Filmsplaining with Martyn Strange

After a very long break, I'm back with the first of three final episodes of the show. This is "50 Years Of" Richard Donner's The Omen with my pal and frequent guest Rich Johnson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the show I talk to filmmaker Crue Scott Smith about one of our mutual favorite Cassavetes movies: The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. We discuss the life and work styles of John Cassavetes, Ben Gazarra's performance in the film, the cinematography, and how the reception to this film has changed over fifty years. We also talk about the business of independent movies and Crue's new film Angel of Light, which is available now on VOD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's show, we dive into one of the most famous and well-regarded American movies ever made: Rocky! I chat with friend of the show and MUBI podcast host Rico Gagliano about the legacy of Rocky, moments we all remember, concise screenwriting, an undeniable score, and Sylvester Stallone's career at large. We talk about our individual experiences with the movie and its sequels, how it won Best Picture, and how it became the highest-grossing movie of 1976, as well as consider the lineage of sports movie franchises. Listen to Rico's work on the MUBI podcast here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing with "50 Years of... 1976", I talk with Vancouver film and television critic Matthew Simpson about John Carpenter's second film Assault on Precinct 13. We discuss how the lean-and-mean action thriller uses a pulsing score, small character moments, and a faceless horde of killers to hook the audience and keep them for 90 minutes. We also talk about Carpenter's career, his clever tricks of revealing information on screen, and how radically different this film would be constructed if it were made today. You can find Matthew's work at northernreel.ca and more on Threads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

50 Years Of... kicks off with Alan J. Pakula's paranoia thriller All The President's Men starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman and written by William Goldman. Talking with me about the film's impact is Conan Neutron of Movie Night Extravaganza and Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends. We discuss investigative journalism, the death of the newspaper, the cinematography of Gordon Willis, the film's eerie relevance to modern day America, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a 'state of the union' style short talk about changes coming to the show in 2026 and what my listeners can expect from Filmsplaining moving forward. If you haven't already, subscribe to my Youtube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the season 4 finale, I watched every Martin Scorsese movie. Here's what I learned. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, I chat with friend of the show and co-host of both Checkout Cinema and Cinematary Grace Winburne about discovering Bob Fosse's masterpiece Cabaret! We discuss our histories with musicals, how and why this one works so well, Liza Minelli's knockout performance, and the state of the modern day musical. Listen to Grace's work on Checkout Cinema and Cinematary. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, I chat with Philip Marinello from The Substance podcast about an under-seen killer thriller of British cinema from Michael Powell: 1960's Peeping Tom. We discuss this film's legacy in relation to Psycho the very same year, how Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker rescued and revived it, and what it means to be an audience obsessed with moving images and how they make us complicit in the horrific events of the movie. Listen to Philip's podcast The Substance here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the show, I chat with MUBI head of audio and podcast host Rico Gagliano about Spike Lee's vibrant and vital 1989 masterpiece Do The Right Thing. We discuss our initial gut reactions to the film and how its legacy and impact has only gotten stronger since its release, and Rico discusses what he learned from interviewing Spike Lee as well as what people should take away from the film now. Listen to the MUBI podcast and follow Rico Gagliano here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.