The Occasionalists Podcast

Movie May: Battlefield Cinema III - Centurion

Battlefield Cinema rolls on with a review of a speculative fiction war movie about the fabled 9th Roman Legion that was lost to history around 120 AD. 
That's right, we're talking about Centurion! Directed by Neil Marshall, starring Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, Olga Kurylenko, and a host of other British actors you've definitely seen in something before.
How does this movie's ancient battle stack up to others? How many meet-cutes can you recall that starts with public urination? Could Peter Jackson sue for this movie containing too many overhead shots of people running? Was this actually the correct movie?
Find out all of that and more!

Movie May: Battlefield Cinema II - Battle Breakdown

We are back on a Monday to kick off the new week with a look at 9 different battle scenes, mostly from film but a few tv scenes sneak in as well. They are as follows: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, Gladiator, 300, A Bridge Too Far, Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan, Black Sails, Game of Thrones, and Children of Men.
We go over some (general) rules that make a great battle scene and discuss the key moments and elements from these 9 selections. We find out what was done wrong, what was done right, and if maybe there was a way to do things better.
We cover it all, from ancient battles to future urban warfare.

Movie May: Battlefield Cinema I

We are back baby!
Another packed month has delayed our usual celebration of all things film, but we are off and running with the first of 5, yes you read that correctly, 5 action-packed episodes about how wars are captured on film.
We kick off this week with an in-depth look at some of the reasons why war movies are almost universally enthralling, the rules many of them have to obey, the movies that can get away with bending those rules, and a whole lot of war information you didn't necessarily ask for but definitely signed up for by agreeing to listen to this podcast.
We'll see you on the beach! 

Man Tears

We are finally back after a long delay with a single episode to start and begin our April theme, Man Tears.
In this episode, we explore what makes men cry, why crying has significant physiological differences between men and women, the societal/cultural acceptance of crying, and of course...we talk about some media that gets dudes a little weepy.
Grab your hanky and get your best excuse ready, we're about to do some crying, boys!

In The March of Minisodes: Opening Day Trivia

In The March of Minisodes concludes with a celebration of MLB Opening Day! Starting today, there is baseball for 26 consecutive weeks. Hallelujah! 
So we get into some interesting baseball facts and have a few trivia questions for you to ponder in this episode, which will be answered tomorrow over on Instagram. You should probably follow us there: @the_occasionalists_podcast.
So tighten up your spikes, loosen up the arm, check your cup and get ready for some high heat, Occasionalists style.

In The March of Minisodes: Straight to Series - Old TV Shows

Our last Straight to Series minisodes finds us tackling old tv shows. As stated in the episode, you could almost guarantee a few of these selections and honorable mentions will be remade, it's just a matter of when. Such is the nature of television.
So we explore how a future Mission: Impossible series would look and how you could adapt it for contemporary issues. 
And we take a look at two series that were mishandled, cut short, and have had fans clamoring for closure or a reboot ever since, Sliders and Jericho.
 

In The March of Minisodes: Straight to Series - Old Movies

Up next for our Straight to Series minisodes, we tackle some old movies that could be made into tv shows. 
A mix of continuations (Escape From New York, The Last Starfighter) and adaptations (Groundhog Day) offer a unique look at how you can possibly advance a character into a new story, bring new characters into an old story, or simply introduce a clever idea into a new situation with new characters.
And again, if any of these become tv shows, you heard it hear first! 

In The March of Minisodes: Straight to Series - Video Games

We roll on with another minisode, this time tackling what video games would make for interesting tv adaptations.
With the success of The Last of Us, Halo, The Witcher and others, there is sure to be a deluge of shows in the near future based on video games. We're just beating everyone to the punch.
So if there is ever an adaptation of Titanfall, Dead Space, or What Remains of Edith Finch...you can thank The Occasionalists.