Ramblin: An Amblin Podcast

Ramblin is back - and we’re more Geisha than ever. After an extended summer break, the boys are back to continue down the Amblin road, staying in 2005 to explore Rob Marshall's period drama MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, based on Arthur Golden’s novel of the same name. To chart the journey of young Chiyo’s self-discovery and efforts to become a Geisha in pre and post-WW2 Japan, we welcome back returning gue...

After donning the Mask, it is now time to continue THE LEGEND OF ZORRO with our episode on Martin Campbell’s 2005 sequel, once again starring those damn fine sexy leads Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. But, coming some seven years after the original, something seems to have been lost along the way: the juice. To find out why this Zorro doesn’t quite whip like he used to, we enlist the he...

We finish the tub of Neopolitan Spielberg trilogy by saving the best (chocolate) for last: his 2005 adaptation of WAR OF THE WORLDS. Together with returning guest Harley Mumford (of the fabulous Fandomentals podcast), we talk through the various different interpretations of H.G. Wells’ 1897 classic—particularly Orson Welles’ (no relation) infamous 1938 broadcast and the 1953 movie—and chart how ea...

It’s time to check in with Steven Spielberg’s 2004 comedy-drama THE TERMINAL, the second part in our Neapolitan Spielberg trilogy. The ‘vanilla’ section of the trio is a rare Amblin joint where we have quite different opinions on the movie, and to help us unpack our feelings is our guest; friend, musician and one half of the Ramblin-theme composing team Robert J. Hunter-Clayton. Together, we delve...

We kick off the first chapter in our self-coined ‘Neapolitan Spielberg trilogy’ with the strawberry of the trio, the beard’s 2002 con-man caper ‘CATCH ME IF YOU CAN’, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. To join us in tracking down the tale of putting the story of Frank William Abagnale Jnr to the screen is film historian and musical expert Miles Eady. Together, we discuss the long line of fi...

We’re back - in black - to get things rolling for Ramblin in 2024. We’re checking in with the MIB franchise, investigating the bad case of sequelitius that seems to have infected the Barry Sonnenfeld directed follow up to the 1997 sci-fi comedy classic. Both Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones return from Amblin past, and so does our guest -critic and broadcaster Rihanna Dhillon. Together, we dig into...

This Christmas, everybody runs - particularly everyone's favourite Hollywood cross country champ Tom Cruise. It is time to wave our hands in the hand and catch the red ball that is Steven Spielberg’s ‘MINORITY REPORT’ the sci-fi action-thriller based on the short story by Phillip K. Dick.  To join us in unpacking this vision of the future is our pal and fifth-time guest Dan Kelly. We get into the...

This time it’s not just a walk in the park. The same could be said for the production of ‘JURASSIC PARK III’ - the third entry in the Jurassic franchise, directed by Joe Johnsotn. We get into its turbulent journey to the screen with returning  guest David from Jurassic Collectables (@JurassicCollect), musing on the film that could have been, reminiscing about our first encounters with both the fra...

Cirrus. Socrates. Particle. Decibel. Hurricane. Dolphin. Tulip. Ramblin. Listener. Ramblin. Now we’ve got that out of the way, it’s time to get serious about Papa Spielberg’s first offering of the new millennium: 2001’s moody, existentially shattering A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Beginning as a short story in the pages of Harper’s Bazaar in the early-‘70s, the film started out as a Kubrick projec...

Bright light city is gonna set my soul on fire. But will The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas have the same incendiary effect? We’re back in the podcastin’ business and back in Bedrock for Brian Levant’s prequel, swapping out the original crew for newer, younger,  improved(?) models to see how Fred, Barney, Wilma and Betty all got together in the first place - with a little help from The Great Gazoo...

Like any good blockbuster these days, we split our 90s review in two and have now come to the final chapter of Amblin’s most prolific decade. Strap in as we gun it to 88 to cover such great topics as our biggest cry, the worst film of decade, best dog, favourite performance and of course, reveal the listener’s top five Amblin movies of the 90s. We also invite returning guest Emily Tatham to test o...

Get ready for the first instalment in our two-part 90s review lollapalooza. We at Ramblin wanted to give the 90s the send off it deserved, and boy did we ramble. So much so that there’s just too much good stuff to pack into one episode - so let’s spread the joy and celebrate the most prolific decade of Amblin’s history so far in two epic parts, with categories both old and new, from best score, to...

It’s time for us to close the book (well, almost) on the 1990s, the most fruitful span of time for Amblin so far. That the film that sees us do this is Neil Jordan’s deeply bizarre supernatural psychological thriller IN DREAMS feels wholly appropriate for such a far-reaching, uneven and frequently unwieldy decade. Together we figuratively go bobbing for apples in an attempt to make sense of this t...

Papa Spielberg returns with his blistering take on the WWII drama, 1998’s SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, so we enlist the help of Mike West (@Mike333West) to wade through this deeply influential, almost-Best Picture-winning movie. Together we talk about the revolutionary portrayal of the D-Day landings, the contributions of the extensive cast and the reactions of veterans themselves. We also wade into some...

It’s time to enter the lair of the fox, as we welcome back guest and Ramblin artist Emily Tatham to discuss Martin Campbell’s THE MASK OF ZORRO. We get unapologetically lustful over what is one of the last great sexy blockbusters of recent memory, diving into the history of Zorro on screen, the sizzling star power of Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and feeling absolutely whipped by Anth...

Big Action! Big Podcast! Small Soldiers! The Ramblin boys draw up battle plans to face Joe Dante’s final - at least for now - Amblin joint, the 1998 action-adventure SMALL SOLDIERS. We assemble an elite unit made up of returning guests Rhys Edwards and Dan Kelly to assist in taking down the Commando Elite and aiding the peaceful Gorgonites, as we cover the film’s production history, Burger King ti...

No, that’s not swamp gas from a weather balloon trapped in a thermal pocket and reflecting the light from Venus—it’s Ramblin’s episode on Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1997 masterpiece MEN IN BLACK! To join us in dissecting this perfect blockbuster (as though it were an expired Arquillian ambassador) is self-professed ‘Queen of the Dead’ Anna Bogutskaya, critic/broadcaster extraordinaire and host of The Fina...

We welcome you back once more to the Jurassic Park franchise as we make the journey to the dark and brooding shores of Isla Sorna for our episode on the 1997 sequel THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK, once again directed by Steven Spielberg with a script by David Koepp, based on the novel by Michael Crichton.  Similarly, as The Lost World brings back Ian Malcolm for the ride, we also welcome the return...

You're travelling through another dimension - a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, Ramblin! That’s right, it’s time to step through that scary door into the twilight zone of 1996 thriller THE TRIGGER EFFECT, screenwriter David Koepp’s feature directorial debut and an altogether overlooked entry in the Amblin canon.  Joining...

Well shake it up, baby, now! Twist and shout! Yes, that’s right, it’s time to hunker down and strap yourself to a pipe as the Ramblin team go chasing that fabled F5 by tackling Jan de Bont’s wacky 1996 disaster-ish thriller-ish, TWISTER. The boys are joined by fellow tornado enthusiast Charlotte Bailey, and together they delve into the bonkers production history, the chills and spills of repurpose...

The bell has finally rung on Amblimation, as we reach the third and final film produced by the short-lived animation wing of Amblin Entertainment. It has been a rocky road for Spielberg’s attempt at tackling the animation market, but it tries to cut fresh tracks in the snow with the based-on-fact adventure BALTO, directed by Simon Wells and featuring the voice talents of Kevin Bacon, Bridget Fonda...

Young lovers seek perfection. Old lovers learn the art of sewing shreds together and of seeing beauty in a multiplicity of podcast ramblings. In this Ramblin episode, we thread together the connecting stories of Jocelyn Moorhouse’s HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT, the 1995 adaptation of Whitney Otto’s novel, described by Amazon as a ‘gentle comedy’ We’ll determine just how gentle it is as we welcome...

No one say anything frivolous for the next few moments. We are having a significant experience! The Ramblin gang are back on the road of Amblin Entertainment. This time, we’re hitching a ride in a 1967 Cadillac Deville with drag queens Vida Boheme (Patrick Swayze), Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes) and Chi Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo) as we discuss Beeban Kidron’s comedy TO WONG FOO, THANKS FOR EV...

Happy Boxing Day to all the fellow Ramblers out there! In this festive tryst with an Amblin outlier, the boys head Iowa-ward with production manager extraordinaire and host of CineMortuary podcast Rob Yeomans (@dancinghenry) to document the storied BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY. En route they talk about the historical perception of Clint Eastwood, swoon over his gorgeous central romance with Meryl Str...

Things are getting benevolently spooky here at Amblin Manor, as the Ramblin boys welcome back returning guest Michael Perry to discuss Brad Silberling’s family comedy ‘CASPER’ released in the summer of 1995. The make-shift ghostly trio get cosy and warm with their nostalgia as they recount their tales of meeting the friendly ghost for the first time, address the film’s ‘my first existentialism’ th...