Kansas comes a child who asks their alarmed mother "Was in born in the wrong body?". The only possible response to this is of course sessions at Arkham Asylum with Doctor Crane and a prescription of Smilex to chase that depression and anxiety away. We follow this confused young person to Gotham, where they find their calling in a thinly-veiled Saturday Night Live setup, doing stand-up comedy alongside The Penguin, Ra's al Ghul and a trans-masc chap named Mr J, riffing hard on both fallen Robin Jason Todd and Jared Leto's Joker. Our hero gives themselves the mantle of Joker the Harlequin... and comedy in Gotham will never be the same! This movie was pulled together during lockdown, and thrives on a garage-punk, scrapbook style

[School of Movies 2025] As soon as we saw this thickly atmospheric, Lynchian lucid nightmare from 2024, Sharon and I knew we had to do a very particular show on it. Since the entire context is trans-anxiety which the majority of cisgender people may find impenetrably mystifying we needed an all-trans/enby/non-cis cast of guests to walk us through the significance. On the surface it is a story about a chap named Owen who is lonely and isolated child of the mid-1990s, meeting lonely, isolated Maddy and bonding over a mutual obsession with a cheesy sci-fi TV show for teenagers called "The Pink Opaque". Beneath that surface there is a whole world of uncertainty, denial, distraction and pain. Strap in, because this one is hard, long and has no relief at the end, culminating in a cautionary tale about running from yourself. Huge thanks to everyone involved with this quite astonishing endeavour. We buttoned our lips and let these good people talk for the majority of the three hour runtime of this thing. Guests Lau

[School of Everything Else 2025] This was an unexpected burst of sheer joy, and we urge you all to seek it out for yourselves. It's a graphic novel, comprising a 7-issue comic book miniseries about wrestling. We had never read a book written by Daniel Warren Johnson before, but now we're hooked and ready to guzzle down everything else this champ achieves. Lona Steelrose was just a little girl when she witnessed her mother tragically perish in the ring. Now, because of this very tragedy that motivates her to fight, no other wrestler will touch her. This is until a literal demon necromancer offers her a chance in an intergalactic wrestling tournament. The twist; her tag team partner is Cobrasun, the masked luchador who was her mother's final opponent. This thing is gloriously pulpy and plays out like the best Mortal Kombat you never knew you needed. It was a commissioned show for Tylor, and we are so glad to discover this treasure.

[School of Movies 2025] A cult favourite hangout movie about working in a CD shop in the mid-90s. This one was directed by Allan Moyle, who previously helmed another music-centric, coming-of-age teen drama that should have been way more of a hit; Pump Up the Volume (1990). Statistically almost none of you have seen this, as it's the kind of movie you need a good friend to sit you down with after hearing that you've never seen it, and immediately declared "We're watching this!" Well, we are that friend today, and we are going to detail why this one is worthy of love. It's painfully white, extremely straight and concerns itself with the now-antiquated dichotomy of MTV marketability versus independent spirit, but considering Spotify Killed the Video Star, the themes are still relevant, and the ragtag cast of teens are quirky enough to make this a breezy, endlessly-quotable rewatch. Damn The Man, save The Empire.

[School of Everything Else 2025] A charming 16-bit style indie adventure game, set in suburban Indonesia in the 1990s. This begins cosy, deliberately evoking the familiar, and swiftly becomes strange and mysterious with a story of loss and grief and loneliness at its core; an ache longing to be relieved. The gameplay involves exploring the town and getting to know the locals, jumping inside their minds to find out what their abiding internal conflicts are and help them deal with these. There is an impressive, melodramatic sweep to this whole thing and we are gratified and edified to have played the whole story as a commission for Tylor.

[School of Everything Else 2025] A marvellously authentic and creepy modern Survival Horror in the convincing style of a PlayStation One title from the mid-90s conversely featuring inflections of more contemporary scary games. This one is available on Steam and Switch and PS4 and Xbox Series X. There is an abandoned theme park to explore and mysteries to uncover, as we structure this episode into three sections. GREEN FINE: Means you can hear about the basic setup and still go in completely fresh if you want to know none of the surprises. YELLOW CAUTION: Makes up the majority of the show as we discuss how it goes about itself and what the experience is like. RED DANGER: Is all the juicy endgame material, where we get to fully draw back the curtain. This was a commissioned show from Maya Santandrea and Selfproclaimed, and we are so glad they chose to set it before us. You will be too.

[School of Everything Else 2025] One of the most beloved, instantly-transformative, replayed, re-released, and critically acclaimed games of all time... and would you believe until preparing for this show, that I wasn't massively fussed about it? But this year I have been replaying all of the original games sequentially, and after the first era of fixed-camera tank controls transitioned into the action-spectacle of 4 I was blindsided by how many fresh aspects of the gameplay and world that I appreciated. The 2005 GameCube hit is, as it turns out deserving of the historical adulation that has been heaped upon it. Moreover, going back to the 2023 remake, it seems Capcom somehow accomplished the impossible, improving upon (almost) every aspect. Here now is a hyper-focused discussion with three other lovers of this game. The discussion ran long and meandered, and I elected to divide this show into two, with the second part; 'Blue Medallions' being released on the Patreon bonus feed where you can also find an Afte

[School of Everything Else 2025] All the way back in 2017 I put together an absolutely EPIC musical journey through the first eight years of the MCU, from Iron Man all the way up to Doctor Strange. So much time has passed since then (cue many gifs of Matt Damon drinking from the wrong Grail) and Marvel has not followed my sound advice about allowing each hero (and maybe a villain or two) to retain a theme that reprises with every subsequent appearance. However, that does not mean there haven't been some truly excellent scores composed, which got side-lined in the clickbaity rush to pronounce Marvel as being formulaic, failing or indeed signifying the baleful death of film. Here for you now is a compendium of themes and sonic explorations as Phase 3 draws to its epic conclusion and Phases 4 and 5 wend their way from the small screen to the big and back again. I look forward to a third volume of these shows sometime in the early 2030s, when the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Secret Wars and whatever happens with Sp