Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

We're partying like it's 1999 with a classic indie horror juggernaut: The Blair Witch Project. This one's all about the unparalleled sense of immersion and intentionality offered by found footage horror. We also look at the unusual production of the movie and how it enhanced that palpable 'realism' on-screen. Cam offers a theory about the film's controversial choice not to show the witch at the end of the movie - spoiler alert, he thinks they kinda did show the witch at the end of the movie. We close with a discussion of reverse echoes to better understand how Blair Witch might have influenced HBO's True Detective.

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Here are the links to watch / listen to Cam's performance of this short story before you tune in to our discussion:

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT5DFzfGxtM

SPOTIFY: https://spoti.fi/3FJKWC1

In just over 400 words, more than a century ago, Mark Twain constructed the perfect fable for our current moment. With a handful of talking animals and a painting that we never actually see, he stages our reactionary, polarized media landscape, the tremendously powerful influencers and tastemakers that dominate our cultural discourse, the unending stream of soulless reboots and unfaithful adaptations that haunt our theaters, the ravages of late stage capitalism - and through it all, even in the darkest moments, the astonishing power of art.

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Cam's Work: https://www.cameronfucile.com/

We're finally talking about the Saw franchise, and trying to answer the question, what makes a great Saw film? Actors, aesthetics, melodrama, creativity – there's a secret sauce to these movies that's surprisingly difficult to pin down. Our discussion covers all 9 films. Here's a little recap for anyone who's a little rusty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7gvPFnej8w

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Cam's Work: https://www.cameronfucile.com/

Discussion of Baptism of Fire, Chapter 2

Yeehaw! We're back in the saddle with The Witcher again. This chapter is a perfect cocktail of dwarves, casualties of war, and old man Geralt. With war waging all around our characters, Geralt's cold non-intervention is suddenly everywhere. It's an on-the-ground navigation of the problem of evil that gives us unparalleled insight into his character. We also notice a slow avalanche of Tolkien echoes and pointed pivots that turn the fantasy genre on its ear while reaffirming its foundational humanity. We finally find out what Maggie had for breakfast this morning.

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YouTube: Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

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Cam's Work: https://www.cameronfucile.com/

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 10: "The Black Queen"

Happy 200th episode to us! And to celebrate, HBO has kindly coordinated the season finale of House of the Dragon for this week. It's our tenth episode, which also means it's the tenth pilot episode. We walk through all the echoes and bookends with the series premiere – crownings, miscarriages, and a rogue Daemon. We debate Lucerys' death and Aemond's culpability (since most of our listeners think it was "an accident"). Finally, we try to figure out the exact moment in this episode where the show hit its stride and finally caught up with Game of Thrones. Maggie continues to champion incest, and someone other than Cam finally brings up Faustus.

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Indie success stories are the best stories, and Terrifier 2 is a certified, blood-splattered, runaway hit, dethroning Top Gun: Maverick and breaking box office records in its second week in theaters. But there's more to this story.

Damien Leone's signature creation, Art the Clown, is not just an inventive modern horror icon and a glorious, singular creative vision - he is a beacon of artistic expression. Art is making art truly fearless and dangerous again. He is a snarling, joyful, deliriously evil antidote to the silly moral panics that genuinely threaten creative freedom, a shining refutation to all those pearl-clutching arguments about 'gratuitous' sex and violence. We celebrate the spectacular success of Terrifier 2 in this puritanical climate and discuss the previous two movies in the franchise, Terrifier and All Hallow's Eve. All hail Art the Clown!

GET TICKETS FOR TERRIFIER 2 NOW: https://www.terrifier2themovie.com/

WATCH ALL HALLOW'S EVE [free]: https://tubitv.com/movies/391450/all-hallows-eve?start=true

WATCH TERRIFIER [free]: https://tubitv.com/movies/559020/terrifier?start=true

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Cam's Work: https://www.cameronfucile.com/

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 9: "The Green Council"

What do you do when your big shocking twist becomes expected? Every season of Game of Thrones faced the titanic expectations and pressures of 'the big ninth episode,' and House of the Dragon is no different. We start with some surprising parallels with lesser known GOT Episode 9s. We also discuss the latest format shift for the show, settling into one group of characters in one place at one time. Villains become human and hatred festers before our eyes. We turn to Rhaenys and try to figure out why she spared the usurpers, and whether she had any other option. Maggie continues to find sympathy for Alicent, and Cam and Tristan find an uneasy empathy for Aegon and Aemond. We close with a discussion of Viserys' absence and the tonal future of the show going into Season 2.

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Discussion of Baptism of Fire, Chapter 1

The world of The Witcher doesn't have phones, or the internet, or mail, or even owls. So instead, this chapter follows the game of telephone that twists and tangles every new development throughout this war. Dijkstra gets promoted from spymaster to chess grandmaster, surpassing even Varys and Littlefinger. Ciri is viewed from a distance as a shadow of Geralt and possible villain. We discuss Philippa's idea that the world will fall apart without magic. Yennefer is late for the magical Zoom call. Cam doesn't know how wine works.

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YouTube: Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

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Cam's Work: https://www.cameronfucile.com/

Discussion of House of the Dragon, Season 1, Episode 8: "The Lord of the Tides"

Remember when we were worried that Viserys had been narratively demoted and we weren't going to see much of him anymore? lol. Well, if Paddy Considine doesn't win an Emmy for this episode, then none of the Seven Gods are real. We explore this episode as a variation on grief art and discuss the much more harrowing representation of disease and decline versus just death and its ripple effects. We also parse the symbology of Viserys' gold crown and gold mask to find out why he finally feels like a king here. Next we investigate Daemon's apparent hero arc in contrast to his impotent past. At the same time, all three of us finally see Alicent's side in this whole mess. We discuss Rhaenys' royal past and possible future. Cam concludes his Macbeth investigation by finding a surprise double rug pull in the show's remixing of Macbeth's death. We also review the surprising results of some listeners' polls, and briefly discuss Goodfellas.

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Cam's Work: https://www.cameronfucile.com/

What is canon, and does it matter? Join us for a wide-ranging discussion of adaptations, sequels, retcons, and franchises. We consider 3 possible definitions of "canon" and a bevy of messy, complicated examples, including Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Batman, Steven King, The West Wing, Winnie the Pooh, and the wide world of Tolkien-related properties. No homework required, this one's just a podcast.

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Cam's Work: https://www.cameronfucile.com/