Cinema Callback

Andy and Michael swap voice notes as they explore The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (2024), the moving documentary about Norwegian gamer Mats Steen — known online as “Ibelin”. Stricken by Duchenne muscular dystrophy and confined to a wheelchair, Mats found escape, purpose and connection within the world of World of Warcraft. Through interviews, archive footage and animated recreations of his in-game l...

Michael and Andy are back in each other’s voice notes — but this week they’re dodging slow-motion doves, leather jackets, and John Woo explosions as they dive into Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) . In this episode, the lads break down that wild tonal shift, the stunt-heavy insanity, the operatic melodrama, and whether the movie’s style-over-sense approach secretly makes it the most fun entry in the f...

Andy and Michael return with a new batch of chaotic, cinematic voice notes as Cinema Callback tackles Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025). In this spoiler-filled episode, the lads break down Tom Cruise’s final outing as Ethan Hunt — the stunts, the twists, the emotional beats, and whether the franchise sticks the landing after nearly 30 years. Told through their signature voicemail-st...

Andy and Michael return to the line for a charged discussion of Sinners (2025), Ryan Coogler’s long-awaited comeback and one of the year’s most talked-about films. Told through their signature voice note exchanges, the pair unpack Coogler’s daring mix of faith, family, and moral collapse — a film that asks whether redemption is possible in a world built on compromise. Expect a raw, honest breakdow...

Andy and Michael leave voice notes across continents to discuss Black ’47 (2018), Lance Daly’s brutal revenge western set during Ireland’s Great Famine. In this emotionally charged episode, they explore how the film fuses genre grit with historical trauma — from James Frecheville’s haunted performance to Hugo Weaving’s moral complexity. They talk about its striking cinematography, mythic tone, and...

Andy and Michael swap voice notes about Black Bag (2025), Steven Soderbergh’s sleek return to the spy genre starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. In this episode, they unpack its tension, tone, and the director’s obsession with control — asking whether Black Bag feels like a comeback or a cold exercise in style. Along the way, they debate the movie’s surprising restraint, Fassbender’s pe...

Andy and Michael leave each other a string of voice notes about Robot Dreams (2023), the beautifully melancholic animated film from Pablo Berger. Through their conversation, they explore the film’s quiet emotional pull — a wordless story about connection, loss, and how even machines can make us cry. This week’s episode moves between laughter and reflection as the two hosts unpack how Robot Dreams...

In this episode, Andy and Michael swap voice notes about The Final Exit of the Disciples of Ascensia (2023) — a slow-burn cosmic animation that’s part cult study, part existential nightmare. As always, their conversation unfolds entirely through voicemail-style exchanges, exploring the film’s hypnotic pacing, religious mania, and sense of creeping dread. Is it a hidden gem or an endurance test of...

Andy and Michael return with another surreal entry in their ongoing voice-note discussions — this time exploring the nightmarish, hypnotic world of The Burning Buddha Man (2013). Told entirely through their real voice messages, the hosts unravel Ujicha’s eerie blend of stop-motion and horror, debating whether this “gekimation” experiment is a lost masterpiece or a fever dream gone too far. Expect...

On this episode of Cinema Callback , Andy and Michael exchange voice notes about This Magnificent Cake! (2018), the stop-motion anthology film from Marc James Roels and Emma De Swaef. Set in 19th-century Africa under European colonial rule, the film tells five interconnected stories—ranging from absurd to tragic—exploring greed, power, and human fragility. We discuss: How can animation capture the...

On this episode of Cinema Callback , Andy and Michael leave each other voice notes as they dive into The Peasants (2023), the painterly animated adaptation of Władysław Reymont’s Nobel Prize–winning novel. Using hand-painted animation similar to Loving Vincent , the film portrays the brutal, beautiful, and often heartbreaking life of 19th-century Polish villagers. We ask: Can animation carry the s...

Andy and Michael swap voice notes about Commune (2005), Jonathan Berman’s documentary on the Black Bear Ranch collective of the late 1960s. In this special episode, director Jonathan Berman himself joins in, dropping his own commentary throughout the podcast — turning Cinema Callback into a hybrid film discussion and director’s track you won’t find anywhere else. 🌿 Expect insights into communal l...

Andy and Michael swap voice notes about Disney’s Strange World (2022), the sci-fi adventure directed by Don Hall. Through their voicemail-style back-and-forth, they ask why this ambitious, visually bold film — with themes of family, legacy, and environmental responsibility — failed to connect with audiences despite Disney’s usual magic. 🌍 Expect talk on pulpy sci-fi influences, representation in...

Andy and Michael swap voice notes about Todd Haynes’ infamous underground short Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987). Banned from official release due to copyright battles, this audacious film uses Barbie dolls to dramatize Karen Carpenter’s rise to fame and tragic death — and has since become a cult legend. 🎹 The conversation unpacks , whether a 43-minute banned short can feel more truthf...

Andy and Michael hatch a double-feature voicemail discussion, clucking their way through both Aardman classics — Chicken Run (2000) and its long-awaited sequel Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023). 🐔 From the daring POW-style escape of the first film to the colorful, high-stakes rescue mission in the sequel, the two debate whether Dawn of the Nugget could ever live up to the original’s charm —...

Andy and Michael swap voice notes on Luc Walpoth’s 2024 thriller starring Emile Hirsch. Unpacking the film’s tense betrayals, moral stakes, and whether it really cashes in on its premise.

Andy and Michael leave each other voice notes about Mickey 17 , Bong Joon-ho’s first film since Parasite . We talk about Robert Pattinson’s clone drama, Bong’s shift from social satire to pure sci-fi. Along the way, we get into sci-fi world-building, Bong’s recurring themes, and how Mickey 17 stacks up against the director’s earlier work.

Cinema Callback takes to the skies with Flight Risk , the 2024 thriller directed by Mel Gibson and starring Mark Wahlberg . We break down the film’s plot, performances, and polarizing tone — is this a comeback or a misfire? We also explore Gibson’s return to directing, Wahlberg’s latest action turn, and how Flight Risk fits into the modern thriller landscape. 🔊 Featuring our signature voicemail c...

In this episode of Cinema Callback , Andy and Michael leave voice notes unpacking Memoirs of a Snail , the new stop-motion treasure from Adam Elliot. They dig into the film’s bittersweet tone, the deeply specific Australian-ness, and how a story about a hoarder snail named Grace ends up capturing the essence of grief, shame, and family. Quirky, tender, and devastating in all the right ways. Want t...

This week on Cinema Callback, Andy and Michael float into Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire, the meditative masterpiece about unseen watchers, whispered thoughts, and divided cities. Through their signature voicemail exchange, they reflect on Bruno Ganz’s gentle angel, Peter Falk’s surprise cameo, and the film’s mix of philosophy, poetry, and street-level humanity. It’s about love, loneliness, and choo...

In this week’s Cinema Callback , Andy and Michael drift into the haunting, wordless world of Flow —the 2024 Hungarian survival film told entirely from the perspective of a stray cat in an abandoned city. Through their signature voicemail exchanges, they unpack the film’s meditative pacing, hypnotic visuals, and why sometimes the best apocalypse stories are the quietest ones. Follow the link in the...

Andy and Michael log in and load up for Grand Theft Hamlet , the strange and touching lockdown documentary where two out-of-work actors stage Hamlet inside the world of Grand Theft Auto Online. Through their trademark voicemail exchange, the hosts explore how creativity, grief, and performance collide in a virtual world — and what it means to keep making art when the real one shuts down. Click the...

In this week’s Cinema Callback , Andy and Michael roll along the edges of post-war Germany in Wim Wenders’ Kings of the Road , the final chapter of his “Road Trilogy.” Their voicemail exchange tracks the film’s slow rhythms, empty landscapes, and the quiet bond between two drifters caught between eras. It’s about cinema, masculinity, and the spaces in between — all playing out reel by reel. Tap th...

Andy and Michael take a detour into existential disillusionment this week with Wim Wenders’ Wrong Move , the second in his “Road Trilogy.” Through their familiar back-and-forth voicemail exchange, they trace the journey of Wilhelm, a would-be writer searching for meaning and connection across a grey, drifting West Germany. Poetic, cynical, and strikingly composed — this one's a heavy but rewar...

This week on Cinema Callback , Andy and Michael hit play on Curtis Hanson’s suburban thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle . Told through a volley of voicemail reflections, they peel back the film’s glossy exterior to unpack Rebecca De Mornay’s icy performance, early ’90s paranoia, and the domestic dread simmering just beneath the surface. Have thoughts of your own? Use the link in our about sec...