Special Topics in Media
Episodes
178 episodes
Film Listology: #73 - Barry Lyndon
Our "Film Listology" season continues with a surprise entrant in the #73 slot, from famed director Stanley Kubrick in 1975, Barry Lyndon. One could argue that Kubrick fuses a surrogate love letter to his never-filmed Napoleon Bona...
Film Listology: #74 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
The "Film Listology" season continues with our #74 entry, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Released in 1939, Frank Capra directs Jimmy Stewart in this tale of an idealistic junior senator thrust into the cynical matrix of the Washington D...
Film Listology: #75 - The Graduate
Our "Film Listology" season sets sail once again with the #75 film according to the MCM Super Index, The Graduate. Mike Nichols directs Dustin Hoffman in this Aca...
Film Listology, Reveal Episode! #75-71
Film Listology RETURNS! Scott McMurry joins Garret Castleberry to reveal the next five films currently ranked #75-71 by the analytics super index. Which films made the cross-composite list? Should each of these be canonized in filmdom's Top 100...
The Heist Film: Logan Lucky (2017)
The Special Topics in Media winds down prematurely with our Heist Film conversation (circa 2021) focusing on Steven Soderbergh's 2017 rural caper, Logan Lucky. Host Garret Castleberry is joined by dialogic duo partner in...
The Heist Film "Live Recap Special" - Inception (2010)
Special Topics in Media is getting the crew together again for a LIVE reaction special. Host Garret Castleberry recruits the Special Topics in Media Studies class for a post-screening response to Christopher Nolan's brainy blockbuster,...
The Heist Film: Inception (2010)
The Special Topics in Media retro season resumes with a callback to our Heist Film conversation (circa 2021) centered on Christopher Nolan's 2010 summer blockbuster, Inception. Host Garret Castleberry is joined by hi...
The Heist Film "Live Recap Special" - Fantastic Mr. Fox (2012)
A FIRST! Special Topics in Media goes "Live" (sort of), in an effort to activate improvisational audience feedback. Host Garret Castleberry taps into the collective power of the Special Topics in Media Studies class for a post-screenin...
The Heist Film: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
The past returns! Special Topics in Media slips under the radar to release its next "vault" discussion (circa fall 2021) celebrating The Heist Film. Host Garret Castleberry captures Scott McMurry for an analytic dissection of We...
The Heist Film: The Killing (1956)
What's old is new! Special Topics in Media breaks into the next "vault" discussion (circa fall 2021) celebrating The Heist Film. Host Garret Castleberry hoodwinks Scott McMurry into the job of a lifetime. The dialogic duo wind b...
The Heist Film: Ocean's Eleven (2001)
What's old is new! Special Topics in Media kicks off another "vault" discussion (circa fall 2021) celebrating The Heist Film as a distinct (yet liminal) film genre. Host Garret Castleberry recruits Scott McMurry to uncover the r...
The Heist Film: Season 5 Preview!
A new season, and an old season, are here! Join us as we peek into the past and present for a season built around the heist movie genre. The Dialogic Duo is up to no good! Host Garret Castleberry convinces Scott McMurry to "get the gang back to...
2025 Summer Movie Season - August
Finally...the 2025 Summer Movie Season concludes. Host Garret Castleberry is joined by Kyle Hammonds to discuss key releases in August. Was August 2025 the best August in summer movie history? These rhetors debate the successes and ...
2025 Summer Movie Season - July
Somehow...the 2025 Summer Movie Season returned. Host Garret Castleberry is joined by Kyle Hammonds to discuss key releases in July, a month rich is blockbuster discourse Listen to hear which mainstream movies had their ...
Film Review: One Battle After Another ... One Pod After Another
The 2025 Summer Movie Season interruption CONTINUES with a second reflection on Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. 2025). How does PTA's latest film rate as a Border Western, and what character theme...
Audiences Weren't Ready For "Eddington"...And They're Not Ready For "One Battle After Another"
We interrupt this 2025 Summer Movie Season programming with a report from the FUTURE! Or, at least the present. Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another has arrived in theaters to immense pre-release critical acclaim. But will t...
Summer Movie Season Top 5's - Summer Movies Snacks!
Summer is a time to celebrate a great many things, and we are seasonally framing our favorite "cool down" treats for a hot sunny day at the movies . Host Garret Castleberry grabs his wallet, swipes his card, and collects enough goodies to count...
2025 Summer Movie Season - June
We're BACK! After a minor hiatus to update the power converters and reset the flux capacitor (movie logic excuses only), the 2025 Summer Movie Season resumes with an enriched look into the month of June. Host Garret Castleberry is joined by Kyl...
Summer Movie Season - Retro Rewatches Special!
It's a mid-season interlude ripe with nostalgia! Helping transition from early to mid-summer focus, Special Topics in Media offers a "2025 Summer Movie Season" side story. Host Garret Castleberry sits down with scholarly cinephile Kyle...
Summer Movie Season Top 5's - Rainy Day Movie Theater Drop-Ins
It's an early fall celebration! The rainy season arrived unexpectedly this August, and to commemorate the cool down, Special Topics in Media offers a "2025 Summer Movie Season" reprieve. Host Garret Castleberry dims the lights, curls u...
2025 Summer Movie Season - May
The Special Topics in Media event "2025 Summer Movie Season" expands with a deep dive into the major releases of May! Kyle Hammonds joins host Garret Castleberry to assess the technical start to summer. The rhetorical rev...
Summer Movie Season Top 5's - First Run In-Theater Heart-Pounding Experiences ...and Kindergarten Graduation!
In this early interlude within our Special Topics in Media "2025 Summer Movie Season", host Garret Castleberry accesses sentimental bias to recall his "Top 5 First-Run Summertime In-Theater Heart-Pounding Experiences". It...
2025 Summer Movie Season - April
The extended "2025 Summer Movie Season" wrap-up conversation starts here! Host Garret Castleberry is joined by media scholar Kyle Hammonds to list, rate, and respond to the films that ushered in the summer movie season back in April.
Summer Movie Season Top 5's - The Brainstorm!
As we get set to premiere our "2025 Summer Movie Season", host Garret Castleberry ushers in a secondary moviegoing conversation that strikes at the heart of memories, movies, and personal preferences. It's a Top 5 Brainstor...
