Once Upon A VHS - 80s and 90s Fantasy

"Nothing thicker than a knife's blade separates melancholy from happiness."

Queer temporality, gender expression and sexual fluidity - we are nourished by Sally Potter's beautiful reworking of the "unfilmable" 1928 novel by Virginia Woolf, starring Tilda Swinton as the title character who experiences an extended life as both a man and a woman.

A Bronski Beat angel, gorgeous production design and costumes, Billy Zane on a horse, precocious library-lending, colour-shifting eyes, that maze sequence and trans icon Quentin Crisp, the true Queen of England, await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.

This future of yours, when it's gonna begin? Today? Or, is it always tomorrow? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly:

Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)
Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)
Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)

https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"What ya looking at? Never seen a guy who slept with a fish before?"

Ahoy! We're joined by Christian Garcia from That Ol' Gay Classic Cinema podcast to discuss Ron Howard's smash hit mermaid romcom that launched Tom Hanks into superstardom and gave us an unforgettable underwater performance from Daryl Hannah.

The symbolic power of mermaids, queer-coded secrets, consumerist satire, a koi-inspired tail, 80s comedy yelling, a scary sea hag deleted scene and the Touchstone Pictures of it all await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.

Would we trade a fountain for a necklace? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly:

Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)
Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)
Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)

https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I just wanted to eat."

We're going off-menu and off-piste for this little slice of late 90s Cosmopolitan culture NYC romcom ridiculousness. It's less Sex and the City and more Crabs in the Kitchen as Sarah Michelle Gellar gets some culinary help from a magic crustacean.

Emotionally-imbued food, public orgasms, special effect failures, Betty Buckley and our dream restaurant pairings of dishes with SMG projects await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.

Poppadoms or bread? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly:

Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)
Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)
Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)

https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Animals, assemble!"

Loosely adapted from the Tchaikovsky ballet Swan Lake, this animated feature from ex-Disney director Richard Rich spawned a surprising legacy. Our friend Sophie B of audio fiction team Monstrous Productions joins us for an enchanting chat, with a special contribution from Cullen of Not My Fantasy podcast explaining the significance of this film for homeschoolers.

Princesses on parade, raiding the fanfiction archive, the queer resonance of a transformation sequence, Queen Uberta's lewks, too many talking animal companions, Rothbart's book of Swan Spells, a prince named Derek, hag faces, an Odette AI chatbot and branded strawberry CBD lipgloss await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.

What else is there? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly:

Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)
Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)
Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)

https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"There can be only one."

We had a gay old time with Russell Mulcahy's big, bold, beautiful and SILLY film about immortals fighting a fateful battle over centuries, from 16th century Scotland to 1980s New York City.

Christopher Lambert's accent, Clancy Brown's command of camp, Sean Connery's everything, ridiculous scene transitions, the stunning landscapes of our home country, that memorable Queen score and Michael's book about the incredible life of Freddie Mercury await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch.

Who wants to live forever? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Join our Clamshell Club on Patreon to support the show and gain access to exclusive Once Upon A VHS bonus episodes updated monthly:

Boxset - reviewing 80s and 90s fantasy TV (including Jim Henson's The Storyteller)
Rewind - looking back at fantasy films from before 1980 (including Star Wars)
Fast Forward - our thoughts on fantasy movies from 2000 onwards (including The Lord of the Rings)

https://patreon.com/onceuponavhs
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.