Cinematic Breadcrumbs

Celine Song's follow-up to her beloved "Past Lives" stars Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal in a rom-com about the commodification of modern love, "Materialists." The film had a lot of promise, especially considering who was cast, but it falls short of packing a real punch. In this weeks episode, your host Elise Hernke breaks down what didn't work, but also dissects some of interesting theme...

This week your host Elise Hernke makes a case for the movie "Opus" (2025) directed by former GQ editor Mark Anthony Green, starring Ayo Edibiri, John Malcovich, Murray Bartlett and Juliette Lewis. The a24 "horror musical" got buried after receiving less than stellar reviews on the festival circuit. But it's actually pretty good! In this episode, we discuss why you should give it a chance, but speculate as t...

This week we talk all things the new Ryan Coogler masterpiece, "Sinners" (2025), starring Michael B. Jordan as both Smoke and Stack. It is a movie about vampires in the Jim Crow South, it is about the transcendent power of the blues and it is an undeniable hit. 

Follow the Instagram @ingloriousbaguettes. 

Further reading/sources:

• https://thesource.com/2025/04/23/fans-call-out-media-for-questionable-coverage-of-sinners-ma...

"Companion" (2025) is "Barbarian" creator Drew Hancock's latest horror comedy treat. A perfect date night movie, it follows a girl who goes to a cabin weekend with her boyfriends friend group that goes horribly awry. Falling somewhere between 2011's "You're Next" and the masterful 2014 "Ex Machina," "Companion" explores gender politics, the ethics of technology and mo...

This week it's all about the 1927 German expressionist silent film that is considered one of the first full-length science fiction films ever made: "Metropolis" directed by Fritz Lang. Lumiere Cinema and Music Hall in Beverly Hills put it on with a live performance from Vox Lumiere, which reimagines the soundtrack to the classic film and performed it along with the screening. 

Aside from it being an incredible experie...

This week your host Elise Hernke takes a look at the legendary Lady Macbeth from three different lenses: Lady Macbeth the novel by Ana Reid, "The Tragedy of Macbeth" (2021) and "Lady Macbeth" (2016). 

She also imagines how she would put together a Renaissance Faire Film Festival... Hint: It would be an absolute banger of a weekend. 

Follow the Instagram: @Ingloriousbaguettes

Further reading/sources:

• "A...

This week 4/20, the national stoner holiday, fell on Easter Sunday and it won't happen again for another 62 years, so it is cause for a CELEBRATION. This for my group looked like a double feature watch party starting with the 1973 version of "Jesus Christ Superstar" and followed by 2001's indie masterpiece "Donnie Darko." 

In this episode, your host Elise Hernke, starts by talking about a few recent hea...

This week your host Elise Hernke just takes a pause to watch trailers and read up on the most anticipated films of 2025: what to expect from the director, the cast and why you should be excited about it. 

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Hot Milk *** NOTE I don't think I talked about this one like I meant to but looks amazing I am AMPED ABOUT THIS CAST. 

Links & Sources below:

Bon Iver album: SABLE, FABLE
Songs pl...

Elise Hernke, your host, breaks down the third season of White Lotus, a favorite show & the top talk of the moment, thanks to it's elongated release and surprising storytelling by Mike White. The thesis of this deep-dive is to reflect on the ways that his writing style mimics themes of Greek tragedy and Shakespearean irony. 

Follow the pod on Instagram @ingloriousbaguettes.

Sources/Further Reading:

• GQ: S3 Ending was Pure ...

This week your host Elise Hernke takes a look at both the musical and the 1982 movie version of the class "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds. The bulk of the discussion is focused on comparing the two adaptations based on a TRUE STORY and how I think it holds up against todays current cultural and political landscape (It holds up tremendously well). 

Follow @ingloriousbaguettes on...

On this weeks episode, your host Elise Hernke watches the new "Snow White and the Evil Queen" (2025), so you don't have to. Or maybe you want to and now you just want to hear my takes. Either way, we're looking at the controversies leading up to the premiere, the movie itself and remake fatigue. 

Follow us on Instagram: @ingloriousbaguettes. 

For further listening, ModernGurlz does really thorough dives into both ...

This week your host Elise Hernke breaks down one of her favorite movies, the George Cukor classic "The Philadelphia Story" starring Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart -- after getting to see it on film at the New Beverly this past week. 

After being declared "box office poison," Hepburn scored the rights to this story and used it to revitalize her career. Jimmy Stewart won an Oscar for his performanc...

In this weeks episode, your host Elise Hernke talks about the 97th Academy Awards, but mostly focuses on the "controversy" surrounding Sean Baker and what it says about media literacy, why 007 attended the Oscars, and the most notable speeches of showbiz's biggest night of the year.

Show Notes:

• Critical Thinking Cheatsheet
• Taylor Lorenz talking about AI Slop
• Pop Apologist profiles Demi Moore
• Sean Baker haters: Example...

We're back! On this weeks episode of Cinematic Breadcrumbs, Elise Hernke returns to the pod with hopes of more consistently releasing episodes from here on out, to talk about "Gattaca." 

Currently streaming on Hulu & Criterion, "Gattaca" is a 1997 sci-fi thriller starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law. It takes place in a "not so distant future" dystopian society where predetermined gen...

In this episode, we embark on a series called TENDER IS THE FLESH (inspired by my recent reading of the book of that title by Augustina Bazterrica) where we will explore the varied portrayals of cannibalism in film -- FUN -- starting with "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover" a 1989 deeply disturbing cinematic masterpiece by Peter Greenaway.

Other films (probably) coming this series (if you want to get ...

As part of this podcast, I will be including some episodes related to my adventures in theater-going and this week is all about Sharon Tate, after seeing a Double Feature of her films at the New Beverly Cinema this week. We look at her life, her tragic passing and deep-dive the films "The Fearless Vampire Killers" (1967) & "The Wrecking Crew" (1968).

We also discuss Demon Copperhead (the book I jus...

In this episode, your host Elise Hernke takes a look at the significance of Andrew McCarthy's new documentary "Brats" coming out in "brat summer 2024." Seeking to understand first and foremost what Charli xcx's "brat" actually means, the etymology and impact of the word overtime and the generational approach to celebrity and identity.

Your host will also start the episode as usual w...

Discussing how the book industry has been overrun by adaptable content as a result of the film and television industry relying heavily on familiar IP.
Along with today's main topic, on this episode we also discuss J-Law's new a24 project, Margot Robbie's pregnancy, Inside Out 2, Kinds of Kindness, and more.

Follow the podcast Instagram @Ingloriousbaguettes.

Sources / Further reading for the e...