Last year, I wrote about how I was starting to guest on other people’s podcasts to discuss movies. If you want to hear me discuss “Rad” or “Waking Life” or ranking 1998 movies or discussing Christian cinema or film soundtracks, I hope you take the time to go listen to those episodes, and also check out those podcasts in general; they’ve all become part of my rotation of listening.
In July of last year, I recorded what might be the most definitive podcast I could ever record on one of my very favorite films of all-time. I already had Alex Proyas’s “The Crow” on my mind, as I was getting ready to start my deep dive into the director’s work. I’ve written and spoken a lot about the movie over the years- including in discussing the soundtrack with Untitled Cinema Gals, so when Robert Yaniz Jr. of Crooked Table Productions wanted to have me on one of his new podcast ventures, and I chose Close Watch- where he looks to get to know his guests through movies they love- I kind of wanted to steer clear of the film. In the end, it’s such a profound part of not just my movie love, but what I appreciate about movies, it needed to be the subject. I want to thank Robert for letting me get it out of my system about this movie.
In August, I had the chance to watch “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” at a press screening. At the same time, fellow podcaster and composer David Rosen was looking for a guest to discuss the film for his Piecing It Together podcast, wherein he and a guest discuss a recent film from the perspective of other films and pop culture they see inspiration from. David and I had some interesting pieces on this one, and it was a fun discussion.
I actually returned to Piecing It Together in March to take part in a super episode about Matt Reeves’s “The Batman”, and it was great to contribute to what all of the fellow guests- including past Sonic Cinema Podcast guests Rosa Perra and Robert Yaniz Jr.- felt was part of the DNA of Reeves’s film.
Early in January, I recorded a guest appearance on The Movie Loot podcast. You’ll recognize Carlo from our discussion on documentaries and “The Godfather” at the Sonic Cinema Podcast. He’s got a great idea for a podcast in terms of structure and pushing himself as a moviewatcher, and I cannot recommend it enough. For our discussion, we talked the silent era, and I loved how we were able to cover that early time of cinema. It’s a wonderful listen.
Back in November, I returned as a guest on the Binge Movies podcast, and it was quite a subject. In the early 1980s, Don Bluth was one of the premiere voices in the field of animation. His feature films, “The Secret of NIMH”, “An American Tail” and “The Land Before Time” not only gave American animation a boost while Disney floundered, but inspired animators in the same way he was inspired by Disney. By the end of the decade, however, he had competition from the Mouse, and a long slide began. The audio on my end was rough, but this was still a great discussion on a legend.
Prior to the 94th Academy Awards, I guested on the Extra Features podcast to help predict what would win. Co-host Simon was on the Sonic Cinema Movie Chat last summer, and it was great to talk to him again.
In late March, I joined Robert Yaniz Jr. on his second podcast, Franchise Detours, where he does deep dives into franchises on a film-by-film basis. He recently did the Sam Raimi “Spider-Man” trilogy, and he allowed me to discuss my appreciation for 2007’s “Spider-Man 3”. It’s a long one at three hours, but the film has always meant something more to me. It’s one of the most personal discussions about a film I’ve ever had.
To close, I joined Morgan and Chels once again on the Untitled Cinema Gals Project, but we focused out discussion this time on a single film, rather than our favorite soundtracks. This time, it was to discuss Chels’s favorite movie of 2021, “Godzilla vs. Kong”, and it’s probably one of the most enjoyable discussions on a film I’ve had in terms of listening back to it.
I hope to have more coming in the next year. I’m grateful for everyone here who had me on to talk film.
Thanks for listening,
Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
