The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast

This week, Madeline, Julian and Emilio continue discussing Comfort Movies of the 90s with a Two-Shot episode dedicated to a pair of workplace comedies: Jill Sprecher's debut film 'Clockwatchers' from 1997 and Mike Judge's iconic live action debut 'Office Space' from 1999.  Fellow podcaster and multi-hyphenate artist Sadie Dean joins the group to dig into why these fil...

This week, Emilio, Madeline and Julian continue discussing "Comfort Movies of the 90s" and welcome on world class vocalist/performer, 90s media enthusiast, and Titanique superfan Natalie Weiss to discuss one of the most successful and celebrated films of the 90s, or really any decade - James Cameron's 'Titanic', starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in a whirlwind ro...

Justice is coming! This week, Emilio, Madeline and Julian welcome back friend of the podcast and delightful social media cinephile Jamie Homs to discuss one of her comfort movie of the 90s, and a first time watch for the three main cohosts - 1993's 'Tombstone', directed (somewhat disputed) by George P. Cosmatos, featuring an all star cast including Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Bill Pax...

Julian, Emilio and Madeline welcome back Brendan McDonald, former producer of the medium-defining podcast WTF with Marc Maron , to kick off a new episode cycle comprising Comfort Movies from the 1990s with a "View-nanimous" discussion on one of the decade's definitive films, The Big Lebowski. From the iconic brother team of Joel and Ethan Coen, this 90s classic focuses on a worldly,...

As our Twins and Doppelgängers cycle comes to a close, Julian, Madeline and Emilio discuss actors they think are over due to play a dual roles in a film.  They also share the portions of conversations with guests from this most recent cycle where they share their picks for actors they believe would be great playing multiple characters in the same narrative.    A HUGE thank you to our guests this c...

For the podcast's 100th episode, Madeline, Julian and Emilio fire up Nora Ephron's classic rom com from 1993 'Sleepless in Seattle', starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as strangers separated by thousands of miles who, if their subconsciouses and their curious companions have their way, may just have a date with destiny on Valentine's Day at the top of the Empire State Buildin...

To wrap up their cycle dedicated to films featuring Twins and Doppelgängers, Emilio, Madeline, and Julian are joined by Emilio’s longtime friend Sarah Ungerleider as they hone in on an actor who has played dual, triple, and even quadruple roles: the great Tilda Swinton. They first discuss Sally Potter’s 1992 film ‘Orlando’, based on the Virginia Woolf novel from 1928. Although Swinton plays a sing...

Continuing their cycle dedicated to Twins and Doppelgängers, Julian, Madeline and Emilio welcome friend of the pod and always delightful guest Mariquita Reese for their "Two Shot" episode to discuss two recent horror-coded films rich with metaphors and themes pertaining to race in America, Jordan Peele's 2018 film 'Us' and Ryan Coogler's critical and commercial hit &a...

July 29, 2026 was a heartbreaking day for music lovers, as we learned of the sudden and tragic death of Irish singer/songwriter Glen Hansard.  His breakthrough performances in the 2007 film 'Once' are always front of mind for movie lovers, but Emilio was fortunate enough to have a core musical memory care of Hansard himself.  That moment turned into a casual friendship for several years,...

Julian, Emilio, and Madeline continue their episode cycle focusing on Twins and Doppelgängers with a "Suggestion Box" episode about "Dead Ringers," David Cronenberg's film from 1988 which stars Jeremy Irons in an iconic dual role as identical twin gynecologists Beverly and Elliot Mantle. Loosely inspired by the true story of Stewart and Cyril Marcus, the film examines how...

For the Twins and Doppelgängers cycle "Mise-Unseen", Madeline, Julian and Emilio strap in and tackle 'Cloud Atlas', the 2012 film directed by The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, based on David Mitchell's novel.  It features a truly head spinning array of actors playing multiple different characters spanning several centuries, and with help of Emilio's sister Maria-Elena, t...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio welcome back writer, performer, and Julian's longtime friend Michaela Brady to discuss the iconic meditation on the creative process that is "Adaptation" (2002), written by Charlie Kaufman, directed by Spike Jonze, and starring Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, and Chris Cooper in an Oscar-winning role. As the "View-nanimous" entry in a new episode c...

We've spent the last several episodes discussing interesting existing Offbeat Musicals, but what about the ones that we'd love to see get made?  For a bonus episode, Madeline, Emilio, Julian, and all the guests from our most recent episode cycle share their picks for movies they'd love to see adapted and turned into "offbeat" musicals, for film or for the stage, or both. ...

To wrap up our episode cycle featuring "Off-Beat Musicals", Madeline, Julian and Emilio close in on a prolific songwriter whose career has notably dovetailed with film over the years: Paul Williams.  An unconventional public figure with the gift of gab and an ear for making timeless music, Williams left his mark on the 1970s, penning memorable scores for some truly unique movie musicals....

Madeline, Julian, and Emilio continue their cycle of Offbeat Musicals with a "Two-Shot" on a pair of turn-of-the-millennium glam-rock extravaganzas: Todd Haynes' "Velvet Goldmine" (1998) and John Cameron Mitchell's "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" (2001). Marking their fifth - yes, fifth - discussion on a Todd Haynes film, the trio begin by unpacking "Velvet...

Continuing with the cycle theme of “Offbeat Musicals”, Julian and Madeline draw from the conception of their friendship with a joint suggestion - Leos Carax’s “Annette” (2021). Joining Emilio as a first-time viewer is actor and puppeteer Kelly Autry, a friend of Madeline’s since tweendom. Our two seasoned Sparks fans share their background with the musical duo, who write and compose the music for...

For the "Offbeat Musical" cycle's Mise-Unseen episode, Emilio and Julian come in brick cold (and Madeline a tad less frigid) to their selected film for discussion - 'The Happiness of The Katakuris', Takashi Miike's surreal horror/dramedy/musical from 2001' about a down-on-their-luck family banding together to run a struggling roadside inn, only to endure a string...

This week, Madeline, Julian and Emilio kick off a new cycle dedicated to "Offbeat Musicals" with perhaps the pre-eminent offbeat musical movie: 'Little Shop of Horrors', released in 1986, directed by Frank Oz, featuring standout performances from Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, and Levi Stubbs as Audrey II, anchored by the iconic score from Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.  It's...

This week, Emilio, Madeline, and Julian welcome in fellow podcaster Christian Garcia for a bonus episode to discuss 'Written on the Wind', Douglas Sirk's seminal romantic melodrama from 1956 starring Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack, and Dorothy Malone in an Oscar-winning performance. This was a first watch for everyone involved, but a welcome initiation to the aesthetic and...

Madeline, Emilio, and Julian are rejoined by film editor and all-around great cinephile hang James Codoyannis to wrap up their cycle of Oscar-Worthy Rom-Coms with a "Close-Up" on three films written by the prolific Neil Simon. For the first "Close-Up" episode devoted to a screenwriter, the group bring their varied histories with Simon's body of work, on screen and on stage...

We've been breaking down Oscar Worthy Rom Coms for several weeks now, but what about movies that didn't get nominations or wins but absolutely should have?  This week, Madeline, Julian and Emilio, along with their guests from our latest cycle, share their picks for romantic comedies that never got the Oscar love they deserved.   These selections range from obvious snubs to cult classics...

This week, Julian, Emilio, and Madeline are joined by comedian Sydney Duncan to discuss two films that launched their leading ladies to superstardom - William Wyler’s “Roman Holiday” from 1953 and Garry Marshall’s “Pretty Woman” from 1990. The group draws comparisons both salient and subtle, and examines the aspects of Audrey Hepburn and Julia Roberts’ performances that solidify these roles as the...

2025 ended with a real gut punch for us film lovers - the sudden and shocking death of Rob Reiner, alongside his wife Michele Singer.  This week, Emilio, Julian and Madeline welcome back friend of the pod and musician extraordinaire Matt Friedman to the table to talk about Reiner and his legacy as one of the most beloved and important American filmmakers of the last forty years.  The group discuss...

This week, Madeline, Emilio and Julian continue making their way through Oscar Worthy Rom Coms and tune into 'Broadcast News', James L. Brooks' beloved 1987 film starring Holly Hunter, William Hurt and Albert Brooks.  The group is joined by accomplished NYC-based film programmer David Schwartz to discuss at length what is special about this romantic comedy, and the ways in which it...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio continue their cycle of Oscar-Worthy Rom-Coms with a Suggestion Box episode focusing on "The Apartment," Billy Wilder's unforgettable multi-Oscar-winning film from 1960. The trio dig into this classic tale of work-related romance by discussing its iconic performances from Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray, the dynamics of the love triangl...