Blurbal Diorama - Issue #3 - Jan 2022

Not really a photo of me in a cinema. I actually have eyes.

Hi {{first_name}}

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you had an amazing Christmas / holiday season, and enjoyed time spent with family and friends, despite the threat of Omicron looming.

Speaking of Omicron, its planet-devouring brother Unicron features in the first episode of Animation Season, which debuts this week! I am so excited to share this episode on The Transformers: The Movie with you all. You got the touch. You got the POWERRRRRR!

Patrons already know this, but as newsletter subscribers, I like you give you additional treats. Coming up this month, in addition to Transformers, are episodes on:

• Wolfwalkers

• Corpse Bride

• The Prince of Egypt

• Grave of the Fireflies

That last one is probably going to be 30 minutes of me sobbing into a microphone, but for my sanity, let's hope not!

More amazing animation coming up in February!

Em x

News!

FILM STORIES LIVE....

Due to Covid-19, my planned appearance at Film Stories Live in Birmingham in December had to be postponed.

Early indications have this rescheduled for February 2022, but it'll be confirmed nearer the time. I'll be sure to let you know when. I'm assured the audio of the live show will be made available to all afterwards on the Film Stories website. Keep an eye on my socials, or filmstories.co.uk for news on when the live show will be back!

Chris-mas episodes

In 2011, we'd just had Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2 in the MCU - all very grounded and Midgard-based. Then we got Thor, a character steeped in rich Norse mythology with Shakespearean underpinnings....

Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor was tasked with putting together a hasty sequel to Thor (2011). What Taylor gave Marvel though, wasn't the movie we ended up with...

Soft reboot Thor: Ragnarok, for all its '80s synth score, vibrant colour scheme, physical comedy and crackling script, deftly masquerades a dark look at the mistakes made by previous generations...

Christmas episodes

If you're on Santa's naughty list, you get an episode of Verbal Diorama on Krampus. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness' sake!

If you're on Santa's nice list, you get an episode of Verbal Diorama on Klaus. A true selfless act always sparks another.

Recommended podcasts for Film Stories

Every week, I recommend a British movie podcast for Film Stories. Here's some recent recommendations:

Our movie podcast recommendation of the week has a London flavour to it: here's why Soho Bites is worth a listen.

Our movie podcast recommendation of the week? Well, you can probably spot the Back To The Future influence in its title.

Our film podcast recommendation this week is in the movie sequel business: and there's no shortage of pitches.

Are you a British movie podcast who would like to be featured in Film Stories? We welcome all suggestions and requests, but we especially want to hear from you if you’re female, POC, non-binary, LGBTQIA+ or have a disability. Get in touch if you know a podcast, or you are a podcast!

Support this podcast

It's through the generous support of Patrons that Verbal Diorama exists. No-one is under any obligation to help out, but if you can and you want to, please check out my Patreon page for the Keanu-themed tier of your dreams.

Become a patron of Verbal Diorama today: Get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.

Speaking of the devil('s advocate)....

Obligatory Keanu Reference

Episode 118 Bram Stoker's Dracula was the most downloaded Keanu-starring episode of the podcast in 2021. It was the 24th most downloaded episode of the year.

Have a great 2022!