Have you ever wanted to know the TRUE story that inspired King Arthur? Did you know that Arthur was a freedom fighter battling for the independence of Britannia? Wait until you see what armor Guinevere preferred to wear into battle! And don’t forget Tristan and his faithful falcon! Join us and Jon Gabrus (High &Continue reading “KING ARTHUR (2004)”
Tag Archives: fantasy
GREMLINS (1984)
Bright light! Bright light! We sit down with Brandon Polite (Philosophy, Knox College) to discuss Joe Dante’s horror comedy masterpiece. Topics include: Chekov’s rules of Gremlin lore, Mogwai metaphors, slapstick humor, why you shouldn’t show this movie to young children, practical special effects, old and new Hollywood, capitalism, and what we can learn from Gizmo.Continue reading “GREMLINS (1984)”
ALMOST FAMOUS (2000)
We hit the road with Paul Keelan (Cinematic Underdogs) and talk bands, touring, growing up, and more in this jam-packed episode on Cameron Crowe’s memoir film Almost Famous. Paul shares his experience touring with bands, and we discover that we were once in the same room over a decade ago! We talk about the illusionContinue reading “ALMOST FAMOUS (2000)”
WILLOW (1988)
With the release of the Disney+ show set in the world of Andowyne, we figured it was time to revisit a beloved fantasy classic from the 80s, Ron Howard’s delightfully magical WILLOW! Big time Willow-head John DeVore joins us to talk about how the film was his fantasy gateway drug, and how it’s about anContinue reading “WILLOW (1988)”
THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
We are joined by Jamelle Bouie (NYTimes / Unclear and Present Danger Podcast) to discuss the conclusion to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and bring our miniseries to a close. We pick up the discussion about heroism with Frodo’s empathy towards Gollum, Sam’s faithfulness to Frodo, and Aragorn’s radical faith in the hobbits. Then,Continue reading “THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)”
THE TWO TOWERS (2002)
We sit down with Agnes Callard (Philosophy, Chicago) and Robin Hanson (Economics, GMU) to discuss the second installment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers! We talk about the film as a transitional piece that deals with the transformations of its main characters, the addictive and corruptive capacity of power, and wonderContinue reading “THE TWO TOWERS (2002)”
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
Welcome to the start of our Lord of the Rings miniseries! We kick things off with the first film of Peter Jackson’s trilogy, which marks the beginning of Frodo’s quest and introduces us to the main players and themes of the books/films. We welcome Bennett Eckert (MIT) and Rebecca Kuang (Yale) to consider what makesContinue reading “THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)”
EXCALIBUR (1981)
The cows revisit the Arthurian legend with Bilge Ebiri (New York Magazine and Vulture). We discuss how the film weaves together opera and Jungian archetypes while exploring humanity’s complex and often violent relationship with nature, the challenges of self-governance, the allure of a benevolent dictator, and the tragedy befalling the virtuous leader who desires notContinue reading “EXCALIBUR (1981)”
Cows in the Field 