Sonic Cinema

Six months into 2021, and one could make the case that moviewatching is getting back to normal. Most of the major movie chains have reopened, markets such as New York and Los Angeles are open for business, and we’ve had at least two films break the hallowed $100 million dollar mark. If it still doesn’t […]

Representation is more important in cinema than ever. Even when a film seems to succeed with it, however, issues may arise. In this episode, Rosa Parra from the Latinx Lens podcast and I explore this topic with a review of “In the Heights”, as well as a larger discussion on Latino representation in cinema. I […]

Comedy is certainly subjective, but what constitutes successful parody (or parody itself) is pretty cut in dry, right? In this episode, Robert Yaniz Jr. from Crooked Table podcasts wanted to explore the evolution of one of cinema’s most ridiculous subgenres of comedy, and even when you just look at “Blazing Saddles”, “Airplane!” and “Scary Movie”, […]

Is Orson Welles’s career in movies JUST “Citizen Kane,” or is there more to take in? Joining me to discuss that question, and help answer it, is DW Lundberg of the NostalgiaCast podcast, who has a particular affinity for Welles. In addition to “Citizen Kane”, we also discuss “Othello” and “The Trial”. I hope you […]

With the Sonic Cinema Podcast, I’ve strived for it to be more than just me talking about movies and subjects related to movies. In the early years of the podcast, that’s mostly how it was, although I would- occasionally- have friends, and even filmmakers, on, the former to share some of our thoughts on particular […]

For the latest episode, Brian breaks down his favorite films of the 2021 Atlanta Film Festival, as well as shares interviews with filmmaker Bo McGuire (“Socks on Fire”) and ATLFF Assistant Director Cameron McAllister. I hope you enjoy! Episode 83 – Atlanta Film Festival 2021 2021 Atlanta Film Festival – The Reviews “Alive” “Raspberry” “At […]

Watching the 2020 awards season move along to its awkward, yet inevitable, climax, it was interesting to see how, after a year of madness and uncertainty in terms of what the movie year would bring, the awards managed to be as polarizing, and predictable, as any other Oscar year. The precursor awards spelled out the […]

**Before we get to the main post, the Virtual Catalog of this year’s festival has been made available through Sunday, May 9. If you haven’t had the chance to watch any of the wonderful films from the festival, several of them are available there. The link is in the first paragraph below. The last days […]

In 2019, the middle of my week at the Atlanta Film Festival was interrupted by food poisoning, forcing me to sit out Wednesday and Thursday. Last year, I got to everything I wanted to see, but learned that the movie theatre I had worked at for 19 years was closing permanently. This year, I got […]

It’s beginning to feel normal again. The week before this year’s Atlanta Film Festival, the Plaza Theatre had two 70mm screenings of “Lawrence of Arabia”. I attended the second screening for my first indoor theatrical experience since September and “Tenet”. It was quite an experience to return to theatres for. And yet, the opening weekend […]