Podcasts about empire magazine

Blink and you might miss it, but Michael Palin returns to SNL for the third time. He is joined by James Taylor, making his second appearance as musical guest.This episode serves up a mixed bag – a couple of VERY long sketches combined with three songs from JT results in one of the fewest comedy bits of any Saturday Night Live episode. Add to that the Monty Python veteran's surprisingly sparse on-camera presence, and you've got an outing that leaves something to be desired.But fear not! Empire Magazine editor and author of Wild & Crazy Guys, Nick de Semlyen joins us from merry old England to dive deep into Palin's comedic legacy, question James Taylor's musical choices, and speak with an accent that generally makes him sound smarter than both our hosts combined. Along the way, we somehow manage to shoehorn in references to Gary Busey, Steven Seagal, and contemplate the merits behind the plot of Diff'rent Strokes.---------------------------------Subscribe today!Follow us on social media: X (Twitter): NR4PTProjectBluesky: nr4ptproject.bsky.socialInstagram: nr4ptprojectFacebook: The Not Ready for Prime Time ProjectContact Us: Website: https://www.nr4project.comEmail: nr4ptproject@gmail.com

Originally aired: March 15, 2019 on Return to the '80s This week on GenX Journeys Throwback Thursday, we're revisiting a gem from the Return to the '80s archives—my incredible conversation with film critic and author Helen O'Hara! Helen writes for Empire Magazine and The Telegraph, and she had just released her brilliant book Best Movies of the 80s when we recorded this episode. We kicked things off by celebrating her book and our shared love for some of the most iconic films of the decade. Then we dove into The Princess Bride—a film beloved by many, and one of Helen's all-time favorites (mine too!). We talked about the legendary cast, memorable moments, and the magic that's made it a cultural classic. But the conversation also took an insightful turn as we explored how the title may have initially alienated some viewers, particularly boys and men, and why Hollywood still tends to avoid feminine-leaning titles. Whether you're a lifelong fan of The Princess Bride or just love geeking out over '80s movies, this one's for you.

Khaya Fraites is a storyteller in every sense of the word. Whether she's breathing life into bestselling characters through her voice, writing and directing award-winning short films, or being spotlighted by NBC and Empire Magazine, her artistry speaks volumes—literally and visually. With projects spanning Penguin Random House, Macmillan Publishing, and Graphic Audio's Empyrean Series, Khaya's voice is becoming one of the most captivating in the industry. From sound booth to film festival, she's charting her own creative path—one word, one frame, one story at a time. We will hear about her unique background from starting off doing theater and then transitioning to becoming a VO actress, narrator, and writer. We will hear about her upcoming professional goals in the upcoming Big Apple Film Festival, what books she will be narrating next and her parting words of widsom.

In today's episode, we present a recent live streamed conversation with Aaron Beyer! We discussed the latest Jurassic World Rebirth news, the latest 4K Bluray releases and the latest Mattel toys. Sit back, relax and ENJOY this episode of The Jurassic Park Podcast!Please check out my Newsletter featured on Substack! You can sign up for the newsletter featuring the latest from Jurassic Park Podcast and other shows I'm featured on - plus other thoughts and feelings towards film, theme parks and more!FOLLOW USWebsite: https://www.jurassicparkpodcast.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JurassicParkPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jurassicparkpodcast/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jurassicparkpod.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.net/@jurassicparkpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jurassicparkpodcastApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2VAITXfSpotify:  https://spoti.fi/2Gfl41TDon't forget to give our voicemail line a call at 732-825-7763!Catch us on YouTube with Wednesday night LIVE STREAMS, Toy Hunts, Toy Unboxing and Reviews, Theme Park trips, Jurassic Discussion, Analysis and so much more.

In the pantheon of great Van Damme action flicks from the 1980s and 90s, 'Hard Target' (1993) undoubtedly stands out as one of his best. As hunky Cajun ex-Marine, Chance Boudreaux, the mullet-wearing 'Muscles from Brussels' struts his more sensitive side while also exhibiting the sort of superhero antics that would put Schwarzenegger to shame, like firing a pistol while standing on a moving motorbike and - famously - punching a snake. He has his director to thank for one of his most iconic roles: John Woo, the 'heroic bloodshed' maestro fresh from his ballistic Hong Kong masterpiece, 'Hard Boiled' (1992), and determined to make an impact in his American directorial debut. The resulting concoction is pure Woo - a slow-motion bullet ballet of epic proportions which cemented his position as one of cinema's greatest directors of action. Joining me and 'Life of Action' author Mike Fury to discuss this milestone in movie mayhem is Christina Newland, lead film critic at the i Paper and a contributing editor to Empire Magazine. As three dedicated Jean-Claude Van Damme fans, we unpick the reasons why we think his appeal is more inclusive than that of his action contemporaries - people like Sylvester Stallone, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris - and the lasting legacy that John Woo has had on action cinema. This episode was recorded live at the Nova Cinema in Woking, UK, in November 2024 as part of the British Film Institute's Art of Action season. A huge thank you to the crew at the Nova Cinema and the people of Woking who attended the show, and the Independent Cinema Office and Film Hub South East for helping to organise the event.LINKSChristina Newland on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/christinalefou.bsky.socialChristina Newland's website: https://www.christinanewland.co.uk/Christina Newland on Substack: https://substack.com/@christinanewlandSubscribe to 'Sisters Under the Mink' on Substack: https://christinanewland.substack.com/Buy 'She Found It at the Movies: Women writers on sex, desire and cinema': https://www.waterstones.com/book/she-found-it-at-the-movies/christina-newland/9781912157181'Act Like a Man: Jean-Claude Van Damme' by Christina Newland: https://mubi.com/en/notebook/posts/act-like-a-man-jean-claude-van-dammeBuy 'Hard Target' on 4K UHD from Kino Lorber: https://kinolorber.com/product/hard-target-4k-uhd 'Hard Target' review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/HardTarget1993Jean-Claude Van Damme profile on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/VanDammeKFMGJean-Claude Van Damme on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcvd/John Woo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_woo_filmmaker/'John Woo's Next Film Is ‘A Half-Musical' With Sparks', Empire Magazine: https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/john-woo-half-musical-sparks-exclusive/'Celebrate Renowned Hong Kong Action Classics, Storytellers, And Film Icons With Shout! Studios' New Home Entertainment Series Hong Kong CInema Classics': https://www.shoutstudios.com/press/celebrate-renowned-hong-kong-action-classics-storytellers-and-film-icons-with-shout-studios-new-homMike Fury on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themikefury/Mike Fury's website: https://www.mikefury.net/Visit the Nova Cinema in Woking: https://www.novacinema.com/Learn more about the BFI's Art of Action season: https://www.bfi.org.uk/art-actionA huge thank you to Independent Cinema Office (https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/) and Film Hub South East (https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/film-hub-south-east/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the seventh episode of The Avatar Podcast, host/producer Albert Chessa hypes out over — and dives deep into — the first (of TWELVE!) #ThePathToPandora articles releasing monthly across 2025, kicking off with a thorough, speculation-filled analysis of Nick's 3-page interview with James Cameron himself, before exploring the Achievements of Avatar, the possibility of Lo'ak as a bonus skin in the upcoming (heavily rumoured) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 6, an Apocalypto-inspired Avatar RPG, and much more! We end the episode as we do each week with our Mailbag and (new-and-improved!) Weekly Showcase. Enjoy (Txasunu)!Chapters00:00:00 Start ('a quiet January')00:00:14 Welcome to the show00:00:34 The Path to Pandora00:00:55 Recap of Ep. 6 ('Beginnings')00:01:32 #ReleaseTheTroupeCut00:02:03 The KOTPOTA Troupe Cut00:02:50 Mailbag Prompt ('Influences')00:03:25 The Avatar Podcast Awards00:04:15 Part 1: Empire Analysis00:05:45 Cameron discusses Fire and Ash00:06:20 Clip: My Love of Print00:07:50 Clip: 'Dark Fate' Lessons00:08:30 Clip: One Big Sequel (A2-A5)00:09:44 Clip: The Way of Fire and Ash00:10:10 Clip: Dealing with Grief00:12:14 Clip: Varang Excitement00:13:10 Clip: Ash People Aggression00:14:20 Clip: Windtraders Ahoy!00:15:00 Colonial precedents00:15:47 Historical Parallels 00:17:20 Clip: Avatar and Apocalypto00:19:55 Clip: Apocalypto Similarities00:21:25 Clip: Character Deaths Idea00:22:35 Back to the article00:23:15 Clip: Avatar: Ashes & Oceans00:24:00 Thanator Vs. Jaguar00:24:22 Back to 'Ashes & Oceans'00:27:00 Back to article (turning 70)00:27:40 Not Brave = Wasting Time00:28:00 Analysis of the new artwork00:29:00 Varang Attacks the Cove00:29:40 Varang's warbonnet connection00:30:15 Further analysis00:31:00 Clip: Toruk-palulu-ikran!00:31:20 Clip: Dinotopia influence00:31:30 Clip: Medusoid Analysis00:32:20 Clip: Positivity Tsunami00:32:30 Clip: Excitement for 'TPTP'00:33:20 Part 2: Avatar's Achievments00:33:30 Achievements in Art00:34:40 Clip: Storytelling Immersion00:35:22 Achievements in Activism00:35:56 Achievements in Storytelling00:36:40 Achievements in Techology00:37:36 Achievements in Science00:38:34 Achievements in Business00:39:25 Clip: Jim's 20th Century00:40:20 Achievements wrap-up00:40:50 Weekly Mailbag (RicoFantaClaw)00:41:50 Weekly Showcase00:42:10 Art: Akemi's Message 00:43:15 Audio: Back to TAP00:44:30 Cast: Courtney Rosemont00:46:13 Comment, Cosplay, Craft00:46:25 AuraCrystal's Message00:47:35 Crazy: Lo'ak In THPS6!00:49:10 Echo: 'Oustanding'00:49:20 Volcano Ritual Speculation00:50:55 Interview: SDCC 200901:00:00 End-of-showLinkshttps://open.spotify.com/show/7K5MUtSw66D6by2sncCGrR?si=hJ1cEFOuQXGIYlzjkE0xMwhttps://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-avatar-podcast/id1520505741https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDbvv13jn1lhBdE5pFLe8rZ5Did5YNdii&si=HVLiifQOG683j42whttps://www.instagram.com/avatarpodcasthttps://www.bsky.app/profile/AvatarPodcast.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.net/@avatarpodcasthttps://www.x.com/AvatarShowhttps://www.facebook.com/AvatarPodcastOfficialhttps://www.tiktok.com/@AvatarPodcasthttps://www.avatarpodcast.tumblr.comhttps://www.reddit.com/u/TheAvatarPodcasthttps://ko-fi.com/avatarpodcasthttps://patreon.com/avatarpodcasthttps://imgur.com/user/AvatarPodcast/https://discord.gg/xdBcWVhPOfficialhttps://avatar.comhttps://instagram.com/avatarhttps://tiktok.com/@avatarhttps://www.facebook.com/avatarCommunity Friendshttps://kelutral.org (Register: https://discord.com/invite/g3sWSU5Nk7)https://avatararcticlife.comCredits and Links(Please reach out if there's any credit you'd like to know or have added to this description)

In today's episode, we present some thoughts on the latest news surrounding Jurassic World Rebirth via Empire Magazine and we hear from the fan community about what is hyping everybody up about this film. Sit back, relax and ENJOY this episode of The Jurassic Park Podcast!Please check out my Newsletter featured on Substack! You can sign up for the newsletter featuring the latest from Jurassic Park Podcast and other shows I'm featured on - plus other thoughts and feelings towards film, theme parks and more!FOLLOW USWebsite: https://www.jurassicparkpodcast.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JurassicParkPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jurassicparkpodcast/Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jurassicparkpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jurassicparkpodcastTwitter: https://twitter.com/jurassicparkpodApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2VAITXfSpotify:  https://spoti.fi/2Gfl41TDon't forget to give our voicemail line a call at 732-825-7763!Catch us on YouTube with Wednesday night LIVE STREAMS, Toy Hunts, Toy Unboxing and Reviews, Theme Park trips, Jurassic Discussion, Analysis and so much more.

2025 will see the return of the animated series, Star Wars: Visions, with season 3 going back to its roots with all stories created by Japanese studios. With the hype around Andor season 2 growing, Empire Magazine has revealed even more images and some cast interviews. Skeleton Crew is just around the corner, so let's take some time to speculate (mostly) responsibly. Follow Oti https://twitter.com/EPEstarGuars Bad Wolf Broadcast https://twitter.com/BadWolf_fni Link Tree: https://t.co/QiW944JnUG?amp

Welcome to Multiverse News, Your source for Information about all your favorite fictional universes. New details surrounding Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps have emerged with the release of this official synopsis: Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel's First Family — Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic , Sue Storm/Invisible Woman , Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus' plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren't bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal. While this synopsis may be sparse on specificity, it does officially confirm Julia Garner's role to be that of a Silver Surfer, which was strongly suspected until now. In the wake of some big announcements and updates regarding the franchise's future on the big screen, Star Wars has removed at least one of its upcoming film projects from the calendar. Last week, Disney pulled the untitled Star Wars flick occupying a December 18, 2026 release and replaced it with the recently announced Ice Age 6. Elsewhere on the small screen, fans can look forward to more information on Andor Season 2 soon, with the series on display in the coveted cover feature of Empire Magazine's November issue, available November 21. Our pal Jimmy Gunn is back to his antics providing some seeming clarity on Peacemaker's canon status within his DCU. While speaking with IGN, the filmmaker explained that nothing is canon ‘unless you see it in Creature Commandos,' or is released after that series, which debuts on Max December 5. Gunn went on to clarify that the new canon would include prior events and characters that are referenced in Creature Commandos, which would include all of Peacemaker's first season, barring one scene. “The truth is almost all of Peacemaker is canon with the exception of Justice League… which we will kind of deal with in the next season of Peacemaker,” The Assembled behind the scenes web documentary for Agatha All Along was suspiciously released via Youtube rather than Disney Plus… While speaking at Vulture Festival, Elizabeth Olsen shared that returning to Marvel feels like a choice driven by character-focused storytelling, not an obligation, and acknowledged superhero films' role in making indie projects possible. Lady Gaga has been cast in season 2 of Wednesday on Netflix. At this time, it is not known what the extent of her role will be. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that Conan O'Brien will host the upcoming 97th Oscar's ceremony. Sophie Turner is in negotiations to star as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, Prime Video's high-profile series adaptation of the video game franchise from Emmy-winning Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Sony has hired Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk to write an updated version of the 1999 horror comedy Idle Hands that starred Seth Green and Jessica Alba. Jason Reitman is serving as a producer and a director has not yet been announced. A rebooted Friday Night Lights series is in the works at Universal TV. The reboot is believed to be a new story with new characters not attached to the original. HBO's Lanterns has added Never Have I Ever star Poorna Jagannathan to the cast. Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans' Christmas movie Red One came in at the lower end of expectations with a $32.1 million domestic outing. Apple TV+ has ordered a 10-episode series adaptation of Cape Fear with Javier Bardem starring as Max Cady, a notorious killer seeking revenge on a couple of attorneys. Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese will executive produce the series.

This week on the podcast, Milton, Ben, and Chris talk about the new documentary based on John Williams' career in music called "Music by John Williams." Plus they also comment on the latest issue of Empire Magazine that showcases Andor Season 2.   You can find the video version on my YouTube channel: Music by John Williams Review - Outer Rim Transmissions 175 While you are on the channel, please be sure to subscribe!    You can buy Outer Rim Transmission shirts here: https://teespring.com/shop/outer-rim-transmission?tsmac=marketplace&tsmic=error&pid=369&cid=6521 Chris- https://twitter.com/Starrapter Chris - https://www.facebook.com/Starrapter/ Chris - Starrapter@aol.com Milton - https://twitter.com/MiltonWebber7 Ben - https://twitter.com/RealBenMaynard Milton - Milton Webber (@MiltonWebber7) / X (twitter.com) Email us at: outerrimtransmission@gmail.com

Happy Life Day! In this episode of Tarkin's Top Shelf, your hosts celebrate the 44th anniversary of Star Wars 'Holiday Special.' They also discuss the new footage of Andor Season 2 and Skeleton Crew from Tuesday's Disney Plus and Hulu trailer for what's coming in 2025. Then Becca and Mark talk about the upcoming issue of Empire Magazine featuring Andor Season 2 and recap their podcasting journey for 2024. But first, they go over the news! Help us spread the word about the show Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here to subscribe via RSS Click here to subscribe via Stitcher Click here to subscribe via Google Play Music Feedback and Promotion Follow us on Twitter @TarkinsTopShelf Like us on Facebook: Tarkin's Top Shelf Follow us on Instagram @TarkinsTopShelf Follow us on Threads  Follow us on Bluesky  

Skeleton Crew is around the corner but the Andor marketing blitz has begun! We talk about that 10-second teaser that sent fans into a frenzy and Empire Magazine's coverage of season 2, including the return of Orson Krennic. We also make some tough choices in our segment One With the Force like, what Star Wars character would you bring back to life if it meant Grogu never existed? Plus your #AskTheResistance questions, and more! If you like having a good time talking Star Wars, you've found the right Resistance base, so please spread the word about our Star Wars podcast and join us! Subscribe free to the show on your preferred podcast platform and join our Patreon for additional videos, streams, and more at patreon.com/trbpodcasts.

On this episode of The Star Wars Underworld Podcast, Hannah, Chris and Ben are getting hyped for season two of ‘Andor' with a plethora of recent reveals. They start by analyzing the first bits of footage from the upcoming season, as well as some new photos & interviews revealed by Empire Magazine. They also touch on some Skeleton Crew updates and attempt to make sense of The Hollywood Reporter's newest insider exposé about the future of Star Wars films. Plus, how Star Wars would have been different if George Lucas hadn't sold Lucasfilm, and our second-favorite fandoms. Tune in for all that and much more! Join the Star Wars Underworld Network DiscordSubscribe on YouTube Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe and Review on Apple Podcasts Facebook: www.facebook.com/swunderworld Twitter: @TheSWU Email: swunderworld@gmail.com

On this episode of The Star Wars Underworld Podcast, Hannah, Chris and Ben are getting hyped for season two of ‘Andor' with a plethora of recent reveals. They start by analyzing the first bits of footage from the upcoming season, as well as some new photos & interviews revealed by Empire Magazine. They also touch on some Skeleton Crew updates and attempt to make sense of The Hollywood Reporter's newest insider exposé about the future of Star Wars films. Plus, how Star Wars would have been different if George Lucas hadn't sold Lucasfilm, and our second-favorite fandoms. Tune in for all that and much more! Join the Star Wars Underworld Network DiscordSubscribe on YouTubeSubscribe on SpotifySubscribe and Review on Apple PodcastsFacebook: www.facebook.com/swunderworldTwitter: @TheSWUEmail: swunderworld@gmail.com

In Episode 125, hosts Alyce and Laura are* old and amazing and celebrating everything Star Wars, which is also old and amazing! - We shall henceforth tackle all arguments and confrontations with the energy and attitude of a toddler- Star Wars movie drama continues with the most recent writer's exit (Variety via Puck News)- There's a new trailer for Skeleton Crew aka Skelly Crü, with an accompanying article on starwars.com- New images from Skeleton Crew from Empire Magazine (via Reddit)- Will Skelly Crü have ties to the 2019 novel, Star Wars: Force Collector? Alyce has a theory- December 3, 2024 is going to be a big day for Star Wars fans, as it marks the premiere of Skeleton Crew and the debut of The High Republic audio original, Tempest Breaker- Imagine Rancho Obi-Wan, but four times bigger? A new Star Wars memorabilia museum may be in the works- Star Wars is putting the “Knight” in Jedi Knight in a very literal way and it is amazing. Check out the new THR concept art and all the other publishing reveals from NYCC!- As it turns out, The Book of Boba Fett really did take inspiration from Parks & Rec- Recap on Tap is a non-spoiler review of The High Republic YA novel, Tears of the Nameless! We discuss some general plot points, characters and share our thoughts on the novel and Phase III so far. No spoilers, but if you want to avoid this discussion, skip 55:00 - 01:08:20.Helpful links referenced in this episode:- On the Oct 25 episode of The Jedi Way, Laura and Rocha talked about Rey movie writing shakeups, publishing reveals out of NYCC reveals and why Laura believes Gray Jedi is a stupid conceptTwitter: @forcetoastpod | @sLeiaAllDay | @ShutUp_LauraInstagram: @forcetoastpodEmail: forcetoastpod@gmail.comWebsite: forcetoastpod.com*This podcast contains a sh!t ton of profanity and boozin. You can find a bleeped version of this podcast absolutely nowhere. Cheers!

This week, we're breaking down all of the latest news from Empire Magazine's latest 'Skeleton Crew' article! Later on in the show, the infamous Sessions GAME returns, we talk about last week's London meetup, AND answer some great Patreon questions!For all your Sessions needs, head to starwarssessions.co.uk // Find and support us on PATREON at patreon.com/starwarssessions // Don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and share! You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and all the socials so talk the Wars with us! We post polls, questions, and thoughts on both socials, and the results/comments are featured on the episodes as well // Send your voice messages to hellothere@starwarssessions.co.uk and we'll get them on the show // Catch the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, and all good podcast platforms // Thanks again for listening – we so appreciate your continued support.MTFBWY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for some Star Wars News! The Skeleton Crew press push is about to switch into a higher gear as Empire Magazine has started to release its coverage. How will Jon Watts' passion for this show help get the word out? What are the elements from Peter Pan that will show up in Skeleton Crew? What do we want and expect out of this new press cycle? Plus Teek is back -- or a Teek! Dive into Star Wars news with Jennifer Landa and Ken Napzok on the 698th episode of ForceCenter.From the minds of Ken Napzok (comedian, host of The Napzok Files), Joseph Scrimshaw (comedian, writer, host of the Obsessed podcast), and Jennifer Landa (actress, YouTuber, crafter, contributor on StarWars.com) comes the ForceCenter Podcast Feed. Here you will find a series of shows exploring, discussing, and celebrating everything about Star Wars. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Listen on TuneIn, Amazon Music, Spotify, and more!Follow ForceCenter!Watch on YouTube!Support us on PatreonForceCenter merch!All from ForceCenter: https://linktr.ee/ForceCenter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By Walt HickeyWelcome to the Numlock Sunday edition.This week, I spoke to Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales, coauthors of the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, out in paperback this week.I really loved the book, it dives into what is the main flywheel of mainstream entertainment, for better or for worse, and dives into the fascinating history of the MCU. Whether you're a fan of Marvel movies or just someone living in a world dominated by them, the book is a really interesting look into contemporary filmmaking and the pressures and economics and just simply human scale of these massive operations.We spoke about Marvel's journey from underdog to cultural icon, how its moviemaking process has changed over time, and what it was like covering a narrative that was developing in real time.Robinson and Gonzales can both be found on the podcast Trial by Content, and the book can be found wherever books are sold.This interview has been condensed and edited. Dave and Joanna, thank you so much for coming on.GONZALES: Absolutely.ROBINSON: Thanks for having us.I really, really love this book. So happy to see it out in paperback. I guess I'll just kick it off with an easy one: What were each of your first experiences with Marvel? How'd you get into this?ROBINSON: As in the comic books or the films?Anything.ROBINSON: Anything at all. Gosh, I think X-Men: The Animated Series was my introduction, back in my infancy. It really got into the world they created, the various characters, their character sets, the trading cards, and then everything spirals out from there. That was my introduction.GONZALES: Mine was probably with the comics. I might have had some X-Men: The Animated Series in there, but I got much more into the comics around late 1993, early '94, when I happened to buy a Spider-Man issue that was part of “The Trial of Peter Parker.” Suddenly I had questions: Why was Peter Parker on trial? How many different Spider-Man books were there? Because I bought an issue of The Spectacular Spider-Man, but the next part of “The Trial of Peter Parker” was The Amazing Spider-Man.That led me to get a cubby at my local comic book shop in Louisville, Colorado, which was Time Warp Comics at the time. That was my way in, just being a comic book fan. I also jumped in on one of the longest and mostly considered worst Spider-Man arcs, but loved it. So imagine how good “good” Spider-Man was to me as a child, because I got weaned in on “bad” Spider-Man.Amazing. One reason I really dug the book is that it's about the MCU, but it's also about Marvel, the history of this entire company, and its very different evolution over time, from the '60s to the period of the '90s. What was it like trying to cover not just a film series, but a big franchise with a lot of moving parts as part of an even bigger company with even more moving parts?ROBINSON: A good question we asked ourselves was both where to start and where to end, and where to end was a constant, ongoing question mark. I'll let Dave address that. But in terms of where to start, there were certain things we felt we had to backdate, because there were players involved in the major “How did Marvel Studios come to be?” question and you had to know who they were, why they were important, how did we get here and what were the stakes? Being able to loosely explain who's Stan Lee, who's Perlmutter, who's Avi Arad, who are all these people, helped us tell that story without losing the audience entirely by throwing a bunch of new names at them. Dave, what about ending the book?GONZALES: Oh, ending the book. That was super fun. We started right as Avengers: Endgame was in theaters. I remember seeing Endgame and knowing that Joanna and I were going to work on this, so we started off thinking, what a fantastic hill that Marvel climbed, this interconnected universe with three phases. Everything surely was planned out from the beginning and could only go up from here. The book was originally “The Rise of Marvel Studios,” because we thought surely this was just up and up and up.Then the pandemic hit — which was very good for us, having to write the book and just sit down and figure out what it was. It also gave us and a lot of sources a pause to regain our footing. As Marvel started rolling out, we tried to peg an end date. I wanted it to be Blade to Blade when we started, but Mahershala Ali's project has still not come out, so that became an impossibility. Then WandaVision premiered and suddenly there was this whole other aspect to the story we were trying to tell. So we wanted to do that and just tried to report things as they went along.We were blessed and cursed by the year that we published the hardcover, October 2023. As we were turning in the final part of the book in January and February, a whole bunch of Marvel news started breaking. Ike Perlmutter left Disney; Victoria Alonso, who was a big mover and shaker in Marvel Studios, was let go, so we had to report that out; Jonathan Majors went on trial.It was only in a panic over all those things that I really ended up appreciating what we had done just by thinking of all these topics so thoroughly for several years. Even though we were tacking new endings on, it wasn't that hard to make it feel like it was a whole arc because we were kind of working there anyway. I wouldn't say I'd've enjoyed releasing the first version of this book in one of Marvel's worst financial years and most critical years ever, but I do think it provided an interesting little tie-off or a fascinating ellipses that allowed us to be relevant and, more importantly, in the year 2024, look like we knew exactly what we were talking about in Marvel's rebounds.That's a really good point. When I met you on tour, a key thing you were getting at was that the idea that Marvel has not had a slump before is naive, and also ahistorical. A fun thing about the book is that you go through all these different eras, and sure, there's an easier story and probably a more polished, corporate story that's ever upward, toward Excelsior, all that crap.But you really do cover the pits and troughs of this. There was Iron Man 2; there was Thor: The Dark World; there was that period of time between the assorted Spider-Mans. What was that perspective like, particularly as it was coming out and as you were able to talk about the issues in 2023?ROBINSON: It was important for us, just on a basic journalistic level, to try to tell as much of the story as possible. We're fans of Marvel, of the movies, but as long as I've known Dave, both of us have been people who don't like to feel like we're not being told the whole story. We don't want the PR version of something — we want to know all the messy details as well. And it's not to knock Marvel or have any kind of “gotcha” moment. It's to say, “Okay, they had these various pitfalls, these various problematic people that they were working with, X, Y and Z. Look what they accomplished anyway.” That's the story in broad strokes. It was important for us to be able to acknowledge the stumbles along the way.When we found ourselves in a 2023 space where everyone was saying Marvel is cooked, or Marvel used to know exactly what it was doing from the beginning and now they're just making it up — no, they were always making it up. They just did it so well, you didn't notice. That gave us a better perspective to be able to say, let's just slow down. We were looking ahead to 2024, saying they're only putting out one movie and two shows next year. If those hit, then you'll start to hear that Marvel's back, baby. Then Deadpool & Wolverine makes a gajillion dollars and Agatha All Along is a pretty solid hit for them.So I think that “Marvel is over” narrative that was so prevalent a year ago is now the question, “Is Marvel back?” Looking even further forward at the next couple of big projects coming, I think Captain America: Brave New World is going to be a tough one for them. I don't know if that's going to hit the way a lot of people want it to. I think Thunderbolts is going to be hit for them, and I think The Fantastic Four: First Steps is going to be hit for them. They're still getting their bearings, but to your point, it was a bit naive to say they've been nothing but successful and now they've run off a cliff. Dave, what do you think?GONZALES: It was just a less interesting narrative, ultimately. I actually found myself getting less adversarial the more we learned, especially being a fan when all this started around 2008. There was this idea that Joanna was talking about, which is even a fan perspective today, that if something doesn't work out it's because we've been denied something at some creative step. Like, you know what, screw those guys; we want to do Harrison Ford as Red Hulk instead, or something like that.But it's not that at all. There are a whole bunch of different drama and production and business problems, and all these things come together to make these gigantic machines of a movie work. It was really important for us to drill down on Marvel Studios and get into those ups and downs, because a lot of times you can try to compare Marvel Studios to something through contrast, through Warner Brothers trying to do it with DC back in the early 2010s. Everybody started trying to launch an interconnected universe from the first movie, but all you could really say is that Marvel's worked and these others didn't. The details of the alchemy are in the tiny stories and little conflicts. That's why I think they were so important to track, be they how movie stars look or how we use CGI to make movie stars look. Tracking that over at Marvel Studios was just as important as how many movies Tony Stark was going to be in.Can you speak more to how much of this was on the fly? One of my big takeaways from your book was just how much things aren't necessarily set in stone during the production of a movie, and how sometimes one person's smart idea, regardless of where it comes from, can drastically alter what a lot of folks think was written in stone in 2007.ROBINSON: That idea of “best idea wins” — without ego; best idea from whomsoever — was a prevailing concept at Marvel. Kevin Feige was also this really interesting figure that has no comparison at any other studio. He's head of the studio, a creative producer, a storyteller in his own right and someone who wanted to make movies as a kid and thought he would be a director. He wound up an executive, but he has that storytelling sense. When Marvel was putting out fewer films and TV shows — or no TV shows at all and just a few films a year — the process was, “Go shoot your movie. Bring me, Kevin Feige, back the pieces and I'll tell you what you're missing.” They had this built-in reshoot window where you could go and add scenes where he felt like you hadn't really nailed this character, or cut this action out to bump up the action over here a bit more. They had this rough-drafting process with the master editor being Kevin Feige himself. There's no system like that at any other studio.That works so well for them, and in doing so, they're able to cement over the cracks and make it all feel like one smooth story that they're telling, because that refining process is built into their filmmaking process. Once the mandate comes from Disney, from Iger on his way out the door, from Chapek in his seat for a while, that they need to compete with Netflix and all these other streaming services, that they need more and more content — then the pace becomes untenable for that revision process that made them so solid in the first place.You talk about Feige not having an analog. I was really shocked reading the book because there's not even anything recent. You have to go back to Cecil B. DeMille for someone who has that producer, authorial presence. He's really a fascinating figure, and it's a key takeaway from the book that I loved. It really highlights the people who make these movies, not just the corporation. It's actual human beings who do this kind of stuff, often with long continuities. Do you want to speak about some of that?GONZALES: Definitely. Actually, while you were talking, I was wondering if part of the chip on Zack Snyder's shoulder was because someone at some point told him he was going to be a Kevin Feige and he's been chasing that ever since.A lot of the Marvel continuity that's been going on is still going on, even after our new chapter. It's been interesting to see how it's developed. It could be that the best idea wins, but then they also have that old school, in-house process where the starting team is very often the same people and has been since phase one. You put together a bullpen of concept artists, so you're constantly using concept art. Not only is that smart from a design standpoint for making a movie, but then you can have those things scanned and it goes directly into making toys. So at the beginning, there's no fight about bringing on these design creatives super early on.Where we start to see the wear and tear is, as Joanna was saying, with this output increase. All of the pressure starts being put on post-production, which is the place where you can't make more time. The solution is to hire more people, and because of that, the job of keeping things consistent falls to Victoria Alonso.She does a pretty good job considering that she's working a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week work schedule because the industry is so messed up. It was never built to do stuff like this. In a lot of ways, the way the VFX industry is structured is still from the '90s turn of the century, when you would bid on a number of shots to do and get money for that number of shots. You'd have to work those shots until they get approved by the director. There isn't an extra budget, and there isn't an overtime, which was a fine way to do it when there were three or four VFX shots in every movie. But now that we're in the 200s or some such, there's a natural strain put on that, and it's impossible to budget on the VFX side. They have to underbid because there's a limited amount of work. If Marvel decides they don't like you, as much as a third of your entire year's work can just not come to your company.As Marvel ages into it, we get a lot of people who are able to make their careers there, from Kevin Feige to Mary Livanos, who's doing great things on Agatha and seems really close to being ascendant. We have Brad Winderbaum, who's been made head of streaming now to take some of that pressure off Kevin. You have all these great continuities. You're less likely to see continuities in visual effects artists, just because of how they're going recently. When Joanna and I were interviewing people like ILM for Hulk, occasionally we'd do a person that was in three or four movies. Now, like for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, there was a team of about 12 people at Framestore who make animals look good. They just come in for that movie to make animals look incredibly good. They did it the whole time, but they're not as legacy as other parts of the Marvel development studios — which I hope will change, because there are some people who are really good at making Hulks. And if you've made Hulks for 20 years, shouldn't those be the people that are making Hulks in Brave New World? We'll have to see.ROBINSON: I love that you mentioned Cecil B. DeMille. As we were putting this whole story together and realizing that they bring all these teams in-house, Dave and our coauthor Gavin and I, we are to varying degrees students of old Hollywood history, and we had this realization that it's just the old Hollywood studio system. You're putting actors under contract for nine movies, all this other stuff, and we felt so smart. Then I was talking to someone who worked at Marvel and they were like, “Oh yeah, Kevin says that all the time.” I was like, oh, I thought we really put something together. But at least we were right! We were consciously doing this.I think that industrial element of it is really interesting. A key thing that changed the way I see the film industry was realizing that every movie is basically a corporation that briefly exists. Every movie is an entire apparatus, with a CEO operation and departments and all that. Then it folds and you move on to the next one.With Marvel, though, the circus never closes; it's just onto the next city. It was really interesting to see its place in the industry. Like Dave was saying, the limiting reactant for some of this is just the number of animators on the earth who are capable of making this kind of stuff. It's so cool to get a look inside this apparatus through the book.ROBINSON: Thank you.GONZALES: What an apparatus. It's really interesting to me, even now, as we are pending the return of the Russo brothers, who are just able to find this and also find the emotion in it.In Endgame, the Tony Stark “I am Iron Man” moment was the last insert. They had to go to dinner with Robert Downey Jr. and Joel Silver and have Silver be like, “You'd be dumb not to do it, Robert,” because Downey didn't want to go back there. He's a weird dude, but for him, it felt like in order to get to what he needed to do, he had to take off a scab that had formed and get back into the character. Whereas the Russo brothers are like, we built a workout system and we have our smoothies and every day is trying to make the machine work. Somehow, through the alchemy of those two things, the machine works, and occasionally we get these story moments that feel like they were created individually for that movie.That, I think, is the mystery that the book is trying to unravel. At the beginning, it's untapped storytelling potential. Everyone's like, if you don't have the X-Men, if you don't have Spider-Man, what do you have? There's so much in just proving that you have good stories. Now that you're the biggest game in town, that idea of, “Are you going to make me feel anything?” is so much different than what the initial promise was, that they're going to bring Thanos to the screen and you're going to understand who he is and what he wants. That was the big lift. Now there's a whole simultaneous saving of the industry, and bestowing status on different actors. There's just so much more mixed up in it now. It's amazing we got where we did.The book is also a really interesting look at the transition from being a super underdog. As you describe in the earliest chapters of the book, Marvel was bankrupt, and all the executives were folks who fell out of the toy industry or Revlon. The folks who were in charge came to it in the manner of somebody accidentally having to join a carnival, and then eventually it becomes the hegemonic juggernaut of everything, in many ways the thing that people stand against. In the book, watching the perception around it change and then internally having to adapt to that change in perception was a really cool tension.ROBINSON: My favorite indicator of that underdog status versus top-of-the-world status versus wherever we are now is the making of the first Iron Man movie. Marvel Entertainment in New York — who was, to your point, chiefly concerned with merchandising and toys — had the attitude, “Okay, go make your cute little movie. If it doesn't cost us any money, you can go do your little cinematic experiment in Hollywood and we don't really care that much. Just make sure you don't spend any of our money. Other than that, go have fun.”And they make Iron Man, and Iron Man is a massive, smash hit, and all of a sudden the people in New York are like, we're forming something called the Creative Committee. We would like a lot of intake. We want to be part of this. This is the big shiny thing, and everyone wants to weigh in on it. So it's really interesting to track this going from a weird little project they were doing out in Los Angeles to The Thing for Marvel. You can track it by who needs to have an opinion about what and when they start to care.GONZALES: One of my favorite moments — it's after the book chapter “Marvel vs. the Creative Committee” — is when Kevin Feige gets on stage himself to unveil the entirety of phase three, which includes Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War and everything. That is such a telling moment for me. He had just won his battles with these behind the scenes. He's fully in full control. Black Panther is coming. Joss Whedon is in the edits for Avengers: Age of Ultron, in the audience, but they already know he's not coming back.There was a version of a chapter in the book that was just me going through that and being like, here's why each one of these announcements is like Kevin Feige spiking a football in the face of someone that told him he couldn't do it. That's still the purest creative energy I've seen. “We could finally do it!” burst out of Marvel. I think they've been more reserved since, even with some big announcements, but I like to go back and look at that just to see the pivot point when Marvel was the underdog. It was like, we want Black Panther, we want Captain Marvel, but the studio won't let us do it. Then Kevin Feige gets up and goes, “Here are the next 10 years of your life.” It's just such a joyous moment.ROBINSON: We love that moment. We talked to people behind the scenes who were working at Marvel at the time about it, and there's a reason that whole presentation wasn't at a Comic-Con. It wasn't at D23. It was its own thing at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles, and internally, they jokingly called it Kevin-Con. It was this whole thing, and part of it was that they weren't ready to announce certain things at Comic-Con.But part of it was this moment for Feige who fought various personalities across the various companies to get control of the narrative. And I agree, Endgame is of course in all of history going to be looked at as the pinnacle of achievement at Marvel. But I actually think it might be Kevin-Con at the El Capitan Theater, when Chadwick Boseman comes out and Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans are there to anoint him as the future of the franchise. That, of course, comes with its own terrible poignancy. We were really lucky to talk to Chadwick Boseman for the book before he passed away. These were things that happened while we were writing the book. History was constantly happening as we were trying to frame this entire narrative.If there's a protagonist in the book, it feels like it's Kevin, even in the earliest days when he was advising on the Fox products. Having read the book and then seen Deadpool & Wolverine — which, as you mentioned, went on to become a phenomenal financial success — it was really cool to come away with a little more admiration for the role that Kevin had in some of the Fox properties. Seeing that manifest in the MCU was just really nice.ROBINSON: I love that he got to have his Wolverine story, given that it all starts with him in a trailer with Hugh Jackman saying it needs to be bigger, it needs to be bigger, it needs to be bigger. I love that.GONZALES: I don't even know if it's still called that, but Joanna used to call that the “Feige fix-it.” Instead of developing these things by always going forward and introducing younger Avengers, he's actually much more interested in reaching back. There were good things there. Or, I guess the generous way to think about it is rewarding the fans that were around before it was the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like, “You didn't waste your time with X-Men: The Last Stand. I know it might have felt like that occasionally, but here's this. Or Andrew Garfield. Yeah, maybe we treated him badly, but don't worry. You didn't waste your time with that because boom, here it is paying off in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”Initially there was some hesitancy about Marvel homework. Do I need to have seen these things to do these things? But ultimately, if we're just talking dollars and cents, the nostalgia play has made them a billion dollars so many times that it doesn't surprise me that Deadpool & Wolverine is a huge hit just by being a swan song for the Fox movies.ROBINSON: I was personally incredibly gratified to finally get Channing Tatum as Gambit. That was a very important moment for me.My favorite version of the Feige fix-it was putting the storyline from Thor: The Dark World into Endgame and making Thor: The Dark World, the most universally mocked and reviled MCU film, an integral part of their biggest triumph. All of a sudden that's wrapped into the larger tapestry in a way so you can't just toss it in the garbage and say, oh, don't bother watching Thor: The Dark World — now you have to watch it to understand everything you're seeing in Endgame, which is certainly not a movie you're ever going to skip.It's a magic trick that really works and almost shouldn't work as well as it does. But even how they were able to get the Infinity Stones, almost taking elements of the first couple films that were dropped or introduced somewhat randomly and then doing that. It's a trick that they keep on pulling.GONZALES: Kevin Feige will say this, but we're coming up on 80 years of comic book history, and if there's one thing that comic books do more than any other medium, it's just use the same story. How could you have another angle on this story? They have so much A/B testing on what we like about this character, or what we'll buy about a certain character, it's interesting to see Marvel adapt that along with what sort of story you like on the Hollywood side of it.But yeah, we're going to see Captain America: Brave New World and finally see that Celestial that came out of the ocean in Eternals. Every Marvel property contributes something, we're told. Except the Inhumans; that never happens.The book is MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, and it's a fascinating look at the intersection of the humanity behind these movies and the technology of these movies. And if there's one figure that reminds me of that in particular, obviously, one of the most central people in the Marvel universe is Green Steve. Let's talk a little about him before we wrap this one up.ROBINSON: He's my favorite! Green Steve, a Chippendales dancer that was painted green in order to make sure they understood how the green light on skin would be captured accurately for the Hulk. Green Steve was one of my favorite anecdotes we got, and it was out of the book for a while before we worked it back in. Dave, what do you want to say about Green Steve?GONZALES: I love Green Steve. I love that this bodybuilder from Long Island can technically say he played the Hulk in a sort of way. In theory, because it's a whole CGI character, he might have played the Hulk close to how much Mark Ruffalo played the Hulk in that first movie. I love that story.Pretty early on, we brought in Gavin Edwards, our third author, to help us do a book, since Joanna and I had never done a book before. We were starting to put together the notes and I was like, can we please have a mid-credits scene? Can we just have a chapter in the middle of the notes?ROBINSON: That was Dave.GONZALES: I held onto that for as long as possible. I remember in one of the final meetings after we turned in the draft, we pitched it up to the editor and they were like, “That's really fun,” and I thought, oh thank god. That was a really early idea, and Green Steve fits that perfectly; it's a super interesting story that doesn't really belong anywhere else, but will stick in your mind as, Marvel literally tried everything to make the best Hulk. So I'm very happy that it's the mid-credits chapter — and remains the mid-credits chapter! Even when we added another chapter in, we were like, where does this go? Not before Green Steve.ROBINSON: He's got the final word for sure.Amazing. The book's out of paperback now. Where can folks find it? Where can they find you? And what's next?ROBINSON: “All good and evil news agents.” That's what the Empire Magazine folks say. All good and evil bookstores or any online book purveyor is where you can find our book. Dave does a tremendous podcast called Fighting in the War Room, which I love to listen to, so you should listen to that. And together we do a podcast called Trial by Content that y'all should listen to.GONZALES: Joanna's on a fantastic podcast called the House of R with Mallory Rubin over on The Ringer, where she covers lots of cool pop culture things. If you want to go to a bookstore and don't know exactly which one to go to, you could head to theMCUbook.com. That will forward you to our publisher's website, which has links to your Barnes and Nobles, your Amazons, your Bookshops.org, and will help you track down the book near you. And look for us in a couple more years with something similar.Thanks for coming on.ROBINSON: Thanks, Walt.GONZALES: Thank you.Edited by Susie Stark.If you have anything you'd like to see in this Sunday special, shoot me an email. Comment below! Thanks for reading, and thanks so much for supporting Numlock.Thank you so much for becoming a paid subscriber! Send links to me on Twitter at @WaltHickey or email me with numbers, tips or feedback at walt@numlock.news.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.numlock.com/subscribe

Episode SummaryChicken Little (2005), the modern retelling of the classic folk tale, will make you wish the sky was falling so the movie would end. Erin and Rachel discuss the gender dynamics and fatphobia in this story about a father and son (and also baseball and aliens). Episode BibliographyÅström, B. (2015). The symbolic annihilation of mothers in popular culture: Single Father and the death of the mother. Feminist Media Studies, 15(4), 593-607. DOIi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2014.994100Åström, B.  (2017). The absent mother in the cultural imagination: Missing, presumed dead. Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49037-3_15Ball, R. (2005, June 28). Chicken Little to Christen Disney Digital 3D. Animation Magazine. https://www.animationmagazine.net/2005/06/chicken-little-to-christen-disney-digital-3d/Berardinelli, J. (2005). Chicken Little. ReelViews. https://preview.reelviews.net/movies/c/chicken_little.htmlBurr, T. (2005, November 4). Chicken Little Movie Review. Boston Globe. https://web.archive.org/web/20060427230618/http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=6925Carroll, L. (2005, November 2). Zach Braff Calls ‘Chicken Little' ‘Garden State' On A Farm. MTV. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302153142/http://www.mtv.com/news/1512812/zach-braff-calls-chicken-little-garden-state-on-a-farm/Chicken Little. (n.d.). Box Office Mojo. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1615562241/Chicken Little (2005 film). (n.d.). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Little_(2005_film)Desowitz, B. (2005, November 4). 'Chicken Little' & Beyond: Disney Rediscovers its Legacy Through 3D Animation. Animation World Network. https://www.awn.com/animationworld/chicken-little-beyond-disney-rediscovers-its-legacy-through-3d-animationDindal, M. (Director). (2005). Chicken Little [Film]. Walt Disney Animation Studios, Henny Penny. (2024, August 15). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henny_PennyJoe Grant. (n.d.). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_GrantMcEachern, M. (2005, November). The Sky's the Limit. Computer Graphics World. https://www.cgw.com/Publications/CGW/2005/Volume-28-Issue-11-November-2005-/The-Skys-the-Limit.aspxMousefiles. (2007, August 10). Chicken Little [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/p_GaYdae4j0Ness, M. (2016, May 12). An Inauspicious Start to Computer Animation: Disney's Chicken Little. Reactor. https://reactormag.com/an-inauspicious-start-to-computer-animation-chicken-little/Randall, L. (2005, November 2). `Chicken Little' a big deal 3D animated film is a milestone for Garry Marshall & Disney. Pilly.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304145945/http://articles.philly.com/2005-11-02/entertainment/25430998_1_traditional-hand-drawn-animated-films-first-disney-film-latest-animated-featureRichards, O. (2006, January 27). Chicken Little Review. Empire Magazine. https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/chicken-little-review/Scott, A.O. (2005, November 4). A Chick Flick With Aliens Falling From the Sky. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/04/movies/a-chick-flick-with-aliens-falling-from-the-sky.htmlTaylor, D. (2020, November 9). Chicken Little: Inside the History of Disney's First CGI Movie. Collider. https://collider.com/disney-chicken-little-history-explained/WonderLand. (2020, November 8). Chicken Little 2005 Behind The Scenes. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvkGUZTr47YYoung, R. (Host). (2023-present). Weight for it [Audio podcast]. Radiotopia. https://www.radiotopia.fm/podcasts/weight-for-it

“Yippie ki yay, mother pucker” The panel of peril successfully extinguish a housefire, with absolutely NO casualties, thereby proving themselves better than the lead of this week's film. That star is Jean Claude Van Damme, that film is Sudden Death (Peter Hyams, 1995), and our guest at this time is the Editor of Empire Magazine and author of The Last Action Heroes, Nick De Semlyen. Darren McCord (JCVD) is a disgraced (?) former firefighter getting by working at his local ice hockey stadium as a safety marshall. Treating his kids to tickets to the Stanley Cup finals proves to be quite the error, though, as Joshua Foss (Powers Boothe) and his goons invade the stadium and take the visiting Vice President of the United States (Raymond J. Barry) hostage! What does Foss want, and can our high-kicking hero stop him before the final whistle? Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyq2TbL1OG8 ********PLOT SPOILER ALERT******** Foss wants money, of course! A lot of money from a lot of banks, to be diverted into a lot more other banks at the close of each third of the game! If his demands aren't met, come full-time, the arena will be blown to smithereens. Unless our Belgian/French Canadian hero can defuse the bombs, defeat a penguin mascot in fisticuffs, rescue the kids, and save the VP. Did the panel enjoy this week's cinematic soupcon? Could they find a way to improve Foss's villainous plan? And who will be named this week's most diabolical (person/podcast((er)))? https://twitter.com/diabolicalpod https://www.instagram.com/diabolicalpod/ https://www.facebook.com/diabolicalpod Email diabolicalpod@gmail.com

Send us a textCool teen vampires? No way!  We're going back to the glorious 80s this week when a movie like this one would be celebrated by the masses. Is it as good in the rear view mirror? Well sadly, one of your hosts gets violently and copiously sick reliving this one if that's any indication.  See if you can guess which one!After some mopping up and apologizing, the gang test their movie chops by calculating how many of Empire Magazine's 50 greatest horror movies they've actually seen.  The results are as embarrassing as ever.

For some reason, Josie has decided to punish herself by telling Mel all about Aussie actor, heartthrob and icon Heath Ledger. Yes, there are tears.  **If you would like to skip the catch up chats, head straight to 23 mins! Join the ALL AUSSIE HOUR Facebook group Follow All Aussie Hour on INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK Follow JOSIE and MEL on Instagram  Produced by DM Podcasts EPISODE REFERENCES: Australian Screen – Heath Ledger Biography National Film and Sound Archive of Australia – clip of Heath Ledger in Sweat Daily Telegraph article from 2022 – interview with Julia Stiles E! Online article from 2018 Empire Online article from 2012, first published in Empire Magazine in 2009 – oral history of Dark Knight MTV article 2008 Daily Mail article from 2016 by Jennifer Smith 2017 Documentary I Am Heath Ledger 81st Academy Awards, 2009 – the Ledger family's acceptance speech video  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

IT'S OUR SEASON 8 FINALE!!!Zack and Christian hang in the Zipcave before a brief vacation for the guys. All the usual hilarity ensues, including a couple of new theater stories. Ryan discuss his sudden addiction with simulator games (Lawnmower and pressure wash were the latest) while Zack discusses the new Bill Skarsgard film Boy Kills World while Christian discusses the latest political news.The guys also discuss David Copperfield's new accusations of sexual assault, Godzilla Minus One surprisingly drops on Netflix seemingly overnight, The Crow's Bill Skarsgard to reprise his role as 'Pennywise' for the new series Welcome To Derry, new Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice covers for Empire Magazine and much more!Don't forget to follow the guys on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Contribute to the GeekZip Podcast through our official Patreon account, where as members, you'll receive exclusive content regularly! Email your questions and comments to geekzippodcast@gmail.com.Online news clips and stories by: comicbooknews.com, screenrant.com, ign.com, cosmicbook.news, fangoria.com, YouTube, Facebook, WWE, givemesport.com, wwfoldschool.com, wrestlezone.com, screencrush.com, variety.com, small-screen.co.uk, indiewire.com,  ihorror.com, comingsoon.net, cbr.com, rue-morgue.com, paramountartscenter.com, mountainhealtharena.com, chaswvccc.com, Time Warp-Ashland, KY, msn.com, eonline.com, deadline.com,

Matthew Bannister onRichard M Sherman who teamed up with his brother Robert to write some of Disney's best loved songs.Professor Wendy James CBE, the anthropologist who studied the Uduk tribes of Sudan.June Mendoza OBE, the portrait painter whose subjects included members of the Royal Family, Prime Ministers and celebrities.Morgan Spurlock, the film maker best known for his Oscar nominated documentary about the fast food industry “Supersize Me”.Interviewee: Brian Sibley Interviewee: Dr Douglas Johnson Interviewee: Anna Smith Interviewee: Kim MackrellProducer: Gareth Nelson-DaviesArchive used: Richard Sherman, Outlook, BBC Radio 4, 29 Aug 2016; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Trailer, Dir: Ken Hughes, MGM, 1968; Mary Poppins trailer, Director: Robert Stevenson, Disney, 1964; Julie Andrews, Feed The Birds, Composer Sherman; Richard Sherman, The Film Programme, BBC Radio 4, 30 May 2008; Richard Sherman, Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 26 Oct 2007; Richard Sherman, Soul Music, BBC Radio 4, 03 May 2016; It's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, Walt Disney; Richard Sherman interview, Empire Magazine, YouTube, uploaded 12 Aug 2013; Interview with Professor Wendy James, Apollo, University of Cambridge Repository, Dir: Alan Macfarlane, Edit: Sarah Harrison, dspace.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/223956, 15 May 2009; Super Size Me, 2004, Writer/Director: Morgan Spurlock, Samuel Goldwyn Film, You Tube, uploaded 17 May 2024; Super Size Me, Official Movie Trailer, Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2004; Super Size Me 2, Official Trailer, Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2019; Morgan Spurlock interview, ABC News, YouTube uploaded, 19 Sept 2019; June Mendoza, Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 08 Sept 1979; June Mendoza, Midweek, BBC Radio 4, 25 May 1988;

David, JD, and Lub discuss nerd movie news! CinemaCon brings loads on information on upcoming projects, like a GI Joe crossover with Transformers and a rated R Ninja Turtle movie!? Intro Surprising Upcoming Movies 6:05 Captain America Brave New World. Harrison Ford as Thunderbolt Ross aka Red Hulk 12:50 Deadpool & Wolverine 15:30 Nerd films filming soon: Marvel and DC 19:40 Game of Thrones: Jon Snow spinoff show is cancelled & Star Wars future (Empire Magazine) 25:20 Andor season 2 update & Tales of the Empire trailer review 30:20 Joker 2 Trailer review 

Tarkin's Top Shelf joins forces with Idiot's Array and Kanata's Castle Podcasts for a Roundtable Discussion on Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3: Episode 14: Flash Strike. But first, your hosts go over some of the latest Star Wars news: Hayden Christensen talks behind-the-scenes footage for the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series DVD, Daisy Ridley talks with Empire Magazine about returning to Star Wars, and Calgary Expo updates. Help us spread the word about the show Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here to subscribe via RSS Click here to subscribe via Stitcher Click here to subscribe via Google Play Music Feedback and Promotion Follow us on Twitter @TarkinsTopShelf Like us on Facebook: Tarkin's Top Shelf Follow us on Instagram @TarkinsTopShelf Follow us on Threads  Follow us on Bluesky  

This week on Knights of the Nerd Republic Jarod and Kason unpack the controversy around the release of Star Wars: Outlaws, recap the interviews in Empire Magazine about The Acolyte and discuss the most recent episodes of The Bad Batch! Support us on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thenerdacademypodcast Equality Texas:https://www.equalitytexas.org/tag/texas-equity-pac/ Master Alan: https://beacons.ai/leveluplight1/ Sunday's Bloody Mary: https://sundaysbloodymary.com?sca_ref=4406022.ZFvn2TY2oC Ionized Basterds: https://www.youtube.com/c/AllRemainingSystems/featured Eli's Boba Fett Pitch: https://youtu.be/_4-7HmNLkho?si=AJceDKnmTRUiekCr

Yesterday we talked about the acolyte within "The Acolyte." Today, we're doing a 7-takeaway breakdown of the rest of the highlights from the Empire magazine June 2024 cover story about the upcoming series. Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for nearly ten years: https://patreon.com/sw7x7) ~*~*~*~*~*~ Be sure to subscribe/follow the show on your favorite podcast app! If you have an extra minute, giving a rating or review on that app would be super helpful, too. :-) ~*~*~*~*~*~ Follow the Show: TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sw7x7 Instagram: https://instagram.com/sw7x7 And may the Force be with you, wherever in the world you may be.

On this very special bonus episode of the One Heat Minute Productions podcast, I find an excuse to gush about BATMAN RETURNS with the powerhouse film mind of my friend Priscilla Page.Thank you so much for the ongoing support!FROM PRISCILLA'S PATREONHey! I'm Priscilla Page, and I'm a writer who's been published by Hagerty, Birth.Movies.Death., Autoweek, Polygon, Empire Magazine, The Guardian, Inside Hook, and Bright Wall/Dark Room. I love all kinds of movies but mostly cover genre, especially actioners, thrillers, sci-fi, horror, crime, pulp, westerns, and noir. These days I write a bunch about movies with cool cars and car chases. Most of my car-related film writing can be found here, and a lot of my other essays are here. Freelancing, as it turns out, is hard as hell. The pandemic eliminated both my primary outlet (RIP Birth.Movies.Death.) and my day job (petsitting), so it's Patreon that allows me to keep writing, to share deep dives on my favorite movies and TV series as well as some of my articles that have previously only been published in magazines... and maybe even a few interviews. Frankly, I love having the luxury of being able to write about what I want regardless of how topical my subject is, to create my own deadlines, to research as much as I need, and to avoid clickbait bullshit altogether. I get to be beholden to my actual readers, rather than what an outlet thinks their readers want. Basically, Patreon and my patrons give me (much-appreciated) security, time, and freedom. It lets me keep doing what I love to do.So pledge what you want, and if you can't pledge anything, don't sweat it - every post will be available to patrons and non-patrons alike, for free, forever. My letterboxd. My ko-fi. My car blog.One Heat Minute ProductionsWEBSITE: oneheatminute.comTWITTER: @OneBlakeMinute & @OHMPodsMERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/en-au/stores/one-heat-minute-productionsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/one-heat-minute-productions/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Empire Magazine colleagues Chris Hewitt (The Empire Film Podcast) and Nick de Semlyen (The Last Action Heroes) join the draft table for the first time, collaboratively ranking the 7 best ACTION SEQUELS ever made!

No, they don't reveal who the "Acolyte" will be in "The Acolyte" series. But the new Empire magazine cover story about the Star Wars show does reveal the meaning of the title, and where Leslye Headland is drawing it from - send us off to research Legends things... Punch it! (Enjoy the show? For the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can support the independent creator who's been making it for nearly ten years: https://patreon.com/sw7x7) ~*~*~*~*~*~ Be sure to subscribe/follow the show on your favorite podcast app! If you have an extra minute, giving a rating or review on that app would be super helpful, too. :-) ~*~*~*~*~*~ Follow the Show: TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sw7x7 Instagram: https://instagram.com/sw7x7 And may the Force be with you, wherever in the world you may be.

In Episode 114, hosts Alyce and Laura share* tales of trivia, driving away dates with Star Wars, winning, and cocktails stirred-not-shaken Alyce did well at nerd trivia! Everyone clap for Alyce! Fancasting Old Tey Sirrek We are happy to have been wrong about The Acolyte release date (trailer link, sw.com article, The Acolyte databank)Haters can suck it, The Acolyte trailer is winning  Laura shares highlights from Empire Magazine's feature on The Acolyte (find it in the Libby app, or wherever you buy magazines!)The status of Gina Carano's lawsuit against Disney continues to be embarrassing and hilarious (via Variety)Bae aka Ewan McGregor did a re-watch of some of his prior roles, including Obi-Wan. Here's where the Star Wars bit starts (via Vanity Fair)Celebrate The Phantom Menace's 25th Anniversary with your fellow nerds, or use the occasion to break up with your significant otherIn Vidya Gamez, we briefly discuss the new trailer for Star Wars OutlawsWe're ugly on Zoom Mace Windu can suck itYou go, Glen Coco! Taylor Gray (Star Wars Rebels) is gonna be in an SNL movie and we think that's neat (via Deadline)Recap on Tap: Epic Bad Batch Catch Up edition! We catch up on, recap and discuss episodes 8-11 of S3Stay tuned, we'll catch up on The High Republic Phase 3 comic run and Defy The Storm soon!Helpful links referenced in this episode:Frank Janisch fills in for Laura on The Jedi Way to discuss The Acolyte trailer, Asajj Ventress' return and The Bad Batch S3 eps 8 & 9John Rocha and Laura discuss The Bad Batch S3 eps 10 & 11 on The Jedi Way Twitter: @forcetoastpod | @sLeiaAllDay | @ShutUp_LauraInstagram: @forcetoastpodEmail: forcetoastpod@gmail.comWebsite: forcetoastpod.com*This podcast contains a sh!t ton of profanity and boozin. You can find a bleeped version of this podcast absolutely nowhere. Cheers!

We're less than a month away from new Doctior Who on Disney+ and the BBC and to help us navigate this stormy sea of streaming madness is professor, media expert, and all-around lovely fellow Derek Kompare as we look into the BBC's inevitable admission that Varada Sethu is joining the cast of the show, a fascinating Beatles-centric (or lack thereof) interview in Empire Magazine with Ncuti Gatwa and one Russell T. Davies, archive film musings, Chicago TARDIS news, and a very important televisual anniversary! Plus Episode Three of our Classic Series Commentary for “Terror of the Autons”! Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon Doctor Who – First Look at Ncuti Gatwa with Varada Sethu and Millie Gibson ahead of Season Two Empire Magazine Interview with Russell T Davies and Ncuti Gatwa Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Russell T Davies in the Radio Times TV 100 list The Celestial Toymaker to be released June 10/11 in the UK, North America The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years available soon Film is Fabulous! Pilot Study: Documenting Private Film Collections Chicago TARDIS adds Jo Martin to guest list with Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann Big Finish: Torchwood: The Restoration of Catherine coming June 2024 Twelfth Doctor, Cyberman ornaments coming from Hallmark for Christmas 2024 Stevie Wonder on Sesame Street (April 12, 1973) Commentary: Terror of the Autons Episode 3

Tarkin's TopShelf joins forces with Idiot's Array and Kanata's Castle Podcasts for a Roundtable Discussion on Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3: Episodes 9, 10, and 11. But first, they go over the latest Star Wars news: The Disney + and Hulu merger, Tales of The Empire Trailer, Star Wars: Outlaws, and The Acolyte full interview spread coming to Empire Magazine on April 11th.  Help us spread the word about the show Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here to subscribe via RSS Click here to subscribe via Stitcher Click here to subscribe via Google Play Music Feedback and Promotion Follow us on Twitter @TarkinsTopShelf Like us on Facebook: Tarkin's Top Shelf Follow us on Instagram @TarkinsTopShelf Follow us on Threads  Follow us on Bluesky  

The ACOLYTE takes over the EMPIRE! The Acolyte will grace the cover of Empire Magazine on April 11th and will have a full spread of interviews and never-before-seen images! And if that wasn't enough, your hosts discuss the trailer for TALES OF THE EMPIRE coming to Disney + on May 4th! But first, your hosts go over some Star Wars news and Podathon to benefit Make-A-Wish. Help us spread the word about the show Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here to subscribe via RSS Click here to subscribe via Stitcher Click here to subscribe via Google Play Music Feedback and Promotion Follow us on Twitter @TarkinsTopShelf Like us on Facebook: Tarkin's Top Shelf Follow us on Instagram @TarkinsTopShelf Follow us on Threads  Follow us on Bluesky  

This week, host Troy Edgar meets with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Vice President of Global Still Photography, Chrissy Quesada at the Ameritocracy L.A. studio. Chrissy's journey in the movie industry began over 30 years ago at Carolco Pictures, where she supported the release of Terminator 2. Troy and Chrissy reminisced about the early days, including her time at 20th Century Fox prior to Disney's $72B acquisition. In this episode, Chrissy provides an overview of her organization's role in movie production, promotion, and premieres. She explains the process of becoming an Academy member and Troy shares his unbelievable experience attending the 2001 Academy Awards. Lastly, they talk about the current state of the movie business including streaming, the resurrection of the theatrical release of movies, and the impact of AI, digital photography, and technology on her industry. Empire Magazine's Ghostbusters cover can be found here.   Ameritocracy™ is produced by Prospect House Media and recorded in studio locations in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

full article on Empire Magazine with Hayden Christensen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim and Jim talk about Empire Magazine's scoop on all things prequels and Russia's real-life Death Star before Greg swoops in by surprise  with enough comedic amunition to give Jim the leway to blow it up with insights on the classic Phantom Menace "Behind The Scenes" documentary!

"He's Not Dead!" states Samuel L. Jackson to Empire Magazine. Tarkin's Top Shelf discusses the latest tweet from the man himself, Master Mace Windu, Samuel L. Jackson, regarding the fate of his prequel character. Samuel L. Jackson claims he is "telling the truth." In closing, "Long Live Mace Windu!" Could Mace Windu return in a solo series? Check out what your hosts have to say about that.  Help us spread the word about the show Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here to subscribe via RSS Click here to subscribe via Stitcher Click here to subscribe via Google Play Music Feedback and Promotion Follow us on Twitter @TarkinsTopShelf Like us on Facebook: Tarkin's Top Shelf Follow us on Instagram @TarkinsTopShelf Follow us on Threads  Follow us on Bluesky  

On this episode, Dominic, Ben, and Hannah break down the reveals from Empire Magazine's celebration of 15 25 years of the Prequels, including the news that The Phantom Menace is returning to theatres this May! They talk about the excitement of seeing Star Wars back in the movie theatres and how this re-release could tie in with other Star Wars promotions (like, maybe, The Acolyte?). Then they talk about some updates on Andor season two and The Mandalorian and Grogu. Then they delve into some listener questions about favourite prequel memories, what 2025 might look like in Star Wars, and the future of Star Wars animation after The Bad Batch. Plus, whatever happened to season two of Obi-Wan Kenobi, what are people saying to Hayden Christensen and Ian McDiarmid on the street, and just what is the most iconic line from The Phantom Menace? All this and much more! Join the Star Wars Underworld Network DiscordSubscribe on YouTube Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe and Review on Apple Podcasts Facebook: www.facebook.com/swunderworld Twitter: @TheSWU Email: swunderworld@gmail.com

On this episode, Dominic, Ben, and Hannah break down the reveals from Empire Magazine's celebration of 15 25 years of the Prequels, including the news that The Phantom Menace is returning to theatres this May! They talk about the excitement of seeing Star Wars back in the movie theatres and how this re-release could tie in with other Star Wars promotions (like, maybe, The Acolyte?). Then they talk about some updates on Andor season two and The Mandalorian and Grogu. Then they delve into some listener questions about favourite prequel memories, what 2025 might look like in Star Wars, and the future of Star Wars animation after The Bad Batch. Plus, whatever happened to season two of Obi-Wan Kenobi, what are people saying to Hayden Christensen and Ian McDiarmid on the street, and just what is the most iconic line from The Phantom Menace? All this and much more!Join the Star Wars Underworld Network Discord

It's time for some Star Wars news and a look ahead to the third and final season of the Bad Batch. The crew takes a deeper look at the Empire Magazine announcement of a special anniversary screening of The Phantom Menace and the forthcoming look at the Prequels. Plus, they share their hopes and thoughts about the new season of The Bad Batch. It's all here and more! Join Ken Napzok, Jennifer Landa, and Joseph Scrimshaw for the 642nd episode of ForceCenter.From the minds of Ken Napzok (comedian, host of The Napzok Files), Joseph Scrimshaw (comedian, writer, host of the Obsessed podcast), and Jennifer Landa (actress, YouTuber, crafter, contributor on StarWars.com) comes the ForceCenter Podcast Feed. Here you will find a series of shows exploring, discussing, and celebrating everything about Star Wars. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Listen on TuneIn, Amazon Music, Spotify, and more!Follow ForceCenter!Watch on YouTube!Support us on PatreonForceCenter merch!All from ForceCenter: https://linktr.ee/ForceCenter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Dominic, Ben, Chris, and Hannah are joined by Chris “Starrapter” Abbott to break down the news out of the latest Disney Investors Call and remember the life of Carl Weathers. They start by predicting what Empire Magazine's big Star Wars tease is about (something you probably already know). Then, they talk about what the Star Wars film slate is going to look like with The Mandalorian and Grogu hitting theatres in 2026. And they break down the news that Disney is buying a stake in Epic Games to create some sort of Fortnite-like game for Disney properties (including Star Wars). Plus, a new look at The Bad Batch season three, Star Wars (and John Williams) wins awards, and all hell breaks loose when Wookieepedia shows up in the live chat. All this and much more! Join the Star Wars Underworld Network DiscordSubscribe on YouTube Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe and Review on Apple Podcasts Facebook: www.facebook.com/swunderworld Twitter: @TheSWU Email: swunderworld@gmail.com

The star wars community is excited from Empire Magazine's new announcement regarding 'hello there' announcement 4pm today. I wonder what it could be... Kenobi season 2 is what the entire community seems to think it is, here's my thoughts on that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Taylor of Fantazm Toys joins us this week for a fun discussion about everything we've learned from Empire Magazine about Ghostbusters Frozen Empire!  We explore all of the reveals that have unfolded as Empire has reached UK newsstands and offer up our thoughts on what they mean for the movie we're all eagerly awaiting to see in less than 2 months. And, of course we also chat about toys, the latest Fantazm Toys releases, and our thoughts on Hasbro's rollout of toys in support of Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. Special Thanks & Credits Logo / Cover Art - Brendan Pearce, Badoochi Studios, @badoochistudios Theme Song - "Ghostbusters" by MAGNAVOX

This week, we're joined by the great Ari Aster –  one of the boldest and most enigmatic voices in American cinema right now. He's a filmmaker that Al first met in May 2019. The New York-born writer-director's debut horror, Hereditary, was a few months old at the time, and Ari was deep in the edit for Midsommar at the time. Al had been sent by Empire Magazine to write a profile that championed him as a new king of horror. Which made sense in the moment: Midsommar, his Wicker Man-esque follow-up to Hereditary, about a Swedish cult, promised more frights, more decapitations.One problem, though. Ari rejected the idea of himself as a horror filmmaker. He kept emphasising to Al, in his quiet, charming way, that horror wasn't where his heart was. At least, not exclusively. No, Ari longed to make a comedy. A comedy musical, if possible. What would a comedy musical by this filmmaker, best known for chilling audiences to the bone, look like? In 2023, we got our audience – the jaw-dropping Beau Is Afraid.Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Beau Is Afraid is indeed a comedy. Its punchline just happens to speak to the existential treadmill-to-nowhere that life can sometimes resemble. It may not have songs to qualify it as a musical, but its case is populated by icons of musical theatre, known for their stage work (Nathan Lane, Richard Kind). Following a middle aged man on an Oedipal trip through an absurdist America en route to his mother's funeral, the movie began life as a short film in 2011. In the spoiler conversation you're about to hear, we get into what evolved from Ari's initial vision for Beau, as the character made his way to the big-screen. We talk about how in early drafts, the orphans of the forest weren't a theatre group but a cult – something Ari had to change when he realised his first two movies had dealt heavily with cults and he couldn't go three-for-three. We also discuss the horror and hilarity of the monster in the attic and what the religious iconography of the movie represents in Beau's journey. It's a riveting peek into the mind of a filmmaker out here making films unlike anyone else. We hope you enjoy.Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.Support for this episode comes from ScreenCraft, MUBI, Magic Mind, Final Draft and WeScreenplay.To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon.Support the show

Frozen Empire Magazine Madness - Ghostbusters Radio LIVE! Join the YHS crew for full coverage of the amazing Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire reveals from Empire magazine! YHS Podcast is presented by GBFANS.com, the longest running and most comprehensive source for Ghostbusters props, parts, uniforms, and merch! Head to the GBFANS.com store today to pre-order the new incredible aluminum neutrona wand! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yhspodcast/support

Is Die Hard a Christmas film? It's a question seemingly as old as the movie itself - first came out in 1988, fact fans - but whatever your thoughts on that controversial pub conversation question, December seemed like the perfect time to bring friend of the podcast (and Empire Magazine editor, as it goes) Nick de Semlyen on to chat about just why we love John McClane so much - and how the film changed the landscape of action cinema forever. A word to the wise, by the way: as you might imagine with this being a spoiler special about Die Hard, this podcast contains both, well, spoilers and, um, swear words. You know, there's a line in this movie, and... yeah. Fair warning!

This week Mike is joined by Empire Magazine's Deputy Online Editor and Disniversity host Ben Travis to discuss two bonkers home invasion movies that aren't quite what they seem...HOUSEBOUND (2014) and BETTER WATCH OUT (2016).  Music by Jack Whitney.  Visit our website www.evolutionofhorror.com  Keep an eye on all our UPCOMING EVENTS Buy tickets for our next upcoming EVOLUTION OF HORROR PRESENTS screening at the Genesis Cinema! www.evolutionofhorror.com/genesis You can now buy Evolution of Horror merch on our TeePublic store! www.evolutionofhorror.com/merchandise Subscribe and donate on PATREON for bonus monthly content and extra treats... www.patreon.com/evolutionofhorror  Email us!  Follow us on TWITTER Follow us on INSTAGRAM Like us on FACEBOOK Join the DISCUSSION GROUP Join the DISCORD Follow us on LETTERBOXD Mike Muncer is a producer, podcaster and film journalist and can be found on TWITTER  

The premiere date for AHSOKA has been set and the hype is underway with a new Empire Magazine cover story revealing new looks at the characters and an interview with Dave Filoni. We review the new info and speculate about what may go down in the series. Plus, we have new interview highlights from Mark Hamill and ANDOR showrunner Tony Gilroy, Star Wars in Pop Culture, listener feedback and more.