I really enjoy this podcast. While it's obvious that Hollywood takes a few liberties - sometimes more than a few - with the truth when adapting a real story to the big screen, it's interesting to hear where fact deviates from fiction as the plot rolls along. In some cases, such as 'The Hunt for Red October,' I wasn't even aware there was a basis in fact. In others, such as 'The Sound of Music' or 'Free State of Jones,' it was cool to hear the factual details behind the tale. Overall, it's an enjoyable show. I'll keep listening since Tinseltown keeps cranking out movies with a basis in real life.

I unsubbed because the new format is annoying

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This is a valuable show and a bit underrated when you consider that Americans watch more movies than we read books. Dan takes the time to bridge the gaps between Hollywood entertainment and historical facts. If you want to learn history from a relatable point of reference, this is a must-subscribe show for you!

Always interesting to hear the true story behind a Movie, truth is often stranger than fiction.

I love historical content. So, discussions comparing facts to movie content about the same historical subjects is interesting and entertaining.

Shallowly written and host has the most nasal annoying voice

Great show, very entertaining

Very interesting, great interviews.

Titanic comparison was down very well. I was quite impressed with his story and timelines. However, learn to pronounce names correctly please. Zodiac - Melvin Belli pronounced as Belly? Come on. Good show. Enjoyable, informative and takes you into the story “feel” quite well.

This is a solid 5 star podcast. The host is knowledgeable, the guests are absolutely expert on their subject and the production quality is very high. Even when the subject is something I am not really that interested in I find this podcast to be both entertaining and educational.

Great show, lots of info. All the guests seem very knowledgeable about their subjects, and are quite entertaining. My issue is it sounds like some of these guests are recording their responses in a phone booth circa 1989.

What an outstanding podcast. Dan really does his research big-time. He is definitely not phoning this podcast in. I loved The Right Stuff as a kid and I am finally reading the book after listening to the podcast on it. I just paused The Big Short so I could write this because the first half is so good, I had to stop to give a review. Definitely a subscriber.

I really loved this show. I even pledged on patreon for a while. But recently I have no interest. The interview format just isn’t my thing and the quality of the guest audio is so hit or miss. Highly recommend the early episodes but the magic is gone.

This podcast (BOATS for short) is an educational mix of movies and history. Host, Dan LeFebvre, looks at how movies that are based on true stories stack up against real-life events. The amount of research he puts into fact-checking everything in each film is mad. I really enjoy hearing the tales behind movies I’ve seen and being motivated to check out ones I haven’t. The movies covered are from a wide selection including both popular and the lesser-known. I really liked the April Fools episodes that look at how well the Lord of the Rings movies follow the books. These aren’t like the normal episodes but that’s the point. Another fun segment that happens in every show is a game of two truths and a lie based on the episode’s events. Listeners in a hurry will appreciate the show’s no-nonsense agenda. Earlier episodes were about an hour-long but the last several have had guests and often reached two and a half hours. If that length sounds hard to tackle, I recommend starting at the beginning or with a movie you have strong feelings about. Apple Podcasts has 4.5 average stars, 390 ratings, and 91 written reviews. So far there are 193 episodes with new ones coming out biweekly. Owltail’s most popular episodes are “Titanic” and “The Greatest Showman.” My favorites have been “Seabiscuit” and “Zodiac.” Production quality is perfect which is exceptional when you know this is an indie show. Guests on the show were relatively recent until episode 134 at which it has become the norm. I really like how he cites all of his sources and includes transcripts on his website. There’s also a newsletter. The music is of a somber piano but fitting for the historical perspective of the show. Trigger warnings differ for every movie covered. Similar pods: Our Fake History, Movie Crush, and Something True For more reviews check out @themastercast on instagram and @mastercastpods on twitter

Usually a good podcast, but don’t take every statement of fact as the gospel truth. I’ve caught several on topics I’m very knowledgeable about. Tiny example: In the US space program, from the first Mercury mission, through Apollo, the Space Shuttle, & up to today’s International Space Station missions, the person at the console in NASA Mission Control who talks to the astronauts on the radio is a fellow astronaut and is referred to as “CAPCOM.” The term “CAPCOM” is short for “Capsule Communicator,” NOT “Capsule Commander.” Yes, this is just one word. Yet, it’s repeated use tells me that somebody doesn’t know near as much as they suggest. The episodes about the HBO miniseries The Pacific were hijacked by an historian who spends huge chunks of time repeatedly digressing into his own political rants & casting aside any effort at neutral commentary or analysis. He repeatedly and angrily implies that Tom Hanks & Steven Spielberg created a deeply racist series while he employs all the correct 2021 woke terminology. As if that weren’t enough, he keeps telling lengthy & repetitive tales about his early involvement with the series, his unheeded advice to Hanks & Spielberg (shame on them for not acceding to his brilliance 🙄), & his deep frustration that Hanks & Spielberg didn’t tell the story HE wanted (because it obviously would have been far superior to what was actually produced). The dude is positively insufferable.

This is a very well put together podcast. I love your interaction with the guests and I love the history of everything. Since you have now adopted an actual commercial break announcement and gotten rid of the previous “Kamakazi” commercial format (interrupting the interview and it of nowhere), it has just gotten better. The only thing I don’t like is the breakdown of expenses at the end of each episode. I know you have your reasons but it just isn’t something I like. I enjoy many different podcasts and I certainly know it takes time effort and money. It just seems like a guilt tactic to tell how much money you spent to do your profession to me. Just my opinion. That said, I always look forward to a new episode even if I skip the last couple minutes. 😎

This is a great show for people who love history and movies. I gave it 4 stars because all these movies seem to only be about men.

Great information and very entertaining. Pronunciation of names could use some work.

Love the idea and the show is great! Learning the little details and differences between reality and the movie is interesting and entertaining!

So far I’ve liked most of the topics. Granted there will be disliked topics with every podcast, the majority are great. Keep it up!

I love true stories. I really like how Dan gives the three pieces of info and we have to guess what is true and what is false. He’s not boring to listen to and there are no awkward moments. I especially like that he doesn’t dilly dally and gets right to the story! It is my favorite podcast. Thanks Dan!!!

Co worker wondered upon this and it’s the best podcast I’ve listened to in awhile love this keep it up Dan please amazing job

Love this podcast, first review I’ve written. I’ve gone through the backlog and listened to all the movies I’ve ever wanted to know the real story on. But I love the April fools episodes! Once I heard all the difference in the LOTR books vs the movies. I wanted to read the books even more. It reminds me of the Harry Potter series and the difference there too. I would love to hear you cover those. Great Job Dan! Keep up the amazing work. -Nicholas

Good info, interesting but wowzers the mispronunciations.

enjoying your podcast but you mispronounce a lot of names

This is a great podcast, the topics are thoroughly researched and wonderful to hear. I also enjoy the movie selection choices. It’s a good mix of well known and niche titles/historical events. Suggestion for improvement: more upbeat theme song. Keep ‘em coming!

The only thing better than a based on true story movie is learning the real story behind it! Hope to see something on the BBC (Billionaire Boys Club) soon!

Would be a great show if he would just pick better more popular movies there are som many great choices out there like midnight in the garden of good and evil goodfellows ans many more

If you love history, movies, or both then this is the best podcast. My mom and I drove for about 30 hours in the passed couple of days and we listened to 22 episodes. I happen to love both history and movies so this is perfect. Even if I didn’t love history this would be a fun listen, it’s interesting to hear the true story behind the movies. There’s a boatload of movies that I haven’t seen that he has episodes of, now I have a must watch list. Great podcast

It shows when someone cares. It shows when someone doesn’t. As far as deciphering when a person is apathetic or not it’s not rocket surgery. Dan absolutely cares about the root objective which is making an accurate comparison of what is spewed to the masses through cinema and what is/was real when it happened. Good job Dan. You are King Pimp of the media. Chuck H.

I love the comparison of real life and movies. The host does a great job and there several very knowledgeable guests too. I would like to see a podcast on the movie “White Squall” sometime. I’m sure it would be great.

I stumbled across this podcast on YouTube and really enjoy the content and the narration

I’ve always been one of those people where as soon as I see a movie “based on a true story”, I’m looking up the movie to get the real facts. Dan definitely does his research and makes learning about history fun. I appreciate that he chooses movies both that are known to be based on history and those not marketed as “based on a true story”. I’ve learned so much from listening. Thank you for everything you do!

He seems believable. Good show either way.

I enjoy the podcast. Have you considered doing Alpha Dog?

I love this podcast!! I love to listen to this every day when I go on a run and in long car rides.

I stumbled on this podcast and immediately became a binge listener. What led it stand out for me is the mix of history with a crime thriller investigative tone. I learn and get entertained simultaneously! Thanks!

“Young Guns” was filmed in Cerrillos, NM on the “Turquoise Trail” between Madrid, NM (where “Wild Hogs” was filmed) and the city of Santa Fe, NM.

Full of inaccuracies. Sometimes the movies are not even interpreted correctly. Don’t waste your time on this poorly researched garbage.

I’ve been listening to this podcast for years and o highly recommend it.

I love these especially the the greatest showman ones dan is a great person and host

This podcast helps fill in the gaps from movies. Many movies are based on a true story but this podcast helps fill in the truth when it is sometimes omitted.

All these stories are amazing, truly. Very well researched, stating facts we don’t learn at school. However, I cannot overlook the horrible narration. It reminds me a very bad robotic voice; it has no smooth flow, almost seems like every.word.has.a.period.

This podcast is awesome! Dan is an amazing host and the movies he covers are always so interesting. One suggestion for a topic is the movie Invictus, about Nelson Mandela and the Springboks. I watched it and I thought of this incredible podcast.

Excellent show with lots of historical references and the host seems like he does his research, though does make a couple minor errors, for example stating in the Titanic episode that all of the Lusitania’s passengers and crew died in that disaster when in reality, 761, about the same as Titanic, survived. His pronunciations of non-English names and locations leaves much to be desired, and if he improved in that area, this would be a top class show!

Dan is a good friend and his episodes are really good and I really enjoyed 42 a league of there own Walt Before Mickey the founder and mulan :). Keep up the great work my friend Shamim dana

I listen to several podcasts a week, mostly related to history, science, sports and tech. This one has quickly become my favorite. The topics are very interesting and deeply researched. The attention to detail is outstanding, and clearly a lot of work goes into this podcast. At the same time, Dan’s narration has a lot of heart and keeps every issue interesting. The podcast overall has the substance and feel of a “professional” production but the warmth and proximity of an “indie” podcast. It’s a gem. Also, my recommendation is, if the topic interests you, to listen even if you have not watched the movie. It’s enjoyable and interesting all the same.

This is the one podcast that I really look forward to! None of the episodes are boring and Dan is easy to listen to and follow. I recommend this podcast to anyone who will listen

Excellent podcast...great info about the mission and movie really insightful