Sonic Cinema Podcast

I discussed this a bit on my DragonCon podcast, and, for the second horror episode of this October, it's time to cash in on that promise. Turning 30 this year is Peter Jackson's "The Frighteners", which I had a singular experience with watching for the first time. Joining me is first time guest to the podcast Chauncey Telese. I hope you enjoy!

It's that time of year again, when Phil Fasso and I take a look at films from horror past. In keeping with our previous discussions about Dracula and War of the Worlds, however, we are deciding to look at the cinematic legacy of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, in particular, Don Siegel's 1956 adaptation and Philip Kaufman's 1978 film. I hope you enjoy!

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. I hope you enjoy!You can read my blog outlining my thoughts after the 2024 election here.In July 2025, I wrote about my dive into conspiracy theories here.Fascism in Cinema SeriesEpisode 162 - Resistance to Fascism in CinemaEpisode 166 - Fascism in Cinema: CopagandaEpisode 170 - Fascism in Cinema: Bad FaithEpisode 175 - Fascism in Cinema: The Fourth EstateEpisode 176 - Fascism in Cinema: Action NationalismEpisode 183 - Fascism in Cinema: Past Future PresentEpisode 185 - Fascism in Cinema: Into a World of ConspiracyEpisode 186 - Fascism in Cinema: Control Through Spectacle

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!

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 hope you enjoy!Read my thoughts on Marvin the Martian here.Read my thoughts on Coyote and Road Runner here.Read Joan's review of "Coyote vs. ACME" here.

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* podcast. I hope you enjoy!Listen to Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever*'s episode on “La Jetée” here.Listen to my discussion of "Twelve Monkeys" episode on NostalgiaCast here.

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 our favorite movie theatres. I hope you enjoy!Oh, and we forgot to mention it, but STOP RECORDING THE SCREEN!!!

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" and Vincente Minnelli's "The Bad and the Beautiful". I hope you enjoy!Established Classics SeriesEpisode 81 - "Kane," "Wrath" and "Casablanca"Episode 91 - "Mr. Smith," "Sunset" and "Angry Men"Episode 109 - "Baby," "Sierra Madre" and "Singin'"Episode 125 - "Travels," "Waterfront" and "Success"

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 exerting control over its population. Joining me on the episode is Chris Scalzo of The First Run podcast as we look at Norman Jewison's "Rollerball", Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" and Gary Ross's "The Hunger Games". I hope you enjoy!You can read my blog outlining my thoughts after the 2024 election here.In July 2025, I wrote about my dive into conspiracy theories here.Fascism in Cinema SeriesEpisode 162 - Resistance to Fascism in CinemaEpisode 166 - Fascism in Cinema: CopagandaEpisode 170 - Fascism in Cinema: Bad FaithEpisode 175 - Fascism in Cinema: The Fourth EstateEpisode 176 - Fascism in Cinema: Action NationalismEpisode 183 - Fascism in Cinema: Past Future Present

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", Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" and Ari Asher's "Eddington". I hope you enjoy, and don't get too lost!The end credits track is my composition, "Minimalist Suspense".You can read more of my thoughts regarding "Eyes Wide Shut" and its connections to Jeffrey Epstein here.You can read my blog outlining my thoughts after the 2024 election here.In July 2025, I wrote about my dive into conspiracy theories here.Fascism in Cinema SeriesEpisode 162 - Resistance to Fascism in CinemaEpisode 166 - Fascism in Cinema: CopagandaEpisode 170 - Fascism in Cinema: Bad FaithEpisode 175 - Fascism in Cinema: The Fourth EstateEpisode 176 - Fascism in Cinema: Action NationalismEpisode 183 - Fascism in Cinema: Past Future Present