Podcast
The Substance
Hosted by The Substance Team · EN
A podcast starting conversations that aim to help us all better appreciate Goodness, Truth, and Beauty. Engaging the culture without the Culture War™. Kansas City based!
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27episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
189: Substantive Cinema | In the Mouth of Madness feat. simi.views
Nov 401:16:40Tap to summarize"Do you read Sutter Cane?!" We're back in your feeds with another underrated banger from one of the all time Masters of Horror™. John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness is an absolute thrill ride and since Arrow Video has released what we hear is a gorgeous new 4K we figured it was time talk about one of his best (and most slept on) movies.We are excited to be joined by Derrick (simi.views on all the socials) for his first appearance on the show as he's beginning to really get into Carpenter's work. When we just saw him log this highly on Letterboxd we thought this was a perfect fit and we weren't wrong as this was a wonderful conversation!On this episode we discuss:Our journeys so far with Carpenter's workPhysical media we have been enjoying latelyThe state of film scholarship in the age of social mediaHow JC's less is more approach to showing the overt horrors here was so effectiveSam Neill's perfect castingThe power of the film despite its memeificationHow Carpenter's work feels more powerful year after yearand MORE!Substantive Cinema Episode ListShoutouts:Tsukamoto Box SetKotokoCloudThe CatBreathe In, Bleed OutTakeout (Tubi, sponsor the show!)Follow Derrick:TikTokInstagramLetterboxdFollow Us:InstagramThreadsPhilip's LetterboxdBlueSkyShare Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us:Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.comDM on InstagramSupport Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod
Transcribe →188: Substantive Cinema | The Amusement Park feat. Dale_A
Nov 201:21:23Tap to summarizeWe are back! Had big plans for Spooky Season this year but health, vehicle nonsense, family, and general exhaustion at the state of things in the US had other plans. It was an absolute pleasure talking with Clark Collis about his new book Screaming and Conjuring on the last episode and to follow it up we've brought back an incredible guest and we're diving back into the work of one of the undisputed Masters of Horror™. A few years ago we covered Romero's debut film and foundational masterpiece The Night of the Living Dead with Filmspotting's Josh Larsen. Romero's Dead movies are something we'd like to revisit sometime here at The Substance but today we're looking at a long hidden gem from early in his career that only recently became widely available, The Amusement Park.Commissioned by The Lutheran Society of Western Pennsylvania as a PSA on the perils of aging in America (especially as a non wealthy White), Romero decided to boldly make the project his own and instead of an after school special with talking heads discussing the difficulties that our senior neighbors face, he turned in something surreal and terrifying. With minimal dialogue the film conjures up the horrors of aging in an individualistic capitalist society: steep economic cost, difficulties with transportation, not being taken seriously by the general public, red tape accessing medical care, predatory assisted living facilities, and more. It's not a fun time but it's a visceral experience and one that stirs up questions worth asking related to what we owe to our more elderly neighbors. And we are delighted to be joined by Dale_A from the Bat & Spider podcast. Next time we have him back for something more uplifting!Substantive Cinema ListShoutouts:John Carpenter soundtracksTrue Indie by Don CoscarelliBat & Spider Episode #250 Phantasm ExtravaganzaOne Cut of the DeadFollow Dale:InstagramBat and Spider PodcastFollow Us:InstagramThreadsPhilip's LetterboxdBlueSkyShare Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us:Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.comDM on InstagramSupport Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod
Transcribe →187: Screaming and Conjuring feat. Clark Collis
Oct 1301:30:36Tap to summarizeHappy Spooky Season, all! We're kicking off our October programming this year with a bang and covering two of our favorite things: horror movies and beautiful hardcover books.Clark Collis is a British entertainment journalist and a long time senior writer for Entertainment Weekly along with being a regular contributor to other outlets covering film. He's also a life long horror fan. Modern horror cinema is in a fascinating place and in his new book, Screaming and Conjuring, Clark charts the period of horror cinema that immediately preceeds our current time (from Scream to The Conjuring) to chart the course of how we got here and what we may expect going forward. In our conversation we cover:The life of an entertainment journalist when that was a valued positionClark learning about Tommy Wiseau's The Room on a day trip with Tim & EricThe BFI library's impressive Fangoria collectionHow the DVD boom was big business (and a precurser to many film podcasts)"Is horror finished/back?"Familiar vs Fresh in relation to horror premisesDon Coscarelli and the lovely legacy of PhantasmLionsgate becoming the horror powerhouse of the aughtsMeeting the real Warrens & Annabelleand MORE!Substantive Cinema Episode ListBuy Clark's books!You've Got Red on YouScreaming and ConjuringShoutouts:Shaun of the DeadThe DescentBarbarianWeaponsThe Chucky seriesFollow Clark:InstagramEntertainment WeeklyFollow Us:InstagramThreadsPhilip's LetterboxdBlueSkyShare Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us:Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.comDM on InstagramSupport Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod
Transcribe →186: Substantive Cinema | New York, New York feat. Jim Hemphill
Sep 2401:09:55Tap to summarizeMartin Scorsese's Taxi Driver & Raging Bull are widely considered two of the best films of their era that were made in America. He and Robert DeNiro were a powerhouse creative team and they're still considered one of the all-time great collaborations in the history of the medium. This makes it curious that the film that they made together in between these monumental classics, 1977's New York, New York, has been largely forgotten and left out of the conversation.We're seeking to remedy that with our episode this week and we are happy to be joined by film enthusiast and historian Jim Hemphill. Jim has loved the film since he saw as a young film student and he brings some wonderful and personal insights to the discussion. In the episode we cover:Why directors and actors are often poor judges of their own workJim's early days in LA and getting to meet folks like Samuel Fuller, Billy Wilder, Budd Boetticher, and Blake EdwardsThe power of laserdiscs (and physical media in general) to develop and nurture generations of movie loversMarty's balance of strengths in having the talents of a classical studio director alongside the passions of an independent auteur The fact that NYNY may be Scorsese's only film (beyond his "faith trilogy") where the protagonist experiences genuine growthAnd more!Buy New York, New York Limited Edition Blu-RaySubstantive Cinema Episode ListJim's IndieWire article on NYNYBlu-ray Commentaries with Jim and his wife: The Golden Child and Navy SealsShoutouts:The Smashing MachineOne Battle After AnotherDexter: ResurrectionFollow Jim:InstagramIndieWireFollow Us:InstagramThreadsPhilip's LetterboxdBlueSkyShare Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us:Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.comDM on InstagramSupport Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod
Transcribe →185: Rethinking Hell, a Spirituality of Fear, and a God of Radical Love feat. Brian Recker
Sep 1601:16:11Tap to summarizeIt's been a crazy week, so the show notes will be short and sweet.Brian Recker is a public theologian, has a new book on Hell coming out at the end of the month, and I had a great time talking with him. In our conversation we cover:Our mutual love of movies (and solo theater visits)The extremely conservative colleges we attendedHell as a foundational principle Coercive, fear based spiritualityKeeping up relationships with family with whom we disagreeProgressive purity testsMen's Fall fashionAnd MORE!We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, tell a friend!Pre-Order Hell Bent (and DM your receipt to Brian for some cool preorder bonuses!)Shoutouts:SplitsvilleA Rebellion of CareWrong Turns podcastGrave ConversationsAndorFollow Brian:InstagramTikTokSubstackFollow Us:InstagramThreadsPhilip's LetterboxdBlueSkyShare Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us:Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.comDM on InstagramSupport Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod
Transcribe →184: Physical Media, Local Theater Communities, and the Future of Filmmaking feat. Jeff Rauseo
Sep 801:27:54Tap to summarizeWhen Netflix first expanded from being a mail order DVD/Blu-ray service to starting a streaming video service, it was revolutionary. They had top creators making movies and television series and had a wonderfully full library of titles to offer. Then Amazon Prime, Hulu, AMC+, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, the many variations of HBO, and more came and the selections of any single given service was severely diminished (Tubi & Kanopy, we love you! Sponsor the show 😉). With costs going up and our collective attention spans diminishing, this is not a recipe for a thriving culture. It's also not a sustainable business model. To talk about these topics and more, we are joined today by Jeff Rauseo. Jeff is a content creator in the film community who is a passionate advocate of physical media and has written the new book Lost in the Stream: How Algorithms Redefined the Way Movies Are Made and Watched. In our conversation we discuss:Early memories of physical mediaVideo store culture (Blockbuster, etc)Seeing Jaws at formative ages The theatrical life of a movie now vs. when we were youngerHow great dollar theaters wereStudios now making disposable contentThe 2,000 some local theaters lost during COVIDHow repertoire cinema and local film communities will be the way forwardAnd MORE!If you enjoy the show, please consider following on your platform of choice and sharing it with a friend!Buy Lost in the StreamShoutotus:Andor (Disney+)Bring Her BackSnipe Hunter (Tyler Childers)The Black Parade (My Chemical Romance)Last Pod on the LeftFull Moon setArrow TMNTFollow Jeff:InstagramYouTubeTikTokFollow Us:InstagramThreadsPhilip's LetterboxdBlueSkyShare Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us:Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.comDM on InstagramSupport Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod
Transcribe →164: Substantive Cinema | The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou feat. Dan McCoy
Dec 16, 202401:33:21Tap to summarizeTwenty years ago on Christmas Day, Wes Anderson released his fourth feature film into the world. The star-studded Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou was not as an immediate hit as some of Anderson's other films but it's one that has aged incredibly well. Bill Murray leads a cast of phenomenal actors such as Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, and many others as the titular Steve Zissou on a quest for both revenge against the rare (and possibly fictional) shark that killed his partner and best friend, and his long lost dignity and relevance as an oceanographer and documentarian. As funny as it is, the movie also is about a man struggling against his mortality and seeking to repair his legacy. It's charming, exciting, funny, and deeply heartfelt. Whether you revisit this as an old favorite or are coming to it for the first time, we hope you enjoy! We are also thrilled to welcome Dan McCoy (The Flop House podcast, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) to discuss the film with us. Dan is a veteran writer, comedian, podcaster, and movie watcher and it was a wonderful time having him on to talk about one of his favorite films. Follow/Listen to The Flop House Substantive Cinema Episode List If you're newer to the show be sure to check out our library of 150+ episodes with folks like Filmspotting's Josh Larsen, artist Stephanie Stalvey, Jemar Tisby, New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson, Propaganda, actor/director John Carroll Lynch, Kaitlyn Schiess (The Holy Post), and our old pal Slim (Letterboxd & 70mm Podcast). Shoutouts: The Burial Continental Drifter by Kathy MacLeod The Last Stop in Yuma County Hundreds of Beavers Dan: Letterboxd BlueSky Website Follow Us Instagram Twitter Philip's Letterboxd Share Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us: Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.com DM on Instagram Support Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesubstancepod/support
Transcribe →163: Our Church Speaks feat. Rev. Ben Lansing
Dec 9, 202401:19:34Tap to summarizeHey there, and Merry almost Christmas! This week we've got a wonderful conversation about faith and art that covers the width and breadth of global, historical Christianity as well as the importance of one's personal spiritual practices. Our guest today is Rev. Ben Lansing who is a professional comic strip artist by vocation as well as running the Our Church Speaks Instagram account. Ben's passion for art, history, and his faith were very encouraging to me, especially as he seems to approach it all with curiosity and humility. Please enjoy and share it with a friend! Buy Our Church Speaks If you enjoyed the film or our discussion we'd love for you to send us an email or voice note. And if you have any suggestions of movies, topics, or guests for future shows, please send those our way as well! Be sure to check out our library of 150+ episodes with folks like Filmspotting's Josh Larsen, artist Stephanie Stalvey, Jemar Tisby, New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson, Propaganda, actor/director John Carroll Lynch, Kaitlyn Schiess, and Robert P. Jones. Shoutouts: Lost to the West by Lars Brownworth How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind by Thomas C. Oden Truth Unites podcast (Gavin Ortlund) Ancient Faith Radio podcasts The Classic Anglican Podcast The Substance! Bob Dylan Follow Us Instagram Twitter Philip's Letterboxd Share Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us: Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.com DM on Instagram Support Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesubstancepod/support
Transcribe →162: Substantive Cinema | Southern Comfort feat. Mitchell Beaupre
Nov 25, 202401:20:20Tap to summarizeFour weeks in a row, can you believe it?! This week we are back with a Substantive Cinema pick that we've been excited for for quite some time, Walter Hill's underrated masterpiece Southern Comfort. The movie follows a squad of National Guardsmen doing exercises in the Louisiana swamps. After some painfully avoidable events, the men become hunted and are on the run for their lives against an enemy of their own making in a place that, while actually being part of their own homeland, they find entirely foreign. On the one hand, the film is a perfectly thrilling and taut entertainment. However, it's also a substantive look at White male entitlement, American exceptionalism, militarism, race relations, and more. If you enjoyed the film or our discussion we'd love for you to send us an email or voice note. And if you have any suggestions of movies, topics, or guests for future shows, please send those our way as well! Listen to Mitchell's previous Substantive Cinema appearance Mitchell's Walter Hill Interview WH Filmography Ranked Mitchell on Letterboxd Purchase the Vinegar Syndrome 4K Streaming options for Southern Comfort List of Substantive Cinema movies If you're newer to the show be sure to check out our library of 150+ episodes with folks like Filmspotting's Josh Larsen, artist Stephanie Stalvey, Jemar Tisby, New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson, Propaganda, actor/director John Carroll Lynch, and our old pal Slim (Letterboxd & 70mm Podcast). Shoutouts: Witness in the City (Radiance Films) Troy article (Paste) Ethan & Maya Hawke interview Follow Us Instagram Twitter Philip's Letterboxd Share Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us: Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.com DM on Instagram Support Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesubstancepod/support
Transcribe →161: Films For All Seasons feat. Abby Olcese
Nov 18, 202401:20:26Tap to summarizeHey! This is our third weekly drop in a row and we've got a great one coming next week as well! We are back (but will probably shift back to biweekly shortly so we don't burnout)! This week, we welcome back friend of the show Abby Olcese to talk about her wonderful new book, Films for All Seasons: Experiencing the Church Year at the Movies (InterVarsity Press). You may know Abby from her work at The Pitch in Kansas City, RogerEbert.com, Paste, Sojourners, and more OR you may have seen her incredible viral tweet (possibly the last one?!). Either way, we're talking cinema and the church calendar and hope you enjoy! Topics covered include: liturgical spirituality, the horror movie fan scene in KC, finding and cultivating community during the pandemic, discovering the wonder of The Muppet's Christmas Carol, finding her grandmother's devotional notes at the perfect time, and more! Letterboxd list of films covered in Films for All Seasons Lucky episode with Abby and Director John Carroll Lynch First Think Christian article Shoutouts: Janet Planet Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian Purchase Films For All Seasons Follow Abby on Twitter Bluesky Letterboxd Follow Us Instagram Twitter Philip's Letterboxd Share Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us: Email: thesubstancepod@gmail.com DM on Instagram Support Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesubstancepod/support
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