Celluloid Pudding

For Christmas this year we're circling back to the Victorian convention of talking about scary tales. Night of the Hunter (released in 1955 but set during The Great Depression) is a little gem of a film starring Robert Mitchum, Shelly Winters, and Lillian Gish. It is a film where Noir meets Magical Realism, and astonishing things happen, culminating in a tale of Christmas love most pure. We invite...

Light the Yule and join us in the great hall for merriment, mead, and much feasting! Sam and Beth and our good friend Rick Tetrault (our resident expert on medieval knights) as we celebrate a favorite film that we think is perfect to cozy up with during the holiday season. If you’re burned out on Hallmark Christmas movies, John Boorman’s epic of the Life of King Arthur is the perfect escape and co...

Our Sam has returned! Join us as we partake of this lovely holiday confection featuring the timeless cinematic legends Spencer Tracey and Katharine Hepburn. Released in 1957, it was their first film after a five year hiatus, their first film in color, and it is also their penultimate film. While it may not have enjoyed the gushing reviews when it was released like their earlier films, Desk Set has...

Beth is joined by guest host Marty Kady, Politics Editor for TheMessenger.com as we cover Oliver Stone’s star-studded and provocative magnum opus about the JFK assassination. Nov. 22, 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the fateful day in Dallas that has left an indelible mark on the memory of a generation, and the assassination and subsequent investigation has had a lingering and deleterious effec...

We’re back with special guest host, Ms. Jean “From the Block” take a stab at the pod’s first foray in the Mob Genre. Our friend Jean shares some great stories of growing up in the great city of Gotham, and some entertaining insight when you “know a guy” from the neighborhood. We talk food too. Yum! Episode links: “The Real Goodfella Henry Hill” https://youtu.be/023gVPfoXxk?si=crioyJnsX0Ou-nKI “Mak...

Beth and special guest host, stage crafter, and podcaster Rick Tetrault present what is one of our consensus favorite Halloween films of all time. Heavily criticized for its excessive grotesque visual effects when it was released (as well as having tough competition with another box office alien ET) it took some time for this film to garner a following thanks to VHS. If you haven’t seen this film...

The Blair Witch Project is the ultimate "found footage" film, and one that truly launched a whole new genre of horror after it hit theaters and scared and confused the masses. We discuss and delve deeply into this scary gem. Join us as we consider Heather's thesis and how she, Josh, and Mike experience a documentary film expedition gone terribly wrong as they try to uncover the myth of the Blair W...

Please help us possess the Halloween season with this phenomenal and simultaneously creepy and charming David Cronenberg film d'horreur. As we chat about the movie, we are, in turns, excited, grossed out, horrified and satisfied. Though The Fly we're covering is a remake of the the original 1958 film, Cronenberg brought it up, up to snuff in 1986 in --and with--style. Who but Jeff Goldblum could b...

Please join us as we consider and discuss this wonderful gem of a film from 1978, Coma. Dishy/ambitious Michael Douglas and dishy/brainy Geneviève Bujold headline a film that scoffs at our jaded ways and truly delivers one hell of a chilling medical mystery thrill ride. We consider everything from medical bioethics to the practicality of vertical storage of cadavers...and oh so much more! Get your...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Also known as FOOTBALL SEASON —American football that is. All kidding aside Fall is probably our most favorite time of year and what better way to celebrate than covering a film starring our favorite hometown OG Florida boy, and one of our favorite actors and human beings— Burt Reynolds. No other actor can pull off what Reynolds can in his portrayal of bad...

"Be honest and unmerciful. That is all. ---Lester Bangs. 📝📝Here are some great links for your Almost Famous journey. 🎸📝 Cameron Crowe Unboxes … https://youtu.be/RarNk56UaGw Screen Rant “Who were the real groupies …” 'Almost Famous': Who Were the Real-Life Groupies That Inspired ... https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/almost-famous-real-life-groupies-inspired-kate-hudsons-penny-lane.html/...

As we enjoy the last dregs of Summer join Sam and Beth for a light trek through the Midwest in pursuit of intelligent life beyond our galaxy. 1977 was a true cultural moment for generations of film goers as both George Lucas’s Star Wars and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of The Third Kind dominated the box office and fed our imaginations. Bonus content as we ruminate a over the Women’s World...

Join us as we discuss John Carpenter’s cult classic from 1981, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. 🍎 This film features Kurt Russell in one of his most iconic roles--Snake Plissken-- a World War III hero, a bank robber, and the only man capable of rescuing the US president from THE maximum security prison Manhattan has become in this dystopian science fiction thriller. Carpenter's vision is dark, stylistically...

Escape with us to the Santa Ynez Valley for a lovely little romp in the vineyards. Based on Rex Picket’s first novel in his Sideways Trilogy, and directed by Alexander Payne, this little ruby of a film brought accolades for a wonderful ensemble cast featuring Paul Giammati, Virginia Madsen, Thomas Haden Church, and Sandra Oh. In 2004, it was the little film that drew audiences in and received mult...

Rose is displeased. What to do? 🚢 Confused about starboard and port and why the captain of the RMS Titanic called for "Hard astarboard"? Watch this! https://youtu.be/ndse8-FekEE 🚢 Here's a fascinating piece about the real Molly Brown! https://gazette.com/cheyenneedition/such-a-fine-sight-to-see-setting-the-record-straight-at-margaret-tobin-browns-lavish/article_7387007c-2bfe-11e9-bc06-f7831e5d12...

Guest host Rick Tetrault joins Beth to tackle the mythical Cimmerian! This is quite a tall order considering how complex and vast a world Conan author Robert E. Howard created. This film was the first installment in what was originally intended to be an entire series of films. The litany of sequels didn’t happen, but it was the film that launched Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career -ultimately becoming...

Closing out a festive month of June is a lovely offering and classic queer film. Check out links below for some edification on Drag History and some great background on Drag style comparisons to explain exactly what those sassy Aussies were creating in the 80s and 90s (it must’ve been a sight to behold). This film is a feast for the ears, eyes, and soul. HAPPY PRIDE YA’LL! “Birth of a Queen: the m...

This is our second year of podcasting and our second year of honoring the month of 🏳️‍🌈PRIDE🏳️‍🌈 on The Celluloid Pudding Podcast. We do so with great enthusiasm, terrific LGBTQ2+ films, and new and swoonworthy guests. This week we are so excited to present a lively discussion of Ang Lee's poignant, lovely and charming film The Wedding Banquet. For this episode, two brilliant guests join us and...

First things first: Woo hoo! SAM IS BACK! Please join us as we discuss this classic, this tour-de-force, this delightful film with an outstanding cast that includes Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Cutis. This is possibly the most gender-bending film of all times; it addresses so many themes that are of the utmost importance today, and it does it with heart, wit, extraordinary talent and exemp...

Join Beth and guest host Devyn for a lighthearted discussion of a listener favorite. We are so happy that Devyn joined as co-host for this episode and shared her “Pai Mei -like” experience as a music major and student of classical violin. As promised we welcome all our listeners to participate and email us your favorite film suggestions. We would love to have you on the show. Kill Bill came to lif...

We still out here. Sam is on special assignment spreading sensitivity and deeper understanding on a global scale. In the meantime join Beth and special guest Mister Bill as we take a deep dive into one of the most legendary concert films of all time. “It Might Get Loud”: In My Time of Dying https://youtu.be/hZlCz1hH-io “How Stairway to Heaven was written: Jimmy Page https://youtu.be/DDo4CA13LbY Ro...

If you watched this film back in '89 when it came out in theaters, you know from experience that this movie was a phenomenon. A grounded, truthful, timely, honest, accessible, sexy and cerebral film, the likes of which we had never seen before. This was Steven Soderbergh's breakout Indie masterpiece. And boy did it delight, inspire and grasp the zeitgeist of the time. Does it stand the test of tim...

Sam and Beth go natural in this discussion of this 70s cinema classic. Heads up for what might be sensitive content for some listeners. It’s a thoughtful discussion about the nature of man, community, and “otherizing”. Skippity paps in canoes. Please check out our Link Tree: 🌴https://linktr.ee/celluloidpuddingpodcast?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=064803b3-57bd-4026-9c85-489025b10b4f 🌴

Please join us for a wonderful episode of Celluloid Pudding wherein we discuss a spectacular cult classic from 1986, Crossroads, with our very special guests Michael and Lynda. And check out these blues links while you're at it! 🎶 The feelin' Bad Blues https://youtu.be/Ga6RAwIMxD4 🎸 Robert Johnson's 29 tracks, https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL840CCFF975230F7E 🎶 Shane Speal with a homemade...

A fine St. Patrick's day to you all! Come one, come all for a bit of craic! We're here to tell you about a film we'll be recording next week with our special deluxe guest star to discuss a nostalgic gem of a film from 1986 called Crossroads. We also got some things off our chests (especially Beth’s opinion on a certain Florida governor’s puddin’ fingers). Go on, then. Join us! ☘️🇮🇪☘️ https://linkt...