Episode 209 - THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY

The world has changed. It's been two decades since The Lord of the Rings trilogy redefined everything about epic cinema, and we're kicking off a new year of podcasting with an episode to match the scale and ambition of Peter Jackson's classic imagining of the seminal fantasy saga. 

Because though some of what was has been lost, there are still many who remember, including our own fellowship of Alyssa Renzi, Barm, and Sean Davis, who each join us to pontificate on their personal favorite entry of the trilogy. It's a LOTR lovefest that's nothing short of...precious.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Two Towers (2002)
The Return of the King (2003)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson
Based on the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien
Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Viggo Mortenson, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Bernard Hill, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, Karl Urban, David Wenham, Brad Dourif, John Noble, Ian Holm, and Andy Serkis

Episode 149 - THE PATRIOT

Some nations have oral histories that tell the story of their ancient origins. Others have sprawling cosmologies that explain how each part of their culture was forged. In the United States of America, we frame our founding myth as a three-hour Hollywood war epic directed by a German and starring two Australians.

On this special crossover episode, the hosts of the Lieography podcast--John Parton, Ace Cordova, and Joanna Phillips--join us to take a comprehensive look at the historical basis of The Patriot. With the help of their meticulous and illuminating research, we grade the movie's factual accuracy (or lack thereof) and celebrate our freedom as Americans to fudge the details. Happy 4th of July!

The Patriot (2000)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Produced by Dean Devlin, Mark Gordon, and Gary Levinsohn
Written by Robert Rodat
Starring Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs, Joely Richardson, Chris Cooper, Tchéky Karyo, René Auberjonois, Lisa Brenner, Donal Logue, Leon Rippy, Adam Baldwin, and Tom Wilkinson

Episode 142 - THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

The Passion of the Christ was a massive gamble in every sense: a movie in a dead genre, performed in a dead language, portraying a feature-length death march. It only made a truckload of money and launched a new wave of faith-based films aimed at the audience that turned an adaptation of Christian gospels and devotional writings into a global phenomenon.

Our favorite disciple, Jake Beal, arrives just in time for Easter and takes us to (Sunday) school as we examine The Passion's complex legacy as religious theater, epic cinema, and cultural touchstone.  It is accomplished!

The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Directed by Mel Gibson
Produced by Bruce Davey, Mel Gibson, and Stephen McEveety
Written by Mel Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald
Starring Jim Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Francesco De Vito, Luca Lionello, Christo Jivkov, Rosalinda Celentano, Mattia Sbragia, Hristo Shopov, and Monica Bellucci

Episode 118 - THE LAND BEFORE TIME

In the 1980s, the partnership of famed animator Don Bluth and cinema wunderkind Steven Spielberg signaled an evolutionary change in the cartoon business. The Land Before Time was perhaps their most moving collaboration, presenting compassion and friendship as the best antidote to bleakness and despair.

Eric Wheeler of Text Before Calling joins us to recount the film's cataclysmic impact on his young mind and its memorable framing of the Darwinian struggle for survival. Whether you're a longneck, a threehorn, or a bigmouth, it's the perfect way to conclude our Jurassic June series, yep yep yep!

*Fun Fact: This episode is just about the exact length of the actual movie! Theoretically, one could press play on both simultaneously for some sort of weird commentary experience... We haven't tested it ourselves, but perhaps a dedicated listener can report back with the results!

The Land Before Time (1988)
Directed by Don Bluth
Produced by Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas
Written by Stu Krieger
Starring Gabriel Damon, Candace Huston, Judith Barsi, Will Ryan, Helen Shaver, and Pat Hingle

Episode 115 - WILLOW

As Solo: A Star Wars Story swaggers into theaters, we turn our attention to the O.G. collaboration between Ron Howard and Lucasfilm: the epic fantasy Willow, a movie that leans hard into genre traditions while attempting to make children simultaneously giggle with delight and soil their pants in terror. Just your garden-variety '80s family film operating within a far more permissive ratings board culture.

Sean Davis, co-host of the After the Credits podcast, was there to experience the magic at the beginning, and shares his memories with us during the glorious conclusion of Not Quite Star Wars Month. Listen in to learn how Willow blends practical wizardry and cutting-edge technology, and how it serves a story that is by turns emotionally resonant, staunchly conventional, and wildly silly.

Willow (1988)
Directed by Ron Howard
Produced by George Lucas, Nigel Wooll, and Joe Johnston
Written by Bob Dolman
Story by George Lucas
Starring Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, Patricia Hayes, Kevin Pollak, Rick Overton, Gavan O'Herlihy, Pat Roach, and Billy Barty

Episode 98 - MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL

We're knights of the round table
We pod when ere we're able
About our pick of older flicks
With talent debatable
The only trick that we've got
Is to quote these films a lot

We're knights of the round table
With opinions disposable
We have more fun with Kev Young
Whose style's inimitable
So give this episode a shot
We promise you'll enjoy a lot!

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Directed by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam
Produced by Mark Forstater and Michael White
Written by Monty Python
Starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin

Episode 22 - GLADIATOR

Gladiator's place in our cultural canon is almost entirely due to its violence: just thinking about the title conjures up images of severed limbs, overflowing viscera, and a beefy Russell Crowe asking a crowd whether or not that day's murders have amused them sufficiently.  What's most interesting about this violence, however, is how little of it (relatively speaking) is actually shown.

In a way it makes perfect sense that Ridley Scott's film ruled the first Oscar ceremony held in the 21st century.  It is a very old-school drama in a throwback genre, clean and simple, and its lack of metatextual meddling makes it almost like cinematic comfort food.  Aside from a few grisly moments, Gladiator is most disturbing in our imaginations.

Gladiator (2000)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Produced by Douglas Wick, David Franzoni, and Branko Lustig
Written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson
Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Dijmon Hounsou, and Richard Harris

Episode 15 - BATTLEFIELD EARTH

Filmmaking is all about making the right choices, and few recent movies illustrate the importance of this more than Battlefield Earth.  John Travolta's intergalactic passion project - based on L. Ron Hubbard's 1982 novel about Earthlings rebelling against their cruel alien conquerors - is a keen reminder that the slippage of time can ravage the best-laid plans of any creative project.

Yet, in a way, Battlefield Earth's reputation as a monumentally misguided flop gives it a notoriety that this tardy Spartacus-meets-Star Wars epic might not have achieved otherwise.  Like any pop culture punching bag, this one is more interesting than it looks...

Battlefield Earth (2000)
Directed by Roger Christian
Produced by Jonathan Krane, Elie Samaha, and John Travolta
Written by Corey Mandell and J.D. Shapiro
Based on Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 by L. Ron Hubbard
Starring John Travolta, Barry Pepper, Forest Whitaker, and Kim Coates

Episode 12 - THE PRINCE OF EGYPT

DreamWorks Animation in the pre-Shrek era is a fascinating subject.  Before it became known as the home of the arched eyebrow, the studio aimed to provide a sleeker and slightly more mature alternative to Disney's family fare - think of the neurotic worker drones in Antz and the sly POW parody of Chicken Run.

Against that backdrop, DreamWorks' earnest Biblical epic The Prince of Egypt doesn't seem like the anomaly it appears to be.  It's a sweeping account of the prophet Moses - who, as the film's title cards helpfully point out, is a figure central to three major world religions - from his wicker basket ride down the Nile to his parting of the Red Sea.  And because this is an animated movie in the '90s, it's also a musical.  (Can't leave that soundtrack lucre on the table.)

In this episode, we investigate what The Prince of Egypt brings to the re-telling of this ancient story and how it's placed in a context with everything from The Ten Commandments to Exodus: Gods and Kings.

The Prince of Egypt (1998)
Directed by Simon Wells, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Hickner
Produced by Penney Finkleman Cox, Sandra Rabins, and Jeffrey Katzenberg
Written by Philip LaZebnik and Nicholas Meyer
Starring Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfieffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Stewart, Danny Glover, Steve Martin, and Martin Short