Another Pass Podcast

About Another Pass Podcast

Case Aiken and Sam Alicea take a look at movies that they find fascinating but flawed and make suggestions on what could have been done at the time.

Publisher

Case Aiken

Category

arts · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

6 Feb 2020

Latest episode

16 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

140 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Oct 2026

   The Emperor's New Groove Got Another Pass - with J. Kennedy

   Disney spent four years making the wrong movie. Then they threw most of it away and made The Emperor's New Groove. Case, Sam, and guest J. Kennedy dive into the remarkable production disaster behind the beloved animated comedy, from Kingdom of the Sun and the infamous Sweatbox to Sting, drastic rewrites, cultural compromises, and the miracle of turning creative chaos into a movie this funny, warm, and endlessly quotable. Another Pass Full Episode Originally aired: October 16, 2026 Music by Vin Macri and Matt Brogan Podcast Edited by Sophia Ricciardi Certain Point Of View is a podcast network brining you all sorts of nerdy goodness! From Star Wars role playing, to Disney day dreaming, to video game love, we've got the show for you! Learn more on our website: https://www.certainpov.com Support us on Patreon! patreon.com/CertainPOVMedia Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/wcHHer4 PODCAST SHOWS: ▶ Another Pass - https://www.certainpov.com/another-pass-podcast ⏱️ Chapters 00:30 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:59 The Emperor's New Groove 01:12 Why This Is a Fifth Episode 02:21 J's History with the Movie 03:55 Sam's Experience and the Representation Problem 05:35 Case's History with the Movie 07:02 Patrick Warburton and Kronk 08:12 J's Conversations with Patrick Warburton 11:03 Why the Movie Feels So Turn-of-the-Century 12:19 The Production Disaster Begins 12:56 Kingdom of the Sun 14:21 The Original Story 15:09 Sting Joins the Production 17:10 Casting and Cultural Representation 18:19 The Sweatbox Screening 19:54 The Sweatbox Documentary 20:34 The Creative "Bake-Off" 22:00 Rebuilding Pacha 23:21 Making Kuzco the Lead 23:49 Rebuilding the Movie in a Year and a Half 24:33 Becoming a Cult Classic 25:30 Rule of Comedy 27:06 Why the Movie Has Staying Power 28:14 The Movie's Unexpected Heart 29:57 The Surprisingly Wholesome Ending 32:07 Kuzco Learns Accountability 32:35 Making a Great Movie in 78 Minutes 33:25 Pressure Creates the Fifth-Episode Success Story 36:11 The Ultimate "Another Pass" 38:38 How the Show's Fifth Episodes Work 39:08 Could Emperor's New Groove Be Improved? 40:23 Eartha Kitt and the Importance of Star Casting 41:11 Sting's Role in Keeping the Movie Alive 45:28 Representation Then and Now 46:27 Incan, Aztec, and Mayan Influences 49:21 The Road to El Dorado Comparison 50:35 Disney's Turn Toward Different Cultures 51:32 The Tarzan Tangent 52:24 What Is the Best Disney Movie? 56:16 Fascinating but Flawed Movies 57:45 Returning to Emperor's New Groove 58:59 How Animation Productions Fall Apart 01:01:03 The Cost of Scrapping Four Years of Work 01:01:43 Finding the Movie's Heart 01:03:20 The Best Movie They Could Have Made 01:04:14 Why Kronk Is Secretly the Most Capable Character 01:06:00 Yzma and Kronk 01:06:51 Patrick Warburton and The Woman Chaser 01:08:03 Kronk's New Groove 01:09:24 Disney Direct-to-Video Sequels 01:12:03 Final Thoughts 01:12:56 J's Plugs 01:13:18 The CPOV Discord 01:17:29 Sam's Plugs 01:18:20 Case's Plugs 01:18:54 Patreon and Executive Producer Shout-Outs 01:20:44 Next Time: Highlander II 01:21:07 Outro 01:21:20 Books That Burn Promo 01:22:16 CPOV Tag

2. 

   18 Sept 2026

   Another Pass at Sphere - with Jesse Fresco

   Case and Sam are joined by Jesse Fresco to take another pass at Sphere, the 1998 Michael Crichton adaptation starring Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson. They dig into a killer sci-fi premise, a stacked cast, an undersea mystery, and why the finished movie somehow feels smaller, flatter, and less frightening than all of those ingredients suggest. Another Pass Full Episode Originally aired: September 18, 2026 Music by Vin Macri and Matt Brogan Podcast Edited by Sophia Ricciardi Certain Point Of View is a podcast network brining you all sorts of nerdy goodness! From Star Wars role playing, to Disney day dreaming, to video game love, we've got the show for you! Learn more on our website: https://www.certainpov.com Support us on Patreon! patreon.com/CertainPOVMedia Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/wcHHer4 PODCAST SHOWS: ▶ Another Pass - https://www.certainpov.com/another-pass-podcast ⏱️ Chapters 00:21 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:38 Introducing Sphere 02:07 Why Jesse Chose the Movie 02:46 The Book and Roadside Picnic 04:24 Book vs. Movie Perspective 05:16 Beth in the Book 06:00 Bigger Differences from the Novel 07:03 The Squid 07:36 Where Did the Budget Go? 08:45 Case's First Impression: Boring 09:46 The Michael Crichton Formula 10:50 Why the Performances Feel Flat 12:25 Barry Levinson and the Wrong Material 13:09 Should Sphere Have Been a Miniseries? 13:58 What's Inside the Sphere? 15:31 Why the Sphere Changed Color 16:17 The Ending Doesn't Work 17:22 The Missing Cover-Up 18:14 The Problem with Erasing Their Memories 18:58 Sphere and Roadside Picnic 21:01 Why Jurassic Park Works as an Adaptation 22:03 Sphere Hurts the Source Material 22:46 The Movie Has No Point of View 24:32 Norman and Beth's Added History 25:39 How the Movie Changes Beth 27:14 Harry's Role in the Book 28:51 The Added Comedy 29:12 Stories Where Everyone Forgets 30:19 Legion and Erased Timelines 31:25 Why Give Up the Power? 33:50 Nobody Learns to Control the Sphere 35:26 The Black Hole Problem 37:17 Space Is Really Big 38:04 Underwater Pressure and Hypothermia 38:59 The Helium Atmosphere 40:02 Things We Actually Like 40:34 Peter Coyote and Queen Latifah 41:13 Liev Schreiber 41:59 The Sets and Production Design 43:10 The Most Boring Version of the Events 43:27 Where Is the Giant Squid? 45:19 The Snake Attack 46:18 Sea Snakes and Ocean Nightmares 47:22 Why the Movie Needed More Suspense 49:34 The Deaths Need More Weight 50:45 Harpoon Guns 51:29 Samuel L. Jackson Needed a Harpoon 53:19 Final Thoughts Before Another Pass 54:00 Long Live the Legion Promo 54:44 Another Pass Begins 55:21 Jesse's Found-Footage Pitch 56:38 Intercutting the Survivors and the Tapes 57:53 Europa Report 59:46 Keeping the Ship Intact 01:00:48 Preserving the Time Loop 01:02:05 Why Security Footage Works 01:04:52 The Deleted Scene Fixes the Ending 01:05:48 Final Fixes 01:07:11 Too Much Budget, Not Enough Movie 01:08:25 The Genre Problem 01:10:48 Neither Horror nor Science Fiction 01:12:31 Nostalgia for Sphere 01:13:10 Why This Format Was Wrong 01:15:56 Sphere vs. Congo 01:16:50 The Found-Footage Pitch Wins 01:17:22 Jesse's Plugs 01:21:51 Sam's Plugs 01:22:20 Case's Plugs 01:23:04 Trade School 01:24:33 Patreon Shout-Out 01:25:20 Next Time: Highlander II 01:25:38 Credits

3. 

   24 Aug 2026

   Another Pass at Lucy - with Renaldy Smith

   What if a movie about unlocking the full potential of the human brain also unlocked the full potential of being completely ridiculous? Case and Sam are joined by Renaldy Smith to revisit Lucy, the Scarlett Johansson action-thriller/complete misunderstanding of how the human brain works. Another Pass Full Episode Originally aired: August 24, 2026 Music by Vin Macri and Matt Brogan Podcast Edited by Sophia Ricciardi Certain Point Of View is a podcast network brining you all sorts of nerdy goodness! From Star Wars role playing, to Disney day dreaming, to video game love, we've got the show for you! Learn more on our website: https://www.certainpov.com Support us on Patreon! patreon.com/CertainPOVMedia Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/wcHHer4 PODCAST SHOWS: ▶ Another Pass - https://www.certainpov.com/another-pass-podcast ⏱️ Chapters 00:19 Welcome and Guest Intro 03:05 Initial Thoughts on Lucy 06:16 What Works and What Doesn't 11:26 The Plot of Lucy 12:55 The Movie's Worldbuilding Problems 14:38 The 10% Brain Myth 17:00 Lucy Loses Her Humanity 19:06 Lucy's Transformation 22:49 Time Travel and Visual Effects 24:53 Lucy Becomes Too Powerful 27:24 The Movie Takes Itself Too Seriously 30:47 Lucy's Roommate 34:44 The Bechdel Test 36:42 The Movie's Three-Part Structure 38:02 Limitless Comparison 39:39 Superman and Power Levels 42:02 IV Bags and Drug Logic 43:46 The Drug Dealer Problem 46:42 What Does the Drug Actually Do? 50:55 Giving Lucy a Rival 52:50 The Missing Bigger Villain 54:41 The Horror of the Drug 58:23 The Matrix Comparison 01:02:04 The Cab Driver 01:07:04 What Does Lucy Leave Behind? 01:11:38 Bookstore That Burn Promo 01:12:38 Another Pass Begins 01:14:27 Renaldy's Another Pass 01:18:52 Character Work and Pacing 01:20:28 Choi as a Horror Villain 01:24:52 Sam's Another Pass 01:36:09 Making the Action More Dynamic 01:40:59 Fixing the Final Standoff 01:43:32 Clarifying the Villains 01:50:58 Case's Another Pass 01:55:17 Letting Lucy Discover Her Powers 02:01:06 Final Thoughts 02:01:50 Sam's Chores Rating 02:03:23 Renaldy's Plugs 02:04:52 Sam and Case's Plugs 02:06:46 Patreon Shout-Outs 02:07:55 Next Time: Highlander II 02:08:06 Credits

Who has been a guest on Another Pass Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Vanessa Cominsky
• Geoff Moonen
• Nic Woolfe
• Tony Stark
• Ultron

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 55 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

97

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

30

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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