Cinema Shock

JUPITER ASCENDING (2015) | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

In the penultimate episode of our series covering the filmography of The Wachowskis, we discuss their last theatrical feature (to date).
In JUPITER ASCENDING, Warner Bros. had hoped to see The Wachowskis create a new franchise to rival THE MATRIX series.
What they got instead was the weirdest film of the filmmakers' careers and their biggest box office failure yet.
But is JUPITER ASCENDING's reputation as a flop deserved? In this episode, we'll trace the film's creation and dive into a discussion on what we think of the Wachowskis' most ambitious film yet, one that would lead them away from feature filming for the following six years.
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Coming Up:
THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Up next: Long Live the New Flesh: The Body Horror of David Cronenberg
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 Davis.
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CLOUD ATLAS (2012) | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

If we've learned one thing while working our way through the filmography of Lana and Lilly Wachowski, it's that their work — with the obvious exception of THE MATRIX — proves to be divisive.
And this week, we cover a film that is arguably their most divisive at all, a film that's been lauded as a masterpiece by some, and as one of the worst films of 2012 by others.
The film is CLOUD ATLAS, a labor of love that the Wachowskis managed to get financed almost by sheer force of will. As a follow-up to SPEED RACER, it couldn't be more different on the surface. But thematically, it aligns with the rest of the Wachowskis work in profound ways.
On this episode, we'll trace the film's origins as a novel through the years-long process of getting the film before cameras, and its legacy and reception.
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 Davis.
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SPEED RACER (2008) | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

After the completion of the MATRIX trilogy, the Wachowskis took a short break from directing to write and produce V FOR VENDETTA for James McTeigue, but it wouldn't be long before they were back directing again, for their much-anticipated follow-up to their groundbreaking franchise.
Their choice for a follow-up was a surprising one. In 2008, the Lana and Lilly Wachowskis released SPEED RACER, a kid-friendly live action adaptation of a 1960s Japanese cartoon.
The results were divisive and the film received poor reviews and was a financial failure at the box office. But in the years since its release, SPEED RACER has garnered a significant cult following and is often called the Wachowskis most underrated and misunderstood film.
In this episode, we'll track the long journey that the property took to the big screen, how the Wachowskis got involved, and how they created the film's unique visual look. 
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Coming Up:
CLOUD ATLAS (2012)
JUPITER ASCENDING (2015)
THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
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 Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives and more: http://cinemashock.net
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V FOR VENDETTA (2006) | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

Our journey through the career of Lana and Lilly Wachowski takes a bit of a detour this week as we discuss V FOR VENDETTA, a film that the sisters wrote and produced, but handed off directing reins to their long-time assistant director James McTiegue.
In this episode, we'll trace the film's origins as a graphic novel by legendary comic book writer Alan Moore and David Lloyd, through its lengthy road to the big screen.
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Coming Up:
V FOR VENDETTA (2006)
SPEED RACER (2008)
CLOUD ATLAS (2012)
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 Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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The Cinema Shock Halloween Special: Todd‘s Favorite Horror Movies

We've been promising it for months and Halloween finally seemed like a good time to let Todd "Horror Guy" Davis tell us his favorite horror movies of all time!
In this special bonus episode, Todd and Justin sit down to discuss the picks, just in time for spooky season!

THE MATRIX RELOADED / THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (2003) | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

After the massive success of THE MATRIX, expectations were high for the Wachowskis follow ups.
When the MATRIX sequels — THE MATRIX RELOADED and THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS — were released 6 months apart in the summer and winter of 2003, they were massively successful from a financial standpoint, but left many fans disappointed, confused, and underwhelmed.
In this episode, we'll explore how the Wachowskis attempted to follow up their magnum opus by continuing the story and upping the scale of the action set pieces, and how the final result was ultimately received.
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Coming Up:
V FOR VENDETTA (2006)
SPEED RACER (2008)
CLOUD ATLAS (2012)
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 Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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THE ANIMATRIX (2003) | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

In 2003, leading up to the release of the second and third MATRIX films, the Wachowskis and Warner Bros. made the unprecedented move of creating a series of short animated films tying into the franchise.
Utilizing some of the biggest names in Japanese animation, THE ANIMATRIX expands on the world of the films, exploring the many corners of the MATRIX universe.
In this special bonus episode, we'll discuss the creation of the film and how it ties into the overall MATRIX mythos.
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Coming Up:
THE MATRIX RELOADED (2003)
THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (2003)
V FOR VENDETTA (2006)
SPEED RACER (2008)
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 Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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THE MATRIX (1999) | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

As our series on the Wachowski sisters continues, we arrive at their magnum opus.
 When it was released in 1999, THE MATRIX took the world by storm. An action film with a mind-blowing premise, filled with philosophical ideas and groundbreaking action sequences, the film was unlike anything audiences had seen before, and ended up becoming not only a critical and commercial success, but also one of the most influential cultural milestones in decades.
In this episode, we'll trace the story of THE MATRIX, from the Wachowskis' earliest concepts, through the release and impact of the film.
We're joined in this episode by special guest Robyn Scott!
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Coming Up:
THE MATRIX RELOADED (2003)
THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (2003)
V FOR VENDETTA (2006)
SPEED RACER (2008)
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 Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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BOUND (1996) | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

In our new series, we’re going to be exploring the career of the Wachowskis, the filmmakers behind one of the most influential films of all time, THE MATRIX.
Before they directed that groundbreaking film, they appeared on the independent cinema scene, seemingly out of nowhere, with a neo-noir thriller that has, over time, come to be known as a pioneering film in the LGBTQ+ cinema movement.
In this episode, we’ll discuss the beginnings of the Wachowskis’ careers, from their days as house painters and part-time comic book scribes to their first unfortunate foray into screenwriting, a situation which lead the siblings to decide to become directors themselves.
We’ll discuss the making of BOUND, and how, in the years since its release, it’s been re-examined through the lens of queer film, becoming the first major film to be directed by transgender women.
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Coming Up:
BOUND (1996)
THE MATRIX (1999)
THE MATRIX RELOADED (2003)
THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (2003)
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 Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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HOLLOW MAN (2000) | Sex + Violence: The Films of Paul Verhoeven

In this, the final episode of our Paul Verhoeven series, we’re taking a deep dive into the director’s final film made within the Hollywood system before retreating to his native Netherlands.
In discussions of HOLLOW MAN, most reviewers — and even Verhoeven himself — are dismissive of the film. But that unfairly discounts the incredible and innovative work that went into bringing its special effects alive. Despite what one might think of the film, its FX work deserves to be recognized.
In this episode we’ll discuss how the team of Sony Imageworks and Tippett Studios pulled it off, and we’ll get into Verhoeven’s own thoughts on the film. Then we pose the question: Is HOLLOW MAN deserving of its reputation as a failure, or did Verhoeven have more to say than most critics caught onto when it was released in 2000? How does the film play in the era of #MeToo?
All of this and more in the conclusion to our series Sex + Violence: The Films of Paul Verhoeven!
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Coming Up:
HOLLOW MAN (2000)
Up Next: The Wachowskis: Walking the Path
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 Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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