The Cinematic Schematic

After thirteen years it’s time to dust off the 3D glasses and reignite our hunt for unobtainium because in this episode of The Cinematic Schematic we’re reviewing the long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar: The Way of Water. The world of filmgoing has changed considerably since James Cameron followed up his smash hit Titanic (1997) with another box office monster, Avatar, in 2009. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the superhero genre have become the dominant blockbusters, tech companies and streamers like Netflix have acquired Hollywood studios and disrupted the way audiences access movies, and the visual effects technology pioneered for the first film has influenced the entire industry both positively and negatively. One could argue the “implosion” of Hollywood predicted by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas in 2013 has come to pass with fewer films filling theater schedules and audiences requiring bigger and bigger spectacles to demand their attention. Franchise IPs (intellectual properties) are the new movie stars making the current landscape for experienced auteur filmmakers like Cameron a less surefire bet, especially when you consider the first of his four planned Avatar sequels, The Way of Water, is costing 20th Century Pictures/Disney between $350-450 million before marketing costs. All of this would normally be concerning for any reasonable studio executive if not for […]

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Thirteen years ago, James Cameron, the acclaimed director of Titanic, Terminator 1 & 2, The Abyss, and Aliens, released his most ambitious passion project yet – Avatar(2009), a film featuring the fictional alien race named “Na’vi,” set on their home planet of Pandora. Starring relative no-name turned “it” guy, Sam Worthington alongside Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Stephen Lang, and Giovanni Ribisi; the film was praised for its groundbreaking 3D visual effects before becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time($2.9 billion as of this recording). Despite its initial runaway success including the announcement of four sequels(you can track the entire history of those announcements here), the series has since undergone backlash from audiences with some even arguing it lacks meaningful cultural relevance. In preparation for the long-awaited sequel releasing later this week, The Cinematic Schematic is taking a trip back to the planet’s tree of souls (AKA Eywa) to determine whether or not the film has earned its status as box office king. Joining us to revisit Avatar ahead of the long-awaited sequel are The Cinematropolis contributor, Daniel Bokemper, and former Sound Trek host, Alexandra Bohannon, the latter of whom has not seen the original film. After breaking the […]

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From Rian Johnson’s upcoming Benoit Blanc sequel, Glass Onion, to David Fincher’s adaptation of his late father’s script, Mank; Netflix is known for giving top directors near unprecedented budgets and creative freedom for the awards season films. Oscar-winning genre king Guillermo del Toro is the latest auteur to team with the streamer for his biggest passion project, a stop motion animated feature film adaptation of the puppet turned real boy, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. The Shape of Water and Blade II director has reportedly been trying to make this movie since at least 2008, previously saying “no art form has influenced my life and my work more than animation and no single character in history has had as deep of a personal connection to me as Pinocchio”, and “I’ve wanted to make this movie for as long as I can remember.” While his love for the story is admirable, what left is there to be said about a story that’s already been adapted dozens of times, including once earlier this year at Disney? In today’s episode of The Cinematic Schematic, host Caleb Masters is rejoined by Daniel Bokemper and Christopher Shultz to review this fresh take on Pinocchio from the […]

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In August 2020, we mourned the unexpected passing of the wildly talented and now iconic Chadwick Boseman. His quiet struggle with colon cancer had taken not just one of the most promising performers of our time, but also the most famous black superhero in the world. Co-stars, collaborators, and fans from countries across the globe commemorated his life and celebrated his movies. T’Challa, king of Wakanda and a key ally to the Avengers, was gone. How could the Black Panther story continue without its lead character who had just redefined what was possible in big-screen comic movies through the success of 2018’s Black Panther? This tragedy created a seemingly impossible challenge for writer/director Ryan Coogler to overcome. How could he pay tribute to the king, continue telling the next chapter of Wakanda, and deliver a satisfying conclusion to this phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) on a timeline the Disney/Marvel execs would accept? In this episode of The Cinematic Schematic, we’re joined by first-time guest, Korey Eakers, and returning hosts Laron Chapman and Chelsea Ratterman to discuss how well Coogler managed these challenges in our review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. We start the conversation with our spoiler-free review where […]

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But the truth is, evil doesn’t die. It changes shape. Laurie Strode Lock your doors, check the candy, and prepare to feel the fear of studio executive boogymen willing to butcher good storytelling to make a buck in the conclusion of the Blumhouse-produced and David Gordon Green-directed Halloween Ends. In this episode of The Cinematic Schematic, hosts Caleb Masters and Laron Chapman are joined by guests Christopher Shultz and film studies educator and OKC councilperson James Cooper return to Haydenfield, IL to finish the latest final face-off between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers. We start by answering this week’s icebreaker question, “What mask or Halloween costume always gives you chills?” before providing our spoiler-free reviews. We close out the conversation with an in-depth spoiler-filled analysis discussion. In 2018, we were very positive about Halloween (2018), but after a few years’ distance from the hype and a widely maligned sequel, Halloween Kills, do we think there are still ideas left in David Gordon Green’s premise? Special Guests James Cooper Oklahoma City Councilperson, OCU English and Modern Languages Artist in Residence, film studies professor (OFCC) Follow James @jamesforokc on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram For Ward 2 matters, James can be contacted at [email protected] Christopher Shultz Contributor, The […]

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The Cinematic Schematic celebrates this year’s spooky movie season by looking back at the 2022 horror films you should consider watching before all hallows’ eve. Host Caleb Masters is joined by The Cinematropolis’s Daniel Bokemper and guest host Dalton Stuart from GoodTrash Media to discuss a few of this year’s 2022 horror movie highlights including Ti West‘s X/Pearl double feature and the chilling indie horror Watcher. We conclude this episode with an in-depth spoiler-filled discussion of the recent sleeper hit from sketch comedy writer, Zach Cregger, Barbarian. Does Barbarian actually reach the heights of an instant classic? Tune in to hear our thoughts on all things 2022 horror and let us know your thoughts by commenting below or by sending us an email to [email protected]. Dalton Stuart Co-host of the GoodTrash Genrecast and GoodTrash Media co-founder Follow GoodTrash Media on Twitter @Good_Trash Daniel Bokemper Contributor at The Cinematropolis Follow Daniel on Twitter @Daniel_Bokemper PODCAST DISCUSSION TIME STAMPS 0:20 – Introductions 4:50 – X Spoiler-Free Review 32:24 – Pearl Spoiler-Free Review 49:44 – Watcher Spoiler-Free Review 106:24 – Rapid-Fire Round – Other 2022 Horror Movies 113:04 – Barbarian Spoiler-Filled Review/Analysis Discussion Movie #1 – X – Available to buy/rent VOD According to IMDB, X […]

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The Lord of the Rings fans celebrate! Today we’re sharing a special bonus episode of our host Caleb Masters’s House of the Dragon podcast, The Cast Beyond the Wall, reviewing the first two episodes of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power TV series with The Cinematropolis‘s own Daniel Bokemper. If you enjoy this conversation, please consider rating The Cast Beyond the Wall on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and if you’re a fan of Game of Thrones or The Rings of Power, make sure to subscribe to the Westerosi discussions on your preferred podcast app. In this bonus episode of The Cast Beyond the Wall, hosts Caleb Masters and Daniel Stull are rejoined by guest Daniel Bokemper from The Cinematropolis to review the first two episodes of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The conversation starts with a discussion about each host’s relationship to the works of Tolkien before they provide a review of the series premiere episodes, “A Shadow of the Past,” and “Adrift.” We close the show by discussing whether we’ll stick with The Rings of Power for the long haul. Today’s podcast topics include: What’s our take on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original works and Peter Jackson’s trilogy 20 years […]

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The Cinematic Schematic podcast is back to put a pin in this summer’s movie season with an August 2022 movie review round-up that includes a look at Prey, Bullet Train, and Bodies Bodies Bodies. Special guests Dalton Stuart and Charles Elmore join Laron Chapman and host Caleb Masters in providing their thoughts on each film before doing a rapid-fire round covering several other movies from this summer. They then conclude the conversation by selecting their most anticipated movies remaining in 2022. Did the August 2022 movie slate send the summer off with a bang, or did popcorn cinema’s biggest time of the year end with a thud? Tune in to hear the full conversation! Special Guests Laron Chapman Award-winning Oklahoma filmmaker Follow Laron on Instagram @blackmoviemagicokc Dalton Stuart Co-host of the GoodTrash Genrecast and GoodTrash Media co-founder Follow GoodTrash Media on Twitter @Good_Trash Charles Elmore Oklahoma Filmmaker, OFCC member Follow Charles on Instagram @chazelmore_dop Movie #1 – Prey According to IMDB, Prey is described as: The origin story of the Predator in the world of the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. Naru, a skilled warrior, fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly-evolved Predators to land on Earth. Now streaming […]

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