Ep. 12 - Star Wars (A New Hope)

The guys finally found time to talk about Dr. Mike's favorite franchise. Star Wars! We're breaking down A New Hope and talking about true religion vs. empire, Joseph Campbell and the Hero with a Thousand Faces, and how enjoying good art can be a truly religious experience.

Dr. Mike and Ryan chat about the most recent adaptation of DUNE. We get into themes of fate, calling, trauma, loss and a whole bunch more!

Our old pal Eric Schwartz, host of the Evancynical Podcast, joins Ryan and Dr. Mike to talk about Back to the Future! We discuss how we are all time travelers, visiting the past to rewrite our own stories, and those of our families. Make sure your flux capacitors are... fluxing, cuz things are about to get heavy.

It's the 2021 holiday special! One year since we started the podcast! Dr. Mike and Ryan talk about the John Hughes classic Planes, Trains and Automobiles. We get down with the ideas of found family, the outcast, loving people that are hard to love, and what the Christian ethos is really all about. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and much love to all our Cinemartyr friends out there!

Ryan and Mike Geek out about how much they love this sci-fi classic and wonder why critics didn't get what it was really about. Then they go deep discussing social media, propaganda and what this movie can teach us about reading sacred texts non-literally.

Dr. Mike and Ryan welcome their first guest, Tom Murtaugh, to this Halloween episode of the podcast! After geeking out about Ghostbusters, we discuss entrepreneurship, haunting experiences and whether the dead are still with us. Come along for a trip to the roof of 550 Central Park West and let Cinemartyr be the Keymaster for your Gatekeeping ears!

Dr. Mike and Ryan go deep on the first X-Files movie "Fight The Future". We talk conspiracies, aliens, punk rock and the idea of "living your own weird". Notes:The Quibi remake of The Princess Bride that Ryan mentions can be found here. The closing song at the end of this episode is a live looping cover of the X-Files theme that Ryan performed some 10 years ago. See a baby faced Ryan playing it here.

You asked for it and we delivered. Can Dr. Mike and Ryan make it through this episode without quoting every line from the movie? Inconceivable.

Mike and Ryan chat about The War of the Worlds, disinformation, faux experts and colonialism. All set to the backdrop of a funky disco!

Dr. Mike and Ryan talk about George Romero's 1968 classic, Night Of the Living Dead. Mike tells a ghost story that involves the porn room at a video rental store. And the guys discuss the ways they've managed a year of uncertainty.