The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast

This week, Emilio, Madeline and Julian continue discussing "Comfort Movies of the 90s" and welcome on world class vocalist/performer, 90s media enthusiast, and Titanique superfan Natalie Weiss to discuss one of the most successful and celebrated films of the 90s, or really any decade - James Cameron's 'Titanic', starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in a whirlwind romance on the doomed ocean liner.  It's the current cycle's Suggestion Box episode, with Julian coming to it for the first time after much off-mic anticipation.  The group discusses the ways the stranglehold this movie had on pop-culture in the months after its release, it's faithfulness to details of the ship and its sinking, the "My Heart Will Go On" of it all, why the first half of the movie makes the second half hit so hard, the depictions of class on the ship and how we see it play out, the balance of big spectacle with more intimate moments and details, and much more!  Natalie introduces a movie game to the group, Victor Garber's character is almost entirely referred to as "Victor Garber", and... did one of the musicians on board miss his opportunity to survive?     

Be sure to follow Natalie for all of her musical and non-musical happenings on IG and Tik Tok @thenatalieweiss - as well as through her website: natalieweissofficial.com 

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice.  This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

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On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

Justice is coming! This week, Emilio, Madeline and Julian welcome back friend of the podcast and delightful social media cinephile Jamie Homs to discuss one of her comfort movie of the 90s, and a first time watch for the three main cohosts - 1993's 'Tombstone', directed (somewhat disputed) by George P. Cosmatos, featuring an all star cast including Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, Powers Booth, Sam Elliott, Stephen Lang, and many others.  The group praises the cast and the many committed performances, notes how it presents and avoids certain tropes of typical Westerns, discusses the film's themes of brotherhood vs found family amongst lawlessness, sees the way the movie presents depictions of good and evil, and learns a thing or two about the history of tuberculosis along the way!

Be sure to follow Jamie Homs!  Her awesome film-related content can be found on Tik Tok and Instagram at jamie.homs

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice.  This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

We have a monthly newsletter!  Subscribe at sleeplesscinematicpod.substack.com

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at [email protected]

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

Julian, Emilio and Madeline welcome back Brendan McDonald, former producer of the medium-defining podcast WTF with Marc Maron, to kick off a new episode cycle comprising Comfort Movies from the 1990s with a "View-nanimous" discussion on one of the decade's definitive films, The Big Lebowski. From the iconic brother team of Joel and Ethan Coen, this 90s classic focuses on a worldly, middle-aged Los Angeles slacker known as the Dude, who casually falls into the role of detective when a case of mistaken identity interrupts his unassuming existence, and sends him through a unique cascade of events and strange personalities. A beloved film by many, including all four participants in this conversation, the group dig into the story's many ins and outs, such as its distinct-yet-broad sense of time and place, the many ironies held within its characters and themes, and how the Coens' script simultaneously subverts and holds up the traditions of hard-boiled detective novels and movies, accompanied by numerous Lebowski-related personal stories along the way. Abiding amongst the motifs of bowling, White Russians, and classic rock as it all happens, our four conversationalists revel in the wealth of anecdotes provided by The Big Lebowski to result in this podcast's longest episode yet!

Listen to the WTF archives and look back on the podcast's legacy at wtfpod.com

Pre-order the graphic novel "WTF is a Podcast with Marc Maron" at z2comics.com

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice.  This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

We have a monthly newsletter!  Subscribe at sleeplesscinematicpod.substack.com

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at [email protected]

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

As our Twins and Doppelgängers cycle comes to a close, Julian, Madeline and Emilio discuss actors they think are over due to play a dual roles in a film.  They also share the portions of conversations with guests from this most recent cycle where they share their picks for actors they believe would be great playing multiple characters in the same narrative.   

A HUGE thank you to our guests this cycle for coming on to talk movies with us:

- Maria Elena Tostado

- Michaela Brady, on IG @leatrice_write or @jillnjeff11, and check out her writing and blog at leatrice-author.com.

- Sarah Ungerlieder, on IG @sarahdelapu 

- Mariquita Reese, on IG, Tik Tok and Letterboxd at keeta_babe - and check out her podcast Post Film Clarity at postfilmclaritypod

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

We have a monthly newsletter!  Subscribe at sleeplesscinematicpod.substack.com

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at [email protected]

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

For the podcast's 100th episode, Madeline, Julian and Emilio fire up Nora Ephron's classic rom com from 1993 'Sleepless in Seattle', starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as strangers separated by thousands of miles who, if their subconsciouses and their curious companions have their way, may just have a date with destiny on Valentine's Day at the top of the Empire State Building.  The group explores the underrated meta qualities of the film when it comes to media-influenced romance, the nature of para-social relationships now and then, the way the film explores the themes of fate and love, the 'An Affair To Remember' of it all, the ubiquity of Bill Pullman and his undisputed status as the "Baxter" of the 90s, favorite little details, and much more. The group then reflects on what moments and films have stuck with them the most from the last 100 episodes and shouts out several of the people who have made this podcast possible!    

We want to thank our guests over these last 100 episodes: Anthony Hollock, Matt Friedman, Lily Desmond, Jamie Homs, Mike Duquette, Michaela Brady, Idris Goodwin, Maggie Hill, Sydney Duncan, Madeline’s dad Richard, Tara and Emily from Down the Yellow Brick Pod, Courtney Iventosch, Rob Mitzner, Ron Piretti, Jess LeProtto, Rob McClure, Sharyn Rothstein, Prof Zhen Zhang, Mariquita Reese, Brendan McDonald, Julian’s cousin Sylvie, Emilio's sister Maria-Elena, Prof Michael Cramer, Shaun Seneviratne, James Codoyannis, Edo Choi, Anu Valia, Anna Stone, David Schwartz,  Christian Garcia, Will Reynolds, Lexi Amoriello, Kelly Autry, and Sarah Ungerleider.  Getting to have you join us to talk movies has been a true pleasure!

A HUGE thanks go out to our families, friends, and our listeners and subscribers - your love and support has made this podcast journey so far so very worth it!

To check out Julian's representative past episode moment when we talked 'Dazed and Confused', listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2269866/episodes/14983408

To check out Madeline's representative past episode moment when we talked 'That Thing We Do!' and the music of Adam Schlesinger, listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2269866/episodes/15769063

To check out Emilio's representative past episode moment when we talked 'Amelie' with Anu Valia, listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2269866/episodes/18469464

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

We have a monthly newsletter!  Subscribe at sleeplesscinematicpod.substack.com

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at [email protected]

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

To wrap up their cycle dedicated to films featuring Twins and Doppelgängers, Emilio, Madeline, and Julian are joined by Emilio’s longtime friend Sarah Ungerleider as they hone in on an actor who has played dual, triple, and even quadruple roles: the great Tilda Swinton. They first discuss Sally Potter’s 1992 film ‘Orlando’, based on the Virginia Woolf novel from 1928. Although Swinton plays a single character in ‘Orlando’, the title character’s very nature is something of a dual role in itself. The group then jumps forward 25 years to 2017 for Bong Joon Ho’s ‘Okja’, which may have been something of a vegetarian awakening for Madeline. They discuss how this film balances its bleak subject matter with an incredible amount of heart, and how Tilda’s characters have a clear handoff from one to another. To round off the evening, they jump ahead just one year to Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Suspiria’, which credits Tilda not only under her own name, but also under the pseudonym Lutz Ebersdorf. The group discusses Tilda's approach to her three contrasting roles in this film, and how her mastery of multiple characters has solidified her as a frequent collaborator of many trusted directors.

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

We have a monthly newsletter!  Subscribe at sleeplesscinematicpod.substack.com

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at [email protected]

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

Continuing their cycle dedicated to Twins and Doppelgängers, Julian, Madeline and Emilio welcome friend of the pod and always delightful guest Mariquita Reese for their "Two Shot" episode to discuss two recent horror-coded films rich with metaphors and themes pertaining to race in America, Jordan Peele's 2018 film 'Us' and Ryan Coogler's critical and commercial hit 'Sinners' from 2025.  Though genre conventions and mainstream thrills are at the heart of both of these films, there is A LOT there to discuss, and the group hones in on the ways dualities present themselves throughout these movies.  Dual roles, dichotomies, and conflicting characteristics are abound throughout 'Us' and 'Sinners', and the group finds comparisons between the films regarding how characters process religion, notable scenes that feature music, and antagonists that are there to induce more than just scares.  It's a lively discussion about two of the more well regarded films from recent years, and milestone entries from their respective auteur's filmographies.  

Follow Mariquita on IG, Tik Tok and Letterboxd at keeta_babe - and check out Post Film Clarity, her podcast with cohost Lindsey Strickland, at postfilmclaritypod

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

We have a monthly newsletter!  Subscribe at sleeplesscinematicpod.substack.com

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at [email protected]

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

July 29, 2026 was a heartbreaking day for music lovers, as we learned of the sudden and tragic death of Irish singer/songwriter Glen Hansard.  His breakthrough performances in the 2007 film 'Once' are always front of mind for movie lovers, but Emilio was fortunate enough to have a core musical memory care of Hansard himself.  That moment turned into a casual friendship for several years, where Hansard and his musician friends became a great source of encouragement to pursue a career in music.  Even this podcast has its roots in the presence Glen played in Emilio's life.  Though he is no longer with us, Hansard's music and his huge heart live on, and will continue humbling and inspiring us for years to come.  

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

We have a monthly newsletter!  Subscribe at sleeplesscinematicpod.substack.com

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at [email protected]

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

Julian, Emilio, and Madeline continue their episode cycle focusing on Twins and Doppelgängers with a "Suggestion Box" episode about "Dead Ringers," David Cronenberg's film from 1988 which stars Jeremy Irons in an iconic dual role as identical twin gynecologists Beverly and Elliot Mantle. Loosely inspired by the true story of Stewart and Cyril Marcus, the film examines how a romantic entanglement disrupts the equilibrium of these two brothers in their shared profession as well as an illicit side exploit, giving way to a powerful meditation on brotherhood, addiction, and co-dependency in its many forms. The three co-hosts explore Cronenberg's portrayal of twindom by digging into the film's evocative and technically savvy visuals, the often intentionally confusing tableaus which carry the story forward, and the technical and emotional mastery of Jeremy Irons in a career-defining role that, despite not winning an Oscar, certainly paved the way for accolades and great roles to come.  

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

We have a monthly newsletter!  Subscribe at sleeplesscinematicpod.substack.com

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at [email protected]

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

For the Twins and Doppelgängers cycle "Mise-Unseen", Madeline, Julian and Emilio strap in and tackle 'Cloud Atlas', the 2012 film directed by The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, based on David Mitchell's novel.  It features a truly head spinning array of actors playing multiple different characters spanning several centuries, and with help of Emilio's sister Maria-Elena, the group digs into the many different stories, the parallel editing, the way reincarnation seems to return these souls to Earth in new and distinct ways, and the different journeys of these souls take us on.  It's a conversation that is critical of some of the choices made in the film, but also very much along for the ride these filmmakers constructed.  

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

We have a monthly newsletter!  Subscribe at sleeplesscinematicpod.substack.com

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at [email protected]

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats