Adaptive Difficulty

Mars Attacks! We interrupt this broadcast of Hot Greek Summer to tell you that aliens have landed and their kind of sexy? or maybe not? All we know is that we can't move on until we deal with this threat. We have enlisted the aid of Hard Ticket, who have kindly sent aid to our small world by way of Tristan Moore, to help us tackle H.G. Wells 1898 book The War of the Worlds, Byron Haskin's...

Tell me about a complicated story Muse, tell me how its how its adaptations wandered and were lost   Just ahead of Christopher Nolan's huge IMAX interpretation of The Odyssey, we are starting Hot Greek Summer off with Books 1 through 8 of the ancient epic. We dive into our thoughts on the first third of this tale before getting into how a variety of movies, TV shows and novels have taken on the ch...

We all just want to be accepted for who we are, and, sometimes, the person we love the most and so desperately want to be accepted and embraced by refuses us. It's a heartbreak of the profoundest sort. Join us this week as we discuss Maurice , the 1987 film, directed by James Ivory, based on the E. M. Forster novel Maurice , which was written from 1913-1914, but only published posthumously in 1971...

Where's Michael when you need him? Twice the technology goblins attacked, so my audio is a little rough (Josh's audio is fine), but it's still a good conversation and debate about how expectations can shape an adaptation's reception. I tried my hardest to clean it up, so I can remain proud of that. Join us for our discussion on Crazy Rich Asians , at 2018 film directed by Jon M. Ch...

Is there a more profound line in all of the English canon than "Dorky chicks like you turn me on too"? Jane Austen could never (or maybe she could). Join us as we discuss the 2002film Scooby Doo, written by James Gunn, based on the Scooby Doo franchise that began in 1969. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/dope

You gotta love high school! The dances, the football games, the reification of capitalistic principles. Join us as we discuss 2004's A Cinderella Story , directed by Mark Rosman, written by Leigh Dunlap, and starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray; it is an adaptation of the 1697 French tale "Cinderella" by Charles Perault Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbea...

A pirate's life for me - except for the part where I don't like being wet. Or chased by skeletons, I guess. Join us as we set sail on the high seas, exploring the legendary treasure that is Pirates of the Caribbean , a 2003 film, based on a Disney theme park ride. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/benjamin-botkin/dauntless

Some may say this is a short episode, but it looks perfectly average to me. Join us for an episode of NewPodPlus. We are returning to the the world of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice ; this time we're exploring a somewhat strange adaptation. It's a card game called Marrying Mr. Darcy. The game was designed by Erika Svanoe, and Erik Evensen was in charge of the art and graphic design of the game....

There are some bold questions in this episode, challenging ones. For example, does HAL watch everything in the ship? Also, there is a giant space baby. Join us as we explore Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterpiece 2001 : A Space Odyssey , that was developed in tandem with Arthur C. Clark's 1968 book of the same name.

Shrek is love, Shrek is life, but who was Shrek before he was an all-star? In this episode, we discuss the hit 2001 film Shrek (loosely) based on the 1990 children's book Shrek! by William Steig. Here is the link that Josh discussed in this episode: https://mx.nthu.edu.tw/~katchen/Shrek/shrekbranch.htm

There's nothing like watching erotica with strangers in a theatre. Wuthering Heights (2026) is also nothing like the book. Well, not nothing; it certainly bears some resemblance, but it's like if the book were half-hidden in the dense fog of a remote English moor. Join us as we discuss the hot and fresh (pun intended) 2026 Wuthering Heights movie, directed and written by Emeral Fennell, based on E...

Come to root for your favorite, stay to see just how far Charlie and the Chocolate Factory can go against all odds. The awards season heats up now that Adaptive Difficulty has weighed in! We crown winners and losers among our episodes, and christen the Best Adaptation for the year in a drag-out bracket brawl. License code: CBIKOUNEIFQL78EA

Do not cite the podcast to me, Witch! I was there when it was recorded. Put on your giant fur coat and grab your Turkish delight to settle in for this wide-ranging discussion of C.S. Lewis's fairy tale turned theatrical sort-of-epic. Topics include the role of women in the book compared to the movie, Edmund's major character changes, and whether the movie tie-in video game is secretly an underrate...

New Year! New Pod Plus. Some creative works are so inspiring and wonderful that people keep adapting it. New Pod Plus is our way of exploring those many adaptations. We thought it best to start this new string of shorter episodes with something truly worthy of discussion and consideration. That's right, it's Tom & Jerry & The Wizard of Oz , an "interesting" rendition of The Wizard of Oz ....

Empire? I hardly know her. But seriously, who doesn't like The Empire Strikes Back ? It's very close to a perfect movie, for the most part, but is the novel a perfect book? It has to be better than the last Star Wars book, right? Join us as we celebrate the holiday season with our own Star Wars Holiday Special. This time we are diving into The Empire Strikes Back, George Lucas's 1980 blockbuster s...

It's a truth universally acknowledged that two men in possession of microphones must be in search of a podcast. And we found it. Join us as we experience 2005's Pride and Prejudice , staring Keira Knightley based on Jane Austen's 1813 Pride and Prejudice. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/cory-alstad/watching-her-step License code: DXLH7S4T8WGREL69

If I had a nickel for every time Jack Black starred in a movie based on a kid's beloved video game franchise that involved traveling to an alternate dimension through a portal hidden in an abandoned industrial sector, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. Join as we explore 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https...

What's the most you've ever lost on a coin toss? Does Chigurh vote? And who would he vote for? Is this podcast lucky, since it travelled all this way to your ears? Join us as we ruthlessly chase down No Country for Old Men , the 2007 film based on the book of the same name by Cormac McCarthy.

Nothing is more alluring than a big hole in the earth. Anything could be inside: buried treasure, dangerous monsters, the friendship we made along the way. Those big holes call to us, and we answer the call. Join us as we dig down deep into Holes , the 2003 movie adaptation starring Shia LaBeouf, based on Louis Sachar's 1998 novel of the same name. Make sure to fill up your canteen and thank Mr. S...

Is it cheating if your AI girlfriend invites them into the bedroom? A question for the ages that this film offers but stubbornly refuses to answer. I guess it also explores questions of what it means to be alive and human. But mainly the first one. Join us with what we're tentatively calling New Pod Plus for a return to the world of Blade Runner in this somewhat sequel, Blade Runner 2049 .

Do you remember those robot dogs from the early 2000s? This is basically the same thing. With more violence, existential questions, and sexy robots, of course. Join us as we explore Blade Runner (1982) based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? from 1968.

Inconceivable! We finally made it to The Princess Bride, and it's got everything. Fighting, death, rodents of unusual size, true love, mawage, an evil life sucking machine. Most importantly: an enduring mockery for literary criticism! Join us as we examine 1987 film The Princess Bride based on William Goldman's 1973 book The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adven...

The Princess Bride is in another castle. We'll get there one day. In the meantime, let's chase some cultural... relevance feels too strong a word for 2025's A Minecraft Movie based on, of course, the video game Minecraft . It's more buzz than anything, and I hate bees! And this movie! We strongly advise listening to this while you mine and you craft and even while you minecraft! Music Credit: Musi...

A dead rabbit; a hard-boiled detective; Jessica Rabbit. Need I say more? This week we are focusing on 1988's film Who Framed Roger Rabbit based on the 1981 novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, written by Gary Wolf. I never considered that a book and movie about Toons would cause such existential dread. Imagine being stuck as a baby for your entire life? Imagine being witness to your own murder? H...

Sometimes you make poor choices, but you can take comfort in knowing that you never agreed to let someone chop off your head. Right? This time, we are focusing on the 2021 film The Green Knight , a surreal reimagining of "Gawain and the Green Knight", the 14th century anonymous poem. It's quite the journey! MUSIC CREDIT: Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/f...