The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio are rejoined by Brendan McDonald, former producer of the iconic podcast WTF with Marc Maron, for a bonus episode about Paul Thomas Anderson's latest masterpiece, One Battle After Another. Kicking off with a check-in on Brendan's life following WTF's end this past October, the group roll through the many hills of PTA's new film, including its roots in Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland, numerous thematic and aesthetic connections to his greater filmography, and its balancing of political commentary and the personal struggles that coincide. Much time is also spent praising of the film's phenomenal cast, be it Leonardo DiCaprio delivering comic and dramatic beats with equal prowess, Chase Infiniti commanding the screen with her evocative breakout performance, or Teyana Taylor using limited screentime to maximal effect, among other examples. Keeping track of the time and remembering the password, with or without format punch-cards, the group draw from their many combined viewings to highlight a film that truly shines like a beacon with its expansive worldview, sincerity, and attention to detail in the uncertainty-laden present of 2025. 

Listen to the WTF archives and look back on the podcast's legacy at wtfpod.com.

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To kick off the latest cycle of "Unorthodox Holiday Suggestions", Emilio brings the original 'Black Christmas', Bob Clark's other holiday themed masterpiece from 1974, to the group just in time for spooky season.  Joining the usual three cohosts is James Codoyannis, fellow cinephile and editor for film/TV who worked on the well-received, recently released indie film "We Strangers".  The group digs into this proto-slasher classic, highlighting the way this movie is in such great control of its tone and atmosphere, the changing nature of the POV shots, at iconic atonal piano sound design/score, the amazing voice acting work by Nick Mancuso as Billy, and much more.  The group also discusses the many ways 'Black Christmas' intersects with and diverges from John Carpenter's 'Halloween', the much more popular and influential slasher film from the 1970s, and discusses the filmmaking decisions that implicate Peter as the killer, and whether or not it works for building suspense.  It's a great conversation about what makes 'Black Christmas' such a important entry in the horror canon!

Follow James on his socials:

INSTAGRAM: @codboyannis

LETTERBOXD: jcodoyannis

BLUESKY: @codboyannis.bsky.social

WE STRANGERS now available on rent & buy at AMAZON, APPLE TV, and other places

Follow @westrangersthefilm on INSTAGRAM

SEAWEED STORIES now available to watch on Leo DiCaprio's YouTube Channel

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice.  This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at sleeplesscinematicpod@gmail.com

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio wrap up their cycle of Musicians on Film by diving into the filmography of Tom Waits, once dubbed a "performer, singer, actor, magician, spirit guide, changeling" by the great Neil Young. Joined by Madeline's dad Richard, the trio kick off the conversation by discussing Waits' starring role in Jim Jarmusch's "Down By Law", and ponder the similarities between his character Zack and his well-known boozy troubadour persona. The group then pivots to Francis Ford Coppola's campy classic "Bram Stoker's Dracula", and agree that Waits' interpretation of R. M. Renfield is the necessary constant in such a sprawling film. And although our subject only appears in one of the six vignettes that make up Joel and Ethan Coen's "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", the conversation would not be complete without taking the time to appreciate Waits' magnetism as the prospector in "All Gold Canyon".

Subscribe to Richard's Substack for pieces on politics, satire, anger, and more at substack.com/@mcmongrel

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and continue to grow!

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For our Musicians-Turned-Actor cycle "Two Shot", Madeline, Emilio and Julian are swinging for the fences with an unexpected pair of films - Penny Marshall's 1992 baseball classic 'A League of Their Own' and Olivia Wilde's 2022 release 'Don't Worry Darling', featuring acting performances by Madonna and Harry Styles, respectively.  The cohosts are joined by Emilio's pop culture literate sister Maria-Elena to make some connections between these two films, one a unanimous home run, the other... perhaps a base hit.  They discuss the ways each film uses and considers their respective celebrity musician's star power, how both films theme of women's empowerment is conveyed to viewers, the small moments characters have that are meant to convey more, and the moments and details that both delight and leave us with more questions than answers.  Doris and Mae are a couple, right?  And who between these two films appears to be a "gaslighting gatekeeping girl boss" in waiting?

Listeners: AS A CHILD, WHAT MOVIE LIVED IN YOUR VCR (OR DVD PLAYER) FOR WEEKS AT A TIME?  Respond here to this question (or with any other feedback too!), and we'll compile your responses and share our own thoughts in an upcoming episode!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjZUC7GOu2-tOXhnbvtfboNBeSZ9LqLBxkIIUo-keD1eqKew/viewform?usp=dialog

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at sleeplesscinematicpod@gmail.com

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

Julian, Madeline and Emilio pop some Asti Spumante and welcome back social media maven and podcast favorite Jamie Homs to talk 'Moonstruck', the beloved 1987 romantic comedy directed by Norman Jewison.  A "Suggestion Box" entry from Madeline, the group makes time to highlight the film's musician-turned-actor Cher, and her lauded and iconic turn as Loretta Castorini.  The group also dives into the film's universal themes of family, relationships and love, breakdown the multiple love triangles, rave about other sensational performances, enjoy the witty script, and share some of their favorite moments and small details.   How many times can we say we were "struck" by something while talking about this film?  More than we realized!     

Listeners... Is there a movie that you make a point to watch at least once a year? Let us know here, and we'll share your responses on an upcoming episode: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdfR_LEmL8gn-ZVTYtZ30OY-BK3o5rxUEgTKk1PPj_8dF7ILw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=102380210702143385882

Be sure to follow Jamie Homs!  Her awesome film-related content can be found on Tik Tok and Instagram at jamie.homs 

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at sleeplesscinematicpod@gmail.com

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

Madeline, Julian, and Emilio welcome back past guest and Julian's longtime friend Michaela Brady to continue discussing films with Musicians-Turned-Actors, and this time it's a "Mise-Unseen" on Nicolas Roeg's 1976 film "The Man Who Fell to Earth," starring David Bowie in his first acting role. Centered on the titular alien's efforts to harness earthly resources and bring water back to his drought-laden home planet, the film blends its literary world-building with a tone barely seen in films after the 1970s, by way of first-time actor Bowie's naturalism, Roeg's unconventional direction, and an eclectic supporting cast. A first-time watch for all, the group compares this film to others they didn't get on an initial watch, but still found compelling, along with discussing its reflections of the 1970s zeitgeist and dropping plenty of Bowie-related anecdotes, both personal and well-known, along the way.

Listeners - what are some movies you didn't quite understand on first watch, but knew you wanted to come back to? Let us know here, and we'll share your responses on an upcoming episode: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1N6B0AYVGegnis7UYhE82ZDR8AMDvGb-79Yvgo1JT-6I/edit

Follow Michaela Brady on IG @mnbawriter or @jillnjeff11, and check out her writing and blog at michaela-n-brady.com.

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at sleeplesscinematicpod@gmail.com

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

This week, Emilio, Julian and Madeline set sail with pop culture writer and Spielberg aficionado Mike Duquette aboard to take on 'Jaws', the landmark film that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer.  The group discuss what makes this film so unique in film history, Spielberg's maturation as a nascent Hollywood director, the ways in which the novel and the film differ, the iconic Oscar-winning score by John Williams, the underappreciated performances throughout, and what modern blockbusters could learn from the stakes and scopes of this story.  It's a lovefest for a timeless film that still feels as fresh and captivating today as it did when it first hit theaters a half century ago!   

Mike Duquette has worked for Legacy Recordings, Rhino Records, Allmusic, Ultimate Classic Rock, Discogs, Observer, uDiscover Music and Mondo Records, where he penned the liner notes to their 40th anniversary vinyl release of John Williams’ score to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. He founded The Second Disc, a website devoted to music reissues and box sets, in 2010, and writes about other music, movies and film novelizations at Duque’s Delight.

Listeners... what's your first memory of watching a Steven Spielberg film?  Let us know here, and we'll share some of our favorite responses in a future episode: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehHyTMNV2UaItyxtEr0T6IugLq_Huw6tcb_Nc7cmT5gOXnhg/viewform?usp=header

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice.  This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at sleeplesscinematicpod@gmail.com

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

To kick off a new cycle featuring musicians turned actors, Julian, Madeline and Emilio rewatch 'Licorice Pizza', Paul Thomas Anderson's 2021 film and love letter to the San Fernando Valley circa 1973.  Populated with memorable turns from Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Skylar Gisondo, Benny Safdie and others, the film is anchored by the performances of newcomers Cooper Hoffman (son of late great PTA favorite Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and Alana Haim, the youngest of three musician sisters that make up the band HAIM.  The group discusses their own personal histories with HAIM, as well as the band's many collaborations with PTA, who directed several of their music videos,  They then dig into the unusual friendship dynamic between Gary and Alana, discuss several of the reoccurring motifs, praise the film's visual aesthetic, the many great needle drops, and weigh in the film's polarizing final note. And stick around to the end for an Unlikely Shared Universe first! 

Would you rather go into business with Gary Valentine or Max Fischer? Let us know here!: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1e3llPyl0toYj7isVJ_YMRfatMQRzAgfGgtYO7xtSPyo/edit

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at sleeplesscinematicpod@gmail.com

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

Madeline, Emilio, and Julian are joined by Julian’s oft-mentioned cinephile cousin Sylvie for a standalone discussion about Andrzej Żuławski’s singular film “Possession” (1981). Distinctly mixing a drama of romantic turmoil with elements of body horror, spy thrillers, and creature features, “Possession” centers on the alternatively broad and grounded performances of its two versatile lead actors, Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill, to deliver a film worthy of high accolades yet relegated to obscurity for many years, due to its transgressive content and difficulty to classify. The group break the film down through elements such as its dynamic cinematography and memorable secondary characters, in addition to finding notable comparisons to other films (the Cronenberg name looming large), considering what it's like to flail around in Berlin's U-bahn, and wondering what ever happened to calling people “Bob.”  

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice.  This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at sleeplesscinematicpod@gmail.com

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio are joined by Brendan McDonald, the producer of 'WTF with Marc Maron,' to finish off their cycle of New York City movies with a "Close-Up" on the works of legendary cinematographer Owen Roizman. A versatile visual talent ready for whatever came his way, Roizman burst out of the gate with William Friedkin's crime drama "The French Connection" (1971), in which he unforgettably and frantically photographed a plethora of New York locales. This showcase of his skills made him the perfect choice to shoot "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" (1974), the Joseph Sargent-directed, subway-set thriller infused with workplace humor that indelibly captures a timeless spirit of New York. But Roizman's aptitude also extended beyond the grimy streets and subway tunnels, and rose up to the broadcasting towers of Midtown Manhattan in "Network" (1976), the darkly prescient media satire written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet. Blending their eyes for detail with their lived experience as New Yorkers, the group get into how Roizman's visual sense cemented the iconic status of these films, and why they stand the test of time even as they were made just a few years apart from one another. 

To hear Brendan discuss movies and other topics regularly, subscribe to the WTF bonus feed, "The Full Maron," for access to The Friday Show and other bonus material. Learn more at https://www.wtfpod.com/

If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice.  This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

Send us an email at sleeplesscinematicpod@gmail.com

On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats