Biopic: A Podcast Story

• Episode 72: The Attorney, with Special Guest Star, Cartoonist Ryan Estrada!

  We welcome back the amazing cartoonist and South Korea expert Ryan Estrada  (https://www.ryanestrada.com/) to discuss this truly inspiring biopic that is “not about” (wink and nudge, folks) the early years of future 9th president of South Korea and human rights activist Roh Moo-huyn, then a tax attorney who is compelled to defend a number of teenage students who are arrested and imprisoned without warrants on fabricated charges of being communist sympathizers.  Fortunately, this is not at all timely, and we live in the U.S.A., so we can’t relate to people being detained without reason and hopped-up charges of aiding and abetting vague enemies in order to scare and intimidate everyone else into obeying in advance.  We discuss the reason why South Korean filmmakers prefer “based on a true story” for their biopics, talk more about Ryan’s superhero wife (and co-author) Kim Hyun Sook, and, of course, whether there’s anything to ever be hopeful about ever again.  Cut for time (probably for the best): Sara’s theories about Mattress stores being a front for criminal activities.  We unabashedly loved this movie and its performances by future Parasite star (and the Tom Hanks of South Korea) Song Kang-ho and K-Pop idol and Squid Game star Im Si-wan, and desperately needed its message about how one person’s actions can change the world.  ALSO: Ryan has a new book out with aformentioned superhero wife Kim Hyun Sook: Good Old Fashioned Korean Spirit (Penguin Workshop) which can be procured at Bookshop.org or from any of the other major book suppliers who absolutely do not need us to link to them.  The Attorney stars Song Kang-ho as Song Woo-suk, Kim Young-ae as Choi Soon-ae,  Oh Dal-su as Park Dong-ho, Kwak Do-won as Cha Dong-young, Im Si-wan as Park Jin-woo, Lee Sung-min as Lee Yoon-taek, Jung Won-joong as Attorney Kim Sang-pil, Song Young-chang as Judge, and Jo Min-ki as Prosecutor Kang Young-cheol. Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: [email protected]

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• Episode 71: The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots

   While it dazzles with its 1895-era special effects, the Thomas Edison-produced The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots offers scant commentary or insight into the life of Mary Stuart, opting for salaciousness over character development.  It’s also 18 seconds long.  Rena offers critical context that the O.G. shameless idea thief Thomas Edison’s film fails to provide, and we also discuss Sara’s ongoing enmity of Kevin Costner, Wes Bentley appreciation, Juilliard auditions, sad puppies, Hugo, and acrylic yarn.  The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots is directed by Alfred Clark, produced by Thomas Edison, and stars Robert L. Thomas (of course, a man) as Mary Stuart.  Sources used in the episode include… Queen Of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart By John Guy   Podcast: The Rest is History, series on Mary, Queen of Scots The Hollywood Reporter, “How Kevin Costner Lost Hollywood,” by Peter Kiefer, October 8, 2025. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/kevin-costner-horizon-yellowstone-2-1236395016/  Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: [email protected]

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• Episode 70: Mad Love, the Story of Juana of Castile, Who Probably Did Not Deserve to Be Called Juana la Loca

  Juana of Castile is MADDDDD WITH LOOOOOVVVEEE for one of those Easter Island-headed Hapsburgs and … that’s the movie. That’s it. That’s Mad Love. After several back-to-back bangers, Rena and Sara find themselves in biopic purgatory with this boring-as-all-get-out movie that features baffling artistic choices (including absolutely no lighting and an angry-as-hell score) and manages to make what Rena promises are super-compelling people into droning dullards.  Some of the content discussed includes: the best way to shoot a dance sequence (from the waist up, of course), Hapsburg family inbreeding, toilet babies, Isabella and Ferdinand, and our general unhappiness with having watched this film.    Sources used in the episode include… Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile  By Julia Fox (no, not that Julia Fox, the other Julia Fox, although perhaps Julia Fox’s whole thing is to hide being a history nerd.)   Isabella of Castile: Europe's First Great Queen by Giles Tremlett   Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler Emperor : a new life of Charles V by Geoffrey Parker The Habsburgs : To Rule the World by Martyn Rady   Podcasts The Queens Podcast, episodes on Isabella and Juana of Castile   Web https://frockflicks.com/snark-week-mad-love-juana-la-loca-2001/   Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: [email protected]

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• Episode 69: Wonderland, Starring Val Kilmer as John C. Holmes!

  69! Very nice. We commit to the bit by exploring the seedy underworld of Los Angeles’ porn and drug scene in 2003’s unfairly overlooked Wonderland. Starring Val Kilmer as the legendary abusive monster John Holmes, aka Johnny Wadd, Wonderland documents, Rashomon-style, the notorious revenge murders in which John Holmes most definitely participated, and reminds us that drugs are indeed very, very, very bad.  We discuss a lot of addict logic, P.T. Anderson’s insistence that John Holmes was a good actor, the differences between crack and freebase, Tim Blake Nelson’s enduring gift for playing the kind of dude who would be comfortable at a dog fight, the unbelievable magic of Lisa Kudrow, Liberace, and so much more, including acrylic yarn.  Wonderland is directed by James Cox, and stars Val Kilmer as John Holmes, Lisa Kudrow as Sharon Holmes, Kate Bosworth as Dawn Schiller, Eric Bogosian as Eddie Nash, Dylan McDermott as David Lind, Carrie Fisher as Sally Hansen, Josh Lucas as Ron Launius, Ted Levine as Sam Nico, Tim Blake Nelson as Billy Severely, Christina Applegate as Susan Launius, Janeane Garofalo as Joy Miller, and Natasha Gregson Wagner as Barbara Richardson.    Sources used in the episode include… “The Devil and John Holmes” by Mike Sager —  this was an article for Rolling Stone that is kind of the definitive telling of this story.  Wonderland Murders podcast on Wondery. Michael Connelly's series on MGM TV called The Wonderland Massacre. Malice in Wonderland by Tom Lange. The documentary WADD, which came out in 1999. – Basically if there’s a podcast or episode of television or anything about this story Sara has probably looked into it.    Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: [email protected]

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• Episode 68: Lawrence of Arabia, Starring Peter O’Toole as T.E. Lawrence!

  Rena and Sara are pretty psyched that they saw this the second-best way (the first being on an Apple watch) at the Paris Theater. Because David Lean’s epic masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia is what everyone says it is: expansive.  Why did everyone tolerate Peter O’Toole’s drunken shenanigans? Why was Anthony Quinn’s appearance the one that had to be made accurate with a prosthetic nose? Which of T.E. Lawrence’s contributions to society were most meaningful: foreign policy based on nation-building or the motorcycle helmet? Why is master bridge player and actor Omar Sharif so darn hot?  We also play “Thanks A Lot, Alexander Korda” (you nerds out there owe him big time), talk about Lawrence of Arabia’s place in the Listicle Industrial Complex, Rena discovers what might be Mitch McConnell’s burner account for writing IMDB reviews, and Sara again mentions that she is trying to read The Power Broker.   Sources used in the episode include…   Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T.E. Lawrence Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, by Noa Tishby David Lean: A Self Portrait  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jAb4tmCPOk  - I’d like to mention here that a friend pointed out the size of his ears - which are astonishing - and said, “It makes sense that one of the most acclaimed directors of the 20th century could probably hear everything on the set better than everyone else.” And I have not stopped thinking about that a little since. * Articles in the New York Post, El Pais, and others https://english.elpais.com/people/2023-12-24/alcohol-fights-and-indestructible-talent-how-peter-otoole-survived-the-bars.html  https://transition.fcc.gov/national-broadband-plan/broadband-performance-paper.pdf (an FCC paper with figures on the shift from dial-up to broadband.)   Podcasts   The Empire podcast. An episode of History Hit An episode of In Our Time, from the BBCUnspooled, Lawrence of Arabia   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: [email protected]   * So David Lean is like Dumbo, sort of.

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