Episodes
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast Rewind: David Cronenberg’s Videodrome and The Fly
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
David Cronenberg Special
On episode 252 of the Sordid Cinema podcast (then named Sound on Sight), we invited Sean Dwyer and Jay Cheel from the Film Junk Podcast to discuss David Cronenberg’s visually audacious, revolutionary, and utterly strange sci-fi thriller, Videodrome— as well as The Fly, possibly his most triumphant and accessible film to date. Enjoy!
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast Rewind: Cronenberg’s Antiviral
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
In our sixth Cronenberg-themed show (recorded in 2012), we expanded our scope to include David Cronenberg’s very own spawn, Brandon, whose debut feature Antiviral had just gone wide in Canada. Ricky, Edgar, and Simon tackled the flick, to see how it stacks up against one of daddy’s earlier efforts, 1981’a sci-fi actioner Scanners.
Monday Jan 18, 2021
Sordid Cinema Podcast #566:Scanners: So Good, It Will Blow Your Mind
Monday Jan 18, 2021
Monday Jan 18, 2021
Scanners Podcast Review
This week the Sordid Cinema Podcast takes a deeper look at the 1981 cult classic Scanners to see if there’s still more in this tale of telepathic intrigue than a nifty exploding head GIF. Goomba Stomp writer/editor Mike Worby joins Rick and Patrick on their dive into director David Cronenberg’s first commercial hit, discussing where the film stands in his pantheon, debating the effect a rushed production schedule had on the script, and wondering just why the film’s lead actor comes across as a robot. Along the way here are comparisons to Hitchcock and the X-Men, praise for the incredible practical effects, a chuckle over a phone booth that gets blown up but good, and some questions about that twist ending.
Does Scanners still stand the test of time? What sort of tweaks could be made if this film was ever reimagined? And just how many times will that exploding head actually be mentioned? For all this and more, have a listen!
Editor’s Note: We’ve included our original review of Scanners from 2012 at the one hour and fifteen-minute mark of the episode.
Sunday Nov 15, 2020
Sordid Cinema Podcast #560: Unbreakable
Sunday Nov 15, 2020
Sunday Nov 15, 2020
Hot off the heels of The Sixth Sense, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan decided to follow up his smash psychological horror hit with something fans weren’t quite expecting: a grounded look at the comic book superhero myth. This week The Sordid Cinema Podcast takes a look at that low-key masterpiece, Unbreakable. Rick and Patrick are joined by superfan Aisha Newton (her cat is named Elijah, after Samuel L. Jackson’s diabolical villain) to discuss what makes this film so special these many years later, especially in the context of the flood of Marvel and DC blockbusters that have released since. Those who have yet to see this 2000 film will definitely see a different approach than what they may be used to. So how does Shyamalan’s patient, precise style hold up today? Is there an audience for this type of superhero film going forward? And just what exactly is Rick’s ‘kitchen theory’? For all this and more, have a listen!
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
Sordid Cinema Podcast #554: ‘Dressed to Kill’ is Draped in Stylish De Palma
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
Dressed to Kill Podcast Review
Though many may not rank it among his best (including our own Ricky D), Brian De Palma’s Dressed to Kill is nevertheless a perfect example of how a particular director can greatly enhance the material through individual craftsmanship and sensibilities. Sure, what should be a fairly simple story of a high-class call girl both investigating and fleeing from the mysterious woman she witnessed commit a bloody murder might get a bit needlessly convoluted and confusing thanks to De Palma’s screenplay, but there is never any doubt in the clarity of the visuals. The director brings his Hitchcockian best here, with several standout scenes worthy of discussion, including a virtuoso flirtation sequence in a museum, as well as a grisly slashing in an elevator.
In addition to the fantastic camerawork, Rick and Patrick also save some praise for the performances, many of which rise above the sometimes-hokey dialogue to create memorable characters (and yes, that praise includes Nancy Allen as call girl Liz). They also discuss De Palma’s influences, and though Dressed to Kill might seem like an overt homage to Hitchcock’s Psycho, it also owes something to giallo horror films of the day. These elements all come together to result in a stylish, adult thriller the likes of which modern audiences could use more of. But can Dressed to Kill still enjoy a wide appeal?
For all this and more, have a listen!
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Tuesday Jun 16, 2020
Sordid Cinema Podcast #551: Why ‘La Haine’ is as Explosive 25 Years On
Tuesday Jun 16, 2020
Tuesday Jun 16, 2020
La Haine Podcast Review
Twenty-five years ago, Mathieu Kassovitz’s French black-and-white drama crime drama La Haine sent shockwaves through the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation and the Best Director prize.
A story of social unrest, La Haine was inspired by three isolated incidents involving the killing of unarmed young people by police officers (including the famous case of the 17-year-old Congolese Makomé M’Bowolé) that led to three weeks of riots in Paris and surrounding areas.
Starring Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, and Vincent Cassel (in his breakout performance), La Haine is set over 19 consecutive hours in the lives of three young men living in the impoverished, multi-ethnic public housing complexes known as Chanteloup-les-Vignes. We follow the three of them in the aftermath of a riot in a banlieue that left their teenage friend Abdel comatose in a hospital after being brutally beaten by the police. When Vinz recovers a gun lost by a cop during the riot, he feels empowered and decides to take revenge.
Twenty years on, La Haine feels more relevant than ever. It’s arguably the best film made about systemic racism and police brutality— easily the best film released in 2015— and one of the most powerful pieces of urban cinema ever made. Today on the Sordid Cinema Podcast we reflect on the film’s lasting significance and why it holds a special place in our hearts.
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Friday May 01, 2020
Sordid Cinema Podcast #547: ‘The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover’
Friday May 01, 2020
Friday May 01, 2020
This week on the Sordid Cinema podcast, we discuss The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Peter Greenaway’s most successful film and some would argue his true masterpiece— although not to the taste of the average cinema goer.
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Sordid Cinema Podcast #546: ‘The Passion of the Christ’ – Torturous or Rapturous?
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
This week the hosts of the Sordid Cinema Podcast take a look at Mel Gibson’s 2004 monster hit, The Passion of the Christ. While the film is known primarily for its extreme level of violence and the controversies surrounding its release, does the film actually accomplish what it sets out to do? Is there a point to all the suffering? Rick and Patrick try to get to the heart of the matter, doing our best to remember the Stations of the Cross while debating the artistic merits of Gibson’s context-reliant storytelling. The Passion may be hard to enjoy, but there’s no doubt it’s a film that offers plenty to talk about.
As usual, we discuss our favorite scenes, wistfully mention a few things we might have changed, and wonder if this violent biblical epic will stand the test of time.
For all this and more, have a listen!
Wednesday Apr 01, 2020
Sordid Cinema Podcast #544: ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’
Wednesday Apr 01, 2020
Wednesday Apr 01, 2020
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Podcast Review
This week’s show sees Patrick picking another western, but this one is a little more talkie and a little less shooty. John Ford’s 1962 adaptation of The Man Who Shot Liverty Valance centers on a classic genre theme of civilization vs. frontier law. While Ford may be an acquired taste for some, the hosts discuss the fascinating philosophical conflicts at play while praising many (though not all) of the performances, as well as note the uniqueness of the (mostly) action-free film. With Monument Valley never making an appearance, is there enough to look at? Does this slower western still hold up today? Why, oh why, did Ford leave in that classroom scene?
For all this and more, have a listen!
Monday Mar 23, 2020
Monday Mar 23, 2020
12 Monkeys Podcast Review
This week on the Sordid Cinema Podcast we discuss Terry Gilliam’s 1995 sci-fi masterwork 12 Monkeys, which mixes time travel with paranoia set against the backdrop of a dystopian future that both has happened, and is yet to come. Joining Rick and Patrick is film critic and Goomba Stomp writer Stephen Silver, who helps us dive into the intricacies and nuance of this Bruce Willis-led thriller. Along the way, we praise the structure of a script that juggles numerous elements that all pay off handsomely in a pitch-perfect end, debate about which performance really stands out among the cast (for both the right and possibly wrong reasons), and look into some of the history of the film, including the inspiration taken from the 1962 French short La Jetée.
What are our favorite moments? What would we change if we could go back in time? Does 12 Monkeys ultimately still hold up to modern audiences? For all this and more, have a listen!