All the Fanfare: A Pop Culture Podcast

Jan 08 2025 22 ep. 53 mins 2

All the Fanfare: A Pop Culture Podcast artwork

An irreverent celebration of pop culture. Funny asides and overly serious opinions on movies, TV shows, and video games. Mainly focusing on stuff from the 1980s - 2010s.

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Is 'The Penguin' the Greatest Villain Origin Story? And Other Questions With Sheila Moeschen

Jan 08 2025 72 mins

Topics Discussed In This Episode:Is this the greatest villain origin story ever? Oswald’s journey from sympathetic anti-hero to villain we still kinda like. The difference between Oswald and Tony Soprano. Are monsters born or made? (Or is it sometimes both?) Family, culpability, and shared madness. Who had the most tragic end? Hopes and predictions for how this show will fit into

Creativity and Authenticity with Sheila Moeschen

Nov 06 2024 92 mins

Topics Discussed In This Episode: Why does Hollywood keep selling us the same stories? Creativity vs authenticity. How photography informs Sheila’s writing. The role of curiosity in creativity. Deciding what to work on / how we spend our lives. Does writing about pop culture matter? When are comparisons good and when are they bad? The role of play and joy in creativity. Our writi

Everything Just Changed on 'The Penguin' and I Have to Talk About It

Oct 23 2024 33 mins

Topics Discussed In This Episode:The battle for Victor’s soul. The tragedy of Sofia Falcone and her dark rebirth. Reconsidering Oswald in light of the Sofia-centric episode. My deliciously divided loyalties. Get full access to All the Fanfare at newsletter.allthefanfare.com/subscribe

Is 'The Penguin' the Best Show on TV?

Oct 16 2024 44 mins

Topics Discussed In This Episode: Giving gravitas and pathos to one of the silliest villains ever created. Comparisons to Gotham, the Fox TV show that covered the same ground. The many ways this show gets us to root for Oswald Cobb, who’s clearly a bad guy. Oswald’s superpower. The brilliance of Colin Farrell’s performance. Victor and Oswald’s relationship, and how it may b

Fantasy Football with Jeremy Pierce

Sep 11 2024 78 mins

Topics Discussed In This Episode:Why do we play fantasy football? How fantasy football is played Our first fantasy experience Preventing fantasy football from ruining your life The origin story of our 20-year-old league The components of a good league Why the draft is the best time of the year, and draft tips Some picks we love and regret from this year’s draft Get full access t

The Karate Kid (1984)

Sep 04 2024 41 mins

Topics Discussed In This Episode: The contrived circumstances that led to the movie and its real-life inspirations Daniel LaRusso’s mom was sus The summer movie feels Daniel LaRusso: kind of a punk Mr. Miyagi is channeling Yoda The role of surrogate fathers Johnny Lawrence: greatest 80s bully? The tournament is an unassailable sports movie moment Breaking down the Cobra Kais The

Top Gun (1986)

Aug 21 2024 29 mins

Topics Discussed In This Episode: - How Top Gun made an impression on an impressionable youth - The incredible soundtrack (minus “Take My Breathe Away”) - How Top Gun is a High School Sports Movie - Why Top Gun is a love story (and not in the way you think) - This is the sweatiest movie of all-time - Maverick’s problematic elements - The Tom Cruise of it - Favorite call signs

'Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope' With Krista from Credits and Canon

Aug 14 2024 64 mins

Topics Discussed In This Episode: - Our Star Wars origin stories - Better movie: A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back - The opening crawl - Why is it so difficult for Hollywood to create good sci-fi and fantasy? - Why Tatooine is the best Star Wars planet - The Western elements of Star Wars - The Special Edition and Han Solo - Celebrating Princess Leia and Grand Moff Tarkin - Why

Storytelling in Video Games with Henrik Ståhl

Aug 07 2024 98 mins

Topics Discussed In This Episode:- The relationship between storytelling and lore- The tension between story and gameplay- Storytelling via gameplay- Emergent gameplay- The surprising absence of narrative in classic games- Roleplaying games and player agency- Adaptations: What separates good ones from bad onesGames Discussed In This Episode:- Final Fantasy I, VI, and VII- The Legen

The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Jul 31 2024 34 mins

I thoroughly enjoyed replaying this masterpiece (yeah I said it) for the original Nintendo. The gameplay is simple yet addictive, the music and sound design is iconic, and the dungeons are varied and fun. As for the story? Funny thing, that. There isn’t really a story to speak of. A creepy old man lures you into his dank cave to give you a flimsy sword and sends you out into the