Advertise on podcast: Cinema Callback

BFI London Film Festival 2026 — 15 Films, 14 Days & One Epic Voice Note Journey | Cinema Callback Special For this special episode of Cinema Callback, Andy and Michael take listeners inside the 2026 BFI London Film Festival, capturing two weeks of press screenings, cinematic discoveries, personal adventures, and unexpected disasters through the show's signature voice note conversation format. With press accreditation secured and two weeks booked off work, Andy documents the experience from his initial festival preview to his final screening. Along the way, he sends Michael voice notes from London's streets, cinemas, and daily journeys, sharing immediate reactions to the films while Michael responds from afar with questions, opinions, and stories of his own. 15 Festival Films and a Birthday Bonus Across 14 days, Andy watches 15 festival films, plus one additional screening for his birthday tradition. The films discussed include: The Dreamed Adventure The Beloved The Man I Love Look Back — Hirokazu Kore-eda All of a Sudden — Ryusuke Hamaguchi Rogue Trooper — Duncan Jones La Bola Negra — Los Javis Wild Horse Nine — Martin McDonagh Paper Tiger — James Gray Ray Gunn — Brad Bird Digger — Tom Cruise birthday screening Klara and the Sun — Taika Waititi Tender Loving Care — Mike Leigh Club Kid Minotaur — Andrey Zvyagintsev The Debut — Jesse Eisenberg From highly anticipated releases to unexpected discoveries, Andy and Michael explore which films impressed, disappointed, surprised, and sparked the most interesting conversations. Behind the Press Screenings The episode also offers a candid look at attending a major film festival as an accredited member of the press. Andy discusses the £51 accreditation fee, approximately £150 in travel expenses, and his daily 28-minute walk from Victoria Station to Picturehouse Central, complete with a regular Gail's bakery stop for a pain au chocolat. There are also the unwritten rules of press screenings, including an awkward confrontation with someone who objected to Andy eating popcorn. And just as the festival gathers momentum, an increasingly unpleasant "grade B cold" threatens to derail the entire experience. Life Outside the Cinema As always, Cinema Callback isn't exclusively about films. The voice notes wander into the hosts' everyday lives, from Andy's cat clawing his leg during an opening recording to wedding planning, meeting registrars, and celebrating his birthday on October 10th with his annual Tom Cruise film. Meanwhile, Michael returns from a family wedding in Spain, sharing stories about travelling with young children, his wife's dislike of Westerns, and the pair's ongoing movie traditions, including Spooktober, Criterion Week, and Animated April. A Festival Experienced in Real Time Rather than delivering polished reviews recorded weeks later, this special captures the festival as it unfolds. The anticipation before screenings, the excitement of discovering something extraordinary, the disappointment of an underwhelming film, and the exhaustion of watching so much cinema become part of an evolving conversation between two friends. By the final day, Andy and Michael reflect on the highlights, surprises, frustrations, and what the experience reveals about contemporary cinema. Part festival diary, part film criticism, and part comedy of everyday mishaps, this is the BFI London Film Festival experienced from the press screenings to the streets of London, one voice note at a time. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and more film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CinemaCallback

In this episode of Cinema Callback, Andy and Michael take a deep dive into Clint Bentley’s Netflix film Train Dreams (2025), starring Joel Edgerton. Through the show’s signature voice note conversation format, the hosts exchange contrasting reactions to a beautifully photographed, deeply melancholic story about working-class life, grief, isolation, and the passage of time. Set against the changing American frontier of the early twentieth century, Train Dreams follows Robert Grainier, a railroad worker and logger whose life unfolds through moments of love, tragedy, and quiet reflection. Andy and Michael explore the film’s portrayal of physically demanding labour, male loneliness, psychological trauma, and the devastating consequences of loss, while considering how its story reflects humanity’s evolving relationship with nature, industry, and time itself. The conversation also explores the film’s place within a particular tradition of spiritual and philosophical art-house cinema, drawing comparisons with Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life and David Lowery’s A Ghost Story. Does Train Dreams achieve the same sense of emotional transcendence through its meditative imagery and deliberately sparse storytelling, or does its restrained approach leave the audience feeling slightly detached? The hosts debate whether a film in which seemingly very little happens can nevertheless communicate something profound about the human experience. Andy and Michael also find themselves questioning the boundaries of the Western genre. With its historical frontier setting, rugged landscapes, isolated workers, and changing American identity, does Train Dreams qualify as a genuine Western, or is it better understood as a character drama with distinctly Western DNA? The discussion opens up a broader examination of what actually defines a genre beyond its familiar imagery and setting. Across their voice note exchanges, the hosts share contrasting family reactions to the film, including the wonderfully contradictory assessment that it is "brilliant despite nothing happening." There is also room for the usual Cinema Callback tangents, including a brief discussion of the genre surprises in Sinners and the different expectations audiences bring to films that challenge conventional storytelling. As ever, the conversation extends beyond cinema itself, with personal updates covering an engagement, the search for wedding rings, the realities of parenthood on the go, and holiday travels back to Ireland. These moments of everyday life provide a fitting contrast to a film so deeply concerned with the passage of time and the experiences that ultimately define us. Join Andy and Michael for a deep dive into grief, PTSD, the American frontier, Terrence Malick, the meaning of the Western, and whether a film in which almost nothing happens can somehow say everything about being alive. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and to help us continue making in depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CinemaCallback

In this episode of Cinema Callback, Andy and Michael take a deep dive into Jay Duplass’s The Baltimorons, an unconventional indie holiday romance co-written by Duplass and Michael Strassner, and starring Strassner alongside Liz Larsen. Through the show’s signature voice note conversation format, the hosts unpack a film that begins in surprisingly dark territory. Cliff is a self-involved improv comedian whose story opens with a suicide attempt before the holidays. After breaking a tooth on Christmas Eve, he finds himself in the office of Didi, a grounded and world-weary dentist, beginning an increasingly chaotic odd-couple journey through Baltimore. Andy and Michael debate whether The Baltimorons really captures the magic of a Christmas movie at all. Is this a warm, alternative addition to the festive canon, or does its melancholy, dysfunctional view of the holidays place it closer to the world of anti-Christmas movies such as Christmas, Again? The biggest disagreement comes with the romance itself. The hosts clash over Cliff’s deliberately unlikable and uncharismatic qualities and whether the film successfully subverts the traditional romantic comedy by pairing a flawed man-child with an older woman. Is their relationship a refreshing rejection of the polished people who usually populate the genre, or does the lack of conventional romantic chemistry expose problems with the writing and the plausibility of their connection? The conversation also expands into the wider career of the Duplass brothers. Andy and Michael look at Jay Duplass’s work away from his usual collaboration with Mark Duplass and consider how his solo directing and writing instincts compare with the films the brothers created together. Ultimately, The Baltimorons gives the hosts plenty to disagree about. From its dark opening and unusual central relationship to its awkward comedy and alternative take on Christmas romance, this is a film that deliberately refuses to give audiences the comfortable characters and familiar emotional beats they might expect from the genre. Join Andy and Michael for a deep dive into rom-com subversion, Christmas melancholy, difficult protagonists, unlikely attraction, and whether The Baltimorons earns its unconventional romance. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and to help us continue making in depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: Cinema Callback on Patreon

As part of Cinema Callback’s Criterion Collection series, Andy and Michael take a deep dive into Seijun Suzuki’s Gate of Flesh (1964), a bleak but surprisingly energetic portrait of sex workers attempting to survive among the ruins of postwar Tokyo. Through the show’s signature voice note conversation format, the hosts explore the strange contradiction at the heart of the film. Its world is defined by poverty, violence, hunger, and national devastation, yet Suzuki presents it through vibrant colours, artificial sets, experimental cinematography, and an almost relentlessly lively pace. Rather than undermining the seriousness of the story, the deliberately “fake” appearance begins to feel like a reflection of a society that is itself barely holding together. Andy and Michael discuss the small community formed by the women and the brutal rules they establish to ensure their collective survival. Sex must remain transactional. Intimacy and emotional attachment threaten the system they have created, meaning something as fundamentally human as falling in love can become an act of betrayal. The arrival of a former soldier places those rules under increasing pressure and exposes just how fragile their makeshift society really is. The film’s distinctive colour coding also leads to one of the episode’s more unexpected comparisons, as the women’s different coloured headbands and underground existence somehow bring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into a discussion of 1960s Japanese art cinema. Beneath the joke, however, is a fascinating example of Suzuki using bold visual shorthand to give each character an immediate identity within the group. Across their voice note exchanges, Andy and Michael explore how Suzuki keeps such harrowing material remarkably engaging. Unusual camera angles, theatrical environments, bursts of colour, heightened performances, and constant visual experimentation transform a story about prostitution and national ruination into something that feels alive and unpredictable. Ultimately, Gate of Flesh becomes a film about survival when normal society has ceased to function. Its characters are not simply living in the ruins of Tokyo. They are attempting to construct their own rules, identities, and sense of community from what remains. Join Andy and Michael for another Cinema Callback: Criterion Collection deep dive into a strange, colourful, brutal, and visually audacious film about poverty, intimacy, survival, and a society attempting to rebuild itself from the rubble. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and to help us continue making in depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: Cinema Callback on Patreon

As part of Cinema Callback’s Criterion Collection series, Andy and Michael take a deep dive into Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket (1959), a stark, stripped back portrait of crime, isolation, and a young man who seems almost completely checked out from the world around him. Through the show’s signature voice note conversation format, the hosts explore Michel, a protagonist whose emotional numbness becomes one of the film’s most fascinating qualities. Looking at the character through a modern lens, Andy and Michael discuss whether aspects of his detachment and difficulty connecting with others could be read as autistic traits, while contrasting Bresson’s deliberately cold approach with the warmth and coziness of modern character studies such as Paterson. Despite that emotional restraint, the film suddenly comes alive during its remarkably slick pickpocketing sequences. Andy and Michael discuss the precision and perfect timing of these scenes, where hands, bodies, wallets, and objects move together with almost mechanical choreography. They consider how surprisingly modern these sequences feel, drawing comparisons with the energy and technical confidence of filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese. The conversation also digs into the philosophical cat and mouse game between Michel and the police. Rather than simply asking whether he will be caught, Pickpocket becomes interested in why Michel steals at all, the intellectual arguments he constructs around his behaviour, and whether his crimes offer excitement, purpose, or simply another way of separating himself from conventional society. More broadly, the episode becomes a discussion about why we watch films in the first place. Andy and Michael debate the difference between approaching cinema academically, as an important part of film and art history, and simply wanting to be entertained. Does understanding a film’s influence make the experience of watching it more rewarding, or should a supposedly great film still work entirely on its own terms? At a brilliantly efficient 75 minutes, Pickpocket never overstays its welcome. It remains a strange genre adjacent classic: part crime film, part character study, part philosophical exercise, and a work capable of provoking considerably more discussion than its modest runtime might suggest. Join Andy and Michael for another Cinema Callback: Criterion Collection deep dive into emotional detachment, beautifully executed crime, the purpose of watching classic cinema, and a film that continues to invite philosophical pondering more than six decades later. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and to help us continue making in depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: Cinema Callback on Patreon

As part of Cinema Callback’s Criterion Collection series, Andy and Michael take a deep dive into Theodore Witcher’s 1997 cult classic Love Jones, a soulful romantic drama powered by the sizzling energy and chemistry between Larenz Tate and Nia Long. Through the show’s signature voice note conversation format, the hosts explore the relationship between aspiring writer Darius and photographer Nina, two young artists whose attraction feels immediate but whose path towards something more meaningful is complicated by pride, uncertainty, jealousy, and bad timing. Rather than forcing its characters into familiar romantic archetypes, Love Jones allows them to feel messy, contradictory, and remarkably authentic. The conversation also explores the film’s distinctive portrayal of the Black experience within the poetry, jazz, art, and nightlife subcultures of 1990s Chicago. Andy and Michael discuss the almost sensory quality of Witcher’s filmmaking, creating a world that feels as though you can touch and smell it, and how the city, music, clubs, apartments, friendships, and creative spaces become essential to the romance itself. Looking at Love Jones alongside other Gen X landmarks such as Singles, Reality Bites, and Jerry Maguire, the hosts consider how perfectly the film captures a particular moment in the 1990s while somehow remaining endlessly fresh. There is nostalgia in returning to this world, but the emotional uncertainty of its characters and the chemistry between Tate and Long prevent it from ever feeling trapped in its decade. Andy and Michael also reflect on the remarkable fact that Love Jones was Theodore Witcher’s directorial debut and remains his only feature film. What could have been simply another romantic drama instead became a genuine hidden gem, gradually developing a devoted following and eventually earning recognition within the Criterion Collection. Join Andy and Michael for another Cinema Callback: Criterion Collection deep dive into the sizzling chemistry, character authenticity, ’90s atmosphere, and soulful filmmaking that make Love Jones one of the great overlooked romantic dramas of its generation. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and to help us continue making in depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: Cinema Callback on Patreon

As part of Cinema Callback’s Criterion Collection series, Andy and Michael take a deep dive into Andrzej Wajda’s Ashes and Diamonds (1958), one of the defining films of postwar Polish cinema. Through the show’s signature voice note conversation format, the hosts explore a film whose personal drama is inseparable from the complicated political history surrounding it. Originally watched as part of a week spent exploring films from the Criterion Collection, Ashes and Diamonds proves to be one of the most challenging discussions of the project. Set immediately after the end of the Second World War, the film follows a young resistance fighter tasked with assassinating a Communist official as Poland finds itself caught between nationalist resistance and an emerging Soviet backed government. Andy and Michael openly discuss the gaps in their own knowledge of Polish history and how that affected their experience of the film, from initially misreading certain characters to struggling with some of the ideological divisions driving the story. The conversation becomes an exploration of what happens when we encounter a film deeply rooted in a history and culture that we do not completely understand. At the centre of the film is Zbigniew Cybulski’s charismatic performance as Maciek, the conflicted young assassin whose look and screen presence famously drew comparisons with James Dean. Andy and Michael discuss how Cybulski provides an emotional route into the film, embodying a generation emerging from one war only to find itself caught immediately in another struggle over Poland’s future. Across their voice note exchanges, they also explore Wajda’s extraordinary filmmaking, from the striking deep focus photography and symbolic compositions to individual images that reveal why Ashes and Diamonds became such an influential work. They discuss its lasting impact on filmmakers including Martin Scorsese and how its visual storytelling can remain immediately powerful even when some of its political nuances prove harder to penetrate. Ultimately, the discussion raises a larger question about watching world cinema: how much historical context do we need to truly understand a film? Can performance, imagery, and filmmaking transcend those gaps, or are there some works whose deepest layers only become accessible when we understand the history that produced them? Join Andy and Michael for another Cinema Callback: Criterion Collection deep dive into a technically extraordinary, historically complex film and the challenges and rewards of encountering cinema outside your own cultural experience. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and to help us continue making in depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CinemaCallback

Spoiler Warning: This episode contains full spoilers for Picnic at Hanging Rock. Criterion Week continues on Cinema Callback as Andy and Michael take a deep dive into Peter Weir’s 1975 cult classic Picnic at Hanging Rock, revisiting a film once dismissed as a boring teenage memory and discovering instead a remarkable piece of atmospheric horror. Through the show’s signature voice note conversation format, the hosts explore the central mystery of the schoolgirls who vanish during a trip into the Australian bush and the film’s striking refusal to offer closure. Rather than building its story around solving the disappearance, Picnic at Hanging Rock strips the mystery back, allowing atmosphere, sound, landscape, and unanswered questions to become more important than conventional plot. Across their voice note exchanges, Andy and Michael discuss the extraordinary sound design and cinematography that transform Hanging Rock into an almost otherworldly presence. There is a sense of cosmic horror to the landscape, as though the characters have encountered something ancient and fundamentally beyond their understanding. The conversation explores ideas of beauty and innocence, the sublime nature of the rock itself, and the cultural clash between the rigid traditions of colonial British society and an Australian landscape that existed long before them. They also examine the differences between the theatrical version and Peter Weir’s shorter Director’s Cut, asking whether removing material actually strengthens the film by making its mysteries even more elusive. Rather than providing answers, the film seems determined to leave gaps that the audience can never completely fill. The conversation considers the film’s remarkable legacy and draws connections with later works such as The Leftovers and Longlegs, stories similarly fascinated by unexplained events and the psychological consequences of living without answers. Is Picnic at Hanging Rock primarily a mystery, a horror film, a meditation on trauma, or something deliberately impossible to categorise? Whether viewed as an extraordinary early calling card for Peter Weir or as a profound exploration of the human need to make sense of the unknowable, Andy and Michael tease out why the mystery of Hanging Rock continues to haunt audiences more than fifty years later. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and to help us continue making in depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CinemaCallback

Cinema Callback kicks off Criterion Week with Andy and Michael taking a deep dive into Juzo Itami’s Tampopo (1985), the joyous and wonderfully eccentric Japanese classic that transforms the conventions of the American Western into a story about the pursuit of the perfect bowl of ramen. Through the show’s signature voice note conversation format, the hosts explore the film’s central story of a truck driver helping a widowed restaurant owner perfect her ramen recipe and rescue her struggling business. Dubbed the definitive “Noodle Western,” Tampopo takes the familiar figure of the wandering gunslinger and replaces shootouts with cooking, mentorship, and an obsessive pursuit of mastering a craft. Across their voice note exchanges, Andy and Michael discuss the film’s extraordinary structure, with its central narrative repeatedly interrupted by surreal, funny, erotic, and sometimes deeply moving food obsessed vignettes. From sensual encounters built entirely around eating to the unforgettable sequence involving a dying mother preparing one final meal for her family, food becomes a gateway into virtually every aspect of human existence. The conversation explores the film’s celebration of master craftsmanship and its almost magical realist view of everyday life, drawing comparisons with films such as Amélie and The Fisher King. They discuss the performances of Tsutomu Yamazaki and a young Ken Watanabe, Itami’s relatively late arrival as a filmmaker, and the remarkable life and career that followed, including his confrontation with the Yakuza and the tragic circumstances surrounding his death. Above all, Andy and Michael explore why Tampopo feels so incredibly comforting and uplifting. Beneath all the eccentricity is a film about people helping one another become better at something they love, and about the sensory pleasures, rituals, and connections that make ordinary life worth celebrating. Whether you are discovering Tampopo for the first time or already consider it one of cinema’s great food films, join us for the opening of Criterion Week and a deep dive into a funny, strange, sensual, and profoundly life affirming celebration of cooking, craftsmanship, and the human condition. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and to help us continue making in depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CinemaCallback

In this episode of Cinema Callback, Andy and Michael take a deep dive into Ringo Lam’s Full Alert (1997), a forgotten gem of Hong Kong crime cinema that offers a grounded, hardboiled alternative to the more heightened action films of its era. Through the show’s signature voice note conversation format, the hosts respond to each other’s ideas over time, exploring why a film often overshadowed by the work of filmmakers like John Woo deserves to be rediscovered. Across a series of voice note exchanges, they discuss the unusual weight Full Alert gives to violence and death. Rather than treating killing as disposable action spectacle, the film allows its consequences to linger, with both its detective and antagonist displaying something resembling psychological trauma as the story progresses. The result is a cops and criminals story populated by fallible people who may be good at their jobs but are completely unprepared for the exceptional circumstances they find themselves facing. The conversation also explores Ringo Lam’s commitment to grounded action filmmaking and the extraordinary practical spectacle that comes with it. From chaotic car chases through the streets of Hong Kong to breathtaking motorcycle sequences, the film’s lack of reliance on CGI gives its action a physical danger and unpredictability that remains astonishing decades later. Andy and Michael also dig into the film’s unexpectedly sinister atmosphere, including an intense score that at times feels closer to a 1990s horror movie like Scream than a conventional crime thriller. Comparisons are drawn with American films such as Heat and Seven, while the hosts consider how Full Alert develops its own distinctive combination of procedural realism, moral complexity, and almost horror-like tension. Finally, they examine the significance of the film arriving in 1997, just months before the handover of Hong Kong, and how its images of the city inadvertently capture a place on the verge of profound historical change. Whether you are already a fan of Hong Kong cinema or simply looking for an overlooked, gritty crime thriller, this episode explores why Full Alert is a masterclass in practical filmmaking, visual storytelling, and giving violence consequences that actually matter. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and to help us continue making in depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CinemaCallback

In this special Spooktober finale of Cinema Callback, Andy and Michael take a deep dive into The Phantom of the Opera (1925), the legendary silent horror film starring Lon Chaney in one of cinema's most iconic performances. Through the show's signature voice note conversation format, the hosts come at the film from very different perspectives, exploring what it means to experience a century old piece of cinema as both entertainment and cinematic history. Michael champions the film as a visceral spectacle, particularly the striking colour sequences preserved in later versions, comparing the sheer visual experience to something as immediate as Mad Max: Fury Road. Andy has a more challenging relationship with the film, describing the viewing as something closer to an "academic experience" and questioning how easily a modern audience can connect with the rhythms and conventions of silent cinema. Across their voice note exchanges, they explore Lon Chaney's legendary status as the "Man of a Thousand Faces", his extraordinary physical performance as the Phantom, and the film's inventive visual storytelling. They discuss everything from its use of onscreen letters and silent era techniques to the influence of German Expressionism and the surprisingly brutal, mob driven finale. The conversation also looks at the enormous shadow The Phantom of the Opera has cast over popular culture, finding unexpected connections between its imagery and everything from Batman to modern RPGs, while asking how much of the visual language we now associate with horror can be traced back to films like this. For the final stop of Spooktober, Andy and Michael explore whether The Phantom of the Opera remains a genuinely thrilling piece of horror cinema 100 years later, a fascinating historical artefact, or somehow both at once. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and to help us continue making in depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CinemaCallback

In this episode of Cinema Callback, Andy and Michael take a deep dive into In a Violent Nature (2024), Chris Nash's striking feature debut that reimagines the slasher film by placing the audience alongside the killer rather than his victims. Through the show's signature voice note conversation format, the hosts respond to each other's ideas over time, exploring how the film challenges decades of slasher convention through its patient, observational approach to horror. Across a series of voice note exchanges, they examine the film's distinctive "slow scare" philosophy, discussing how its long, meditative takes of the killer moving through the wilderness create an atmosphere of quiet inevitability rather than conventional suspense. They explore the influence of Gus Van Sant's minimalist filmmaking, the effectiveness of the film's 4:3 aspect ratio, and how its methodical pacing rejects the familiar "teleporting killer" logic of traditional slashers in favour of something far more grounded and predatory. The conversation also delves into the film's astonishing practical gore effects, its divisive critical and audience reception, and the bold decision to shift perspective during its controversial final act. They debate whether this unexpected change strengthens or undermines the film's central experiment, before looking ahead to the announced sequel and discussing how this humble yet ambitious horror film breathes new life into one of cinema's most familiar genres. Whether you see In a Violent Nature as an art house meditation disguised as a slasher or one of the most inventive horror films of recent years, this episode explores why Chris Nash's debut has become one of the genre's most fascinating and hotly debated modern entries. Enjoying the conversation? Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and help us continue making in-depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CinemaCallback

Support Cinema Callback on Patreon for bonus content, exclusive extras, and help us continue making in-depth film discussions through our unique voice note format. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CinemaCallback In this episode of Cinema Callback, Andy and Michael revisit Audition (1999), Takashi Miike's landmark psychological horror that famously transforms from a quiet romantic melodrama into one of the most shocking and unsettling films ever made. Through the show's signature voice note conversation format, the hosts respond to each other's ideas over time, exploring how Audition continually reframes both its characters and its audience. Across a series of voice note exchanges, they examine the film's morally ambiguous premise, questioning the ethics of the fabricated audition used to find a new wife and how Miike uses it to interrogate the male gaze, male entitlement, and the unsettling possibility that the film's seemingly sympathetic protagonist is far more complicated than he first appears. They discuss how Audition quietly exposes the assumptions and fantasies that underpin its central relationship long before the horror emerges. The conversation also explores the film's famously ambiguous narrative structure, debating the purpose of its dreamlike and hallucinatory sequences, and whether they represent the protagonist's unresolved grief and anxieties or simply heighten the terror by momentarily blurring the boundaries between reality and nightmare. Finally, they dissect the infamous "kiri, kiri, kiri" finale, examining its extraordinary technical execution, its uncompromising brutality, and whether its graphic violence is essential to the film's emotional and thematic impact. Whether you see Audition as a devastating psychological horror, a critique of gender and power, or one of the defining works of Japanese cinema, this episode explores why Takashi Miike's masterpiece continues to provoke, disturb, and fascinate audiences more than two decades after its release.

Warning: This episode contains major spoilers for The Odyssey. In this episode of Cinema Callback, Andy and Michael discuss Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, a sweeping reimagining of Homer's epic that blends mythological spectacle with psychological drama. Through the show's signature voice note conversation format, the hosts respond to each other's ideas over time, exploring whether Nolan has crafted his most emotionally direct film to date or simply reworked his familiar fascination with fractured narratives and subjective reality. Across a series of voice note exchanges, they unpack the film's remarkable ensemble cast, discussing Matt Damon's grounded portrayal of Odysseus, Tom Holland's coming of age journey as Telemachus, and Robert Pattinson's scene stealing performance as one of the increasingly menacing suitors. They also examine Nolan's bold creative choices, from Travis Scott's unexpected role as a modern bard to the film's deliberate use of contemporary language and accents within an ancient world. The conversation explores the film's most compelling ideas, including the possibility that Odysseus's encounters with the Cyclops, Sirens, and other mythical creatures are manifestations of post traumatic stress following the Trojan War rather than literal events. They also discuss Nolan's revisionist depiction of the Trojan Horse, the reimagining of the Sea People, the importance of xenia as the moral framework of the story, and how Ludwig Göransson's thunderous score and large format cinematography shape one of the director's most immersive cinematic experiences. Whether you see The Odyssey as Christopher Nolan's definitive masterpiece or another bold but divisive entry in his filmography, this episode explores its themes of memory, guilt, redemption, and storytelling, asking whether this epic has the lasting power to stand alongside the greatest films of the decade.

In this episode of Cinema Callback, Andy and Michael dive deep into the 2024 horror sensation Longlegs, discussing whether Osgood Perkins’ latest nightmare is a genuine modern classic or a case of “all style, no substance.” Through the show’s signature voice note format, the conversation unfolds as they debate one of the most divisive horror films of recent years — a movie surrounded by mystery, viral marketing, and massive expectations. Across their back-and-forth voice notes, Andy and Michael examine the film’s striking visuals, unsettling atmosphere, and the question of whether its “shroud of danger and dread” is enough to carry a story that some viewers have described as lacking substance. They explore the incredible cinematography, the influence of 70s rock aesthetics, and the strange connection between the film’s satanic imagery and the music of Mark Bolan and T. Rex. The discussion also turns to Nicolas Cage’s unforgettable performance as the bizarre and terrifying Longlegs. Is Cage delivering a genuinely disturbing transformation into a grotesque dollmaker, or does the character’s appearance and mannerisms distract from the horror by feeling closer to a surreal parody? Andy and Michael debate whether the performance becomes the film’s greatest strength or its biggest distraction. They also look at the genius of the film’s marketing campaign, which built anticipation through a mysterious, Blair Witch-style approach and helped create the idea that audiences were about to experience something truly “bananas.” But does Longlegs live up to the hype? Is it a worthy successor to films like The Silence of the Lambs, or is it more like a “non-alcoholic beer” — something that looks and feels right but lacks the final kick? Join Andy and Michael as they leave a message after the beep for a spoiler-filled deep dive into Longlegs, exploring dolls, psychics, the “downstairs man,” and whether this horror phenomenon truly delivers on its terrifying promise. Warning: This episode contains full spoilers for Longlegs. Listen at your own risk.