Sonic Cinema Podcast

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"

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.

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

When it comes to authoritarian regimes- or those aspiring to be- a free and independent press can be its worst enemy. Fake news, Lugenpresse. "Liberal bias." Those are just some of the ways they can be discredited by leaders with a fetish for dictatorships. In this episode in our "Fascism in Cinema" episode, listen as myself and the Editor in Chief at In Their Own League, Joan Amenn, discuss what a free press means, and why it matters now more than ever. We bring up more films than these, but our discussion focuses on Alan J. Pakula's "All the President's Men", George Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck", and Tom McCarthy's "Spotlight". I hope you enjoy!

In part due to the unplanned hiatus during May and June, horror podcast episodes are not on the menu this year. But this episode is close, because H.G. Wells's is one of the most terrifying stories in the annals of science fiction. Much like we did a couple of years ago regarding Dracula, Phil Fasso and I look at Wells's classic through the perspective of some of its most famous iterations. We begin with Orson Welles's infamous radio play version, then go to Byron Haskins's 1953 film, Steven Spielberg's 2005 adaptation, and finally, this year's hideous adaptation. I hope you enjoy!

As you've probably noticed in the past few years, one of the things I've wanted to do is have some discussions on films from my formative years discovering films, and getting deeper into films, that mean a lot to me. This is one that was bound to be a tough one to get a guest for, but as you hear, this conversation ended up being a fascinating, all-encompassing one about every aspect of this film's discussion over the years. We are discussing Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning "Braveheart", which remains meaningful to me, in spite of its maker- and the film's- reputation. Joining me is Carlo from The Movie Loot podcast. I hope you enjoy!

In the latest episode of the Sonic Cinema Podcast, we continue a conversation that began this year at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival. It's not often that we return to a filmmaker so quickly after meeting them, but the connection I had with filmmaker Kiera Faber was a meaningful one for both of us. I hope you enjoy this continuing meeting of minds with the filmmaker of the short film, "The Garden Sees Fire".You can hear our discussion at the Atlanta Film Festival here.

Because of the lack of the film festival element, it feels as though my annual DragonCon podcast gets shorter and shorter each year. But, it is tradition, and it's also a nice reprieve from the heavier episodes of the year. I hope you enjoy this year's episode!

One of the most exciting things about the idea of discussing Fascism in Cinema is how fluidly the ideas of authoritarianism have been adapted, and sometimes skewered, by filmmakers over the years. In the third episode of this series, we are looking at films that look at matters of faith, and how corrupted they can be by mankind. Since we are discussing religion, it would be wrong to have any other guest but return guest Stuart Delony from Snarky Faith. Listen as we discuss the state of religion in both the US, and the world, through the lens of Carl Theodor Dreyer's "The Passion of Joan of Arc", Monty Python's "Life of Brian", and Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood". I hope you enjoy!You can read my blog outlining my thoughts after the 2024 election here.Stuart wrote about a lot of the ideas we discuss about "There Will Be Blood" on his blog here.Fascism in Cinema SeriesEpisode 162 - Resistance to Fascism in CinemaEpisode 166 - Fascism in Cinema: Copaganda

You'll have to excuse the high-pitched sound during most of the record. It's my first record with my new computer and I'm still working out the kinks. That said, this was quite a discussion to debut it with. In this episode, "Star Wars" returns to the podcast with a discussion about the acclaimed series, "Andor." Joining me is a filmmaker whom I met a few years ago at the Renegade Film Festival, Charles de Lauzirika, whose love for the series made him a natural fit for this discussion.The end piece on this episode is my original piece, "Ahsoka's Theme," from my EP, "Classical Cinema."

It's a couple of months later than I hoped, but my wrap-up episode of the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival is finally here. I explain where the podcast has been the past couple of months, rattle off some of my favorite films of the fest, as well as share interviews with director David Fortune, executive producer Xavier Two Lewis and actor Njema Williams ("Color Book"), writers Omar Epps and 2 Chainz ("Red Clay") and filmmaker Kiera Faber ("The Garden Sees Fire", which I forgot to mention as one of my favorite short films of the festival). I hope you enjoy!

Prior to the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival beginning, I had the chance to watch the lovely short documentary, "At See", and speak to its director- Serena Dykman- about its unusual storytelling approach. I hope you enjoy!

It's interesting how this episode lined up with events around it. My guest and I had been planning for this episode for months, and we happened to have time for it shortly after one of its stars passed away. My guest is a first-timer to the podcast, my dear friend Dawn Echols, and the subject is George P. Costamos's 1993 film, "Tombstone", starring the late Val Kilmer. In addition to thoughts on the film, we also have a meaningful discussion about our friendship. I hope you enjoy!The closing composition is "Ballad for the Beloved Departed", which was performed by Dawn, and is from my 2007 album, Sonic Visions of a New Old West.

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.

It's that time again. Amanda Spears returns to discuss the Oscars and help predict the winners. I also share my 10 Best list for 2024. I hope you enjoy!

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!

To kick of 2025 for the Sonic Cinema Podcast, we first return to 1999, and one of the most enjoyable movie surprises from that year. It's time to discuss "Galaxy Quest," and joining me is Robert Yaniz Jr. of Crooked Table podcasts and Back to Bluey to talk about why this comedy continues to endure after 25 years. I hope you enjoy!

We wrap up the Sonic Cinema Podcast for 2024 with an episode that I've had on the brain for a couple of years. The topic is Christmas movies, and the mainline between the two is director Bob Clark, who in 1974 directed the slasher classic, "Black Christmas", and a decade later, directed the beloved "A Christmas Story". My guest is once again Phil Fasso, and we had an enjoyable discussion on these movies. I hope you enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

Hello readers and listeners! We're wrapping up 2024 with a handful of "Class of 1999" discussions, and this is one I'm delighted to share with you. The film is John Lasseter's "Toy Story 2", and joining me is returning guest Darin Lundberg of NostalgiaCast. This was such a wonderful dialogue and experience.

Hello readers and listeners! It's time, once again, to dive back into the movie year of 1999, and the film in question is from a venerable franchise, but a film that doesn't necessarily hit all the right notes that franchise desires. The film in Michael Apted's "The World is Not Enough", and joining me is returning guest Kevin Thomas. Our discussions comes to some unusual conclusions. I hope you enjoy!

As we wrap up the horror month this year, Phil Fasso and I dig back into three absolute classics that turned 50 this year. The subject is horror of 1974, and the films are Brian De Palma's "Phantom of the Paradise", Larry Cohen's "It's Alive" before concluding with Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". I hope you enjoy!The track at the end of this episode is "Symphonic Guitar Dread" by Brian Skutle

It’s October, and that means a double dose of Phil Fasso this year. In our first discussion, Phil and I review Gary Dauberman’s recently-released ”Salem’s Lot”. We discuss the previous adaptations of Stephen King’s novel, why a feature film may not be the best format for this story, and what engaged us in this film. I hope you enjoy!The track at the end of this episode is "Fear: The Giving and Receiving of..." by Brian Skutle

This is an episode I've been looking forward to for a while. After a long hiatus, I welcome back to the podcast my friend- and original Yahoo With a Microphone commentator- Ronnie Haynes. While the primary cinematic discussion centers of Kevin Smith's "Clerks" films, we also discuss our friendship and cosplaying Jay and Silent Bob, as well. I hope you enjoy!

Given the timing of the podcast's latest episode, it should not surprise you that the topic is my adventures at DragonCon this year. I also discuss what this time of year means to me now. I hope you enjoy!

Hello readers and listeners! It's time, once again, to dive back into the movie year of 1999, and this is a fun, silly movie to finish off the summer with. The film is Renny Harlin's "Deep Blue Sea", and joining me in discussing it is podcaster Robert Yaniz Jr. of Crooked Table Productions and the Back to Bluey podcast. You even get a brief cameo from my wife, Meredith. I hope you enjoy!

In this episode of the podcast, we take a left turn into anime, and a long-running manga character and a couple of their adventures. The character is the colorful and arrogant but wonderful Lupin the 3rd. Bringing two of the character's adventures- "Jigen's Gravestone" and "Goeman's Bloody Spray"- to the podcast is fellow podcaster Robbie Sherman, whose show- Conversations with Robbie Sherman- I was on earlier this year. I hope you enjoy!

This is an episode that I wanted to do because it gives me a chance to discuss movies I've been a fan of since my early years of movie fandom. I have never read any of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan novels, but in particular, two film adaptations of his work- 1992's "Patriot Games" and 1994's "Clear and Present Danger"- were films I really loved watching. We don't strictly stick to those two films, however, with guest Kevin Thomas, but they make for a good starting point for discussing Jack Ryan's movie history. I hope you enjoy!

In the latest episode of the podcast, Brian works through a long-time filmmaker blind spot. For a long time, I had not watched the work of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger- aka The Archers- but this discussion is a good time to do that. Joining me in talking about these great British filmmakers is film critic, and return guest, Matthew St. Clair, as we discuss "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp", "Black Narcissus" and "The Red Shoes". I hope you enjoy!

For this episode, I go a bit more introspective to lead into discussing a film that has had a profound impact on my life this year. I talk about what led me to my current profession, what I value in life, and how it relates to Wim Wender's wonderful 2023 film, "Perfect Days". I hope you enjoy!You can read more of my thoughts on the film's use of a personal soundtrack here.

Earlier this month, the 2024 Atlanta Film Festival came to a close. Today, my coverage of it does, as I discuss some of the experiences I had, the thoughts on modern politics some films inspired, as well as name check my favorites of the festival. Also included are red carpet interviews with director Michael Showalter and cinematographer Jim Frohna ("The Idea of You"), director Tyson Horne ("The South Got Something to Say") and director Yance Ford ("Power"). I hope you enjoy!

In July 1994, my moviewatching trajectory was changed forever when I finally watched Alex Proyas's "The Crow". The film had already become a cult hit, and had been on my radar, but it wasn't until I saw it for myself that I just came out of the theatre different. As it turns 30, it is time to finally have a discussion of the film, and its legacy, on the Sonic Cinema Podcast. Joining me on the podcast is Chris Salazar, someone whom I've known on Film Twitter for a few years, and who loves the film as well. I hope you enjoy our discussion, and listen to the other episodes I've contributed to about the film over the years.The music at the end of this episode is my 1999 composition, "In a Lonely Place," inspired by Graeme Revell's music for "The Crow." "In a Lonely Place" is on my 2000 album, "Dark Experiments".More of Brian's thoughts on "The Crow" can be found:On Sonic Cinema:25 Years of "The Crow"Episode 31 - "The Crow," and the Evolution of "In a Lonely Place"On Other Podcasts:Close Watch: Episode 4- "The Crow"Untitled Cinema Gals Project - All the Bops

As we hit 25 years after one of the greatest film years of my lifetime, I thought it would be a good idea to begin adding more films to this podcast series. We start with the wonderful teen rom com, "10 Things I Hate About You," adapted from Shakespeare, starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles. Joining me in the discussion is critic and podcaster Morgan Roberts, host of Female Gaze: The Film Club. I hope you enjoy!

For this discussion, I bring in Darin and Jonny from NostalgiaCast to discuss some classic films they were introduced to as kids, and which gives them that hit of nostalgia, as a result. We begin with Jonny's choice of "The Sting", and continue with Darin's selection of "The Sound of Music" before concluding with my choice of "Arsenic and Old Lace". I hope you enjoy!

It's that time again. Amanda Spears returns to discuss the Oscars and help predict the winners. I also share my 10 Best list for 2023. I hope you enjoy!

In the first episode of the podcast in 2024, I bring back Phil Fasso to discuss an actor he has always loved, Joseph Cotten. As we went through George Cukor's "Gaslight", Carol Reed's "The Third Man" and Alfred Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt", we get an idea of his full range as an actor, and wonder further why he feels so underrated. I hope you enjoy!

To wrap up the 2023 season of the podcast, I'm pleased to bring a different type of guest for a different type of discussion. The subjects are the 1975 and 2004 adaptations of Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives. The guest bringing the discussion to the podcast is Ella Dawson, a culture critic, blogger and author whom I wanted to have on to get her ideas on the ways movies bring relationship issues to the screen. The result is a fascinating look at perspective, adaptation and how society at the time influenced both films. I hope you enjoy!

The last few months have been rough in terms of getting podcasts recorded- you'll notice that November had no episodes released. The truth is, with my new work schedule, as well as my review schedule, it's hard to watch stuff for the podcast as well. But I hope to get back in the habit for 2024.That said, for now, I've got a couple of great episodes to finish up on. We're starting with a long-in-gestation discussion about James Wan's 2018 superhero film, "Aquaman". I have some very particular opinions on this, and the DCEU, as well, and it was great to bring back Darin Lundberg from NostalgiaCast and Kevin the Critic to the podcast. They do a lot of heavylifting, and I'm so grateful. I hope you enjoy!

To close my October, I am so pleased to share this discussion. World cinema is important to look at as a way of exploring the breadth of cinema. Vietnamese cinema is something I have not really delved into...until now. My guest is Nguyen Le, a Vietnamese critic who can be found at various places, and hopes to bring more recognition to his home country's films. For this episode, we talk about the Vietnamese film industry before focusing in on three different entries in Vietnamese horror cinema, 2004's "Spirits" and 2014's "Hollow" and "Vengeful Heart." I hope you enjoy!The closing piece is "The Cold Wind of Horror", composed by Brian Skutle, from my album, "The Cold Wind of Horror".

As we begin our month of horror at the podcast, frequent guest Phil Fasso and I decided to take a different perspective on the genre. Inspired by two big swings at bringing Dracula to the screen, our discussion today centers on the history of Bram Stoker's Prince of Darkness onscreen, and why the iconic ones stand out to us. The piece at the end of the episode is "The Dreadful Tick of Time," from my forthcoming album, "The Cold Wind of Horror," coming out at Bandcamp on Friday, October 13, 2023.

With so many unknown films right now, what does it mean to have Oscar buzz? Do any films actually have Oscar buzz? In a bit of a change from what I was planning, and what we typically do when it comes to the Oscars, I bring back Amanda Spears to talk about Barbenheimer, filmmakers making movies for Oscar consideration, "Dune" delay theories and what could- or could not- get nominated. It's a wild discussion.**About halfway into the episode, my audio starts to get fuzzy. But everything is still intelligible.

It's after Labor Day, so you know what that means? Time for me to recount my annual trip to Dragon*Con, the genre convention that takes place in Atlanta. Because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, things were a bit different, but I loved the weekend down there all the same. I hope you enjoy!

I wouldn't say that I love David Fincher as a filmmaker, but the films of his I love, I really love. Of those films, few have my affection more than his 1997 thriller, "The Game". This is one of those movies I've wanted to discuss for a while- and I missed it for its 25th anniversary- but with Fincher having a new film coming out later this year, the time seemed right to finally talk about this film. (It also provides a good complimentary episode to my Frankenheimer episode earlier in the month.) Joining me to discuss the film is Carlo from The Movie Loot podcast, which will have its own Fincher discussion soon. I hope you enjoy!

This is another episode I've been looking forward to for a year or so. John Frankenheimer is one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time, but also someone who doesn't get their due respect. In the 1960s he directed a trilogy of thrillers that delve into the anxieties of a changing political and societal landscape, and in preparing for this episode, they all continue to exert a hold now, and feel very relevant in their own ways. Join myself and actor Timothy J. Cox as we discuss "The Manchurian Candidate", "Seven Days in May" and "Seconds". I hope you enjoy!The closing piece is Brian's End Credits track for the short film, "The Case: Running Deadman."