The Cinemania Society Podcast

Verifier Andy presents a Field Report on perhaps the most CINEMANIA-inducing film of the 1970s, PEPPER. This 1978 musical comedy tribute to the music of the Beatles features a cast of some of the biggest names in music at the time and was clearly (allegedly) influenced by more Peruvian marching powder than any other film of the era -- and that's saying something. We recognize that calling this the...

We bring back Scrutinizer Zacharia's Profile on stand-up comedy legend George Carlin, whom we are certain would have some particularly arch opinions about today's political situation. 

Verifier Andy brings us a field report on a strange and mysterious movie from the heights of the Himalaya.   Written, performed, and sound designed by Andy Slack

Cinquisitor Ethan presents a Field Report on the 1985 cult sci-fi drama "Enemy Mine." He analyzes why this film ended up being one of the biggest box office bombs of the 1980s, despite its having been the best type of science fiction in an era renowned for its sci-fi films.   Written and performed by Ethan Ireland Music by Meteor at meteormusic.bandcamp.com Tracks used: "The Man with Silver Wings,...

We bring back for your consideration Verifier Andy's delightful short story "River of Babel."   Written and performed by Andy Slack Sound design & editing by Ethan Ireland  

Verifier Andy presents a Field Report on the film "The Time Masters" from French animator René Laloux. Laloux, already notorious within this Society for his his contributions to CINEMANIA thanks to his 1974 film "Fantastic Planet," returns to mind-bending best with this 1982 entry.   Written and performed by Andy Slack Editing and sound design by Ethan Ireland Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audi...

We recently bid goodbye to absolute legend Tim Curry. We re-run our profile on Tim Curry as a way of bidding a final goodbye.

Cinquisitor Ethan presents an analysis of Lucasfilm's made-for-TV Ewok movies "The Ewok Adventure" (a/k/a "Caravan of Courage) and "Ewoks: The Battle for Endor," from 1984 and 1985, respectively. He also provides a retrospective and an analysis of the broader mass marketing campaign surrounding Star Wars and how it contributed to the growth of the Lucasfilm Empire, as well as offers his speculatio...

Recently, we bid a fond and tearful farewell to the legendary, the iconic, the indelible Tim Curry. Verifier Andy presents a Cinemania Field Report on one of his earliest roles in the 1975 television adaptation of "Three Men in a Boat." Curry played opposite Michael Palin and Stephen Moore and carried (curried?) his own. Fare ye well, Tim Curry. We hardly knew ye.   Written and performed by Andy S...

Submitted for your approval: a Cinemania Field Report on a filmic phenomenon that emerged during the home video era: film franchise sequels going totally OFF THE RAILS. Why did this happen? What films were affected? Verifier Andy tells us why...   Written & performed by Andy Slack Editing & sound design by Ethan Ireland Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio Tracks used: "The Pyramid Mine,...

Verifier Andy presents a Field Report on Werner Herzog's 1976 film "Heart of Glass." Listeners should exercise extreme caution, as Werner Herzog is known to be one of the grimmest, most dire sources of CINEMANIA known to humanity.   Written, performed, and sound design by Andy Slack Final mixing & mastering by Ethan Ireland Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio Incidental music and sound cour...

Verifier Andy brings us a Cinemania Field Report on John Carpenter's 1981 action opus "Escape From New York." Kurt Russell vs. Isaac Hayes vs. Lee van Cleef, backed up with a whole coterie of comedown-era character actors in a masterwork of tense, urban combat. Cinemania abounds, ladies and gentlemen. Proceed with caution.   Written by Zacharia Berks and Andy Slack Performed by Andy Slack Editing...

Verifier Andy presents a Cinemania Field Report on the 1980 British-American production "Saturn 3," featuring Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, Harvey Keitel, and a truly CINEMANIA-inducing space robot. Buckle up folks, this is a weird one.   Written and performed by Andy Slack Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio Incidental music and sound courtesy of Epidemic Sound

Cinquisitor Ethan presents a Field Report on 1973's "Fantastic Planet," a/k/a "La Planète Sauvage" by Rèné Laloux and Roland Topor. This sci-fi animated feature is a mind-melting source of CINEMANIA and contains some of the weirdest images and sequences that have ever been committed to celluloid, ones which you'll find yourself recalling for the rest of your life. Watch at your peril.   Written by...

Yeahhhh... here's one more re-run for you folks because summer vacation ahoy. Verifier Andy tells us about the fine tradition of breaking the fourth wall.

This past week the world bid farewell to New Zealand's Sam Neill, one of Oceania's finest actors. We rebroadcast Verifier Andy's Profile on him in his memory.

As it would appear we're entering an era when certain aspects of speech are being curtailed (*cough* criticism of the ruling political party *cough cough*), we bring back an episode wherein Professor Andrea discusses "Magical Realism," a means by which people in previous instances of police states could make their ideas known without saying the actual words or communicating the ideas that would ge...

Cinquisitor Ethan presents a field report on The Kentucky Fried Movie, a film that this society considers to be the textbook example of a critically endangered genre of film: the sketch comedy movie.   Written & performed by Ethan Ireland Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio Tracks used: "Mission Control" and "Ocean View."   LEGAL NOTICE: This is a work of parody and/or satire, and should no...

We re-broadcast Verifier Andy's Profile in Cinemania on Master Bad Guy-slash-Henchman Extraordinaire, Michael Ironside

Cinquisitor Ethan (with a heapin' helpin' of help from Verifier Andy) presents a Field Report on the CINEMANIA-inducing movie trope of post-apocalypticism. It might not have begun in the '80s, but if we learned anything from that decade, it was how to sell literally *anything,* even the end of the world.   Written by Andy Slack and Ethan Ireland, with additional material by Daniel Scribner Perform...

Scrutinizer Zacharia presents a Field Report on the objectively CINEMANIA-inducing film from 1987: ROBOCOP! Perhaps the single most inappropriately-marketed sci-fi/action satire in existence, when it first came out this film left life-long scars on viewers who saw it at far too tender of an age. Scrutinizer Zacharia, Cinquisitor Ethan, Verifier Andy are among them.   Written by Zacharia Berks, Eth...

Verifier Andy presents a Cinemania Field Report on an animated series he remembers from his bygone youth, a mind-buggeringly bizarre Japanese-French sci-fi animated series: ULYSSES-31, which is sort of like "The Odyssey" meets "Macross." Giant robots and mythology. It was a hell of a thing. Come let Brother Andy spin you a tale...and be cautious you don't develop CINEMANIA.   Written & perform...

Cinquisitor Ethan, assisted (and annoyed) by Verifier Andy, presents a Cinemania Field Report on the 2003 film "Evil Alien Conquerors," a stand-out example of stoner cinema, marked for its level of CINEMANIA.    Written & performed by Ethan Ireland & Andy Slack Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio Tracks Used: "War Games" and "Consumed."

Cinquisitor Andy provides a Cinemania Field Report on a phenomenon he remembers having sprung up occasionally in his youth. No, I don't mean that way, you sickos.   Written and performed by Andy Slack Production & sound design by Ethan Ireland Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio Incidental music & sound courtesy of Epidemic Sound. 

Verifier Andy presents a Cinemania Field Report on "The Strange World of Gurney Slade," one of the weirdest, rule-breaking-est television series to ever emerge from television - in Britain or anywhere else for that matter. Go on. Have a listen.   Written and performed by Andy Slack Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio Track used "Awaken"