Talking Tropes Podcast

Gather round the Algonquin Round Table, for an intellectual conversation about the lives of New Yorker columnists in the 1920s. Tucci has a brief cameo in this biopic starring Jennifer Jason Leigh as Dorothy Parker and Tucci's good friend Campbell Scott as her love interest Robert Benchley. And in Tucci news, we take a look at a recent profile of Tucci's wife, Felicity Blunt. Tweet at us @talkingtropes if you want to be a guest Stan on a future podcast Watch the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/etfM74jeIfY

This week, we share our weirdest, most out-there takes on Space Jam, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and their obvious predecessor Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Is it worth looking at these artifacts as more than just marketing tools for Warner Bros' most durable IP? Did A New Legacy change the genre of Space Jam completely? Just how have animation/live-action hybrids changed in the digital age? Tweet at us @TalkingTropes if you have any questions or arguments about any of these weird takes Watch the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/jprEw5od7mM

Tucci serves up some LOOKS in a John Grisham thriller as Khamel, a "middle eastern" assassin-for-hire. No he doesn't kill any pelicans. Is this the film where Tucci hit the mainstream? Find out on another Stanning Stanley Tucci! Tweet at us if you'd like to be a guest STAN on a future podcast @talkingtropes Watch the video podcast here https://youtu.be/7D903JQpO7I

Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma are novels so deeply rooted in the values and ideas of Regency England (c. 1811 – 1820) that it seems impossible to adapt them to our modern "Sensibilities" (pun intended). Yet, Hollywood has produced several Austen adaptations set in the turn of the 21st century. Today with special guest and Austen fan Liz DeKok, we look at three of these, Clueless (1995), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), and the somewhat obscure Prada to Nada (2011). Do these values translate? And how have Austen's novels contributed to the tropes and cliches of the Romantic Comedy? Special thanks to our editor Logan Tweet at us @talkingtropes if you have a Jane Austen adaptation hot take. Follow our guest Liz @lizdekok for more Austen takes and memes Watch the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/QVBgs3sJgqE

The Tooch plays Muerte, a buffoonish and stereotypical latino criminal who wants revenge on CIA agent Jeff Blue and his wife Jane for humiliating him in an attempted mugging. Tucci said of the role at the time that this was the most physically demanding film he had ever worked on, and the only one so far to make him take off his pants on screen. You won't believe our Tucci fun fact this week! Special thanks to our editor Logan McBride Tweet at us @talkingTropes if you would like to be a guest stan on a future podcast. Watch the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/U11F7xG_zOg

There's nothing about Luca that we dislike! Let's look at this simple yet powerful story of young love and being yourself...in the context of a censorship regime focused on producing inoffensive films with global appeal while at the same time appealing to progressive, queer-friendly audiences. Watch the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/sF1hu3s-a9A Tweet at us @talkingtropes if you have a different take on Luca or if you have a suggestion of what we should recap next Special thanks to our editor Logan Mcbride

In a special 4th of July episode, we compare two notable examples of Aliens invading America in the immediate aftermath of the cold war. How do these stories compare to the cold war-era films they draw from? Tweet at us @TalkingTropes to share your favorite alien invasion story

We continue to watch every Stanley Tucci IMDb credit. This week, Tucci plays a mobster in a neo-noir character drama starring Joe Pesci. Is this the hidden gem of the 90s mob movies you NEED to see? Also, we read a review of Tucci's food tourism show by a true Tucci stan from The Guardian, Stuart Heritage (@stuheritage) https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jun/21/stanley-tucci-the-flirty-hero-of-foodie-tv-you-need-in-your-life Watch the Video Podcast here: https://youtu.be/KCNuLXgCyUU Tweet at us @talkingtropes if you want to be a guest stan on a future episode. Special thanks to our editor, Logan McBride.

Cast reunions became a ubiquitous cultural form during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of the shutdown of in-person production, actors had even more free time and fewer resources than during writers’ strikes. Zoom became a popular way to organize charity events and look back fondly on the network era of television. HBO Max released two elaborately produced and highly publicized cast reunion specials to promote their newly acquired NBCUniversal properties, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996), and Friends (1994-2004) which were meant to establish Warner Media and AT&T as legitimate stewards for the legacy of these classic sitcoms. We discuss the ways these reunions function from a corporate strategy perspective and what they represent as works of art constructing nostalgic narratives around the production of 90s sitcoms. What are the tropes common to the two reunions? Are they fake or real? Tweet at us if you have a different take on these reunions @talkingTropes Special thanks to our editor Logan Mcbride

Tucci the dognapper? It's a timely follow-up to our Cruella review, where we talk about how much we love Stanley Tucci in Beethoven, starring a St. Bernard and Charles Grodin as they butt heads to see who is the alpha of the Newton household! The audio quality might be a bit lower because we had to use the backup recording. Oops! Watch the video podcast here https://youtu.be/-KTs6dzkiXk Tweet at us if you want to be a guest Stan on a future podcast @talkingtropes Special thanks to our editor Logan McBride

The latest round of reboots, remakes, and retellings have taken on a new trend of villain origin stories or "villagins." What can we learn from the popularity of this trope in just the last five years? Does it say something about the role of trauma in media, the joys of cruelty and revenge, our sense of justice and happy endings? Let us know your thoughts Tweet at us @talkingTropes to let us know what you thought of Cruella or what trope we should talk about next. Special thanks to our editor Logan McBride Watch our video podcast here: https://youtu.be/Gl5_6HLD-QA

It's another recap of an obscure Stanley Tucci IMDB credit! Here we continue the chronicles of Tucci's long time collaboration with Steve Buscemi in one of Steve's first starring roles. This Sundance-winning art film depicts the absurdist vision of a filmmaker named Adolfo and his con-man "producer" Joe. Tucci plays Gregoire, a wacky French neighbor. Does any of it hold up? Listen and find out! Tweet at us if you want to be a guest Stan on a future episode @TalkingTropes Watch our Video podcast here https://youtu.be/4gJjqYCfuTc Special thanks to our editor Logan McBride

We continue to watch every Stan Tucci credit on IMDB. This week its a bizarre body-swapping romantic drama, Prelude to a Kiss starring Meg Ryan and a young Alec Baldwin who played the same role in the stage production. Tucci plays "Tay," Baldwin's best man and confidant, who perhaps has some subtextual romantic attraction to his BFF? If you'd like to be a guest stan on a future Stanning Stanley Tucci, tweet at us @talkingtropes You can also watch our video podcast here: https://youtu.be/J23b6HqxFg8 Special thanks to our editor Logan McBride

We don't have a full episode this week. As a continuation of our conversation about Netflix Rom-coms, Hannah and I talk about the two Cyrano De Bergerac teen romantic comedy adaptations that are on Netflix right now. Why is Sierra Burgess seen as a trashy story about catfishing where The Half of it is seen as a prestige, award-winning auteurist work from Alice Wu? Special thanks to Editor Logan McBride Tweet @TalkingTropes to give us your opinions on Cyrano, Sierra, and Ellie

Behind Her Eyes is a 2021 Netflix series starring Simona Brown, Eve Hewson and Tom Bateman. It's a romantic thriller that ends with a twist, Adele (Hewson) turns out to be a body swapper and DOUBLE-TWIST, her real name is Rob and she's a MAN! With special guest Talia Paone (@thepizzataco), we break down how transphobic twists like this are baked into so many body-switching, body-swapping, and gender-bending media. We also take a look at some nostalgic examples of Freaky Friday stories from our childhoods. Tweet at us if there's a Body-Switching movie or trope you want us to discuss @TalkingTropes Check out our Video podcast at https://youtu.be/MbR5VV6ayDg

We continue to Stan our favorite Tucci and watch every movie listed on his IMDB page. This week it's Billy Bathgate starring Dustin Hoffman and Nicole Kidman. Based on the historical fiction novel by E.L. Doctorow, Tucci doesn't even show up until an hour in! But could his role as "Lucky" Luciano be his most powerful mobster role yet? As a bonus, in Tucci News, we take a look at the Vogue article "Stanley Tucci's Best Roles Ranked." Tweet at us if you want to be a "Guest Stan" on a future podcast @talkingtropes Check out our Video Podcasts here: https://youtu.be/Ypljd6c6fE4 Special Thanks to our Editor, Logan McBride

What happens when a Sidekick is all grown up? The Superhero passes the torch, or some kind of baton or stick and the Sidekick becomes the new Superhero. On another Talking Tropes podcast, we discuss Marvel's reckoning with Captain America's legacy as they pass the Sidekick Graduations Stick from *SPOILER ALERT* Steve Rogers to Sam Wilson The Falcon. What other superhero sidekicks get a chance to take on the role of their crime-fighting partners? How do the themes of race and nationalism intersect with this TV Trope? Tweet your favorite superhero sidekick @TalkingTropes Check out our video podcasts here: https://youtu.be/mkL83nUn1bc Special thanks to our editor Logan McBride

In our continuing series, we continue to watch every Stanley Tucci IMDB credit in order. This week, it's Macbeth but with Italian mobsters! With an all-star cast of underrated character actors including Dennis Farina, Peter Boyle, and John Turturro, what could go wrong? If you want to be a guest stan on our podcast, tweet at us @talkingTropes Watch our video podcast here: https://youtu.be/KWgfVbrbHMM Special Thanks to our Editor, Logan McBride

Tropes and clichés abound in this particular Netflix genre. What started the trend of releasing these Teen romantic comedies exclusively on Netflix? What marketing and development strategies led to the recent success of The Kissing Booth and To All the Boys as franchise films? Besides Noah Centineo and Jacob Elordi's abs. Also, what do we do with all the low-self-esteem rom coms like Sierra Burgess, Tall Girl, and Dumplin'? Let us know if you want us to do a deep dive into the TV Tropes for any of these movies in the comments below! Tweet at us if you have an idea of what trope we should talk about next! @talkingTropes Watch the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/IyezQ5W14hs Special thanks to our Editor, Logan McBride

It's like Mad Men but in the 90s, check out Stanley Tucci playing his first non-criminal non-cop TV character. Tucci plays ad agency middle-manager Karl Draconis who hectors Michael Steadman on his terrible advertising ideas. Who will win in this battle of corporate acuity and marketing savvy? We watched Thirtysomething, Season 3 Episode 10 "Michael's Campaign" and Season 3 Episode 11 "Pulling Away" For Tucci news this week, please check out Helen Rosner's fantastic article: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/the-timeless-fantasy-of-stanley-tucci-eating-italian-food Special thanks to our editor, Logan McBride Watch the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/UrOA5KI9u8A Tweet at us @TalkingTropes if you are interested in being a guest on our Stanning Stanley Tucci Podcast!