Cosmic Circus Podcasts

Vin interviews writer-director Pavlo Ostrikov about his feature film debut U Are The Universe, a spectacular Ukrainian science fiction movie about depression, hope, and love. Tune in for production history, budget challenges, deleted scenes, influences, and more! For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https...

We have another report and reviews from John of films shown at Fantastic Fest this week. Check out his conversation with Vin about it here. More information and time stamps below! Anora Written, directed and edited by Sean Baker Stars Mikey Madison Daniela Forever Written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo Stars Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannò Saturday Night Written and directed by Jason Reitman, c...

John & Vin discuss the first day of Fantastic Fest! A special one-week festival in Austin, Texas, that celebrates bold new horror films, from Hollywood and around the world. Fantastic Fest day one: Never Let Go and The Rule of Jenny Pen Never Let Go Directed by Alexandre Aja Starring Halle Berry The Rule of Jenny Pen Directed by James Ashcroft Starring Geoffrey Rush, John Lithgow.   Timestamps...

John & Vin dive deep into The Substance (2024), giving their thoughts on the filmmaking, themes, and SPOILERS! The Substance Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat Stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid Releases September 20, 2024 Timestamps 00:10 - Intro 00:41 - Expectations for The Substance, trailer talk and initial thoughts (no spoilers) 07:00 - Seeing with an audience, a dyn...

Vin reviews Transformers One, a new animated prequel in the Transformers franchise. He also gives a short update on other movies he's seen recently, including Speak No Evil and Lee. Timestamps 00:10 - Intro 00:40 - Transformers One cast 03:40 - 80's cartoon and previous live action films vs this new one 05:30 - The world of Cybertron 06:30 - The story becomes a bit like an MCU film at a point. Mor...

Vin gives a quick reaction review of The Substance, a new body horror film by Coralie Fargeat. The film stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid and will release September 20, 2024.   Timestamps 00:10 - Intro 00:25 - Warning to those who don't like gore or body horror films 00:45 - Positives about the film (no spoilers) 02:00 - Somewhat predictable story at first, then it goes wildly of...

Vin reviews Eternal (For Evigt), a new science fiction romance movie from Denmark. He also gives a short update on other movies he's seen recently, including Strange Darling, Blink Twice, and Coup! Eternal (For Evigt) Written and Directed by Ulaa Salim Starring Simon Sears & Viktor Hjelmsøe as Elias, and Nanna Øland Fabricius & Anna Søgaard Frandsen as Anita VFX by Copenhagen Visuals Coup!...

Red Rooms from writer-director Pascal Plante is already streaming in its home country of Canada, and will be released theatrically in the United States September 6. The French-language film stars Juliette Gariépy as Kelly-Anne and Laurie Babin as Clementine.  The basic premise is a story about justice and danger in the internet age, with elements of David Fincher (Seven, Girl with the Dragon Tatto...

The Crow is a new 2024 film adaptation of the 1989 comic by James O'Barr. Directed by Rupert Sanders and written by Zach Baylin & William Schneider, the film stars Bill Skarsgård as The Crow and FKA Twigs as Shelly. This is the first film adaptation of the comic since the 1994 cult classic of the same name, directed by Alex Proyas and written by David J. Schow & John Shirley, which starred...

Tatami is an Iranian-Israeli production based loosely on the real life story of exiled #judoka Saeid Mollaei. The film stars Arienne Mandi and Zar Amir Ebrahimi, and is directed by Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv. Part sports tournament and part political drama, Tatami is one of the most harrowing and heroic experiences of the year. Find the full video review on YouTube @TheCosmicCircus  https://www.youtu...

Here's John and Vin's deep dive into the latest film in the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus, directed by Fede Álvarez and written by Álvarez & Rodo Sayagues. It stars Cailee Spaeny as Rain, David Jonsson as Andy, and Isabela Merced as Kay. Find the full video review on YouTube @TheCosmicCircus  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPpUhd1RUQ0 Alien: Romulus review timestamps 00:10 - Intro 01:00 - I...

John & Vin reminisce over their first encounter with Alien and share their thoughts on the Alien film franchise ahead of the release of Alien: Romulus. For the full video of this review go to YouTube @TheCosmicCircus  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7PtoNooZTA Timestamps 00:10 - Intros  (SPOILERS) 01:10 - Introduction to the Alien franchise 04:58 - James Cameron and Aliens 08:30 - Alien 3 Ass...

Vin reviews the 2024 French film The Count of Monte Cristo from directors Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte. Let us know below in the comments if you want to check out this movie when it hits theaters near you! Find the full video review at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC0InqJz1eE Timestamps 00:10 - Intro 00:35 - The story of The Count of Monte Cristo 01:30 - Cinematography and...

John and Vin talk about the new M. Night Shyamalan film Trap starring Josh Hartnett.  For the full video review go to YouTube @TheCosmicCircus  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Jgz4cRUJndA Timestamps 00:10 - Intro 00:49 - Initial thoughts on and expectations about Trap before seeing the film 03:00 - Expectations vs reality seeing Trap 05:15 - absurd moments in the movie 05:55 - John Hartnett and h...

John and Vin talk about the Twisters movie 4DX experience! Find out if this is a must see or if it's too much of a good thing! Timestamps 00:15 - Intro 00:40 - Did Vin survive the Twisters 4DX experience? 03:50 - Talking about older and shorter 4DX experiences. 06:30 - How is the immersive experience with 4DX Twisters? 07:57 - Would Vin do it again? 08:15 - Outro   Find the video review on YouTube...

John and Vin talk about the newest Marvel Studios film, Deadpool & Wolverine, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. Timestamps 00:12 - Intros 00:54 - General thoughts on Deadpool & Wolverine, comparisons to Toy Story 3 06:55 - Discussing the gratuitous use of cameos, and what was the purpose of these characters appearing or the movie itself 09:05 - SPOILER WARNING and more talk about th...

San Diego Comic-Con is one of the most significant pop culture events of the year, and this year's celebration was especially hot if you are a Marvel fan! It feels like forever since the last Hall H presentation from the studio back in 2022, so it was electric to have Marvel front and center once again. Marvel's Hall H panel this year focused mainly on three of their upcoming projects: Captain Ame...

Deadpool and Wolverine has finally arrived, and we're beyond excited about this film. Not only does it have the responsibility of furthering the story of the MCU, but it also serves as a closing chapter of the 20th Century Fox universe of Marvel characters. So naturally, we had to have a podcast about it! (Spoiler warning!) Join host and head writer Brian Kitson and fellow writers Anthony Flagg an...

Twisters starring Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones and directed by Lee Isaac Chung! Check out Vin and John's thoughts on the sequel film, what worked and what didn't, and comparisons to the original Twister film (1996).  Timestamps 00:10 - Intros 01:00 - Talking about John's history with the first Twisters movie from 1996 06:00 - Thoughts from a first-time viewer (Vin) of Twister & and Twiste...

After seven weeks of mystery, The Acolyte has wrapped up its first season on Disney+. Set during the end of the High Republic era, this Star Wars series was the first live-action show to break out of the Skywalker-dominated time period viewers often find themselves in. Between secret twins, sexy Sith, and the Jedi Order’s shockingly poor decision-making, The Acolyte was never a dull time!  Join ho...

Audible has been one of the leaders in the industry for audiobooks, with a one-stop shop for any title you can imagine. They've also branched out into original programming, such as Impact Winter from Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim) and executive producers of The Walking Dead. I sat down with actress Christina Chong (La'an Noonien-Singh in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) about her role in Impact Winter...

New Neon thriller/horror film Longlegs staring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage and was written and directed by Osgood Perkins. Find out what John had to say about this new film here. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 00:55 - Story and characters in Longlegs 02:50 - Going in without prior knowledge about this movie is the best way to approach it. 04:20 - Maika Monroe is a strong lead 06:12 - Dynamics between...

It's hard to believe that the newest season of Doctor Who is over when it feels like it's just started. Ncuti Gatwa's first season as the 15th Doctor is over, but that doesn't stop the excitement that we're feeling about it. From the moment that Gatwa appeared on our screens in the third special to him meeting his companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), so many moments have taken our breath away an...

I recently spoke with Executive Producer, Director, Writer Liz W. Garcia about her new film Space Cadet, a comedy about second chances, chasing your dreams, and what it takes to become NASA astronaut! The hilarious new comedy releases on Prime Video next month July 4, 2024 and stars Emma Roberts, Gabrielle Union, and Tom Hopper. Host/Interviewer: Lizzie Hill Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 00:20 - Talkin...

I've had the immense privilege of knowing Monique Asher for over a decade, having met her through some friends, one of whom was her younger sister. Throughout the years, she has worn many hats, such as mother, wife, and therapist. However, one hobby and passion that she kept coming back to was writing, which began at such a young age (as you learn in the interview!). Not one to give up on her drea...