Emilio, Madeline, and Julian continue their "Politics" episode cycle with a "Mise-Unseen" entry on Barry Levinson's 1997 film "Wag the Dog," and are joined to do so by special guest Idris Goodwin - a playwright, educator, fellow cinephile, and significant role model from Emilio's Chicago upbringing. The group get into the movie by discussing its place in the canon of mid-budget 90s studio films, as well as in the greater careers of its heavy-hitting stars, Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman. L...

To usher in a new cycle on "Politics", Julian, Emilio and Madeline soft pedal their way into the theme by way of discussing Jared Hess's 2004 debut feature film 'Napoleon Dynamite', a high school movie featuring socially maladjusted yet charming teenagers, tater tots, rural Idaho, airborne food, fraudulent internet purchases, non-fraudulent internet dating, and yes, an election for class president! After a conversation about the film's gentle, family-friendly humor and off-beat style th...

To close out the "Musicians on Film" cycle, Julian, Madeline and Emilio dig into the work of ace songwriter Adam Schlesinger, focusing on catchy pop songs he penned for three films - 'That Thing You Do!' (1996), 'Josie and the Pussycats' (2001), and 'Music and Lyrics' (2007). Emilio and Julian break out guitars to point out some of the little details from early 60s rock n'roll and beyond that made their way into "That Thing You Do!", the irrepressible hit single from the movie of the sa...

Madeline, Julian, and Emilio continue their "Musicians on Film" episode cycle with a "Two-Shot" entry on a pair of unforgettable cinematic portrayals of Bob Dylan, namely D. A. Pennebaker's trailblazing 1967 documentary "Dont Look Back" (apostrophe not included), and Todd Haynes' kaleidoscopic 2007 film "I'm Not There." As two of many films out there which focus on the enigmatic musician, the group aims to distill from them whatever greater truths they can, both about Dylan himself and ...

For the Suggestion Box entry to the "Musicians on Film" cycle, Julian, Madeline and Emilio emerge from seed pods and go one louder for a conversation about 'This is Spinal Tap', Rob Reiner's hilarious and influential mockumentary from 1984 chronicling the US tour of England's loudest band. The trio dig into the film's origins, the improvised acting, the ways in which the movie both lampoons and embraces the music industry, the things it borrowed from and what it foreshadowed about music...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio are joined by writer, performer, cultural connoisseur, and Julian's longtime friend Michaela Brady, for a bonus episode on Emerald Fennell's recent shock-laden estate film "Saltburn." Aided by Michaela's regional expertise as an alum of Oxford University (and current resident in said city), the group dive into the workings of this anti-hero-centric film, praising such details as its visuals and soundtrack while devoting careful attention to its narrative details. ...

This week, Emilio, Julian, and Madeline continue their cycle about “Musicians on Film” with an oft-overlooked Spike Lee Joint, “Mo’ Better Blues” (1990). While this film may be quite a shift from “Do the Right Thing” only a year before, our hosts discuss commonalities (and possible shared universes?) between the two films and the director’s filmography at large. They discuss the film’s exploration of the personal and romantic lives of musicians, a portrayal these three may have a vested inter...

For this bonus episode, Emilio, Madeline, and Julian power up a communicator and call on the presence of Mike Duquette, an out-of-this-world pop culture writer based in Astoria, NY, to discuss Steven Spielberg's evergreen classic 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'. Mike brings his encyclopedic knowledge of all things 'E.T.' for a panoramic look at the film and its legacy. The group covers the film's personal and inauspicious origins, its unusual (at the time of its release) foregroundin...

Kicking off a new episode cycle about "Musicians on Film", Julian, Emilio and Madeline hop on a three-wheeled motorcycle and revisit a movie they've previously seen and admired: Robert Altman's 1975 epic 'Nashville', a five-day, criss-crossing journey through the country music capital. The trio do their best to make sense of the many disparate things that take place in its unusual narrative, and discuss scenes and characters that have outsized importance in their own personal experience...

For this bonus episode, Julian, Madeline and Emilio reflect on the high school based films that were discussed over the last few months. Are there any shared characteristics between them? What about a high school setting makes for interesting, relatable stories? Lastly, the trio assigns superlatives to several of the memorable characters from the nine films they watched. Cutest Couple? Life of the Party? Best Athlete? Best Dressed? Friendliest?&...

Emilio, Madeline, and Julian finish off their cycle on High School Movies with a "Close-Up" on the great director Amy Heckerling, and a selection of her school-based films. The trio kick it off with 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," Heckerling's directorial debut and an unforgettable ensemble comedy/drama with a Cameron Crowe-penned script and career-defining performances from many of its stars. To follow, they then take a look at 1995's "Clueless," Heckerling's mid-90s, Beverly Hills-se...

For the latest "High School" cycle episode, Julian, Madeline and Emilio revisit two beloved "one crazy night" teen/buddy comedies, Greg Mottola's 'Superbad' and Olivia Wilde's 'Booksmart'. The trio gets into what really works, and some of what doesn't work as well, in these two iconic films. While there are striking (and well documented) similarities between these two films, there are also notable differences. They discuss the performances of the young leads, w...

This week, Emilio, Julian, and Madeline break out the croquet mallets and slushies for a discussion of 'Heathers', the 1989 high school dark comedy starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. This is as formative a movie as there can be for Emilio, who can't help but speak with admiration for this cult classic. They dig into the film's satirical approach to the subject matter, its prescience about a future with rampant school violence, the star-making turns for the film's lead act...

Madeline, Julian, and Emilio are joined by guest Jamie Homs as they continue their High School Movies cycle with a "Suggestion Box" episode on the original high school musical, Randal Kleiser’s “Grease”. While Madeline and Jamie have lost count of the number of times they’ve visited Rydell High, Julian is coming in with fresh eyes as a first-time viewer! Does the magic of this bright and peppy classic work without the nostalgia of watching it as a kid? The group discusses the characterization...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio are joined by Lily Desmond of the band Sloppy Jane to venture into the midnight realm with a discussion on the new film "I Saw the TV Glow." The group dive into its portrayals of such themes as media obsession, personal identity crisis, and co-dependency, along with its abundance of music, aided by Lily's perspective on Sloppy Jane's presence in the film. They also discuss which experiences in their lives most closely resemble main character Owen's relationship wi...

This week, The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast joins forces with Down the Yellow Brick Pod hosts Emily Kay Shrader and Tara Tagliaferro, two of the world's leading experts on all things Oz, to discuss one of the more bizarro films ever to be influenced by 1939's classic 'The Wizard of Oz' - the third and final installment of John Waters' trash trilogy, 1977's 'Desperate Living'. Emily and Tara come to this film with plenty of Oz-related background, and weigh in on several of the homages tha...

Emilio, Madeline, and Julian continue their High School Movies cycle with a "Mise-Unseen" entry on Alan Parker's 1980 classic, "Fame." Coincidentally a film that none of the trio had seen previously, they look in depth at its ensemble-based depiction of a full four years at New York City's High School of the Performing Arts. Amidst their many talking points, Julian brings a unique perspective to the film as the native New Yorker of the group, while Emilio spins a discussion from the film's "R...

Alright, Alright, Alright! This week Julian, Madeline and Emilio kick off their newest cycle of High School movies by revisiting a 90s favorite about the 70s, Richard Linklater's 'Dazed and Confused'. The trio looks back on their own time in high school, and discuss what this movie gets right about this time in life. What signature Linklater touches are present in this movie? Which of the film's impressive ensemble performances stand out, and which ones leave somethin...

Bonus episode! Emilio, Madeline and Julian are joined by esteemed NYC musician and bandleader Matt Friedman to discuss one of his favorite films, M. Night Shyamalan's 'Unbreakable'.  The quartet dig into the many fun aspects of this film - the great camera work and the influence comic book imagery has throughout, its status as a revisionist superhero movie, the abundant color symbolism, how its twist ending is still so effective (in spite of being there the whole time in retrospect), and much...

To wrap up their cycle on "Unique Best Picture Winners," Julian, Emilio, and Madeline take a deep dive into the life and work of the great actor John Cazale. Best known as Fredo Corleone in "The Godfather" Parts I and II, Cazale appeared in only five feature films in the 1970s before his untimely passing. However, all five of those films became iconic, both in and beyond his lifetime, and made Cazale a mainstay of the Best Picture Oscar category in the process. On top of the first two...

For our Unique Best Picture Winner "Two-Shot" episode, Madeline and Julian finally see (and Emilio rewatches) two of the more upsetting upset winners of the Academy Award's last twenty years, Paul Haggis' passion project 'Crash' and Peter Farrelly's mismatched-buddy-road-trip picture 'Green Book'.   They reflect on what social conditions existed that might have led to their ascension to Best Picture consideration, as well as what was internal (and in some cases endemic) within the Academy...

Madeline, Julian, and Emilio continue their cycle on Unique Best Picture Winners with a "Suggestion Box" episode on the 1969 classic "Midnight Cowboy," the first and only X-Rated film to win the top Oscar. As the oldest film the trio have covered to this point, they each think it holds up spectacularly in numerous ways, such as its frenetic dual portrayals of youthful desire and repressed trauma, its iconic needle drops with Harry Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'," and Dustin Hoffman's...

While they cycle through Unique Best Picture Winners, Julian, Madeline and Emilio take a moment to reflect on the most recent Best Picture Winner (and recipient of six other Oscars), Christopher Nolan's 2023 mega-hit 'Oppenheimer'.  After some thoughts on this last Sunday's Academy Awards, they dive into the movie.  Would it qualify as a unique Best Picture winner?  What is it about this movie that feels timeless and timely?  They cover the cagey nature of Nolan as interview subject, the...

For this cycle's "Mise-Unseen" entry, Madeline, Emilio and Julian finally pony up for Apple TV Plus subscriptions and see 'CODA', Sian Heder's 2021 Best Picture winning film.  Like the Joni Mitchell classic at the heart of this film, the trio can't help but see both triumphantly good and puzzlingly frustrating aspects to 'CODA'.  For all the powerful and winning scenes with the Rossi family (that scene on the pickup truck!), there are clunky and shallow ones with most every other peripheral...