Hosted by Donn Lawler, this podcast explores film theory one movie at a time. Each episode breaks down a single film—no jargon, no lectures—just sharp analysis in under 10 minutes. Noir, sci-fi, horror, dystopias… every story says more than you think. New episodes weekly. Minimum Commitment. Maximum Meaning.
Angel Heart – The First Step Down
Angel Heart (1987) · Jul 24, 2026
Monolith - The Stories We Choose to Believe
Monolith (2023) · Jul 17, 2026
Moon - Who Gets to Decide?
Moon (2009) · Jul 10, 2026
All Is Lost - What Remains
All Is Lost (2013) · Jul 3, 2026
Locke - The Road Chosen
Locke (2014) · Jun 26, 2026
No One Will Save You - The Weight of Guilt
No One Will Save You (2023) · Jun 19, 2026
You Were Never Really Here - Fragments of Violence
You Were Never Really Here (2017) · Jun 12, 2026
Collateral - Cities Without Connection
Collateral (2004) · Jun 4, 2026
Drive - Dreams Beneath Sodium Light
Drive (2011) · May 29, 2026
Thief - The Price of Ownership
Thief (1981) · May 22, 2026
Heat - The Shape of Obsession
Heat (1995) · May 15, 2026
Unforgiven - The Collapse of the Gunslinger Myth
Unforgiven (1992) · May 8, 2026
The Proposition - The Cost of Order and the Myth of Civilization
The Proposition (2005) · May 1, 2026
Tombstone - The Performance of Heroism
Tombstone (1993) · Apr 17, 2026
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Becoming the Story
The Wrestler – When the Performance Is All That’s Left
The Wrestler (2008) · Apr 3, 2026
Friday Night Lights – Under the Weight of the Lights
Friday Night Lights (2004) · Mar 19, 2026
Hoosiers – Ten Feet and the Right Perspective
Hoosiers (1986) · Mar 13, 2026
Rocky – The Sound of Going the Distance
Rocky (1976) · Mar 6, 2026
Lost in Translation – The Distance Between Us
Lost in Translation (2003) · Feb 27, 2026
Harold and Maude – Chaos, Control, and the Performance of Rebirth
Harold and Maude (1971) · Feb 19, 2026
Punch-Drunk Love – Color, Control, and the Shape of a Man Who Snaps
Punch-Drunk Love (2002) · Feb 13, 2026
Silver Linings Playbook – Performing Sanity in an Insane World
Silver Linings Playbook (2012) · Feb 6, 2026
Conan the Barbarian – Steel, Flesh, and the Fire of Becoming
Conan the Barbarian (1982) · Dec 5, 2025
Dragonslayer – The Age of Fire, the Fall of Magic
Dragonslayer (1981) · Nov 28, 2025
The Green Knight – Bravery, Performed
The Green Knight (2021) · Nov 21, 2025
Excalibur – The Sword, the Spectacle, and the End of Magic
Excalibur (1981) · Nov 14, 2025
Beowulf – The Lie That Made the Legend
Beowulf (2007) · Nov 7, 2025
Us: The Horror in the Mirror
Us (2019) · Oct 31, 2025
Hereditary – The Shape of Inheritance
Hereditary (2018) · Oct 24, 2025
The Exorcist – A Crisis of Faith and Flesh
The Exorcist (1973) · Oct 17, 2025
The Shining: Madness in the Method
The Shining (1980) · Oct 10, 2025
Jaws – What Lurks Beneath
What Lurks Beneath (2024) · Oct 3, 2025
Halloween – A Knife in the Quiet
Halloween (1978) · Sep 26, 2025
Arrival – Language of Tomorrow
Arrival (2016) · Sep 19, 2025
2001: A Space Odyssey – Becoming Beyond Reason
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) · Sep 12, 2025
Interstellar – Love in the Time of Gravity
Interstellar (2014) · Sep 5, 2025
Logan’s Run – Faith in the Countdown
Logan's Run (1976) · Aug 29, 2025
Blade Runner – Memories You Can’t Trust
Blade Runner (1982) · Aug 22, 2025
Dark City: Memory Is a Crime Scene
Dark City (1998) · Aug 15, 2025
Chinatown – The Lie That Lives
Chinatown (1974) · Aug 8, 2025
Chinatown – The Lie That Lives
Paterno (2018) · Aug 8, 2025
Chinatown – The Lie That Lives
Neirud (2023) · Aug 8, 2025
Chinatown – The Lie That Lives
The Best Mother in the World (2025) · Aug 8, 2025
Blue Velvet – Darkness Found Me First
Blue Velvet (1986) · Aug 1, 2025
Out of the Past – Shadows You Can’t Escape
Out of the Past (1947) · Jul 25, 2025
Double Indemnity – No Way Out
Double Indemnity (1944) · Jul 18, 2025
Ballerina – Violence in Color
Ballerina (2025) · Jul 11, 2025
John Wick: Chapter 4 – The Long Fall Up
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) · Jul 4, 2025
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum: Becoming the Ghost
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) · Jun 27, 2025
John Wick: Chapter 2 – The Debt That Owns You
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) · Jun 20, 2025
John Wick: The Trigger Was Never the Dog
John Wick (2014) · Jun 13, 2025
The Rise of Skywalker: The Spectacle That Ate the Myth
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) · Jun 6, 2025
The Last Jedi: Breaking the Pattern
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) · Jun 6, 2025
The Force Awakens: Echoes in the Frame
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) · Jun 6, 2025
Return of the Jedi: Designed for Impact
Return of the Jedi (1983) · May 30, 2025
The Empire Strikes Back: Vision in the Shadows
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) · May 30, 2025
Revenge of the Sith: The Mind of a Monster
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) · May 23, 2025
Attack of the Clones: Manufactured Wars, Manufactured Consent
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) · May 23, 2025
The Phantom Menace: Empire in Disguise
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) · May 23, 2025
Donnie Brasco: Identity, Performance, and the Cost of Belonging
Donnie Brasco (1997) · May 16, 2025
Scarface: Breaking the Gangster Blueprint
Scarface (1983) · May 9, 2025
The Irishman: Violence, Time, and the Streaming Gamble
The Irishman (2019) · May 4, 2025
Goodfellas: The Performance of Power
GoodFellas (1990) · May 4, 2025
The Godfather: Legacy, Silence, and the Shape of Power
The Godfather (1972) · May 4, 2025