32 - Lord of the Rings- Books, Animation, and Films

This lovely artwork was done by Jimmy Cauty from the KLF. No, I’m not kidding. You’re welcome.

Melinda and Aaron return after their break for DragonCon to discuss one of their mutually favorite properties: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. We’re talking Rankin-Bass, Ralph Bakshi, Peter Jackson, and video games - so settle in with some lembas bread and a nice bottle of the Old Winyard with us!

P.S. We missed you all and we’re super happy to be back! Please look out for new episodes every other Tuesday on our new bi-weekly schedule.

25 - Revenge of the Jedi

Michael French joins us to talk about the original script for Revenge of the Jedi - in which the "Sanctuary Moon" of Endor had an actual meaning, Leia was not Luke's sister, and Han Solo was slated to have a heroic death. Listen and imagine what might have been...

23 - Tomb Raider

Melinda and Michael discuss Tomb Raider, from the 1996 original video game to the 2018 movie. Warning - Spoilers ahead.

20 - Part 3 (of film franchises)

The best things come in threes - comedic timing, fairy tale characters, and ancient gods. Unfortunately that isn't always the case with movie series. Our goal: pick 3 part 3 films from a franchise that we love or love to hate... and discuss. You'll never guess what we picked...

18 - Dune (1984, David Lynch)

How different is David Lynch's 1984 movie Dune from the 1965 book by Frank Herbert? What is it like to watch it for the first time in 2018? We will tell you all this and more in this podcast. Melinda and Michael provide movie synopses, and Aaron explains what it all means.

22:55 Michael's synopsis
46:00 - Melinda synopsis

15 - The Decline Of Western Civilization Part 2: The Metal Years

Melinda got the blu-ray box set of the Decline of Western Civilization movies, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about Metal!! Not that there is all that much real metal in this 1988 documentary by Penelope Spheeris... but nonetheless we give it a go. Aaron watches the film for the first time and Melinda revisits it with the director's commentary. Contemplating buying the set? You'll wanna hear our review.

14 - Clash of the Titans, 1981

Aaron, Melinda, and Tom debate the strengths, weaknesses, and fun facts surrounding the 1981 movie Clash of the Titans, which interestingly features no clashes or Titans.

I'm formidable, and my hair is stunning.

07- Superman: The Movie, The Donner Cut

Tonight it's all about SUPERMAN!

Aaron tells us about the book he’s reading, we touch on some spelling and pronunciation issues, and we introduce our special guest, Michael French. We talk about the challenges of livestreaming and pontificate on which Hogwarts house we each would be placed in.

Richard Donner considers punching Pierre Spengler in the nose with his lighter as Marlon Brando looks on in glee.

(07:05) Tonight we have decided to talk about the first 2 Superman movies (1978 and 1980), and in particular the craziness that was going on behind the scenes with Alexander and Ilya Salkind and Richard Donner, just to get these movies made! What was the original story arc supposed to look like? Why is it that when you watch the Donner cuts of Superman I and II they essentially have the same ending, with Superman turning the earth backward? We explain all this and more, including the cutthroat methods of the Salkinds, the removal of Richard Donner as director before Superman II and the subsequent rewrites and reshoots of much of his work on Superman II, the addition of Richard Lester, and the eventual creation of the Donner Cut of each film.

Pictured Below: Alexander and Ilya Salkind, Richard Donner.

References:

Caped Wonder Website