Episodes
Friday Jan 21, 2022
Friday Jan 21, 2022
The Matrix: Down the Rabbit Hole
The Matrix is a movie made of groundbreaking special effects, superb martial arts combat, and mind-bending science fiction. It’s a movie that was not only ahead of its time but has stood the test of time and a movie that is still debated, decades later. It’s a film full of ideas, pulling from several influences ranging from Spaghetti Westerns, Hong Kong action cinema Japanese anime, Philip K. Dick, Alice in Wonderland, William Gibson’s Neuromancer, and so much more. The Matrix is a tale of perception and reality, a story about consciousness and about the birth and evolution of consciousness. It’s tackle’s themes of control and freedom; predestination and free will and so much more. Above all, it’s a kick-ass Hollywood blockbuster that offers a wide array of genres blended into what is basically a classic tale of good versus evil. Simply put, The Matrix is one of the greatest movies ever made— easily one of the most influential movies ever made, and arguably the quintessential film of 1999. This week on the Sordid Cinema Podcast, Tilt Magazine contributor Kent M. Wilhelm drops by to help us discuss why The Matrix is one of our favourite movies of all time!
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Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
One False Move Spoiler Review
This week on the Sordid Cinema Podcast, we explain why we agree with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel that Carl Franklin’s low-budget crime pic One False Move, is one of the best films of 1992. Scripted by Thom Epperson and Billy Bob Thornton, the neo-noir is hard-hitting, skillfully performed, well shot, and perfectly paced. And while the film might not be a masterpiece, it sure is better than your average thriller and also features a breakthrough performance by the late, great, Bill Paxton. Sadly, the film was neglected and forgotten over the years, but we’re here to hopefully change that.
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Thursday Dec 02, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast Rewind: Xavier Dolan’s Mommy
Thursday Dec 02, 2021
Thursday Dec 02, 2021
Anyone who’s even remotely familiar with Quebec cinema will know his name: Xavier Dolan is currently Canada’s chief prestige cinematic export, for better or worse. On episode 398 of the Sordid Cinema Podcast (then known as Sound On Sight), Kate Rennebohm and Justine Smith joined Simon Howell to debate the merits of his sixth feature, Mommy, for which he shared the Best Director prize at Cannes with none other than Jean-Luc Godard.
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Wednesday Dec 01, 2021
Wednesday Dec 01, 2021
Dune 2021 Review
There’s a lot to like about Denis Villeneuve’s version of Frank Herbert’s Dune and this week on the Sordid Cinema Podcast we discuss what we admire about the Montreal filmmakers’ adaptation of the complex, weighty sci-fi novel and how it compares to David Lynch’s 1984 vision. We’ll tell you why Dune is a feminist film even if it revolves around a very masculine world and explain why it has some of the best sound design of any blockbuster film in recent memory. We also examine Greig Fraser’s gorgeous cinematography; Patrice Vermette’s incredible production design, as well as the work of Hans Zimmer who spent months creating new instruments to help him and his team, compose the soundtrack. Needless to say, there’s a lot to discuss this week. Enjoy!
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Friday Nov 26, 2021
Friday Nov 26, 2021
Cube (1997) Review
This week on the Sordid Cinema Podcast, we revisit Vincenzo Natali’s 1997 science-fiction horror film Cube; a low-budget, high-concept, mind-bending, sci-fi-thriller that revolves around people trying to escape a giant cube made of 17,576 different rooms, some of which feature inescapable deadly traps. We debate if Cube was ahead of its time and discuss why we feel the film was so influential to other movies and TV shows like Squid Game, Battle Royale and Saw, to name just a few. But what really interests us is the question: how many ways can one man film a movie that all takes place in one room and still keep it engaging? All this and more!
Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast Rewind: Why Mulholland Drive is a Masterpiece
Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
David Lynch Special Part 1: Mulholland Drive Review
In what turned out to be one of the most epic conversations in our podcast’s history, Ricky, Simon, and Edgar Chaput were joined by David Lynch superfan and friend of the show Kate Rennebohm for a two-part dissection of David Lynch’s films: 2001’s Mulholland Drive and 2006’s Inland Empire. Discussed: rabbits, the Lincoln assassination, the significance of doorknobs, yelling at Laura Dern, and many, many more odd tangents. Here is the first half of the special. Enjoy!
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Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast #594: Nosferatu the Vampyre
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
Nosferatu the Vampyre Review
This week, we take a look back at Nosferatu – no, not that one! Werner Herzog’s 1979 stab at the Dracula mythos, Nosferatu the Vampyre, complete with the great and terrible Klaus Kinski as the titular ghoul, is the one we’re taking a look at this time, inspired by recent news that Robert Eggers will be making a run at the same material for his next feature. Discussed: mass rat murder, the weirdnesses of the German/English dual release, and the eternal appeal of this character.
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Thursday Sep 09, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast #594: Don’t Snooze On The Big Sleep
Thursday Sep 09, 2021
Thursday Sep 09, 2021
The Big Sleep (1946) Podcast Review
Sex, drugs, gambling, pornography, murder — not the topics one normally thinks of when picturing a Humphrey Bogart movie, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg of dirty dealings in Howard Hawks’ adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. Sure, detective Philip Marlowe finds plenty of down time to chat up with every coquette and femme fatale that crosses his path, but that’s only in between uncovering blackmail rackets, staring down the barrels of multiple guns, getting worked over by burly goons, and trading bullets with slimy assassins.
This week, the Sordid Cinema Podcast sinks into the seedy underworld and tries to understand exactly what the hell is going on with all the duplicity and backstabbing. Who is after what now, and why? Or maybe we’ll just give up and drink in the juicy banter between Bogey and Bacall. Regardless, there’s plenty to appreciate in The Big Sleep, including some artful dodging of Hays code-era restrictions. But does this Howard Hawks movie pass the Howard Hawks test? For all this and more, have a listen!
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Sunday Jul 18, 2021
Sunday Jul 18, 2021
Terminator 2 Review
In 1984, director James Cameron created the Terminator franchise. His film of the same name explored a war between humanity and sentient machines, in which victory could only be assured by sending a naked bodybuilder back in time. Seven years later, he returned with Terminator 2: Judgement Day, replacing the original film’s lean, gritty action with the pyrotechnics of a swollen Meatloaf video. On episode #120 of the Sordid Cinema Podcast, the Sordid Cinema crew reviewed the entire grim sci-fi action series powered by the uncanny casting of Austrian muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger as an unstoppable, monotonous killing machine. What follows is the portion of that episode in which we reviewed Terminator 2 just months before Cameron made his return to the big screen with his long-awaited return to sci-fi, Avatar. Present on this episode is hosts Ricky D, Simon Howell, Al Kratina, and Ali McKinnon. Enjoy!
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Thursday Jul 01, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast #584: Pull the Wool From Your Eyes to See The Parallax View
Thursday Jul 01, 2021
Thursday Jul 01, 2021
Powerful organizations shrouded in secrecy, pulling strings from the shadows, snuffing out all who would dare expose the truth to an unsuspecting populace… It’s hard not to love conspiracy thrillers, and 1970s movie theaters were chock full of them. This week, the Sordid Cinema crew is taking a look at one of the best, the second in director Alan Pakula’s ‘Paranoia’ trilogy, The Parallax View. Clearly taking inspiration from real-life political assassinations, the story features an intrepid reporter investigating a shadowy corporation that appears to be recruiting and training deadly operatives to ‘remove’ political obstacles. But don’t worry about getting bogged down in plot details — there are too many car chases, bar fights, bomb threats, and boat explosions to distract from what’s really happening.
Join Rick, Simon, and Patrick as they explain just what makes The Parallax View such a solid thriller, including the masterful cinematography, excellent staging, and overall likability of star Warren Beatty (even if someone thinks he should have been replaced). But can you trust a film that doesn’t answer all the questions? We may never know exactly what’s goin on, but there’s a lot of fun in trying to figure it out. For all this and more, have a listen!
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