It's Del Toro Time - A Guillermo del Toro-adjacent Podcast

This Twittersode, Phil takes a look at the classic Laurel and Hardy short “The Music Box” from 1932! It’s short; it’s funny; it’s got a long staircase. What more do you want? Del Toro’s original Tweet is here. https://ia903100.us.archive.org/20/items/DelToroMusicBox/DelToro%20-%20MusicBox.mp3

This Twittersode, I look at “La Chienne” from 1931. It’s not fun, but it’s really really good. Guillermo del Toro’s original Tweet is here. https://ia803109.us.archive.org/29/items/DelToroLaChienne/DelToro%20-%20LaChienne.mp3

Ollie and I are delighted to be covering “Dragonwyck” from 1946! It’s got everything: creepy mansion, damsel in distress, brooding lord, mysterious ghosts – wait. Haven’t we done this one before? Nnnnnnnno? No. It’s “Dragonwyck!” https://ia803107.us.archive.org/2/items/DelToroDragonwyck/DelToro-Dragonwyck.mp3

In this teeny-tiny Twittersode, I look at Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights!” Did it influence Guillermo del Toro? Uhhhhhhhhhhh, maybe? https://ia601005.us.archive.org/27/items/DelToroCityLights/DelToro-CityLights.mp3

This week, Ollie and I cover the beautiful and ethereal “La Belle et la Bête” from 1946. Jean Cocteau’s fairy tale masterpiece has captivated audiences for generations. Will it captivate us? Yes. I’ll just go ahead and say that, yes, it does. https://ia800105.us.archive.org/2/items/DelToro034BelleBete/DelToro%20-%20034%20BelleBete.mp3

Ollie and I do a hot wash recap of the movies we’ve explored so far in The Ecstasy of Influence! https://ia903107.us.archive.org/14/items/DelToro033HotWash/DelToro-%20033%20Hot%20Wash.mp3

Slotting in nicely bertween “Greed” and “Frankenstein” it’s Buster Keaton’s “The General!” It’s also only me talking about it! It’s also only 15-minutes long! Here is the link to Guillermo del Toro’s twitter film recommendations https://ia801000.us.archive.org/29/items/DelToroMini01/DelToro-Mini01.mp3

That a ghost! Ollie and I are back with the Ecstasy of Influence to talk about 1944’s “The Uninvited!” We’re also getting increasingly frustrated at movies about women in which the women the movie is about have no voice but are assumed to be bad and also maybe lesbians and also young women are given … Continue reading "032 – The Uninvited!"

Are you ready to WALK? I said ARE YOU READY TO WALK?! Well then let’s walk. With a zombie. Ollie and I are back with more Ecstasy of Influence and yet ANOTHER retelling of the Jane Eyre . . . myth? Is it a myth at this point? Because it sure seems like Hollywood was … Continue reading "032 – I Walked With a Zombie!"

We’re back with our third (and final?) Hitchcock film (Ollie: Good) 1943’s “Shadow of a Doubt!” Even though we’ve actually enjoyed each and every one of Hitch’s films, we’re ready to move on, away from the theme of “naïve young woman gets taken in by a seemingly malevolent older man.” In “Shadow of a Doubt” … Continue reading...

Orson Welles! John Houseman! Aldous Huxley! Joan Fontaine! Uncredited Elizabeth Taylor! It’s a cavalcade of disparate talents as Ollie and I watch Robert Stevenson’s “Jane Eyre” from 1943! This rounds out our “Funtaine!” trilogy and ends on a bang. What have we learned? Don’t date creepy guys with secrets. Seems like a good lesson, really. … Continue...

The Hitch is BACK, BABY! We’ve got another Hitchcock film and it brings back our favorite Joan Fontaine! In “Rebecca” Fontaine played a mousy young woman, swept away by a charming, if sinister, good looking man into a world where she began to feel like her life might be on the line. In “Suspicion” . … Continue reading "029 – Suspicion!"

Ollie is NOT convinced that they will like “Sullivan’s Travels” BUT . . . well, maybe they do? It’s always hard to tell with teens. https://ia800109.us.archive.org/9/items/DelToro028Sullivan/DelToro-%20028%20Sullivan.mp3

Ollie doesn’t care about the Oscars, so this one is really short. https://ia800108.us.archive.org/18/items/DelToroOscarNoms/DelToro-OscarNoms.mp3

Oh boy. We’re probably going to get dragged for this one, but we promised to be honest and, honestly, we found this one to be . . . difficult. To get through. It’s 1940’s “Fantasia!” Disney’s first big money loser! And, a favorite of people everywhere. Look, Ollie and I totally get why it’s amazing, … Continue reading "027 – Fantasia!"

Ever feel like a nameless protagonist in your own story? Well, I bet *nameless protagonist* does! This week, Ollie and I cover our FIRST Alfred Hitchcock movie, 1940’s “Rebecca!” What’s with the creepy husband? What’s with the creepy mansion? What’s with the creepy housekeeper? Who knows?! https://ia600106.us.archive.org/18/items/DelToroRebecca/DelToro-Rebecca.m...

Introducing the CLASSIC MOVIE MONSTER . . . discrimination. That’s right! Ollie and I are talking 1939’s adaptation of Victor Hugo’s “Notre Dame de Paris” and it’s a doozy. Like, it’s a solid film from a *film* perspective, but it’s got some uncomfortable stuff from a disability perspective. Also, a Roma perspective. It’s troubling all …...

We saw THE SHAPE OF WATER! Here’s our review with no spoilers and then – and don’t worry; we warn you – with a spoiler section! https://ia600101.us.archive.org/15/items/DelToroShapeWater/DelToro-ShapeWater.mp3

Ollie and I are back to talk Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 masterpiece “Modern Times.” Does Ollie like it, though? Is the Little Tramp a bit too much? What’s with the age difference? How do you pronounce “gamin?” Does a chicken make a good funnel? Are we all in love with Paulette Goddard? Find out! https://ia800601.us.archive.org/30/items/DelToro24ModerTimes/DelToro24-...

Ollie and I can’t wrap our heads around this one. It’s . . . well it’s not *good* by any stretch of the imagination. It’s 1935’s “The Raven” and it’s got some talent on screen but the talent isn’t doing anything particularly . . . talented. Also, it’s definitely *not* “The Incredibly True Adventure of … Continue reading "023 &...

Ollie and I canNOT get enough of that tall monsterman! So, we’re back with Guillermo del Toro’s Ecstasy of Influence to discuss 1935’s “The Bride of Frankenstein!” Is Colin Clive mostly dead? Is the Bride really THE BRIDE? And, just how gay is this movie? A whole bunch or a WHOLE BUNCH? The answers may … Continue reading "022 – The Bride Of Frankenste...

This week, we bid adieu to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” by talking a bit about its themes. We also talk about del Toro’s relationship with the text and whether we think it would be a good idea for him to direct an adaptation or just let it go. And then, we reveal that in the next … Continue reading "Frankenstein Part 4 – Loneliness"

We did it! We finished the book! Ollie and I conclude the preliminary read-through of the 1818 edition of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein!” Next week? We discuss EVERYTHING! https://ia800801.us.archive.org/23/items/DelToroFrank3/DelToro-Frank3.mp3

Ollie and I talk Book 2 of the 1818 Edition of “Frankenstein!” This week, The Monster shares his side of the story, we get some thematically important backstory to an otherwise unimportant character and The Monster gets all whiny and “dudebro-y” about needing a woman. It’s gross! https://ia600601.us.archive.org/24/items/DelToroFrank2/DelToro-Frank2.mp3

Welcome to our Halloween Book Club! This week, we take you through Book 1 of the 1818 edition of “Frankenstein” the BOOK! It’s a real autumn read-a-long and we hope YOU read . . . along. Really, we love this book. Join us, won’t you? https://ia800808.us.archive.org/35/items/DelToroFrank1/DelToro-Frank1.mp3