Storybeater

Anthony and Andrew discuss Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig's emerging murder mystery movie series, Knives Out and Glass Onion!

Anthony and Andrew unpack the many faces of Father Christmas in fiction and the magic of the character's enduring appeal.

Anthony and Andrew check out the first season of AMC's Interview with the Vampire, based on the work of Anne Rice. How has the story been adapted for the screen and how has this version evolved from Rice's own novel and the movie adaptation?

For the annual Halloween episode, Anthony and Andrew look at the history and significance of the city-destroying giant monsters known as kaiju!

Anthony and Andrew pay tribute to Spider-Man on his 60th anniversary by examining the character's enduring appeal and the ways he's been reinvented in recent years.

Anthony and Andrew discuss the Netflix adaptation of writer Neil Gaiman's iconic comic series The Sandman. What challenges did the show face in bringing the story to the screen, and how might future Sandman stories be adapted?

Anthony and Andrew talk lettering, contracts, and the latest entry in the MCU, Thor: Love and Thunder. It's a rock concert in movie form, but how much Guns N Roses is too much Guns N Roses?

Anthony and Andrew discuss the storytelling choices and resonances of the movie phenomenon of the year, the Daniels' Everything Everywhere All At Once, starring Michelle Yeoh.

Anthony and Andrew check out the Julia Child biographical series Julia on HBO Max and talk about comfort TV, the joy of competence, and food on the screen.

Anthony and Andrew check out the new cult hit pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death and its place in the traditions of pirate storytelling!

Anthony and Andrew discuss this year's Academy Award nominees for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay. The nominees are... BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Belfast Written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. Don't Look Up Written by Adam McKay and David Sirota, based on a story by McKay. Directed by Adam McKay. King Richard Written by Zach Baylin. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. Licorice...

Anthony and Andrew check out the new Prime Video series Reacher and talk about the trope-heavy appeal of dad lit!

To mark the return of the Matrix movies to our screens, Anthony and Andrew revisit the original movie to see how it holds up, how it shaped our culture, and what sort of story decisions the Wachowskis made.

Anthony and Andrew break down the story choices in the final Daniel Craig Bond movie, No Time To Die. Warning: This discussion contains spoilers!

This year's Halloween episode looks at witches in fiction, from children's entertainment to folklore to our own storytelling choices!

Anthony and Andrew look at the storytelling choices in the latest Marvel movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, including how it expands and diversifies the MCU and how it navigates some potential bombs!

Anthony and Andrew check out the new Netflix series Masters of the Universe: Revelation and talk about the history of He-Man and what the franchise represents.

Anthony and Andrew look back on seven years of Storybeater as they celebrate their 100th episode! They talk about what they've been writing since the podcast started, their favourite conversations from the last 99 episodes, and what they've been reading that shaped and influenced their work!

To mark the 40th anniversary of the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Anthony and Andrew look at what makes the movie such an enduring classic, some of the awkward ways it's showing its age, and how Indiana Jones breaks some familiar storytelling "rules".

To mark 20 years since the release of the original The Fast & The Furious movie, Andrew and Anthony reexamine that movie's appeal and look at how the franchise has evolved and expanded its world over the past two decades!

Anthony and Andrew offer their thoughts on this year's Academy Awards screenplay nominees, including: Minari Judas and the Black Messiah Trial of the Chicago 7 Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal Nomadland Borat Subsequent Moviefilm The Father The White Tiger One Night in Miami

The Marvel Cinematic Universe returns with its first Disney+ TV show, WandaVision. Anthony and Andrew unpack the grief, the villainy, the sitcom tropes, the twists, the fan theories, and the future for Wanda and Vision!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Anthony and Andrew revisit the greatest love story ever told, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. But is it actually a great love story, or just a tale about two stupid kids?

Anthony and Andrew look at the choices, subversions, and conventions explored in the new Netflix regency romance series Bridgerton. Plus, what we're writing and what we're reading!

Anthony and Andrew discuss the Star Wars streaming show The Mandalorian -- with spoilers for the most recent episode! Is it a good show, is it good Star Wars, and is there a tension between those two ambitions?  Plus, what we're reading and what we're writing!