School Of Movies

[School of Movies 2024] Initially we were going to cover this 2015 movie as the After School Club to close out Cloon June, but the more we delved into it, the more weighty and disturbingly messy it became. From the mind of visionary animated filmmaker Brad Bird (Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol) comes a movie based on a themed area of Disneyland from 1955 which envisioned a great big beautiful Tomorrow. Now, 60-70 years later, having arrived at a mild dystopia, how can we reconcile what our grandparents thought the Future would be like, against what we've had building up around us our whole lives?   The YouTube channels featured in this episode include. (but are not limited to...) Jenny Nicholson Climate Town and Undecided with Matt Ferrell We recommend you subscribe to all three, and specifically track down those latter two videos featured to get full links to ways that you can proceed with the concepts discussed. Next week: Out of Sight closes out Cloon-June in Clooni-July.

[School of Movies 2024] Cloon June continues with the slickest and arguably best Las Vegas heist movie. This 2001 remake of the underachieving 1960 Rat Pack original is less about establishing characters with any kind of arc and more about setting up the perfect mousetrap with eleven skilled individuals we can have fun with. It's a big old magic trick, with the prestige reveal to us, the audience being the punch that makes it satisfying. We weren't going to cover the sequels on the main feed, but we got curious and delved back into 12 and 13 for the first time since the cinema in 2004 and 2007, finding most of the best drama in there. And finally, a re-edit of our 2018 After School Club on Ocean's 8, featuring Toby Jungius. Finally, we round off with a dream-team cast pitch for a rebooted Ocean's 9. Next week, we make an unscheduled stop at Tomorrowland, to see what Brad Bird thinks of the future we wound up in. After that, extending Cloon June into July, Soderburgh and Clooney, along with Jennifer Lopez and

[School of Movies 2024] Cloon June, the month dedicated to George Clooney movies continues apace with his first significant lead part after over a decade of appearances in shonky Z-List horror and then two years of his breakout role in E.R. as eminently desirable paediatrician Doctor Ross. This is a firestorm of a counterpoint to that gentle healer, fugitive thief Seth Gecko is a deeply angry man, though he is a charming picnic next to his monstrous brother. This episode is also an intersection between two director-seasons we have in preparation, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Rarely has a collaborative movie been made that is such an appealingly riotous showcase of the distinct styles of two auteurs, whilst being humbly grimy, memorably quotable, and so very excited just to exist. WARNING: This movie is nasty, and we will be discussing sexual assault, extreme violence, florid language and Quentin being a weird creep.

[School of Movies 2024] It's not often we handle romantic comedies, but this one has more going on beneath the surface. With particular emphasis placed on the back and forth script, fast-flowing, overlapping dialogue and highly quotable, this extremely 90s movie showcases one of the most appealing onscreen couples in cinema history; Batman & Catwoman. Two single parents, one an irresponsible fun-time Dad, the other juggling career and motherhood furiously, find themselves and their kids entangled during a rainy, chaotic Manhattan workday that threatens to drive them all insane.. It also kicks off "Cloon-June", four weeks of George Clooney's early forays into acting on film. Coming up we have From Dusk Till Dawn, Out of Sight and a mystery fourth movie. He's always been one of my favourite actors, he had a lot to prove at this stage in his career, and it ties in with Pride month as he was kind of the celebrity in the 90s that most guys would shruggingly admit to maybe crushing on.

[School of Movies 2024] Another unexpected Commission that came out of nowhere. Big thank you to Dean R for requisitioning this. Far less well-known in Wes Craven's body of work than the slashers, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, The Hills Have Eyes, Last House on the Left, this one is going outside his comfort zone. Starting out like a romantic comedy, an aspect highlighted in the trailer, starring the stunning and wildly talented young actors Rachel McAdams (fresh from Mean Girls and The Notebook) and Cillian Murphy (recently of 28 Days Later, and about to play Jonathan Crane in Batman Begins) this movie turns a corner at the beginning of Act 2 and becomes a taut, tense, claustrophobic, dialogue-based Hitchcokian thriller. As it happens, this is Sharon's favourite of ALL of Craven's body of work, and you will find out why in this extremely enthusiastic episode.

[School of Everything Else 2024] This was a show that was recommended to us a few times, but then wound up an unexpected commissioned episode. Compounding this, Willow has been a lover of this crazy, twisted, queer-friendly HELL for years, since the pilot surfaced on YouTube. They had already seen all eight episodes of Amazon's 2024 first season, and considering a now maturing and emotionally complex Gen Z is the target audience for this, we got Willow on as our special guest. For the majority of you that haven't delved into Hazbin Hotel (or its brother-series Helluva Boss), it is an animated musical about the ongoing conflict between Heaven and Hell, with the titular hotel being set up by the wildly optimistic Disney-Princess daughter of Lucifer; Charlie Morningstar. Charlie believes the denizens of damnation have it in them to be redeemed and ascend to Paradise, and the hotel is the site of their rehab. Unfortunately the officials of both afterlives are various degrees of incredulous about this plan. We tal

[School of Movies 2024] Statistically speaking, very few of you have seen this movie. Those who have either detest it with utmost derision or love it so much it makes them cry. Garnering a pathetic 11% on Rotten Tomatoes one would think this an unmitigated disaster, easily summed up as "Grown woman remembers imaginary friend, he returns and wrecks her life." But look at the run time on this one... two and a half hours. And you know us, if we've talked for that long about something so obscure that literally nobody has ever asked us to cover on the show then it means there's something special below the surface which 89% of professional film critics in 1991 either didn't see or meant nothing to them. So, for everyone who hasn't seen this movie, come along with us, and find out the extent of what was overlooked.

[School of Movies 2024] With the new Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Maze-Runner helmer Wes Ball emerging this week, we went back to look at a Trilogy that emerged without any overarching grand plan, changing directors after the first instalment, with both men just trying to make the absolute best film they could with the opportunity they had. And they succeeded! This is one of the best low-key trios of films based on a long-existing franchise that nobody had any real expectations of, and that were easy to overlook in the decade when superheroes ruled the big screen. You will find out here what the creators' aims were, and the challenges of crafting films like these where the stars won't be in the picture until Weta Digital paint them in, and yet so much of those characters are right there in the human performances. If you ever doubted that Andy Serkis deserved a Best Actor nomination, regardless of digital makeup, this may convince you.

[School of Movies 2024] He's responsible for some of the most adored and industry-changing films of all time, and for some of the biggest cases of fan backlash ever recorded. It's maybe a little harder to remember now, after year upon year of Disney's Star Wars being declared the worst thing that has ever been put to screen, but a few years earlier, similar guys were saying similar things about the man that many fans wish had never sold to America's Mousy Spirit of Capitalism. What we have for you here is a focused collection of monologues drawn from commentaries across all six of the movies he was directly in charge of, bringing you from Star Wars in 1977 all the way to Revenge of the Sith in 2005. The cumulative effect of listening to George say one thing and then seem to contradict himself down the line, regarding what was planned and when gives way to the portrait of a frustrated storyteller hoping to be understood. These moments are interspersed with monologues from his production teams, including Empire

[School of Movies 2024] This week, I have put together a presentation utilising footage drawn painstakingly from many, many hours worth of commentaries and archival interviews on the Star Wars movies, all focusing on one man. I worked until the thumb and index finger and on my mouse hand no longer obeyed commands, in order to do justice to the astonishing amount of our experience of those movies is informed upon by the sounds he composed with. His decades of craftsmanship are as crucial to Star Wars as the sensational scores of John Williams. That's not even mentioning Indiana Jones, Willow, WALL-E or E.T. You'll hear how the most memorable FX (as well as the ones used so subtly we don't even notice) are recorded in the real world to create that lived-in environmental ambience and audible character forever linked with that Galaxy far, far away. Here for your further movie education is one of the greatest and most ground-breaking sound designers in the history of cinema, Mr Ben Burtt.

[School of Everything Else 2024] When the Roman Empire looted the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, the amount of gold they found inside dropped the price of gold by 50% throughout the Empire. If something like that happened today, it would have caused the collapse of several First World countries overnight. But that amount of loot pales in comparison to the value of the One Piece; both the fictional mysterious pirate treasure that has everyone in this wonderful waterworld taking to the high seas, but also the third best-selling comic of all time and the phenomenally popular anime, both of which have been running since the late 90s. For those of us who need to catch up really fast without reading or watching over a thousand things, the new Netflix live action series is the best place to start. Just eight utterly compulsive episodes long, so far, this will give you a grounding in the major characters the same way it did for us in this commissioned episode. And we brought in both the sponsors and two more Straw H

[School of Everything Else 2024] Our years-long journey through the DC Animated Universe comes to a close, and it is both melancholy as we say goodbye to Kevin Conroy and at the same time wildly enthusiastic for some of the very best episodes across all that we have watched. It is strange to think that we started this in 2020 when the DC movies at the cinema were on a high note: After years of the only success story being Batman, they had a billion-dollar hit with Aquaman, a cheerful adventure with the original Shazam!, we were moving past the embarrassments of Justice League and Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman was still a shining beacon and even though barely anyone saw it Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey kicked absolute ass... and now as we finish it, Aquaman 2 was a damp squid that made about a third of the original's box office, Black Adam finally appeared after over a decade of development for a "...that was it?" response, Shazam 2 pootled away the goodwill of the original, Justice League came back to sati

[School of Everything Else 2024] The DC Animated Universe marathon reaches its Avengers phase, as the established animated Batman and Superman from their own Animated Series' which had already crossed over, team up with Wally West's Flash (who had guested on Superman) John Stewart's Green Lantern (as opposed to the Kyle Raynor who guested on Superman) Diana Prince who should absolutely have gotten her own Wonder Woman: The Animated Series, J'onn J'onzz the Martian Manhunter (not to be confused with the unrelated Manhunters from the later Green Lantern: the Animated Series, which takes place in the Young Justice timeline) and Shayera Hol, Hawkgirl (not to be confused with Carter Hall, the unrelated Hawkman) of Thanagaria, the bird-people planet. Comics are weird. The first two seasons, simply called Justice League are an odd fit. It doesn't have an explosive beginning that has all these new personalities playing off each other, and the event of them being revealed and meeting feeling like a special, momentous

[School of Movies 2024] This is an idea for a new kind of show that I've been developing. It just so happens to coincide with a period where my voice has been wrecked from illness and I'm trying to limit talking for long stretches so that my vocal cords can heal up. I've been pulling together an archive of Director's Commentaries from the various discs that nobody seems to want any more. These represent a window of just over a decade wherein we got to hear what was in the heads of the filmmakers. As we move into the era of the vast majority of movies being watched over streaming, with scant few extras or documentaries on their construction, it is even easier to dismiss the works as 'content'. The general public never much cared for these materials, but if you love movies like we do, the bonus features are troves of creative insight to be uncovered. However, most commentaries are a little bit dry, or might need the film there viewable for context, or the speaker falls back on saying what they're seeing onscree

[School of Everything Else 2024] The conclusion (for now) to this series of shows on the triumphant return of Star Trek. Season 2 slaloms between unsettling and dark episodes which would feel more at home in Discovery if they weren't so personal to the characters in this rich ensemble... and some of the most hilarious, touching, light-hearted yet heart-breaking downtime episodes which highlight the comedy strengths and the charisma of everyone in the crew. It's bumpy, but so worth the journey. Kaoru's recommended episodes of the original 1966 series, AND the redheaded stepchild of Star Trek, the much maligned Enterprise series which ran for 98 episodes from 2001-2005. TOS S1-24: Space Seed TOS S2-7: Wolf in the Fold ENTERPRISE S4-4 to 6: Borderland/Cold Station 12/The Augments Chris' Suggestion: The Orville - Season 2 Debbie's Suggestion: Talistheintrovert on YouTube with her presentation "PSYCH the best Sherlock Holmes adaptation in existence". Jesse's Book Pick: This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-

[School of Movies 2024] Is this the last true swashbuckler of the 20th Century? It's certainly the Zorro movie so great, and so wildly successful in all of its aims that there hasn't really been a landmark big screen appearance since then (that wasn't the leading man playing a cat). Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones in their prime, and Anthony Hopkins delivering my personal favourite performance of his.  Here, in this commissioned episode, we go through every department, exploring the multitude of exceptional craftspeople, thespians, stunt coordinators, wardrobe heads, practical FX masters, all the while accompanied by the music of the late, great master of horns, composer James Horner. All of their work blends together into an absolutely magnificent, sweeping romantic adventure of revenge and liberation, with not only the greatest fencing scenes ever filmed, but the sexiest!  This is the second of a trio of absolutely astonishing films directed by Martin Campbell. We have already covered the third, (

[School of Everything Else 2024] This is one of two commissioned podcasts on the first two seasons of the best Star Trek shows in decades. Refreshingly lacking in cynicism and tapping into the Kennedy-era energy of exploration and endeavour with a tight focus on character development, this one really is worth your time. We spend two and a half hours of spoilerific, textured discussion time really delving into these first ten episodes.  Kaoru's recommended episodes of the original 1966 series to watch for additional context... S1-11 & S1-12: The Menagerie S1-13: The Conscience of the King S1-14: Balance of Terror S1-19: Arena S2-01: Amok Time Guests: From Sequentially Yours  Kaoru Negisa  @Moonpanther22 and Debbie Morse  @bastet8300 Jesse Ferguson of Recorded Tomorrow @TheDapperDM Chris Finik @finmonster09

[School of Movies 2024] The late 2010s. It is a period of civil war. The vast Empire of Disney has released four of its five first Star Wars movies, to mixed reception. Critically and financially, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi have done very well, as has Rogue One. However, the two episodes have divided the smaller portion of the global audience that amounts to the vocal fanbase, between those who are thrilled and those who are disgusted.  In a vain effort to smooth things over, it is decided that the pitched final film in this nine-episode Saga be made with nothing upsetting or challenging within. Writer/Director Colin Trevorrow is relieved of duty and replaced by the director of The Force Awakens and the writer of Batman V Superman. These two are then given a hard crunch time to get the movie developed, filmed, finished and released by the end of 2019. It must be by then, because a dark period for the cinema has been prophesised for the 2020s. What was released was designed to mildly please everybody,

[School of Everything Else 2024] This was originally going to be an After School Club episode, but a combination of the community discourse regarding the X-Men, and an extremely well-timed trailer drop for the '97 reboot, AND a horrendous cold that has ravaged Sharon and I, along with our timetable, we're making this a Main Event. If you're a little younger than us, you may well have been the exact right age and state of mind for this early-2000s animated series, which in many ways surpasses the much-vaunted '92 show. It is gratifyingly forward-facing, accepting that the Claremont era was thoroughly X-plored by its predecessor. And while its release clearly coincides with the early Fox movies, it holds to a high school relationship drama in a world initially unaware of mutants, and in distancing itself from the big screen, manages to be better, and more focused.  That said, there are some annoyances and character-handling that ground our claws, but it's in amongst some of the most relatable incarnations of th

[School of Everything Else 2024] The infamous animated series with a theme tune you can hear just by looking at stills of it, finally gets a well-deserved podcast. We actually recorded this several years back, to coincide with the launch of the new X-Men '97 animated show on D+, and we're finally seeing images from that now. Whether it's good or bad, THIS ONE is worth watching, at least some choice episodes of. While often held up with the likes of Batman TAS, this one's strengths lie less in the flawless execution of those DCEU shows, and more in the goofy heart, wild Claremont-era stories and memorably crystallised colourful characters. In many ways, this is the evolution* of several decades of comic book storytelling, coming out to the world at large, at the opening of their most successful and popular decade. Planting a flag in the ground with a big old X on it, to mark the spot. We elected to focus only on Season 1 here, as after recording we went on to watch all of it, and that show would be five hours