Martin 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:
Buy New York, New York Limited Edition Blu-Ray
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Jim's IndieWire article on NYNY
Blu-ray Commentaries with Jim and his wife: The Golden Child and Navy Seals
Shoutouts:
Dexter: Resurrection
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It'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:
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:
Andor
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When 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:
If you enjoy the show, please consider following on your platform of choice and sharing it with a friend!
Shoutotus:
Andor (Disney+)
Snipe Hunter (Tyler Childers)
The Black Parade (My Chemical Romance)
Full Moon set
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This week we're talking everybody's favorite topic- local politics! But legitimately, it's something that's becoming more important by the day and actually far more fulfilling and invigorating than you may initially think.
We invited our friend Britt (many of you know her as @thebrittbee) to have this conversation with us as she's been such a great example of this since the beginning of the year. Topics covered include:
Shoutouts:
The Story of B by Daniel Quinn
A Rebellion of Care by David Gate
South Park season 27
Follow Working Families and look for your local branch
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It's time to get annihilated! Greg D. of the Nightmare Junkhead, Nerds of Nostalgia & the Screenland podcast (and weekly host of the Friday Night Frigts horror/genre programming at the Screenland Armour theater) joins us to dive into Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's film The World's End.
Following Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, The World's End is the third film in what has become to be called "The Cornetto Trilogy." Like the films that come before it, it deals with themes of growing up, accepting personal responsibility, and finding one's place in relationships with others.
We talk:
If you enjoy our conversation, consider following the show on your podcast platform of choice and giving us a rating/review! :)
Greg's Preshow playlist for The World's End
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Watch a movie with us at Screenland!
Buy the new Vinegar Syndrome release of They Call Her Death
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A few months ago we had Marta on to discuss Abbas Kiarostami's Taste of Cherry and it was a wonderful conversation! Towards the end we talked about how it's a shame that his film The Wind Will Carry Us is hard to find and that Criterion should put it out on Blu-ray and behold, on one of the next slate of announcements there it was! When we saw that, we knew we were going to have her back to cover it and here we are.
Like many of Kiarostami's pictures, this deals with matters of life and death, the perspective of children, the beauty in the monotony of daily life, and the creative/artistic process. It's wonderful to have back in circulation and we hope you enjoy the movie (watch free in the link below) and our discussion!
Watch The Wind Will Carry Us on Google Drive link
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Bong Joon Ho's second feature film is a challenging watch but it's also a cinematic marvel of incredible substance. Recently, Philip joined Jen and Sarah on Movies & Us to talk about the 2003 film that Criterion calls "a haunting journey into ever-deepening darkness that begins as a black-comic satire and ends as a soul-shattering encounter with the abyss."
Enjoy!
As of the publishing of this episode, you can currently stream the film on Tubi (Tubi sponsor the show!) 🍿
If you like the show, hit the 5 star button and share it with a friend!
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On the eve of the publishing of his first book of poetry, A Rebellion of Care, we are excited to welcome David Gate to The Substance for the first of what will hopefully be many wonderful conversations (listen through until the end for a teaser of what's to come!).
He's blown up on social media as loads of people resonate with his work that's centered around joy and honesty. In this episode we discuss:
We hope you enjoy the show and if you do, consider sharing it with the folks in your circle!
Shoutouts
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
We Tell Ourselves Stories by Alissa Wilkinson
Andor
Sinners & Sinners Soundtrack/Score
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Hey friends! We are back with a month of new to our feed episodes and are kicking off with a feed drop from our pals over at Cinematic Doctrine.
Earlier this year, Philip was invited on to discuss what might be the quintessential American horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and it was a wonderful time. Discussion topics include:
If you're watching along with us and logging films on Letterboxd be sure to tag your reviews "substantive cinema" so that we can read them on future shows!
Tune in next week for a new episode with poet David Gate as we discuss his soon to be released book A Rebellion of Care!
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Tyler Huckabee returns to the show and the late, great Hannibal Lecter makes his Substance debut!
In 1991, Jonathan Demme shocked critics and audiences alike with his sleek, stylish, unsettling, and genuinely fantastic film The Silence of the Lambs. It went on to be the third film in cinematic history to win all 5 of the big awards come Oscar season. The film won Best Picture, Demme won Best Director, screenwriter Ted Tally won Best Screenplay, and Jodie Foster & Anthony Hopkins each won Best Actor/Actress. It was a true cultural phenomenon and in the last 30 years or so, it has lost none of its power or wonder.
We had a great time welcoming Tyler back for this one, one of his self-proclaimed all-time Top 10 films. In this episode we cover:
We hope you enjoy and if you do, please consider rating/reviewing the show and sharing it with your friends!
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Shoutouts:
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
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Sorry for the publishing delay! And yes, we know it says Tuesday on the intro, etc. It was a holiday weekend and things have been busy. But here we are with a new show and a WONDERFUL conversation with Episcopal priest and author, Reverend Joseph Yoo.
Joseph has grown his online platform over the years on an authenticity and decency that feels so refreshing amidst so many spiritual and religious leaders taking advantage of people or sharing a message absent of love. It's also refreshing that he's not seeking to be a "content creator" but rather just trying to share insights and thoughts with folks in order to encourage them or to help himself work things out by saying them out loud and seeing what others think.
During our conversation we cover:
Shoutouts:
The Pitt (show)
Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle
Do You Still Talk to Grandma? by Brit Barron
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Hey there, film fam! Been working on this for the last few weeks in between life and our regular episodes but Panic Fest 2025 was such a great time that we wanted to highlight some of the wonderful talent from the festival as well as Screenland Armour, the fest's incredible host!
Panic Fest is a Kansas City based genre film festival that has been running for over a decade and has been recognized by a number of critical organizations as one of the best genre festivals in the world. It's a wonderful blend of feature films, short films, and events where fans and filmmakers can engage and share their love of the medium.
We hope you enjoy these conversations and snapshots from the festival and hope to see you there in person in 2026!
Guests:
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As Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan's most recent collaboration, Sinners, is dominating the domestic and worldwide box office, we thought it would be a good time to look at their first project together, Fruitvale Station. Fruitvale is partially the telling of the tragic story of the killing of Oscar Grant in Oakland CA on New Year's Day 2009, but it's so much more. Beyond being a mere recreation of events and the conveying of the awful facts, the film is a beautiful portrait of a young man who is struggling against a system that is set against him and his own difficulties.
In addition to being a star making vehicle for Michael B. Jordan, the film features incredible performances from Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, and Ariana Neal. Coogler and co. received a lot of critical praise for the film which set him up to helm massive projects like Creed and the Black Panther movies for Marvel.
Joining us for our look back is Chicago based film critic Zachary Lee who is a regular contributor to Roger Ebert, Letterboxd, Interview Magazine, Chicago Reader, Think Christian, and more. He's been someone we've wanted to have on the show for a while and he did not disappoint.
Enjoy the show and share it with a friend!
Substantive Cinema Episode List
Zach & Willem Dafoe on The Legend of Ochi
Shoutouts:
Our Revolution by Bernie Sanders
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Kogonada. Ever heard of him? The South Korean-born American filmmaker began to get attention for his video essays that analyzed themes and motifs from various films and television series before launching as a writer/director with the film we are covering this week, Columbus (2017).
The movie follows two people who are at a place in their lives where they need to make important decisions related to their family and their future. Jin (John Cho), the son of a renowned architect, comes to Columbus to see his father when he falls ill but is unsure how long he wants to stay and look after him. When he arrives in Columbus (Indiana) he meets and befriends Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), a young woman who is passionate about architecture but hesitant to leave Columbus to pursue her next steps because she feels compelled to stay and be there for her mother who is dealing with addiction issues. It's a beautiful film about space and structures, passion, familial responsibility, and how the relationships we have push us to be the best version of ourselves we can be.
Joining us this week are Kogonada enthusiasts and long time podcasters Jen & Sarah from the Movies & Us and TV & Us podcasts! And if you're listening on the week this drops, take a look at their feed and check out their episode this coming Wednesday with Philip where they cover Bong Joon Ho's Memories of Murder!
Substantive Cinema Episode List
Shoutouts:
Supacell (Netflix)
Slow Horses (Apple TV)
The Vince Staples Show (Netflix)
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It's always great having a returning guest and this week we're welcoming back a friend we talked to back in 2021. Alexis Busetti is a seminary student and podcaster who we've been following and engaging with for several years. Her weekly show That Makes Total Sense!, is a wonderful listen and always has interesting and thoughtful people on.
This week, she's back to discuss what we've both learned over the last few years of making our shows, how we're preparing to love our neighbors through a socially and politically difficult time, how high control faith systems tend towards acceptance of authoritarians, being people of action, and more!
Shoutouts:
Abbott Elementary
Parks & Rec
Severance
Our Revolution by Bernie Sanders
The Sopranos
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Happy April Fools Day, y'all!
Jupiter Ascending is silly and fun and we hope you join author and Kansas City film critic (The Pitch) Abby Olcese as we look at the Wachowskis's ambitious original science fiction fantasy film, Jupiter Ascending.
Starring: Mila Kunis, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, and Sean Bean.
Substantive Cinema Episode List
Shoutouts:
We Tell Ourselves Stories by Alissa Wilkinson
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Last week we had a great time talking movies with our Canadian friend Marta Djordjevic, so we figured we'd keep it going and double down with another Canadian guest AND a Canadian film (and stay tuned in the post show to potentially hear Marta about this week's film)!
I Like Movies is writer/director Chandler Levack's 2022 directorial debut and it's a complete delight. It's very funny, it's sweet, it's sad, it's cringey, and it beautifully captures a period of life that everyone can relate to whether or not they are a movie lover. It's currently streaming on Kanopy & Hoopla, available to rent on your digital retailer of choice, and is also probably on DVD at your local library. Go check it out!
We are also honored to have had the film's star Romina D'Ugo join us for this conversation! In the film, Romins plays the manager of the store that the protagonist gets a job at while he's attempting to save up enough money to go film school. Over the course of the movie, they grow close and ultimately both help each other move into the next stages of life. We discuss what went into her preparation for the character, filming through Covid, taking it on the festival circuit, and more!
Substantive Cinema Episode List
Shoutouts:
Strategic Coach books
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Way back when the show relaunched in 2020, we had planned on covering Abbas Kiarostami's Palme d'Or winning Taste of Cherry but I was overruled by my then cohosts who, at the time, were not terribly taken with the film. Now almost five years later, I'm excited to return to it with an even greater appreciation of it.
I'm also delighted to be joined on this episode by my internet friend, film historian, critic, and podcaster Marta Djordjevic. Her former podcast, McFly’s Movie House, is a treasure trove of insights and appreciation for cinema and a great way to build your watchlist. She's also a huge Kiarostami fan, with Taste of Cherry being one of her favorite films.
**In this episode we do cover the topic of suicide, if you didn't watch or look up the movie**
We also talk about the three arguments against it that the film depicts: community, morality, and beauty, we look at Kiarostami's career arc and personal style, why sometimes stories with harsh or challenging content can become comfort viewing for some, and more!
Tune in next week for a back to back Substantive Cinema with Canadian ladies in the film world when actress Romina D'Ugo joins us to talk about her recent film I Like Movies.
Substantive Cinema Episode List
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Nazis...I hate these guys.
Seth Vargas of the Movie Friends podcast joins us to discuss Jeremy Saulnier's 2015 punk horror masterpiece, Green Room. When a down on their luck punk band takes a blind gig at a venue that ends up being a skinhead bar, things get gnarly.
We talk Seth's background in the aughts punk scene, Patrick Stewart's terrifying performance, the struggle of the independent artist, how systems can be just as malicious and destructive as individuals, the late Anton Yelchin, and more!
The movie may not be for everyone but we hope you enjoy the conversation!
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Sorry about the unintentional hiatus but we are back! Pre-Super Bowl, I sat down to catch up with Editor Dave to catch up and do a little TTU. David Lynch died and that sucks, but we have an incredible body of work to enjoy forever along with the legacy of inspiration he's left to countless artists. One way or another, Donal Trump won the election and the next four years are gonna be full of things that really suck (for everyone around the world, even the folks who voted for him), however this isn't the end of everything and we talk about the importance of investing in our local communities. We also looked ahead (at the time) to the potential of a Philadelphia Eagles vs Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rematch and bring back our friendly wager from the last time there was a Philly KC Super Bowl so in light of that...
Go subscribe to Dave's Substack over at: https://substack.com/@hallahan
Shoutouts:
Sharon McMahon's book The Small and the Mighty
Sons of Patriarchy podcast
The Giver series
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