Story Matters

In our third entry of our Disney December, we take a look at the 1964 classic Mary Poppins starring Dick Van Dyke and compare it to 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns starring Emily Blunt and Lin Manuel Miranda! Where does this film fall on the sequel/remake spectrum? Does the newest entry into this universe continue the legacy created by Disney and company in the 1960’s? What are the essential benchmarks that captures the spirit of what makes the original Mary Poppins perhaps the most iconic of all Disney

We continue Disney December on the podcast with a Disney double feature, exploring the 1950 animated classic Cinderella compared to the 2015 live action remake directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Lily James and the 1967 classic The Jungle Book up against the 2016 live action remake directed by Jon Favreau.

We kick off DISNEY DECEMBER with an in depth exploration of the 1991 animated classic Beauty and the Beast and compare and contrast it to the 2017 live action remake starring Emma Watson. Along the way we ask the question of what defines a good remake? What does this trend of Disney remaking all of its animated classics add to the conversation? Does it tarnish the legacy of the originals or does it revamp and reinvent these classic stories for a new age?

Jon Cozart joins the show to take a deep dive with us into the world of Amadeus, the 1984 Academy Award winning musical biopic directed by Milos Forman about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We also examine how this film speaks directly to our culture today (specifically us as artists), our own personal struggle with jealousy, ego, the fear of not being good enough and the madness that is the creative  process. 

We've all been there. The crowds. The grabbing hands. The pushing. The shoving. It's the most American of all the holidays... yep, it's BLACK FRIDAY! 

We have an honest and candid conversation about the struggle to prioritize creativity when life and work seem to constantly to get in the way. Then, we continue our exploration of the musical biopic with a retrospective on the 2004 film Ray starring Jamie Foxx in an Oscar winning performance. How does the film hold up 14 years later? What similarities and tropes does it use from the biopic genre and how do these compare to our two previous entries of Bohemian Rhapsody and Walk the Line?

In episode 47 of the podcast, Curt, Kim, and Mike, along with special guest Eric Carroll, continue their exploration of the MUSICAL BIOPIC with an in-depth retrospective on the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic WALK THE LINE starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. We compare and contrast this biopic classic alongside last week’s film focus of BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and examine the similarities and tropes that both films share, alongside the 2007 comedy masterpiece Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story!

We launch our November exploration of the MUSICAL BIOPIC genre by taking a deep dive into Bohemian Rhapsody, the Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic from 20th Century Fox. We also ask the question of what makes a good biopic? What is the moral responsibility the storyteller has to tell the story exactly as it happened versus creating under the banner of “based on a true story”? When does artistic license cross the line into assassination of character?

We are OVERHAULING THE SHOW in a major way and are very excited to share the details about this new format with you in this episode. We also share our Halloween 2018 watch recommendations, discuss our ongoing creative projects, examine the the value of reprioritizing and simplifying your life to better achieve your creative goals and talk about the power and freedom that comes from learning to FINISH PROJECTS.

In this episode of the podcast, we take a look back on the summer movies of 2018 and the films that most impacted us, disappointed us, excited us and made us fall in love with the cinema all over again. We also take a look at the trend of sequels and prequels and the fact that the top 10 grossing films of 2018 are ALL tied directly to a previously existing franchise. AND we explore the rise and fall of MoviePass and its impact on the film-going experience!

In this episode, Curt, Mike and Kim sit down with actor Wesam Keesh (MTV's Awkward, ABC's For the People) to tackle the recent headline news of Geoffrey Owen's candid discussions on the realities of the jobs we take to pay our bills while trying to pursue a career in the arts. We talk openly about the craziest side-hustles we've all had to work to pay the bills, the societal stigma and shame that seems to be applied to people working regular day-jobs to support their craft.

It's the 10 year anniversary of Christopher Nolan's genre changing super hero crime drama The Dark Knight! In this episode, Curt, Kim, Mike and Eric take a deep dive into the 2nd installment of Nolan's Batman trilogy and examine the influence the film has had on the super hero genre as an art form, explore Heath Ledger's brilliant performance as The Joker and examine how the film holds up 10 years after its release. 

We take a look at the life and legacy of Fred Rogers and discuss our thoughts and reactions on Won't You Be My Neighbor, an in depth look at the the life, philosophy and heart of Fred Rogers. We also talk about Mister Roger's Neighborhood and the impact it had on our lives as both children and adults and its call to action for our modern age. In our "What We've Been Watching" segment, we dive into the HBO doc "Spielberg", S2 of "The Handmaid's Tale", and "Letter's To a Young Novelist."

In this SUPER episode of the podcast, we take a look back at Pixar's groundbreaking 2004 film The Incredibles to discuss what influences it's had on the superhero genre as a whole and examine how it holds up 14 years later upon a rewatch. Then, we then delve into an in-depth, spoiler-filled roundtable conversation on Incredibles 2 to discuss our reactions, thoughts and takeaways on the super-sized super sequel 14 years in the making!

In this SUPER-SIZED episode of the podcast, Eric Carroll joins Curt and Mike to talk about the incredible new horror/drama film Hereditary. Then we delve into the delicate and controversial waters of toxic tribalism, specifically in reference to the backlash of The Last Jedi and the fallout of bullying on social media. Is the pop culture we consume a substitute for virtue and what is the right way to approach criticism over a particular franchise, fandom or story?