Reel Fiction

Emily reaches out during COVID.

• 01:02 Jaws
• 11:16 The Warriors
• 27:19 Goodfellas, Casino, The Irishman
• 44:48 Ekaterina 
• 55:50 Cool Runnings

Fact-checking by Kevin March

On the season finale, Emily is joined by her friend and Disney afficionado Emma Stillings to dive into the animated classic, Pocahontas. Love it or hate it, this is a historical story that's been retold, analyzed, and nitpicked for almost its entire controverisal existence.

Which parts of the Pocahontas legend were made up by Disney? How much of *that* climactic moment is real? And, the question on all our minds: why are Disney sequels so bonkers?



[TW: This episode contains racist language present in the film]
Fact-checking by Kevin March

This week we're taking on Tudormania, and one of the most re-told stories in historical fiction. Joined by her friend and unofficial-period-costume-enthusiast Marina di Marzo, Emily looks into the Anne Boleyn story as portrayed in the dramatic 2008 film The Other Boleyn Girl. 

Join us as we reveal which shocking moments were completely made up, discuss the nightmare that was pregnancy in 16th century England, and research that infamous "B" necklace in real-time.

Emily and Zoë dive into the world of code-breaking and espionage in the Alan Turing biopic, The Imitation Game. As we uncover Turing's life and work at Bletchley Park, we discuss why the Polish are the unsung heroes of this story, what Snow White may have had to do with Turing's death, and how Benedict Cumberbatch can't seem to escape playing Sherlock. 

An immigrant does pretty well for himself, until he goes to Jersey.

We're heading to Broadway! Emily is joined by her friend Polly to talk all things Hamilton, the most famous historical musical on the planet. We share some fun production trivia, insane dueling stories, and check out how the show compares to the other 'American Musical,' 1776.

And Emily shares the only fact she's found that was so surprising, the writers actually chose not include it since audiences wouldn't believe it.

Nothing rallies people like some good long vowels. 

Emily and Zoë discuss one of the most beloved cinematic treasures in modern British history, Colin Firth. And we also get to The King's Speech. Join us as we investigate the pre-war drama at Buckingham Palace, the royal history of radio, and whether rolling across the carpet is an actual form of speech therapy. 

Nothing ruins a trip quite like dysentery. 

Circle your wagons and get ready for a serious case of nostalgia and waterborne illnesses - it's time to hit the Oregon Trail! Emily is joined by her sister Isabel and Isabel's fiancé James to journey back in time replaying the classic computer game, and exploring the real-life trek it's based on.

Can we survive the trail this time around?

Some good white men save America's pastime from some bad white men.

Baseball expert Zoë and baseball idiot Emily take on one of the biggest stories in sports history with the Jackie Robinson biopic 42. Which unsung heroes got their time in the spotlight? Which heroes were not exactly heroes at all? And how well did this movie escape the dreaded white savior trope?

A sexy grave robber punches Nazis. 

The Indiana Jones franchise isn't exactly 'based on a true story,' but it may be responsible for popularizing a number of historical myths. Occult-loving Nazis? Crystal Skulls? Combat-ready archaeologists? Emily digs through the grains of truth here, and calls up an old friend, Noël Grisanti, while she's half the world away on an archaeological dig herself... 

Fighting to the death in speedos. 

Emily and Zoë tackle the screaming, bloody, mostly naked insanity of the notoriously  inaccurate film 300. But is that reputation totally deserved? We make some shocking discoveries, the biggest of which is that a young Michael Fassbender is in this movie and no one told us. 

A group of men think they cannot possibly be wrong. And then the inevitable happens.

Emily and Zoë kick things off with one of the most epic historical movies of all time: Titanic. We tackle the horrific maritime disaster, the simmering tensions of class struggle, and... some really tiny stairs.