Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

We all know that vampire movies have to be horny – but Bram Stoker's Dracula takes it to a whole other level. Going beyond the basic themes of desire and sexuality, there's a unique preoccupation with infidelity in this movie. Temptation, seduction, and betrayal motivate every movement of the plot, and it serves a centuries-long connection between vampire lore and the archetype of the femme fatale...

Discussion of The Tower of Swallows, Chapter 6 We're doubling down on the themes introduced in the last chapter, specifically the comparison between Ciri and Angoulême. Sapkowski stretches the parallels to breaking point and suggests some fascinating distinctions between the two characters that lead us to a revealing conversation about ultraviolence and vengeance. We also advance the Thomas Hobbes...

A team of the world's best scientists working 24/7 for years on end could not have created a movie that appeals to us more. For Maggie, we've got a sweeping period romance, Gothic landscapes, and a deeply compelling female protagonist. For Cam, we've got the agony and inspiration of artistic creation and the philosophical grappling with religion. Join us for a wildly enthusiastic analysis of this...

Discussion of The Tower of Swallows, Chapter 5 Believe it or not, there's an interesting new bird this week. But we think it serves a larger emerging pattern – one about delicate social contracts and Thomas Hobbs' state of nature. We also meet a guy named Fulko, who's basically a funhouse Falka – and a gateway into a discussion on extremism. Maggie tracks Geralt's uncomfortable relationship with o...

Where is the Jedi returning from…? He never left. He never changed. He was never tempted by the Dark Side. Join us for an in-depth investigation as we try to figure out what the hell happened here. Every plot point in this movie is recycled from the last two – but it's boring now. And unnecessary. None of the characters grow, except Darth Vader (who we never see). Instead, we spend 90 minutes trap...

Of all the indie horror splatterfests we've covered on the show, this one is definitely the most controversial - and we had such a good time with it.   Even Cam - the famed Winnie-the-Pooh purist - smiled and cackled throughout this gleefully heretical romp. Let's dive into why this movie works: brutal efficiency, entertaining creature design, a shockingly good sense of structure and pacing, and t...

Discussion of The Tower of Swallows, Chapter 4 Now that we've thawed out from the Texas Ice Apocalypse, we can get back to what really matters: deep dive research papers about birds. This time, Maggie explores the titular swallow, and draws some connections to the albatross featured in Chapter 3. Cam plays with Sapkowski's new double pivot in the Geralt/Bonhart comparison, and argues that this cha...

Oh look, a crossover between our favorite genres! This horror classic has an important connection to the world of fantasy. Writer / Director Neil Marshall helmed two of the all-time "Game of Thrones" battle episodes, Blackwater and Watchers on the Wall. But before we made the trip to Westeros, he dove into a cave and scared the bejeezus out of us. There might not be a better instance of sustained...

Discussion of The Tower of Swallows, Chapter 3 You thought all those narrative zoom-outs were a storytelling curveball? In this chapter we dive into Dandelion's brain and then jump forward hundreds of years as archaeologists discover the remains of our heroes in a museum setting. We've got updates and surprises across every major storyline and character, new spies popping up on every page, constan...

There are 1-star reviews for Skinamarink and there are 5-star reviews for Skinamarink. Nothing in between. This has to be the most polarizing horror movie in years, a fuzzed-out, ultra low-budget, experimental cascade of nightmarish atmosphere and gleefully opaque storytelling. Messy, provocative, frustrating, admirable - this one's a doozy. Let's dive into it! Subscribe to our Substack here:  htt...

The early 2000s were a goldmine for epic fantasy on screen, with the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Pirates of the Caribbean all lighting up the box office and winning our millennial hearts. And even though 2004's Van Helsing bombed both critically and commercially, it is an absolute delight!  Cam and Tristan dive into this forgotten classic to discuss the unique flavor of gothic fantasy, th...

Discussion of The Tower of Swallows, Chapter 2 We've referenced Doctor Faustus.  We've echoed Macbeth.  But today we add another work of Elizabethan theater to our tool belt as Shakespeare's  Henry IV  becomes suddenly and powerfully resonant to the world of The Witcher.  But before that, we work through Ciri's latest identity crisis. Who will emerge from Vizzy's swamp, Ciri, Princess Cirilla, or...

What's the recipe for the perfect sequel? Two parts outnumbered chase scene, two parts morally gray supporting cast, and two parts arguing with a philosophical muppet. The Empire Strikes Back is a dark, stark adventure seemingly born out of a bunch of what-if scenarios that upend and challenge everything that made the first movie great – and somehow make this film even greater. Subscribe to our Su...

Discussion of The Tower of Swallows, Chapter 1 New year, new book, new infographic style! At long last, Ciri has returned – not Falka, but actually Ciri, and she's got a new single serving guest star whom we lovingly nicknamed Vizzy da Bomba. But who is this new man? Is he the narrator? The storyteller from last chapter? Sapkowski himself? Geralt? Regis?? Another unicorn?!?! We take a longer look...

Woohoo! It's our last episode of the year and you know what that means - it's time for the third annual Brekkies award show! We've got six winners across two categories: Best Work of Art Released in 2022 and Best Work of Art We Discovered in 2022. Get ready for surprises and snubs, honorable mentions, and a bonus little 'Year in Review' segment recapping the 103 (!) episodes that we released this...

Discussion of Baptism of Fire, Chapter 7 The finale of Baptism of Fire is here, and with it comes the biggest bout of Tolkien crossovers yet. We've got Black Riders, White Riders, Mirkwood, Gollum, the light/fire/ash cycle, the narrator question, Helm's Deep, Weathertop, birds – need we go on? At first glance this chapter didn't strike us as a "finale". It didn't answer any major questions or adva...

It's the holiday season: a kaleidoscope of presents, tinsel, caroling, food, melancholy, guilt, broken childhood memories – and a sheep with no face. Today we're discussing Cam's new Christmas short story, Wooltide Cheer, which you can listen to here: https://www.cameronfucile.com/ Maggie and Tristan lead a conversation through Cam's creative process, from the real-life ornament that inspired the...

Discussion of Baptism of Fire, Chapter 6 Yennefer is finally back – and she brought all of her emotional baggage with her. The mages gather again, and it goes a little better than last time. We discuss this chapter as an echo and restaging of the conclave, and a continuation of the recent novelistic scope. Yennefer and Geralt's connection grows stronger as they're both consumed by guilt. Ciri reem...

We're finally looking at the Daddy of all franchise movies, but this first Star Wars movie is nothing like the films that it inspired. It's simple, restless, and light on its feet, filled with an overwhelming sense of wonder and imagination. We discuss this movie as a work of "space fantasy", in the context of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Witcher, before diving into the narrative tools...

Discussion of Baptism of Fire, Chapter 5 Is this a chapter, a short story, or 14 scenes in a trench coat? Sapkowski dives into his new fellowship with the same glee as Ciri slaughtering a rude bystander. Dandelion receives a flesh wound, and Geralt almost drowns in guilt. Regis is exactly who we thought he was, but we have no idea what to make of Cahir. There's a delightful soup scene. Subscribe t...

Cam had a night alone and decided to watch a movie - and oh look, it turned out to be a fascinating  Doctor Faustus  retelling. So here's an episode discussing Oliver Stone's 1987 epic,  Wall Street.  Is Gordon Gekko an analogue for Mephistopheles or Satan? (Yes, both) How does the "greed" of this story compare to that of Faustus? (Hint: it makes the good doctor even more sympathetic). Martin Shee...

Well, Maggie has the flu so we're doing a silly episode about one of those dreadful / delightful Christmas romance movies. Why is it so fun to watch bad movies with your friends and make jokes the whole time? What makes a Christmas movie 'rewatchable'?Will the American fetish for regency England ever die? Find out in this week's thrilling new episode of  Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie! Subscri...

What's the difference between horror and true crime? The Strangers takes place in a house that you feel like you've lived in. Its characters are smart, but not geniuses, and the killers are shockingly, unnervingly ordinary. Every twist and turn feels possible, and relatable, and hopeless. It's a movie about fear, a cat and mouse game that denies you all the tropes and clichés that usually remind y...

Discussion of Baptism of Fire, Chapter 4 Well, it looks like our freaky new friend is a vampire. But after some discussion, we're not so sure that's a bad thing. Sapkowski shakes up our little fellowship and jettisons all the new characters, which sparks a debate about guest stars and the future of the series' ensemble. Maggie develops a theory about smoke and fire that helps to explain the book's...

Consider this episode us lighting our bat signal over Gotham. The best artistic experience of the year is here. Our discussion is a 100% spoiler-free, full-throated recommendation of Martin McDonagh's (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, In Bruges) latest movie. Cam frames this recommendation through a comparison to Shakespeare, because this is somehow the best tragedy, comedy, and history...