Verbal Diorama

What came first? The chicken or the egg? It's a question as old as time, and one pondered by all the great philosophers, scientists, scholars and farmers.In the field of Aardman's big screen successes, Chicken Run comes first. It's still the highest grossing stop-motion animated movie ever made, and Aardman's literal and figurative fingerprints are all over these English chicks.(I'm sorry for all the chicken-based puns that follow, I really am)What could have easily been a one-chick pony, Aardman definitely didn't count their chickens before they hatched, and partnered with Dreamworks to produce Chicken Run. In one fowl swoop, they delivered a movie that was universally beloved. Poultry in motion and really clucking eggscellent.Look no feather, Chicken Run is a truly wonderful movie that should beak your interest.(This is why they didn't invite me to work on the script for Chicken Run!)I would love to hear your thoughts on Chicken Run!GET IN TOUCH....Twitter @verbaldioramaInstagram @verbaldiora

How can I write about Your Name? Is it possible to convey the jaw dropping beauty and breath-taking majesty of Your Name with words? I'm not really sure it is, but I take a stab at it in Episode 77 anyway, because Your Name is truly something magical and resplendent to witness. A simple boy meets girl love story, with an added element of celestial forces; Your Name takes a simple story and elevates it to a visual treat as well as an emotional powerhouse.Put simply, if you don't believe in true love or soulmates, you'll walk away from Your Name believing that both are possible, that connections between strangers exist and that person you took a double-glance at in the street may have been someone you knew, but you just don't remember that you knew them.I would love to hear your thoughts on Your Name!GET IN TOUCH....Twitter @verbaldioramaInstagram @verbaldioramaFacebook @verbaldioramaLetterboxd @verbaldioramaEmail verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] comWebsite verbaldiorama.co

The Secret of NIMH is the epitome of a simple tale, beautifully told with the sort of stunning hand-drawn animation that Walt Disney Animation was known for during the Golden Age of Disney. Coincidentally, Don Bluth used to work at Disney, so he knew the tricks of the trade and went ahead with his own animation studio and a dark adaptation of Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, itself based on a real scientific study of rodent societal overpopulation.Mrs Brisby; mouse, widow, badass single mother, needs to move her family from the farmer's field where she lives and goes on an adventure to find and befriend the Rats of NIMH; super intelligent, highly skilled rodents who her late husband Jonathan helped escape the laboratory where they were all experimented on.It's beautiful, dark, twisted and delightful nightmare fuel! Don Bluth deserved more appreciation from us all than he ever got.I would love to hear your thoughts on The Secret of NIMH!GET IN TOUCH....Twitter @verbaldioramaInstagram @verba

Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to Animation Season! The first movie in the season is the newest movie featured and also the highest grossing. It's also probably the most culturally significant, emotionally resonant and spiritual of the season too. Pixar's Coco.I feel like this movie is more comparable to Kubo and the Two Strings than it is to its fellow Day of the Dead animated stable-mate The Book of Life. But while it's set during Dia de los Muertos, it's more about the power of family, of music and of celebrating life.It's a stunning and powerful look into Mexican family life and culture, and it's one of Pixar's greatest achievements.I would love to hear your thoughts on Coco!GET IN TOUCH....Twitter @verbaldioramaInstagram @verbaldioramaFacebook @verbaldioramaLetterboxd @verbaldioramaEmail verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] comWebsite verbaldiorama.comSUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser Join t

Before you listen to this episode, you need to follow a few rules.Keep this episode away from sunlight (that's easy, the days are still short....)Never get this episode wet. But most importantly, no matter how much this episode pleads, no matter how much it begs, NEVER FEED EPISODE 74 AFTER MIDNIGHT! Got it?! Good. This episode is sweet and lovely, but it could multiply and turn into a download monster, and no-one wants that....Hang on.... I want a download monster....! Gremlins, from three of Hollywood's most well-known names; Chris Columbus, Steven Spielberg and Joe Dante, is a perfect little Mogwai of a movie. It has everything I love - puppets, animatronics, marionettes, stop-motion, and it's really quite scary. So scary, in fact, it helped pave the way for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to create a brand-new rating in-between PG and R. In the UK it remained 15 rated until it was reclassified as a 12A.My DVD is still a 15, though. I'm quite proud. This episode also features a cameo from

Steve Rogers and Tony Stark could never be accused of being best buds. There's always been a resentment there from Tony, especially when his father admired Steve Rogers so much, and it's always been simmering in the background. They've worked together as colleagues, to fight the Chitauri invasion of New York and came together again, with the Avengers, to fight Tony's creation Ultron.But Ultron really was the breaking point for a lot of things in Tony's life. Suffering from PTSD after the events of the Avengers, he truly believed creating Ultron would benefit the world. Now racked with guilt and remorse, and alone after Pepper ends their relationship, Tony Stark sees the Sokovia Accords as a way to make things right.Steve Rogers, however, disagrees. He's seen what happens when men are given power over others, that freedom isn't supposed to involve fear and that bureaucracy and red tape will only resolve a situation the people in charge want to see resolved. Saving innocent lives shouldn't need to be agreed bef

Captain America: The First Avenger ended with Steve Rogers defeating HYDRA and waking up in the modern day. Captain America barely had a chance to understand what was going on before he was thrust into fighting the Chitauri invasion in The Avengers.Post the Battle of New York and Phase 1 of the MCU as a whole, the world is aware of potential threats from other worlds, as well as the mightiest heroes Earth has to fight them, but The Avengers are disbanded for now, and Captain America is working for S.H.I.E.L.D, along with spy Natasha Romanov.The thing is, not only is HYDRA not defeated, they've been infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D over the last fifty years and the measures designed to protect the world from future threats is actually going to be used to annihilate HYDRA opposition. There's only one man who can step up....Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a superhero movie, but it's also a brilliant political thriller, and it's this ability to mix the super and the very real fear of oppression and paranoia over d

Talk about Captain America: The First Avenger? I can do this all day.It's one of the MCUs most underrated gems. It's less bombastic than most in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its World War II setting grounds the movie in an alternate reality.Chris Evans brings depth and humility to Steve Rogers, after the super serum that turns him into the star-spangled man with a plan, but mostly before, when he's just regular Steve. The fact the movie dwells on pre-serum Steve for so long is actually one of its major strengths - we get to know the man behind the super soldier. A man of honesty, compassion, humility and an overwhelming desire to fight for freedom. It shapes the Captain America he is to become. And what a Cap!I would be remiss not to mention one of the MCU's finest leading ladies. Hayley Atwell took her role as Peggy Carter and made it so iconic, she got her own (excellent, may I add) two-season TV series as a companion piece.While it's drowned out of the MCU by bigger, bolder and brighter future entries, C

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), to give it its full name (until that changed to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey) is the first and only movie released in 2020 that I'm covering in 2020, but to be honest there's not many 2020 movies out there. It's also the last movie I saw in cinemas before the COVID-19 pandemic. I've seen this movie three times this year, and each time I love it that little bit more.It's the antidote to 2020. A wild, brash, profanity-laden colourful comic book come to life. Harley is unreliable, bubbly, unique and unpredictable, but sticking her with a girl gang was ultimately the best choice for her character development. Women supporting women supporting a young girl who needs help when she steals a diamond from the narcissistic, misogynistic crime lord Roman Sionis (who also stole the diamond too, to be fair). Harley is joined by Black Canary, Renee Montoya and Huntress to protect young Cassandra Cain from Black Mask and his violent and sadistic tendencies

The Atomic Blonde and John Wick comparisons are not lost on me, and trust me when I say that I love Atomic Blonde to a similar, but very different degree to the John Wick(s). Because while both use colour very dramatically, and thrive on that ultra stylized violence I clearly have a passion for, while John Wick is all about vengeance, Lorraine Broughton is all about espionage, and Charlize Theron remains one of the most brilliant and bold actors working in Hollywood.Often criticised for having style over substance, and I understand why, but when it's this stylish.... I have zero complaints. The stunts are perfection (mostly performed by Charlize herself) and the music, while mainly from the early 80s, takes this very real depressing end of the Cold War setting and makes it pop with neon funk. James McAvoy is also great. No one says an f-bomb like he does. Atomic Blonde won't please everyone, but it pleases me. A lot. Now give me that John Wick/Atomic Blonde crossover!I would love to hear your thoughts on 

This one feels so bitter-sweet to be talking about. This episode was originally scheduled for mid-September, but due to the sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman on 28th August, I postponed it out of respect. After V for Vendetta it feels right to be talking about a hero who inspired so many, and by that I don't just mean T'Challa as the Black Panther, but Chadwick Boseman himself. A man of grace, integrity, poise and power. A man who meant so much to so many.The character of T'Challa, introduced in Captain America: Civil War in 2016 isn't the first black on-screen superhero, but he's the most accessible. Children across the world could look to T'Challa, Okoye, Shuri and Nakia and see themselves represented on screen. African traditions are explored and Killmonger remains one of the MCU's most well-rounded and fascinating villains. Just a kid from Oakland who was abandoned by his family, his bitter and twisted attempt to ascend to the throne of his father's homeland and change Wakanda for, what he believes is, t

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to cover V for Vendetta, and you may call me Verbal Diorama.I would love to hear your thoughts on V for Vendetta!GET IN TOUCH....Twitter @verbaldioramaInstagram @verbaldioramaFacebook @verbaldioramaLetterboxd @verbaldioramaEmail verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] comWebsi

SURPRISE!!I kept this off the schedule just in case I couldn't quite pull it off, but having recently rewatched it, I decided to do a bonus episode on Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight just for Halloween, which deserves WAY more recognition than it gets.From a great well-known cast of faces, such as William Sadler, Jada Pinkett, Billy Zane, Dick Miller and Thomas Haden Church to some genuinely spooky great practical effects and world building, Demon Knight really delivers in a way most low-budget horror movies don't. Not to mention it's probably the only horror movie where a black woman is the final girl and she saves the world! I never thought I'd say that Billy Zane was the best part of anything.... he chews the scenery like never before or again as The Collector. Maybe he's entranced me into doing this episode? Maybe I'm possessed? What is this green goo?! Happy Halloween!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Listen, for all the online discourse in 2016, Ghostbusters (2016) is in no way as bad as it's been made out to be. Is it perfect? No. Is it the superior Ghostbusters? No. Is it the Anti-Christ of the Ghostbusters universe? No. Do I find it hilariously funny and love these women? YES! Is Chris Hemsworth the most gifted human being in the world other than Keanu Reeves? Probably! Joining me with his own proton pack of appreciation for Ghostbusters, is Simon Brew. Editor of Film Stories magazine/website and host of Film Stories podcast. Together we're taking on the ghosts of reboots, and taking aim at the misogynists and hate-spewers of the world. Just because Ghostbusters 2016 exists, and it exists for a reason mind you, it doesn't erase or belittle Ghostbusters or Ghostbusters II. There's enough room for all these incredibly talented and funny actors to bust ghosts in Hollywood.Ghostbusters III had been in the pipeline for years and years, until a reboot of the story was optioned instead and announced to be a f

Before we start, a trigger warning.Scream is unfortunately inspired by some gruesome, horrific true crime events which are mentioned briefly in this episode. Although I don't go into details, I do mention violence and sexual assault, so if you'd rather not hear this part of the story, please skip the following times 15:54-17:53. I do mention a warning before it starts too. The section lasts just under two minutes.Full disclosure - I had not seen Scream until watching it for this episode. I had seen clips, such as Drew Barrymore's phone call scene, but nothing else. It's safe to say that clip stuck with me, and ever since I was frightened to watch it. But watch it I have! Hear what I think of it in the episode! Viewers' love of watching people being (fictionally) killed is certainly not limited to 20th/21st century horror movies, but undoubtedly Scream's biggest claim to fame is the fact it's credited with reviving the dead (excuse the pun!) slasher genre. There was another that came before it though, somethin

I thought we'd play a game....It's been 9 months since I last featured a Laika movie, and I've waited a long time on purpose to bring Coraline to the podcast. Because Coraline is scary. It's a genuine horror movie that just happens to be animated. And like most horror, it's the real life elements that Coraline speaks about; family, trust, attempted kidnap and deceptive adults that are the real horror elements at play. We all wish for another version of our lives, but is the grass always greener on the other side?Based on the excellent Neil Gaiman novella, and expertly directed by Henry Selick, of The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach fame, Coraline is a masterpiece of stop motion, an expertly devised web of horror and this was only Laika's first attempt to make their own animated features. With sprinkles of The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, as well as one of very few films to really make excellent use of 3D, keep your eye on Coraline.... Laika's achievement is, as always, simply

Scooby-dooby-doo! Where are you? We've got some work to do now!I'm joined by my furry sidekick Jess (she's not happy we're discussing a movie about a dog!) to talk all about the 2002 live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo (and a little about its sequel Monsters Unleashed).We all grew up with some iteration of Scooby-Doo, and it's that nostalgia that fuels this movie, along with some great performances from its young core cast, including real-life couple Freddie Prinze Jr and Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Fred and Daphne, alongside a scene-stealing Matthew Lillard as Shaggy and pitch perfect Linda Cardellini and Scooby-Doo, as himself.Originally conceived as a slightly more risqué movie, with more sexual references, drugs and bad language, it was seriously watered down to appeal to the family friendly audience, but titbits of that previous R-rated cut remain.Scooby-Doo was never going to win Academy Awards, but it's super fun, super self-aware and so very very super 2000s and I'm here for it for all th

There are many astonishing things about The Rocketeer.... Its origins in pulp serialsits authentic comic book styleits unknown leading manits innocence and timelessnessits beautiful score by James Hornerits stunning art deco posterBut the most amazing, brilliant, incredible thing about The Rocketeer, is how much people love it. Despite its lacklustre box office, and the fact that Disney have never seemed to care much about it, people who watch The Rocketeer LOVE The Rocketeer.Maybe because of its charm and innocence? Maybe because you can get lost in this anachronistic retro-yet-modern 1930s period Los Angeles?Or maybe that its because it depicts a nice, kind every-man hero who finds a jet-pack and realises he can use it to fly? And he then uses that power to fight Nazis? Maybe it really is just that simple? The Rocketeer might be a simple story, well executed, but it's one of Disney's truly underrated gems. We need less people saying "The Rocka-who?" and more people discovering the joy of Dave Stevens' iconi

This is it. The Princess Bride. As You Wish. Death cannot stop my true love for this movie. All it can do is delay it for 59 episodes.Verbal Diorama, inconceivably, goes downhill from here because there is no movie as perfect as one about fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love AND miracles...There's a shortage of perfect movies in the world. It would be a pity not to cover this one.From William Goldman's perfect novel, to the many attempts to get it made, to Rob Reiner's insistence it was the perfect movie for him, it truly is a tale of overcoming adversity, believing in yourself, fighting for want you want and, unironically, twue wuv!Because everyone involved loves this movie, and pretty much everyone who watches it loves it too. True love is real, and it's all for The Princess Bride. Life is pain (highness) right now in the world, but there's no to blave going on here, this movie will make you feel better. Have fun storming the castle!Don't rush me, sonny. You rush

In a change to the scheduled programming, Death Becomes Her moves up the schedule slightly and marks the first appearances on the podcast for global Hollywood icons Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn.Yes, Bruce Willis is also in this movie, and he's quite good, but the appeal for Death Becomes Her has always, for me, been Streep and Hawn, who wanted a star vehicle for them both and when Thelma and Louise fell through, in swooped Robert Zemeckis, a man who needs little introduction.Death Becomes Her is an effects-driven, yet cautionary tale on society's obsession with youth and beauty, the pitfalls (or should that be stairfalls?) of female rivalry, as well as highlighting what really is important in life. It comments on Hollywood's obsession with female starlets seemingly never ageing and the pressures women are under to be constantly beautiful, thin and desirable. It's also wickedly funny and bitingly satirical. Critics at the time, however, did not agree. Style over substance was essentially many a critics' though