CinemaHounds - A Lorehounds Podcast

David and Elysia work through their own and the community's mixed-but-leaning-positive feelings about Steven Spielberg's new alien-focused movie Disclosure Day (currently in theaters). They get into the greatest cinematic moments, the cast and performance(s) they loved best, and (yes) the lore holes nagging at them after the fact – and why this film is worth seeing in theaters, and even if...

David, Lisa, and Bryan conclude their Gene Hackman coverage with a deep dive into The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 psychological thriller and the film chosen by community vote. The trio explores Gene Hackman's portrayal of Harry Caul, a surveillance expert whose paranoia, guilt, and isolation unravel him as he becomes convinced his latest recording may lead to a murder. The co...

David and Elysia venture into the Horror Hounds to discuss Backrooms (2026), A24's creepypasta-turned-feature film directed by Kane Parsons and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. They trace the film's remarkable origin — from an anonymous 2019 post on 4chan to Kane Pixels' three-year YouTube web series — and unpack how a 19-year-old first-time director delivered a confident,...

Elysia and John continue the journey of the galaxy's favorite father and son in The Mandalorian and Grogu . They catch up with the New Republic before meeting Hutts of various sizes, watching stop motion and puppetry showcases, and overall having a fun, standalone adventure. Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: starwars@thelorehounds.com Or, send us a voicemail! You can use the vo...

John, Elysia, and Marilyn follow Ryan Gosling to the far reaches of space to save humankind from destruction. They discuss the impressive puppetry and visuals, the hopepunk core of the film, and the parallels to other sci-fi worlds. Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliates: linktr.ee/thelorehounds Send your questions and feedback to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com . Any opinions stated are...

David, Lisa, and Bryan are joined by Tolkien scholar Marilyn R. Pukkila for a special episode exploring the meaning behind the podcast's name and the deep cultural associations between the West and human mortality. The conversation traces how civilizations from the ancient Egyptians and Greeks to the Maori, the Celts, and the indigenous Wabanaki have connected the setting sun with death, trans...

David is joined by Tansy Gardam, host of the acclaimed Going Rogue podcast, and Asher Elbein, journalist and co-creator of the newsletter and website Heat Death, for a deep dive into the Jurassic film franchise — all seven films across 32 years. The conversation spans the paleontological promise of the original Park trilogy, the stagnation and franchise anxiety of the Jurassic World era, and the w...

Elysia is joined by Lisa to spill all the tea on everything that went down in Kristoffer Borgli's The Drama (2026). After giving their spoiler-free takes and general thoughts on the power of dark humor to unlock uncomfortable discussions, they talk about the film's opening sequence (00:21:14) without spoiling the twist, and then finally launch into a full-spoiler discussion of the rest of...

David and Elysia dive into Shakespeare's Hamlet , opening with a discussion of the play itself and some of the most classic film and stage adaptations, not to mention the whole sub-genre of films loosely adapting and referencing the Bard's longest work. With that foundation laid, they turn their attention to the new adaptation starring Riz Ahmed, directed by Aneil Karia, that debuted at Te...

Elysia and Riley kneel at the alter of Ralph Fiennes' Iron Maiden, discuss why Jimmy Crystal is scarier than Sinners ' vampire Remmick, and glean hope from this film's not-so-hidden messages of humanity, sacrifice, and teasings of radical forgiveness in the second film in the game-changing 28 Years Later zoombie trilogy. Previous coverage: 28 Days & Weeks Later (subscribers) &...

David is joined by community members Lisa and Bryan to launch Into the West, a new show on The Lorehounds Network dedicated to celebrating the careers of filmmakers and actors who have passed on. In this inaugural episode, the trio explores the life and legacy of Gene Hackman, from his Depression-era roots and early breakthrough in Bonnie and Clyde through his defining role in the New Hollywood mo...

David joins Elysia for their now traditional Oscars' season wrap! After talking through the highs and lows of the show itself, they share their own rankings of the Best Picture nominees, and discuss where some other high-profile awards-season snubs and other nominees would fit into that list. Ceremony reactions (00:01:43) Winner reactions (00:30:19) Best Picture rankings (01:00:26) – full spoi...

Elysia wraps up the CinemaHounds pre-Oscars prep series with special guest Paulo from the Oscar's Death Race Podcast and a deep dive into the acting categories: Best Actress, Best Actor, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. Who's nominated, who should have been nominated, and who will win? And then they conclude with a look at this year's brand new category: Casting. What is it, w...

Writer and photographer Katherine Oktober Matthews joins Elysia to discuss this year's writing and directing nominees for the 2026 Academy Awards. After they each unleash some of their hottest takes breaking down the three categories, they reconvene after the credits for a separate spoiler-filled discussion of eight of the nominees (01:47:05). Note: All film discussion in this episode is spoil...

Assistant directing and lighting industry professional, and the host of the ContraZoom podcast, Dakota Arsenault joins Elysia to get into the technical details behind this year's Oscar nominees for Cinematography, Visual Effects, Film Editing, and Sound. They look at why a movie is nominated, what makes it special, and others they would have liked to see make the cut. Stick around after their...

Mark returns to the CinemaHounds Oscars coverage series for the second annual "Nevermind the Oscars Music" crossover special discussing not only this year's crop of Original Song and Original Score nominees but also their musical influences, lookalikes, and others they would have liked to have seen on the ballot. Expect plenty of clips from an eclectic collection of genre with deep-dig...

Elysia and guest Logan take a tour that begins with this year's five Oscar-animated features before turning to other highlights from the surprisingly short eligibility list, the most surprising exclusions from the eligibility list, and Logan's thoughts on this year's animated shorts and a few final recommendations and general Oscar picks and predictions. Origin and rules (00:03:49) The...

Elysia is joined by documentary and TV editor Rebecca June Lane ( IMDb ) to break down highlight's from the year in documentary filmmaking, starting with this year's Oscar nominees and expanding to recommendations (or anti-recommendations) for more of the most talked about 2025 documentaries and beyond. The five nominees, and related docs (00:06:58) More recommendations (01:11:21) More fun...

Elysia is joined by Mexican film critic Héctor Serrano to tour the best cinema of the year from around the world, from this year's five Oscar nominees to highlights from the shortlist and beyond: Best International Film – history & rules (0:04:02) The 5 nominees (0:16:54) Shortlisted films (01:02:55) Other awards & more recs (01:26:16) Note: All film discussion in this episode is spoil...

Elysia is joined by Lisa (aka RedZippy) to put her theater and costume expertise to work evaluating this year's line-up in the 2026 Oscars' three art-direction categories: Production Design, Costume Design, and Makeup & Hairstyling – the last of which especially is secretly one of the most exciting list of nominees in the race. Note: All film discussion in this episode is spoiler-free....

The 2026 British Academy Film Awards (better known as the BAFTAs) are airing this Sunday, February 22nd at 5 pm GMT (11 am ET) – and, in this episode, Elysia will ensure that you recognize all of the nominees so you can make your own picks and predictions as to who will win, and how that will affect the Oscar voting that begins four days later. Or just listen along to find out what's been dubb...

Whether or not you plan to watch along when the 2026 Spirit Awards air this Sunday, February 15 (or later), Elysia will walk you through everything you need to know: what's nominated in what categories, what overlaps are there with the Oscars, and what hidden gems might you want to check out. Chapters Emerging Filmmaker Awards jury prizes (00:02:40) Special Awards jury prizes (00:18:44) Best F...

Elysia is joined by Brandon from ShortStick blog and podcast for a look at the five nominees for each of the three short-film Oscar categories: Animated Shorts (00:08:29), Documentary Shorts (00:29:07), and Live-Action Shorts (00:54:48). They lay out what each short film is, what makes it stand out, and where you can see them (when possible), as they discuss how short films works differently from...

Elysia talks to practical VFX artist Lee Romaire about everything he's learned from a 25-year career covering everything from Emmy-winning special-effects makeup and Frankenstein animal gore to Disney park animatronics and robotic red-carpet accessories. Links from the discussion: Romaire Studios website Keke Palmer interviews Frank Ocean & the animatronic baby Socks recreates the Five Nig...

David and Elysia officially kick of this year's awards-season coverage with their reactions to the 2026 Oscar nominees, including all the new records set by this year's crop. After talking through the headlines (00:11:40), they preview this year's 10 Best Picture nominees (00:30:30) before discussing the biggest surprises and snubs (01:29:19) and the four acting categories (01:49:33)....