Out in the neon grid world of film podcasts, Fear and Loathing in Cinema sets itself apart with its irreverent blend of pop culture critique, nostalgic deep-dives, and a razor-sharp, at times almost uncomfortably candid, dissection of cinematic relics that were once scorned but now, with the benefit of time, seem worthy of a second look. Hosted by a group of unpredictable yet undeniably insightful voices; Bryan Kluger, a media director with a sharp sense of irony of offensive things; Dan Moran, a lawyer who brings an often absurd legal perspective of the film industry and Kevin Costner; Preston Barta, a film critic with a taste for the heart-warmingly obscure branch of cinema; and Chelsea Nicole, a culture critic who digs into the nuances of social dynamics and horror; Fear and Loathing in Cinema Podcast thrives in that rare space between sincere analysis and gut-busting humor.
On Episode #139 of Fear and Loathing in Cinema, four brave digital explorers, Bryan, Dan, Preston, and Chelsea, once again jack into the pixelated abyss to revisit Tron: Legacy, Disney’s 2010 attempt to convince us that glowing spandex and lightcycles could carry emotional weight. It’s an apt time for such a quest, what with Tron: Ares now zipping into theaters, promising that Jared Leto, of all people, can lead us through the next neon apocalypse. Because if there’s one thing this franchise teaches us, it’s that humanity’s greatest error is trusting any man in a long leather coat.
Fifteen years ago, these same podcasters wandered into a theater expecting a nostalgic jolt from a resurrected ‘80s cult film. What they got instead was a futuristic fever dream where Jeff Bridges was digitally de-aged by about four decades, but still sounded like The Dude trying to debug his computer, man. The effect, if nothing else, was hauntingly educational. It's somewhere in that uncanny valley,where technology met hubris and had a really awkward child.
On the episode, the gang asks all the right questions. Is Tron: Legacy secretly profound or just another exercise in visual overcompensation? Does its commentary on human relationships in a digital world hold up, or does it crash somewhere around the third Daft Punk drop, before getting distracted by how godlike that score still sounds? Because no matter how much Tron: Legacy fades from cultural memory, those robots will always reign supreme in the land of glowing grids.
And then, inevitably, chaos ensues. Preston flips a table and questions Bryan if he didn’t actually rewatch the movie. There’s yelling, laughter, and an existential crisis about whether anyone’s ever truly “logged off.” It’s funny, absurd, and somehow deeply human, just like the movie they’re debating.
You can listen to Fear and Loathing in Cinema anywhere on the grid, or preferably while riding a lightcycle through your own midlife reboot.
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WRITTEN BY:
BRYAN KLUGER
BRYAN KLUGER, A SEASONED VOICE IN THE REALM OF ENTERTAINMENT CRITICISM, HAS CONTRIBUTED TO A WIDE ARRAY OF PUBLICATIONS INCLUDING ARTS+CULTURE MAGAZINE, HIGH DEF DIGEST, BOOMSTICK COMICS, AND HOUSING WIRE MAGAZINE, AMONG OTHERS.
HIS INSIGHTS ARE ALSO CAPTURED THROUGH HIS PODCASTS; MY BLOODY PODCAST AND FEAR AND LOATHING IN CINEMA PODCAST; WHICH LISTENERS CAN ENJOY ACROSS A VARIETY OF PLATFORMS.
IN ADDITION TO HIS WRITTEN WORK, KLUGER BRINGS HIS EXPERTISE TO THE AIRWAVES, HOSTING TWO LIVE RADIO SHOWS EACH WEEK: SOUNDTRAXXX RADIO ON WEDNESDAYS AND THE ENTERTAINMENT ANSWER ON SUNDAYS.
