The Cine-Essentials

Episode 6 - Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

On our first official horror entry to The Cine-Essentials, we explore the perennial classic Rosemary's Baby (1968), written and directed by Roman Polanski.  As faithfully adapted by Polanski from the bestselling Ira Levin novel, the film is a controversial exploration of  conservative values being uprooted by dark and sinister forces.  We discuss what makes this film such a seminal classic of the genre, how it inspired the subgenre of "religious horror," and why many of its themes still resonate more than 50 years later.

Episode 5 - Joker (2019)

This week, the panel contributes a more recent release to The Cine-Essentials: 2019's Joker.  As directed by Todd Phillips, the film opts for a more serious approach to the DC comic book character.  With a commanding, Oscar-winning performance by the magnetic Joaquin Phoenix, Joker quickly became one of the most commercially successful, critically-acclaimed, and controversial comic adaptations of all-time.  The panel discusses the film's daring (and maddening) choices, the legacy of the infamous Batman villain, and whether the film actually succeeds at embodying the very films that inspired it.

Episode 4 - Signs (2002)

This week, we tackle a personal favorite of the panel: M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (2002).  Part sci-fi thriller, part family drama, the film stars megastar Mel Gibson as a former pastor who's lost his wife - and his faith.  But when crop circles start appearing in his corn field, he has no choice but to confront his past in order to save his family.  Our panel discusses how we first came to experience the film, where it stands in the lexicon of Shyamalan's resume, and how it mostly succeeds (but sometimes fails) to tread the line between inspired filmmaking and shameless sentimentality.

Episode 3 - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

This week on The Cine-Essentials, we discuss our first Academy Award winner: Jonathan Demme's horror-thriller classic The Silence of the Lambs (1991).  With the pedigree of Jodie Foster and the incomparable Sir Anthony Hopkins, this film captured the hearts and minds of movie audiences everywhere when it was first released.  Now, our panel revisits the film to discuss its history, its influence, and just how well it holds up nearly thirty years later.  Just don't listen to this one with some fava beans... (but maybe a nice Chianti...)

Episode 2 - Die Hard (1988)

This week on The Cine-Essentials, we revisit one of the greatest action films of all-time: John McTiernan's Die Hard (1988).  Responsible for launching the film careers of Bruce Willis and the late Alan Rickman, it spawned a successful franchise of five films (so far) while also serving as the template for many subsequent action films ever since.  Our panel discusses the history of the film, everything that they love (and hate) about it, and it's ultimate impact on the film industry.  Just try not to make any bad puns about the movie... like old habits, we hear they "die hard"...