Verbal Diorama Verbal Diorama

Heroes Through the Decades ass kicks into the '90s, with Wesley Snipes' cool, charismatic badass vampire hunter - Blade!
In 1971 the Comics Code Authority updated its code criteria, which had been in place since 1954, relaxing the rules on the depiction of horror in comics. For the first time, vampires were allowed in comic books. Marvel's first pseudo-vampire character, Morbius the Living Vampire sowed the seeds for the second; Blade the Vampire Hunter.
Wesley Snipes was originally interested in making an adaptation of Black Panther before his attention was piqued with a movie adaptation of Blade. In many ways, it feels like the character of Blade was made for Wesley Snipes, and he not only decided to star in Blade, but also produce it through his production company Amen Ra Films. Snipes was literally and figuratively invested in this production.
Snipes, along with writer David S. Goyer (who fought against studios trying to whitewash the character) and director Stephen Norrington, formed a trifecta of creative passion for Blade; for his story, the homage paid to Hong Kong action films and to make this story as bloody, gory and fun as it could be.
Insert very '90s techno rave music here. IT'S BLOOD RAVE TIME!
I would love to hear your thoughts on Blade (1998) !
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Give this podcast a five-star https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview (Rate & Review)
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Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Sunni and Drew
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T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come!
EPISODE THANKS TO....
Most excellent patrons:
Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps.
Scott for his patron thoughts. You can find him @MSMRpod on Twitter and his podcast Monkey See Monkey Review on all your podcast apps.
Ian and Brendan for your patron comments too!
Twitter peeps
@HarrymetMovies
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Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - https://www.facebook.com/watch/Compositionsbychloe/ (Compositions by Chloe )
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio
https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=emmcgowan (This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.)
Mentioned in this episode:
Livestream for the Cure 2022
The 6th Annual Livestream for the Cure will take place May 19th - 21st over 45 hours, as creators from around the world come together to fight for hope - the hope of a future immune to cancer. Join me and other podcasters and content creators from across the world as we support Livestream for the Cure and raise $20,000 for the Cancer Research Institute. I'll be joining Nick on Livestream for the Cure on Saturday 21st May between 17:00-18:00 BST (12:00-13:00 Eastern US time / 09:00-10:00 Pacific US time).
https://verbaldiorama.com/livestreamforthecure2022 (LivestreamfortheCure)

Heroes Through the Decades kapows into the 1980s, and is there any superhero as ubiquitous as Batman? Found in comics, in movies and TV, on lunchboxes, as toys and as one of the best-known silhouettes in the world, Batman's omnipresence in pop culture might be commonplace today, but while Batman was a hugely popular comic book series (and '60s TV show!), the Caped Crusader as we know him shifted into popular culture in 1989, not only with the release of this movie, but with BATMANIA!
Batman was a movie built from the ground up for merchandising potential, and that famous black and yellow Batman logo adorned everything in the run-up to the release of this movie, including clothing, trading cards and bags. Teaser posters were stolen from bus stops and subway stations.
Pre-production of Batman was long and arduous, with fan expectations at fever pitch, and when Michael Keaton's name was announced, 50,000 letters of complaint were sent to the production.
This episode also pays its respect to the late Bill Finger, a man who was never originally credited for co-creating Batman, and it took a novelist and documentary filmmaker's persistence to get Finger the posthumous credit he deserved.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Batman (1989) !
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SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Give this podcast a five-star https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview (Rate & Review)
Join the https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon (Patreon)
Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Sunni and brand-new patron DREW!
BRAND-NEW https://verbaldiorama.com/merch (Merch) STORE!!
T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come!
EPISODE THANKS TO....
Most excellent patrons:
Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps.
Claudia for her patron thoughts.
Twitter peeps
@MrAsquith
@DWLundberg
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@sassylassy76

Facebook chums
Andy T
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Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - https://www.facebook.com/watch/Compositionsbychloe/ (Compositions by Chloe )
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio
https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=emmcgowan (This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.)
Mentioned in this episode:
Livestream for the Cure 2022
The 6th Annual Livestream for the Cure will take place May 19th - 21st over 45 hours, as creators from around the world come together to fight for hope - the hope of a future immune to cancer. Join me and other podcasters and content creators from across the world as we support Livestream for the Cure and raise $20,000 for the Cancer Research Institute. I'll be joining Nick on Livestream for the Cure on Saturday 21st May between 17:00-18:00 BST (12:00-13:00 Eastern US time / 09:00-10:00 Pacific US time).
https://verbaldiorama.com/livestreamforthecure2022 (LivestreamfortheCure)

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Verbal Diorama's Heroes Through the Decades miniseries, continuing into the 1970s!
Whether you know him as Clark Kent, Kal-El, the Man of Steel, the Man of Tomorrow, or just as Superman, that famous tights-and-cape combo emblazoned with the S on his chest is a symbol of a lot of things:
Hope, courage, freedom, love... truth, justice and the American way, and a movie with a rich history in comic books, that was made in part because of Zorro, and in another due to 1966's Batman.
The late Christopher Reeve is perfectly cast as both Clark Kent and Superman, in a landmark superhero film by the late Richard Donner. Donner's personality clashes with father-and-son producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind led to him being fired from Superman II, despite him completing reportedly 75% of the sequel....
I would love to hear your thoughts on Superman (1978) !
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Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com
Website https://my.captivate.fm/verbaldiorama.com (verbaldiorama.com)

SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Give this podcast a five-star https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview (Rate & Review)
Join the https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon (Patreon)
Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Jason and Sunni.
BRAND-NEW https://verbaldiorama.com/merch (Merch) STORE!!
T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come!
EPISODE THANKS TO....
Most excellent patrons:
Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps.
Sam for his patron thoughts. You can find him @MovieReviewsIn on Twitter and his podcast Movie Reviews in 20 Q's on all your podcast apps.
Brendan for his patron thoughts.
Twitter peeps
@SeanGeekPodcast
@mrlondon_ncb
@NikolisKitchen
@LaunchingTPilot
@spocklightpod
@ConnectionsCult

Instagram folk
@richkidd266

Facebook chums
Andy T

Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - https://www.facebook.com/watch/Compositionsbychloe/ (Compositions by Chloe )
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio
https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=emmcgowan (This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.)
Mentioned in this episode:
Livestream for the Cure 2022
The 6th Annual Livestream for the Cure will take place May 19th - 21st over 45 hours, as creators from around the world come together to fight for hope - the hope of a future immune to cancer. Join me and other podcasters and content creators from across the world as we support Livestream for the Cure and raise $20,000 for the Cancer Research Institute. I'll be joining Nick on Livestream for the Cure on Saturday 21st May between 17:00-18:00 BST (12:00-13:00 Eastern US time / 09:00-10:00 Pacific US time).
https://verbaldiorama.com/livestreamforthecure2022 (LivestreamfortheCure)

In the first episode of my Heroes Through the Decades miniseries, I'm starting in the sixties, and the crowing jewel of Ray Harryhausen's stellar career, with his trademark glorious stop-motion creature set pieces, in a movie I grew up watching - Jason and the Argonauts. Jason may be the hero on-screen, but Harryhausen is the hero behind it.
From its basis in the Greek myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece, to Ray Harryhausen's early career and the influence he had seeing King Kong (1933) to becoming the protégé of Willis H. O'Brien (the animator of King Kong), Harryhausen would end up surpassing his mentor in every way and became a one-man behemoth of Hollywood visual effects, influencing Peter Jackson, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, amongst others.
This episode was so much fun to put together and will definitely not be my last foray into the work of Harryhausen, a man who irrevocably changed Hollywood and defined the modern blockbuster in more ways than one.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Jason and the Argonauts (1963) !
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Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com
Website https://my.captivate.fm/verbaldiorama.com (verbaldiorama.com)

SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Give this podcast a five-star https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview (Rate & Review)
Join the https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon (Patreon)
Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Jason and Sunni.
BRAND-NEW https://verbaldiorama.com/merch (Merch) STORE!!
T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come!
EPISODE THANKS TO....
Most excellent patrons:
Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps.
Laurel for her patron thoughts. You can find her @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter and her podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps.
Brendan for his patron thoughts, too!
Twitter peeps
@30Podcast
@mrlondon_ncb
@DWLundberg
@DannyBrownCA
@MoviesWork
@SwayzeofArabia
@capunderstands
@HarrymetMovies

Instagram folk
@sassylassy76
@dave_j_bamf
@onceuponanightmarepodcast
@sp_filmviewers

Facebook chums
None this time

Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - https://www.facebook.com/watch/Compositionsbychloe/ (Compositions by Chloe )
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio
https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=emmcgowan (This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.)
Mentioned in this episode:
Livestream for the Cure 2022
The 6th Annual Livestream for the Cure will take place May 19th - 21st over 45 hours, as creators from around the world come together to fight for hope - the hope of a future immune to cancer. Join me and other podcasters and content creators from across the world as we support Livestream for the Cure and raise $20,000 for the Cancer Research Institute. I'll be joining Nick on Livestream for the Cure on Saturday 21st May between 17:00-18:00 BST (12:00-13:00 Eastern US time / 09:00-10:00 Pacific US time).
https://verbaldiorama.com/livestreamforthecure2022 (LivestreamfortheCure)

What does a scanner see? Into the head? Down into the heart? Does it see into me? Into us? Clearly or darkly? I hope it sees clearly because I can't any longer see into myself. I see only murk. I hope for everyone's sake the scanners do better, because if the scanner sees only darkly the way I do, then I'm cursed and cursed again.
Welcome to the 150th episode of Verbal Diorama, and an episode on two things this podcast is renowned for: animation and Keanu Reeves! Richard Linklater's 2006 movie A Scanner Darkly is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Philip K. Dick, in turn based on his amphetamine addiction in the early '70s, and the resulting psychosis he experienced.
Making A Scanner Darkly using interpolated rotoscoped animation was the ideal choice for a dystopian, drug-fuelled movie that's so disassociated with reality. The live-action portion of the movie was filmed without incident, but when it came to the animation, time and budgetary concerns would cause the original senior animation team to walk out six months into production. They wanted more time and more money to finish the project. Rather than grant them their wish, the producers would fire and replace them...
I would love to hear your thoughts on A Scanner Darkly !
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Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com
Website https://my.captivate.fm/verbaldiorama.com (verbaldiorama.com)

SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Give this podcast a five-star https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview (Rate & Review)
Join the https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon (Patreon)
Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Jason and Sunni.
BRAND-NEW https://verbaldiorama.com/merch (Merch) STORE!!
T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come!
EPISODE THANKS TO....
Most excellent patrons:
Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps.
Vern for his patron thoughts. You can find him @cinemarecall on Twitter and his podcast Cinema Recall on all your podcast apps.
Laurel for her patron thoughts. You can find her @TheMidnightMyth on Twitter and her podcast The Midnight Myth on all your podcast apps.
Sam, for suggesting this episode and for his patron thoughts. You can find him @MovieReviewsIn on Twitter and his podcast Movie Reviews in 20 Q's on all your podcast apps.
Ian for his patron thoughts.
Twitter peeps
@MarkACBrown
@Stuntgoat75
@PhiltheBear
@ConnectionsCult
@Wonggifs

Instagram folk
None this time

Facebook chums
None this time

Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - https://www.facebook.com/watch/Compositionsbychloe/ (Compositions by Chloe )
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio
https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=emmcgowan (This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.)
Mentioned in this episode:
Livestream for the Cure 2022
The 6th Annual Livestream for the Cure will take place May 19th - 21st over 45 hours, as creators from around the world come together to fight for hope - the hope of a future immune to cancer. Join me and other podcasters and content creators from across the world as we support Livestream for the Cure and raise $20,000 for the Cancer Research Institute. I'll be joining Nick on Livestream for the Cure on Saturday 21st May between 17:00-18:00 BST (12:00-13:00 Eastern US time / 09:00-10:00 Pacific US time).
https://verbaldiorama.com/livestreamforthecure2022...

Warning. This episode contains jokes about balls. Lots of balls.
Sports movies are ten-a-penny in Hollywood, sports comedies even more so. There's nothing funnier than a ball being flung in the vicinity of a person's face or private parts, let's be honest.
But DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story is more influential than you might think. Not only is it a sharp satire of the fitness and health industry, but it also unofficially marked the creation of a real American professional dodgeball league, as well as reintroducing a sport seen as vicious and cruel to the general population, by some deft physical comedy showing the sport as indeed vicious and cruel, but also hilariously funny.
Rawson Marshall Thurber's directorial debut is self-assured, witty and fun, and has the benefit of the association of Ben Stiller's production company. Despite his busy 2004 schedule, Stiller was very hands on, and White Goodman remains one of his funniest, and most quotable, characters.
DodgeBall goes balls deep into an obscure, relatively unknown sport, so I do the same with this movie. Grab life by the balls and enjoy!
I would love to hear your thoughts on DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story !
GET IN TOUCH....
Twitter https://twitter.com/verbaldiorama (@verbaldiorama)
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Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com
Website https://my.captivate.fm/verbaldiorama.com (verbaldiorama.com)

SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Give this podcast a five-star https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview (Rate & Review)
Join the https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon (Patreon)
Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Ian D, Jason and BRAND-NEW patron Sunni.
BRAND-NEW https://verbaldiorama.com/merch (Merch) STORE!!
T-shirts inspired by The Mummy (1999) with more collections to come!
EPISODE THANKS TO....
Most excellent patrons:
Scott for his patron thoughts. You can find him @MSMRpod on Twitter and his podcast Monkey See Monkey Review on all your podcast apps.
Andy for his patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter and his podcast Geek Salad on all your podcast apps.
Ian for his patron thoughts.
Twitter peeps
@ToxicDeath
@thatfkingguy
@cage_podcast
@ThiefCGT
@mrlondon_ncb
@NeededRoads
@NextToTheAisle
@UKFilmNerd
@SpitGrades
@ConnectionsCult

Instagram folk
@vegimorph
@friendlysparpod

Facebook chums
None this time

Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song
Music by Chloe Enticott - https://www.facebook.com/watch/Compositionsbychloe/ (Compositions by Chloe )
Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)
Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio
https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=emmcgowan (This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.)