PODCAST

Cinema Shock

The stories behind your favorite cult & genre films, and the people who make them.

tv & film film history

All Episodes

02:29:08

50 Years of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

Cinema Shock ·

2025/08/14

Originally released in 2023, we’re re-publishing this episode to celebrate the 50th anniversary of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW — the longest-running continuous theatrical release of all time and one of the most iconic cult films in cinema history.What began as a fringe stage production in a tiny experimental theater space in London evolved into a global phenomenon — complete with costumes, callbacks, and midnight screenings that are still going strong half a century later. In this episode, we

01:12:07

STRANGE DAYS Pt 2: The Future No One Was Ready For |...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/08/08

“Memories are meant to fade. They're designed that way for a reason.”In the second half of our STRANGE DAYS deep dive, we pick up with the music—both on screen and behind the scenes—that gives the film its pulse. We explore how a soundtrack packed with industrial rock helps build the film’s atmosphere, and how composer Graeme Revell stepped in at the eleventh hour to pull it all together. Then we dig into the film’s release, its disastrous box office performance, and the confused marketing campaign

01:08:58

STRANGE DAYS Pt 1: Kathryn Bigelow and The End of the...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/08/01

“This is your life. Right here. Right now.” Before it became one of the most underrated sci-fi films of the 1990s, STRANGE DAYS was just a few scribbles in a notebook. In Part 1 of our deep dive, we trace the film’s journey from James Cameron’s original 1985 concept through its years in development and the real-world chaos that helped inspire Kathryn Bigelow’s vision of a crumbling millennium. We explore how Cameron and Bigelow collaborated with screenwriter Jay Cocks to shape the film’s story, how

01:12:23

We Saw THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS! | Bonus Episode

Cinema Shock ·

2025/07/28

They did it again! The boys saw Fantastic Four this weekend and they're giving their Spoiler Free thoughts! (There will be spoilers at the end, but we'll give you a heads up). Do you like us reviewing new films? Let us know! We can do this more often if the demand is there. Want to support the show? Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive

01:17:23

GHOST IN THE SHELL Pt 2: From Cult Hit to Global...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/07/25

In the second half of our deep dive into Mamoru Oshii’s GHOST IN THE SHELL, we pick up with the film’s release and the surprising reception that followed. Despite high expectations, GHOST IN THE SHELL underperformed at the box office, but quickly found a second life on home video, where it became a breakout hit in the West and helped bring anime into the cultural mainstream.We share our own thoughts on the film, from its unforgettable visuals to its haunting score, and dig into the philosophical

01:00:58

GHOST IN THE SHELL Pt 1: Animating a Cyberpunk...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/07/18

For the next film in our Virtual Insanity series, we’re headed to the land of the rising sun to uncover the story behind one of the most iconic animes ever made: Mamoru Oshii’s GHOST IN THE SHELL.In this episode, we trace the origins of the cyberpunk classic, starting with Masamune Shirow’s original manga and following the career of visionary director Mamoru Oshii up through his groundbreaking work on GHOST IN THE SHELL. We dig into the film’s production process—from its innovative animation

01:28:46

Bonus Episode: We Saw Superman!

Cinema Shock ·

2025/07/14

We finally did it. The gang got together, including some of YOU, the subscribers, and we saw James Gunn's SUPERMAN! Join us as Justin, Todd and Gary break down their thoughts on this new movie and where we think the DCEU can go from here. If you like us reviewing new films? Let us know! We're here for you! We can do this more often if the demand is there. Want to support the show? Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and

01:25:07

HACKERS Pt 2: From Box Office Bomb to Cyberpunk Cult...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/07/11

"You could sit at home, and do like absolutely nothing, and your name goes through like 17 computers a day. 1984? Yeah right, man. That's a typo. Orwell is here now. He's livin' large. We have no names, man. No names. We are nameless!" HACKERS hit theaters in 1995—and mostly flatlined. But before it became a cult phenomenon, it was a risky production that blended cutting-edge visual effects, rave culture aesthetics, and a sincere belief that the digital frontier was worth fighting for. In this

01:14:48

HACKERS Pt 1: Hacktivism, Angelina Jolie, and The...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/07/04

"This is our world now. The world of the electron and the switch; the beauty of the baud. We exist without nationality, skin color, or religious bias. You wage wars, murder, cheat, lie to us and try to make us believe it's for our own good, yet we're the criminals. Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. I am a hacker, and this is my manifesto."Before HACKERS became a neon-drenched cult classic, it was the brainchild of screenwriter Rafael Moreu, who embedded himself in the early

01:56:26

VIRTUOSITY Pt 2: Denzel Washington vs. Russell...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/06/27

"That's reality for you. No saving, no resetting."For the next entry in our Virtual Insanity series, we’re diving headfirst into the world of early virtual reality—and the filmmaker who helped bring it to the big screen. This week, we're going behind the scenes on VIRTUOSITY, the 1995 cyber thriller starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. In our last episode, we explored how THE LAWNMOWER MAN came to be—and how its unexpected success paved the way for VIRTUOSITY, a film already deep in

01:03:04

THE LAWNMOWER MAN (1992) + VIRTUOSITY (1995) Part 1 |...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/06/20

"I'm a fifty terrabyte, self-evolving, neural network, double backflip off the high platform. I'm not a swan dive."For the next entry in our Virtual Insanity series, we’re diving headfirst into the world of early virtual reality—and the filmmaker who helped bring it to the big screen. This week, we're going behind the scenes on VIRTUOSITY, the 1995 cyber thriller starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. But before we get there, we’re rewinding to 1992's THE LAWNMOWER MAN —the first film to

01:00:18

JOHNNY MNEMONIC (1995) Part 2 | Virtual Insanity: The...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/06/13

"I can carry nearly eighty gigs of data in my head."For our Cinema Shock summer series, we wanted to take a look back at a few movies that were celebrating significant anniversaries this year. When we began browsing films released in 1995, we noticed an interesting trend: There was a glut of cyber thrillers released that year. And more specifically, cyber thrillers that dealt with the concept of virtual reality. This probably shouldn't be surprising: 1995 was a banner year for technology; with the

01:35:12

JOHNNY MNEMONIC (1995) Part 1 | Virtual Insanity: The...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/06/06

"I want to get online... I need a computer!"For our Cinema Shock summer series, we wanted to take a look back at a few movies that were celebrating significant anniversaries this year. When we began browsing films released in 1995, we noticed an interesting trend: There was a glut of cyber thrillers released that year. And more specifically, cyber thrillers that dealt with the concept of virtual reality. This probably shouldn't be surprising: 1995 was a banner year for technology; with the release

02:03:52

The Legacy of Jim Henson | Jim Henson: Heart Felt...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/05/23

“Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It's a good life, enjoy it.”Over the course of this series, we've come to not only love Jim Henson's work even more than we already did, but we've come to love and appreciate the person that Jim Henson was. In a cynical world, Henson was a beacon of hope and optimism and he spent his entire career — his entire life — trying to share that optimism with the world at large. While he was disappointed with the reception of his labor of

02:39:47

LABYRINTH (1986) | Jim Henson: Heart Felt

Cinema Shock ·

2025/05/09

"Everything I've done, I've done for you. I move the stars for no one.”After the release of THE DARK CRYSTAL — and its critical and commercial failure — Jim Henson and his collaborator on that project, illustrator Brian Froud, went back to the drawing board for their next ambitious fantasy project. Utilizing the lessons that they’d learned on that film, they looked to craft another story with the same amount of imagination, but with more humor, more heart, more music and… more humans. The resulting

01:53:18

Rewind: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986)

Cinema Shock ·

2025/04/25

This episode was originally released in May 2022.In this Cinema Shock Rewind episode, we're revisiting our episode on Frank Oz's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Oz got his start as Jim Henson's closest collaborator, working with Jim during the Muppets' early years, and serving as a key piece of the Muppets' creative framework through the years of The Muppet Show and the subsequent feature films. In fact, Oz made his solo directorial debut on THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHANTTAN, which led to him being courted for

02:19:18

THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN (1984) | Jim Henson: Heart...

Cinema Shock ·

2025/04/11

"Hey, I tell you what is. Big city, hmm? Live, work, huh? But not city only. Only peoples. Peoples is peoples. No is buildings. Is tomatoes, huh? Is peoples, is dancing, is music, is potatoes. So, peoples is peoples. Okay?"With his dream project THE DARK CRYSTAL taking so much of his time and energy, Jim Henson was content to slim down his role on the next Muppet project and allow his right hand man Frank Oz to take the helm in his first solo directing feature. THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN would be

02:17:16

THE DARK CRYSTAL (1982) | Jim Henson: Heart Felt

Cinema Shock ·

2025/03/26

"Another world, another time, in the age of wonder. A thousand years ago, this land was green and good - until the Crystal cracked."After the completion of THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER, Jim Henson focused on a project that had been in the works for years — its earliest seeds were planted well before even The Muppet Show had begun production — an ambitious fantasy film made in collaboration with renowned illustrator Brian Froud. That film, THE DARK CRYSTAL, would be Jim's most ambitious project to date

01:53:57

THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER (1981) | Jim Henson: Heart Felt

Cinema Shock ·

2025/03/14

"There'll be mystery and catastrophe!But it's all in fun, you paid the money - wait and see! Hey! A movie! Starring everybody! And me!" After the success of THE MUPPET MOVIE, Jim Henson had hoped to get funding for a fantasy film that had become a sort of dream project of his. But that film — which would not feature the beloved and recognizable Muppets — would be a sizeable risk, so his producer convinced him to strike while the iron was hot and make a sequel to THE MUPPET MOVIE before embarking on

02:01:45

THE MUPPET MOVIE (1979) | Jim Henson: Heart Felt

Cinema Shock ·

2025/02/28

“Life's like a movie. Write your own ending. Keep believing. Keep pretending.”With The Muppet Show, Jim Henson had reached the goal that he’d set for himself many years before: He’d managed to get his beloved Muppets their own weekly television series. Not only that, but it was an enormous success, quickly becoming one of the most watched television shows in the entire world. The Muppets were as big as they’d ever been. The next step seemed logical: The Muppets were going to Hollywood. Getting them

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