Celluloid Pudding

"You wouldn’t have to get drunk to bed Catherine Deneuve, I don’t care what your sexual history to that point had been." —Susan Sarandon on her love scene with Catherine Deneuve Hard to argue with Sarandon on this point, and Deneuve’s performance is subtly mesmerizing and haunting. The film is sleek, smart, and sexy. It’s a reinvention of the vampire myth with the gritty razor’s edge aesthetics of...

As September comes to a close we are amping up for our favorite time of year. We hope dear listeners that you will enjoy this little ditty as we acquiesce to the fading light of summer sunsets. The skies are awash in hues of orange, red, and watery blue, and the days will grow shorter. The turn this time of year is distinct, even in a place like Florida. You can feel it in the evening air, though...

It’s that time of year when we stare longingly at the calendar, where we don’t mind the sensation of rapidly advancing time. We are very much like the protagonist of this film, L.B. Jeffries —trapped in one spot, fighting stagnation and futility under great blazing wings of oppressive summer heat. If only we had a nurse like Stella to invigorate us with strong liniment and pithy maxims, or a dream...

Welcome to the long hot doldrums of summer—-that nowhere space between July and August, when we realize that the sweet relief of Fall weather, and an earlier setting sun isn’t as close as we wish. It’s a space where we humans just try to create a life tempo we can manage under the beating sun, and maybe find a little lost island in the seas of our mind, that is always lush and cool, and restores o...

It should be no secret by now to our loyal listeners that Sam and I disagree— a lot. Thankfully we have the kind of love and respect for each other that’s endured many decades since we were but younglings. Sam had to persuade me with ingratiating smiles and a pocketful of Scooby Snacks to get me to watch this film. It’s not that I’m an AI “hater” but, much like Samantha, the AI character in this f...

As promised, we drop a second pride episode to close out what we hope dear listener, was a festive and fortuitous month of June. We hope all of you found your people, and maybe even a little romance as the red hot summer rolls on. Set in 1959 Reno, Nevada, the film unfolds beautifully like a surprisingly compelling paperback romance amidst the backdrop of a desert dude ranch. Cinematographer Rober...

We were in the mood for something completely different. Actually Beth was in the mood for covering Asian Serial Killer genre, and our resident sub Vivica Dunlap suggested this deft little title from legendary director Gakuryu Ishii. Long considered one of the godfathers of Cyberpunk cinema with such titles as “Crazy Thunder Road” and “Burst City” Ishii would take a long directorial hiatus between...

HAPPY PRIDE! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🦄🌈 Yes we know there are only 9 days left, and one more weekend. But take this little episode (and another forthcoming before the end of June) as a jumping off point. Maybe this June fell flat for you? Maybe you had to work every weekend. Take heart. We wish you the queerest summer filled with joy and all the random hookups your little hearts desire. Pride is something you...

“Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe … Planet Earth: You. Are. A. Crew.” —Christina Koch, Mission Specialist, Artemis II ‘Nuff said, we hope you enjoy this episode And enjoy these nifty links: 👇👇👇👇 Astronomer explains how SETI searches for Aliens| WIRED https://youtu.be/UVlUy77d-MU?si=AmwngudVnWFvYLyF Beyond the Visible: The Story of the Very Large Array https:/...

We lost Philip Seymour Hoffman way too soon. There is a moment during the recording of this episode where we remark that he was in a total of 3 films that we’ve covered when in fact he was also in Cold Mountain (a film we just covered) and Almost Famous (an episode we frequently call back to, and one of our favorite sessions). Even as I write this, I realize that he also had a small jewel role in...

Sam and Beth opt for a little levity this episode, after 2 historic gold medal and thrilling performances by U.S. Women’s and Men’s Hockey in the Olympics. The playoff chase is also coming down to the wire in the NHL and PWHL. Consider this episode our tribute to those winsome rapscallions- the kings and queens of municipal ice rinks, or frozen solid mill ponds, as well as their insanely devoted f...

First of all, a plethora of apologies in advance for the technical difficulties we had both recording and editing this episode. We always try to do our best with every deposit we make in our listeners pod banks. We thought this film would be a fitting entry as winter (hopefully soon) comes to its conclusion. With spring comes renewed hope, and new chances to start again—to grow in a new direction....

There is so much going on in the world right now, that Sam and I aren’t even going to attempt feigning blissful ignorance. Suffice to say that certain patterns in history repeat. Empires may rise and fall, and while it is frequently the so-called “small” lives that suffer and bear the burden of humanity’s hubris, it is those same small lives that pick up the pieces, one by one, to survive, to make...

2026 is here. Like many of you, Sam and I had both hoped that we could sweep up the negative detritus of the past year and heave it in the dustbin along with the torn bits of ribbon and holiday wrapping paper. In less than 30 days 2026 already feels like a future spiraling headlong and out of control. It makes one want to escape, and seek out a peaceful place where all of humanity can be welcome,...

Sam and Beth have pulled out all the stops for this Christmas Special EXTRAVAGANZA! We take a meandering deep dive into the 1951 Christmas classic, and make our lists for some of the best versions of this time honored tale, as well as examine the ancient traditions celebrated during this time of year. But wait, there’s more! We have fashioned, by our own humble hands and feeble minds—Christmas gif...

Kids, it’s that time of year again. Who needs hunky bachelors decked out in flannel in some quaint little New England or Midwestern hamlet oozing Christmas drip? Not us. Sam picked out a nice alternative to the typical film faire for the Yuletide season. Dead End is a strange little film, but well crafted given its modest budget, and wonderfully acted by veterans Ray Wise and Lin Shaye. The film p...

Welp it’s that time of year again, when the panoply of denizens of this great country hustle and bustle to jump to that first flag drop that sets us all on course for the madness that is the holiday season. Some will sojourn home from school, some will head to the airport, and some will cram the spousal and kids (both furry or unfurry) into the car and head up the road, or maybe just around the bl...

Not much to say other than this film was groundbreaking in creating a new genre, and responsible for introducing one of the most iconic heroes in cinema. Rick Tetrault joins Beth for this episode. We also close the episode with our recommendations for Halloween viewing, some titles both familiar and obscure, but with guaranteed creep factor. Happy Halloween kids, and may all your candy be deliciou...

Hard to believe that the best time of year is creeping upon the pod and we find ourselves completely unprepared to celebrate. If you have been with us since the beginning you well know that Sam and I love October more than any other time of year, and we try to post episodes more focused on the horror genre. It’s been a helluva 2025, and quite frankly real life continues to interrupt our fun. Never...

Do you struggle with emotional upsets? Are you self-conscious, or chronically shy? Are you missing out on all the good weenie roasts? If you don’t want your friends to think you are a “drip” then put those ear buds in and check out our latest episode featuring our in depth discussion on Coronet Films. These films were extremely popular and common tools in public school classrooms from the 1940s al...

Sam and Beth discuss an intriguing little film about the artistic awakening of the groundbreaking photographer Diane Arbus. Imagine it is the late 1950s, and you are being suffocated by crinoline and your girdle. There is an insatiable curiosity within you to go to places you have never been, and to bear witness to people and lifestyles outside of the homogenized social norms of the time. Suddenly...

Beth and Rick chop it up about our favorite summer films, more specifically about our favorite blockbuster faire in these dog days when the chill of the theater (or our living rooms) is a welcome reprieve from the midday sizzle. Is a great blockbuster merely defined by commercial success and dollars and cents? There may be more to it than the gross. One thing we agree on is that summer is a great...

Hey gang, Sam and I wanted to squeeze one more episode in as a Pride recap. This episode we go marathon with film recommendations to keep you busy, comforted, or inspired for all those months that are not June. Pride month might be over, so let the months of Gay wrath commence! 😉 But seriously, we think we’ve put a good list together to make you want to go digging up some of these older or lesser...

It is 90+ degrees outside and the heat index is climbing. It is hard to stay chill or to feel celebratory when the “dog days” of summer really feel so oppressive. The key to survival is to hydrate and find your people. I am happy to report Sam is back in the co-host chair for this episode. It has been too long, and time with one’s favorite people is very precious. We welcome back our friend Thomas...

The year is 1976, America is busy finding new ways to celebrate their Bicentennial. Somewhere across the Atlantic, in a wine shop in Paris, a somewhat anonymous British wine merchant evolves a plan for a wine “showdown” — the great wines of France vs those young hippie upstarts of Napa and Sonoma, California in a head to head wine tasting, hosted in France. This event would later go down in histor...