Verbal Diorama

The award-winning indie film history podcast celebrating the history and legacy of movies you know, and movies you don't.

Have you ever wondered how your favourite movies were made? Hosted by Em, Verbal Diorama is a movie podcast that takes you behind the scenes to discover the extraordinary stories of cast and crew who bring classic films, blockbuster films, and cult films to life.

Movies are tough to make, and this podcast proves how amazing it is that they actually exist. From Hollywood classics to hidden gems, each episode explores the behind-the-scenes history, legacy, and untold filmmaking stories that make cinema history.

Ear Worthy 2024 Best Movie Podcast Winner | Golden Lobes 2025 Earworm Award Nominee | Ear Worthy 2025 Best Movie Podcast Nominee | Golden Lobes 2026 Earworm Award Nominee

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353 episodes
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Episodes353

Newest first

Aug 4, 2019 · 2 hr 40 min
The Mummy (1999) (ft Jason from Woo Long Talks)
I... I may not be an explorer, or, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am! I….. am the girl who really really loves The Mummy. Wholly, completely, absolutely despite its flaws, I love it. I can watch it every damn day. It's the perfect mix of action, adventure, romance, comedy and horror, with peak Brendan Fraser and perfect Rachel Weisz. Hollywood just doesn't make movies like this anymore. Like Evie Carnaghan, I need a Rick O'Connell to help me decipher the hieroglyphs of this wonderful slice of pulp cinema, and who better that literally one of the nicest guys in podcasting?! Despite the curse on this episode ("The curse, beware of the curse!"), I'm finally joined by Jason from WooLongTalks, on our third attempt, to gush over this movie. We avoid the Hom Dai, and delve into the tombs of Hamunaptra to find a nice gooey Mummy; its history involving the likes of legendary horror directors like Clive Barker and Wes Craven, but the main reason The Mummy exists at all? A little pig called Babe. Now listen, this movie is twenty years old this year and whilst it's aged reasonably well, we know it's not perfect. We chat a little about some of the problematic aspects of the movie and the quite gaping plot holes, but honestly, I still love it. Now this is the only Dark Universe we could ever need! Death is only the beginning. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Mummy! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! For Augstravaganza, please don't donate to Ko-fi. Instead please donate to shinecharity.org.uk/donate so they can provide advice and support to families dealing with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and related conditions. Any Ko-Fi donations I receive in the month of August will instead be donated to Shine. My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Thanks to the following for their contributions to this episode: My mum! She finds this movie very scary, but her thoughts are included, so thanks Mum! Twitter peeps Sade from @offscreenbabble @PulpCereal Claudia @youreonclaud9 @canuckinomicon @Capt_Hangry Cat @thingscatloves @ContrarianPrime @PopPrismPower @DrunkNetflix Instagram folk @vegimorph @therebooters @evie_the_cheeky_chi Next up is The Matrix - look out for that in your podcatcher in a week's time! Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe Facebook Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Jul 21, 2019 · 49 min
Charlie's Angels (2000)
Good morning Angels. Good morning Charlie! Three, is the magic number. You have three blind mice, three little pigs and you always, always have three Angels. Three extraordinary women who work for one man, Charles Townsend, played by three extraordinary actresses. Drew Barrymore and her production company Flower Films had a vision for a Charlie's Angels movie; she wanted it to be fun, campy and inspirational, where the women were just as sexy as they were funny, as they were skilled at martial arts. So she set out, with her production company partner Nancy Juvonen and pitched her idea, her choice of first time movie director and her vision to the studio. By some miraculous turn of events, she got it, and so did we, and boy it's just so much fun to watch! Charlie's Angels is often lampooned as a terrible movie. Whilst it's not perfect, it has a great cast who worked incredibly hard, and have built life-long friendships because of this movie. Just don't talk about that moonwalk. It's not a moonwalk, Drew! Also, don't talk about that time Bill Murray headbutted the director. Also also, don't talk about the argument between Lucy Liu and Bill Murray. Maybe just don't talk about Bill Murray at all, ok. Also, don't talk about salaries. Or the many many screenwriters and script edits. How is this movie even coherent?! I would love to hear your thoughts on Charlie's Angels! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com For those interested in my amazing new theme song, here's some info about who did it and how you can get in touch with them if you want a cracking good new song for your podcast, or for any project really. If you do, make sure you say Em from Verbal Diorama sent you. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song Music by Chloe Enticott. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Compositions by Chloe Facebook Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studios Ewenique Studios Facebook See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Jul 7, 2019 · 1 hr 53 min
X-Men Dark Phoenix (ft ChinLin from The Bingeables Podcast)
The Phoenix will rise..... But will she, though? I'm joined by ChinLin from The Bingeables Podcast to talk about the final part of Fox's landmark X-Men franchise, which started in 2000 and all but kicked off the modern fascination with superheroes. There's been sequels, prequels, spin-offs and now this, an(other) adaptation of one of the X-Men's most well known and loved story lines: The Dark Phoenix Saga. Truthfully, the movie is a bit of a mess, however we both love the X-Men and so we find some things to enjoy, but we can't help but wonder what could have been of this movie had certain other events not been going on at the time. It could have been great, it should have been great. Mostly though, our thoughts are summarised by the phrase.... "What the Vuk was that?!" #WhatTheVuk You can find ChinLin and The Bingeables on Twitter @bingeablespod and you should follow and listen to ChinLin and Isaac if you don't already! I would love to hear your thoughts on X-Men Dark Phoenix! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Special thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: @AtTheFlickspod @youreonclaud9 @doctorshades24 Lorraine from @smtpcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Jun 28, 2019 · 3 hr 8 min
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (ft Sade from Offscreen Babble)
Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for us. Gaaaah me hearties! Ahoy there! This be Em and I be joined by me co-captain for this voyage across the seven seas, Sade from Offscreen Babble. It might be trifle bad luck to have women aboard yer ship, but avast! We batten down the hatches to reach that horizon, stoppin' off on islands filled with Aztec gold and copious amounts of rum, where we will always remember the day we met Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?! Thar's blood, scares, violence and enough sexual tension to make the lily-livered faint. Be ye sure t'is a Disney movie? Don't end up in Davy Jones' locker! Hoist the Jolly Roger with us on the fastest ship on that there ocean - the Black Pearl! But be warned, there be a curse on this here ship, so watch out for Captain Barbossa and his mutinous crew! Are ye aboard? Say AYE! (The boring non pirate bit!) Massive thanks to Sade for coming on the show. You can find Offscreen Babble on Twitter @offscreenbabble, Facebook @offscreenbabble and Instagram @offscreenbabble and you should follow & listen to Sade & Kyle if you don't already! Their Etsy store is available at https://etsy.me/2Rxqqtc - please support them and buy one of Sade's amazing pins! I would love to hear your thoughts on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Also thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: @vegimorph Andy @geeksaladradio @alwayscriticpod @FalseStartsPod @BoxOfficePulp @TheMidnightMyth @hugosposts @salexanderfilm @CaitDoes See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Jun 16, 2019 · 18 min
Aladdin 1992 & Aladdin 2019
So, this is a little bonus episode I did after watching 2019's Aladdin and inevitably compared it to 1992's Aladdin; the movie I watched the most as a child. Spoilers for the new 2019 Aladdin (although to be honest, if you know the 1992 movie, you should really know the rough plot - it's very similar!) I also go into the production history of 1992's Aladdin, and the legacy of Robin Williams incredible performance and why we have Ferngully: The Last Rainforest to thank for all of this. I would love to hear your thoughts on either version of Aladdin! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Jun 13, 2019 · 3 hr 13 min
Speed (ft Kristin from So I'm Watching This Show)
Pop quiz hotshot. There’s a podcast in your ears. Once that podcast reaches 8 episodes a guest is introduced. If that guest chooses the best action thriller movie, this podcast blows up (and by that we mean figuratively rather than literally!) What do you do? What do you do? Turns out you do a lot, for a long time and then take ages to get it out of the door. Trust me, I understand the irony of a podcast episode about Speed being 3+ hours long and being released 1+ weeks late. It's a bit of a change to the usual format, but still enjoyable I hope! Thank you to the wonderful Kristin from So I'm Watching This Show for guest hosting on this very unspeedy of episodes, but honestly we had such a blast recording and just having a bit of a chat about one of the best action movies of the 90s; a movie that still raises the tension after 25 years, with great chemistry between its leads and a genuinely unhinged bad guy who constantly raises the stakes. Basically, we spend a long time gushing over how wonderful this movie is, despite the unrealistic depiction of traffic in Los Angeles and a bus that can go over 30mph - we know they don't exist in real life! Keanu is great, Sandra is great, Dennis is great. This is the pinnacle of 90s action movies and it still stands the test of time. (The less said about Speed 2 the better.) Get ready for rush hour! You can find So I'm Watching This Show at http://soimwatching.com and they're on Twitter @soimwatching and Instagram @soimwatchingthisshow and you should follow & listen to Wil & Kristin if you don't already! I would love to hear your thoughts on Speed! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Special thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: My lovely friend Claudia @youreonclaud9 @vegimorph Jeff @AtTheFlicksPod @days_podcast Andy @geeksaladradio Lorraine @smtpcast @PhiltheBear @hugosposts See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
May 19, 2019 · 35 min
The Cabin in the Woods
So, you have this girl, probably a virgin but always beautiful and occasionally really stupid. She's in a slasher movie, so you know she's going to run towards danger, ignore all the signs of the monster and probably witness all her friends being slaughtered. She's the final girl. She'll probably survive to star in your sequel. But what if there was a movie that wanted to deconstruct all the tropes of slasher movies? What if it's all a big reality TV show, where the "reality stars" are just the pawns of the corporate bigwigs who manufacture the arena? What if all those horror tropes are subverted? What if we take these tropes and satirise them, and essentially make fun of the whole genre whilst also paying homage to the genre? It's really rather marvellous that The Cabin in the Woods actually manages to achieve all those things! The Cabin in the Woods is brilliant at subverting those tropes. The characters are never who they seem to be, and neither are the monsters. Written by Joss Whedon (he who already successfully subverted the classic blonde girl in a horror movie who always dies first in Buffy the Vampire Slayer!) and Drew Goddard who also directed, they don't skimp on the horror, comedy or the classic horror Easter eggs. You think you know the story? Think again! I would love to hear your thoughts (and theories!) on The Cabin in the Woods! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com Special thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: Harrie from Show Me The Podcast - make sure you follow them @smtpcast on Twitter and subscribe at https://anchor.fm/show-me-the-podcast for more from Harrie & Lorraine! @SYIMS_Podcast @bingeablespod @WooLongTalks @BlkGirlsDoStuff @stephxmckenna @GidgitVonLaRue @blindlumination @TimeShiftersPod @PubDread @OneStarBazaar @TomTheToast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
May 6, 2019 · 32 min
Pleasantville
Ahh, the 1950s. A time of tradition; where fathers were the breadwinners and worked the 9 to 5, mothers were homemakers and caregivers and children were obedient. Men ruled the roost, women ruled the kitchen and children were seen and not heard. Are you looking for the ideal place to raise your nuclear family? Choose Pleasantville! An idyllic black and white utopia with no sex, drugs, rock and roll or emotion of any kind. It's swell! Ahh Pleasantville. The town of choice for repressed sitcom families everywhere. The town of choice for 90s movie siblings to crash into and change irrevocably. Are you looking for the ideal movie about repression and the power of change? Choose Pleasantville! An idyllic black and white utopia, where you can introduce sex to the people, words into books, art onto walls and emotion into the every day lives of the perfect residents. It's pasty, but it won't be for long! Pleasantville is a movie that uses the metaphors of inserting colour into a predominantly black and white movie to represent change, and also the fear of change. On the surface it’s the story of a pair of teenagers who upset a fictional world, but underneath it has layers of deeper meaning. What is a perfect life? Who are we if all we do is follow the status quo? It’s a story about being more than what other people might want you to be. I would love to hear your thoughts on Pleasantville! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! If you'd like to buy me a coffee, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama My website has been set up and is at https://verbaldiorama.com And remember, nothing is as simple as black and white. Special thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: Kristin from @soimwatching @philthebear @attheflickspod @VincentAsher See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Apr 22, 2019 · 33 min
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Most movies contain some blue screen in some way (some, green!). If your movie is full of complex special effects, or set on some vast, wholly imagined alien world, you need that blue (or green) screen to be able to insert those computer generated backdrops, with your actors in the foreground pretending to be in that world. In the early 2000s, brothers Kerry and Kevin Conran had an idea..... what if they could shoot a complete movie using these blue screen backdrops, set in an alternative 1939 New York, where robots attack the city and only a brave pilot and a smart reporter could save the world?! Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was the result of years of painstaking hard work and determination. Its effects were revolutionary for the time, and paved the way for modern movies. You think Sin City or 300 started this revolution? Nope, it was Sky Captain! Whilst the visuals don't always hold up 15 years later, the premise and ambition of the movie really does. Plus Jude Law is super hot, but this episode isn't 30 minutes of me telling you something you already know! Simply put, a lot of today's movies owe a great debt to Sky Captain, including the MCU, not only for the remarkable visual effects but also in other ways you might not realise.... I also talk about the Ottensian dieselpunk style of this movie, and reference a particular article - the link for which is below - if you're interested in knowing more about the differing styles of dieselpunk: http://web.archive.org/web/20110612203223id_/http://ottens.co.uk/gatehouse/dieselpunk_articles-4.php I would love to hear your thoughts on Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com You can rate or review the show in iTunes or at Apple Podcasts and I'd very much appreciate that! As I mentioned at the end of this episode, I've recently set up a ko-fi page and if you'd like to buy me a coffee, that would help me tremendously! You can do so at https://ko-fi.com/verbaldiorama and I'd be very grateful for your support! The battle for tomorrow is about to begin... Special thanks to the following people for their contributions to this episode: Rich from @WooLongTalks @TimeShiftersPod @thereelpundits @enrealidadnouso @VincentAsher @LaunchingTPilot @30Podcast @screenredeem @SoupComplex @bingeablespod See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Apr 7, 2019 · 33 min
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Miracles don't happen every day, especially in Hollywood. If something is too complicated, they'll make it easier. If something goes over budget, they'll cancel it. If it's too raunchy, they'll tone it down. You get the picture. Making a movie; a good movie, is hard in any town, but especially in Toontown. This ain't no fairy-tale; it's a story of sex, violence, murder and patty cake. Why don't you do right, indeed! Who Framed Roger Rabbit was complicated, expensive and a feat of technological marvel. It had a long and difficult production, not to mention a vast array of characters, all of whom had to be individually licensed to appear. A movie like this will never be made again. It shouldn't exist but it does. It truly is a miracle. There's one man we have to thank, and rather surprisingly I don't mean Robert Zemeckis! This episode contains full spoilers for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, so if you haven't seen the movie, I'd highly recommend you do so! And where have you been all your life if you haven't seen this movie?! I would love to hear your thoughts on Who Framed Roger Rabbit! You can get in touch on Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com Smile, darn ya, smile! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Mar 17, 2019 · 40 min
Dredd
It's not every day that you see a movie described as "a glorious ballad of bloodshed". Yeah, that's how I would describe Dredd and I did on this very podcast! I bet you're thinking of Stallone right now.... well get Sly out of your head because this Dredd is better, bloodier and more faithful to the source material than the 1995 version, and all the better for it. It's got a great score, great performances and looks so much more expensive than its budget would suggest, but not that many people saw it at the box office. Sad face. This episode does contain some spoilers for Dredd, but I implore you to download, stream or buy this movie if you can. It's a lot of fun, and as remakes go (because technically yes, it is a remake even if the original movie was inferior!) it's up there with the best you can think of. The Bring Back Dredd campaign was passionate and powerful, and although a second movie never has and probably never will materialise, it's time judgement came to the movie industry and Dredd is recognised for the masterpiece it truly is. I would love to hear your thoughts on Dredd! You can get in touch on: Instagram @verbaldiorama Twitter @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com Judgement time......!! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Mar 10, 2019 · 9 min
Captain Marvel
SURPRISE! This is not episode 2. Well it is, but it also isn't, because episode 2 is about [redacted] and this is about Captain Marvel. I did a little minisode on Captain Marvel and how I felt about it after seeing it. The "real" episode 2 will be out shortly, but in the meantime have a listen to why I loved Captain Marvel so much. Let me know your thoughts on Captain Marvel too: Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Thanks for listening and keep your ears open for the actual episode 2, coming soon! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Feb 16, 2019 · 41 min
Titan A.E.
Welcome to the first episode of Verbal Diorama! In this inaugural episode, I discuss the movie that literally sunk Fox Animation Studios; the groundbreaking and risk-taking Titan A.E.; a movie that's rich in history and legacy, as well as infamous for being one of the biggest financial flops of all time. *Hint* It's actually not a bad movie, I liked it, but it does have issues! I also briefly talk about my favourite movie of last year, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. You can follow me on: Instagram @verbaldiorama Twitter @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama or you can email me general hellos, feedback or suggestions: verbaldiorama@gmail.com Thanks for listening! Em See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy