Storytelling Breakdown Ben Clemmer, Caleb Meyer, Stephen Stachofsky, Larissa Whitaker

As we near the end of summer, the Storytelling Breakdown team decided it was time for Movie Share II: Electric Boogaloo. 

The rotation from last time has been reversed. Stephen has Ben, exploring more works of Hayao Miyazaki with Howl’s Moving Castle. Ben has Larissa, and the two opened the episode with a trip back to the 1970’s with Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous. Larissa has Caleb, and she put Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself on his radar. Caleb has Stephen, who put on his headphones and sat down for Live, Die, Rep… wait, Edge of Tomorrow. 

In The Lord of the Rings: The Scenes of Power our team begins our journey into The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. From Glamdring to an impassable labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks, the conversation starts around the 01:24:03 mark. 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 


★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Film goers of a certain age have grown up with Indiana Jones. For the Storytelling Breakdown team, that meant seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade on VHS, sharing the first viewings with parents and siblings, and probably seeing Temple of Doom a little later in the ol’ childhood. We got Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008 and 15 years ago it looked unlikely that Indiana Jones would go out on top. 

Ben, Caleb, Larissa, and Stephen saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny together. Just a couple days later, they sat down for a conversation about growing up with the movies, what makes a good Indiana Jones film, and how each sequel fared in following what some consider to be a nearly perfect movie. With Harrison Ford stating that he will not be tempted to make another Indy film, how does Dial of Destiny hold up as this character’s final adventure? 

Autumn Schultz joined us for last month’s Spider-Verse episode. She returns for this month’s Spotlight on K-Dramas. The conversation starts around the 01:49:49 mark. 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 


★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

When Storytelling Breakdown debuted in 2020, our first episode dedicated to a single movie was dedicated to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Our guest for that episode was Autumn Schultz. With a new Spider-Verse film capturing the imaginations of audiences worldwide, Caleb and Larissa have invited Autumn back to the podcast to discuss the Web-Head’s latest outing. She is joined by another guest bringing his own Spider-Man expertise to Storytelling Breakdown, Apollo Lymon. The four of them will explore the many elements that set Across the Spider-Verse apart from other animated works, even its predecessor. 

This conversation will be SPOILER heavy, so if you haven’t yet, rewatch the first film, put on some Sunflower, and watch Across the Spider-Verse on the biggest screen possible while you have the chance. Then join us for this jam-packed love letter to Spider-Man. 

We are returning to our original Spotlight format for this episode. Caleb and Larissa got to hear more from Apollo and Autumn as Ben 10 was discussed. The conversation starts around the 00:57:25 mark. 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 


★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Before the start of Storytelling Breakdown’s third season, our community update episode served as an official welcoming of Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker as co-hosts of the podcast. We went down the rabbit hole of everyone’s media histories and Larissa mentioned a show we will cover in depth in this June episode, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. 

Despite sixteen seasons of staying power, Sunny has never received Emmy consideration for anything other than stunts, with three nominations and no wins. Larissa and Caleb come into this episode with a for your consideration campaign as they introduce the show to Sunny newcomers, Ben and Stephen. Does It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia deserve an Emmy for Best Comedy? What are the best episodes to start with if you are introducing the show to someone who's never seen it? How do you win a game of Chardee MacDennis? Grab your toe knife and your headphones, and join us for this latest deep dive from Storytelling Breakdown. 

In The Lord of the Rings: The Scenes of Power our team takes one last look (probably) at The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. We’ll be discussing the dynamic between Aragorn and Borimir and the conversation starts around the 01:26:14 mark. 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 


★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

You pull into the drive-in for a double feature. Maybe you tilt your seat back and settle in for the latest entry in a franchise with decades of staying power. The floor is sticky. The popcorn is almost gone by the time the trailers finish. These thoughts could remind you of when you were a kid or maybe you're the one bringing the kids along. They could also remind you of a commercial featuring Vin Diesel or an SNL parody of the same. As the weather gets warmer and we look ahead to summer movie releases, Ben, Caleb, Larissa, and Stephen took some time to reflect on summer blockbusters. 

Where does the term come from? What are some of your favorite summer movie memories? What makes a movie a blockbuster? And how good is our team at identifying when movies came out even if the films’ original releases predate our team? Join us for a blockbuster spectacular on this episode of Storytelling Breakdown. 

This month’s entry in The Lord of the Rings: The Scenes of Power features The Bridge of Khazad Dum from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The conversation starts around the 00:52:15 mark. 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 


★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Take my love, take my land, take me where I cannot stand… 

We are finally getting around to a Firefly episode. Ben, Caleb, and Larissa revisited the series for the first time in a while and started out with what currently sits as the highest rated episode in the series on IMDB, Out of Gas. 

To again paraphrase Robert McKee, “true character is revealed in the decisions human beings make under pressure,” and this episode puts the crew of Serenity in peril from the episode’s first moments. Out of Gas also makes fantastic use of flashback, setting, and the opportunities storytelling within the confines of a dark and isolating ‘verse can bring. Ben’s first viewing of the show was half his lifetime ago and he’s met two members of the core cast since. Put on your browncoat, stay shiny, and remember that no power in the ‘verse can stop you. 

The Lord of the Rings: The Scenes of Power continues with the Council of Elrond from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The conversation starts around the 00:47:18 mark. 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at info@storytelling-breakdown.com or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 


★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★