The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast

If you're a lover of movies, there is, without a doubt, a disturbing movie (or several) that you saw when you were too young to process it.  With imagery and scenes that have lodged themselves in your brain.  And since the memory of the discomfort that movie brought you is still there somewhere, it changed us in a small but meaningful way.   For this bonus episode, Julian, Madeline and Emilio...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio continue their episode cycle on Audience Interrogation with a "Two-Shot" on Dan Gilroy's "Nightcrawler" (2014) and Alex Garland's "Civil War" (2024), and are joined for the conversation by Michael Cramer, professor of Film History at Julian's alma mater, Sarah Lawrence College. Looking at this surprisingly fitting pair of mo...

As a bonus this week, Julian, Emilio, and Madeline gear up for Spinal Tap’s reunion in the new release “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues”. Released 41 years after the previously discussed “This Is Spinal Tap” (1984), this legasequel catches up with our hosts’ favorite semi-fictional heavy metal band. The group points out the impossibly high bar of the first film, and discusses whether or not the s...

For the "Audience Interrogation" cycle's Suggestion Box episode, Emilio, Julian and Madeline go with a pick that's been a long time coming: 'Bamboozled', Spike Lee's unapologetically confrontational satire from 2000 about racial stereotypes and the media.  The group welcomes back multi-disciplinary artist, professor, and fellow appreciator of satire Idris Goodwin...

With 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues' arriving to theaters this week, England's "loudest band" is coming back to the big screen!  If you haven't yet listened to it, or would love to remind yourself of what makes the original film such a delight, don't miss our conversation from last year (originally released August 2024), where Madeline, Julian and Emilio dig i...

Continuing their episode cycle discussing films related to "Audience Interrogation", Emilio, Julian and Madeline strap on their masks, observe social distancing guidelines, and harken back to the recent past with 'Eddington', Ari Aster's darkly comedic Neo-Western and one of 2025's more polarizing and thought-provoking releases.  In true lockdown fashion, the cohosts...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio begin a new episode cycle focusing on Audience Interrogation in film with a "View-nanimous" discussion on David Lynch's 1986 masterpiece "Blue Velvet," and are joined by returning guest, multi-talented musician and fellow Lynch fan Lily Desmond for the conversation. Marking their long-awaited first episode on a Lynch film, the group discuss the...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio wrap up their cycle of Musicians on Film by diving into the filmography of Tom Waits, once dubbed a "performer, singer, actor, magician, spirit guide, changeling" by the great Neil Young. Joined by Madeline's dad Richard, the trio kick off the conversation by discussing Waits' starring role in Jim Jarmusch's "Down By Law", and ponder...

For our Musicians-Turned-Actor cycle "Two Shot", Madeline, Emilio and Julian are swinging for the fences with an unexpected pair of films - Penny Marshall's 1992 baseball classic 'A League of Their Own' and Olivia Wilde's 2022 release 'Don't Worry Darling', featuring acting performances by Madonna and Harry Styles, respectively.  The cohosts are joined...

Julian, Madeline and Emilio pop some Asti Spumante and welcome back social media maven and podcast favorite Jamie Homs to talk 'Moonstruck', the beloved 1987 romantic comedy directed by Norman Jewison.  A "Suggestion Box" entry from Madeline, the group makes time to highlight the film's musician-turned-actor Cher, and her lauded and iconic turn as Loretta Castorini.  The g...

Madeline, Julian, and Emilio welcome back past guest and Julian's longtime friend Michaela Brady to continue discussing films with Musicians-Turned-Actors, and this time it's a "Mise-Unseen" on Nicolas Roeg's 1976 film "The Man Who Fell to Earth," starring David Bowie in his first acting role. Centered on the titular alien's efforts to harness earthly resour...

This week, Emilio, Julian and Madeline set sail with pop culture writer and Spielberg aficionado Mike Duquette aboard to take on 'Jaws', the landmark film that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer.  The group discuss what makes this film so unique in film history, Spielberg's maturation as a nascent Hollywood director, the ways in which the novel and the film differ, the...

To kick off a new cycle featuring musicians turned actors, Julian, Madeline and Emilio rewatch 'Licorice Pizza', Paul Thomas Anderson's 2021 film and love letter to the San Fernando Valley circa 1973.  Populated with memorable turns from Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Skylar Gisondo, Benny Safdie and others, the film is anchored by the performances of newcomers Cooper Hoffman...

Madeline, Emilio, and Julian are joined by Julian’s oft-mentioned cinephile cousin Sylvie for a standalone discussion about Andrzej Żuławski’s singular film “Possession” (1981). Distinctly mixing a drama of romantic turmoil with elements of body horror, spy thrillers, and creature features, “Possession” centers on the alternatively broad and grounded performances of its two versatile lead actors,...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio are joined by Brendan McDonald, the producer of 'WTF with Marc Maron,' to finish off their cycle of New York City movies with a "Close-Up" on the works of legendary cinematographer Owen Roizman. A versatile visual talent ready for whatever came his way, Roizman burst out of the gate with William Friedkin's crime drama "The French Connectio...

For our "Two Shot" episode featuring New York City movies, Emilio, Julian and Madeline welcome on Mariquita Reese, fellow cinephile and cohost of Post Film Clarity, to talk two recent NYC based films about late night desperation that sends characters racing around the boroughs - the Safdie Brothers' 'Good Time' from 2017 and Sean Baker's 'Anora' from 2024, t...

For a bonus episode this week, Emilio goes solo for a (mostly) spoiler free talk about a film he really loves, Ang Lee's "The Wedding Banquet".  It was a successful and critically acclaimed independent film back when it was released in 1993, but has mostly stayed relevant as its esteemed director's international breakthrough.  Yet it's a timeless film full of humor, compas...

Madeline, Julian, and Emilio continue their cycle of New York City movies with a "Suggestion Box" entry covering "Problemista," the film debut of director, writer, and actor Julio Torres, known previously for his writing on Saturday Night Live, HBO special "My Favorite Shapes," and co-creating and starring in the supernatural comedy "Los Espookys." Like othe...

For this cycle's "Mise-Unseen" entry, Julian, Emilio and Madeline fire up 'Hester Street', Joan Micklin Silver's overlooked and under-appreciated film from 1975 depicting the struggles one Jewish family, recently immigrants to the United States, face while assimilating to life in their new homeland at the turn of the century.  The trio comment on the film's uniqu...

Emilio, Madeline, and Julian are joined again by freshly-minted New Yorker Maggie Hill, who helps them kick off a new episode cycle focusing on New York City movies. They begin with a "View-nanimous" entry on “Frances Ha”, Noah Baumbach’s 2012 film co-written by him and the film’s star, Greta Gerwig. The four New York residents praise the many accuracies of the film and share their own N...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio are graced by the enthusiastic presence of Tony-nominated actor Rob McClure to finish off their episode cycle on Oscar-Winning Supporting Performances with a "Close-Up" about three classic comedic roles, which each garnered their performers the coveted trophies. The first of these would be Kevin Kline's role in "A Fish Called Wanda" (1988), the...

This week, Emilio, Madeline, and Julian have the privilege of speaking to Jess LeProtto, an accomplished Broadway performer whose triple threat talents earned him the role of the thorny yet memorable Jet "A-Rab" in Steven Spielberg's 2021 remake of 'West Side Story'.  Jess talks about his unusual first exposure to the music of West Side Story, the development and audition...

For our "Two Shot" episode of Best Supporting Acting Winners, Madeline, Julian and Emilio keep things local, and with the help of actor/teacher/fight director Ron Piretti, they dive into both film adaptations of the beloved musical 'West Side Story'.  Both the Jerome Robbins original and the Steven Spielberg remake have the distinction of earning the Best Supporting Actress Osc...

This week, Madeline, Emilio and Julian welcome back piano man extraordinaire and film aficionado Matt Friedman to discuss 'L.A. Confidential', the 1997 Neo-noir directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, and Kim Basinger in an Oscar-winning supporting role.  The group discusses how this movie hits differently if you knew who Crowe and Pearce were upon...

Continuing their conversations about films featuring Best Supporting Acting Oscar winning performances, Madeline, Julian and Emilio dive into a film they had yet to see: 'Dreamgirls', the 2006 film adaptation of the Broadway musical, starring Jamie Foxx, Beyonce, Anika Noni Rose, Danny Glover, and Jennifer Hudson, whose portrayal of Effie White earned her an Academy Award in her film deb...