The Cinematic Flashback Podcast

It’s a Best Of Episode while Chuck and Matt take a quick summer vacation. This week on The Cinematic Flashback Podcast, we rewind all the way back to our very first episode—The French Connection (1971), directed by William Friedkin and starring Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider. Inspired by an actual case, this Oscar-winning crime thriller redefined the...

On The Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck is finally back in the studio with co-host Matt to ride the rails through one of the tightest thrillers of the decade: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974). Directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, and a who’s who of future TV legends, this gritty New York subway hijack caper is a masterc...

This week on The Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck is joined by guest host Erin Mullinax to explore Super Fly (1972), directed by Gordon Parks Jr. and starring Ron O’Neal. A landmark of 1970s street-level style and social commentary, the film follows a Harlem drug dealer trying to leave the game on his own terms.

• Ron O’Neal’s performance and the end...

🎙️ Forget it, Jake. It’s a podcast. This week on The Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck and Matt investigate one of the most haunting and influential films of the 1970s: Chinatown (1974). Directed by Roman Polanski and written by Robert Towne, the film stars Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston in a mystery steeped in corruption, secrets, and the illusion of control.

🔎 What We Talk About:

• The powerhouse performance...

Hosted by: Chuck and Matt Sargent

In this episode of The Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck and co-host Matt Sargent head into the chaos and dark comedy of M*A*S*H (1970), directed by Robert Altman and starring Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, and Tom Skerritt.

Set against the backdrop of the Korean War—but unmistakably speaking to Vietnam-era America—M*A*S*H shattered expectation...

In this episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck and co-host Matt Sargent journey into the misty frontier of McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), directed by Robert Altman and starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie.

Far from your typical gunslinging western, Altman’s revisionist take paints a haunting portrait of ambition, capitalism, and isolation in a rugged Pacific Northwest town. Chuck and Matt break down the film’s dre...

🚢 In this episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck is joined once again by co-host Matt as they set sail on The Poseidon Adventure (1972), directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, and Red Buttons.

One of the defining disaster films of the 1970s, The Poseidon Adventure turns an upside-down cruise ship into a tense, emotional journey of survival. Chuck and Matt dive into the film...

In this episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck is joined by special guest Jeff Johnson from A Film By Podcast to saddle up for a ride into Westworld (1973), written and directed by Michael Crichton and starring Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, and James Brolin.

Before Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton warned us about the dangers of theme park tech gone rogue—and Westworld was the first shot fired. Chuck and Jeff explore the ...

In this episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck and co-host Matt Sargent tune in to The Conversation (1974), directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, and Cindy Williams.

A masterclass in paranoia and surveillance thriller storytelling, The Conversation follows expert wiretapper Harry Caul as he becomes entangled in a moral crisis over a recording he’s made. Chuck and Matt di...

In this episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck and co-host Matt Sargent take a thrilling ride through The Great Train Robbery (1978), directed by Michael Crichton and starring Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, and Lesley-Anne Down.

Set in Victorian England, this stylish caper follows a team of master thieves as they attempt an audacious heist aboard a moving train. Chuck and Matt break down the film’s clever set pieces, i...

In this episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck and co-host Matt Sargent take a deep dive into Sorcerer (1977), directed by William Friedkin and starring Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, and Amidou.

Often overshadowed by Star Wars upon its release, Sorcerer has since been rediscovered as a masterful, tension-filled journey into desperation and survival. Chuck and Matt discuss Friedkin’s uncompromising vision, ...

In this episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck and co-host Matt Sargent take a tense ride into Black Sunday (1977), directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, and Marthe Keller.

This thriller follows a terrorist plot to attack the Super Bowl using a Goodyear blimp rigged with explosives. Chuck and Matt break down the film’s pacing, its performances, and how it reflects the anxieties of the 1970s...

In this episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast, Chuck and co-host Matt Sargent take a look at Kelly’s Heroes (1970), directed by Brian G. Hutton and featuring Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, and Don Rickles.

Set during World War II, the film follows a group of soldiers as they embark on a risky mission to retrieve a hidden stash of gold behind enemy lines. Chuck and Matt discuss the film’s mix of war drama and...

Welcome to another thrilling episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast! This week, Chuck is joined once again by co-host Matt Sargent as they dive into the gritty streets of 1970s San Francisco with Dirty Harry (1971), directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood in his iconic role as Inspector Harry Callahan.

In this hard-hitting crime classic, Callahan takes on the elusive and sadistic Scorpio killer, pushing the boundarie...

Welcome to another gripping episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast! This week, Chuck is joined once again by co-host Matt Sargent as they journey into the haunting and atmospheric world of Don’t Look Now (1973), directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie.

Set against the backdrop of a wintry Venice, this psychological thriller tells the story of a grieving couple drawn into a chilling web of myst...

Welcome to a special episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast! This week, Chuck is joined by Kjel Nore, who served as the manager of the theater where Chuck worked. As part of his role with the General Cinema Corporation, Kjel was responsible for programming Midnight Movie screenings in the 70s and 80s across Columbia and Charleston, SC. With his deep knowledge and firsthand experience, Kjel brings a unique perspective to the con...

Welcome to another exciting episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast! Join hosts Chuck and Matt as they pedal their way into the heart of the 1970s, exploring the films that defined a decade. This week, we’re diving into Breaking Away, the 1979 coming-of-age classic directed by Peter Yates and starring Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, and Jackie Earle Haley.

Set in the picturesque town of Bloomington, Indiana, Brea...

Welcome to the debut episode of the Cinematic Flashback Podcast! Join hosts Chuck and Matt as they kick off their journey into the cinematic past, exploring the groundbreaking films that defined the 1970s. In this episode, we dive into The French Connection, the 1971 classic directed by William Friedkin and starring the legendary Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider.

Step into the gritty streets of New York City as Chuck and Matt unpack t...

Welcome to the Cinematic Flashback Podcast! Get ready to hop into the Way Back Machine as we journey through the wild, bold, and unforgettable films of the 1970s!

Each episode, we’ll break down a classic (or not-so-classic) movie with a fun, fresh approach. We’ll explore the Who’s Who of each film, dive into the Premise and Plot, see how it performed then and now, and wrap things up with our patented ‘Hold Up Factor’—where we ask, ...