Join this week’s guest Dr. Monzo author of the After the Hour of Decision and I on the eighth episode of In Kino Veritās — a podcast where the guest picks a film, we both watch, and discuss.

We don’t simply review films but dive deep into their themes, characters and cultural context. In this episode we explore the 2017 film Blade Runner 2049. Perhaps the greatest iteration in the “literally me” genre we explore the themes of humanity, meaning, and destiny. Mr. Monzo & I also have an interesting debate on what is human?

Where you can stream Blade Runner 2049

(Use your local library to get a physical copy for free)

Main Points

* Film Selection: Blade Runner 2049

* Comparison of Blade Runner Films

* Literary Influences (Neuromancer) on Cyberpunk

* Japanese Cultural Influence on Cyberpunk Rooted in 80s historical context

* Economic Context of Japan's Growth and Crash

* Rewatch Experience and Cinematography

* Setting and Replicants in Blade Runner

* Plot Catalyst and Wallace's Motives

* Color Scheme and Transhumanism - Theon thinks Deus Ex Human Revolution was an inspiration

* Wallace's Humanity and Augmentation

* Is Deckard a Replicant?

* Software vs. Hardware in Science Fiction

* Blade Runner as a Reflection of Reality

* AI Companions and Psychosis

* Societal Implications of Digital Detachment

* Themes of Birth, Death, and Meaning

* Theon & Monzo Disagree on If Replicants are Human or not

* Defining "Human" and the Role of Replicants

* Philosophical Perspectives on Humanity

* Consciousness and Embodiment

* Replicants and Artificial Intelligence

* Mythological Evolution and New Technologies

* Joy's Evolving Identity and Programming

* The Noosphere and Replicants

* Defining "Human" in the Face of Technology

* Heroic Death and Meaning

* Reflections

Join this week’s guest Sirius White author of the Antidote to Magical Thinking and I on the seventh episode of In Kino Veritās — a podcast where the guest picks a film, we both watch, and discuss.

We don’t simply review films but dive deep into their themes, characters and cultural context. In this episode we explore the 2019 Horror? Psychological Thriller? Comedy?… film The Lighthouse.

Where you can stream The Lighthouse

(Use your local library to get a physical copy for free)

Main Points

* Who’s Sirius White? – Sirius White, Substack writer and Tortuga Society member, his work on the tension between knowledge and wisdom, the removal of societal fictions, and uncovering power through self‑understanding. Influenced by his work with Dr. Christopher Hyatt.

* Film Choice & Rationale – Selected Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse (2019) over The Witch for its ambiguity, mythic depth, and refusal to provide clear answers.The performances of Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, the descent into madness, and the film’s mesmerizing black‑and‑white cinematography.

* Open Interpretation vs. Pretension – We both agree the film succeeds in open interpretation without falling into meaningless “art for art’s sake.” Avoids the pitfalls of overindulgent abstract cinema by grounding itself in character, setting, and historical authenticity.

* Eggers’ Style & Historical Accuracy – Discussion of Eggers’ commitment to realism (e.g., restored real boat, Nova Scotia filming, authentic lighthouse set, period‑accurate dialect). Connection to his other works (The Witch, The Northman, Nosferatu).

* Aspect Ratio & Cinematic Restraint – Shot in 1.19:1 “square” frame, enhancing claustrophobia and face close‑ups while keeping focus on a single location. Feels almost like a stage play, allowing acting and dialogue to dominate over CGI spectacle.

* Sound Design & Atmosphere – Minimalist, diegetic‑heavy soundscape with constant foghorn as a “clock” motif. Avoids manipulative scoring; supports the salty, damp, isolated 1890s world.

* Symbolism & Mythic Layers – Potential readings include Prometheus, Proteus, Saturn/Kronos, Lucifer, Tarot’s Tower card, and Oedipal father‑son power struggle. Discussion of the lighthouse as phallic/illumination symbol and the dangers of forbidden knowledge.

* Ambiguity of Reality – Mermaids, tentacles, and protean transformations could be hallucinations from isolation/alcoholism or literal supernatural events. Film never confirms either way.

* Power Dynamics & Gaslighting – Willem Dafoe’s character as a protean manipulator, constantly shifting stories, recontextualizing events, and gaslighting Pattinson’s character. Control shifts over the film, culminating in Pattinson’s dominance.

* Masculinity, Loneliness & Bodily Needs – Honest depiction of male isolation: sexual frustration, homoerotic tension, alternating intimacy and violence. Alcohol as both bonding agent and destructive force.

* Confession & Storytelling – Characters share past sins obliquely; Defoe’s accounts are artful and mutable, Pattinson’s more direct. Raises questions about identity, memory, and self‑narrative.

* Ending & Interpretation – Pattinson gains access to the light in a final act akin to mythic theft of divine fire, followed by a Promethean punishment: lying on the rocks, entrails eaten by gulls. Ambiguity remains—hallucination or reality?

Join this week’s guest Centaur Write Satyr author of the Underground Designs Substack and I on the sixth episode of In Kino Veritās — a podcast where the guest picks a film, we both watch, and discuss.

We don’t simply review films but dive deep into their themes, characters and cultural context. In this episode we explore the 1992 Comedy-Horror film Army of Darkness. A film that’s simply fun & doesn’t take itself to seriously. We enjoy the madness and let the conversation divagate as we please.

Be sure to check Centaur’s new book!

Where you can stream Army of Darkness

(Use your local library to get a physical copy for free)

Main Points

* Who’s Centaur Write Satyr? Substack essayist on aesthetics-meets-politics (“werewolf takeover,” Super Bowl conspiracies, parenting), co-author with Plebe de Maistre, just released the satire novel Pandemonia.

* Satyr’s film choice: Army of Darkness (1993) — Sam Raimi’s medieval horror-comedy; $11 M budget, theatrical cut 81 min; Bruce Campbell returns as chainsaw-handed Ash; legendary stop-motion and rubber-suit effects.

* Quick synopsis: Grumpy S-Mart clerk Ash is vortex-yeeted to 1300 AD, must recite “Klaatu Barada Nikto” to grab the Necronomicon and go home; flubs the words, unleashes his evil doppelgänger and a skeleton horde; rallies knights with 20th-century boomstick bravado.

* Spoilers past this point

* Three-Stooges slapstick meets Ray Harryhausen skeletons; a gag nearly every minute; practical gore ages better than early-’90s CGI.

* Pure genre-conflation fun—no Marvel-style wink—just chainsaws, quips, and “Hail to the king, baby.”

* Ash as everyman hero: Resourceful blue-collar survivor facing man vs book (Necronomicon), man vs self (evil Ash), then rescuing civilization with working-class ingenuity.

* Influence & legacy: Direct inspiration for Doom and Duke Nukem one-liners, Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead, James Gunn’s tonal mix, and Peter Jackson’s Helm’s Deep siege choreography.

* Practical-effects time capsule: Stop-motion skeleton army, split-screen twin Ash, and Oldsmobile catapult beats the dated CGI of contemporaries like Blade.

* Cousin films: Big Trouble in Little China, They Live, RoboCop, Starship Troopers, The Fifth Element—all mixing pulp action with satire.

* Favorite set pieces:• Windmill mirror-room and “tiny Ash” mayhem• Graveyard “Klaatu Barada… [n-word?]” flub• Medieval car-and-chemistry montage• Skeleton siege with exploding arrows and spinning sword-copter Oldsmobile• S-Mart finale shoot-out: “Shop smart—shop S-Mart!”

* Soundtrack shout-out: Joseph LoDuca’s heroic score + Danny Elfman’s “March of the Dead” give B-movie stakes A-level bombast.

* Personal parallels: Satyr once stashed weed in an Army of Darkness lunchbox; Theon discovered Ash memes online — both of us credit the film for valuing humor amid horror.

* Closing plugs: Read Satyr’s Pandemonium on Amazon; follow his Substack; subscribe to Ultimatum for more In Kino Veritas episodes.

Join this week’s guest Prester John Andrews author of Dispatches from the Golden Horde and I on the fifth episode of In Kino Veritās— a podcast where the guest picks a film, we both watch, and discuss.

We don’t simply review films but dive deep into their themes, characters and cultural context. In this episode we explore the 1982 Epic film Conan The Barbarian. Prima Facie a grug-brained action movie with a hulking Arnold as a powerful warrior — 1982’s Conan is so much more. A truly mythical film, even somewhat of a bildungsroman, we follow a man as he becomes Hero — a tale as old as time, yet as true as ever.

Where you can stream Conan The Barbarian

(Use your local library to get a physical copy for free)

Main Points

* Who’s Prester John Andrews? Author of Dispatches from the Golden Horde, host of The Xanadu Review, launching the history show Americana Obscura this fall.

* Prester’s film choice: Conan the Barbarian (1982) — John Milius direction, Oliver Stone co‑write, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s breakout and James Earl Jones as cult‑lord Thulsa Doom.

* Quick synopsis: Orphaned Cimmerian forged on the “Wheel of Pain” seeks vengeance on the snake cult that slew his parents, crossing a mythic pre‑Bronze‑Age world of sorcery, steel and collapsing city‑states.

* Spoilers past this point

* Film’s vibe: last gasp of “old Hollywood” epic (think Ben‑Hur) dropped into early‑’80s new‑Hollywood grit; practical sets, rotoscoped spirits, Basil Poledouris’ thunderous score.

* Unflinching sincerity vs. later ’80s cynicism: no wink, no irony — every line (“What is best in life?”) played straight.

* Howard’s Hyborian Age as post‑collapse mirror: scattered cults, decadent city‑states, looming change—echoes of today’s post‑Bretton‑Woods liminality.

* Riddle of Steel vs. Doom’s “flesh” doctrine: steel alone is useless without the will that wields it; Conan’s final victory fuses both truths as he breaks his father’s sword to slay Doom.

* Civilization ↔ barbarism trade‑off: safety vs. freedom. Snake‑cult order demands cannibal ritual; Conan’s tribe keeps honor amid chaos. Parallels to corporate tech vs. startup scrappiness.

* Arnold as living myth: Austrian farm boy → world‑champion bodybuilder → Hollywood king → governor. Film launches the archetype that culminates in Terminator 2.

* Supporting archetypes:• Subotai – wiry steppe thief, loyal “ride‑or‑die” brother.• Valeria – warrior‑lover who fights demons and dies for Conan.• Mako’s Wizard – comic chorus, healer, bridge to the supernatural.

* Favorite set pieces: “Tree of Woe” crucifixion, hall‑of‑flesh stew, spirit‑armor resurrection, final flaming temple collapse.

* Soundtrack shoutout: “Anvil of Crom,” “Wheel of Pain” and “Riders of Doom” still top workout playlists.

* Personal parallels: both of PJ and I cooked in high‑pressure kitchens — binary success/failure akin to Conan’s battlefield and startup life.

* Closing plugs: check out Americana Obscura when it releases; read Dispatches from the Golden Horde; subscribe to Ultimatum for the next In Kino Veritas episode.

Join this week’s guest ringleader and I on the fourth episode of In Kino Veritās— a podcast where the guest picks a film, we both watch, and discuss.

We don’t simply review films but dive deep into their themes, characters and cultural context. In this episode we explore the 1968 Sci-fi film The Planet of the Apes. Released in the tumultuous year of 1968, the film captivated audiences with it’s depiction of a far-away topsy-turvy world wherein apes rule & man has been reduced to a mute yahoo. Through this lens, we’re challenged to reconsider our prior notions and recontextualize our place in the world.

Be sure to check ringleader’s new book!

Where you can stream The Planet of the Apes

(Use your local library to get a physical copy for free)

Main Points

* Who’s ringleader? Author of the Dog and Pony Show Substack, Tortuga Society member, debut book The Aping American now live on Amazon.

* Ringleader’s film choice: Planet of the Apes (1968): opened 1 day before MLK’s assassination, a timing that sharpened its “race-war on the big screen” reputation.

* Quick synopsis: Astronaut Taylor crashes on a wasteland where apes rule and mute humans are hunted. Proving he can speak brands him a heretic; the final Statue-of-Liberty reveal shows mankind nuked itself into oblivion.

* Spoilers past this point

* Slow-burn prologue: 30 minutes of desert trekking, time-dilation angst, and Taylor’s cynical flag-plant gag (“the U.S. is 2,000 years dead”) set the tone.

* Practical-effects love: latex ape masks beat modern CGI; Utah vistas sell the hard-sci-fi horror. Budget constraints (no high-tech ape metropolis) accidentally intensify the post-nuclear vibe.

* Race allegory vs. nuclear cautionary tale: Boulle’s novel leans racial; Rod Serling’s rewrite shifts to hubris-of-man and anti-fundamentalism themes.

* Order vs. Truth: Cornelius & Zira’s youthful scientism collides with Dr. Zaius’ “stability at any cost” conservatism. Is Zaius villain or sorrowful guardian?

* Religion subplot: orangutan priest-class uses myth to keep society calm; film critiques fundamentalism without caricature.

* Reverse-Genesis frame: humanity falls from Edenic dominion to hunted beast; Forbidden Zone = inverted Garden banishment.

* Taylor’s arc: misanthropic rugged individualist forced to accept tribal identity when apes brand him an animal — his contempt makes the twist more tragic.

* Book vs. film digression: original novel features ape UN, human zoo-celebrity, space-age tech; later sequels mine these ideas.

* Fun moments: “see/hear/speak no evil” judges (studio-mandated gag); Taylor’s boomer quip “Don’t trust anyone over 30.”

* Contemporary resonance: algorithmic feeds as new Forbidden Zone; hippie idealists eventually “get in line,” mirroring Cornelius & Zira.

* Closing stinger: Ringleader reads “American Savagery,” Kanto I of his poem cycle “American Empire.”

* Visit the Tortuga Publishing page for links to Ringleader’s work.

Join this week’s guest Rajeev Ram and I on the third episode of In Kino Veritās— a podcast where the guest picks a film, we both watch, and discuss.

We don’t simply review films but dive deep into their themes, characters and cultural context. In this episode we explore the 2014 Marvel film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The film was released during Marvel Mania of the 2010s but looking beneath the comic book facade lies a film hitting on many trenchant cultural points for the time. Namely, patriotism vs a fleeting trust with national authority figures, friendship & trust as both vectors for strength and manipulation, Millennial attitudes, and the end of the Post-WWII consensus.

Be sure to check out our upcoming Tortuga Book club!

Where you can stream Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Use your local library to get a physical copy for free)

Main Points

* Who’s Rajeev Ram? Writer of The Cactus Brahmin Testimonials, member of leadership for the Tortuga Society

* Mention of Tortuga Society’s upcoming book club on Pillars of the Earth

* Rajeev’s film choice: Captain America: The Winter Soldier — a Marvel movie with unexpected ideological weight

* Quick synopsis: Captain America wakes up in a technocratic surveillance state infiltrated by Hydra and faces off against a brainwashed best friend

* Spoilers past this point

* Rajeev justifies choosing a Marvel film: late millennial nostalgia, ideological gravitas, and Robert Redford’s stoic villainy

* The Russo brothers’ pedigree (Community, Arrested Development) and millennial tonal signature

* Project Insight as allegory for the surveillance state and Patriot Act anxieties

* Theon on epistemic uncertainty and institutional betrayal—especially through Black Widow’s arc

* Rajeev reflects on growing up loyal to cosmopolitan institutions that now feel hollow

* Shift from clean-cut patriotism in First Avenger to institutional ambiguity in Winter Soldier

* Black Widow’s disillusionment mirrors the millennial "are we the baddies?" moment

* The generational rupture: late millennials as the last to remember the old American consensus

* Opening scenes as metaphor for millennial cultural dislocation and lost bearings

* 2014–2015 as hinge moment: rise of populism, democratic socialism, woke, and the alt-right

* Rajeev: individual heroism becomes complicated in an age of corporate-state fusion (Google, Facebook, etc.)

* Theon on Bucky’s path as narrative about breaking free from mythologized history

* No easy answers: even Nick Fury, Natasha, and Cap left grappling with the ruins

* Captain America’s arc: from institutional loyalist to principled radical

* Contrast with Iron Man’s arc: from playboy rebel to pro-institution advocate

* Ambiguous threats = ambiguous ethics; no more clear “Nazis vs. America” morality

* Theon jokes about Alex Jones vibes in Hydra’s infiltration plot

* Falcon as ideal friend: unshakable loyalty despite his own burdens

* Friendship as an enduring anchor when institutions fail

* Rajeev: Falcon is the kind of loyal companion political culture no longer knows how to write

* Theon on how friendship, loyalty, and moral complexity were lost in later Marvel films

* How the film watches in 2025: less resonance for Zoomers, more nostalgia for millennials

* Zoomer cynicism vs. millennial disillusionment: two different inheritances

* Rajeev: 2010s as painful awakening; Zoomers enter the world already disenchanted

* Theon sees Winter Soldier as elegy for a fading consensus—before the full unraveling

* Lament for post-WWII order and the confusion that follows its collapse

* Rajeev on the “burn it down” instinct: emotionally satisfying but socially complex

* Theon: Zoomers may misread early scenes (e.g., interracial harmony) as naive conservatism

* Rajeev: appreciation for nuance of that era; some millennials still stuck in it

* Millennials caught between crumbling ideals and emerging cynicism

* Where do we go after we burn it down? No easy replacements for lost institutions

* Rajeev’s disillusionment with academia; COVID as final blow to its authority

* Theon proposes curated, smaller communities as potential future learning hubs (e.g., Tortuga Society)

* Rajeev agrees: Pillars of the Earth and pre-Renaissance church corruption offer useful parallels

* Captain America as outdated hero archetype—Falcon and the Winter Soldier shows fragmentation of narrative

* Theon: collective disorientation birthed the Substack exodus and search for epistemic clarity

* Rajeev: we are all “soldiers in the middle of winter” trying to stay loyal to something

* The film as a generational mirror more than timeless cinema

* Value of openness over fixed ideology in navigating collapse

* Theon on conscientiousness: a tool, not an identity—used when stakes justify the pain

* Rajeev: hope that this discussion gives Marvel content a new interpretive frame beyond good vs. evil

* Theon, intrigued by Winter Soldier, now considers watching Civil War

* Rajeev recommends Age of Ultron as connective tissue—peak Marvel sociopolitical arc

* Debate on Civil War: Rajeev aligns with Cap—anti-authority, pro-individual trust

* Theon compares “Project Insight” to Death Note: algorithmic executions justified for the greater good

* Rajeev: anti-heroes like Black Widow, Zuko (Avatar), and Karna (Mahabharata) reveal power tensions

* Anti-heroes as vessels of complicated moral insight and practical power

* Closing thoughts: gratitude, book club plug, and invitation to rewatch Winter Soldier with new eyes

* Look forward to next episode!

Join this week’s guest Walt Bismarck and I on the second episode of In Kino Veritās— a podcast where the guest picks a film, we both watch, and discuss.

We don’t simply review films but dive deep into their themes, characters and cultural context. In this episode we explore the late 2014 film Gone Girl. A film rich in subtext and meaningful perspectives…

Join me & Ancient Problemz on the inaugural episode of In Kino Veritās—a podcast where the guest picks a film, we both watch, and discuss.

We don’t simply review films but dive deep into their themes, characters and cultural context. In this episode we explore the late 90s hitman film Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai and it’s parallels to the 60s neo-noir film Le Samouraï.

P.S. I’ve purchased an actual Mic & have the format figured out for future eps. Thanks!

Edit:

Jarlis suggested I include some information on where you can watch Ghost Dog and Le Samouraï. Personally I just use my local library ;)

Main Points

* Welcome and opening remarks

* Introduction by Theon Ultima (author at Ultimatum, co-owner of the Tortuga Society)

* Announcement of the inaugural episode of In Kino Veritās

* In Kino Veritās’ format (guest picks a film, then discussion)

* Introduction of guest Ancient Problemz

* Who’s Ancient Problemz? What does he write about on Substack?

* Episode structure: high-level, spoiler-free chat followed by a deep dive with warning

* Problemz’s film choice: Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog and its kinship with Le Samouraï (Theon’s first essay’s inspiration).

* Thematic parallels: Bushidō code, lone hitman, flailing mafia

* Quick synopsis: 90s hip-hop hitman meets medieval samurai ethos vs. geriatric mob

* Spoilers past this point

* Problemz’s first impressions and personal viewing history of Ghost Dog

* Broader 90s cinema context: American Beauty, film noir’s evolution

* Exploration of 90s cultural undercurrents: suburban malaise, “hyperreal” films (The Matrix, Thirteenth Floor)

* Contrast of mafia portrayals in film (satire in Ghost Dog vs. glamor in Goodfellas/The Sopranos)

* Discussion of samurai code themes and Rashomon’s solipsistic foil

* Jim Jarmusch’s stylistic hallmarks (use of silence) and mention of Broken Flowers, Paterson, Coffee & Cigarettes

* Tweet capturing the twilight-suburban vibe of American Beauty

* The 90s consumer boom and spiritual emptiness (rise of Starbucks, Food Network, etc.)

* Theory of 90s as end of “threat salience” and end-of-history mindset pre- and post-9/11

* Plot recap of Ghost Dog: doomed hit, daughter as witness, mafia’s change of heart, Ghost Dog’s loyalty

* Comparison of minimal plot vs. rich thematic focus in both films

* Theme of accepting fate/dharma versus the mafia’s self-preservation ethos

* The loneliness and sacrifice inherent in following an unbreakable code

* Taboo mentorship archetype (older samurai and young protégée) as a risk-taking metaphor

* Building networks of loyalty through “extras” (pigeons, ice-cream vendor, neighborhood constants)

* Value of peripheral human connections in daily life

* Quick poll of preferences: Ancient Problemz favors Ghost Dog; Theon favors Le Samouraï

* Bonus film rec: Vox Lux

* Look forward to next episode!