Sonic Cinema Podcast

It's after Labor Day, so you know what that means? Time for me to recount my annual trip to Dragon*Con, the genre convention that takes place in Atlanta. Because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, things were a bit different, but I loved the weekend down there all the same. I hope you enjoy!

I wouldn't say that I love David Fincher as a filmmaker, but the films of his I love, I really love. Of those films, few have my affection more than his 1997 thriller, "The Game" . This is one of those movies I've wanted to discuss for a while- and I missed it for its 25th anniversary- but with Fincher having a new film coming out later this year, the time seemed right to finally talk about this f...

This is another episode I've been looking forward to for a year or so. John Frankenheimer is one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time, but also someone who doesn't get their due respect. In the 1960s he directed a trilogy of thrillers that delve into the anxieties of a changing political and societal landscape, and in preparing for this episode, they all continue to exert a hold now, and feel ve...

Last year, it appeared that the greatest film composer of all-time, John Williams, might be retiring after "The Fabelmans" and "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." Now, we are not sure, but it's still a great time to honor the maestro whose music has led so many people to listening to film music. In this episode, I'm joined by Darin Lundberg from NostalgiaCast , Dr. Becky O'Brien , Danielle So...

**This podcast was recorded during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movies being covered here wouldn't exist. Film preservation is vital to keeping film alive, and right now, we are at a perilous moment for the practice. Today's guest was on in 2022 as he launched a new streaming site for showing classic films as a part of Fil...

After an episode record required being rescheduled, Brian takes time to reflect on the podcast, where it's been, and where it's going, as well as share some meaningful film experiences from the past few years.

This ended up being a much deeper discussion than intended, but it is one worth listening to. Sexploitation cinema can mean selling sex for a number of reasons, and in my talk with Jason from Binge Movies , we run the gamut in terms of three of those reasons. Listen to us discuss the state of film criticism before diving into "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls", "Emmanuelle" and "The Blue Lagoon," an...

After a brief break, the Sonic Cinema Podcast returns, and with a guest that has been away for far too long. This time, independent filmmaker Chris Esper returns, and the subject is one of the godfathers of the American independent film movement as we know it, John Cassavetes. All of these were blind spots for both of us, as we discuss "Shadows," "Faces," "A Woman Under the Influence," as well as...

The Atlanta Film Festival for 2023 has come to a close. In this episode, I discuss the experience of the festival, some of my favorite films of the fest, and share my interviews with George R.R. Martin and Vincent D'Onofrio on the red carpet for "Night of the Cooters." I hope you enjoy!

One of my favorite films of the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival was the meditative sci-fi film, "Red Earth" . On the night of its premiere, I had the chance to discuss it with director Georg Koszulinski, cinematographer Kate E. Hinshaw and producer Tiffany Albright, and it was great to discuss this complex film with them.

One of the great things about the interviews I did at the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival was that they feel more like conversations than just basic Q&As. This one, with Georgia filmmaker Brian Lonano, is no different. In addition to his short film, "Content: The Lo-Fi Man," we discuss content vs. film, inspiration, film scores and the value of film festival. I hope you enjoy!

One of my early favorites from the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival came from watch Geoff Marslett's "Quantum Cowboys" ahead of the festival. As a result, I was able to set up some time prior to the film's screening at the festival to talk with the director and one of his producers, Melodie Sisk, about the film, and it was a great, expansive discussion. I hope you enjoy! Continuing with the Western moti...

Darren Aronofsky has been a bold, and polarizing, filmmaker since he first hit the scene with 1998's "Pi." In this episode, I am joined by filmmaker K/XI as we explored Aronofsky's films, with a particular focus on "The Fountain," "mother!" and "The Whale." I hope you enjoy!

We're not quite done with our Oscar discussion for this year, but in this episode, it ties into the past, and one of the great stars of Hollywood's Golden Age. Barbara Stanwyck is an actor I've been familiar with by name, but not as much by her work. When my guest- film critic Matthew St. Clair- suggested this topic, however, I got excited in being able to rectify that. Listen as we discuss Stanwy...

In this episode, I close my coverage of the Renegade Film Festival this year by sharing my thoughts on the films that played the 2023 festival, several that stood out, and interviews with "Give Me an A" filmmakers Natasha Halevi and Jessica Taylor Galmor, screenwriter Megan Fitzgerald and "Number Twelve" filmmaker Nonie Shiverick.

It's that time of year again when every movie podcast and their brother discusses the Oscars, and who would I be to deprive you of that? Joining me once again is Amanda Spears to discuss the chaos of the 95th Oscar nominations before I wrap things up with my 10 Best films of 2022. I hope you enjoy! See my yearly retrospective from December here .

There's a lot to set up in this episode- which I try to in the episode- but this is, simply, a discussion with my mother, Victoria Skutle. She was an actress, a lifelong movie fan, and obsessive about the TV shows she loved. This was recorded in December 2018, after I noticed her memory starting to slip, and before we officially heard her dementia diagnosis from doctors. I hope you enjoy- it's as...

As we've moved through the podcast, and guesting on podcasts, I've realized a lot of what I focus on in terms of these discussions are things and movies that I really want to talk about, and with people I want to talk about them with. We are at that point with a film that is one of my very favorites about the struggle to create. It is Spike Jonze's "Adaptation." , and joining me in the discussion...

Our guest on this episode was actually on the Sonic Cinema Movie Chat back in 2021, and that discussion is what inspired this one. When a lot of people think about "blind buying" movies, they typically think about buying movies they've never seen. But if you think you're going to get greatness, how much of a blind buy is that? We talked more about that on the chat, but in this episode, I'm joined...

After a slight delay, the "Established Classics" series continues, and begins the 2023 podcast year. As always, I am joined by actor Timothy J. Cox to discuss three terrific classics from Hollywood's Golden Age. This year, we begin with Preston Sturges's 1941 classic, "Sullivan's Travels" . Next, we discuss Elia Kazan's Oscar-winning masterpiece, "On the Waterfront" before concluding with Alexande...

Thirty years ago today, my parents, my grandfather and I went to go see Rob Reiner's "A Few Good Men" , and an unorthodox Christmas tradition for me was born. I've wanted to talk about the film with other people for a while, and I'm pleased to be joined by Kevin the Critic and Kip Mooney in this discussion on one of my favorite films.

On December 13, it will have been 30 years since my Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Also on December 13, the new documentary, "Boy Scout's Honor," becomes available. The film tells the story of Aaron Averheart, and several other Scouts, who were sexually abused by one of their Scoutmasters, Bill Sheehan, as well as how the organization has kept secret files on pedophiles in BSA, while not doing much t...

With the release of his semi-autobiographical film, "The Fabelmans," it's finally time to discuss Steven Spielberg in depth on the podcast. Joining me in a wide-ranging discussion of Spielberg's impact on film, how he means something else to audiences now than he did when he started, as well as our favorite films, is Danielle Solzman from Solzy at the Movies and Darin Lundberg from NostalgiaCast ....

This episode is the continuation of a discussion I began with Robert Yaniz Jr. on his Close Watch podcast about the 2012 epic by the Wachowski sisters and Tom Tykwer, "Cloud Atlas." We focused on the film in that episode; here, we dive into the score by Tykwer, Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil. I hope you listen to both of these episodes as a piece to get the full scope of our discussion on a movie...

A month of horror movies would not be complete if we didn't talk to Phil Fasso. This year, however, we're discussing some of the best the genre has ever delivered, from one of the best years in movies. We discuss the genre in general, but specifically dive into John Carpenter's "The Thing," Tobe Hooper's "Poltergeist" and George A. Romero's "Creepshow."