The Cinematic Schematic

With Hollywood movies like Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, Stephen Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, and even Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima, documenting the horrors of World World II in pop culture over the years, we must never forget the dire impacts the war had on families around the globe.

Families like the Black family. Patty was an American teenager living in the Philippines when she was escorted out of her home and into a prison camp. They told her she would only be there for three days. She didn't experience freedom for another three years.

In this special episode of The Cinematic Schematic, Jason Black, a film critic turned filmmaker, rejoins us to discuss his debut film, Our Flag Was Still There. The film will play at this weekend's DocOKC23 as part of The OKLAHOMA Doc Shorts Block.

Tune in to hear this rare and incredible story of a POW from a female perspective, including how this event reshaped the future of the Black family.

To paraphrase Lin Manuel's Hamilton, have you ever wondered what it's like to be in the building where it happened? Oklahomans can finally experience the rich history of the state capitol in The People's House: The Story of Oklahoma's Capitol.

In this special interview with returning guest Bryan Beasley, we discuss how his team put together the technically impressive four-minute Oklahoma state capitol drone tour. The film includes a visually spectacular ride through the House floor, Senate floor, Oklahoma Supreme Court, and other notable locations in the building.

Oklahoma residents can catch this exciting account of the state capitol's history at the second annual DocOKC documentary film festival on Friday, August 4th at 7 PM CDT as part of the OKLAHOMA Doc Shorts Block. The film will also air on OETA and eventually be shown in the Oklahoma State Capitol Museum.

Since the turn of the millennium, few filmmakers have shaped the state of cinema more than Christopher Nolan. For better or worse, the success of his Batman movies shaped the landscape in ways he did not intend. In this episode of The Cinematic Schematic, we're reviewing his newest film with distinct parallels to his career as a creator with the historical biopic Oppenheimer.

Mostly Harmless Media's Stephen Tyler and No Film School and The Cinematropolis contributor Jo Light join hosts Caleb Masters and Laron Chapman to provide a spoiler-free review of the film before diving into a spoiler-filled discussion.

The conversation starts with a lengthy ice-breaker discussion about our favorite Christopher Nolan films before discussing why the director has become such a beloved filmmaker among certain groups of cinephiles.

This historical biopic stars Cillian Murphy, among one of the largest ensemble casts of the year. The story follows the father of the atomic bomb. Robert Oppenheimer on his journey from academic to the leader of the top-secret Manhattan Project at Los Alamos. Most interestingly, the film explores the life and persecution of the scientist following the invention of one the most consequential innovations in human history.

Has Nolan done it again? Listen to the conversation for our in-depth review and analysis.

Oppenheimer is just one of the two major movies to open during "Barbenheimer," the fourth biggest weekend at the US box office and the largest audience turnout since the beginning of the pandemic. We'll continue our Barbenheimer coverage next week with Greta Gerwig's Barbie.

Don't forget to vote for your favorite movie between Barbie and Oppenheimer on Facebook, Twitter, or the Spotify app.

The world is changing. The use of AI is on the rise, a malevolent entity that can't be bargained with is looming in the shadows waiting for its chance to rewrite the future to its own means, and Tom Cruise appears to be the only maverick bold enough to do the unthinkable to protect his team. No, we aren't discussing last week's breaking news about the SAG-AFTRA strike. In today's episode of The Cinematic Schematic, Caleb and Laron are rejoined by Geek Girl Features Chelsea Ratterman and GoodTrash Media's Dalton Stuart to review Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1.

Before driving the proverbial motorcycle off the cliff into a spoiler-filled abyss, we start the show by revealing our plan to review the Barbie / Oppenheimer double feature. From there, we discuss the immediate and potential long-term impacts of SAG-AFTRA joining the ongoing Writer's Guild of America (WGA) strike. We then talk about the plethora of cinematic delights we've seen since going on our mid-summer break with takes on films including Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Farewell, The Flash, Asteroid City, and more.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it: tune into the episode, gather intelligence, and provide feedback through our social media channels. It's up to you, and you alone, listener, to complete this task.

Cinema has the power to tell the most important stories across topics. Politics, heroics, religion, and yes, sex. If it seems like American studio films have become somewhat sanitized related to the latter over the last decade, you aren't alone. Superhero films have become the dominant genre for big-budget films. As a result, even though the stars have become as chiseled as action figures, few studio movies have anything to say about getting down to the most primal business. To keep the conversation on the topic steamy, one film that played in the Sinful Sinema Shorts block at deadCenter earlier this month, She's Clean, provided a clever, refreshing, and more personable take on the oldest human tradition through comedy.

In the final interview of our deadCenter 2023 series, She's Clean writer/director/producer/star Jenn Harris joins the show to discuss what inspired her to explore the topic of sex in her short film. Additionally, she talks about how she approached finding humor and being vulnerable throughout the making of She's Clean.

Tune in to the conversation with Jenn to hear her take on why it's essential to develop sexual intimacy literacy and normalize sex across age groups through film.

Despite being celebrated by members of the black community in Texas for generations dating back to 1865 (two and a half years after The Emancipation Proclamation), Juneteenth was only just recognized as a federal holiday starting in 2021.

Being just north of Texas, Oklahoma is no stranger to the Juneteenth holiday. In addition to putting on the Juneteenth in East celebration last week and many more on June 19th, the state recognized the day with the documentary Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom at the deadCenter 2023 Film Festival.

In today’s deadCenter 2023 interview, the Juneteenth: Fath & Freedom team including director Ya'ke Smith, screenwriter/star Rasool Berry, and producer Mary Beth Minnis join The Cinematic Schematic to share how they approached telling the Juneteenth story from a faith-affirming perspective for viewers around the globe in the documentary.

Listen to this conversation with the Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom team to learn more about what the day of Jubilee in America means for Americans in 2023.

Movies about popular toys have been all the rage, and 2023 is no exception. Earlier this year, we got The Super Mario Bros. Movie, just last week Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hit theaters, and later this summer Warner Bros. Discovery will release Barbie. It turns out this was the future millennials wanted. Behind each toy is a story, especially Barbie, the most popular doll in the world. You all know her. She dates Ken, drives a pink convertible, and can never quite get down from her heels. But do you know her Afro-centric counterpart? No, I am not talking about Ballerina Cara, Sun Jewel Shani, or Beach Glam Nikki. I am talking about Black Barbie.

In today’s deadCenter 2023 interview, Black Barbie: A Documentary director/producer Lagueria Davis joins the show to discuss what makes Barbie such a powerful icon. She will also dive into how she unearthed the stories behind the history of Black Barbie through her incredible access to industry change makers like Kitty Black Perkins.

Tune in to the conversation with Lagueria to hear why this is a must-see documentary before this summer's Barbie movie.

Talk about body dysmorphia has recently picked up steam in the media. In reality, an overwhelming number of people in America are experiencing various conditions related to body weight, gender, and shape. Furthermore, The Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience reports at least 1 in 5 people experience body dysmorphia in the United States. Many experts go as far as to call that estimate conservative. This leads us to Body Electric, a film exploring the increasingly universal experience of body dysmorphia through the highly personal perspective of the director, Nick Demos.

The story centers on Demos' life after turning 45. Despite carrying the value of body positivity, aging in the queer community can often have negative feelings. In any event, Demos goes as far as to say, "The queer culture, particularly gay men, are obsessed with youth and beauty."

In today’s deadCenter 2023 interview, Demos joins The Cinematic Schematic to talk about how he approached being vulnerable in this highly personal story about body dysmorphia.

Listen to this conversation with Nick to learn more about how his experience with body dysmorphia extends to people from all walks of life, and how he overcame it.

In the history of film, there are only a handful of iconic movies about a good rodeo. Fewer still are stories about black cowboys. Outside of 2021's The Harder They Fall, you're hard-pressed to name many others from the last decade. Riding Legacy, a new documentary that debuted at least weekend's deadCenter Film Festival is a film determined to change that trend.

In today’s deadCenter 2023 interview, Riding Legacy co-director Kian Taylor joins the show to talk about what drew him to tell the story of black cowboy rodeos in Oklahoma, including why this group deserves better representation in the Sooner state.

According to Taylor, riding in a rodeo requires focus, endurance, and an impressive amount of athleticism every bit as much as playing basketball in the NBA. Furthermore, the documentary aims to prove there's value in both the sport and the media representation in the black Oklahoma cowboy community.

Listen to the full interview with Taylor to learn more about the Oklahoma cowboy and rodeo scene. Keep up with where you can see Riding Legacy next by following the film on Facebook and Instagram.