Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

Popcorn movies. Fun movies. Entertaining movies. These are the types of films that we take for granted. They're not the types of films that we usually give awards to, but that doesn't mean that they're easy to make. Predator: Badlands is masterfully engaging and relentlessly creative. In this episode, we're exploring the concept of a "fun factor" to find out what made this experience such a hooting, hollering good time.

LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram

Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

Does biting satire have to have a nihilistic ending? Do heroic victories undercut commentary about fascism? In this episode, we're taking a look at Edgar Wright's The Running Man, through the lenses of the following films: The Hunger Games, The Long Walk, One Battle After Another, Eddington, Gladiator II, and Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning.

LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram

Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

Stranger Things is a remarkable medley of genres we love, but is it more than just a collage of pop culture references and influences? In this episode, Cam argues that the show begins as a work of fantasy before evolving into science fiction and settling into the realm of horror. We trace this journey through the following subgenres: high fantasy, urban fantasy, military science fiction, hard sci-fi, dystopian sci-fi, kaiju sci-fi, apocalypse sci-fi, cosmic horror, body horror, Stephen King, haunted house horror, home invasion horror, and slashers.

LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram

Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

Black Ops 7 is a fascinating blunder, and a major step backwards for gaming's biggest franchise. In this episode, we're working through the ten best and worst features of the campaign. Topics include: narrative surrealism, the future of the genre, weapon balancing, adaptive difficulty, and the unconscionable absence of a pause button.

LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram

Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

There's so much to love about Terrifier: The ARTcade Game, but after playing through the demo a few times, there's a lot that makes us nervous too. In this episode, we're breaking down all these conflicted reactions. Topics include: signature weapons, enemy variety, hit detection, and the always-important fun factor.

LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram

Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

The death of Michael Berzatto is The Bear's inciting incident, but the character remains a regular part of the story through flashbacks and cutaways. What is the narrative effect of these repeated resurrections and deaths? In this episode, we're continuing our exploration of grief art with a discussion of story structure, repetition, memory, and Carmy's frighteningly familiar existential spiral.

LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram

Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

Black Phone 2 is an exceedingly strange sequel: shuffling up the narrative prominence of all the central characters, switching horror subgenres, and tossing out the first film's winning formula. These are all admirably big swings for the creative team to take, but the real sticking point for us is the ending, which breaks the cardinal rule of grief art.

LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram

Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

A year after its debut, we're taking an in-depth look at Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Beneath all the good faith (and bad faith) controversies, there's an interesting, immersive fantasy world here that is worth exploring. Topics include: character customization, combat expression, role playing, conflicting art styles, and the difference between writing good plot and writing good dialogue.

LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram

Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

We're honored to be joined by Hell House LLC creator Stephen Cognetti for this wide-ranging interview celebrating the release of his final film in the franchise. Topics include: ambiguous endings, creative closure, the sequel business, audience expectations, continuing the franchise in a new medium, and fascinating deep dives into the structure and pacing of a good horror movie. Hell House LLC Lineage is available to stream now on Shudder. Happy Halloween!

LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram

Feedback & Theories: [email protected]

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

For die-hard fans of horror and fantasy like us, Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein might just be the perfect film — and it's also almost certainly the best adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel ever made. In this episode, Cam leads us on a whirlwind tour through the source material's intimate relationship with Doctor Faustus and some of this rendition's most thrilling and thoughtful additions to that proud lineage. We also explore the film's kaleidoscopic structure within the frame of a familiar favorite, analyze Del Toro's sumptuous directorial style, and take a closer look at his (pun intended) Creature design.

LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram

Feedback & Theories: [email protected]