As I began to prepare for my recent episode with Jason from Binge Movies on Fascism in Cinema, it occurred to me that this would be a fascinating ongoing series in the next year or two in American history. For the next episode of the series, we are looking at authoritarian violence and the idea of due process in our society, and how it can be reflected in films. Joining me for this episode is Darin Lundberg from NostalgiaCast and Back to Bluey, and listen to us discuss Don Siegel's "Dirty Harry", Paul Michael Glaser's "The Running Man", and Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises". It's a very different discussion, but one worth taking in. I hope you enjoy!
On the next episode of the podcast, I'm joined by a fellow podcaster whom I've only talked to on social media, and will be my first new guest on 2025. The topic of the day is Mary Harron's controversial dark comedy, "American Psycho", which turns 25 this year. The guest is Pete Abeyta, one of the co-hosts of the Middle Class Film Class podcast. I hope you enjoy!
For this year's wrap-up episode of my coverage of the 2025 Renegade Film Festival, I'm taking a slightly different approach. You can read my thoughts at Sonic Cinema and In Their Own League about what I took away from the festival this year. both in terms of perspective of the time it took place, and the films I loved from it; this episode is about giving the filmmakers their voice to discuss their work, what inspired it, and how it fits into the current moment in our country. My guests include filmmakers Erin Day, Kelly Lou Dennis and Nonie Shiverick. I hope you enjoy! *This episode does involve spoilers to some of the movies, but I don't think your appreciation of the films would diminish hearing them.
The American experiment with Democracy is in a perilous place with the re-election of Donald Trump. Art, and cinema, is inherently political by virtue of the time it was made, as well as the time in which we watch it. In the first episode of what will be a miniseries for the Sonic Cinema Podcast, we begin looking at the ways in which films have portrayed fascism and authoritarianism over the years. Joining me for this first episode is Jason from Binge Movies, and we take a deep dive into America, as well as three films that look at people standing up to authoritarianism- Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator," Roberto Rossellini's "Rome, Open City" and Herbert Ross's "Footloose." I hope you enjoy!