Storybeater

Anthony and Andrew talk monstrous ideas and inspirations by diving deep into the new Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual!

Breaking down our thoughts on the screenplay nominees for the 97th Academy Awards. Writing (Adapted Screenplay) A Complete Unknown Conclave Emilia Pérez Nickel Boys Sing Sing Writing (Original Screenplay) Anora The Brutalist A Real Pain September 5 The Substance

 Anthony and Andrew unpack the joys and challenges of classic 80s kids' movie The Goonies.

We're dancing through life with John M. Chu's movie adaptation of the musical Wicked.

To mark the release of Gladiator II, Anthony and Andrew unpack our fascination with gladiator stories and historical and mythological epics.

 For the annual Halloween episode, Anthony and Andrew discuss scary robots, from Metropolis to M3GAN.

What makes the martial artist an appealing archetype in fiction? Anthony and Andrew unpack the tropes with reference to some of their favourite examples!

Mutants, multiverses, and mowing down the fourth wall! Anthony and Andrew talk Deadpool & Wolverine.

With Twisters tearing through theatres, Anthony and Andrew look at the uses and meaning of "man versus nature" conflicts in narrative.

Anthony and Andrew explore the dungeoneering tropes of the hit animated series Delicious in Dungeon, aka Dungeon Meshi.

Anthony and Andrew explore the themes and approaches of the three iterations of the Planet of the Apes movie franchise.

 Anthony and Andrew mark ten years of the reading-and-writing podcast by reflecting on ten themes and trends in storytelling from the past decade, including streaming, shared universes, the state of the "sure thing", and the rise of cozy entertainment.

Anthony and Andrew break down the runners and riders in the 96th Academy Awards categories for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay. Movies discussed include: American Fiction The Zone of Interest Barbie Oppenheimer Poor Things   The Holdovers May December Past Lives Anatomy of a Fall Maestro

Beekeepers, bricklayers, painters, and John Wick. Anthony and Andrew dive into the world of the assassin in fiction. What's the appeal of the archetype, what does it represent, and how does it work?

Anthony and Andrew discuss the themes, story structure, and worldbuilding of animator Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli movies, including My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Porco Rosso!

 Anthony and Andrew revisit a key author from their childhoods as they dip into the dark worlds of Roald Dahl, to mark both the release of Wes Anderson's adaptations of Dahl's short stories and the upcoming Wonka movie.

It's time for the annual Storybeater monster episode. This year we're looking at aliens in fiction, where horror and sci-fi intersect, and what fears and anxieties aliens can represent.

Anthony and Andrew discuss the recent series of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and take a look back over the history of the Star Trek franchise, from The Original Series to Lower Decks!

Anthony and Andrew unpack the blockbuster sensation Barbie. It's bright, its breezy, and it's shockingly smart!

Anthony and Andrew check out the latest and last Indiana Jones movie to ask whether there's still life in the adventure genre, what the tropes of an Indiana Jones movie might be, and where there may yet be untapped potential in this fictional world.

 With the 60th anniversary of classic BBC sci-fi show Doctor Who fast approaching, Anthony and Andrew look back at their memories of the original series, the challenges of the modern day revamp, and their hopes for the future of the show.

Anthony and Andrew have a spoiler-filled discussion about Fast X, covering the trouble with Brian, the villain's queer coding, the need for a Johnny Tran resurrection, and what it might say about the franchise that the outlaws have become the in-laws. 

Anthony and Andrew discuss how playing roleplaying games has shaped them as writers and what writers can learn from playing RPGs!

Anthony and Andrew break down the latest and perhaps most successful video game-to-live action adaptation, HBO's The Last of Us, to look at how the source material shapes the story.

Anthony and Andrew assess this year's Academy Award nominees for Best Adapted and Best Original Screenplay, including: Best Adapted: All Quiet on the Western Front Glass Onion Living Top Gun: Maverick Women Talking Best Original: The Banshees of Inisherin Everything Everywhere All at Once The Fabelmans Tár Triangle of Sadness

Anthony and Andrew discuss Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig's emerging murder mystery movie series, Knives Out and Glass Onion!

Anthony and Andrew unpack the many faces of Father Christmas in fiction and the magic of the character's enduring appeal.

Anthony and Andrew check out the first season of AMC's Interview with the Vampire, based on the work of Anne Rice. How has the story been adapted for the screen and how has this version evolved from Rice's own novel and the movie adaptation?

For the annual Halloween episode, Anthony and Andrew look at the history and significance of the city-destroying giant monsters known as kaiju!

Anthony and Andrew pay tribute to Spider-Man on his 60th anniversary by examining the character's enduring appeal and the ways he's been reinvented in recent years.

Anthony and Andrew discuss the Netflix adaptation of writer Neil Gaiman's iconic comic series The Sandman. What challenges did the show face in bringing the story to the screen, and how might future Sandman stories be adapted?

Anthony and Andrew talk lettering, contracts, and the latest entry in the MCU, Thor: Love and Thunder. It's a rock concert in movie form, but how much Guns N Roses is too much Guns N Roses?

Anthony and Andrew discuss the storytelling choices and resonances of the movie phenomenon of the year, the Daniels' Everything Everywhere All At Once, starring Michelle Yeoh.

Anthony and Andrew check out the Julia Child biographical series Julia on HBO Max and talk about comfort TV, the joy of competence, and food on the screen.

Anthony and Andrew check out the new cult hit pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death and its place in the traditions of pirate storytelling!

Anthony and Andrew discuss this year's Academy Award nominees for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay. The nominees are... BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BelfastWritten and directed by Kenneth Branagh. Don't Look UpWritten by Adam McKay and David Sirota, based on a story by McKay.Directed by Adam McKay. King RichardWritten by Zach Baylin.Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. Licorice PizzaWritten and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The Worst Person in the WorldWritten by Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt.Directed by Joachim Trier. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY CODA Written and directed by Sian Heder.Based on the film La Famille Bélier by Victoria Bedos, Thomas Bidegain, Stanislas Carré de Malberg and Éric Lartigau. Drive My CarWritten by Ryusuke Hamaguchi & Takamasa Oe.Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi.Based on the short story by Haruki Murakami. DuneWritten by Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts & Denis Villeneuve.Directed by Denis Villeneuve.Based on the novel by Frank Herbert. The Lost DaughterWritten and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal.Based on the novel by Elena Ferrante. The Power of the DogWritten and directed by Jane Campion.Based on the novel by Thomas Savage. This year's Academy Awards take place  on Sunday, March 27.

Anthony and Andrew check out the new Prime Video series Reacher and talk about the trope-heavy appeal of dad lit!

To mark the return of the Matrix movies to our screens, Anthony and Andrew revisit the original movie to see how it holds up, how it shaped our culture, and what sort of story decisions the Wachowskis made.

Anthony and Andrew break down the story choices in the final Daniel Craig Bond movie, No Time To Die. Warning: This discussion contains spoilers!

This year's Halloween episode looks at witches in fiction, from children's entertainment to folklore to our own storytelling choices!

Anthony and Andrew look at the storytelling choices in the latest Marvel movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, including how it expands and diversifies the MCU and how it navigates some potential bombs!

Anthony and Andrew check out the new Netflix series Masters of the Universe: Revelation and talk about the history of He-Man and what the franchise represents.

Anthony and Andrew look back on seven years of Storybeater as they celebrate their 100th episode! They talk about what they've been writing since the podcast started, their favourite conversations from the last 99 episodes, and what they've been reading that shaped and influenced their work!

To mark the 40th anniversary of the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Anthony and Andrew look at what makes the movie such an enduring classic, some of the awkward ways it's showing its age, and how Indiana Jones breaks some familiar storytelling "rules".

To mark 20 years since the release of the original The Fast & The Furious movie, Andrew and Anthony reexamine that movie's appeal and look at how the franchise has evolved and expanded its world over the past two decades!

Anthony and Andrew offer their thoughts on this year's Academy Awards screenplay nominees, including: Minari Judas and the Black Messiah Trial of the Chicago 7 Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal Nomadland Borat Subsequent Moviefilm The Father The White Tiger One Night in Miami

The Marvel Cinematic Universe returns with its first Disney+ TV show, WandaVision. Anthony and Andrew unpack the grief, the villainy, the sitcom tropes, the twists, the fan theories, and the future for Wanda and Vision!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Anthony and Andrew revisit the greatest love story ever told, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. But is it actually a great love story, or just a tale about two stupid kids?

Anthony and Andrew look at the choices, subversions, and conventions explored in the new Netflix regency romance series Bridgerton. Plus, what we're writing and what we're reading!

Anthony and Andrew discuss the Star Wars streaming show The Mandalorian -- with spoilers for the most recent episode! Is it a good show, is it good Star Wars, and is there a tension between those two ambitions?  Plus, what we're reading and what we're writing!

Anthony and Andrew look at the fourth season of Peter Morgan's The Crown, the blockbuster Netflix series about the life of Queen Elizabeth II. What are the unique challenges of writing a biography, and especially of fictionalizing the lives of people who already feel familiar?