CinemArcade

Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker

This week we're going undercover for ALEX RIDER: OPERATION STORMBREAKER! If you've never heard of this 2006 teen spy thriller, you're not alone; this adaptation of a the popular YA novel series flopped hard at the box office, despite having an unbelievably stacked cast. We're going to go over all of the various production and execution issues of the film before talking about the two (!) games based on the film for the GBA and Nintendo DS. 
Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Justin Wilhelm 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: cinemarcadepodcast@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @cinemarcade_podcast 
YouTube: @CinemArcade 
Next week's episode: The Flintstones

Seven Samurai / Seven Samurai 20XX

Akira Kurosawa's 1954 masterpiece SEVEN SAMURAI is maybe the defining film of Japanese cinema, a sprawling adventure epic that has influenced almost every action movie since. It's a momentous achievement, but how do you meet up to that standard with a video game? SEVEN SAMURAI 20XX attempts to tackle the original by not tackling it, moving the action to the distant future and using the film as a very loose template. 
Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Justin Wilhelm 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: cinemarcadepodcast@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @cinemarcade_podcast 
YouTube: @CinemArcade 
Next week's episode: Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker 

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story

Perhaps the only video game based on a biopic, but if any biopic lends itself to gamification, it's DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY. This 1993 confection is a highly fanciful, action-heavy portrayal of the martial arts legend that goes real heavy on the cheese. The belated video game adaptation translates the film's plot into an oddball fighting game. 
Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Justin Wilhelm 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: cinemarcadepodcast@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @cinemarcade_podcast 
YouTube: @CinemArcade 
Next week's episode: Seven Samurai / Seven Samurai 20XX

Reservoir Dogs (with Chuy Zarate)

Prepare to flash back to the 90s with the seminal indie film RESERVOIR DOGS, the tight, tense thriller that launched the career of Quentin Tarantino. Austin improv great Chuy Zarate joins us this week for one of our wildest and funniest episodes to date, as we cover both the 1992 film and the surprisingly forgotten 2006 Xbox adaptation! 
Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Justin Wilhelm 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: cinemarcadepodcast@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @cinemarcade_podcast 
YouTube: @CinemArcade 
Next week's episode: Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story 

The Jungle Book (with Hannah Neuhauser)

Nothing but the bare necessities this week, as we discuss the 1967 Disney classic THE JUNGLE BOOK! Our friend and resident animation scholar Hannah Neuhauser joins us as we dig in on old Uncle Walt's last movie ever, a rollicking, jazzy adventure with a banger of a score. Then, we're taking on the game adaptations for SNES and Genesis, a couple of fun and polished platformers! 
Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Justin Wilhelm 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: cinemarcadepodcast@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @cinemarcade_podcast 
YouTube: @CinemArcade 
Next week's episode: Reservoir Dogs 

Cutthroat Island

It's one thing for a movie to fail; it's another for a movie to fail and take multiple careers, a studio, and even an entire genre down with it. But that's the legacy of CUTTHROAT ISLAND, a raucous 1995 pirate adventure that for a while was the biggest box office bomb of all time. We dig into the crazy and cursed production of the film before talking about the SNES/Genesis adaptation, which adds cutlasses to the traditional belt-scroller formula. 
Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Justin Wilhelm 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: cinemarcadepodcast@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @cinemarcade_podcast 
YouTube: @CinemArcade 
Next week's episode: The Jungle Book 

Naopleon Dynamite (with Woody Ciskowski)

We unleash our sick podcasting skills on the sleeper sensation NAPOLEON DYNAMITE from 2004! Woody Ciskowski of the Ultra 64 / Wii Universe podcast joins us to talk about the impact and legacy of Jared Hess' indie hit before moving on to the 2007 PSP game adaptation that may or may not be the most accurate representation of a movie we've yet talked about.
Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Justin Wilhelm 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: cinemarcadepodcast@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @cinemarcade_podcast 
YouTube: @CinemArcade 
Next week's episode: Cutthroat Island 

The Recruit / Ice Nine

Though it was a hit at the time of release, the 2003 espionage thriller THE RECRUIT has essentially been lost to time, a footnote in the careers of Colin Farrell and Al Pacino. But improbably, the movie spawned an adaptation of sorts. Called ICE NINE when released, it's a Game Boy Advance first-person shooter, which is just... weird. We dig into it with one of our slap-happiest episodes yet. 
Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Justin Wilhelm 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: cinemarcadepodcast@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @cinemarcade_podcast 
YouTube: @CinemArcade 
Next week's episode: The Recruit / Ice Nine 

WALL-E

Disney's loveable trash robot WALL-E takes center stage this week! Our first PIXAR film, this heartfelt sci-fi opus blends the best elements of the company's feature length and short film output, with endlessly charming results. After the movie, we're gonna talk about the PS2 game adaptation, which has a lofty reputation of Disney games to adhere to; how does it hold up? 
Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Justin Wilhelm 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: cinemarcadepodcast@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @cinemarcade_podcast 
YouTube: @CinemArcade 
Next week's episode: The Recruit / Ice Nine 

The Punisher

Prepare for punishment, because this week we're talking about Marvel's original anti-hero, THE PUNISHER! The iconic comics character has had a few at-bats with big screen adaptations, but the 2004 version starring Tom Jane and John Travolta is the closest the series has come to cinematic legitimacy. But does this mid-aughts actioner stand the test of time? We'll find out, as well as playing the highly controversial Xbox adaptation from 2005, which might be the best representation of the character... but is that a good thing? 
 
Hosted by Steve Guntli, Jennifer "JBan" Bannister, and Justin Wilhelm 
Logo by Douglas McCambridge 
Email: cinemarcadepodcast@gmail.com 
Instagram/Threads: @cinemarcade_podcast 
YouTube: @CinemArcade 
Next week's episode: WALL-E