Episodes

In this episode of The Cinematic Schematic, we return from the end-of-summer hiatus to kick off our spooky season 2023 with a review of The Exorcist: Believer. GoodTrash Media's Dustin Sells, Brock Lay, and Lit Reactor / The Cinematropolis contributor Christopher Shultz join hosts Caleb Masters and Laron Chapman to provide in-depth thoughts on the latest David Gordon Green and Danny McBride horror collaboration. The conversation starts with a quick update on the recent films we've all been watch...

The Cinematic Schematic returns to conclude one of the most robust summers we've had at the movies in recent memory by completing our assessment of the Barbenheimer double feature before an in-depth review discussion of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. GoodTrash Media's Arthur Gordon and What's Up, Fandom podcast host Josh Cain join hosts Caleb Masters and Laron Chapman to end the great debate about whether turtles should wield nunchucks or pineapples belong on pizza. The conversatio...

In this episode of The Cinematic Schematic, hosts Caleb Masters and Laron Chapman continue the Barbenheimer double feature with our review of Greta Gerwig's Barbie featuring guests Alexandra Bohannon and Paris Burris. The post Barbenheimer Part 2 – Barbie Review – The Cinematic Schematic appeared first on The Cinematropolis.

With Hollywood movies like Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, Stephen Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, and even Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima, documenting the horrors of World World II in pop culture over the years, we must never forget the dire impacts the war had on families around the globe. Families like the Black family. Patty was an American teenager living in the Philippines when she was escorted out of her home and into a prison camp. They told her she would only be there for thre...

To paraphrase Lin Manuel's Hamilton, have you ever wondered what it's like to be in the building where it happened? Oklahomans can finally experience the rich history of the state capitol in The People's House: The Story of Oklahoma's Capitol. In this special interview with returning guest Bryan Beasley, we discuss how his team put together the technically impressive four-minute Oklahoma state capitol drone tour. The film includes a visually spectacular ride through the House floor, Senate floor...

Since the turn of the millennium, few filmmakers have shaped the state of cinema more than Christopher Nolan. For better or worse, the success of his Batman movies shaped the landscape in ways he did not intend. In this episode of The Cinematic Schematic, we're reviewing his newest film with distinct parallels to his career as a creator with the historical biopic Oppenheimer. Mostly Harmless Media's Stephen Tyler and No Film School and The Cinematropolis contributor Jo Light join hosts Caleb Mas...

The world is changing. The use of AI is on the rise, a malevolent entity that can't be bargained with is looming in the shadows waiting for its chance to rewrite the future to its own means, and Tom Cruise appears to be the only maverick bold enough to do the unthinkable to protect his team. No, we aren't discussing last week's breaking news about the SAG-AFTRA strike. In today's episode of The Cinematic Schematic, Caleb and Laron are rejoined by Geek Girl Features Chelsea Ratterman and GoodTras...

The Cinematropolis's Caleb Masters, Daniel Bokemper, and Jo Light are joined by Dalton Stuart and Alex Sanchez from GoodTrash Media for our deadCenter 2023 Recap as we sign off on Oklahoma's biggest film festival for the year. The post The Cinematropolis deadCenter 2023 Recap appeared first on The Cinematropolis.

Cinema has the power to tell the most important stories across topics. Politics, heroics, religion, and yes, sex. If it seems like American studio films have become somewhat sanitized related to the latter over the last decade, you aren't alone. Superhero films have become the dominant genre for big-budget films. As a result, even though the stars have become as chiseled as action figures, few studio movies have anything to say about getting down to the most primal business. To keep the conversa...

Despite being celebrated by members of the black community in Texas for generations dating back to 1865 (two and a half years after The Emancipation Proclamation), Juneteenth was only just recognized as a federal holiday starting in 2021. Being just north of Texas, Oklahoma is no stranger to the Juneteenth holiday. In addition to putting on the Juneteenth in East celebration last week and many more on June 19th, the state recognized the day with the documentary Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom at the...

Movies about popular toys have been all the rage, and 2023 is no exception. Earlier this year, we got The Super Mario Bros. Movie, just last week Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hit theaters, and later this summer Warner Bros. Discovery will release Barbie. It turns out this was the future millennials wanted. Behind each toy is a story, especially Barbie, the most popular doll in the world. You all know her. She dates Ken, drives a pink convertible, and can never quite get down from her heels. ...

Talk about body dysmorphia has recently picked up steam in the media. In reality, an overwhelming number of people in America are experiencing various conditions related to body weight, gender, and shape. Furthermore, The Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience reports at least 1 in 5 people experience body dysmorphia in the United States. Many experts go as far as to call that estimate conservative. This leads us to Body Electric, a film exploring the increasingly universal experience of body dysmor...

In the history of film, there are only a handful of iconic movies about a good rodeo. Fewer still are stories about black cowboys. Outside of 2021's The Harder They Fall, you're hard-pressed to name many others from the last decade. Riding Legacy, a new documentary that debuted at least weekend's deadCenter Film Festival is a film determined to change that trend. In today’s deadCenter 2023 interview, Riding Legacy co-director Kian Taylor joins the show to talk about what drew him to tell the sto...

The deadCenter Film Festival has a history of shining a light on films made in Oklahoma about Oklahoma, and this year is no exception. Last night’s closing film was the Sundance Film Festival darling, Fancy Dance, from Oklahoma-born director Erica Tremblay. The film tells the soulful story of Jax, a Native American woman living on the Seneca–Cayuga Nation Reservation, who serves as a stand-in mother for her niece, Rokie, just before Rokie’s grandparents separate them. Fancy Dance received a stan...

Have you ever seen a movie that seemed like such a blunder that there's no way any sane studio executive would greenlight it? There are many examples: 1995's Waterworld, 2004's Catwoman, and most recently 2019's Cats, to name a few. These are all notable failures in the history of studio filmmaking, but none of them are as infamous or culturally significant as the Star Wars Holiday Special TV movie. How does a production based on such successful property go so wrong its failure inspired a genera...

On June 24th, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in a controversial decision that would leave women in large parts of the country without certain rights to abortion healthcare. The historic ruling is considered a major setback by many people. However, it was just the beginning of a larger fight for the people committed to preserving the right to the abortion pill. According to their website, the Plan C organization exists so that everyone in the US can know about online access to abor...

This year's deadCenter Film Festival showcases a variety of homegrown talent. There are directors who tell stories about teen adventures, explore dark comedy, and document the roots of the state's history. One of the more intriguing entries on this year's schedule is the surrealist coming-of-age drama, The Awkward Stage, a movie about a pre-teen student in a decaying Harrah, Oklahoma school who falls in love with a statue. Sound curious? In this deadCenter 2023 podcast conversation, the Blood Re...

The Cinematropolis's exclusive deadCenter 2023 coverage continues with a podcast interview featuring Planet Thunder Productions' new film, Hell Hath No Fury. First-time feature film director Zachary Burns, Jacob Leighton Burns, and stars Leah N.H. Philpott and Jacob Ryan Snovel join the show before the film's Oklahoma premiere. The post ‘Hell Hath No Fury’ Brings Dark Comedy to deadCenter – dCFF23 appeared first on The Cinematropolis.

The Cinematic Schematic kicks off The Cinematropolis's exclusive deadCenter 2023 Film Festival coverage with a look at Kyle Roberts's return to feature filmmaking, What Rhymes with Reason. Since The Posthuman Project was released in 2014, Reckless Abandonment Pictures has focused on stop-motion projects, collaborations with Nickelodeon, and short films like The Grave. After nine years, Roberts is finally ready to reveal the fruits of his long-gestating passion project, What Rhymes with Reason, a...

The Cinematic Schematic is joined by comic book scholar, Joshua Unruh, and Geek Girl Features' Chelsea Ratterman to review Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Does it have the previous film's lightning in a bottle magic? The post Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Review – The Cinematic Schematic appeared first on The Cinematropolis.

Buckle up, listeners. Today we are once again jump-starting our engines to see if The Fast and Furious franchise can possibly continue to live its life a quarter a mile at a time for the tenth time in Fast X. Hosts Caleb Masters and Laron Chapman's favorite guilty pleasure franchise featuring Vin Diesel and the Fast family is back, this time with 100% more Jason Mamoa than the previous entry. After leaving F9: The Fast Saga in the dust with a negative review in 2021, special guest Jason Black fr...

Have you seen my keys, listener? In this episode of The Cinematic Schematic, we gather around the podcast table to unpack our experiences watching every worst-case scenario imaginable play out for nearly 3 hours straight in our review discussion of the feel-bad movie of the summer, Beau Is Afraid. Ari Aster made a frighteningly memorable splash in horror with 2018's Hereditary followed immediately by his riff on The Wicker Man, Midsommar, in 2019. After netting A24 two box office hits, the direc...

In this special edition of The Cinematic Schematic, The Cinematropolis co-founders Jacob and Zachary Burns join host and co-founder Caleb Masters to spotlight the most exciting work happening in horror with the executive producer of Skinamarink, Jonathan Barkan. Meet Jonathan Barkan: Horror Cinema Enthusiast, Writer, Film Acquirer and Distributor, and (most recently)Filmmaker Currently serving as Head of US Distribution at VMI Worldwide, Jonathan Barkan has had an incredible career working in th...

he Cinematic Schematic is back to pit vampires against some of the most gnarly demons in cinema as we re-open the Book of the Dead, the Necronomicon, in our double feature review of Renfield and Evil Dead Rise. Rejoining us to discuss each uniquely hellish experience is the deadCenter Film Festival Features Programmer, Sunrise Tippeconnie, and Static Media's Jo Light. We start the show with a quick reaction to Ari Aster's Beau Is Afraid before our icebreaker question. Nicolas Cage and Bruce Camp...