Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Maggie did the math and concluded that we see about 200 movies a year. In this conceptual episode, we're trying to figure out how that ridiculous fact has changed us, how we think about movies, and how we talk about works of art on this show. The answers are a kaleidoscope of good, bad, personal, and academic. And yes, before you ask, we do at one point passionately reflect upon Jason Statham's Th...

Digger is far and away the most thought provoking movie of the year. Ignore the critics and the box office, find the biggest screen you can, and make up your own mind. In this episode, we're focusing in on the film's incredibly complex and compelling navigation of satire — which has at least five distinct angles. We examine the film's central 'misdirection monologue' to disentangle these critiques...

The Reeds have returned to terrorize Bran with dire, vague prophecies — and in this episode, we're going to follow their lead and explore all the horror, fantasy, and philosophical dread we can find. Maggie charts prophecy and prayer through the sudden resurgence of the supernatural. Cam rediscovers our old Macbeth theory, but through a brand new lens. GRRM's Macbeth isn't Ned Stark, or the Starks...

Verity has a fantastic premise and some jaw-dropping twists. We both devoured the book. But then we read the ending, which backpedals and defangs everything that's interesting about the story's most interesting character. And then there's the brand new epilogue, which unwids the central drama even further. And THEN there's the movie, which doubles down on all of these problems until there are no f...

This might be the most difficult-to-describe movie of the year. It's Mad Max: Fury Road meets Curb Your Enthusiasm with a lot of Independence Day thrown in there, but then at the end it kinda turns into Avatar? We can guarantee you that you've never seen anything like this, and that it will be one of the most energizing and entertaining theatrical experiences you have this year. Topics include: th...

As we discover in this episode, Maggie loves change and Cam hates change. Guess how we each feel about the big news out of Blizzcon? Diablo IV just dropped the best season they've ever made but also kind of put the game out to pasture. Diablo V was announced. Destiny 2 was brought back from the dead. It's a lot to talk about, in addition to our traditional state of the game check-in, analysis of t...

The shadow baby has finally arrived, and with it, the tragic end of Renly Baratheon — except that none of it goes the way we expected it to. In this episode, we dig deep into the first ever explicitly supernatural 'act of god' in this series, only to find that the god in question might not be the Lord of Light at all. Maggie tracks the hit rate of prayer in Westeros and searches for narrative ghos...

Expectations are the trap of all adaptations. This Resident Evil movie lives in many shadows: the beloved game series, the false impression that the trailers gave that this was a very straightforward scary movie, and the towering legacy of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead. But the wonderful thing is that this movie is still fantastic. Even if it's not 'the scariest movie of the year,' it might just be the be...

Parasomnia terrified me in a way that I haven't felt since Oddity. This movie feels like it was made in a lab to appeal to us specifically, as a mashup of Insidious 1 & 2, Hell House LLC., The Blair Witch Project. James Ross II has created a powerhouse work of indie horror with remarkable emotional investment, under-your-skin creature design, a grounded and restrained directorial style, and some d...

It's never a bad thing for an indie horror to be ambitious, and Buddy is as bonkers and delightful as it is uneven. In this episode, we're trying to figure out why the conceit of this movie was so effective for us — and why the experience suffered when the movie moved beyond its premise. Topics include: three act structure, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, a spirited carpet tangent, and the jaw d...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Neither Renly nor Stannis Baratheon ever sit the Iron Throne, but could things have turned out differently if they had worked together? In this episode, we're chasing down a what-if question that involves Catelyn Stark's talent for diplomacy, the long shadow of Robert Baratheon, and the history of a castle that might be more magic than stone. Elsewh...

In this episode, we're giving you a quick programming update about the (exciting) future of The Lost Episodes. We also take a look back at Summerween 2026, discuss some behind-the-scenes ideas we've been having, and formally ask for your horror recommendations!  LINKS:   Patreon ,  YouTube ,  Spotify ,  Instagram , Cam's Books Feedback & Theories:  secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Indie horror is an endless stream of new ideas, new voices, and scrappy, ingenious storytelling — and "It Ends" is the latest hidden gem delight that we're here to break down and celebrate. Think of this one as an intoxicating blend of The Long Walk, The Blair Witch Project, and Six Feet Under. Topics include: naturalistic dialogue, sustained metaph...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! In this episode, we are revisiting Terrifier in an attempt to understand what makes this movie so so SO much scarier than any of the sequels. Along the way we will discuss the challenges of an 85-minute movie, Paul Wiley's incredible score, an avalanche of (favorable) comparisons to the original Saw and Halloween films, and what innovations this sto...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! With these two chapters — a barrage of prophetic dreams, couplets within couplets, and philosophical debates — it is safe to say that A Clash of Kings has officially hit its stride. Maggie's Dream Corner returns to make sense of winged wolves and bloodstained metaphors. Cam revisits our discussion of franchise villains to tackle the tricky concept o...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! The Odyssey is almost too massive and influential to discuss in one podcast, but we're gonna do our best. In this overstuffed episode, we are breaking down all the spectacle, substance, and surprises of this gut-punch of a movie. Topics include: the effect of format across IMAX / 70mm / D-BOX, the relationship between runtime and pacing, Ludwig Göra...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! We've finally got Tristan back to investigate the tumultuous third season of House of the Dragon. Has the writing improved? Has the acting fallen off? What's with the 'portrait mode' directing this season? In this episode, we're trying to look at the show from both perspectives: as tv watchers and book readers. We're also taking a closer look at eac...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! It's about damn time Cam had another stupid theory about a movie. This time, he's arguing that One Night Only is a rom-com remake of our favorite Christmas movie, Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. Come all ye skeptical, this is one for the ages!  LINKS:   Patreon ,  YouTube ,  Spotify ,  Instagram Feedback & Theories:  secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Across genre fiction, "the chosen one" always becomes a cautionary tale. So what does it mean that GRRM dramatizes the unsuccessful reigns of an endless number of Targaryens who all believe that they have the divine warrant to rule the Seven Kingdoms? In this episode, we're exploring the theology of narcissism that empowers strongmen and emphaticall...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! What does it mean to call a horror movie a "guilty pleasure"? Why do we caveat our feelings about incredibly entertaining, funny, well-made movies by calling them "trashy "or emphasizing that they are "just a remake"? In this episode, we're not just analyzing but celebrating the glorious 2009 remake of Friday the 13th. Topics include: our glowing se...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Jane Schoenbrun has done something absolutely extraordinary with their latest film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. This is a horror movie by horror fans for horror fans that is also about being a horror fan. The density, the efficiency, the provocation — there is so much to love here, and even more to discuss! This is a fantastic slasher movi...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Horror has always been a philosophical genre. From Frankenstein and Faustus to The Thing and The Exorcist, the scariest stories have always explored questions of identity, consciousness, death, and the afterlife. Curry Barker's Obsession is a proud addition to that canon. In this episode, we're doing an extraordinarily deep dive into the philosophy...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! King's Landing is full of bad people. In this episode, we're taking a closer look at some of the most dangerous power players in the viper's nest at the heart of Westeros. Is Tyrion becoming the villain of A Clash of Kings? Is Maester Pycelle the worst person in the history of the realm? Why is everyone so afraid of Robb Stark and treating him like...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Jennifer's Body asks the moviegoing audience an important question: what if Regina George was a Deadite? In this episode, we explore the Mean Girls & Evil Dead roots of this movie, before going deeper into its clear influence on modern horror hits like Obsession. Cam makes a detour to investigate the Faustian lineage of most of these films. Maggie e...

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Doom: Revelations is so much more than an expansion. In this episode, we passionately argue that this is in fact the fifth modern Doom game in the last decade, an endlessly inventive, engaging, and replayable game in its own right that officially elevates the modern era of Doom into the same conversation as Halo during the Bungie years. Topics inclu...