Film Colossus

This week, we walk through the beautiful, yet somehow grotesque world of: Barry Lyndon . This slow, meandering film offers quite a challenge for Chris and Travis—two diehard Stanley Kubrick fans—as they navigate through the movie’s commentary on ambition, as they trek the gorgeous landscapes that surround Barry’s sill existence, as they wonder if Kubrick truly did enough to bring his existential r...

This week, we traverse the psychological labyrinth known as: The Silence of the Lambs . We revisit this classic thriller and discuss its contents, finding a narrative in Clarice’s struggle to move on, to form an identity outside her trauma, to endure the psychiatric exercises of the one and only Hannibal Lecter. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like...

This week, we delve into one of the most confounding movies ever: Synecdoche, New York . And we’re here to say the movie, while surreal and outlandish and subversive, is actually much simpler than it seems. We go down a strange path trying to put Charlie Kaufman’s bizarre movie into words—join us. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the...

This week, we share a winding, whirling discussion about the 1955 classic: Rebel Without a Cause . What follows isn’t just a thematic breakdown of the movie’s commentary on post-war generational tensions, but a macro discussion about the state of modern movies and how far we’ve come from the simple-yet-impactful cinematic eye of directors like Nicholas Ray. Check out  our website  for mo...

This week, we discuss the baseball classic: The Natural . It used to be one of Chris’s favorite movies—but does it still hold up? And is Travis impressed at all upon first watch? In some ways, yes…in many ways, no. Our discussion takes some interesting turns. Enjoy! Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes ad-free,&...

This week, we make everybody mad by defending the much-maligned superhero masterpiece: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. We talk about the differences between the theatrical and director’s cut and how it helps the film’s themes and ideas coalesce into a commentary on a divided world. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hea...

This week on the Film Colossus podcast, we complete our podcast discussion of Ti West’s epic Hollywood trilogy  with: MaXXXine . We take a step back and survey how the story ultimately ties together with X and Pearl , as well as dissect the genre elements of the film and how West embraces art and humanity over industry politics. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstru...

This week on the Film Colossus podcast, we navigate the murky waters of religious hysteria with the 2024 Sydney Sweeney nun flick: Immaculate . Chris and Travis are at odds with what they find to be a clunky, stifling experience that never quite finds its footing and pales in comparison to much better horror films. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd li...

This week on the Film Colossus podcast, we break down the sexiest movie of 2024: Challengers . Chris and Travis suit up, grab their racquets, and step on opposite sides of the court to debate what is and isn't working in this wild, back and forth journey about what drives and inspires us, how we keep passion burning in our lives. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructio...

We’re back, baby!! (No pun intended.) And this week on the Film Colossus podcast, we discuss the epic, the unassailable, the oh-my-god-why-is-this-movie-so-long classic: Lawrence of Arabia . We break down the film’s incredible visualization of realizing one’s self, of how difficult it can be to remain true to your life vision, in all of its beautiful, sun-soaked, illuminating glory. Check out&nbsp...

This week, we discuss the 2023 Oscar winner: The Zone of Interest . Chris is very much in the camp that the film is a modern masterpiece, while Travis…needs some convincing. They discuss sound design, slow cinema, and the film’s ultimate commentary on cultural apathy. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes ad-free...

This week, we explore the brazen and bizarre Oscar winner: Poor Things . We react to Yorgos Lanthimos’ drastic changes in aesthetic and discuss how his focus on a single character allows the film to flourish and the ideology to coalesce like never before in his filmography. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes a...

This week, we recap the 96th Academy Awards—our favorite moments, the worst moments, and which people should and shouldn’t have taken home the golden statue. We talk a lot about Wikipedia mods. Yes we have complaints about the In Memoriam. And no we still don't like Oppenheimer. Have fun! Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and...

This week, we dive headfirst into what is currently the cinematic event of the century: Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two . We discuss both the good and the bad of this landmark series, with Chris praising Villeneuve’s take on the classic novel and Travis being his usual contrarian self. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and h...

This week, we celebrate Dune —no, not that Dune . We’re talking about that old polarizing one that David Lynch directed. We discuss everything that’s keeping 1984’s Dune from achieving Frank Herbert’s ultimate intent with the novel, as well as the idiosyncrasies that allow Lynch’s existential tale about the self to shine in enigmatic, bizarrely beautiful ways. Check out  our website  for...

This week, we navigate through the insane terrain of Oliver Stone’s masterpiece: Any Given Sunday . We observe how perhaps the greatest football movie ever made actually serves as a metaphor for America’s story, for the angst and isolation—and, ultimately, the progression—that results from generational differences and constant change. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstr...

This week, we enjoy a double feature from the great horror auteur Ti West: Pearl and X . We debate the effectiveness of Pearl’s warped character study in the first film and explore the depths of the latter’s sociological observations. All in all, it’s a bloody good time! Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes ad-f...

This week, we break down one of those movies that continues to confuse people to this day: American Psycho . We show how the movie’s core concepts and satiric approach can help make sense of and contextualize what, on the surface, appears to be an indecipherable movie. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes ad-fre...

This week, we give our reactions to the 2024 Oscar nominations. Chris is nice and gives praise where praise is due, while Travis mostly complains because the dumb movies he likes don’t get any love from the Academy. Plus we give our predictions for each category! Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes ad-free,&nbs...

This week, we pick apart what’s considered one to be of the most enigmatic movies of all time: Mulholland Drive . Our discussion breaks this classic film down into simple terms, revealing the humanistic underbelly of David Lynch’s cautionary tale about Hollywood and fantasy. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes...

This week, we dive into the most viral movie of 2023: Saltburn . We react to the movie’s most provocative moments and, through a discussion of the film's themes and deeper meaning, debate whether all the hype is warranted. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes ad-free, then  join our Patreon ! Music by&...

This week, we count down our favorite (and least favorite) movies of the year. Chris sticks to movies that came out in 2023, while Travis picks the best from everything he watched this year. Get ready for some lively discussions! Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes ad-free, then  join our Patreon ! Mu...

This week, we conclude our first season with yet another Lars von Trier film: The House That Jack Built . We discuss the movie’s meta commentary on using art to improve and define our lives, and how that message functions within what is essentially a serial killer comedy. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes ad-...

This week, we discuss Lars von Trier’s bleak, bizarre film: Melancholia . There’s a strange meta quality to the film that consumes our conversation as we explore how the movie ultimately mirrors the human condition in the face of apocalypse. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes ad-free, then  join our...

This week, we gush over the timeless classic The Princess Bride . Of course the characters and acting are amazing, but more than anything we’re fascinated by the film’s commentary on fairy tales and the ability for stories to transcend and connect generations. Check out  our website  for more great movie deconstructions. If you'd like to support the show and hear episodes ad-free, t...