The Cinematic Schematic

The Cinematic Schematic returns after a short hiatus to wrangle the Shai-Hulud sandworms in our review of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part 1. The podcast can’t discuss the feud between rival houses Atrieus and Harkonnen without the proper guests. Joining the show today are No Film School‘s Jo Light, the GoodTrash Genrecast‘s Dalton Stuart and The Cinematropolis‘s own Daniel Bokemper. Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel has historically been tough to crack. Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky famously failed to get his version off the ground in the 1970s before the acclaimed Twin Peaks writer/director David Lynch released a critically panned adaptation in 1984. Eventually, The Sci-Fi Channel would take another stab at the material with a three-part Dune mini-series that would receive enough acclaim to get a follow-up series, Children of Dune. After the rights for another big-screen adaptation completed a shuffle and landed at Legendary Entertainment, Dennis Villeneuve was announced as the director in 2017. Though you wouldn’t know it from the marketing, Villeneuve decided to break the novel into two parts, with the second half just being greenlit this week. After being delayed by a year due to the pandemic, Dune: Part 1 has finally made its way to the big […]

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In this week’s episode of The Cinematic Schematic, we take another trip into the DC Extended Universe(DCEU) to provide our spoiler-free review of THE Suicide Squad before jumping into a spoiler-filled analysis discussion of the film. In August 2016 Suicide Squad became a massive box office success, grossing over $746 million worldwide. Despite being seen by so many people, the movie received hugely negative reviews (it’s currently sitting at 26% on Rotten Tomatoes) and has largely been remembered as a disaster by audiences. Following his temporary firing from Disney, Warner Bros. tapped writer/director James Gunn to make a movie in the DCEU. With the promise he’d have near-total creative freedom from WB executives, Gunn chose to make an R-rated Suicide Squad film with a budget of $185 million. The film is stacked with a star-studded cast including returning stars Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, and Jai Courtney alongside newcomers Idris Elba, John Cena, Daniela Melchior, Sylvester Stallone, Pete Davidson, Nathan Fillion, and many others. Taking a stab at a sequel to a much-maligned (yet commercially successful) DCEU film would be total suicide without the right squad. *Release the tomatoes* Much like Captain Boomerang or Rick Flag, it’s only appropriate […]

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Rest your bones, listeners. Today, The Cinematic Schematic accepts a quest from a powerful and mysterious presence (also known as A24), to review and discuss David Lowery’s long-awaited film, The Green Knight.  Without the proper company, the quest would be long, uncertain, and gloomy. Rejoining this episode are The Cinematropolis co-founders from Planet Thunder Productions, Jacob and Zachary Burns, alongside recurring guest co-host, Laron Chapman. The film adapts the Arthurian legend of Sir Gawain the Green Knight. Like many recent films, The Green Knight‘s journey to the big screen pre-dates the pandemic. It was originally scheduled to be released over a year and a half ago at SXSW 2020. Unlike many films, writer/director David Lowery decided to use his downtime to re-edited the entire film during the quarantine. Did the extra time in the edit make it even more worth the wait, or is The Ghost Story director out of his depth in the fantasy genre? Tune into the full spoiler-free review followed by a spoiler-ish analysis discussion. Special Guests Laron Chapman Award-winning Oklahoma filmmaker Follow Laron on Instagram @blackmoviemagic Jacob Leighton Burns Planet Thunder Productions Co-Founder of The Cinematropolis Zachary Burns Planet Thunder Productions Co-Founder of The Cinematropolis According […]

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The Cinematic Schematic is back to our normally scheduled programming with a review of “the first film in the trilogy that will conclude the Fast and Furious Saga.” That’s right ladies and gentlemen, today we are taking on F9: The Fast Saga. Like all great heists, reviewing something of this scale requires a crew. After years of off-mic movie conversations, all roads have been leading to a review of a proper Fast and Furious movie with award-winning filmmaker, Laron Chapman, first time guest from KJYO-FM, Jason Black, and returning guest Brock Lay who Tokyo drifts right back to the show after his recent debut in our review of Mortal Kombat. Twenty years after the release of The Fast and the Furious, the ninth entry continues to take the saga to even more outrageous heights. When the characters aren’t Spider-man thwipping their cars from cliff to cliff or catching their fallen squad mates on the hoods of their vehicles, they are usually acting out the most expensive soap opera ever made. After all of these years, how could there possibly be any fuel left in the tank, especially without the star power of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham? It turns […]

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It’s the final day of deadCenter 2021 and we couldn’t close out the festival without a talk about a film in one of our favorite genres, sci-fi. Longtime listeners know that we are fans of larger-than-life ideas with a personal perspective, and few films playing at this year’s festival encompassed those words more than Between Waves, a sharp science fiction film with an emotional story at its core. The film touches on a number of topics including mental health, alternate dimensions, and grief. To learn more about what inspired the film’s ambitious, personal, and character-driven premise, we’re joined by Between Waves director, co-writer and co-producer, Virginia Abramovich. Listen to today’s conversation and check out Between Waves at the deadCenter virtual cinema before the festival concludes tonight. Special Guest Virginia Abramovich, Between Waves writer/director/producer The official deadCenter 2021 synopsis describes Between Waves as: After his disappearance, Jamie pursues her missing lover through parallel dimensions until she collides with a shattering revelation. This is a cerebral, fast-paced science fiction story, with romantic longing at its core. A visually beautiful film wrapped in shades of blue with highlights of sea green. Follow The Cinematic Schematic Podcast Hear all of this and more of our past […]

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As the deadCenter 2021 Film Festival begins to wind down, we’re highlighting some of our favorite gems from this year’s schedule. Among the huge array of short films playing is a documentary titled “Sardis,” a story preserving a forgotten piece of Oklahoma history. If you’re from Oklahoma and have never heard of the town of Sardis, you’re not alone. Similar to the Tulsa Race Massacre(until recently), the tragic story is rarely discussed in state history classes. To learn more about what inspired the short film and why it’s an essential piece of Oklahoma history, we spoke with the short film’s writer/director, Colleen Thurston. Tune in to today’s conversation and check out “Sardis” at the deadCenter virtual cinema before the festival concludes tomorrow evening. More information about Thurston’s upcoming “Drowned Land” can be found at redfordcenter.org. Special Guest Colleen Thurston, writer/director of “Sardis” The official deadCenter 2021 synopsis describes “Sardis” as: Deep in the Choctaw Nation, a picturesque lake hosts an unusual sight: an island populated by rows of headstones. This cemetery floating in a man-made lake is the last relic of what was the town of Sardis, Oklahoma. Follow The Cinematic Schematic Podcast Hear all of this and more of our past […]

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The deadCenter Film Festival is hosted here in the heart of Oklahoma, but thanks to last year’s virtual cinema that was launched as part of the festival’s COVID-19-minded approach, the scope of the audience expanded far beyond just the sooner state.  Last year, more than 40,000 people attended deadCenter Film Festival virtually, with audiences watching from 42 states and 24 countries. One pair of attendees in 2020 were the hosts of The Furloughed Film Talks, a Dallas-based podcast dedicated to the latest movie news and reviews along with weekly special guests to discuss and debate the present and future of the film industry. In today’s deadCenter 2021 Film Festival conversation we’ll be joined by the Kelly brothers to discuss their deadCenter 2021 experience including their favorite films, most memorable experiences, and what they hope to see more of from the festival in the future. Special Guests Alex and Ryan Kelly, hosts of the Furloughed Film Talks podcast Follow The Cinematic Schematic Podcast Hear all of this and more of our past and future episodes by subscribing to The Cinematic Schematic on your preferred podcast app and leaving us a rating on Apple Podcasts! Like The Cinematropolis on Facebook Follow The Cinematropolis on Twitter and Instagram @thecinematrop

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Between out-of-state projects like the Killers of the Flower Moon, Minari, Reagan, Reservation Dogs, and Stillwater, and homegrown projects like Mickey Reece’s Agnes and Kyle Kauwika Harris’s Out of Exile, Oklahoma seems to be in the middle of a boom in film and TV productions. Thanks to increasing tax incentives, new talent development programs from the Oklahoma Film and TV Academy, larger sound stages from Green Pastures Studio and Prarie Surf Media, and top-notch emerging talent, both behind and in front of the camera, Oklahoma continues to carve out its place as one of the top states in the country for making film and television. Earlier this year, MovieMaker Magazine named both Oklahoma City and Tulsa among its Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2021. In today’s exclusive deadCenter 2021 keynote conversation, we’re joined by an incredible panel of leaders working in the Oklahoma film and television industry including the Oklahoma Film+Music Office’s Tava Sofsky, Green Pastures Studio’s Melodie Garneau, and Oklahoma filmmaker, Cassie Gann, to talk with us about what’s driving the exciting momentum in increased film and TV productions in our state.  Don’t miss this deadCenter 2021 keynote conversation to hear unique insights into […]

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The deadCenter 2021 film festival has always had a knack for finding the most memorable and emotionally satisfying documentaries of each year. In 2021, the festival played the heartwarming We Are Thousand, a story about amateur musicians gathering together in an Italian village to pay tribute to the Foo Fighters, and also Questlove’s upcoming documentary, Summer of Soul, which immortalizes 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival, among many others. Today’s featured documentary is no exception because, in virtual space, nobody can hear you laugh. Today’s exclusive deadCenter 2021 Film Festival Conversation conversation dives into one of the festival’s most exciting documentaries for any self-respecting cinephile, Alien on Stage. I’m joined by the storytellers who followed the amateur production of Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien, Danielle Kummer, and Lucy Harvey, to learn more about what inspired the troupe to adapt the classic sci-fi horror for the stage. The film is playing as part of the deadCenter 2021 virtual film festival until Sunday, June 20th at 11:45 PM CST. More information about Alien on Stage can be found on the website, alienonstagedoc.com. Special Guests Danielle Kummer, director/editor of Alien on Stage Follow Danielle on Twitter @daniellekummer Lucy Harvey, director/producer of Alien on Stage The official […]

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The deadCenter Film Festival is a place for all types of stories including the short stories found in music videos. One of the festival’s most notable short films playing at this year’s festival in the SHORTS: OKIE 1 block is the music video, “Jabee: Hope.” Last year, Oklahoma City hip hop artist Jabee released his new album, “This World Is So Fragile And Cruel I’m Glad I Got You.” When considering how to best adapt the music for a video, he pitched the song “Hope” to his collaborator and award-winning casting director, Chris Freihofer, who created a treatment before stepping into the role of director for the music video. Jabee and Freihofer partnered with Windswept Media and WeerNProduction to shoot the video, and by September of 2020, had completed the project. In today’s exclusive deadCenter 2021 conversation on The Cinematic Schematic, I talk with Jabee and Freihofer about the autobiographical story behind the music and how Freihofer highlighted OKC’s unique setting to match Jabee’s vision. You can catch the video playing at Rodeo Cinema today or in deadCenter’s Virtual Cinema until the festival’s conclusion on Sunday, June 20th at 11:45 PM CST. Special Guests Jabee Musical artist, Emmy Award winner, […]

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