Ranking Thrones

Jamie and Evan tackle the two best movies from Marvel and DC. We tackle the amazing talent of Heath Ledger, how much being in the MCU had on Scarlett Johansson's career, but most of all, the main theme at the heart of these two masterpieces, Security vs Freedom. In the face of imminent danger must our first concern be safety, or should we accept the risks to preserve our freedom?

Jamie and Alex meet to chat about Julie Taymour's Titus! Listen to the exploration of the infamously dark and depraved play, and Taymour's brilliant unique vision. The unlikely (and illegal) connection to Zach Snyder. All this and more in this delicious tale of vengeance. Trigger Warning discussion of themes of sexual violence.

Jamie and Evan begin a new podcast series, Double Features. Jamie and Evan will chat about two movies that have surprising common themes. This week, we dive into the Glicked Phenomenon. We touch on the similarities to Barbenheimer. Evan shares some personal connections with Oz. Jamie goes on about Ridley Scott's consistently ridiculous amount of artistic license. All of this and a love of a surpri...

James and Evan dive deep into what may become a standout episode for Westeros. Listen to how big of a Trekkie Evan is, comparisons to Catelyn Stark, debating the innocence of Henry I of England, and Season 4 predictions? All this and more.

Jamie and Evan get deep in episodes 2 and 3 of House of the Dragon. Jamie continues to make comparisons to Shakespeare and real historical figures. Meanwhile, Evan is fascinated by Daemon and thrilled by the Bracken-Blackwood presentation. Celebrating the magnificent performances by Tom Glynn-Carney, Eve Best, and others. All this and more as we dive deep into the latest two episodes of House of t...

James and Evan cover the debut of Season 2 of House of the Dragon! Listen to everything from the overall thoughts, historical parallels, Miguel Sapochnik's exit, and more!

James and Evan dive deep to compare the first season of Game of Thrones to the first season of House of the Dragon. Which is easier to get into as a show. Did some parts of Game of Thrones not age greatly? Also speculation for season 2 of House of the Dragon. All this and a discussion of how Rings of Power perfectly emodies JRR Tolkein and traditional prequels to the more avant garde House of the...

Evan and James team-up to chat about episodes 6-10 of House of the Dragon. We cover Hollywood's insane casting for age, Rhaenys and Corlys' relationship being the best marriage in Westeros? All this and a discussion of nepotism and Doctor Who.

James and Evan meet-up to discuss the first half of Season 1 of House of the Dragon. How does this first half of the season compare to Season 7 of Game of Thrones? Love to Emily Carey's underrated performance. Amazing direction for a scene. Gender roles and the strength of Milly Alcock. Love to Eve Best as Rhaenys. Evan has a hot take on Daemon and much more!

Jamie & Evan analyze the two debut King's of Westeros in the first seasons of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Mark Addy's legendary turn as Robert the Usurper, and Paddy Considine's harrowing turn as Viserys the Peaceful. A king in the shadow of an evil tyrant haunted by his past, while another is living in the shadow of one of the greatest kings and is obsessed with the future. We get in...

Alex and Jamie finish off the York Tetralogy with four adaptations of Richard III. We discuss how vastly different the play reads in isolation compared to being the fourth chapter of a Tetralogy. Listen to discussion of Return of the Jedi, Oliver's camp, the Hobbit movies, and the Abdication Crisis.

Alex and Jamie continue their deep dive into the BBC's York Tetralogy. Henry VI Part 3 is the most action-packed Shakespeare play with 4 onstage battles. Join us as we dive into parallels to Titus Andronicus, the tragedy of Henry VI, the vital origins of Richard III, the magnificent performance of Julia Foster as Margaret, and the nature of revenge stories.

Alex returns to chat with Jamie about Jane Howell's adaptations of Henry VI Part 1 and 2 for the BBC's Television Shakespeare Series. We get into the mixed quality of the BBC Shakespeare series, a surprisingly good Wikipedia page, historical accuracy vs storytelling, the co-authorship debate, Solo: A Star Wars Story, great performances, cast doubling and of course the magnificence of Jack Cade.

Evan and James team-up once more in this series to review the Hands of the King. In our inaugural episode we discuss the first Hand of the King, Orys Baratheon. The bastard half-brother of Aegon the Conqueror would command the land forces of Aegon's Conquest. He would supplant House Durran for his own House. But is he truly worthy of being known as a Stag? Or is he simply a name in the legend of A...

Known as the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon would make Nine Legendary journeys across the sea. He would briefly become the richest Lord of Westeros. He would also marry Princess Rhaenys, the daughter of the heir to the Iron Throne. He would soon become embroiled in the Dance of the Dragons, becoming the only man to serve as Hand of the Queen. Will he stand as one of the greatest Hands of the King, or...

Rogar Baratheon would stand against the tyranny of Maegor the Cruel and help to make young Prince Jaehaerys the King. Rogar Baratheon would become Hand of the King and one of the most powerful Hand's of Westerosi history. How will he measure as Hand of the King to James and Evan?

Galen joins James to chat about Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece Spirited Away. They get into the beauty of 2D animation, the themes of maturity, Buddhism, communism, all this and a discussion of live-action Disney remakes.

James and Evan meet-up to chat about the first two episodes of House of the Dragons. We note the historical parallels, adaptation choices, and analyze the parallels and strengths of numerous characters. All of this and a discussion of the most controversial choice and presentation.

Toniiiiight, Jamie is joined by the Shakespeare Online Rep's Lucy to chat about the two movie adaptations of West Side Story. We dive deep into the controversial aspects of the original 1961 film, the greatness that is Rita Moreno, the complexity of Sondheim's lyrics, the brilliance of "America" and how it relates to the immigrant experience, all of this and a small tangent about Dune. 

The Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre is a Discord Server that meets bi-weekly to read works of Shakespeare and other magnificent authors. We are a group that is a mix of professional actors and Shakespeare enthusiasts. For our first publicly available performance, we present Shakespeare's underrated historical drama Richard II. King Richard has reigned for years, but his increasingly tyrannica...

Jamie sits down with friend and huge fan of Stephen King's It, Rainey. We get into the most infamous scene from the original novel, the cosmic space turtle. We touch upon the beloved 1990s miniseries and how Tim Curry compares to Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise. We also touch of course on the movies, and the controversial twist of It Chapter Two. Come join us, you'll float too...

Cosplay icon @carmillajo drops by to chat about The Nightmare Before Christmas. We talk about how this is NOT a Tim Burton movie despite what people think. Is this movie a metaphor for Tim Burton's relationship to Disney? Is this a metaphor for cultural appropriation? Is the message of the movie anti-Disney? All this and a discussion of anime.

In honor of Halloween, Jamie dives deep into some Halloween classics. Debuting this new podcast, musical veteran Elena comes to chat about Little Shop of Horrors. Get ready for everything from the original Roger Corman movie, Hallmark Christmas movies, the merits of Russell Crowe in Les Miserables, making deals with the Devil, and speculation on the Little Shop remake. Please join us, and please d...

Bailey comes back and she and James go into the legendary Shakespeare spiritual adaptation, The Lion King. How much is The Lion King the story of Hamlet? Is Disney actually less wish-fulfillment fantasy than people believe? All this, and how Hakuna Matataa may be a metaphor for being a teenager.

After James and Evan have spent hours debating and analyzing George RR Martin's fantasy history, James has brought on the hosts of a real history podcast. Graham Duke and Ali Hood of the phenomenal podcast Rex Factor come to discuss Robert Baratheon. We talk about the real-life inspiration behind Robert in Edward IV and Henry IV. Are the mistakes of Robert so bad compared to what most real kings d...