Reel Fantasy

Our final Christmas episode’s up! I know, it’s late. Give it a listen anyway, though…there’s lots of great stuff in it! We watched 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol! This episode also features our traditional Reel Fantasy Christmas reading. This year, we hear Yes Marek, There Is A Gojun Pye, delivered by a few friends.

Boo! I mean…ho ho ho! Christmas is getting closer and we watched 2000’s The Life & Adventures Of Santa Claus, directed by Glen Hill and written by Hank Saroyan, based on the novella by Oz creator, L. Frank Baum. It was fine. The Life & Adventures Of Santa Claus stars the voices of Robby Benson … Continue reading Episode 75 – The Life & Adventures Of Santa Claus →

It’s coming on Christmas. They’re cutting down trees. They’re putting up reindeer. And singing songs of joy and peace. Oh, I wish I had a river I could throw crappy fantasy-centric Christmas specials into. We watched three! He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special; Dragons: Gift Of The Night Fury; and Shrek The Halls. This is … Continue reading Episode 74 – Fantasy Christmas Specials →

We went to go see The Nutcracker & The Four Realms. We then spent an hour complaining about the lack of depth and breakdown in internal logic occurring in a kids’ Christmas movie. We’re curmudgeons, damn it!

1962’s Jack The Giant Killer, directed by Nathan Juran and written by Juran and Orville H. Hampton, is a rip-off! No joke! The producer, Edward Small, almost got sued! And sadly, that’s the most interesting thing about the film. Jack The Giant Killer is based on the traditional Jack tales of Great Britain and stars … Continue reading Episode 73 – Jack The Giant Killer →

Boo! 2009’s Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans, directed by Patrick Tatopolous and written by Danny McBride, Dirk Blackman, and Howard McCain, is the third entry in the Underworld franchise, but chronologically the first. Its only connection to Halloween is that it features vampires and werewolves. Good enough! The film is a prequel to 2003’s Underworld … Continue reading Episode 72 – Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans →

You knew it was coming. Or at least, you should have known. Robin Hood, Arrows, Beans & Karate, directed by Tonino Ricci is exactly as exciting and inoffensive as our previous excursion with the director, Thor The Conqueror. By which we mean it was boring. And offensive. But, offensive in completely new and exciting ways! … Continue reading Episode 71 – Robin Hood, Arrows, Beans & Karate →

1983’s Thor The Conqueror, directed by Tonino Ricci and written by Tito Carpi, is terrible. Just terrible. Unequivocally and indisputably terrible. That is all. No, really…that’s all. I’m sick of talkin’ about this movie. Agree with our thoughts on Thor The Conqueror? Disagree? Let us know in this episode’s comments, or you can find us … Continue reading Episode 70 – Thor The Conqueror →

1984’s The Warrior & The Sorceress, directed by John C. Broderick and written by Broderick and William Stout, is a welcome return to good ol’ fashioned 1980s sword-and-sorcery. Despite some quibbles, Matt and Drew ended up enjoying it quite a bit! That’s a sensation that will not last! The Warrior & The Sorceress was “heavily … Continue reading Episode 69 – The Warrior & The Sorceress →

Why? Why? WHY?! 2015’s Strange Magic, directed by Gary Rydstrom and written by Rydstrom, David Berenbaum, and Irene Mecchi – from an idea and story by George Lucas – is a “computer-animated jukebox musical fantasy romantic comedy.” And yes, that is every bit as big of a flustercluck as it sounds. It may have been … Continue reading Episode 68 – Strange Magic →

2015’s Tale Of Tales, directed by Matteo Garrone and written by Garrone, Edoardo Albinati, Ugo Chiti, and Massimo Gaudioso, is a dark, thematically heavy film with a very distinct fairy tale skew. Matt, Drew, and Amanda break with tradition by having mostly good things to say about it! So, here’s the thing. Usually, Matt researches … Continue reading Episode 67 – Tale Of Tales →

1989’s Sinbad Of The Seven Seas, directed by Enzo G. Castellari and written by Castellari and Tito Carpi, is another glorious Cannon production starring Lou Ferrigno in the titular role. Needless to say, this is the greatest movie of all time and Matt and Drew love it! Sinbad Of The Seven Seas claims to be … Continue reading Episode 66 – Sinbad Of The Seven Seas →

1981’s Excalibur, directed by John Boorman and written by Boorman & Rospo Pallenberg, is a ground-breaking film and is considered a classic of the fantasy genre. Do Matt and Drew agree? Probably not…they’re philistines! Excalibur is a lengthy retelling of a good chunk of Arthurian legend, based primarily on Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, and … Continue reading Episode 65 – Excalibur →

The twenty-fourth episode of The Reel Fantasy Podcast – our Halloween episode – featured 2013’s Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, written and directed by Tommy Wirkola. Feeling a little bit of fairy action burnout, Matt and Drew didn’t find it to be much of a treat. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is a super-edgy action-adventure … Continue reading Replay – Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters →

The twenty-third episode of The Reel Fantasy Podcast featured 1983’s Hundra, directed by Thomas Vitale Ottaviano (using the pseudonym Matt Cimber) and written by Cimber and John Goff. Matt and Drew were a little put off by the film…and not just because of the incessant rape and attempted rape. Hundra is a Spanish-Italian co-production that … Continue reading Replay – Hundra →

The twenty-second episode of The Reel Fantasy Podcast featured 1990’s The NeverEnding Story II, directed by George T. Miller (not to be confused with George “Mad Max & Happy Feet” Miller) and written by Karin Howard. Matt and Drew enjoyed it less than The NeverEnding Story, but more than The NeverEnding Story III. The NeverEnding … Continue reading Replay – The NeverEnding Story II →

1988’s The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen, directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam & Charles McKeown, is right up the director’s alley, a feast of visual splendor, where the lines separating fantasy and reality blur and disappear. Matt and Drew continue to have terrible opinions by not really liking this beloved classic! The Adventures … Continue reading Episode 64 – The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen →

The twenty-first episode of The Reel Fantasy Podcast featured 1983’s Hercules, written and directed by Luigi Cozzi, using the pseudonym Lewis Coates. Reel Fantasy’s first exposure to the wonderful world of Golan & Globus, Matt and Drew watched Hercules in awestruck delight! Hercules is a mind-numbingly strange blend of Greek mythology and low-budget-Star-Wars-knock-off-sci-fi starring Lou … Continue reading Replay – Hercules →

Merry Christmas! 1976’s Reisen Til Julstjernen, directed by Ola Slolum and written by Slolum and Aksel Helgeland, is the progenitor of 2012’s Journey To The Christmas Star. For Christmas this year, Matt and Drew go full Norway, without the benefit of English dubbing or subtitles! This episode also contains a reading of that perennial Yuletide … Continue reading Episode 63 – Reisen Til Julestjernen →

The third and final Reel Fantasy Christmas Countdown episode of 2016 was The Christmas Dragon, released in 2014. Directed by John Lyde and written by Shyla & David Addante, this film starred some familiar faces to Matt and Drew and served quite nicely to round out the holiday season. Produced by Arrowstorm Entertainment, the independent … Continue reading Replay – The Christmas Dragon →