Sonic Cinema Podcast

79:47

Fascism in Cinema: "Rocky IV" and Patriotic Sport

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/09/26

For the first time in this series, we are doing a single film about a larger issue. My guest and I discussed this in the context of the last episode in my Fascism in Cinema series, but it didn't quite fit what I wanted to do there. But, in how Sylvester Stallone's 1985 sequel, "Rocky IV", looks at sport and patriotism, it was well worth exploring. Joining me is Ben Friedman of Ben Talks Film as we look at this film's unique place in the franchise, in the decade, as well as its recent Director's Cut

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17:46

DragonCon 2026

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/09/14

It's a bit later than I like, but DragonCon 2026 happened a bit later this here. My annual recap of the Atlanta genre convention is below, and it might be one of my favorite years. I hope you enjoy!

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63:24

Looney Tunes and "Coyote vs. ACME"

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/08/25

My hope for the release of Dave Green's long-delayed "Coyote vs. ACME" was to have an episode discussing my history with the creations of Termite Terrace, and why I love them. Because I was able to watch the movie itself via screener, I was able to combine that with a review of the movie, also. (Spoilers for the movie, by the way.) Joining me is Joan Amenn from In Their Own League, as we share our love of Looney Tunes, and how Green's delightful new film plays into what makes Looney Tunes endure. I

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51:14

Discussing “La Jetée”

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/08/18

Sonic Cinema's deep dive into the realm of science fiction continues with this episode, and there isn't a better guest to continue it with. Last year was the first time both myself and my guest watched Chris Marker's cult classic science fiction short film, “La Jetée”, for respective podcasts. If you haven't seen it, but heard about it, it's because it provided inspiration to Terry Gilliam's 1995 thriller, "Twelve Monkeys". My guest is Ayesha Khan, the host of the Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever*

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119:13

Movie Theatre Etiquette in the Modern Age

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/07/27

This is less a discussion about movies as it is a commentary on moviegoing in general. One of the most common complaints I've seen about why people don't go to movies nowadays is constant disruptions during movies. In all honesty, that was the case before COVID, but it's only accelerated in the age of streaming. Joining me in the discussion is film critic Austin Belzer, and we share stories of our times working in movie theatres, as well as some of our favorite moviewatching experiences, and some of

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70:01

"Established Classics" - "Not to Be," "Gaslight" and...

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/07/13

We are taking a break from one series to return to another. It's been a few years, but my "Established Classics" series is back. For those who may not remember, this is a series where we look at movies from Hollywood's Golden Age- from the late '30s to 1960- and look at whether they hold up now, and why they do. Returning is actor Timothy J. Cox, and after we catch up with him, we begin discussing our next set of films. Here we look at Ernst Lubitsch's "To Be or Not to Be", George Cukor's "Gaslight"

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92:30

Fascism in Cinema: Control Through Spectacle

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/06/26

As we've gone through this series, many of the topics have been more inspired by the larger atmosphere around the United States during Trump Administration II. This episode, however, had a very specific inspiration in the recent UFC cage fight on President Trump's birthday- and part of his celebrations for America's 250th anniversary. The idea of a UFC fight in front of the White House made me think of films that depict past, and futuristic, examples of state-sanctioned violent spectacle as a way of

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139:13

Fascism in Cinema: Into a World of Conspiracy

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/05/26

In the discussion of fascism and authoritarianism in cinema (and in real life), it's impossible to not discuss conspiracy theories. Over the past few years, conspiratorial ideas is almost hat in hand with the politics of the time. In our latest exploration of fascism in cinema, come down the rabbit hole with my guest, Ben Friedman of Ben Talks Film, and I as we look at how three films take their characters, and the audience, down the rabbit hole. Our films this episode are Oliver Stone's "JFK",

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45:06

Atlanta Film Festival 2026

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/05/15

Earlier this week, the 2026 Atlanta Film Festival wrapped up its 50th iteration with its virtual festival. What was great? What was noteworthy? What was the experience. All will be discussed in this episode, and for the topper, I present an interview with filmmaker Costa Karalis, who made one of my favorite films of the festival, "Frogtown". I hope you enjoy!My curtain raiser piece, along with all the reviews published during the festival, can be found here.

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185:35

Fascism in Cinema: Past Future Present

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/04/27

As I started to look to 2026, I knew there was still more to cover in this series beyond what we hit upon in the five episodes last year in discussing authoritarianism in cinema. One of the richest genres doing that was science fiction which, coincidentally, is what led to my emphasis on the genre this year. With such a vast subject, there was only one choice to join me on this episode- the person who started this series with me, Jason from Binge Movies and The Slashers. This is probably the most

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14:34

Why Sci-Fi?

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/03/27

In this mini-episode of the podcast, I thought I'd talk briefly about my favorite genre of all-time- science fiction. My history with the genre, why my love has only deepened, and why it's being covered so heavily this year on Sonic Cinema. I hope you enjoy!The end piece is "Weightless Waltz in F," from my 2010 album, "Beyond the Infinite: A Musical Odyssey".Listen to me talk about some of the films mentioned:"2001: A Space Odyssey""Strange Days" (on Female Gaze: The Film Club)"12 Monkeys" (on

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112:38

Oscar Thoughts with Amanda Spears and Brian's Top 10...

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/03/14

It is that time of year again- the Oscars. This episode features the things you've come to expect over the years- a category by category breakdown with awards watcher Amanda Spears, followed by my 10 Best Films of the year. I hope you enjoy!My retrospective on 2025 can be read here.Read Brian's Thoughts on the 2025 Atlanta Film Critics Circle Winners here.Read Brian's Thoughts on the 2025 Southeastern Film Critics Association Winners here. Read Brian's Thoughts on the 2025 Georgia Film Critics

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94:12

Discussing "Network" at 50

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/02/25

A few months ago, we discussed three films about the press speaking truth to power. What happens when the powerful pervert media for profits? As it enters The Criterion Collection this week, Sidney Lumet's satirical look at television news- 1976's "Network"- feels like a documentary of the times we live in now. Joining me to discuss the legacy of this film is Jason from Binge Movies and The Slashers and Joan Amenn from In Their Own League. I hope you enjoy!

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55:15

Discussing "To Catch a Thief"

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/02/13

What could be more romantic than two Gen X white guys talking about Alfred Hitchcock's most romantic film before Valentine's Day? I'm sure plenty of things, but this is what you get from the Sonic Cinema Podcast this year. My frequent guest, Phil Fasso, returns for the third time in five months to discuss Cary Grant and Grace Kelly being two of the most drop-dead gorgeous people in movie history in Hitchcock's 1955 light and entertaining caper, "To Catch a Thief". I hope you enjoy!

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112:36

Discussing Rachel McAdams

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/01/31

This is an episode my guest and I have discussed doing for a couple of years, and with the release of a new film with the subject of the episode, it made sense. The topic is Academy Award nominee Rachel McAdams, who has shown herself to be a versatile performer in a variety of films over the years. My guest is fellow critic and podcaster Morgan Roberts, the host of Female Gaze: The Film Club. We focus on the early part of McAdams's career in film with Nick Cassavetes's "The Notebook", Mark Waters's

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83:56

Cinematic Rapture

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2026/01/11

Immediately after recording the first episode of 2026, I went into the editing, because honestly, it's one of my favorite year starter episodes to date. This episode was born out of the fact that my guest, Snarky Faith's Stuart Delony, has a book coming out, and it's subject is a satirical look at the theological idea of the Rapture that has taken ahold in some sects of Evangelical Christianity. It only made sense for us to discuss three cinematic depictions of the Rapture. Join us as we talk about

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119:06

Fascism in Cinema - Action Nationalism

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2025/12/29

We've looked at resistance to fascism. The police state. Faith peddlers. And journalists holding power accountable. The first few episodes in this series have looked at serious topics when dealing with encroaching authoritarianism. For the fifth and final episode of the series for 2025, it's time to have a little bit of fun. While cinematic propaganda has been around for pretty much the entirety of the medium's existence, when it comes to American propaganda, there was something about the politics

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139:42

Fascism in Cinema: The Fourth Estate

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2025/11/22

When it comes to authoritarian regimes- or those aspiring to be- a free and independent press can be its worst enemy. Fake news, Lugenpresse. "Liberal bias." Those are just some of the ways they can be discredited by leaders with a fetish for dictatorships. In this episode in our "Fascism in Cinema" episode, listen as myself and the Editor in Chief at In Their Own League, Joan Amenn, discuss what a free press means, and why it matters now more than ever. We bring up more films than these, but our

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119:52

Discussing The War of the Worlds

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2025/10/16

In part due to the unplanned hiatus during May and June, horror podcast episodes are not on the menu this year. But this episode is close, because H.G. Wells's is one of the most terrifying stories in the annals of science fiction. Much like we did a couple of years ago regarding Dracula, Phil Fasso and I look at Wells's classic through the perspective of some of its most famous iterations. We begin with Orson Welles's infamous radio play version, then go to Byron Haskins's 1953 film, Steven

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98:36

Discussing "Braveheart"

Sonic Cinema Podcast ·

2025/10/02

As you've probably noticed in the past few years, one of the things I've wanted to do is have some discussions on films from my formative years discovering films, and getting deeper into films, that mean a lot to me. This is one that was bound to be a tough one to get a guest for, but as you hear, this conversation ended up being a fascinating, all-encompassing one about every aspect of this film's discussion over the years. We are discussing Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning "Braveheart", which remains

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