The Cinematic Schematic

The Cinematic Schematic returns in this special June edition to give a spoiler-free review of Jim Jarmusch‘s new film, a zombie comedy (zom-edy), The Dead Don’t Die. After spending the summer so far planning his new film and attending the 2019 deadCenter Film Festival, Laron Chapman returns to the co-host’s mic! Before digging into this week’s review, Caleb and Laron play a little bit of catch up on the summer movie season so far by talking about other films they’ve recently seen including Rocketman, Ma, Dark Phoenix, and Brightburn. According to the Google description, In the sleepy small town of Centerville, something is not quite right. The moon hangs large and low in the sky, the hours of daylight are becoming unpredictable, and animals are beginning to exhibit unusual behaviors. News reports are scary, and scientists are concerned, but no one foresees the strangest and most dangerous repercussion that will soon start plaguing Centerville: the dead rise from their graves and feast on the living, and the citizens must battle to survive. The Dead Don’t Die stars Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Danny Glover, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, and Tom Waits Host Caleb Masters and Laron Chapman […]

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After an entire weekend full of movies, parties, and reunions at the 2019 deadCenter Film Festival followed by a week full of film reviews and interviews here at The Cinematropolis, our special deadCenter coverage comes to a close with a festival recap discussion between our entire festival team, Jo Light, Daniel Bokemper, Christopher Shultz, and myself. Each of us discusses our favorite feature films, short films, documentaries, and experience at this year’s festival. To add to the recap, we also ponder the possibilities of bringing Uwe Boll to screen his own version of Postal and whether or not Ed and Lorraine Warren were con artists. To close out the festival, we’d like to send thanks out to the deadCenter staff including Lance McDaniel, Sara Thompson, Alyx Picard, and Kevin Ely along with Sunrise Tippeconnie, Krystal Yosef, Stephen Tyler, and the other phenomenal volunteers who continue to make this festival happen. We can’t wait to see what the team comes up with for deadCenter’s 20th in 2020! Take a look back at The Cinematropolis deadCenter 2019 Coverage Filmmaker Podcast Interviews with Caleb Masters Arrows of Outrageous Fortune – Mickey Reece and Alex Sanchez Interview The Art of Self-Defense – Riley Stearns Interview Film Reviews from Jo […]

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The 2019 deadCenter Film Festival brought in a number of notable indie films, but perhaps our most anticipated was The Art of Self-Defense from writer/director Riley Stearns and Bleeker Street. The official synopsis for The Art of Self-Defense reads: The dark comedy The Art of Self-Defense stars Jesse Eisenberg and is set in the world of karate. Eisenberg plays a man who is attacked at random on the street and enlists in a local dojo, led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei (Alessandro Nivola), in an effort to learn how to defend himself. This dark comedy exploring karate culture, toxic masculinity and the cycles of violence debuted at the SXSW 2019 film festival to huge critical acclaim. The film is scheduled for a July 12 wide-release. Writer/Director Riley Stearns joined The Cinematic Schematic after the film festival to talk more about what inspired him to make a movie about karate, why he decided to explore such timely themes, and how he assembled his all-star trio cast of Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poots, and Alessandro Nivola. Special Guest Guest: Riley Stearns Writer/Director of The Art of Self-Defense Follow Riley on Twitter @RileyStearns Follow The Cinematic Schematic Podcast Hear all of this and more […]

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The deadCenter 2019 film festival has finally arrived and we are kicking off our coverage with a filmmaker interview on one of the festival’s most anticipated curiosities. Award-winning independent Oklahoma filmmaker Mickey Reece rejoins The Cinematic Schematic to talk about his new movie Arrows of Outrageous Fortune playing at this weekend’s 2019 deadCenter Film Festival in downtown Oklahoma City. Reece is also joined by Oklahoma City comedian turned star, Alex Sanchez. The official synopsis for Arrows of Outrageous Fortune reads: George Arrow bequeaths his only son, Henry, a mansion filled with insane women. Reece and Sanchez talk about how the idea for the film came about before delving into the story’s influences and methodology. Sanchez elaborates on how he balanced his personal brand of humor with the movie’s dramatic opening scenes. Listen to the full interview to get a taste of what you can expect to see in Reece and Sanchez’s treat to this year’s deadCenter attendees. Stay tuned to thecinematropolis.com for more reviews, interviews, and 2019 deadCenter festival insights! The easiest way to get quick updates is to subscribe to The Cinematic Schematic podcast or following us on Facebook or Twitter @thecinematrop. Special Guests Guest: Mickey Reece Arrows of Outrageous Fortune writer/director Guest: Alex Sanchez Stars […]

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The Cinematic Schematic returns in this special May edition to give a spoiler-free review of one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Sound Trek‘s Alexandra Bohannon joins us to look at the third entry of Keanu Reeve’s critically acclaimed John Wick action vehicle collaboration with director Chad Stahelski. Picking up moments after the twisted events of John Wick: Chapter 2, Wick (Keanu Reeves) is now the most wanted man in the criminal underworld. Before Wick can attempt to clear his name, he must fight his way through every assassin in New York City. With nowhere left to run, Wick must turn to his mysterious past to find a new path forward into the future. With a twelve million dollar excommunicado bounty put on his head by the High Table, every bounty hunter in the world wants a slice of John Wick. On his search for a way out, he encounters many faces, new and old, including his friend Winston(Ian McShane), an old flame named Sofia(Halle Berry), a deadly assassin,(Mark Dacascos), an Adjudicator from the High Table(Asia Kate Dillon), and an old mentor (Anjelica Huston) among many others. The John Wick series continues […]

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At long last, we’ve arrived at the conclusion of Marvel’s 22 movie epic that has spanned 11 years of filmmaking. After earning $350 million at the U.S. box office and $1.2 billion worldwide, it’s hardly hyperbole to say Avengers: Endgame is the most anticipated movie of the last decade. The Cinematic Schematic is here with a quick spoiler-free review followed by an in-depth discussion reflecting on the film’s themes and how well it wraps up “The Infinity Saga.” Joining us for this review discussion is Sound Trek‘s Alexandra who is coming hot off her GoodTrash Media special analyzing the last Marvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) release, Captain Marvel. To complete the panel, we’re also re-joined by Geek Girl Features’ Chelsea Ratterman who brings two Avengers: Endgame watches worth of viewings and infinite MCU knowledge to the table. Alexandra, Chelsea and I begin our talk with s brief spoiler-free review discussion before moving into a spoiler-filled debrief and reflection on the grand conclusion to the MCU so far. Listen for our verdicts on the film and analysis of the entire MCU. Special Guest Chelsea Ratterman Writer, Geek Girl Features Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Member Twitter @cinephilechels Time Stamps 4:30 – Spoiler-Free Avengers: Endgame Review 25:53 […]

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The Cinematic Schematic has your horror filmgoing needs covered with a special bonus deep dive conversation reviewing one of our most anticipated movies of the spring, Jordan Peele’s follow up to Get Out, Us. Since making waves with 2017’s Oscar-winning Get Out, Jordan Peele has appeared unstoppable. After coming out of what appeared to be nowhere but a career as a comedian, everyone was excited to see what Peele’s new creative voice in Hollywood would do next. He’s since produced another Oscar winner, BlacKkKlansman, and the highly anticipated Twilight Zone reboot for CBS’s streaming service. According to the written review by Christopher Shultz,Us begins with a flashback to 1986, where our protagonist Adelaide (played as a child by Maddison Curry and as an adult by Lupita Nyong’o) wanders away from her bickering parents at the Santa Cruz boardwalk and discovers a spooky hall of mirrors down on the beach. Upon entering, she meets another little girl who looks exactly like her. This proves traumatizing for the girl, who stops speaking for an unknown period of time, though Peele suggests it’s quite a while. We then flash forward to an adult Adelaide, on route to her summer vacation home with husband […]

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To celebrate the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on Blu-ray, The Cinematic Schematic is taking a special look back at two of the most beloved entries of the franchise. Lani Diane Rich from Chipperish Media and the Listen Up A-Holes podcast joins the show to take a closer look at Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 (2004). Previously considered the gold standard of the franchise and the high bar to reach for all superhero movies, Spider-Man 2 remains a beloved film fifteen years after its theatrical release. With so many advancements in the genre since its debut, including the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, does Spidey’s film featuring a showdown with Doctor Octopus remain the standard it once was? Join Lani and I for the full conversation. Following our 2004 trip down memory lane, comic book scholar, Listen Up A-Holes co-host, and The Cinematropolis contributor Joshua Unruh and I review and reflect on the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. What makes Miles Morales’ first big screen appearance so special? Has Spider-Verse usurped Spider-Man 2 as the greatest in the series? Hear our takes on the answers to those questions by tuning in to hear the full analysis of both films. […]

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It’s time to get out your sample 2019 Oscar ballot and start making prediction notes for this Sunday night’s big show! Fortunately, we’ve got just the nominee breakdown you need to put together a winning list on the latest episode of The Cinematic Schematic. In part two of our special 2019 Oscar podcast episode, Laron Chapman and myself are joined by Geek Girl Features writer, Chelsea Ratterman, and Collider deputy editor, Adam Chitwood, to discuss our hopes and predictions for this year’s 91st Academy Awards. This year’s Academy Awards are holding the show without a host or a consistent plan of action for the ceremony. We weigh in on the state of the Oscars and what the lack of a host could mean for this year’s presentation. For a deep dive conversation into the 2019 Best Original Score nominees, make sure to listen to part 1 of our 2019 Oscar special featuring a Sound Trek analysis of the nominees with Alexandra Bohannon. Special Guests Adam Chitwood Deputy Editor, Collider Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Member Twitter @adamchitwood Chelsea Ratterman Writer, Geek Girl Features Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Member Twitter @cinephilechels Follow The Cinematic Schematic Podcast Hear all of this and more of our past […]

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While we continue our month looking at stop-motion films, we can’t help but stop and take a closer look at the tumultuous and oftentimes controversial 2019 Oscars. In part one of our two-part The Cinematic Schematic 2019 Oscar special, Sound Trek host Alexandra Bohannon and co-host Caleb Masters sit down to discuss the 2019 Best Original Score nominees and what makes each score one of the year’s best. Which of these scores stands the best chance at a win? Tune in to get our thoughts and analysis on each nomination in the Best Original Score category! Today’s Sound Trek Selections Black Panther, Ludwig Göransson – “Wakanda” Isle of Dogs, Alexandre Desplat – “Six Months Later + Dog Fight” Mary Poppins Returns,Marc Shaiman – “Overture” BlackKklansman, Terence Blanchard  – “Blut und Boden (Blood and Soil)” If Beale Street Could Talk, Nicholas Britell- “Eden (Harlem)” BONUS – Vice, Nicholas Britell – “Main Title Orchestra Suite” The “Evil Triad” in the BlackKklansman score Follow The Cinematic Schematic Podcast Hear all of this and more of our past and future episodes by subscribing to The Cinematic Schematic 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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