Sonic Cinema Podcast

It's that time of year again, when Phil Fasso and I take a look at films from horror past. In keeping with our previous discussions about Dracula and War of the Worlds , however, we are deciding to look at the cinematic legacy of Invasion of the Body Snatchers , in particular, Don Siegel's 1956 adaptation and Philip Kaufman's 1978 film. I hope you enjoy!

For the first time in this series, we are doing a single film about a larger issue. My guest and I discussed this in the context of the last episode in my Fascism in Cinema series, but it didn't quite fit what I wanted to do there. But, in how Sylvester Stallone's 1985 sequel, "Rocky IV" , looks at sport and patriotism, it was well worth exploring. Joining me is Ben Friedman of Ben Talks Film as w...

It's a bit later than I like, but DragonCon 2026 happened a bit later this here. My annual recap of the Atlanta genre convention is below, and it might be one of my favorite years. I hope you enjoy!

My hope for the release of Dave Green's long-delayed "Coyote vs. ACME" was to have an episode discussing my history with the creations of Termite Terrace, and why I love them. Because I was able to watch the movie itself via screener, I was able to combine that with a review of the movie, also. (Spoilers for the movie, by the way.) Joining me is Joan Amenn from In Their Own League , as we share ou...

Sonic Cinema's deep dive into the realm of science fiction continues with this episode, and there isn't a better guest to continue it with. Last year was the first time both myself and my guest watched Chris Marker's cult classic science fiction short film, “La Jetée” , for respective podcasts. If you haven't seen it, but heard about it, it's because it provided inspiration to Terry Gilliam's 1995...

This is less a discussion about movies as it is a commentary on moviegoing in general. One of the most common complaints I've seen about why people don't go to movies nowadays is constant disruptions during movies. In all honesty, that was the case before COVID, but it's only accelerated in the age of streaming. Joining me in the discussion is film critic Austin Belzer , and we share stories of ou...

We are taking a break from one series to return to another. It's been a few years, but my "Established Classics" series is back. For those who may not remember, this is a series where we look at movies from Hollywood's Golden Age- from the late '30s to 1960- and look at whether they hold up now, and why they do. Returning is actor Timothy J. Cox, and after we catch up with him, we begin discussing...

As we've gone through this series, many of the topics have been more inspired by the larger atmosphere around the United States during Trump Administration II. This episode, however, had a very specific inspiration in the recent UFC cage fight on President Trump's birthday- and part of his celebrations for America's 250th anniversary. The idea of a UFC fight in front of the White House made me thi...

In the discussion of fascism and authoritarianism in cinema (and in real life), it's impossible to not discuss conspiracy theories. Over the past few years, conspiratorial ideas is almost hat in hand with the politics of the time. In our latest exploration of fascism in cinema, come down the rabbit hole with my guest, Ben Friedman of Ben Talks Film , and I as we look at how three films take their...

Earlier this week, the 2026 Atlanta Film Festival wrapped up its 50th iteration with its virtual festival. What was great? What was noteworthy? What was the experience. All will be discussed in this episode, and for the topper, I present an interview with filmmaker Costa Karalis, who made one of my favorite films of the festival, "Frogtown" . I hope you enjoy! My curtain raiser piece, along with a...

As I started to look to 2026, I knew there was still more to cover in this series beyond what we hit upon in the five episodes last year in discussing authoritarianism in cinema. One of the richest genres doing that was science fiction which, coincidentally, is what led to my emphasis on the genre this year. With such a vast subject, there was only one choice to join me on this episode- the person...

In this mini-episode of the podcast, I thought I'd talk briefly about my favorite genre of all-time- science fiction. My history with the genre, why my love has only deepened, and why it's being covered so heavily this year on Sonic Cinema. I hope you enjoy! The end piece is "Weightless Waltz in F," from my 2010 album, "Beyond the Infinite: A Musical Odyssey" . Listen to me talk about some of the...

It is that time of year again- the Oscars. This episode features the things you've come to expect over the years- a category by category breakdown with awards watcher Amanda Spears , followed by my 10 Best Films of the year. I hope you enjoy! My retrospective on 2025 can be read here . Read Brian's Thoughts on the 2025 Atlanta Film Critics Circle Winners here . Read Brian's Thoughts on the 2025 So...

A few months ago, we discussed three films about the press speaking truth to power. What happens when the powerful pervert media for profits? As it enters The Criterion Collection this week, Sidney Lumet's satirical look at television news- 1976's "Network" - feels like a documentary of the times we live in now. Joining me to discuss the legacy of this film is Jason from Binge Movies and The Slash...

What could be more romantic than two Gen X white guys talking about Alfred Hitchcock's most romantic film before Valentine's Day? I'm sure plenty of things, but this is what you get from the Sonic Cinema Podcast this year. My frequent guest, Phil Fasso, returns for the third time in five months to discuss Cary Grant and Grace Kelly being two of the most drop-dead gorgeous people in movie history i...

This is an episode my guest and I have discussed doing for a couple of years, and with the release of a new film with the subject of the episode, it made sense. The topic is Academy Award nominee Rachel McAdams, who has shown herself to be a versatile performer in a variety of films over the years. My guest is fellow critic and podcaster Morgan Roberts, the host of Female Gaze: The Film Club . We...

Immediately after recording the first episode of 2026, I went into the editing, because honestly, it's one of my favorite year starter episodes to date. This episode was born out of the fact that my guest, Snarky Faith's Stuart Delony, has a book coming out, and it's subject is a satirical look at the theological idea of the Rapture that has taken ahold in some sects of Evangelical Christianity. I...

We've looked at resistance to fascism. The police state. Faith peddlers. And journalists holding power accountable. The first few episodes in this series have looked at serious topics when dealing with encroaching authoritarianism. For the fifth and final episode of the series for 2025, it's time to have a little bit of fun. While cinematic propaganda has been around for pretty much the entirety o...

When it comes to authoritarian regimes- or those aspiring to be- a free and independent press can be its worst enemy. Fake news, Lugenpresse. "Liberal bias." Those are just some of the ways they can be discredited by leaders with a fetish for dictatorships. In this episode in our "Fascism in Cinema" episode, listen as myself and the Editor in Chief at In Their Own League , Joan Amenn, discuss what...

In part due to the unplanned hiatus during May and June, horror podcast episodes are not on the menu this year. But this episode is close, because H.G. Wells's is one of the most terrifying stories in the annals of science fiction. Much like we did a couple of years ago regarding Dracula, Phil Fasso and I look at Wells's classic through the perspective of some of its most famous iterations. We beg...

As you've probably noticed in the past few years, one of the things I've wanted to do is have some discussions on films from my formative years discovering films, and getting deeper into films, that mean a lot to me. This is one that was bound to be a tough one to get a guest for, but as you hear, this conversation ended up being a fascinating, all-encompassing one about every aspect of this film'...

In the latest episode of the Sonic Cinema Podcast, we continue a conversation that began this year at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival. It's not often that we return to a filmmaker so quickly after meeting them, but the connection I had with filmmaker Kiera Faber was a meaningful one for both of us. I hope you enjoy this continuing meeting of minds with the filmmaker of the short film, "The Garden S...

Because of the lack of the film festival element, it feels as though my annual DragonCon podcast gets shorter and shorter each year. But, it is tradition, and it's also a nice reprieve from the heavier episodes of the year. I hope you enjoy this year's episode!

One of the most exciting things about the idea of discussing Fascism in Cinema is how fluidly the ideas of authoritarianism have been adapted, and sometimes skewered, by filmmakers over the years. In the third episode of this series, we are looking at films that look at matters of faith, and how corrupted they can be by mankind. Since we are discussing religion, it would be wrong to have any other...

You'll have to excuse the high-pitched sound during most of the record. It's my first record with my new computer and I'm still working out the kinks. That said, this was quite a discussion to debut it with. In this episode, "Star Wars" returns to the podcast with a discussion about the acclaimed series, "Andor." Joining me is a filmmaker whom I met a few years ago at the Renegade Film Festival, C...