The Complete Catalog

Erotica was considered the nadir of Madonna’s career when it was released in 1992. But as Tristan and journalist Caroline Delbert uncover, the album has been reclaimed, especially removed from its pairing of the (unfairly!) infamous Sex book, and should be considered as a bold progression for the artist.

I’m Breathless, the 1990 soundtrack to Dick Tracy, is Madonna’s basically faithful ode to old Hollywood…plus one of her most “hip” and lasting tracks. Tristan and Lucy O’Brien, author of Madonna: Like an Icon , talk about how the album did (and did not) intersect with the aesthetics of the film in which she starred and how it can basically stand alone as a unique effort in Madonna’s discography.

1989’s Like a Prayer is considered a watershed moment in Madonna’s career. Tristan and actor, writer, and comedian Frankie Lee dive deep into the monumental work; they think it’s going to catch on!

Who’s That Girl almost wasn’t included in the run of episodes for this Madonna season of The Complete Catalog because this soundtrack record isn’t made up of a majority of her songs. But the 1987 release still has the presence of a “Madonna album,” as filmmaker and critic Scout Tafoya and Tristan discuss, not least because her tracks are far and away the collection’s best and her starring role in...

True Blue, released in 1986, was Madonna’s third album in as many years right at the start of the career and continued her meteoric rise in both the commercial and critical arenas. Author Tim Riley ( Madonna Illustrated , Riley Rock Report ) and Tristan get into how the record is simultaneously a refinement of accessible pop construction and a deepening of lyrical themes.

Like a Virgin was only Madonna’s second album but it is often credited as the one that “made” her. Tristan and Santiago Fouz-Hernández, professor in Iberian Studies and Film Studies at Durham University and co-editor of Madonna's Drowned Worlds: New Approaches to her Cultural Transformations, 1983-2003 , discuss how the 1984 album made a huge global splash and continues to carry many distinct plea...

Welcome to The Complete Catalog, a podcast for media deep dives. For this second season, host Tristan Ettleman and his guests explore the 18 albums of Madonna (including some videos, movies, and other releases) across 43 years. Madonna’s 1983 self-titled debut almost feels like a fully-formed artist burst into pop culture consciousness out of nowhere. But as Tristan and Matthew Rettenmund , author...

This is it: the season finale of The Complete Catalog: Studio Ghibli (at least for now)! Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron stands as his and the studio’s final film (again, for now) and it offers a rich yet complicated host of thematic threads and compelling characterizations; all while being beautiful of course. Tristan and Edmond “Edo” Ernest dit Alban, Assistant Professor in Communication...

Earwig and the Witch has the infamous reputation as Studio Ghibli’s worst film. That is indeed true, as Tristan and Assistant Professor of Japanese Film and Media Studies at the University of Florida Caitlin Casiello agree, but they also try to find some things to appreciate about Goro Miyazaki’s 2020 release.

Michaël Dudok de Wit’s 2016 feature The Red Turtle almost didn’t make it into the episode run of the “complete Studio Ghibli catalog.” But this Japanese/French/German co-production, helmed by Ghibli’s only non-Japanese filmmaker, is, besides being great, full of recurring themes and its own unique readings and aesthetic, as Tristan and Kyle Macciomei, Ghibli cuisine enthusiast, discuss.

When Marnie Was There, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, has been read through a few different lenses since its 2014 release, with many centering platonic female friendships and/or queer relationships. Theater artist and writer Ben Gierhart and Tristan tackle these nuanced themes and generally praise this downtempo and somewhat unconventional Studio Ghibli film.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is Isao Takahata’s final directorial effort. So it comes with a bit of resonance as the conclusion to the career of a great filmmaker, and Tristan and Ethan Simmie, host of the The Movie Draft Podcast , explore the many emotions and themes of the expansive film, released just months after The Wind Rises in 2013.

For quite a while, it seemed like 2013’s The Wind Rises would be Hayao Miyazaki’s final film. While that ended up not being true, there is a sense of something ending with this complex movie, and Tristan and Gabe Gurwin, SEO Editor at GameSpot, discuss that and much more.

From Up on Poppy Hill has settled into a place of recognition as not just Goro Miyazaki’s best film, but also an underrated slice of life period drama. Tristan and Yuki Irikura, Assistant Professor at Waseda University, talk about its finer points and dive into the historical context of its 1960s milieu and 2011 production and release.

Catherine Butler, Professor of English Literature at Cardiff University, wrote quite a bit about The Secret World of Arrietty (as it is known in the US, at least) and its relation to, and deviations from, its source material in her book British Children's Literature in Japanese Culture: Wonderlands and Looking-glasses . While Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s 2010 directorial debut may live in the shadow of...

Hayao Miyazaki’s 2008 film Ponyo feels like the end of an era for Studio Ghibli, as it stands (as of now) as the director’s final movie to present a rosy fantasy realm cultivated for children. But as Tristan and Seth S. Scott, video game developer as Perfect Hat , discuss, it still carries deep themes and beautiful moments that make the film resonant (and fun) for everyone.

Goro Miyazaki’s debut feature, 2006’s Tales from Earthsea, was bound to be compared to his father’s work. Unfortunately, within the scope of the complete Studio Ghibli catalog, this is done so unfavorably. But as Tristan and David Lewis, host of the Cinemallenials podcast, discuss, there are plenty of things to like about the fantasy film.

Hayao Miyazaki’s 2004 film Howl’s Moving Castle is yet another example of the director’s, and Studio Ghibli’s, massive hits with ongoing cultural impact. So Tristan and Brendon Bouphachay ( @theboopbear on TikTok) fittingly explore the movie from many angles, reflecting on its incredible nuance and sheer entertainment value.

The Cat Returns is Studio Ghibli’s only feature sequel, although as Tristan and Mihaela Mihailova, Assistant Professor at San Francisco State University, discuss, its connection to 1995’s Whisper of the Heart isn’t its defining feature. But Hiroyuki Morita’s 2002 follow-up can’t help living in the shadow of the monumental Ghibli films that surround it and the two acknowledge this while evaluating...

Well, here we are: Tristan’s favorite Studio Ghibli film. Hayao Miyazaki’s 2001 masterpiece Spirited Away broke the studio into unprecedented international fame and repute, and Tristan and Shiro Yoshioka, Lecturer at Newcastle University, go long on its richness and impact.

Isao Takahata’s penultimate feature My Neighbors the Yamadas features “rude” family comedy akin to his early career work, such as Chie the Brat. Tristan and Zoe Crombie, researcher and lecturer at Lancaster University, discuss how Studio Ghibli’s 1999 film, while sometimes seen as “just” a series of vignettes, is an incredibly refined commentary on modern life and family dysfunction (and indeed, i...

Malcolm Cook, Associate Professor of Film at the University of Southampton, is co-editor, with Kirsten Moana Thompson, of Animation and Advertising , and that particular research interest informs the prologue segment of this episode about Studio Ghibli’s commercial work. But Malcolm and Tristan of course certainly dedicate a lot of conversation to Hayao Miyazaki’s 1997 pop culture behemoth Princes...

Esteem for Yoshifumi Kondo’s Whisper of the Heart has grown among Studio Ghibli fans in the 30 years since its release in 1995. Tristan and friend of the show Madeleine Clermont discuss why it deserves its dark horse “favorite” status due to, among many other things, its wonderfully understated yet emotional depiction of the creative process.

Isao Takahata’s 1994 eco-fable Pom Poko is simultaneously full of silly humor and morbid reflections on the fate of creatures affected by humanity’s destruction of the environment. As friend of the show J.J. DiUbaldi and Tristan discuss, however, the film doesn’t take the easy way out in its conclusion of these themes and its collective cast of tanuki represent utter joy and deep loss.

Ocean Waves is far and away the Studio Ghibli film with the worst reception so far and the first to not be directed by Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata. But as friend of the show Michael Burns and Tristan discuss, Tomomi Mochizuki’s 1993 TV movie contains beautifully detailed backgrounds and touching threads of nostalgia and the high school experience.