4.9 - Thief (1981)

Send us Fan MailIf getting giddy over a movie about serial killers makes you crazy, then we don't want to be sane. This time on Speaking Cinema, Johnathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs. We dive head long into maybe the best film to win best picture and maybe one of the greatest films ever made. We gush over everything from the electric pacing, to Demme's masterful direction and Anthony Hopkins who literally holds us captive with his performance. Of course there's the usual reflection and discussion about media literacy...but it wouldn't be Speaking Cinema without it. Hope you all have as much fun listening as we did watch. This is The Silence of the Lambs. Like the episode? Leave us a comment, or send us an email at [email protected] and let us know what you would like to see with this new iteration of Speaking Cinema!Thank you for listening! 

Send us Fan MailZombeaster is pulling into the station this week on Speaking Cinema. And what better way to bring it all home than with the best zombie film made this century; Train to Busan. We talk about everything from The Romero Rules of Zombies, South Korea's complicated political history and how the zombie apocalypse can be solved with a bag of weed. We've laughed, we've cried and we relived all that wonderful Covid trauma. So come, share our pain as we bring ZombEaster to a close with Yeon Sang-ho's 2016 genre staple Train to Busan. Like the episode? Leave us a comment, or send us an email at [email protected] and let us know what you would like to see with this new iteration of Speaking Cinema!Thank you for listening! 

Send us Fan MailIs it a Zombie film? Is it a rom-com? Well, one thing's for sure, its ZombEaster here Speaking Cinema. In an episode that's been years in the making, the gang tackles a film that revitalized a genre, spawned legions of imitators and holds a special place in the hearts of filmmakers of a certain age. So sink your teeth into Part 2 of our three-episode zombie block, with Edgar Wright's seminal genre classic, Shaun of the Dead.Like the episode? Leave us a comment, or send us an email at [email protected] and let us know what you would like to see with this new iteration of Speaking Cinema!Thank you for listening! 

Send us Fan MailIt's Spring time at Speaking Cinema and we all know what that means. That's right. It's another theme month. Welcome heathens and heretics to the inaugural Zombeaster. This month we'll be covering three zombie classics from some of cinema's most celebrated filmmakers. And what better way to kick off an ode to the zombie film than covering the granddaddy of them all; George A. Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead'. What happens when a group of ragtag filmmakers from Pittsburgh get their hands on some money and gear? Well, you get a film that feels just as relevant today as it did nearly 60 years ago. Topics include the incredible performance of Duane Jones, the film's deep social commentary (even if it isn't what the filmmakers intended) and why this film still holds up after all these years. So kick back and let the Zombeaster season into your hearts. This is George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead!Like the episode? Leave us a comment, or send us an email at [email protected] and let us know what you would like to see with this new iteration of Speaking Cinema!Thank you for listening! 

Send us Fan MailThis Podcast goes to eleven. Speaking Cinema kicks off its fifth season with Rob Reiner's gleefully silly This is Spinal Tap. The boys pay tribute to an unsung Hollywood hero, recite their favorite lines from the movie and (somehow) find a way to relate working in film to being a heroin addict. Turn up the volume and be sure not to step on tiny Stonehenge monument, This is Spinal Tap. Like the episode? Leave us a comment, or send us an email at [email protected] and let us know what you would like to see with this new iteration of Speaking Cinema!Thank you for listening! 

Send us Fan MailHo! Ho! Ho! And a metric ton of egg nog for everyone! To end the 4th Season of Speaking Cinema, we're giving the audience something special; three movies for the price of one. Its a Christmas extravaganza...with our usual blend of wit, commentary and toliet humor. First up, Anthony and his friend Cody tackle perhaps the most beloved Christmas classic of all time, Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life. Topics include Jimmy Stewart's PTSD, small town America in the 1940s and (of course) late stage capitalism! Next up, the Turner-Seccafico family talk about Ron Howard's adaptation of the Grinch. Adam and Tasha go into a number of topics including Tasha's relationship to the film, Jim Carey being awesome and how much Cindy Lou Who loves The Grinch's shenanigans. Finally, the king hath returned, as Jon discusses the culturally omnipresent film The Nightmare Before Christmas with found of the podcast, Andrew Schwarz. Listen as Jon and Andrew grapple with why the film resonates with culture at large, discuss what goes into a great musical and learn just how hard it was to animate Oogie-Boogie. Prepare to have you stocking stuffed this holiday season because Speaking Cinema is going so hard...that one of our hosts might succumb to alcohol poisoning. Happy Holidays everyone. *** Correction on The Nightmare Before Christmas - Jon and Andrew refer to the film as an independent production, however it was produced by Skellington Productions, which was a joint venture between Tim Burton and Henry Selick, that received financial support from The Walt Disney Corporation via Touchstone Pictures, which was a pseudonym production label for films geared towards darker subject matter and more mature audiences. Like the episode? Leave us a comment, or send us an email at [email protected] and let us know what you would like to see with this new iteration of Speaking Cinema!Thank you for listening! 

Send us Fan MailInstitutional failure, rampant corruption and the scariest grandpa you'll ever meet...and maybe the most fun film we've covered so far. This week, the boys tackle Michael Mann's self assured directorial debut; Thief.  We dive into subjects like Mann's painstaking attention to detail, James Caan's electric performance and debate the failings of the criminal justice system. We give you some ABC type information this week on Speaking Cinema. Like the episode? Leave us a comment, or send us an email at [email protected] and let us know what you would like to see with this new iteration of Speaking Cinema!Thank you for listening! 

Send us Fan MailAnd now it's Anthony's turn to have an existential breakdown. This week on Speaking Cinema, the boys fell for it again. What was supposed to be a fun anime about two young lovers turns into a deep look into global warming, human sacrifice and whether or not mankind is capable of evolving to survive a cataclysmic event. But its ok. Why? Because Elon Musk can't make toast. This week on Speaking Cinema, Makoto Shinkai's Weathering with YouLike the episode? Leave us a comment, or send us an email at [email protected] and let us know what you would like to see with this new iteration of Speaking Cinema!Thank you for listening! 

Send us Fan MailWell, this is nice. Just a simple comedy about a farting...OH MY GOD WHY DO WE FEEL ALL THE FEELINGS?!? This week on Speaking Cinema, we dive into The Daniels' breakthrough film 'Swiss Army Man'. What we thought was going to be a breezy film about a farting corpse, turns into a full discussion about the meaning of life and what it means to be a humanist. Come for the film, stay for the existential crisis this week on Speaking Cinema. Like the episode? Leave us a comment, or send us an email at [email protected] and let us know what you would like to see with this new iteration of Speaking Cinema!Thank you for listening! 

Send us Fan MailHappy Halloween everyone! We've finally reached the end of our horror series and we've decided to go out on a high note...by paying Adam's relatives a visit in beautiful Tromaville, NJ. This week, we subvert the slasher genre with the 1984 exploitation classic, The Toxic Avenger. Listen as the boys discuss the New York Grindhouse scene of the 70s and 80s, how a Yale alumni went on to become his generation's Roger Corman and the seedy politics of Regan's America (namely, Iran-Contra). Get ready to scream, laugh and question our sanity this week on Speaking Cinema. Like the episode? Leave us a comment, or send us an email at [email protected] and let us know what you would like to see with this new iteration of Speaking Cinema!Thank you for listening!