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The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast

The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast

By: The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast
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Emilio, Madeline, and Julian love music, and spend their afternoons and evenings working for and teaching at a music school in midtown Manhattan. But they also really love movies. A lot. So when they're done teaching, they stay up late and discuss a movie, sometimes a few, that they've all agreed to see recently. Opinions, musings, personal stories, and sincere film enthusiasm ensue.

© 2025 The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast
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Episodes
  • In Dreams, You're Mine: "Blue Velvet" (1986) with Lily Desmond
    Aug 20 2025

    Julian, Madeline, and Emilio begin a new episode cycle focusing on Audience Interrogation in film with a "View-nanimous" discussion on David Lynch's 1986 masterpiece "Blue Velvet," and are joined by returning guest, multi-talented musician and fellow Lynch fan Lily Desmond for the conversation. Marking their long-awaited first episode on a Lynch film, the group discuss their formative past experiences with "Blue Velvet" and its undeniable staying power, on account of its simultaneous adherence to and divergence from narrative conventions. As the film famously polarized critics upon release, the group also discuss the surprising watchability of its most unsettling scenes, along with distinctly "American" sensibilities tapped into by Lynch and other offbeat filmmakers of his generation, and the desires which underly the dually transparent and enigmatic actions of the film's main characters, Jeffrey, Dorothy, Frank, and Sandy.

    What kind of beer do you like? Heineken or Pabst Blue Ribbon? Let us know here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1r4zRKEPPyh5TrQzLE_vuqnMYFmrNL7IHqvwgPgVoPHU/edit

    Listen to Lily Desmond's music on Bandcamp and all other streaming services, and follow them on IG @lilygoddamndesmond

    If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and continue to grow!

    Follow us on IG and TikTok @sleeplesscinematicpod

    Send us an email at sleeplesscinematicpod@gmail.com

    On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

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    1 hr and 47 mins
  • Goin' Out West: Tom Waits on Film in 'Down By Law' (1986), 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' (1992), and 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs' (2018)
    Aug 6 2025

    Julian, Madeline, and Emilio wrap up their cycle of Musicians on Film by diving into the filmography of Tom Waits, once dubbed a "performer, singer, actor, magician, spirit guide, changeling" by the great Neil Young. Joined by Madeline's dad Richard, the trio kick off the conversation by discussing Waits' starring role in Jim Jarmusch's "Down By Law", and ponder the similarities between his character Zack and his well-known boozy troubadour persona. The group then pivots to Francis Ford Coppola's campy classic "Bram Stoker's Dracula", and agree that Waits' interpretation of R. M. Renfield is the necessary constant in such a sprawling film. And although our subject only appears in one of the six vignettes that make up Joel and Ethan Coen's "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", the conversation would not be complete without taking the time to appreciate Waits' magnetism as the prospector in "All Gold Canyon".

    Subscribe to Richard's Substack for pieces on politics, satire, anger, and more at substack.com/@mcmongrel

    If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and continue to grow!

    Follow us on IG and TikTok @sleeplesscinematicpod

    Send us an email at sleeplesscinematicpod@gmail.com

    On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 8 mins
  • Big Feminist Swings: "A League of Their Own" (1992) and "Don't Worry Darling" (2022) with Emilio's Sister!
    Jul 23 2025

    For our Musicians-Turned-Actor cycle "Two Shot", Madeline, Emilio and Julian are swinging for the fences with an unexpected pair of films - Penny Marshall's 1992 baseball classic 'A League of Their Own' and Olivia Wilde's 2022 release 'Don't Worry Darling', featuring acting performances by Madonna and Harry Styles, respectively. The cohosts are joined by Emilio's pop culture literate sister Maria-Elena to make some connections between these two films, one a unanimous home run, the other... perhaps a base hit. They discuss the ways each film uses and considers their respective celebrity musician's star power, how both films theme of women's empowerment is conveyed to viewers, the small moments characters have that are meant to convey more, and the moments and details that both delight and leave us with more questions than answers. Doris and Mae are a couple, right? And who between these two films appears to be a "gaslighting gatekeeping girl boss" in waiting?

    Listeners: AS A CHILD, WHAT MOVIE LIVED IN YOUR VCR (OR DVD PLAYER) FOR WEEKS AT A TIME? Respond here to this question (or with any other feedback too!), and we'll compile your responses and share our own thoughts in an upcoming episode!

    https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjZUC7GOu2-tOXhnbvtfboNBeSZ9LqLBxkIIUo-keD1eqKew/viewform?usp=dialog

    If you enjoy our podcast, please rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. This really helps us find new listeners and grow!

    Follow us on IG and TikTok: @sleeplesscinematicpod

    Send us an email at sleeplesscinematicpod@gmail.com

    On Letterboxd? Follow Julian at julian_barthold and Madeline at patronessofcats

    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 3 mins
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