Cinema D‘Amore

Hosts Justin Morgan and Chuck Phillips dive into Zach Cregger’s Weapons, exploring its blend of horror, dark comedy, and a non-linear structure that gradually links its characters and events. They spotlight the strong ensemble cast, including Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, and Benedict Wong, and look at how Cregger balances shifting tones without losing tension. The conversation then delves into the f...

Hosts Chuck and Justin dig into Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship, starring Tim Robinson, using its strange and chaotic look at relationships to explore how messy real-life friendships can be. They break down standout scenes, the improv-heavy style, and its ties to The Chair Company, along with a few thoughts on improv culture, SNL careers, and Paul Rudd’s role. The episode plays like group therapy for...

Cinema D’Amore celebrates eight years on the mic with a brand-new season and a haunting start. The hosts dive into Jayro Bustamante’s La Llorona, a Guatemalan ghost story that mixes political horror, folklore, and slow-burn dread. They dig into the film’s deliberate pacing, eerie atmosphere, and its echoes of Pan’s Labyrinth and Stalker. The conversation flows through themes of guilt, justice, and...

In the Season 4 finale, Justin and Chuck trek deep into the Zone to take on Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker, a haunting masterpiece that bends time, faith, and reason. They dig into the film’s hypnotic rhythm, its shifts from grime to transcendence, and the strange pull of the Room at its center. Along the way, they draw eerie parallels to Annihilation (both book and film), debate the motives of the St...

Chuck and Justin take on Alex Garland’s Annihilation, a film that’s as haunting as it is hard to pin down. They dig into how it compares to Jeff VanderMeer’s novel, what Garland nailed, and where it falls short. From the nightmare bear to the lighthouse and those uncanny doppelgängers, they break down the movie’s wild mix of beauty, horror, and existential dread, and ask whether it ever truly capt...

Justin and Chuck dive into The Substance, examining Demi Moore’s career-reviving turn and Margaret Qualley’s striking counterpart. They unpack the film’s grotesque, synth-scored body horror and how it skewers fame, the male gaze, and the relentless cost of youth. The hosts celebrate the inventive practical effects, and the chaotic final act while critiquing the two-and-a-half-hour runtime and surf...

Cinema D’Amore ventures into the shadows of Alien: Romulus, where survival is forged from coal dust and blood. Chuck and Justin unravel the film’s desperate human drama, its unsettling bond between flesh and machine, and the relentless swarm of xenomorph terror. From facehugger nightmares to jaw-dropping practical effects, they trace how the movie both honors the franchise’s legacy and mutates it...

Justin and Chuck dive into Sean Baker’s Anora, tracing its journey from fairytale romance to dark, slapstick chaos. Along the way, they explore the wild Vegas marriage plot, the tonal whiplash between comedy and despair, and Baker’s distinctive filmmaking style. The conversation highlights Annie and Vanya’s tragicomic turns, as well as Igor’s unsettling loyalty. It all builds to a bittersweet fina...

Chuck and Justin explore Nagisa Oshima’s Empire of Passion, a late-19th-century Japanese drama where a married woman and her lover murder her husband and hide his body in a village well. When the villagers begin seeing the husband’s ghost, suspicion spreads, exposing erotic obsession, guilt, and complicity. Oshima crafts a haunting, atmospheric ghost story. In this episode, we also connect it to D...

Join hosts Justin Morgan and Chuck Phillips as they dive into the alluring depths of Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave. This South Korean mystery masterfully weaves themes of obsession, longing, and moral ambiguity into a slow-burn tale of love and betrayal. In this episode, the hosts unpack the film’s Hitchcockian echoes, its hypnotic visual style, and the poetic ambiguity of its unforgettable e...

Welcome back to Cinema D'Amore, hosted by Chuck and Justin. In this episode, the duo dives into the high-octane world of The City of Violence, a South Korean action film brimming with bizarre gangs—from hockey players to yo-yo enthusiasts. Drawing unexpected parallels to the surreal and psychological Beau Is Afraid, they unpack how the film layers chaos over an initially straightforward narrative,...

In this episode of Cinema D’Amore, hosts Justin and Chuck dive deep into the strange, sprawling universe of Beau Is Afraid, the latest mind-bender from Ari Aster (until Eddington's release). They draw unexpected parallels between this surreal journey and Apostle, uncovering a surprising thread that links the two films. Follow Beau Wassermann—played with haunted brilliance by Joaquin Phoenix—on a d...

In this episode of Cinema D'Amore, hosts Chuck and Justin dive into the eerie world of Apostle, exploring its unsettling atmosphere and supernatural themes. Building on their previous discussion of The Ritual, they uncover surprising connections between the two films, highlighting director Gareth Evans' distinct shift from his action-packed Raid series to a more haunting and visually arresting nar...

In this episode of Cinema D’Amore, hosts Justin Morgan and Charles Phillips venture into the haunting wilderness of The Ritual (2017), currently streaming on Netflix. As part of their ongoing series on thematic connections, they draw eerie parallels to last week’s feature, The Descent, examining both films’ focus on grief, male camaraderie, and lurking supernatural threats. The conversation explor...

Dive deep into the chilling world of Neil Marshall's 2005 horror classic, "The Descent." This week's episode explores the intricate connections between "The Descent" and "Ex Machina," examining themes of isolation, betrayal, and ambiguous endings. Discover how Neil Marshall crafts a claustrophobic nightmare that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. Join us as we discuss the film's memorable...

We connect the film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang to this week’s discussion of Ex Machina (Alex Garland, 2014). Hosted by Justin Morgan. Co-hosted by Charles Phillips. Mixing by Scratchin’ Menace with Music by Daniel Birch and Ben Pegley. Follow us on Facebook and Bluesky for the latest updates. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and a dozen other popular platforms. Please subscribe, rate, and r...

We connect the film the Cable Guy to this week’s discussion of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Shane Black, 2005). Hosted by Charles Phillips. Co-hosted by Justin Morgan. Mixing by Scratchin’ Menace with Music by Daniel Birch and Ben Pegley. Follow us on Facebook and Bluesky for the latest updates. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and a dozen other popular platforms. Please subscribe, rate, and...

We connect the film Unforgiven to this week’s discussion of the Cable Guy (Ben Stiller, 1996). Hosted by Justin Morgan. Co-hosted by Charles Phillips. Mixing by Scratchin’ Menace with Music by Daniel Birch and Ben Pegley. Follow us on Facebook and Bluesky for the latest updates. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and a dozen other popular platforms. Please subscribe, rate, and review u...

We celebrate our 400th episode by connecting the film Grand Prix to this week’s discussion of Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992). Hosted by Charles Phillips. Co-hosted by Justin Morgan. Mixing by Scratchin’ Menace with Music by Daniel Birch and Ben Pegley. Follow us on Facebook and Bluesky for the latest updates. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and a dozen other popular platforms. Pl...

We connect the film Traffic to this week’s discussion of Grand Prix (John Frankenheimer, 1966). Hosted by Justin Morgan. Co-hosted by Charles Phillips. Mixing by Scratchin’ Menace with Music by Daniel Birch and Ben Pegley. Follow us on Facebook and Bluesky for the latest updates. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and a dozen other popular platforms. Please subscribe, rate, and review...

Justin and his guests Grant and Tim share their predictions for the 97th Academy Awards. Hosted by Justin Morgan with Guests Grant Mayotte and Tim Tobias. Music and Mixing by Scratchin’ Menace. Follow us on Facebook and Bluesky for the latest updates. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and a dozen other popular platforms. Please subscribe, rate, and review us. Every little bit helps, a...

We connect the film Licorice Pizza to this week’s discussion of Traffic (Steven Soderbergh, 2000). Hosted by Charles Phillips. Co-hosted by Justin Morgan. Mixing and QA by Scratchin’ Menace with Music by Daniel Birch and Ben Pegley Follow us on Facebook and Bluesky for the latest updates. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and a dozen other popular platforms. Please subscribe, rate, an...

We connect the film Good Time to this week’s discussion of Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021). Hosted by Justin Morgan. Co-hosted by Charles Phillips. Mixing and QA by Scratchin’ Menace with Music by Daniel Birch and Ben Pegley Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and a dozen other popular platforms. Please subscribe, rat...

We connect the film Amores perros to this week’s discussion of Good Time (Josh and Benny Safdie, 2017). Hosted by Charles Phillips. Co-hosted by Justin Morgan. Mixing and QA by Scratchin’ Menace with Music by Daniel Birch and Ben Pegley Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and a dozen other popular platforms. Please subscribe, rat...

We connect the film Tokyo Godfathers to this week’s discussion of Amores perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2000). Hosted by Justin Morgan. Co-hosted by Charles Phillips. Mixing and QA by Scratchin’ Menace with Music by Daniel Birch and Ben Pegley Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and a dozen other popular platforms. Please s...