Sonic Cinema Podcast

It's that time again. Amanda Spears returns to discuss the Oscars and help predict the winners. I also share my 10 Best list for 2023. I hope you enjoy!

In the first episode of the podcast in 2024, I bring back Phil Fasso to discuss an actor he has always loved, Joseph Cotten. As we went through George Cukor's "Gaslight", Carol Reed's "The Third Man" and Alfred Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt", we get an idea of his full range as an actor, and wonder further why he feels so underrated. I hope you enjoy!

To wrap up the 2023 season of the podcast, I'm pleased to bring a different type of guest for a different type of discussion. The subjects are the 1975 and 2004 adaptations of Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives. The guest bringing the discussion to the podcast is Ella Dawson, a culture critic, blogger and author whom I wanted to have on to get her ideas on the ways movies bring relationship issues to the screen. The result is a fascinating look at perspective, adaptation and how society at the time influenced both films. I hope you enjoy!

The last few months have been rough in terms of getting podcasts recorded- you'll notice that November had no episodes released. The truth is, with my new work schedule, as well as my review schedule, it's hard to watch stuff for the podcast as well. But I hope to get back in the habit for 2024.

That said, for now, I've got a couple of great episodes to finish up on. We're starting with a long-in-gestation discussion about James Wan's 2018 superhero film, "Aquaman". I have some very particular opinions on this, and the DCEU, as well, and it was great to bring back Darin Lundberg from NostalgiaCast and Kevin the Critic to the podcast. They do a lot of heavylifting, and I'm so grateful. I hope you enjoy!

To close my October, I am so pleased to share this discussion. World cinema is important to look at as a way of exploring the breadth of cinema. Vietnamese cinema is something I have not really delved into...until now. My guest is Nguyen Le, a Vietnamese critic who can be found at various places, and hopes to bring more recognition to his home country's films. For this episode, we talk about the Vietnamese film industry before focusing in on three different entries in Vietnamese horror cinema, 2004's "Spirits" and 2014's "Hollow" and "Vengeful Heart." I hope you enjoy!

The closing piece is "The Cold Wind of Horror", composed by Brian Skutle, from my album, "The Cold Wind of Horror".

As we begin our month of horror at the podcast, frequent guest Phil Fasso and I decided to take a different perspective on the genre. Inspired by two big swings at bringing Dracula to the screen, our discussion today centers on the history of Bram Stoker's Prince of Darkness onscreen, and why the iconic ones stand out to us. The piece at the end of the episode is "The Dreadful Tick of Time," from my forthcoming album, "The Cold Wind of Horror," coming out at Bandcamp on Friday, October 13, 2023.

With so many unknown films right now, what does it mean to have Oscar buzz? Do any films actually have Oscar buzz? In a bit of a change from what I was planning, and what we typically do when it comes to the Oscars, I bring back Amanda Spears to talk about Barbenheimer, filmmakers making movies for Oscar consideration, "Dune" delay theories and what could- or could not- get nominated. It's a wild discussion.

**About halfway into the episode, my audio starts to get fuzzy. But everything is still intelligible.

This is another episode I've been looking forward to for a year or so. John Frankenheimer is one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time, but also someone who doesn't get their due respect. In the 1960s he directed a trilogy of thrillers that delve into the anxieties of a changing political and societal landscape, and in preparing for this episode, they all continue to exert a hold now, and feel very relevant in their own ways. Join myself and actor Timothy J. Cox as we discuss "The Manchurian Candidate", "Seven Days in May" and "Seconds". I hope you enjoy!

The closing piece is Brian's End Credits track for the short film, "The Case: Running Deadman."