Story Matters With Curt Mega

In the wake of spoiler leaks surrounding Avengers: End Game, Game of Thrones and even Star Wars, does science actually prove that spoilers are a good thing in helping the audience better appreciate the story?! In this episode of the podcast, Curt, Mike and Kim dive into the world of spoilers to examine their impact on the viewing experience and the weight of responsibility storytellers have in creating suspense while also sticking the landing of a dramatic and shocking ending. How do YOU feel about spoilers? Do you seek them out? Do you avoid them at all costs? We'd love to hear from you! You can email your thoughts and answers to storymatterspodcast@gmail.com and you can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com     

As the final season of Game of Thrones begins to roll, we ask the question; Does the show mark the end of the water cooler conversation as we know it? Has the binge-watching model changed the way we engage with stories? We'd love to hear from you! Email us your thoughts at storymatterspodcast@gmail.com.  You can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com!

Corey Lubowich (Tin Can Brothers, Starkid) joins us to talk about how internet criticism affects the creative process and shares some personal insights on how fandom and audience interaction has impacted the way he creates and collaborates with other artists and storytellers.  You can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com and you can email us your questions, comments and feedback to storymatterspodcast@gmail.com!

Are expectations ruining the way we watch movies? In this episode of the podcast, we explore what sort of films were impacted by negative reviews but have come to be fan favorites in hindsight, despite an initially poor critical reception. Then we take a deep dive into Jordan Peel's newest nightmare with a spoiler-filled roundtable discussion about the meaning, symbolism and interpretations of Us! You can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com and you can email us your questions, comments and feedback to storymatterspodcast@gmail.com!

We wade into the controversial waters of the recent J.K. Rowling backlash and examine what sort of authority creators have over their own work once it’s released out into the world. Should they be allowed to explain their intentions with a character or story when those elements are seemingly missing from the text? Does the demand for a creator to stay relevant put them in a position of baiting an audience without really paying it off in the material they create? What sort of authority or weight should we give to creators commenting on their own work? We then continue the conversation about how sites like Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and Cinema Score impact the moviegoing experience and ask whether or not the need to rate movies in a black and white sort of way actually... ruins them? How does expectation affect our perception of the quality of the stories we listen to? You can find all episodes at www.storymatterspodcast.com!      

Each episode of Imagined Life takes you on an immersive journey into the life of a world-famous person. It’ll be someone you may think you know, or even admire. You’ll get clues to your identity along the way. But only in the final moments will you find out who “you” really are. So sit back, let go, and -- imagine your life. Subscribe now at wondery.fm/storymatters.

Curt, Kim and Mike brave the sea of internet trolls to examine the function of movie review sites like Rotten Tomatoes and explore their impact on the filmgoing experience. We also explore the validity of "hot takes" for the sake of clickbait and the nature of toxic criticism. 

Story Matters alum Joey Richter returns for the 3rd year to take a deep dive into THE ACADEMY AWARDS! We break down the wins and losses, the snubs and successes, and we ask the question... what sort of impact will this year's awards have on future generation of filmmakers and artists? You can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com and leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! We'd love to hear from you! Email us at storymatterspodcast@gmail.com!  

We break down the ups and downs of the 2019 Academy Awards as we ask the question... In the age of the streaming video and niche fandom, do the Academy Awards still hold the power and relevance they once did? You can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com and leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! We'd love to hear from you! Email us at storymatterspodcast@gmail.com!

In this episode of the podcast, we react to the 2019 SAG Awards and explore what it could mean for the current Oscar race. Then we continue our exploration of awards season by asking the question... what is the IMPACT of winning The Oscar? We continue our film retrospectives on recent Best Picture winners Spotlight, Moonlight and The Shape of Water and examine what sort of impact the awards they received have had on the artists who created them, the creative process and culture at large.  You can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com and leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! We'd love to hear from you! Email us at storymatterspodcast@gmail.com!

In this episode of the podcast, we react to the 2019 Oscar nominations and then take a deep dive into recent Best-Picture winners with film retrospectives on Spotlight, Moonlight, and The Shape of Water as we ask the question… what makes for a best-picture winning film? You can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com and leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! We'd love to hear from you! Email us at storymatterspodcast@gmail.com!

In this episode of the podcast, Curt, Kim and Mike tackle the age-old question of... DO AWARDS EVEN MATTER?! We break down the differences between some of the major awards shows and begin our exploration of how awards season impact storytelling, the creative process and culture as a whole.  You can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com and leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! We'd love to hear from you! Email us at storymatterspodcast@gmail.com!

In this first episode of 2019, we talk resolutions, setting creative intentions for the new year, the films that most impacted us in 2018 and we finish off our exploration of the Disney Remake with a double feature retrospective on 1977 Pete’s Dragon and the 2016 remake directed by David Lowery! Curt’s favorite films of 2018: You Were Never Really Here Hereditary Eighth Grade Mission Impossible: Fallout Annihilation Bad Times at the El Royale Game Night Searching Private Life Can You Ever Forgive Me? Upgrade Mike’s favorite films of 2018: Roma Into the Spider-Verse Blindspotting Eighth Grade Mission Impossible: Fallout Crazy Rich Asians Ballad of Buster Scruggs Suspiria Kim's favorite films of 2018: Won’t You Be My Neighbor A Quiet Place Eighth Grade Isle of Dogs Bad Times at the El Royale Game Night You can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com and leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts!

In our third entry of our Disney December, we take a look at the 1964 classic Mary Poppins starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke and compare it to 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns starring Emily Blunt and Lin Manuel Miranda in a spoiler filled roundtable discussion on the film! Where does this film fall on the sequel/remake spectrum? Does the newest entry into this universe continue the legacy created by Disney and company in the 1960’s? What are the essential benchmarks that captures the spirit of what makes the original Mary Poppins perhaps the most iconic of all Disney films? Grab your umbrella and join us for part 3 of DISNEY DECEMBER! You can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com! 

We continue Disney December on the podcast with a Disney double feature, exploring the 1950 animated classic Cinderella compared to the 2015 live action remake directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Lily James and the 1967 classic film The Jungle Book up against the 2016 live action remake directed by Jon Favreau. You can find all episodes of Story Matters at www.storymatterspodcast.com!   

We kick off DISNEY DECEMBER with an in depth exploration of the 1991 animated classic Beauty and the Beast and compare and contrast it to the 2017 live action remake starring Emma Watson. Along the way we ask the question of what defines a good remake? What does this trend of Disney remaking all of its animated classics add to the conversation? Does it tarnish the legacy of the originals or does it revamp and reinvent these classic stories for a new age? You can find all episodes of Story Matters at www.storymatterspodcast.com!   

Jon Cozart joins the show to take a deep dive with us into the world of Amadeus, the 1984 Academy Award winning musical biopic directed by Milos Forman about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as we cap off our exploration of the musical biopic genre with what is considered by many as the greatest biopic of all time! We also examine how this film speaks directly to our culture today (specifically us as artists), our own personal struggle with jealousy, ego, the fear of not being good enough and the madness that is the creative process.  You can find all episodes of the show at www.storymatterspodcast.com! 

We've all been there. The crowds. The grabbing hands. The pushing. The shoving. It's the most American of all the holidays... yep, it's BLACK FRIDAY! 

In episode 48 of the podcast, we have an honest and candid conversation about the struggle to prioritize creativity when life and work seem to constantly to get in the way. Then, we continue our exploration of the musical biopic with a retrospective on the 2004 film Ray starring Jamie Foxx in an Oscar winning performance. How does the film hold up 14 years later? What similarities and tropes does it use from the biopic genre and how do these compare to our two previous entries of Bohemian Rhapsody and Walk the Line? You can find all episodes of the podcast at www.storymatterspodcast.com! ARTICLES: Jamie Foxx Was an ‘Embarrassment’ During ‘Ray’ Oscar Season, Until Oprah and Sidney Poitier Intervened

Curt, Kim, and Mike, along with special guest Eric Carroll, continue their exploration of the MUSICAL BIOPIC with an in-depth retrospective on the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. We compare and contrast this 2005 biopic classic alongside last week’s film focus of Bohemian Rhapsody and examine the similarities and tropes that both films share. We also take a look at the 2007 comedy masterpiece Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and examine how it deconstructs the biopic genre with both reverence and scathing sarcasm. You can find all episodes at www.storymatterspodcast.com! WHAT WE'VE BEEN WATCHING:   Kim - Private Life (streaming Netflix) Mike - Mad Men (streaming Netflix) Eric - The Office (streaming Netflix) Curt - Young Adult (streaming on Amazon) Articles: -"DRUGS AND JUNE CARTER’ – JOHNNY CASH’S FIRST WIFE REVEALS WHAT RUINED THEIR MARRIAGE" -"Johnny Cash's first wife tells of romance, heartbreak" -"Johnny Cash's Daughter Storms Out of 'Walk the Line' Prem