The Cinematic Schematic

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW BY PUSHING PLAY ABOVE! It’s been four years since Planet Thunder Productions, writer/director Jacob Leighton Burns and producer Zachary Burns won deadCenter’s Best Oklahoma Narrative Feature Film in 2016. After next taking home the first-place prize from the 48-hour Film Project in 2016 with Let the Bodies Hit the Floor followed by their 2017 documentary about New View Oklahoma, Fleeting Light, many in the Oklahoma film community began wondering what their next genre project would look like. Two years of fundraising, a multi-part production and a world premiere event cut short due to the recent global pandemic later, the Burns brothers follow-up film, Shifter, finally makes its Oklahoma debut at this weekend’s deadCenter 2020 film festival. In part five of our ongoing Shifter Audio Diary series, found exclusively on The Cinematic Schematic podcast, we catch up with writer/director Jacob Burns and producer Zachary Burns to recount the impact the COVID-19 outbreak had on their world

After more than a year and a half of fundraising, pre-production, filming and, post-production VFX, The Cinematropolis co-founders Jacob Leighton Burns and Zachary Burns are premiering their new time-travel body horror film, Shifter, at the Cinequest Film and Creativity Festival in San Jose, California on Friday, March 6th. In part four of our ongoing Shifter Audio Diary series, found exclusively on The Cinematic Schematic podcast, we catch up with Jacob and Zachary about phase 2 of filming, applying VFX in post-production and preparing the film for its world premiere. Shifter was 100% funded through an IndieGoGo Campaign and filmed in Oklahoma locations including Guthrie, El Reno, and Oklahoma City. The official synopsis reads: A young woman struggles with the painful and gruesome side effects of an experiment with time travel gone wrong that causes her to lose control and shift through time at random. SHIFTER – Full Length Official Trailer from Planet Thunder Productions on Vimeo. The film stars Nicole Fanc

After a long hiatus, The Cinematic Schematic returns for a special episode to give listeners, cinephiles and people hoping to be impressive at this Sunday night’s 92nd Academy Awards watch parties everything they need to build a semi-accurate-ish Oscar ballot. Tune in to the conversation to prepare yourself for the Oscars 2020! Laron Chapman and I are back for our annual tradition of making the Oscar predictions that will either make your ballots shine or go down in a blaze of glory. Following last year’s surprising (and according to your hosts, disappointing) victory for Green Book, can the Academy pivot in a different direction? Who will win this year’s Best Picture? Will it be a historic win for Bong Joon-ho‘s surprise hit, Parasite? Or will it be the current front-runner coming off the PGA win, 1917? Perhaps it will be one of the surprise box office hits of 2019, Joker? It’s shaping up to be a race worth remembering. For a deep dive conversation into Caleb’s conversation with Harold Storey on the 2020 Bes

The Cinematic Schematic returns in our August edition to give a spoiler-free review of two of the month’s biggest releases, Hobbs and Shaw, and Lulu Wang’s The Farewell. With the summer winding down, we take a look at the final big-budget blockbuster of the 2019 summer season, Hobbs and Shaw, the first spin-off in the Fast and Furious series starring series regulars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Laron Chapman and Caleb Masters both claim the franchise as a “guilty pleasure,” but went into the film with skepticism. Does the film cap off the summer in a satisfactory way? According to IMDB, Hobbs and Shaw can be described as: Lawman Luke Hobbs and outcast Deckard Shaw form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain threatens the future of humanity. After scarfing down the fast-food burger that is Hobbs and Shaw, we move into a healthier course, the critically acclaimed darling, The Farewell. According to IMDB, The Farewell is described as: A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has

The Cinematic Schematic returns in our July edition to give a spoiler-free review of Quentin Tarantino’s highly anticipated ninth film, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and a huge all-star supporting cast. Before taking an in-depth look at QT’s latest, Caleb Masters and Laron Chapman discuss other notable films they’ve seen since the June issue. They lament how quietly Joe Talbot’s directorial debut, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, came and went through theaters in July. They also discuss Ari Aster’s sophomore feature, Midsommar, Stuber, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. According to IMDB, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood can be described as: A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles. To celebrate the release of Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Masters and Chapman close out the show with a countdown of their favorite movies written and

The Cinematic Schematic returns in this special June edition to give a spoiler-free review of Jim Jarmusch‘s new film, a zombie comedy (zom-edy), The Dead Don’t Die. After spending the summer so far planning his new film and attending the 2019 deadCenter Film Festival, Laron Chapman returns to the co-host’s mic! Before digging into this week’s review, Caleb and Laron play a little bit of catch up on the summer movie season so far by talking about other films they’ve recently seen including Rocketman, Ma, Dark Phoenix, and Brightburn. According to the Google description, In the sleepy small town of Centerville, something is not quite right. The moon hangs large and low in the sky, the hours of daylight are becoming unpredictable, and animals are beginning to exhibit unusual behaviors. News reports are scary, and scientists are concerned, but no one foresees the strangest and most dangerous repercussion that will soon start plaguing Centerville: the dead rise from their graves and feast on the living, and the c

After an entire weekend full of movies, parties, and reunions at the 2019 deadCenter Film Festival followed by a week full of film reviews and interviews here at The Cinematropolis, our special deadCenter coverage comes to a close with a festival recap discussion between our entire festival team, Jo Light, Daniel Bokemper, Christopher Shultz, and myself. Each of us discusses our favorite feature films, short films, documentaries, and experience at this year’s festival. To add to the recap, we also ponder the possibilities of bringing Uwe Boll to screen his own version of Postal and whether or not Ed and Lorraine Warren were con artists. To close out the festival, we’d like to send thanks out to the deadCenter staff including Lance McDaniel, Sara Thompson, Alyx Picard, and Kevin Ely along with Sunrise Tippeconnie, Krystal Yosef, Stephen Tyler, and the other phenomenal volunteers who continue to make this festival happen. We can’t wait to see what the team comes up with for deadCenter’s 20th in 2020! Take a loo

The 2019 deadCenter Film Festival brought in a number of notable indie films, but perhaps our most anticipated was The Art of Self-Defense from writer/director Riley Stearns and Bleeker Street. The official synopsis for The Art of Self-Defense reads: The dark comedy The Art of Self-Defense stars Jesse Eisenberg and is set in the world of karate. Eisenberg plays a man who is attacked at random on the street and enlists in a local dojo, led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei (Alessandro Nivola), in an effort to learn how to defend himself. This dark comedy exploring karate culture, toxic masculinity and the cycles of violence debuted at the SXSW 2019 film festival to huge critical acclaim. The film is scheduled for a July 12 wide-release. Writer/Director Riley Stearns joined The Cinematic Schematic after the film festival to talk more about what inspired him to make a movie about karate, why he decided to explore such timely themes, and how he assembled his all-star trio cast of Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poot

The deadCenter 2019 film festival has finally arrived and we are kicking off our coverage with a filmmaker interview on one of the festival’s most anticipated curiosities. Award-winning independent Oklahoma filmmaker Mickey Reece rejoins The Cinematic Schematic to talk about his new movie Arrows of Outrageous Fortune playing at this weekend’s 2019 deadCenter Film Festival in downtown Oklahoma City. Reece is also joined by Oklahoma City comedian turned star, Alex Sanchez. The official synopsis for Arrows of Outrageous Fortune reads: George Arrow bequeaths his only son, Henry, a mansion filled with insane women. Reece and Sanchez talk about how the idea for the film came about before delving into the story’s influences and methodology. Sanchez elaborates on how he balanced his personal brand of humor with the movie’s dramatic opening scenes. Listen to the full interview to get a taste of what you can expect to see in Reece and Sanchez’s treat to this year’s deadCenter attendees. Stay tuned to thecinematropolis.

The Cinematic Schematic returns in this special May edition to give a spoiler-free review of one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Sound Trek‘s Alexandra Bohannon joins us to look at the third entry of Keanu Reeve’s critically acclaimed John Wick action vehicle collaboration with director Chad Stahelski. Picking up moments after the twisted events of John Wick: Chapter 2, Wick (Keanu Reeves) is now the most wanted man in the criminal underworld. Before Wick can attempt to clear his name, he must fight his way through every assassin in New York City. With nowhere left to run, Wick must turn to his mysterious past to find a new path forward into the future. With a twelve million dollar excommunicado bounty put on his head by the High Table, every bounty hunter in the world wants a slice of John Wick. On his search for a way out, he encounters many faces, new and old, including his friend Winston(Ian McShane), an old flame named Sofia(Halle Berry), a deadly assassin

At long last, we’ve arrived at the conclusion of Marvel’s 22 movie epic that has spanned 11 years of filmmaking. After earning $350 million at the U.S. box office and $1.2 billion worldwide, it’s hardly hyperbole to say Avengers: Endgame is the most anticipated movie of the last decade. The Cinematic Schematic is here with a quick spoiler-free review followed by an in-depth discussion reflecting on the film’s themes and how well it wraps up “The Infinity Saga.” Joining us for this review discussion is Sound Trek‘s Alexandra who is coming hot off her GoodTrash Media special analyzing the last Marvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) release, Captain Marvel. To complete the panel, we’re also re-joined by Geek Girl Features’ Chelsea Ratterman who brings two Avengers: Endgame watches worth of viewings and infinite MCU knowledge to the table. Alexandra, Chelsea and I begin our talk with s brief spoiler-free review discussion before moving into a spoiler-filled debrief and reflection on the grand conclusion to the MCU so far

The Cinematic Schematic has your horror filmgoing needs covered with a special bonus deep dive conversation reviewing one of our most anticipated movies of the spring, Jordan Peele’s follow up to Get Out, Us. Since making waves with 2017’s Oscar-winning Get Out, Jordan Peele has appeared unstoppable. After coming out of what appeared to be nowhere but a career as a comedian, everyone was excited to see what Peele’s new creative voice in Hollywood would do next. He’s since produced another Oscar winner, BlacKkKlansman, and the highly anticipated Twilight Zone reboot for CBS’s streaming service. According to the written review by Christopher Shultz,Us begins with a flashback to 1986, where our protagonist Adelaide (played as a child by Maddison Curry and as an adult by Lupita Nyong’o) wanders away from her bickering parents at the Santa Cruz boardwalk and discovers a spooky hall of mirrors down on the beach. Upon entering, she meets another little girl who looks exactly like her. This proves traumatizing for th

To celebrate the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on Blu-ray, The Cinematic Schematic is taking a special look back at two of the most beloved entries of the franchise. Lani Diane Rich from Chipperish Media and the Listen Up A-Holes podcast joins the show to take a closer look at Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 (2004). Previously considered the gold standard of the franchise and the high bar to reach for all superhero movies, Spider-Man 2 remains a beloved film fifteen years after its theatrical release. With so many advancements in the genre since its debut, including the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, does Spidey’s film featuring a showdown with Doctor Octopus remain the standard it once was? Join Lani and I for the full conversation. Following our 2004 trip down memory lane, comic book scholar, Listen Up A-Holes co-host, and The Cinematropolis contributor Joshua Unruh and I review and reflect on the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. What makes Miles Morales’ first big screen app

It’s time to get out your sample 2019 Oscar ballot and start making prediction notes for this Sunday night’s big show! Fortunately, we’ve got just the nominee breakdown you need to put together a winning list on the latest episode of The Cinematic Schematic. In part two of our special 2019 Oscar podcast episode, Laron Chapman and myself are joined by Geek Girl Features writer, Chelsea Ratterman, and Collider deputy editor, Adam Chitwood, to discuss our hopes and predictions for this year’s 91st Academy Awards. This year’s Academy Awards are holding the show without a host or a consistent plan of action for the ceremony. We weigh in on the state of the Oscars and what the lack of a host could mean for this year’s presentation. For a deep dive conversation into the 2019 Best Original Score nominees, make sure to listen to part 1 of our 2019 Oscar special featuring a Sound Trek analysis of the nominees with Alexandra Bohannon. Special Guests Adam Chitwood Deputy Editor, Collider Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Memb

While we continue our month looking at stop-motion films, we can’t help but stop and take a closer look at the tumultuous and oftentimes controversial 2019 Oscars. In part one of our two-part The Cinematic Schematic 2019 Oscar special, Sound Trek host Alexandra Bohannon and co-host Caleb Masters sit down to discuss the 2019 Best Original Score nominees and what makes each score one of the year’s best. Which of these scores stands the best chance at a win? Tune in to get our thoughts and analysis on each nomination in the Best Original Score category! Today’s Sound Trek Selections Black Panther, Ludwig Göransson – “Wakanda” Isle of Dogs, Alexandre Desplat – “Six Months Later + Dog Fight” Mary Poppins Returns,Marc Shaiman – “Overture” BlackKklansman, Terence Blanchard  – “Blut und Boden (Blood and Soil)” If Beale Street Could Talk, Nicholas Britell- “Eden (Harlem)” BONUS – Vice, Nicholas Britell – “Main Title Orchestra Suite” The “Evil Triad” in the BlackKklansman score Follow The Cinematic Schematic Podcast He

Happy New Year listeners! In this month’s edition of The Cinematic Schematic examining M. Night Shyamalan’s career, Daniel Bokemper joins me to review the highly anticipated follow up Unbreakable and its backdoor sequel, Split, Glass. All January long, we’ve been reflecting on Shyamalan’s career. Take an even close look by reading about the highs and lows of his storytelling in these in depth essays. Alexandra Bohannon takes us back through M. Night Shyamalan’s career by looking at his collaborations with James Newton Howard in The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and eventually the much-maligned The Last Airbender. Don’t worry, the film score analysis ends with a twist! The show closes with part 3 of our ongoing audio diary interview series with the minds behind Shifter (two of The Cinematropolis co-founders), Jacob and Zachary Burns. We recap their experience filming the first phase of the movie, discuss what they are doing between phase one and phase two, and how they are beginning to prepare for post-production.

Guest: Wade “Dankmus” Nixon Youtube Video Composer Follow Dankmus on Twitter @dankmus Welcome back to Sound Trek’s new film composer spotlight interview series on The Cinematic Schematic! Each month hosts Alexandra Bohannon and Caleb Masters will sit down for a talk with a composer working in the entertainment industry to discuss the blood, sweat, and musical notes that go into creating the iconic themes and catchy tunes that accompany our favorite pieces of entertainment every day. This spotlight series will help listeners learn more about the lives and journeys of the composers behind the iconic themes we all know and love. This month’s guest, Wade “Dankmus” Nixon, is an internet composer who has carved out a name for himself by creating his own unique sound through the sounds of the beloved animated program, The Simpsons on Youtube. Alexandra begins the interview by delving into the origins of his love for music and approach to remixing music. Listen to the full conversation with Dankmus to hear about his

  Guest Lorne Balfe Film/TV/Video Game Score Composer Follow Lorne Balfe on Twitter: @Lornebalfe Like Lorne Balfe on Facebook @Lornebalfemusic Visit lornebalfe.com for more information on his past and future projects   Welcome back to Sound Trek’s new film composer spotlight interview series on The Cinematic Schematic! Each month hosts Alexandra Bohannon and Caleb Masters will sit down for a talk with a composer working in the entertainment industry to discuss the blood, sweat, and musical notes that go into creating the iconic themes and catchy tunes that accompany our favorite pieces of entertainment every day. This spotlight series will help listeners learn more about the lives and journeys of the composers behind the iconic themes we all know and love. Today’s special guest is the composer of last summer’s biggest action movie box office and critical hit, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Lorne Balfe! Balfe joins us for an in-depth conversation about his journey to becoming a film composer and his experience

  Guest Kevin Manthei Film/TV/Video Game Composer Follow Kevin Manthei on Twitter: @KevinManthei Like Kevin on Facebook @KevinMantheiMusic Visit kevinmanthei.com for more information on his past and future projects Welcome to the first of Sound Trek’s new film/TV/video game composer spotlight interviews on The Cinematic Schematic! Each month hosts Alexandra Bohannon and Caleb Masters will sit down for a talk with a composer working in the entertainment industry to discuss the blood, sweat, and musical notes that go into creating the iconic themes and catchy tunes that accompany our favorite pieces of entertainment every day. This spotlight series will help listeners learn more about the lives and journeys of the composers behind the iconic themes we all know and love. Debuting our film composer spotlight interview series is the well-spoken and multi-talented film/TV/video game composer Kevin Manthei. Kevin has contributed to film scores including The Faculty, Resident Evil (2002), Batman: Gotham Knight, Justi

Trick ‘r’ treat listeners! In this month’s edition of The Cinematic Schematic celebrating the horror movie season, we’re stepping into the suburban American town of Haddonfield, IL to review David Gordon Green’s Michal Myers revival film, Halloween. Laron Chapman and The Cinematropolis essay contributor Christopher Shultz join me to discuss whether or not this is a great sequel and how well it holds up against the rest of the franchise. Read Christopher’s recent essay on the underrated Halloween H20 “In Defense of Halloween H20, One of the Franchises Best Sequels” Alexandra Bohannon takes us closer to the heart of horror as she schools the show on some of the scariest film scores including tracks from The Exorcist, Perfect Blue, and both Suspiria films. Alexandra also announces her exciting new interview series with film, TV, and video game composers that will kick off next month! The show closes with part 2 of our ongoing audio diary interview series with the minds behind Shifter (two of The Cinematropolis c