The Magic Lantern Podcast

Stanley Kubrick's final film  Eyes Wide Shut  has it all — Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, a masked orgy in a Rothschild-built mansion, and a director who died six days after delivering his final cut. No wonder the internet thinks it's a documentary. In Episode 38 we pull the mask off. We dig into Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella  Dream Story  — the strange, sensual little book the film is...

Welcome to Episode 36 of The Magic Lantern Podcast. Andrew is back! and this week, we're breaching the walls of Alcatraz to dissect Michael Bay’s 1996 masterclass in high-octane cinema,  The Rock! and the enduring legacy of 90s action movies. We dive deep into Sean Connery’s career and how it famously came full circle by bridging his defining 1960s role as James Bond with his 1996 blockbuster...

Join me as I try to further wash off the stink of Hamnet from my eye sockets and enjoy the classic Bruce Lee movie Enter the Dragon. The film that didn't just change martial arts cinema—it rewired global pop culture forever. In this episode of  The Magic Lantern , we step inside the hall of mirrors to break down the monumental 1973 masterpiece,  Enter the Dragon . Released just weeks after his...

This episode of  The Magic Lantern  dives into the grit, the ego, and the sheer desperation that birthed a legend. Before he was the "Muscles from Brussels," Jean-Claude Van Damme was just a man with a gym bag and a head-high kick, fighting to save a movie that the studios wanted to bury. Witness the improbable journey of  Bloodsport  (1988)—a film initially declared "unwatchable"...

Heath Ledger’s Joker is widely considered the greatest villain in cinematic history. But is he actually the ultimate mastermind of chaos? Not even close. Welcome back to The Magic Lantern Podcast. In Episode 33, we’re putting the Clown Prince of Crime up against the original architect of destruction: William Shakespeare’s Iago. One used gasoline and bullets to terrorize a city; the other destroyed...

In this episode of  The Magic Lantern , things get a little heated as we step into the shadows of 16th-century Stratford. We’re tackling the massive task of adapting Maggie O’Farrell’s  Hamnet —not just from the beloved novel, but through its transition as a three-act play and its eventual arrival on the silver screen. However, the consensus ends there. While  Andrew  found himself swept up in the...

Description:  What truly makes a science fiction masterpiece? It’s 2026, and Vartan and Andrew are sitting down to definitively identify the greatest sci-fi movies of all time. In this episode, the duo tackles the age-old debate of personal favorites versus the official "Top 100" lists. They hold nothing back as they break down the iconic movies they love, the ones they absolutely hate, an...

On this episode we take a look at the film Anora! An Indie film about a Cinderella story. A stripper, named Anora, gets the client of a lifetime, Ivan "Vanya," a billionaire son of an oligarch, hires her for sex and fun and ends up asking her to marry him. Just like Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman!" It's a dream come true for the young Anora, until her world comes crashing down...

We are back folks with another episode! This time we dive deep into Gattaca. Starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law! One of Andrews favorite films that explores themes of determinism and ethics of discrimination based on selective gene manipulation. So sit back and enjoy our return episode and a special shout out to cousin Jack on his long drive to Downy! Gattaca: A Dystopian Exploration of G...

On this episode we break down Jean Claude Van Damme's career, his rise and fall and rise again. How did this man from Brussels make it to Hollywood and become the biggest action star during the mid nineties? And how did he blow it all up and lose everything? A story of sex, drugs, alcohol, mental health issues, and overcoming all of it to come out on top again. This is the story of Jean Claude...

"Saltburn" 2023 film, a strange, non conventional film, about the rich, the poor, the middle class, the psychotic, and a sort of "period" piece, circa 2006. On this episode we discuss the stylistic 2023 film Saltburn, a strange, shocking film, comparable to the Matt Damon film, "Talented Mr. Ripley. The meaning of being ultra rich billionaire and what it's like for an outsi...

On this Episode Andrew and Vartan breakdown the cinematic masterpiece Paris, Texas. Released in 1984 the film tells the story of Travis Henderson, a man with no memory lost in Texas. As Travis slowly gains his memories back, a story that seems like a mystery unfolds into a tale about family, loneliness, what it means to be a parent, and redemption. We also take a look at some Oscar movies from 198...

A special episode! An Oscar Episode! On this episode we list the top 10 Academy Award nominated movies of the last ten years. Covering 2013 to 2023, and of course, two extra films outside of the last decade thrown in as wild cards. We narrow these films down, discuss them, and why we loved them so much. We also narrow the list down to top 3, the results did shock both of us. And finally we pick th...

WERE BACK! No we were not cancelled folks. Just took a small break to collect our thoughts. In this episode we talk about the 2013 film THE HUNT! starring Mads Mikkelsen, directed by Thomas Vinterberg. The story follows a kindergarten teacher named Lucas, who is wrongfully accused of being inappropriate with one of the students. Soon all his friends and the whole town turn against Lucas. Lucas cas...

Aladdin, Marvels Infinity Wars, Homers Odyssey. What do all these films have in common? They all stole from the 1989 hit movie Sinbad of the Seven Seas! So join us as we dive deep into how this great film was ripped off and all its ideas stolen by Blockbuster Hollywood Filmmakers. In this podcast episode, we delve into the 1987 film "Sinbad of the Seven Seas" starring Lou Ferrigno. We prov...

RUMBLE FISH! Nicholas Coppola involves into NICK CAGE! Plus Larry Fishbourne still exists and a whole cast of great actors and a down and out drunk, Dennis Hopper, makes a comeback. There's also a Mickey Rourke and Matt Dillon sighting. In the podcast episode about the film "Rumble Fish," we dive into Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton's novel. We explore the...

WE ARE BACK WITH A NEW EPISODE! WE MADE IT TO EPISODE 19. Bringing you your favorite movie podcast, THE MAGIC LANTERN. On this Episode we discuss HIGH LIFE 2018 Directed by Claire Denis. "High Life" is a 2018 science fiction film starring Robert Pattinson. In the movie, Pattinson plays a man who finds himself aboard a spacecraft filled with criminals. They are on a mission towards a black...

THE GREAT ICONIC BURT REYNOLDS! We dive deep into the 1987 film Malone and take a look at the character he portrays and similar characters in the same genre like Rambo in First Blood and the John Wick Franchise. In the 1987 film "Malone," starring Burt Reynolds, Reynolds plays the role of Richard Malone, a former CIA agent who becomes embroiled in a dangerous conflict with a corrupt land d...

WE FINALLY STOPPED WATCHING SOVIET FILMS! In this thought-provoking podcast episode, we embark on a journey to understand the decline in popularity of Soviet films and explore how our cinematic preferences have evolved over time. But our exploration doesn't stop there. We also take a broader look at the diverse landscape of cinema, acknowledging the vast array of film industries and genres aro...

On this episode we watch the East German movie Apache 1973! and answer the question, which is better, Red Western vs Spaghetti Westerns, and how does John Wayne Stack up and why is Clint Eastwood still the GOAT? Directed by Gottfried Kolditz, this action-packed Eurowestern is based loosely on the legend of heroic Apache warrior Ulzana. Release date: 1973 ( Romania )Director:  Gottfried Kolditz Scr...

 I summon the vampires! I summon the werewolves!... I summon Viy! Join us for the first ever Soviet Horror Film the 1967 Classic Viy. Starring Leonid Kuravlyov and Natalya Varley. 'Viy' tells the story of a young priest is ordered to preside over the wake of witch in a small old wooden church of a remote village. This means spending three nights alone with the corpse with only his faith to...

Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (Russian: Кавказская пленница, или Новые приключения Шурика) Another Shurik adventure, starring the great Aleksandr Demyanenko, Natalya Varley, and the great Frunzik Mkrtchyan. We tackle more Soviet cinema with this one and of course we tackle brides and kidnapping brides. Prevailaint during the Soviet Era in some remote areas, the movie is a light hearted look at an ol...

Join us as we embark on a new journey with better audio recording equipment and possible VIDEO! On this episode we dive deep into Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession (AKA Back to the Future). This film is based on the play Ivan Vasilievich by Mikhail Bulgakov. It was one of the most attended films in the Soviet Union in 1973, with more than 60 million tickets sold. Part comedy, part satire, and pa...

Local Georgian pilot Mimino dreams of flying airplanes for major international airlines. To realize his aspirations, he goes to Moscow where he encounters a fellow comrade from the Caucasus, the Armenian Rubik. Many misadventures ensue. That's right folks we are staying with the Soviet Cinema theme! and today we take a look at the 1977 Soviet film 'Mimino' One of the most successful an...

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