Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

We're finally looking at the Daddy of all franchise movies, but this first Star Wars movie is nothing like the films that it inspired. It's simple, restless, and light on its feet, filled with an overwhelming sense of wonder and imagination. We discuss this movie as a work of "space fantasy", in the context of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Witcher, before diving into the narrative tools and magic tricks that make this a masterpiece.

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Discussion of Baptism of Fire, Chapter 5

Is this a chapter, a short story, or 14 scenes in a trench coat? Sapkowski dives into his new fellowship with the same glee as Ciri slaughtering a rude bystander. Dandelion receives a flesh wound, and Geralt almost drowns in guilt. Regis is exactly who we thought he was, but we have no idea what to make of Cahir. There's a delightful soup scene.

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Cam had a night alone and decided to watch a movie - and oh look, it turned out to be a fascinating Doctor Faustus retelling. So here's an episode discussing Oliver Stone's 1987 epic, Wall Street. Is Gordon Gekko an analogue for Mephistopheles or Satan? (Yes, both) How does the "greed" of this story compare to that of Faustus? (Hint: it makes the good doctor even more sympathetic). Martin Sheen also drops in to perfectly execute the Old Man role, and the final breaking point between Gekko and Fox pointedly echoes the homoeroticism of Marlowe's play. There's some discussion of American Psycho as well, and a deconstruction of the movie's ending, which pivots away from Marlowe and sees Faustus strike up a new, last-minute contract that leaves us with a message of hope, not divine punishment.

Cam's audiobook readings of classic short stories : cameronfucile.bandcamp.com

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Well, Maggie has the flu so we're doing a silly episode about one of those dreadful / delightful Christmas romance movies. Why is it so fun to watch bad movies with your friends and make jokes the whole time? What makes a Christmas movie 'rewatchable'?Will the American fetish for regency England ever die? Find out in this week's thrilling new episode of Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie!

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What's the difference between horror and true crime? The Strangers takes place in a house that you feel like you've lived in. Its characters are smart, but not geniuses, and the killers are shockingly, unnervingly ordinary. Every twist and turn feels possible, and relatable, and hopeless. It's a movie about fear, a cat and mouse game that denies you all the tropes and clichés that usually remind you that this is just a movie. Our discussion is an investigation, our attempt to find out what it is that makes this movie so unbelievably scary.

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Discussion of Baptism of Fire, Chapter 4

Well, it looks like our freaky new friend is a vampire. But after some discussion, we're not so sure that's a bad thing. Sapkowski shakes up our little fellowship and jettisons all the new characters, which sparks a debate about guest stars and the future of the series' ensemble. Maggie develops a theory about smoke and fire that helps to explain the book's title. Cam dives into war profiteering, exploitation, collateral damage.

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Consider this episode us lighting our bat signal over Gotham. The best artistic experience of the year is here. Our discussion is a 100% spoiler-free, full-throated recommendation of Martin McDonagh's (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, In Bruges) latest movie. Cam frames this recommendation through a comparison to Shakespeare, because this is somehow the best tragedy, comedy, and history we've seen in a long time. No one working today writes a better character study than McDonagh. Stop reading this and go buy tickets.

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This week's episode is a roundtable discussion about our evolving relationships with art. Maggie kicks us off with Picasso's 1907 painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. Tristan leads a discussion about his complicated relationship with Benvenuto Cellini's 16th-century sculpture, Perseus with the Head of Medusa. Cam rounds things out with his journey of finding, outgrowing, and rediscovering Shakespeare's Hamlet.

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We're finally discussing one of the greatest horror movies ever made, and to celebrate, we stayed at the inn attached to the original house in Kingsland, Texas. After our on-location intro - and immersive, terrifying late night rewatch - we jump into the film's unique burned out look and the predatory, restless camera work that is still so unsettling even decades later. Cam tries to puzzle out the suggestive, broken logic of all those bone decorations and twig sculptures. Maggie tackles the idea of TCM as a slasher and celebrates its unabashed passion for the horror genre. We discuss Leatherface in contrast with Michael Myers and break down what is arguably the greatest murder weapon in all of horror. Cam wraps things up with his theory that Grandpa might be a vampire.

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Discussion of Baptism of Fire, Chapter 3

Last chapter we were sneaking through a war zone, and this chapter adds monsters and magic to the equation. Our fellowship's fears and philosophies get more complex, and Sapkowski continues to hammer the Tolkien echoes. We don't just read about isolationism and the suspicion of strangers – he provokes those uncomfortable feelings within us. As Geralt's mission falters, we discuss the psychological implications of his bad decision-making.

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