Cinema Shock

GHOST IN THE SHELL Pt 1: Animating a Cyberpunk Landmark | Virtual Insanity

For the next film in our Virtual Insanity series, we’re headed to the land of the rising sun to uncover the story behind one of the most iconic animes ever made: Mamoru Oshii’s GHOST IN THE SHELL.
In this episode, we trace the origins of the cyberpunk classic, starting with Masamune Shirow’s original manga and following the career of visionary director Mamoru Oshii up through his groundbreaking work on GHOST IN THE SHELL. We dig into the film’s production process—from its innovative animation techniques to the challenges of bringing such a complex story to the screen—and look at how it was marketed ahead of release. Along the way, we explore how anime began to make waves beyond Japan’s borders, and how landmark films like AKIRA helped pave the way for a global audience hungry for ambitious, adult animation.
Join us as we set the stage for a film that forever changed the conversation about technology, identity, and what it means to be alive.
Want to support the show?Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | courtland ashley | curtcake5k | Elton Novara | Hunter D Mackenzie | Jackson_Baker | LillymckY | Lucy Lawson | MagicBloat | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | Robert Stinson | Spacemonkey73
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net

Bonus Episode: We Saw SUPERMAN!

We finally did it. The gang got together, including some of YOU, the subscribers, and we saw James Gunn's SUPERMAN! Join us as Justin, Todd and Gary break down their thoughts on this new movie and where we think the DCEU can go from here. If you like us reviewing new films? Let us know! We're here for you! We can do this more often if the demand is there.
Want to support the show?Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
 

HACKERS Pt 2: From Box Office Bomb to Cyberpunk Cult Classic | Virtual Insanity

"You could sit at home, and do like absolutely nothing, and your name goes through like 17 computers a day. 1984? Yeah right, man. That's a typo. Orwell is here now. He's livin' large. We have no names, man. No names. We are nameless!"
HACKERS hit theaters in 1995—and mostly flatlined. But before it became a cult phenomenon, it was a risky production that blended cutting-edge visual effects, rave culture aesthetics, and a sincere belief that the digital frontier was worth fighting for. In this episode, we dive into the making of the film, the marketing missteps that doomed its initial release, and the slow rise of HACKERS as a touchstone for cyberpunk cinema and internet culture. We’ll also share our own thoughts on its uncanny prescience, its unforgettable style, and why it still resonates with audiences today.
Suit up, grab your laptop, and join us as we trace how Hackers went from box-office flop to a beloved artifact of the wired age.
Want to support the show?Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | courtland ashley | curtcake5k | Elton Novara | Hunter D Mackenzie | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | Jvance325 | LillymckY | Lucy Lawson | MagicBloat | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net

HACKERS Pt 1: Hacktivism, Angelina Jolie, and The Birth of Digital Cool | Virtual Insanity

"This is our world now. The world of the electron and the switch; the beauty of the baud. We exist without nationality, skin color, or religious bias. You wage wars, murder, cheat, lie to us and try to make us believe it's for our own good, yet we're the criminals. Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. I am a hacker, and this is my manifesto."
Before HACKERS became a neon-drenched cult classic, it was the brainchild of screenwriter Rafael Moreu, who embedded himself in the early hacker underground to capture the real pulse of digital rebellion. In this episode, we trace the film’s roots in the authentic hacker culture of the early ’90s — from clandestine meetups and phone phreaking to the media frenzy that turned hackers into urban legends. You’ll hear how director Iain Softley joined the project, why the production aimed for subcultural credibility over Hollywood cliché, and how a young cast — led by Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller — brought this wired world to life.
Jack in with us as we uncover the origin story of HACKERS, where fact, fiction, and cyberpunk style collided.
Want to support the show?Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | courtland ashley | curtcake5k | Elton Novara | Hunter D Mackenzie | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | Jvance325 | LillymckY | Lucy Lawson | MagicBloat | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net

VIRTUOSITY Pt 2: Denzel Washington vs. Russell Crowe’s Virtual Killer | Virtual Insanity

"That's reality for you. No saving, no resetting."
For the next entry in our Virtual Insanity series, we’re diving headfirst into the world of early virtual reality—and the filmmaker who helped bring it to the big screen. This week, we're going behind the scenes on VIRTUOSITY, the 1995 cyber thriller starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.
In our last episode, we explored how THE LAWNMOWER MAN came to be—and how its unexpected success paved the way for VIRTUOSITY, a film already deep in development before Brett Leonard came aboard. This time, we’re zeroing in on VIRTUOSITY itself: its chaotic production, its failure to replicate Leonard’s earlier success, and how that shaped the trajectory of his career. We’ll also dig into the film’s surprisingly sharp take on Artificial Intelligence and consider where it fits within the broader legacy of cyberpunk fiction.
Want to support the show?Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | courtland ashley | curtcake5k | Elton Novara | Hunter D Mackenzie | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | Jvance325 | Lucy Lawson | MagicBloat | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net

VIRTUOSITY Pt 1: Brett Leonard, The Lawnmower Man, and the VR Revolution | Virtual Insanity

"I'm a fifty terrabyte, self-evolving, neural network, double backflip off the high platform. I'm not a swan dive."
For the next entry in our Virtual Insanity series, we’re diving headfirst into the world of early virtual reality—and the filmmaker who helped bring it to the big screen. This week, we're going behind the scenes on VIRTUOSITY, the 1995 cyber thriller starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. But before we get there, we’re rewinding to 1992's THE LAWNMOWER MAN —the first film to seriously tackle VR on screen and the movie that launched director Brett Leonard’s Hollywood career.
We’ll explore how THE LAWNMOWER MAN came to be, why it sparked a legal battle with Stephen King, and how its unexpected success set the stage for VIRTUOSITY, a film that had already been in development long before Leonard came aboard. It's a double feature of tech-noir chaos, '90s visual effects, and the strange, glitchy dream of cyberspace.
Want to support the show?Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | courtland ashley | curtcake5k | Elton Novara | Hunter D Mackenzie | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | Jvance325 | Lucy Lawson | MagicBloat | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net

JOHNNY MNEMONIC Pt 2: Keanu Reeves vs. Corporate Dystopia | Virtual Insanity

"I can carry nearly eighty gigs of data in my head."
For our Cinema Shock summer series, we wanted to take a look back at a few movies that were celebrating significant anniversaries this year. When we began browsing films released in 1995, we noticed an interesting trend: There was a glut of cyber thrillers released that year. And more specifically, cyber thrillers that dealt with the concept of virtual reality. 
This probably shouldn't be surprising: 1995 was a banner year for technology; with the release of Windows 95 and the increasing availability of home internet, more people than ever were being connected to the World Wide Web. And as we know, Hollywood loves a trend. Enter: Virtual Insanity.
In this series, we'll be exploring some of the more significant films of this very specific subgenre, all of which are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Most of these films fell flat at the box office in 1995 but all have reached varying degrees of notoriety in the decades since.
Kicking things off, we're taking a look at JOHNNY MNEMONIC, possibly the strangest of the bunch. It's a film with a long, complex production history whose journey from page (in a short story by cyberpunk legend William Gibson) to screen was fraught with delays, difficulties and compromises.
In our last episode, we detailed the early days of JOHNNY MNEMONIC's development and filming. This week, we'll focus on the film's contentious post production period, where the Hollywood execs responsible for marketing the film tried to turn it into something it was never intended to be, hoping to capitalize on the newfound post-SPEED superstardom of Keanu Reeves. We'll also get into our own thoughts on the film's legacy, as well as how its views of the internet and global connectivity are still relevant today.
Next week: We continue our look at the cyber thrillers of 1995 with an often-overlooked film that stars two of Hollywood's biggest names.
Want to support the show?Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes the full story of JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Parts 1 and 2), as well as bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | courtland ashley | curtcake5k | Elton Novara | Hunter D Mackenzie | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | Jvance325 | Lucy Lawson | MagicBloat | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net

JOHNNY MNEMONIC Pt 1: William Gibson and the Birth of Cyberspace | Virtual Insanity

"I want to get online... I need a computer!"
For our Cinema Shock summer series, we wanted to take a look back at a few movies that were celebrating significant anniversaries this year. When we began browsing films released in 1995, we noticed an interesting trend: There was a glut of cyber thrillers released that year. And more specifically, cyber thrillers that dealt with the concept of virtual reality. 
This probably shouldn't be surprising: 1995 was a banner year for technology; with the release of Windows 95 and the increasing availability of home internet, more people than ever were being connected to the World Wide Web. And as we know, Hollywood loves a trend. Enter: Virtual Insanity.
In this series, we'll be exploring some of the more significant films of this very specific subgenre, all of which are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Most of these films fell flat at the box office in 1995 but all have reached varying degrees of notoriety in the decades since.
Kicking things off, we're taking a look at JOHNNY MNEMONIC, possibly the strangest of the bunch. It's a film with a long, complex production history whose journey from page (in a short story by cyberpunk legend William Gibson) to screen was fraught with delays, difficulties and compromises.
In this, the first of two episodes detailing JOHNNY MNEMONIC's story, we'll establish just why cyber thrillers became a trend, how one of 1980s New York's most prominent visual artists came on board as the director, and how the vision for the film trasnformed from a low budget black-and-white art film into a nearly $30 million major studio production.
Next week: In Part 2 of our look at JOHNNY MNEMONIC, we'll detail the film's contentious post-production period, it's bungled release, and box office performance, as well as our own thoughts on the film and how its vision of the future is still relevant today.
Want to support the show?Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes the full story of JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Parts 1 and 2), as well as bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | courtland ashley | curtcake5k | Elton Novara | Hunter D Mackenzie | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | Jvance325 | Lucy Lawson | MagicBloat | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net
 

The Legacy of Jim Henson | Jim Henson: Heart Felt (Epilogue)

“Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It's a good life, enjoy it.”
Over the course of this series, we've come to not only love Jim Henson's work even more than we already did, but we've come to love and appreciate the person that Jim Henson was. In a cynical world, Henson was a beacon of hope and optimism and he spent his entire career — his entire life — trying to share that optimism with the world at large.
While he was disappointed with the reception of his labor of love LABYRINTH, Henson didn't walk away from the project defeated. Instead, he made the decision to channel his energy into new projects, fueled by his unwavering optimism. Jim Henson, in the last years of his too-short life, did everything he could to make the world a better place through his art.
In this, the final episode Jim Henson: Heart Felt, we want to discuss Jim's legacy beyond LABYRINTH. From Fraggle Rock to The StoryTeller to MuppetVision 3D and beyond, Jim worked tirelessly with every moment he had on this earth to bring joy to everyone he came in contact with, whether it was in-person or through a television or movie screen. 
As we say goodbye to Jim Henson and recount his final years — and his final days — we can't help but feel a little bit sad. But we also feel a sense of gratitude that we got to exist on the same planet as Henson and that we'll be able to experience the magic he brought to us until the end of time. Thank you, our listeners, for going on this journey with us. We promise we'll be back to talking about weird cult movies very soon.
Want to support the show?Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andrew C. | Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | Courtland Ashley | Curt M. | Elton Novara | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | Justin V. | Lucy Lawson | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | qoheleth | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net

LABYRINTH (1986) | Jim Henson: Heart Felt

"Everything I've done, I've done for you. I move the stars for no one.”
After the release of THE DARK CRYSTAL — and its critical and commercial failure — Jim Henson and his collaborator on that project, illustrator Brian Froud, went back to the drawing board for their next ambitious fantasy project.
Utilizing the lessons that they’d learned on that film, they looked to craft another story with the same amount of imagination, but with more humor, more heart, more music and… more humans.
The resulting film, LABYRINTH, was not much more well-received at the time of its release, but like its predecessor, it’s gone on to become a beloved film, one that’s now considered a classic and one of the creative pinnacles of Henson’s career.
In this episode, we tell down the full story of how LABYRINTH was made, from its original concept, to the dozens of script drafts that it went through during its development, to the casting of David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly (and the actors who almost got the parts instead), and all of the innovative puppetry and creature creation that brought it to life.
Want to support the show?Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andrew C. | Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | Curt M. | Elton Novara | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | Justin V. | Lucy Lawson | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | qoheleth | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net