Welcome to Podcast Portal: a spontaneous column that will highlight podcasts of all genres that are lesser known or new shows that are worth giving a listen. With the medium continuing to grow, it is hard to acknowledge all of them. However, I am going to try and find as many noteworthy titles as possible to share and hopefully expand your mind to the greatest growing medium out there. If you have any podcast that you feel is worth adding to the Podcast Portal, please make sure to inform me whether through the comments or through an e-mail (information in sidebar).
SHOW: Friendly Fire
HOSTS: John Roderick, Adam Pranica, Benjamin Ahr Harrison
NETWORK: Maximum Fun
HOSTS: John Roderick, Adam Pranica, Benjamin Ahr Harrison
NETWORK: Maximum Fun
EPISODE BEING DISCUSSED: "Ep 1: Saving Private Ryan"
Considering the recent success of Dunkirk, the long and controversial history of war movies continues to linger in the public's consciousness. On one hand, they symbolize bravery in the face of unfathomable chaos. It's easy to root for a man who goes into the line of fire and saves the day against seemingly uncontrollable evil. However, it's also a question as to whether this violence is necessarily being used as an effective tool to show how scary everything is, or how exciting the idea of war with the safety of a silver screen blocking it would have to the average viewer. In that way, war movies will always remain a bit controversial, even as they remain one of the oddest forms of patriotism in the modern American landscape.
It's why dedicating a show to the idea of dissecting war movies is a compelling one, and Maximum Fun has found three excellent hosts capable of doing the genre justice. They decided to begin with a behemoth of a war film, of which will be celebrating 20 years this summer. It's Saving Private Ryan, which features among other things one of the most iconic war scenes of all time. It's an intense spectacle that will scar the viewer. But the bigger question is whether or not the film is effective in how it chooses to tell its story. At its heart, this is what Friendly Fire has set out to be, and it's what makes it generally enjoyable.
The hosts love war movies, so it makes sense that they would host a show where part of the fun is listening to them dissect every trope and idiosyncrasy. For those who love knowing the reality of war, these three men do an effectively good job of capturing the technical side. The knowledge of weapon and tank jargon gives another authenticity that only ties into their observations, which manage to be at times funny. This includes a part of Saving Private Ryan that is harrowing, but is suggested as something hilariously tragic in regards to a removed helmet. Likewise, they talk about ethics of taking off socks and how that could ruin your entire life. For men who proudly claim to never have been to war, they capture a vision of what cinematic war should be.
In all honesty, it's going to be hard to top Saving Private Ryan largely because of how iconic it is. As the hosts suggest, it's a film that altered the war movie genre from farce to something more serious. The cast features so many recognizable faces that they determine their film counterpart. With a few audio clips scattered throughout, Friendly Fire is an embodiment of friends talking about a film genre that is widely part of the cultural conversation, but hasn't been given a show of significance. There may be plenty that's controversial about the films, especially based upon which war is discussed, but the hosts seem passionate enough to tear through the fodder to find the heart of what makes these films work. More than anything, it's likely what's going to make it another success for Maximum Fun alongside shows like I Was There Too.
Friendly Fire is only one episode deep at this point, but it has potential to be one of the more interesting niche podcasts of 2018. It's a show that's as much about noticing the joys of kinetic energy as it is the technical details that make these films feel so real. It's not likely to appeal to everyone, but for those who enjoy the idea of soldiers fighting wars, it's likely to produce some interesting work. It's only a matter of time until they hit some interesting ones, like Platoon, American Sniper, Hacksaw Ridge, Sergeant York, or maybe even something more obscure like The Caine Mutiny. Only time will tell, but hopefully they will all be given due diligence like this entertaining first episode.
OVERALL RATING: 3.5 out of 5
WORTH A SECOND GO?: If you're into war films (like myself), it's worth keeping an eye on. These hosts really know their stuff, which should help provide deeper and more interesting details on war films that we've generally taken for granted.
Considering the recent success of Dunkirk, the long and controversial history of war movies continues to linger in the public's consciousness. On one hand, they symbolize bravery in the face of unfathomable chaos. It's easy to root for a man who goes into the line of fire and saves the day against seemingly uncontrollable evil. However, it's also a question as to whether this violence is necessarily being used as an effective tool to show how scary everything is, or how exciting the idea of war with the safety of a silver screen blocking it would have to the average viewer. In that way, war movies will always remain a bit controversial, even as they remain one of the oddest forms of patriotism in the modern American landscape.
It's why dedicating a show to the idea of dissecting war movies is a compelling one, and Maximum Fun has found three excellent hosts capable of doing the genre justice. They decided to begin with a behemoth of a war film, of which will be celebrating 20 years this summer. It's Saving Private Ryan, which features among other things one of the most iconic war scenes of all time. It's an intense spectacle that will scar the viewer. But the bigger question is whether or not the film is effective in how it chooses to tell its story. At its heart, this is what Friendly Fire has set out to be, and it's what makes it generally enjoyable.
The hosts love war movies, so it makes sense that they would host a show where part of the fun is listening to them dissect every trope and idiosyncrasy. For those who love knowing the reality of war, these three men do an effectively good job of capturing the technical side. The knowledge of weapon and tank jargon gives another authenticity that only ties into their observations, which manage to be at times funny. This includes a part of Saving Private Ryan that is harrowing, but is suggested as something hilariously tragic in regards to a removed helmet. Likewise, they talk about ethics of taking off socks and how that could ruin your entire life. For men who proudly claim to never have been to war, they capture a vision of what cinematic war should be.
In all honesty, it's going to be hard to top Saving Private Ryan largely because of how iconic it is. As the hosts suggest, it's a film that altered the war movie genre from farce to something more serious. The cast features so many recognizable faces that they determine their film counterpart. With a few audio clips scattered throughout, Friendly Fire is an embodiment of friends talking about a film genre that is widely part of the cultural conversation, but hasn't been given a show of significance. There may be plenty that's controversial about the films, especially based upon which war is discussed, but the hosts seem passionate enough to tear through the fodder to find the heart of what makes these films work. More than anything, it's likely what's going to make it another success for Maximum Fun alongside shows like I Was There Too.
Friendly Fire is only one episode deep at this point, but it has potential to be one of the more interesting niche podcasts of 2018. It's a show that's as much about noticing the joys of kinetic energy as it is the technical details that make these films feel so real. It's not likely to appeal to everyone, but for those who enjoy the idea of soldiers fighting wars, it's likely to produce some interesting work. It's only a matter of time until they hit some interesting ones, like Platoon, American Sniper, Hacksaw Ridge, Sergeant York, or maybe even something more obscure like The Caine Mutiny. Only time will tell, but hopefully they will all be given due diligence like this entertaining first episode.
OVERALL RATING: 3.5 out of 5
WORTH A SECOND GO?: If you're into war films (like myself), it's worth keeping an eye on. These hosts really know their stuff, which should help provide deeper and more interesting details on war films that we've generally taken for granted.
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