Cinema Shock

After years of death-defying action blockbusters, Tom Cruise went and made his strangest, riskiest film since MAGNOLIA — and audiences and critics have no idea what to do with it. Alejandro G. Iñárritu is known for being formally ambitious and he doesn't make things easy for his collaborators. DIGGER is no exception — this is what happens when the world's last traditional movie star hands himself over to one of cinema's most uncompromising directors. In this bonus episode, Justin and Gary share their thoughts on the most divisive film of 2026.

This film was chosen by members of CinemaShock+. For the chance to vote on next month's new release review — plus plenty of other members-only perks — head to cinemashock.net/plus to join today.

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THE BOYS IN THE BAND (1970) capped a brutal run of four consecutive box-office failures that left thirty-four-year-old William Friedkin convinced his feature career was over. After walking away from David Wolper's death-defying TV specials, he threw himself into features — writing a Sonny and Cher vehicle on legal pads, clashing with studio veterans on a burlesque set, adapting Harold Pinter's menace for the screen. We trace how his single-room staging experiments pushed him to rock bottom, right before two narcotics cops changed his life for good.

Want the full story without the wait? CinemaShock+ members get extended, ad-free episodes that combine every part into one seamless listen — plus bonus content you won't hear anywhere else. Join at cinemashock.net/plus.

CINEMA SHOCK ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:

Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Turpin | Benjamin Yates | Capiapoa | courtland ashley | curtcake5k | Dick Jones | Felizmon | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | JoeyP | John sweet bussy Greaney | Jvance325 | KDurden | Kristian Blilie Berg | LogLad | Lucy Lawson | MagicBloat | mcdudely | Nate Izod | Princess Krishna Kali | samurai_hillbilly | Tim G | triplr1478

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.

For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

THE PEOPLE VS. PAUL CRUMP (1962) is the turning point for a young William Friedkin trying to claw his way out of live local television. We follow him from Chicago's North Side, listening in on corrupt cops at his uncle's tavern, to running hectic control rooms during the chaotic heyday of live television. An obsession with CITIZEN KANE and Stravinsky set off something in him — enough to send him into Cook County Jail with a camera, using extreme interrogation tactics to get his subject on film, then editing the raw 16mm negatives himself in his apartment. The result helped spare a condemned man from the electric chair, and set Friedkin on the path to a legendary career as a founding member of New Hollywood.

Want the full story without the wait? CinemaShock+ members get extended, ad-free episodes that combine every part into one seamless listen — plus bonus content you won't hear anywhere else. Join at cinemashock.net/plus.

CINEMA SHOCK ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:

Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Turpin | Benjamin Yates | Capiapoa | courtland ashley | curtcake5k | Dick Jones | Felizmon | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | JoeyP | John sweet bussy Greaney | Jvance325 | KDurden | Kristian Blilie Berg | LogLad | Lucy Lawson | MagicBloat | mcdudely | Nate Izod | Princess Krishna Kali | samurai_hillbilly | Tim G | triplr1478

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.

For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In our latest bonus episode, we're reviewing Zach Cregger's new take on RESIDENT EVIL!

Chosen by CinemaShock+ members as our September new release pick, this is the director of BARBARIAN and WEAPONS taking on one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. He's not adapting a specific game, and he's not bringing back the characters longtime fans know. Instead, he drops a brand new guy into Raccoon City on the worst night of his life.

And if you're a CinemaShock+ member, voting for October's bonus episode is open right now: DIGGER, OTHER MOMMY, or CLAYFACE. Join at cinemashock.net/plus to cast your vote.

CINEMA SHOCK ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:

Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Turpin | Benjamin Yates | Capiapoa | courtland ashley | curtcake5k | Dick Jones | Elton Novara | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | JoeyP | John sweet bussy Greaney | KDurden | Lucy Lawson | MagicBloat | mcdudely | Nate Izod | Princess Krishna Kali | RockGokd | shadowcut | Tim G | triplr1478

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.

For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

By the time BATTLEFIELD EARTH finally went into production, the disaster was already baked in. Born from cut-rate deal engineered by a former dry-cleaning mogul, unchecked artistic hubris, and an unyielding series of tilted camera angles. In Part 2 of our deep dive , we get into the making of the film itself — the studio rejections, the compromised production deal, the under-funded shoot, and the catastrophic reception that followed. Then it gets to the part that goes beyond bad moviemaking into something genuinely criminal: the fraud case that destroyed a production company and sent the whole ugly story into federal court.

Want the full story without the wait? CinemaShock+ members get extended, ad-free episodes that combine every part into one seamless listen — plus bonus content you won't hear anywhere else. Join at cinemashock.net/plus.

CINEMA SHOCK ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:

Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Turpin | Benjamin Yates | Capiapoa | courtland ashley | curtcake5k | Dick Jones | Elton Novara | Felizmon | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | JoeyP | John sweet bussy Greaney | Jvance325 | KDurden | Kristian Blilie Berg | LogLad | Lucy Lawson | MagicBloat | mcdudely | Nate Izod | Princess Krishna Kali | RockGokd | samurai_hillbilly | Tim G | triplr1478

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.

Image: "Portrait of John Carpenter.jpg" by Kyle Cassidy, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified from original. This derivative work is also licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.