Best Taming Dragons Podcasts (2025)

1
Seeing Double: Popcorn Counter 21:27

14h ago21:27

21:27

We’re seeing double at the Popcorn Counter this week, as take note of the cultural trend in cinema: actors playing more than one role in a movie. Everyone’s doing it: Superman, Sinners, Mickey 17 and Saturday Night have all used this trick in the last few months. But it’s hardly a new phenomenon. Who did it first, who did it best, who did it the mo…

1
Superman vs Superman the Movie: Supermen! 1:33:23

7d ago1:33:23

1:33:23

We have been looking up this week, enjoying Superman new and old. This year’s Superman is James Gunn’s first film as head honcho for the DC Universe, and bears many of his technicolor trademarks. But how much does it owe to the OG, 1978’s Superman the Movie, starring Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman? And does the original still stand up 47 years …

1
New York Times Top 100 Films at the Popcorn Counter 25:54

15d ago25:54

25:54

The New York Times recently published their list of the top 100 films of the twenty first century, and hoo hah, that has certainly stirred up some strong reactions! Does the list just reinforce our suspicion that cinema is on its death bed? Or is the list full of joyful surprises and incredible revelations? Which films on the list do we agree with?…

1
F1 The Movie vs Bullitt: Speeding Ticket 1:33:06

21d ago1:33:06

1:33:06

We’re strapping on our helmets and climbing into our bucket seats this week, as we watch maybe the most heavily branded film we’ve ever seen, the new Apple feature F1: The Movie, and answer the question: how much phallic imagery can be crammed into a single two and half hour period? We’re comparing it to the film with probably the most famous car c…

1
What's in a Name at the Popcorn Counter? 22:25

29d ago22:25

22:25

There are good films with bad names, and there are bad films with good names. And sometimes, rarely, there are films that hit both targets dead centre. Join us at the Popcorn Counter where we’re discussing movie titles this week - ones we love, ones we hate, ones we’re proud of and ones we just don’t understand. Where did the name for Blade Runner …

1
Kickstarter, Copycats, and Comebacks: RiutBag’s Rise 1:08:03

30d ago1:08:03

1:08:03

In this episode of the podcast, hosts Tom Constable and Phil Staunton engage in a deep conversation with Sarah Giblin, the founder of RiutBag. They explore Sarah's journey as a solopreneur, the challenges she faced, and the lessons learned along the way. The discussion covers the importance of customer feedback, the impact of burnout, and the role …

1
How To Train Your Dragon vs The Long Ships: How To Tame Your Viking 1:23:47

1M ago1:23:47

1:23:47

Join us on the isle of Berk this week, as we go lizard taming with the vikings in the new live action remake How to Train Your Dragon. And then stay with us as we set sail for an unnamed 10th century Moorish city in the 1964 action epic The Long Ships. It’s a manly podcast about Gerard Butler and Richard Widmark, with more beards that you can shake…

1
Dangerous Wonder - Dialogue with Coltrane Lord, Foundress of the Wonderland Project 1:21:22

1M ago1:21:22

1:21:22

Coltrane Lord is a Psychedelic Integration Specialist, Artist-Healer, and Foundress of Wonderland Project, a nonprofit organization that connects marginalized women who suffer PTSD due to domestic violence, rape, or sexual exploitation to trauma informed psychedelic plant medicines care and integration. Coltrane is interested in the intersection of…

1
Blood Sucking Freaks at the Popcorn Counter 18:23

1M ago18:23

18:23

We’re sick of these false teeth and black cloaks, but we’re going to wear them anyway, because we’re reflecting on vampire movies this week at the Popcorn Counter. (But obviously not in a mirror.) How do rules-based stories work and why do we love them? Which vampire movies did we enjoy and which did we avoid? Why don’t teenagers know the vampire r…

1
Dyslexia, Deals & Devastation: Jez Williman on the Highs and Lows of Building Physical Products 1:14:04

2M ago1:14:04

1:14:04

In this episode, we sit down with Jez Williman, a British entrepreneur whose journey has seen him build a business from $3 million to over $100 million in sales across 120 countries and then lose a second venture after years of development and personal investment. Jez shares a candid, unfiltered story of the highs and lows of product entrepreneursh…

1
Sinners vs Bram Stoker's Dracula: Sinners and Suckers 1:36:01

2M ago1:36:01

1:36:01

We’re sucking blood and playing the blues this week, after watching the new Ryan Coogler Mississippi vampire picture Sinners and 1992’s Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Is Sinners an early contender for film of the year? What do the two films have to say about racism, cultural appropriation and ‘the other’? Which film has a lot of sexy…

1
Popcorn Counter: Home By The Sea 25:22

2M ago25:22

25:22

We’re talking about housing at the popcorn counter this week. After watching the real estate adventures of Secret Mall Apartment last week, we got to thinking about cinema’s function as a feeder of fantasy. Out of all the places that we’ve visited through the screen over the years, which are the ones we really wish we lived in? Which are our top fi…

1
How AI Is Transforming Product Design 53:03

2M ago53:03

53:03

Episode Overview: In this episode, hosts Tom Constable and Phil Staunton sit down with industrial designer and AI consultant Rupert Warries to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the product design process. From speeding up workflows and removing creative bottlenecks to addressing the ethical and legal concerns of AI-generated content,…

1
Secret Mall Apartment vs The Apartment: The ArtPartment 1:21:25

2M ago1:21:25

1:21:25

We’re in real estate agent mode this week, as we watch two films with unique takes on the property market. Secret Mall Apartment is a new documentary about an art collective who moved into a disused corner of a Rhode Island mall in the early 2000s, while 1960’s The Apartment sees sparks fly between Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in Billy Wilder’s…

1
Calming The Angry Dragon 42:32

2M ago42:32

42:32

Anger. Nobody likes it, and everyone feels it. Whether you got cut off on your way to work, or you're the unfortunate soul stuck in the room with the one who was. Anger makes us all uncomfortable. Yet, it is a completely natural emotion. There are many ways to channel anger and express it positively. In this episode, we discuss Anger drawing upon D…

1
Popcorn Counter: Tariffs 26:55

2M ago26:55

26:55

Popcorn seems to have got more expensive like everything else recently. And now we may be looking at tariffs on the film business. But how would these proposed tariffs work? And what might they mean for movie fans as well as moving picture professionals? Join us at the popcorn counter as we discuss Jon Voight’s proposals for MAGA’s film industry ma…

1
Against All Odds: Overcoming Huge Setbacks to Sell 5 Million Worldwide 55:52

3M ago55:52

55:52

How do you recover from a disastrous TV pitch to build a global children’s brand that sells in over 100 countries? In this episode, we sit down with Rob Law, founder of Trunki, the iconic ride-on suitcase that started life as a student design project and became a multimillion-pound business. Rob shares the wild ride behind Trunki: from being public…

1
The Friend vs My Life as a Dog: My Life As The Friend Of A Dog 1:31:53

3M ago1:31:53

1:31:53

We’re joined by the film industry’s premier sound recordist this episode, as Mike Primmer sits down with us to talk about dog movies. We’ve seen The Friend, the new Bill Murray/Naomi Watts light drama, recorded by Mike, and we’re comparing it to the much loved Swedish 1985 coming of age picture My Life as a Dog. Two films about loss, grief, change,…

1
Mindful Momma's Mothers Day 45:53

3M ago45:53

45:53

Hey listeners! We're back with a very special episode. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month and Mothers Day we decided you all deserved an extra episode. As always we discuss all things mental health and motherhood, focusing on the benefits of leading with your heart as opposed to your head. Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful women out…

1
Popcorn Counter: Chicken Jockey! 16:26

3M ago16:26

16:26

Okay, that’s it. We don’t understand anything anymore. This week we went to see A Minecraft Movie. It’s not a masterpiece. But we spent more time watching the audience than watching the film. Join us at the Popcorn Counter as we talk about the meme-ification of cinema, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, TikTok and the end times, Tommy Wiseau and the be…

1
Taming the Dragons whilst Saving the Planet 59:06

3M ago59:06

59:06

How do you turn a lockdown frustration into a planet-saving product and land investment from two of the UK’s biggest Dragons? In this episode of It’s only a Prototype, we sit down with Lisa Hicks, founder of SNOAP—the world’s first solid soap dispenser that’s stylish, mess-free, and built to last 25 years. Lisa shares her incredible journey: from d…

1
Mickey 17 vs Blade Runner: Attack of the Clones 1:52:19

3M ago1:52:19

1:52:19

We’re going off-world this episode, joining Robert Pattinson on an ice planet in Bong Joon Ho’s new satirical clone adventure Mickey 17, before crashing back to a ruined, rainy Earth to compare it to Ridley Scott’s flawed 1982 masterpiece Blade Runner. Two films about artificial humans and the value of life, but which one deals eloquently with eter…

1
Popcorn Counter: What is Plaguing Today's Biggest Movies? 20:00

3M ago20:00

20:00

We’ve got to stop reading, it’s just making us mad. This week at the popcorn counter we’ve been looking at Namwali Serpell’s article in the recent New Yorker about ‘The New Literalism’, and boy do we have something to say. Serpell’s been to the multiplex a lot lately, and frankly if we’d just come out of Gladiator II and Megalopolis like she has, w…

1
Dealing With Death Dragons 40:16

3M ago40:16

40:16

Hey listeners! Today we are tackling the difficult discussion of Death. Now, before you break out the tissues, note that we are talking about death figuratively also. Maybe you lament the loss of freedom after becoming a parent, maybe you miss the times where you could fall backwards off a skateboard and pop back up unharmed, or maybe you have to e…

1
Bootstrapped to 800,000 Units Sold Worldwide: The Story Behind Rockit 44:23

3M ago44:23

44:23

How do you go from a family Christmas hack to a globally recognised product used by nearly a million parents? In this episode of It’s only a Prototype, we sit down with Matt Dyson, co-founder of Rockit, the sleep-saving device that gently rocks a baby’s pushchair when parents stop pushing. Matt shares the full story: from bootstrapping in his garag…

1
Popcorn Counter: Netflix's Old Movie Problem 24:25

4M ago24:25

24:25

You may have read as we did recently in The Hollywood Reporter about ‘Netflix’s Old Movie Problem’. But is there really a problem? Does it matter if old movies aren’t available on Netflix? Join us at the popcorn counter where we’ll talk about discoverability, Quentin Tarantino, algorithms and the BBC Moviedrome. Which country has the biggest Netfli…

1
Popcorn Counter: Alice in Brazil with Inês 22:17

4M ago22:17

22:17

We’ve set the Popcorn Counter up at the beach this episode, to enjoy a coconut water and a chopp with last week’s guest Inês Braga. She tells us about the experience of writing Alice, the first HBO production made for South America, fills us in on life in Rio, gives us a watch-list of some of the greats of Brazilian cinema, reflects on changes in B…

1
Introducing: It's only a Prototype Podcast 5:02

4M ago5:02

5:02

Welcome to It’s only a Prototype! What does it really take to launch a physical product? Spoiler: it’s messy, it’s unpredictable and it’s never as smooth as the success stories make it sound. Welcome to It’s only a Prototype, the podcast that goes behind the curtain of product development. In this trailer episode, your hosts Phil Staunton, an exper…

1
I'm Still Here vs Four Days in September: I'm Still Here in September 1:48:32

4M ago1:48:32

1:48:32

We’re heading to the southern hemisphere this week and taking regular guest Inês Braga with us, as we catch up with the Best International Feature Film Oscar winner, I’m Still Here, and compare it to 1997’s Brazilian kidnap drama Four Days in September. Two adaptations, two films about the Military Dictatorship, two films starring Fernanda Torres, …

1
Popcorn Counter: A Conversation About Gene Hackman 25:27

4M ago25:27

25:27

We’ve set up the reel to reel, we’ve planted our hidden microphones and we’ve put on our headphones, so it’s time to pay tribute to the late Gene Hackman and his finest film, The Conversation, at the Popcorn Counter this week. But which of Hackman’s many other outstanding movies stick in our minds? What was his connection to Dustin Hoffman? Which w…

1
Are You Raising Spoiled or Entitled Dragons? 1:03:47

4M ago1:03:47

1:03:47

Hey listeners! In today’s episode, we take a look at sibling dynamics based on things like birth order, age, and gender. We discuss how this real or perceived hierarchy can create what Dr. Daniel Amen refers to as “Special, Spoiled, or Entitled Dragons”. How does a parent successfully mediate between kids who are competing for attention? How do you…

1
Derrick Jensen on Postmodernism and His First European Tour 1:12:40

4M ago1:12:40

1:12:40

Writer Derrick Jensen joins us to discuss politics, ecology, and philosophy.By nikos patedakis

1
Popcorn Counter: Small Gold Man 25:32

4M ago25:32

25:32

We’re sending our tuxedos back to the dry cleaners once again now that awards season is over. But did the Oscars thrill or disappoint this year? And more importantly, did we get it right? Which gong did we cheer at home, and which left us shrugging our shoulders? What do we think about the screenplay winners and who would have picked up the awards …

1
September 5 vs Munich: September in Munich 1:40:29

5M ago1:40:29

1:40:29

We’re taking a trip back to the 1970s this episode, as we watch the new Oscar-nominated, Munich Olympics-based reconstruction-drama September 5, and compare it to Steven Spielberg’s film about the aftermath of those same events, 2006’s Munich. Two tense movies about truthfulness, integrity and violence. But which one features accountants chasing ac…

1
Popcorn Counter: Guillermo's Labyrinth 25:21

5M ago25:21

25:21

After spending the week in Mexico last episode, we’re drinking a Corona at the Popcorn Counter and reflecting on Mexican cinema as a whole. Is there more to Mexican movies than Día de Muertos and narco-gangsters? Which Mexican director used to hang out with Andres at the coffee shop all the time? Which movie made its Mexican director so much money …

1
Emilia Pérez vs Touch of Evil: Evil Emilia 1:44:22

5M ago1:44:22

1:44:22

We’re heading to Tijuana this episode, as we watch two films set in Mexico made nearly seventy years apart. Emilia Pérez, the new Netflix transgender narco-gangster musical, has thirteen Oscar nominations and a whole lot of bad press. But does it deserve the controversy and the opprobrium, or were audiences just expecting something different? We’re…

1
Taming The Anxiety Dragon 1:00:39

5M ago1:00:39

1:00:39

Hey listeners! Today we're continuing our discussion on anxiety. Anxiety gets the best of us. Heck, even the legendary musician Eddie Van Halen had performance anxiety. So how do you deal with it? Tune in as Krista breaks down the causes and characteristics of anxiety. She also discusses how to be present and get in THE ZONE! Whether through medita…

1
Popcorn Counter: David Lynch 21:56

5M ago21:56

21:56

We’re mourning one of the most unique voices in modern cinema at the Popcorn Counter this week, as we discuss the career of David Lynch and his impact both on the world in general and on our own lives in particular. What happens when you pitch a film as ‘Lynchian’? What does Ronald Reagan have to do with his emergence? Was he the true originator of…

1
Popcorn Counter: On The Road 24:11

6M ago24:11

24:11

Hit the road with us this week, as we get stuck at temporary traffic lights in Surbiton on the way to the Popcorn Counter and use the time to recall some of our favourite road movies. But what IS a road movie? Can it be set on a boat? Or a plane? Or a sidewalk? Or in space? Plus we watch a very young Sting, stroll along the yellow brick road, drink…

1
A Real Pain vs Journey to Italy: A Painful Journey 1:31:25

6M ago1:31:25

1:31:25

Come with us on a couple of trips to Europe this week at the Two Reel Cinema Club, as we join Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin on a tour of Poland in the new Oscar nominated comedy drama A Real Pain, and then catch up with Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders in Roberto Rossellini’s 1954 masterpiece, Journey to Italy. These two films both explore dee…

1
Popcorn Counter: Pop Stars Movie Quiz 41:18

6M ago41:18

41:18

Welcome to our quarterly celebration of dead air and reflective silence: it’s the TRCC Popcorn Counter Quiz! This time around, we have thirty films released between 1957 and 2024, all starring pop stars. Can you guess the title and the star from the clues? Who is mostly made of oil and lotion? Who was the inventor of off-white paint? And when did J…

1
Anxiety and Inferiority: Tackling Your Dragons 48:36

6M ago48:36

48:36

Hey listeners! Today we're discussing anxiety, inferiority and how social media can make these feelings worse. From the "Martha Stewart Mom" who has it all together to the "Instagram Guitarist" with a million likes, we all compare ourselves to someone thinking: WHY CAN'T THAT BE ME? We draw upon the work of Dr. Daniel Amen, who refers to anxiety an…

1
A Complete Unknown vs Don't Look Back: An Incomplete Look Back 1:35:57

6M ago1:35:57

1:35:57

The mystique of Bob Dylan wafts through the Two Reel Cinema Club this week, as we watch the thoroughly enjoyable new biopic A Complete Unknown, and compare it to the actual Bob Dylan as he appears in the 1967 rock documentary Don’t Look Back. Two portraits of the Nobel Prize winning bard of the 20th century, but which reveals more of the real man? …

1
Popcorn Counter: Film of the Year 2024 40:46

7M ago40:46

40:46

It’s that time again, our annual favourite episode, the Two Reel Cinema Club Film of the Year Show. Seven categories, including best film, best actor, best script, biggest clunker, and weirdest moment of the year. As usual, we’ve kept our nominations secret from each other, so expect some dramatic revelations, some laughter, some tears and some las…

1
Hundreds of Beavers vs Beaverland: About Sixty Beavers 1:15:46

7M ago1:15:46

1:15:46

It’s yet another episode about four legged mammals this week, as we watch the riotous black and white physical comedy indie hit Hundreds of Beavers and compare it with the clever, witty and mind bending 2014 Chilean documentary Beaverland. These films offer two very different views of the industrious, furry dam-builders, while at the same time tell…

1
Popcorn Counter: Censorship 20:44

7M ago20:44

20:44

There’s a shocking and perplexing development at the Popcorn Counter this week, as we tell the tale of how Google recently censored and deleted one of our podcasts. What was the objectionable material? Racism? Sexism? Incitement to violence? Or… a Sanskrit quotation from Oppenheimer? We discuss the history of censorship in the UK, the curious rules…

1
Anora vs Belle de Jour: Belle Anora 1:38:15

7M ago1:38:15

1:38:15

It’s our annual Christmas episode at the Two Reel Cinema Club, and in keeping with the festive season, this year we’re watching two films about sex workers. Wait, what? Join us as we talk about the new, Sean Baker-directed, heavily award-tipped drama Anora, and compare it to the dream-like 1967 Luis Buñuel classic Belle de Jour. Two different takes…

1
Popcorn Counter: An Inconvenient Anecdote 25:44

7M ago25:44

25:44

Did we ever tell you about the time we met Al Gore? Join us at the Popcorn Counter to hear how we encountered the man who was almost the President of the United States, and what it had to do with the film industry. Plus, once we’re on the subject of An Inconvenient Truth, we ask why there aren’t more environmental films, given the size of the probl…

1
Flow vs Princess Mononoke: Cats vs Wolves 1:27:54

8M ago1:27:54

1:27:54

We’re watching new Latvian animated film Flow this episode, a beautiful and distinctive looking parable about cooperation and environmental collapse, and we’re comparing it to the 1997 Studio Ghibli classic Princess Mononoke. These two movies offer two very different perspectives on the effects of humans on the lives of animals: Flow seems simple a…

1
Popcorn Counter: Sequels and Prequels and A.I., Oh My 30:06

8M ago30:06

30:06

This year is the first time in the history of cinema that every film in the top ten is a sequel or a prequel. Join us at the popcorn counter to talk about what’s wrong with the industry, how we’ve ended up here and what we might do to get ourselves out of this particular creative ditch. Who has the star power to open a non-franchise film these days…

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