Best Forgotten Maverick Podcasts (2024)

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Episode 85: Pan’s Labyrinth Review: Innocence, Coping, and Questioning Reality 1:08:07

22h ago1:08:07

1:08:07

Maverick and Patrick discuss and review Guillermo Del Toro’s masterpiece “Pans Labyrinth”. Is Ofelia imagining everything, or is she experiencing the intersection of the fantasy realm with the real world? ---------- Highlights: 0:00 "Pans Labyrinth" Introduction 9:35 Opening Scene 13:55 Main Character: Ofelia 18:06 Side Characters 19:28 A Plot v. B…

1
Episode 84: Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens: A Solid Restart, A Controversial Series, and Fan Service 1:23:02

8d ago1:23:02

1:23:02

Maverick is joined by Andrew and Sean to discuss and review the Disney release of Star Wars episode 7: The Force Awakens. With Andrew taking a negative stance and Sean taking a positive one, they debate the merits and issues of the first attempt Disney takes in the Star Wars universe. ---------- Highlights: 0:00 "Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens" I…

1
Episode 83: Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith Review: Arguments, Masterpieces, and Excessive Lightsabers 1:20:24

14d ago1:20:24

1:20:24

Maverick and Andrew discuss, debate, and review Star Wars episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. ---------- Highlights: 0:00 “Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith” Introduction 4:09 Opening Scene 5:34 Main Character 18:41 Side Characters: Obi Wan 26:44 Side Characters: Padme 36:33 Side Characters: Yoda 41:20 Motivations and Villains 48:53 Themes 52:51 Heigh…

1
Episode 82: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire: Questionable Rules, Lame Entities, and Iron Man 3 Endings 54:23

22d ago54:23

54:23

Maverick and Avalon review Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. While Phoebe Spengler figures out what it’s like to have teenager drama, a ghost from ages past decides to be a lame stock villain. Funny fire guy though. ---------- Highlights: 0:00 “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” Introduction 4:27 Opening Scene 8:16 Main Character: Phoebe Spengler 13:45 Side C…

1
Episode 81: One Life Review: Despair and Dramatic Tension 53:00

29d ago53:00

53:00

Maverick and Avalon review One Life. A story of Nicholas Winton saving refugees from the coming Nazi invasion before World War II. ---------- Highlights: 0:00 “One Life” Introduction 6:04 Opening Scene 10:29 Nicholas Winton 13:26 Side Characters 18:04 Setting 24:24 Beautiful Example of "Show Don't Tell" 27:43 The Nazis 29:08 Themes 31:23 Heightened…

1
Episode 80: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Review (Part 2): Defense and Discussion 1:00:54

1M ago1:00:54

1:00:54

Maverick and Philip continue to discuss the Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, and what made it stand out compared to other movies. Part 2 of a 2-part review. Find the first part here: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/maverick51411/episodes/2024-03-06T18_00_00-08_00 ---------- Highlights: 0:59 Stakes and Villains 11:03 Ideals 25:12 Bigges…

1
Episode 79: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Does Following the Books Matter? 1:12:09

1M ago1:12:09

1:12:09

Maverick is joined by Philip to review the last of the series of the Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King. Taking a counter-stance, Philip argues passionately for the beauty of the books, and the failures of the movie, while Maverick defends the honor of Peter Jackson’s work. Part 1 of a two part discussion. ---------- Highlights: 0:00 "The Lo…

1
Episode 78: Dune Part 2: Surprising Weakness, With A Hopeful Future 54:28

2M ago54:28

54:28

Maverick and Avalon discuss and review Dune, Part 2. They discuss Paul Atreides rise to power, and his rejection of the mantel of the Lisan Al Gaib (or the Kwisatz Haderach). They also discuss the Harkonnens, Feyd Rautha, and other notable characters such as Shaddam IV. ---------- Highlights: 0:00 "Dune, Part 2" Introduction 8:55 Opening Scene 16:5…

1
Episode 77: Madame Web: How Tell Don’t Show Kills Plots 56:56

2M ago56:56

56:56

Maverick and Avalon discuss and review the recent release of Madame Web, and explain why Madame Web is a bad movie, not worth watching. ---------- Highlights: 0:00 “Madame Web” Introduction 3:59 Opening Scene 7:59 Compelling Main Character? 11:52 Side Characters 18:16 Setting 21:35 Motive 26:54 Ezekiel, The Villain 32:37 With Great Power Comes... F…

1
Episode 76: Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones: Fragmented Plotlines Beware 54:56

2M ago54:56

54:56

Maverick and Andrew discuss the second of the prequel trilogy for George Lucas’s Star Wars universe. ---------- Highlights: 0:00 "Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones" Introduction 4:43 Opening Scene 9:13 Diverging Storylines 15:13 Plotting Toward The Original Trilogy 23:24 Obstacles and Risk 26:49 The Best and Worst 33:42 Anakin's Motivations 35:00 …

1
Episode 75: Ghostbusters: Do Comedies Break the Rating System? 1:00:16

2M ago1:00:16

1:00:16

Maverick and Avalon review and discuss the 1984 classic “Ghostbusters”. They also have a lengthy discussion on the rating system, updates to the rating system, and cult classics. ---------- Highlights: 0:00 “Ghostbusters” Introduction 2:59 The Rating System 10:26 Opening Scene 19:18 Side Characters 22:49 Motive 25:03 The Villain 30:26 Themes and Su…

1
Episode 74: Movies Worth Watching: Creating Compelling Villains 1:15:04

3M ago1:15:04

1:15:04

Maverick is joined by Patrick and Avalon to discuss the fundamentals of what makes a good movie. Despite Patrick’s best efforts, they manage to stay on track and discuss villains thoroughly. ————— Highlights: 0:00 Movies Worth Watching: Villains Introduction 3:28 Villains Opposed to the Hero 12:42 Righteous Antagonists 21:16 Anton Chigurh and a Vil…

1
Episode 73: ISS: Weak Heroes Lack Stakes 1:04:08

3M ago1:04:08

1:04:08

Maverick and Avalon discuss and review the recent release of the ISS movie. ————— Highlights: 0:00 "ISS" Introduction 5:26 Opening Scene 8:47 Main Character 12:21 Side Characters 16:34 Villains and Obstacles 25:27 Ideals and Motives 30:20 Heroes With Nothing to Lose 34:04 Heightened Tension 44:25 Revelations 50:02 Final Scene 58:15 Transformation 1…

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Episode 72: The Thing: Aliens, Horror, and John Carpenter 1:23:29

3M ago1:23:29

1:23:29

Maverick and Patrick discuss and review John Carpenter’s classic “The Thing” from 1982. ————— Highlights 0:00 "The Thing" Introduction 2:04 Summary, Box Office, and the Horror Genre 20:16 Opening Scene 23:55 Mac, the Main Character 28:32 Side Characters 37:51 Setting 40:51 Entering the Fray 43:08 Heightened Tension 49:27 A Discussion on Horror 55:2…

1
Episode 71: The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers: Solid Progress, With No Resolution (Duh) 1:13:15

3M ago1:13:15

1:13:15

In this episode, Maverick is rejoined by Philip Dudt from the White City Podcast as they review and explore the classic release by Peter Jackson, of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”. ————— Podcast Highlights: 0:00 "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" Introduction and Rating 5:24 Opening Scene 10:36 Main Character Development 21:29 Aragorn'…

1
Episode 70: Gladiator: A Thematic Masterpiece 1:16:24

4M ago1:16:24

1:16:24

Maverick and Andrew discuss and review the 2000 release of Gladiator, by Ridley Scott and David Franzoni. ————— Episode Highlights 0:00 "Gladiator" Introduction and Rating 5:49 Opening Scene 7:26 What Maximus Stands For 20:28 Marcus Aurelius 24:49 The Brutality of Rome 33:27 What's At Risk? 41:15 Themes 45:34 Symbolism in Lucius 50:37 Commodus 56:5…

1
2023 Retrospective — A Listener Interviews Me 1:47:48

4M ago1:47:48

1:47:48

In this special episode, the tables are turned as I'm interviewed by a listener of the show, DJ Thornton from Sydney. We reflect on the progress of the show in 2023, what I learned from this year's guests, and what's in store for 2024. Full transcript available at: josephnoelwalker.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

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Episode 69: Ferrari: A Solid Story With Questionable Value 1:00:08

4M ago1:00:08

1:00:08

Maverick and Avalon discuss and review the new biographical race thriller "Ferrari" directed by Michael Mann and starring Adam Driver. With very different ratings, they debate the values presented in this movie and if there was any opportunities to improve this dramatic film. ————— Highlights 0:00 "Ferrari" Introduction and Rating 7:04 The Opening …

1
Episode 68: Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace: It Lacked Focus 1:07:18

4M ago1:07:18

1:07:18

Maverick and Andrew discuss and review the classic release of George Lucas's Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Their discussion includes topics surrounding the main characters, if the plot of the movie is compelling, and if The Phantom Menace is worth watching. ————— 0:00 "Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace" Introduction and Rating 4:36 Opening…

1
David Deutsch & Steven Pinker (First Ever Public Dialogue) — AGI, P(Doom), & The Enemies of Progress 1:55:40

4M ago1:55:40

1:55:40

At a time when the Enlightenment is under attack from without and within, I bring together two of the most thoughtful defenders of progress and reason, for their first ever public dialogue. Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. I think of him as providing the strongest empirical defence of the Enlightenment (…

1
Episode 67: Leave the World Behind: Promises Without Payoff 52:41

4M ago52:41

52:41

Maverick and Avalon discuss and review the new Netflix release “Leave the World Behind” by Sam Esmail. ————— Episode Contents: 0:00 "Leave the World Behind" Introduction and Rating 5:19 Amanda and Her Opening Scene 11:11 Side Characters 13:50 Setting 18:33 What Opposes the Protagonist? 23:54 Entering the Fray 26:53 Heightened Tension 27:53 Cinemato…

1
Episode 66: John Wick: The Animal Nature Inside Us 54:06

4M ago54:06

54:06

In this podcast episode, Maverick and Andrew review John Wick, the original movie. They discuss how the plot is developed, is the 9 Point system the right way to review a movie, and the carnal nature of John Wick and how that speaks to us as the audience. Notice, this content is a little more graphic at the end. ---------- Show Notes: 0:00 "John Wi…

1
Episode 65: Napoleon: Too Epic to Succeed 1:04:50

5M ago1:04:50

1:04:50

Maverick and Avalon review the new release of Scott Ridley’s Napoleon, and the grand sweeping narrative and issues that go with it. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. ---------- Moments: 0:00 “Napoleon” Introduction 3:25 Napoleon as the Main Character 18:25 Napoleon's Motivations 22:25 The Guillotine 26:49 Side Characters 40:59 Who is Napo…

1
Shruti Rajagopalan — On Spotting Talent, And Making Sense of Rising India 2:45:00

5M ago2:45:00

2:45:00

Shruti Rajagopalan is an Indian-American economist. She leads the Indian political economy research program and Emergent Ventures India at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She also hosts the Ideas of India podcast. Full transcript available at: jnwpod.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

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Episode 64: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: Characters Are Key 53:00

5M ago53:00

53:00

Maverick and Avalon review the new Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Coryo (Coriolanus Snow), Lucy Gray, Sejanus, and more all play masterful roles in the story presented on screen. ---------- Key Moments: 0:00 "The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" Introduction 2:37 Opening Scene, Characters, and Setting 11:06 What's At Sta…

1
Episode 63: The Marvels: TikTok Emotions and Plot Hole Powers 1:02:32

5M ago1:02:32

1:02:32

Maverick and Avalon discuss "The Marvels". The discussion ranges from who is the main character, to fundamental universe rules, to the power of the villain. ---------- Show Notes: 0:00 "The Marvels" Introduction 1:24 Summary and Rating 4:32 Opening Scene 8:46 Who is the Main Character? 19:46 Rules of the Universe 28:57 What's at Stake Here? 34:24 T…

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Episode 62: The Marsh King's Daughter: Pacing and Subplot Failure 1:10:39

5M ago1:10:39

1:10:39

Maverick and his guest Patrick discuss the release "The Marsh King's Daughter". But this is one of those times where pacing, subplots, and conflict can be too simple. Are good themes and values enough to make up for a few weak plot points? ---------- Highlights: 1:22 Movie Summary 10:13 Compelling Characters 19:02 Unresolved Issues Increasing Confl…

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