The Seat Struck Movie Podcast

We're mixing things up this week. Since the next film in our Sofia Coppola Watch Series is her 2017 adaptation of The Beguiled, we decided to discuss this as a double feature in concert with the original 1971 Don Siegel adaption. Much of our discussion touches on the differences between these two films, both aesthetically and narratively, and considers which elements we think these films do we...

"Where were you when Kennedy got shot?" "Which Kennedy?" "Any Kennedy." On a special "John's Only" episode—John is joined by our recurring guest and resident Cassavetes scholar Dr. John Bruni to discuss the 1975 neo-noir NIGHT MOVES, starring the late Gene Hackman. This was the subject of some writing by Bruni on Media Magpies (link below in the descript...

"Are you freebasing or what?" Curtis and John celebrate years of AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000) with their deep dive into the film on this week's episode. They discuss queerness and homoeroticism in the film, Reaganism and '80s yuppie culture, serial killer fascination, Bret Easton Ellis's book, the female direction, and more. Before they talk about the film, they talk about new rele...

"Girls, time for your Adderall!" This week on the pod, we jump back into the Sofia Coppola Watch Series to discuss her 2013 crime film, and one of the first distributed by A24, THE BLING RING. Since this is based on real events (or rather, the written account of such events) we spent a little bit of time talking about the real events before getting to the movie. We talked about Coppola&#...

This week on the pod, after some much needed rest and relaxation, John and Curtis reunite to talk another Cassavetes film: THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE. Joining us again for this discussion is our resident scholar and honorary "fifth Beatle" Dr. John Bruni. We talked about the differences between the 1976 and '78 cuts, the electric performance by Ben Gazzara, Cassavetes dabbling with genre elem...

LAUGH IT UP, FUZZBALL! This week on the podcast it's a sibiling show, as John and recurring guest Billy talk the first sequel of the Star Wars saga (celebrating a 45th anniversary this year): The Empire Strikes Back. We discussed our own experiences watching this at home on tape (with the fabulous CBS Fox Video fanfare, who could forget?) and coming back to it throughout the years. Look, this...

Curtis returns with John this week to cover another canon pick: Jim Mickle's neo-noir classic COLD IN JULY (2014), starring Michael C. Hall, Don Johnson, and the late (but great) Sam Shepard. The boys talk about what they recently watched, John's recent trip to Toronto and Curtis's vacation to Jordan, supporting Palestine and Palestinian films, and their shoutouts before doing a deep d...

"Buddy, you're in the wrong place at the wrong time." Curtis and John team up again with special guest Dr John Bruni for William Friedkin's neo-noir classic TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A., starring William Petersen, John Pankow, Willem Dafoe, and John Turturro. The boys talk about what they recently watched and their shoutouts before doing a deep dive into the film. Hot topics include W...

After discussing the garish, expensive, shot-on-location entry from the previous episode, this week's return to the Sofia Coppola Watch Series considers her next film SOMEWHERE, which is a complete departure from those things. Instead, this plays more as slow cinema, shot on mostly on tight-focused handheld with a limited cast. We talk about our favourite moments in the story, the somewhat bio...

"Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?" It's been a while, so this week John decided to celebrate the recent 40th (!) anniversary of one of the all time classic 1980s films by making this a PERSONAL CANON discussion on John Hughes' THE BREAKFAST CLUB. This was a favourite growing up, so we ended up spending a lot of time this ep just talking about what it feels like to b...

This week we return to the Sofia Coppola Watch Series to discuss her soft-historical biopic, MARIE ANTOINETTE. We discussed the film's rising standing over the years; how it continues to explore feminist tropes found in Coppola's earlier films, the sick 80s post-rock and new wave needle drops, and how the film's angle towards class and privilege may not be as blinkered as you may think...

John and Curtis team up again with special guest (and John Cassavetes scholar) John Bruni to take on Nicolas Roeg's 1976 science fiction film, starring David Bowie. The trio talk about what they watched, shoutouts of the week, and new releases before doing a deep dive into the film. Hot topics of discussion include Bowie as an alien, capitalism, Newton's experiences on Earth, the montage,...

Curtis, John, Simon, and special guest Ivana try to maintain the balance with THE SUBSTANCE (2024), starring Margaret Qualley, Demi Moore, and Dennis Quaid. The Fantastic Four talk about what they watched, shoutouts of the week, and new releases before doing a deep dive into the film. Hot topics of discussion include feminist angles and male gaze of the film, its satirical elements and critique of...

The Ridley Scott Watch Series refuses to die! After our 'soft' conclusion, Scott released his long awaited sequel GLADIATOR II in November of last year, so we finally got around to talking about it. Joining us this week is our old guest and Gladiator-head IN-HWAN. Cards on the table here: we had some gripes with the movie. We talk about some of the things that worked and didn't work for us. We als...

John and Curtis are joined by special guest Dr Thomas Britt for a deep dive into 2023's LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL, starring David Dastmalchian. The boys talk about their shoutouts, what they watched this week, and new releases before discussing the film. They talk about the Satanic panic, and comparisons to GHOSTWATCH, found footage and lost media aspects, and '70s TV programs. Tune in next week f...

" ...SUNTORY TIME!'" Happy Boxing Day! We are back after a long hiatus to continue our Sofia Coppola Watch Series, discussing her most popular film: LOST IN TRANSLATION. We talked about our reaction coming back to this film, going over some of the relatable vibes, the relationship dynamic between Murray and Johansson, and some of our misgivings around the film's racial humour. Before that, we went...

John and Curtis kick off their NEW Sofia Coppola watch series with 1999's THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, starring Kirsten Dunst and based on Jeffrey Eugenides' bestselling novel. The boys talk their shoutouts, what they watched this week, and new releases, before diving into the film discussion. They chat about the Coppola as a filmmaker, the book, the film's ambiguity, the suicides, how the town collective...

This week on the podcast, Curtis and John are joined once again by resident Cassavetes scholar JOHN BRUNI to discuss another entry in the namesake's filmography: A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE. We discussed the film's compelling and morally complex story and the great performance at the heart of it by the late Gena Rowlands. We also talked about how this film fits along other Cassavetes works, and wh...

"Something's happening to me that I just don't understand. I can't think straight anymore. It's like my reasoning is all, uh, twisted and distorted, you know? I seem to be disassociating myself from reality more and more each day. I'm anti-social. I'm becoming dangerously amoral. I - I've lost the ability to distinguish between right from wrong, good from bad. I'm scared, Ma. I mean, I feel like I...

John, Curtis, and recurring guest Katie RETURN FROM THE LIVING DEAD this week to discuss Stuart Gordon's B-movie class RE-ANIMATOR (1985), which is based on H.P. Lovecraft's fiction. Before talking about the film, they also chat about what they watched this week, shoutouts, and news of the week. Tune in next week for FRANKENHOOKER! TIME STAMPS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:19 News of the Week/Shouto...

They're Back From The Grave and Ready to Party! This week's entry in our 2024 edition of the Spooky Canon is the iconic punk horror-comedy, THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. Joining Quinn, John, and Curtis is fellow ROTLD-head, and recurring guest, Magill. We go over a lot of production details and some fun trivia that you may not know about. We also discuss this film's tonal departure from similar z...

Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them ? We kick off our annual "Spooky Canon" month with a pick from Simon (which coincidentally just celebrated its 50th anniversary), the iconic 70s horror THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE. Joining John, Simon, and Curtis for this discussion is special guest Tobi, who loyal listeners will remember from our previous John Carpenter Watch Series. We spend some...

Once upon a time, in the same galaxy, John, Curtis, and Billy discussed STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE for its 25th anniversary. They talk about what they watched this week and HOGWARTS LEGACY before diving into the topic. Hot topics include Natalie Portman, the epic score, Jar Jar Binks, podracing, and reassessing an often maligned sequel and its legacy. This episode is dedicated to Curt...

"There was a time, a time before cable, when the local anchorman reigned supreme, when people believed everything they heard on TV. This was an age when only men were allowed to read the news. And in San Diego, one anchorman was more man than the rest. His name was Ron Burgundy. He was like a god walking amongst mere mortals. He had a voice that could make a wolverine purr and suits so fine,...

John and Curtis wrap up the Ridley Scott watch series by covering the man's latest film NAPOLEON, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Matthew Needham, Vanessa Kirby, and more. They talk about the casting, the French Revolution and its aftermath, and the epic battle sequences, as well as have an in-depth discussion about ALIEN: ROMULUS. Before talking about the film, they also talked about what they watched...