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Sonic Cinema Podcast

Sonic Cinema Podcast

by Brian Skutle

Music Film History Film Reviews

Season 12

Fascism in Cinema: Into a World of Conspiracy

In the discussion of fascism and authoritarianism in cinema (and in real life), it's impossible to not discuss conspiracy theories. Over the past few years, conspiratorial ideas is almost hat in hand with the politics of the time. In our latest exploration of fascism in cinema, come down the rabbit hole with my guest, Ben Friedman of Ben Talks Film, and I as we look at how three films take their characters, and the audience, down the rabbit hole. Our films this episode are Oliver Stone's "JFK", Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" and Ari Asher's "Eddington". I hope you enjoy, and don't get too lost! The end credits track is my composition, "Minimalist Suspense". You can read more of my thoughts regarding "Eyes Wide Shut" and its connections to Jeffrey Epstein here. You can read my blog outlining my thoughts after the 2024 election here. In July 2025, I wrote about my dive into conspiracy theories here. Fascism in Cinema Series Episode 162 - Resistance to Fascism in Cinema Episode 166 - Fascism in Cinema: Copaganda Episode 170 - Fascism in Cinema: Bad Faith Episode 175 - Fascism in Cinema: The Fourth Estate Episode 176 - Fascism in Cinema: Action Nationalism Episode 183 - Fascism in Cinema: Past Future Present

Atlanta Film Festival 2026

Earlier this week, the 2026 Atlanta Film Festival wrapped up its 50th iteration with its virtual festival. What was great? What was noteworthy? What was the experience. All will be discussed in this episode, and for the topper, I present an interview with filmmaker Costa Karalis, who made one of my favorite films of the festival, "Frogtown". I hope you enjoy! My curtain raiser piece, along with all the reviews published during the festival, can be found here.

Fascism in Cinema: Past Future Present

As I started to look to 2026, I knew there was still more to cover in this series beyond what we hit upon in the five episodes last year in discussing authoritarianism in cinema. One of the richest genres doing that was science fiction which, coincidentally, is what led to my emphasis on the genre this year. With such a vast subject, there was only one choice to join me on this episode- the person who started this series with me, Jason from Binge Movies and The Slashers. This is probably the most obvious lineup we've had yet, but when you have movies like Fritz Lang's "Metropolis", John Carpenter's "They Live" and Paul Verhoeven's "Starship Troopers", you already have not just compelling films to watch, but a wealth of depth to cover. I hope you enjoy!

Why Sci-Fi?

In this mini-episode of the podcast, I thought I'd talk briefly about my favorite genre of all-time- science fiction. My history with the genre, why my love has only deepened, and why it's being covered so heavily this year on Sonic Cinema. I hope you enjoy! The end piece is "Weightless Waltz in F," from my 2010 album, "Beyond the Infinite: A Musical Odyssey". Listen to me talk about some of the films mentioned: "2001: A Space Odyssey" "Strange Days" (on Female Gaze: The Film Club) "12 Monkeys" (on NostalgiaCast) "Dark City" "2050" "A.I. Artificial Intelligence"

Oscar Thoughts with Amanda Spears and Brian's Top 10 of 2025

It is that time of year again- the Oscars. This episode features the things you've come to expect over the years- a category by category breakdown with awards watcher Amanda Spears, followed by my 10 Best Films of the year. I hope you enjoy! My retrospective on 2025 can be read here. Read Brian's Thoughts on the 2025 Atlanta Film Critics Circle Winners here. Read Brian's Thoughts on the 2025 Southeastern Film Critics Association Winners here. Read Brian's Thoughts on the 2025 Georgia Film Critics Association Nominees and Winners here. I also joined the Piecing It Together podcast to discuss the best film scores of 2025 here.

Discussing "Network" at 50

A few months ago, we discussed three films about the press speaking truth to power. What happens when the powerful pervert media for profits? As it enters The Criterion Collection this week, Sidney Lumet's satirical look at television news- 1976's "Network"- feels like a documentary of the times we live in now. Joining me to discuss the legacy of this film is Jason from Binge Movies and The Slashers and Joan Amenn from In Their Own League. I hope you enjoy!

Discussing "To Catch a Thief"

What could be more romantic than two Gen X white guys talking about Alfred Hitchcock's most romantic film before Valentine's Day? I'm sure plenty of things, but this is what you get from the Sonic Cinema Podcast this year. My frequent guest, Phil Fasso, returns for the third time in five months to discuss Cary Grant and Grace Kelly being two of the most drop-dead gorgeous people in movie history in Hitchcock's 1955 light and entertaining caper, "To Catch a Thief". I hope you enjoy!

Discussing Rachel McAdams

This is an episode my guest and I have discussed doing for a couple of years, and with the release of a new film with the subject of the episode, it made sense. The topic is Academy Award nominee Rachel McAdams, who has shown herself to be a versatile performer in a variety of films over the years. My guest is fellow critic and podcaster Morgan Roberts, the host of Female Gaze: The Film Club. We focus on the early part of McAdams's career in film with Nick Cassavetes's "The Notebook", Mark Waters's "Mean Girls", Wes Craven's "Red Eye" and Thomas Bezucha's "The Family Stone". I hope you enjoy!

Cinematic Rapture

Immediately after recording the first episode of 2026, I went into the editing, because honestly, it's one of my favorite year starter episodes to date. This episode was born out of the fact that my guest, Snarky Faith's Stuart Delony, has a book coming out, and it's subject is a satirical look at the theological idea of the Rapture that has taken ahold in some sects of Evangelical Christianity. It only made sense for us to discuss three cinematic depictions of the Rapture. Join us as we talk about faith, religious escapism, and 1972's "A Thief in the Night", 2000's "Left Behind", and 2013's "Revelation Road: The Beginning of the End". We do have some audio issues at times but it's worth listening for the discussion we have. I hope you enjoy! Check out Stuart's book, The Tribulation Survival Guide: How to Stay Alive When Everything Else is Dead, when it comes out on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. You can order it here.

Season 11

Fascism in Cinema - Action Nationalism

We've looked at resistance to fascism. The police state. Faith peddlers. And journalists holding power accountable. The first few episodes in this series have looked at serious topics when dealing with encroaching authoritarianism. For the fifth and final episode of the series for 2025, it's time to have a little bit of fun. While cinematic propaganda has been around for pretty much the entirety of the medium's existence, when it comes to American propaganda, there was something about the politics of the 1980s that found its way into a lot of action cinema. Joining me is Phil Fasso, and here we discuss "Rambo: First Blood - Part II" and "Rambo III", "Invasion U.S.A." and "The Sum of All Fears". I hope you enjoy!

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