March 25, 2016

Episode 50 - BATMAN


Perched at the precipice of the '90s, Tim Burton's Batman was one of the first modern blockbusters to emerge from the commercial chrysalis nurtured, perhaps unwittingly, by directors like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Both a familiar crowd-pleasing delight and a novel, eccentric re-imagining of the superhero archetype, Batman helped establish a new excitement around pre-existing properties--especially comics--while becoming one of the rare franchise tentpoles to successfully balance its agendas as a financial commodity and as a distinctive work of art.

Special guest (and number one guy) Gensho Tasaka also joins the podcast for some stellar Caped Crusader chat.  Holy 50th episode, Batman!


Batman (1989)
Directed by Tim Burton
Produced by Jon Peters and Peter Guber
Written by Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaren
Based on characters created by Bob Kane and DC Comics
Starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, and Jack Palance

Check out all current episodes in our Batman series:
Batman
Batman Returns
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman Forever
Batman & Robin

March 11, 2016

Episode 49 - POCAHONTAS


One of the more melancholy entries in the Disney animated canon, Pocahontas had the thankless task of continuing the steady crescendo of hits in the studio's so-called renaissance of the late '80s/early '90s. But apart from the Alan Menken-penned score that contained a massive pop hit, the film deviates from its predecessors in style and mood, uniting American mythology, historical fact, and spiritual yearning on a heavily blue-and-green palette. More than two decades later, we find out if the wacky and wistful Pocahontas actually paints with all the colors of the wind.


Pocahontas (1995)
Directed by Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg
Produced by James Pentecost
Written by Carl Binder, Susannah Grant, and Philip LaZebnik
Starring Irene Bedard, Mel Gibson, David Ogden Stiers, Russell Means, Christian Bale, Billy Connolly, and Linda Hunt