Storybeater Episode 140: WickedWe're dancing through life with John M. Chu's movie adaptation of the musical Wicked. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/34473475
Storybeater Episode 139: Swords and SandalsTo mark the release of Gladiator II, Anthony and Andrew unpack our fascination with gladiator stories and historical and mythological epics. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/34207280
Storybeater Episode 138: Horror Robots For the annual Halloween episode, Anthony and Andrew discuss scary robots, from Metropolis to M3GAN. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/33670307
Storybeater Episode 137: The Martial ArtistWhat makes the martial artist an appealing archetype in fiction? Anthony and Andrew unpack the tropes with reference to some of their favourite examples! /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/33249992
136: Deadpool and WolverineMutants, multiverses, and mowing down the fourth wall! Anthony and Andrew talk Deadpool & Wolverine. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/32628632
Storybeater Episode 135: Man vs. NatureWith Twisters tearing through theatres, Anthony and Andrew look at the uses and meaning of "man versus nature" conflicts in narrative. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/32246112
Storybeater Episode 134: Delicious in DungeonAnthony and Andrew explore the dungeoneering tropes of the hit animated series Delicious in Dungeon, aka Dungeon Meshi. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/31883462
Storybeater Episode 133: Planets of the ApesAnthony and Andrew explore the themes and approaches of the three iterations of the Planet of the Apes movie franchise. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/31493932
Storybeater Episode 132: Ten Years of Storybeater! Anthony and Andrew mark ten years of the reading-and-writing podcast by reflecting on ten themes and trends in storytelling from the past decade, including streaming, shared universes, the state of the "sure thing", and the rise of cozy entertainment. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/31011638
Storybeater Episode 131: Oscars 2024Anthony and Andrew break down the runners and riders in the 96th Academy Awards categories for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay. Movies discussed include: American Fiction The Zone of Interest Barbie Oppenheimer Poor Things The Holdovers May December Past Lives Anatomy of a Fall Maestro /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/30172943
Storybeater Episode 130: The AssassinBeekeepers, bricklayers, painters, and John Wick. Anthony and Andrew dive into the world of the assassin in fiction. What's the appeal of the archetype, what does it represent, and how does it work? /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/29677108
Storybeater Episode 129: Hayao MiyazakiAnthony and Andrew discuss the themes, story structure, and worldbuilding of animator Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli movies, including My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Porco Rosso! /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/29203643
Storybeater Episode 128: Roald Dahl Anthony and Andrew revisit a key author from their childhoods as they dip into the dark worlds of Roald Dahl, to mark both the release of Wes Anderson's adaptations of Dahl's short stories and the upcoming Wonka movie. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/28786058
Storybeater Episode 127: Aliens!It's time for the annual Storybeater monster episode. This year we're looking at aliens in fiction, where horror and sci-fi intersect, and what fears and anxieties aliens can represent. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/28444373
Storybeater Episode 126: Star TrekAnthony and Andrew discuss the recent series of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and take a look back over the history of the Star Trek franchise, from The Original Series to Lower Decks! /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/28154114
Storybeater Episode 125: BarbieAnthony and Andrew unpack the blockbuster sensation Barbie. It's bright, its breezy, and it's shockingly smart! /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/27803343
Storybeater Episode 124: Indiana Jones and the Dial of DestinyAnthony and Andrew check out the latest and last Indiana Jones movie to ask whether there's still life in the adventure genre, what the tropes of an Indiana Jones movie might be, and where there may yet be untapped potential in this fictional world. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/27598131
Storybeater Episode 123: 60 Years of Doctor Who With the 60th anniversary of classic BBC sci-fi show Doctor Who fast approaching, Anthony and Andrew look back at their memories of the original series, the challenges of the modern day revamp, and their hopes for the future of the show. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/27214851
Storybeater Episode 122: Fast XAnthony and Andrew have a spoiler-filled discussion about Fast X, covering the trouble with Brian, the villain's queer coding, the need for a Johnny Tran resurrection, and what it might say about the franchise that the outlaws have become the in-laws. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/26920341
Storybeater Episode 121: Roleplaying and WritingAnthony and Andrew discuss how playing roleplaying games has shaped them as writers and what writers can learn from playing RPGs! /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/26668671
Storybeater Episode 120: The Last of UsAnthony and Andrew break down the latest and perhaps most successful video game-to-live action adaptation, HBO's The Last of Us, to look at how the source material shapes the story. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/26366106
Storybeater Episode 119: Oscars 2023Anthony and Andrew assess this year's Academy Award nominees for Best Adapted and Best Original Screenplay, including: Best Adapted: All Quiet on the Western Front Glass Onion Living Top Gun: Maverick Women Talking Best Original: The Banshees of Inisherin Everything Everywhere All at Once The Fabelmans Tár Triangle of Sadness /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/26059698
Storybeater Episode 118: The Benoit Blanc MysteriesAnthony and Andrew discuss Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig's emerging murder mystery movie series, Knives Out and Glass Onion! /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/25717140
Storybeater Episode 117: Santa ClausAnthony and Andrew unpack the many faces of Father Christmas in fiction and the magic of the character's enduring appeal. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/25268970
Storybeater Episode 116: Interview with the VampireAnthony 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? /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/25103067
Storybeater Episode 115: KaijuFor the annual Halloween episode, Anthony and Andrew look at the history and significance of the city-destroying giant monsters known as kaiju! /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/24823029
Storybeater Episode 114: Spider-ManAnthony 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. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/24498618
Storybeater Episode 113: The SandmanAnthony 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? /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/24043761
Storybeater Episode 112: Thor: Love & ThunderAnthony 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? /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/23766860
Storybeater Episode 111: Everything Everywhere All At OnceAnthony 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. /episode/index/show/storybeater/id/23440355