Cinema of Meaning

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the pros and cons of citizens’ juries, how prejudice affects judgment, and how to conduct oneself in the face of fundamental uncertainty, in Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the purpose of deconstructive storytelling, why stories are so different from reality, and the struggle to truly break free from convention, in Spike Jonze’s Adaptation. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the surprising and subversive power of atmosphere-based filmmaking, the purpose of changing history through fiction, and the anatomy of a successful bromance, in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the role and purpose of suffering in the quest for greatness, the challenge of thematic clarity, and cultural differences regarding the real meaning of success, in Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link support...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the art of contained sci-fi storytelling, humanity’s relation to deep time, and the challenges of reaching back into history, in Richard Schenkman’s The Man From Earth. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the tropes of the romantic comedy, the dynamics of attraction, and the differences between love stories and real-life relationships, in Marc Webb’s 500 Days of Summer. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become p...

In this special episode, Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss a variety of experimental documentaries; and classify them into distinct categories to explore what they are, why they are worth watching, and what the best ways are to engage with them. All Light Everywhere (2021); Baraka (1992); Bells from the Deep (1993); Cameraperson (2016); Chronicle of a Summer (1961); Cow (2021); F For Fa...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss “Spielbergian” filmmaking, how to position ourselves against the inevitability of progress, and the deeper implications of our inability to ‘control’ nature, in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supp...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss guilt, purgatory, and redemption in Martin McDonagh's dark comedy "In Bruges. Start exploring the riches of cinema with an extended free trial of MUBI:  mubi.com/cinemaofmeaning Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the pod...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss RRR; the Indian blockbuster that is taking the world by storm, and examine how it tells a universally appealing story in a unique way, how it portrays the power of friendship, and how historic tales of heroism and liberation relate to present day politics. Start exploring the riches of cinema with an extended free trial of MUBI:  mubi.com/cinemaofm...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the struggle with envy, the search for absolute beauty, and the passion for art, in Milos Forman’s Amadeus. Start exploring the riches of cinema with an extended free trial of MUBI:  mubi.com/cinemaofmeaning Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up u...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the return of sincere storytelling, the societal value of 'mavericks', and the complicated relation between fictional heroic narratives and real-world militarism, in Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our l...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the multiverse as a metaphor for being online, how science confronts our ego, and how to respond to nihilism in The Daniel's Everything Everywhere All at Once. Start exploring the riches of cinema with an extended free trial of MUBI:  mubi.com/cinemaofmeaning Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  h...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss stoic philosophy, the allure of charisma, and the dynamics of hero worshipping, in the Paul Newman classic Cool Hand Luke. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become part of the Cinema of Meaning community by sup...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss naturalistic filmmaking, finding meaning at 30, and carrying the weight of modernity in Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become part of the Cinema of Meaning comm...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss moral absolutism, knightly virtues and religious conflict in the director’s cut of Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven. Start exploring the riches of cinema with an extended free trial of MUBI. Jeff Nichols’s MUD is now streaming on MUBI in the US. Get your extended 30 day free trial today:  mubi.com/cinemaofmeaning Get ad-free episodes a week early a...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss communication barriers, grief, and acceptance in Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's Drive My Car. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become part of the Cinema of Meaning community by supporting us on Patreon:  http://patr...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the power of myth, revenge tales, and the challenges of relating to history, in Robert Eggers' The Northman. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become part of the Cinema of Meaning community by supporting us on...

Thomas and Tom discuss Lovecraftian horror, isolation and the dark tale of... Thomas and Tom; two men who go mad together in a phallic shaped building, in Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become part of the Cinema of Meanin...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the challenges of depicting the incomprehensible, the problem of identity in an ever-transforming world, and our tendency for self-sabotage and self-destruction, in Alex Garland’s Annihilation. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link suppo...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the strange comfort of murder mysteries, the link between puzzles and existentialism, and the humanity that arises in shared conflict, in David Fincher’s Zodiac. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become part of...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the continuation of the Matrix saga, the struggles and power of the individual artist in a bigger system and facing trauma in Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix: Resurrections. Articles referenced in episode: https://www.vox.com/culture/22847558/the-matrix-resurrections-4-spoilers-review-neo-therapy-mental-health-trauma https://www.tor.com/2022/01/06/in-case-y...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the storytelling challenges of inverting time, questions of choice and determinism, and the deeper thematic layers of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become part of the Cinema of Me...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the psychology of immortality, the implications of anthropomorphizing the cosmos and moralizing existential matters, and humanity’s place in the universe in Chloe Zhao’s Eternals. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcas...

Thomas Flight and Tom van der Linden discuss the expectations of genre, the struggle between success and authenticity, and the importance of passion and real connections in Michael Sarnoski’s Pig. Get ad-free episodes a week early and access to a monthly bonus episode on Nebula:  https://nebula.tv/cinemaofmeaning  (Signing up using our link supports the podcast). Become part of the Cinem...