Sonic Cinema Podcast

Last year, it appeared that the greatest film composer of all-time, John Williams, might be retiring after "The Fabelmans" and "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." Now, we are not sure, but it's still a great time to honor the maestro whose music has led so many people to listening to film music. In this episode, I'm joined by Darin Lundberg from NostalgiaCast, Dr. Becky O'Brien, Danielle Solzman from Solzy and the Movies, and Kelly from Big Shiny Robot. I hope you enjoy!

The closing piece is "Ahsoka's Theme," composed by Brian Skutle, inspired by the work of John Williams.

**This podcast was recorded during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movies being covered here wouldn't exist.

Film preservation is vital to keeping film alive, and right now, we are at a perilous moment for the practice. Today's guest was on in 2022 as he launched a new streaming site for showing classic films as a part of Film Detective; this year, he is still in the film preservation industry, but with a new venture, Film Masters. Joining me once again is Phil Hopkins, and we discuss the challenges of restoring classic B-movies, some of the films that matter to him, and why a resource like "Mystery Science Theater 3000" can aid in passing films down. I hope you enjoy!

This ended up being a much deeper discussion than intended, but it is one worth listening to. Sexploitation cinema can mean selling sex for a number of reasons, and in my talk with Jason from Binge Movies, we run the gamut in terms of three of those reasons. Listen to us discuss the state of film criticism before diving into "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls", "Emmanuelle" and "The Blue Lagoon," and the sometimes-problematic ways they exploit our reasons for wanting sex on screen.

After a brief break, the Sonic Cinema Podcast returns, and with a guest that has been away for far too long. This time, independent filmmaker Chris Esper returns, and the subject is one of the godfathers of the American independent film movement as we know it, John Cassavetes. All of these were blind spots for both of us, as we discuss "Shadows," "Faces," "A Woman Under the Influence," as well as the modern independent filmmaker struggle along the way. I hope you enjoy!

One of my favorite films of the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival was the meditative sci-fi film, "Red Earth". On the night of its premiere, I had the chance to discuss it with director Georg Koszulinski, cinematographer Kate E. Hinshaw and producer Tiffany Albright, and it was great to discuss this complex film with them.

One of my early favorites from the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival came from watch Geoff Marslett's "Quantum Cowboys" ahead of the festival. As a result, I was able to set up some time prior to the film's screening at the festival to talk with the director and one of his producers, Melodie Sisk, about the film, and it was a great, expansive discussion. I hope you enjoy!

Continuing with the Western motif, the piece that plays at the end is my own "At Peace Under the Stars" (Reprise) from my 2007 album, "Sonic Visions of a New Old West".