Ryan McNeil
In a few ways, part of me wants to believe that this episode shouldn’t have come to pass. I say this because of the vast amount of technical difficulties that plagued its creation. I must beg forgiveness for my audio problems in the episode, but if you can endure them you’ll be treated to some rather nifty content.
Here you have the Cal Ripken Jr. episode
This episode has been archived, but it can be made available on request.
if you’d like to listen to it, please email ryanatthematineedotca
Here’s what’s in store in episode eight…
Runtime
52 minutes, 14 seconds
Up for Discussion
1. My brief introduction (0:00)
2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY – Q & A with this episode’s guest, Danger Girl. (1:18)
3. WHAT’S GOIN’ ON – A fun Oscar wrap-up, TRON LEGACY marketing, and Hollywood continues to pillage our childhood. (5:58)
4. THE NEW SLANG – Review and reaction of ALICE IN WONDERLAND (11:22)
5. THE BEST OF YOU – Our Top Five Children’s Lit Movies. (25:53)
Comments and feedback are welcome, and thanks very much for listening.
Enjoy!
Looking forward to this one, would listen to it at work if my headphones didn't break last week. As usual, digging the song references in the podcast breakdown there.
Oh man, she hated it!
What Danger Girl gets to pick 3 movies! That question didn't even exist when I was on! *cries*
Loved the *insert title here* throw in! Absolutely hilarious!
As for Alice in Wonderland… *gurgle* Maybe I'll see it, maybe I won't till DVD.
So The Word of the Day is: Scandalous
Good to know 🙂
Burton's hit and miss for me, but I'll give Alice a chance someday, be it theater or dvd (probably the latter).
And I have to agree with you Hatter on the first two HP films being meh thanks to Columbus. They didn't start getting good till Prisoner. I only watch the first two when I do a marathon, but otherwise no thanks.
@ Aiden… Broken headphones are my nightmare – nothing would ruin my day faster. Glad you're gonna listen, once you have lemme know what you think!
@ Castor… No kidding! But to each their own, and it actually made for a slightly livlier review than all the others where I seemed to be of the exact same opinion of my guest.
@ Univarn… People are breaking rules left right and centre. Maybe they think this is 'Nam.
I was especially proud of the 'insert word' gag – glad it gave you a chuckle.
@ Rachel… Yeah, while I enjoyed Alice, I don't think anyone needs to rush to a theatre for it, dvd works just fine. And glad someone else agrees with Columbus' ineptitude…don't even get me started on what he did to RENT.
Thanks for listening everyone!
Great episode guys. Am I right in saying Hatter and Danger Girl work together? This makes me wonder two things. Do you ever get any work done at your place of work? Do you refer to each other by your pseudonym in public of just in cyberspace?
I have a confession to make, on the whole I am completely uninterested in kids movies, I didn’t particularly like them when I was a kid! The only Harry Potter I have seen is The Prisoner of Azkaban and that is only because I am a fan of Alfonso Cuarón.
Another great cast Hatter! Loved hearing yours & Danger Girl's take on Alice in Wonderland but sad that it didn't really live up to all you had hoped it would be.
Man, I feel like this year I'm on the opposite side from everyone on some films because I loved Alice in Wonderland – and would ever go as far to say it had not only more of a narrative that I would have imagined and paralled that to a theme of it's on which it continued out of wonderland. Crazy!
Loved hearing both your picks for for kids films and interesting to not the differences if you saw it as a kid or as an adult. Very interesing.
I'm totally stealing Danger Girls phrase of "Shut the Front Door!" That sucker will keep you away from the swear jar!
I clearly haven't visited your site on a regular basis. I didn't even realize you have a podcast! Anyways, I just subscribed via ITunes. I'm anxious to hear what your show is like.
That was a fun Top Five!
I haven't actually made the list, but mine would likely include Princess Bride and Neverending Story (even though I read the books after having loved the movies), Escape to Witch Mountain, Lord of the Rings…and probably Hook. 'Cause I love that one to this day. I actually only read Peter Pan a few years ago, and found myself angry at him most of the time! lol Much different to see a grown-up Peter rediscover good things about being young, without losing completely his sense of responsibility! lol
Here's a question for you: would movie adaptations of comic books you read as a kid have counted?
– Suzie McSickly Today
@ Number Six… We work two floors apart, so aside from my designated trips down to Danger's desk, there's not much movie chatter. There is a handful of emails though. And no, I'm proud to say that we don't refer to each other by our cyberspace alter-egos.
Ain't no shame in being uninterested in children's lit movies…as we grow up, the part of us that was fascinated by such stories tends to fade, right? Thanks for listening through our kid's lit conversation anyway!
@ Shannon… Yeah, if Fletch thought I sounded like a midwesterner before, I wonder what he'd think of "Shut the front door."
I've become the great Alice defender since recording that episode, so it's mostly Danger's expectations that it didn't meet. I didn't think it was perfect, but it was still plenty good enough for me. Don't feel quite so all alone – you have company on this one.
@ Edgar… Thanks for dropping by and seeing what I was up to! Leave me comments as you listen to each episode, OK?
@ Susie… No, comic books wouldn't have counted – that'll be a whole other five. Reading some of these books as an adult is actually pretty cool…such was the case last week when I read Alice!
Oh, and remember – I see you.
I'm totally with Danger Girl on Alice in Wonderland. Liked the children's film lists as well. Mary Poppins probably my all time favorite. I think it was the first film I saw in the theater. Nice podcast!
@ Linda… Don't help danger out. This is the first podcast so far where the guest has radically disagreed with the host, and the host isn't too happy about that lot in life.
Thanks for listening though – be sure to check back on Monday for Episode #9
Okay, now that I've finally gotten to hear the WHOLE thing (damn you, Firefox), I can comment and say that 1) the Oscar bit is hilarious, 2) I actually see what Danger Girl means about "Alice," and 3) you've now made me wonder what the hell is wrong with me, 'cos my picks for favourite movies as a child…aren't kid-friendly movies AT ALL!
Our dear Joel warned me not to see "Alice" in 3D, for the reasons you mentioned – primarily that it wasn't filmed that way to begin with – but my ex's son took me to see it, and he had gone ahead and bought tix to the 3D showing. I wasn't about to make a fuss, obviously. 🙂 That said, I have no basis for comparison, and I don't know if I'd have enjoyed it more in 2D (I did find the visuals a bit awkward in places, and even got a touch of a headache, which hasn't happened to me since the infamous Beouwulf Migraine Outbreak – I'll explain if you haven't heard about that before!). But yes, the Cheshire Cat – as in Fry, not your DVD-thieving friend (ha) – was the coolest thing Burton did with that extra dimension. And the army of cards, yes. The rest of it? I just don't know if 3D added or took away. It never took my breath away, like "Up!" did, that's for sure.
You may be onto something when you say that we might not have been the intended target demographic for it, and I for one felt like I was perhaps expecting the Dark!Burton of late when I went in, rather than just enjoying the ride for what it was. It was also hard to get past what felt like a tragically short amount of screen time for some of my favourite actors on earth – Alan Rickman and Michael Sheen were sorely underused – but, on the other hand, I wouldn't have wanted the film to be any longer than it was, because it was perilously close to boring by the end anyway. (I should mention that my Dad read the book to me repeatedly when I was a child, from the first night I came home from the hospital, and I know every word of "The Jabberwocky" by heart, so perhaps being TOO familiar with the story and being left wanting more of Depp's Scottish recitations of that verse did more harm than good for me.)
I'd give it 3/5, mainly because the actors (especially HBC!) were utterly fantastic (and I liked JD's interpretation of the Hatter being mad due to poisoning, myself). But will I rent or buy it? Hmm. Not up there on my list. And I'm a big Burton fan, so that's saying something.
One more note: I'm thrilled that "Avatar" didn't win Best Picture, and happy for Bigelow and her "little movie that could," but I'd have chosen "Up In The Air" as the best film of the year. And…what's up with Clooney?? He has looked so deeply sad and haunted for the past few months – every awards show I've seen, his eyes just look ready to tear up – and I'm not even a diehard fan, so if I'm noticing this, why is nobody else asking what's wrong there??? I vote you dedicate a podcast to THAT! 😉
@ EhCh… Holy Hannah, comment much?
Glad you liked our Oscar nerdiness, you're actually the first person to mention it. Goes to show what it takes to amuse small minds like mine, right?
Sorry to hear that you were brought to the 3-D showing against your will. I mention this in Episode 9 (which you should now make a point to go listen to), that as of now I am officially off the 3-D bandwagon unless the film was specifically shot in 3-D (Read: TRON).
As for Clooney, I know he was playing all surly to enhance the joke, but he got a smile outta me when the camera cuaght him slightly chair-dancing to the score from SHERLOCK HOLMES.
Now I vote you give matineecast #9 a listen – my International episode!
@Hatter – Am about to listen to ze podcast. And yes, of course I left an epic-length comment! Surely you've seen by now that I have no inner editor…
The Clooney thing extends far beyond Oscar night, or moments when he knows he may be on camera. I've noticed it everywhere he turns up, since maybe…December? And as I said, I'm not a Clooney follower, so I have no reason to pay attention to these things; it's just THAT blatant. I wonder if we'll ever find out.
All I can say about the 3D Alice experience is that, had it turned into the Great Beowulf Migraine sequel, I'd have been right pissed. As it was, I'm just left wondering if my viewing experience was irrevocably screwed by the good intentions of my ex's son! (Have I mentioned lately, like in the last ten minutes, that I hated Avatar? If not, there you go. Now I have. It fits with the "filmed FOR 3D" thread. Just wanted to be sure it got said. Again.)