{"podcast":{"title":"Critical Darlings","slug":"critical-darlings-7771666","podcast_index_feed_id":7771666,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/THI7214278819","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/b70a2598-2185-11f1-9391-2f87e0e925cc/image/4c25862893adddea3f0c270dc90ba01c.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Blank Check Productions","episode_count":24,"summary":"Welcome to Critical Darlings: a podcast about the movies everyone is talking about, one new release after another. Every week, critics Richard Lawson and Alison Willmore cover the latest film driving the conversation—from big summer blockbusters to festival favorites, buzzy streamers, and major awards contenders. New episodes every Thursday. We’re a Blank Check Production! To catch up on our first miniseries covering the 2026 Oscars season, check out Blank Check on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Stick around on this feed for new episodes going forward. Produced by Benjamin Frisch Subscribe to Richard's newsletter, ⁠⁠Premiere Party,⁠⁠ and read Alison's work ⁠⁠at Vulture. Follow @blankcheckpod on ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠!","last_synced_at":"2026-06-04T18:19:24.868644+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/critical-darlings-7771666"},"episode":{"title":"“The Mario Galaxy Movie” And The Changing Shape Of Video Game Adaptations","slug":"the-mario-galaxy-movie-and-the-changing-shape-of-video-game-adaptations","published_at":"2026-04-09T08:01:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/critical-darlings-7771666/the-mario-galaxy-movie-and-the-changing-shape-of-video-game-adaptations","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/critical-darlings-7771666","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/THI8969010984.mp3?updated=1775705905","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/THI8969010984.mp3?updated=1775705905","summary":"This week, it's The Mario Galaxy Movie! The second film in the Nintendo/Illumination franchise is already a global hit despite less than stellar reviews. It is nevertheless a fascinating film: an amalgam of stunning animation and music, full of hyperactive action, with little interest in the typical conventions of narrative storytelling, and like, plot. On this episode Alison and Richard, along with producer Benjamin Frisch, discuss the film, its beauty and weirdness, offer a sidebar on Shigeru Miyamoto as-artist, and delve into the history of video game adaptations. We discuss producer Ben’s longstanding trauma related to the 1993 Super Mario Bros. adaptation, and the evolution of video game films from the schlocky but individual adaptations of the past to the more controlled franchise model of today. Finally, we expose Dr. Mario for his quackery, scold the Mario babies, and recommend some further viewing and listening. Next week, we will be revealing the worst things we’ve ever done, over dinner, with The Drama. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"This week, it's The Mario Galaxy Movie! The second film in the Nintendo/Illumination franchise is already a global hit despite less than stellar reviews.…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5217,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/critical-darlings-7771666/episodes/the-mario-galaxy-movie-and-the-changing-shape-of-video-game-adaptations/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/critical-darlings-7771666/the-mario-galaxy-movie-and-the-changing-shape-of-video-game-adaptations.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}