Mindframe(s)
🎬 Mindframes Show Notes Episode 111 — Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die Film Credits Film: Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die Director: Gore Verbinski Writer: Matthew Robinson Starring: Sam Rockwell, Juno Temple, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Haley Lu Richardson Genre: Sci-Fi / Time-Loop Thriller / Dark Comedy Release Year: 2025 IMDb: (Insert official link when available) Episode Summary Michael and Dave explore Gore Verbinski’s genre-blending sci-fi film Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, a time-loop story about a soldier attempting to stop a rogue artificial intelligence across repeated...
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Episode 110 — Send Help Film Credits Title: Send Help Director: Sam Raimi Starring: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Dennis Haysbert, Chris Pang Genre: Survival Thriller / Dark Comedy / Psychological Horror Episode Summary In this episode, Michael and David examine Sam Raimi’s Send Help, a survival thriller about two corporate survivors stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. What begins as a struggle for survival turns into a psychological battle for power, identity, and control. The discussion focuses heavily on Linda’s transformation — whether the island reveals...
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28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) Episode Summary: In this episode, Michael and Dave dissect 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the most visually ambitious and thematically rich installment in the iconic 28 Days Later franchise. They explore the film’s eerie cult narrative, psychological undercurrents, and the shifting horror dynamics that turn humans into the real monsters. With Nia DaCosta in the director’s chair and Alex Garland returning as writer, the film blends horror, satire, and surprising moments of hope. A rich conversation for fans of speculative horror and social allegory....
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Show Notes Film / Topic Title: Looking to 2026: The Future of Cinema Focus: Industry trends, cultural anxieties, and the most anticipated films of 2026 IMDb: N/A (discussion episode) Episode Summary In this episode of Mindframes, Michael and David look ahead to 2026 and ask a deceptively simple question: what kind of year will it be for movies? Coming off what they consider a creatively rich—but commercially uneven—2025, the conversation explores the tension between artistic vitality and economic uncertainty. From box office struggles and bloated marketing budgets to shifting...
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Mindframes — Best of 2025 Episode Title Best Films of 2025 — Trends, Themes, and the State of Cinema Film Information This is a multi‑film recap episode. Primary Shared Films Discussed: Weapons Eddington Hamnet Sinners One Battle After Another Train Dreams Universal Language Frankenstein Additional Films Referenced: It Was Just an Accident Ebony and Ivory Sirât The Zone of Interest Everything Everywhere All at Once Avatar: Fire and Ash Episode Summary In this year‑end episode of Mindframes, Michael Cockerill and David Canfield look back on what they...
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🎧 Episode Title: Hamnet and the Ghosts We Inherit 🎮 Film Discussed: Hamnet (2025) 🗓️ Release Date: December 13, 2025 🎧 Hosts: Michael & David ⏱️ Timestamps & Highlights: 00:00 – Intro Michael and David introduce the show and kick off discussion of Hamnet, Chloe Zhao's adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's novel. 00:48 – Film Overview Chloe Zhao's recent directorial triumph, premiere at TIFF, her filmography from Nomadland to Eternals, and Hamnet's awards buzz. 02:23 – Plot & Themes The story centers on Agnes Hathaway and her marriage to Shakespeare, their...
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Bugonia Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos Written by: Will Tracy and Jang Joon-hwan Starring: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aiden Delvis, Alicia Silverstone, Stavros Halkias Cinematography: Not specified (shot on VistaVision, 35mm, Willcam equipment) Release: 2025 IMDB: 🎧 Episode Summary In this episode, Dave and Michael dive deep into Bugonia, the latest satirical and enigmatic offering from Yorgos Lanthimos. With a plot centering on two conspiracy-minded men who kidnap a powerful CEO they believe to be an alien, the hosts explore Lanthimos' signature blend of absurdism, social critique,...
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Mindframes Podcast: Frankenstein (2025) Directed by: Guillermo del Toro Written by: Guillermo del Toro, based on the novel by Mary Shelley Starring: Oscar Isaac (Victor Frankenstein), Jacob Elordi (The Creature), Christoph Waltz (Von Klemper), Mia Goth (Elizabeth/Claire Frankenstein), Charles Dance, Ralph Ineson, and David Bradley Cinematography: Dan Laustsen Release: 2025 (Netflix) IMDB: 🎧 Episode Summary Dave and Michael explore Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited adaptation of Frankenstein — a film that blends gothic horror, Catholic melodrama, and emotional fantasy. They...
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Episode 103: Anemone 🎬 Principal Cast & Crew Director: Ronan Day-Lewis (feature debut) Writers: Ronan Day-Lewis & Daniel Day-Lewis Cinematography: Ben Fordsman Main Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis as Ray Sean Bean as Jem Samantha Morton as Nessa Stoker Samuel Bottomley as Brian Stoker Safiya Oakley-Green as Hattie 🕰️ Episode Breakdown 00:00 – Intro & Overview Michael and Dave introduce Anemone, a moody psychological drama and feature debut by Ronan Day-Lewis, starring his father Daniel Day-Lewis. They tease the film’s atmospheric visuals, layered...
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Cast & Crew Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Cinematographer: Michael Bauman Composer: Jonny Greenwood Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson Chase Infinity as Willa Ferguson Sean Penn as Colonel Lockjaw Benicio Del Toro as Sensei Luis Regina Hall as Mother Helena Episode 102: One Battle After Another Film Discussed: One Battle After Another (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) Hosts: Michael Cockerill & Dave Canfield Runtime: ~3 hours Theme: Resistance, legacy, generational change ⏱ Timestamps & Major Segments: 00:00–02:30 – 🎙 Intro & Film Overview Michael and...
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Episode Title
Best Films of 2025 — Trends, Themes, and the State of Cinema
Film Information
This is a multi‑film recap episode.
Primary Shared Films Discussed:
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Weapons
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Eddington
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Hamnet
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Sinners
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One Battle After Another
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Train Dreams
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Universal Language
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Frankenstein
Additional Films Referenced:
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It Was Just an Accident
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Ebony and Ivory
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Sirât
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The Zone of Interest
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Everything Everywhere All at Once
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Episode Summary
In this year‑end episode of Mindframes, Michael Cockerill and David Canfield look back on what they agree was one of the strongest years in cinema in recent memory. Rather than ranking films strictly by quality, the discussion centers on how 2025’s movies reflected the emotional, cultural, and political realities of the moment. The hosts explore major technical trends—such as the return of controlled formalism, the renewed importance of sound design, and a more disciplined use of CGI—before turning to deeper thematic currents running through the year’s films. Across genres, 2025 cinema repeatedly grappled with loss, systemic failure, alienation, and the fragile possibility of hope. The episode concludes with personal picks, shared favorites, and a defense of films that dared to resist cynicism through human connection and formal craft.
Themes & Discussion
Controlled Formalism Returns
Many of the standout films of 2025 rejected frenetic camera work in favor of classical composition—locked‑off shots, wide frames, symmetry, and negative space. This stylistic restraint allowed emotion to emerge gradually rather than being chased by the camera. Films like Hamnet exemplified how formal discipline can deepen emotional resonance and restore cinematic patience.
Sound, Silence, and the Off‑Screen World
Sound design emerged as a dominant expressive tool, often prioritizing diegetic and off‑screen audio over traditional sweeping scores. Silence itself became a source of tension, especially in horror, where absence of sound replaced musical cues. This trend reflects both creative evolution and the challenge of balancing theatrical sound design with home viewing habits.
Loss, Systems, and the Crisis of Hope
Across genres, filmmakers returned obsessively to stories of missing or dead children, institutional collapse, and moral ambiguity. These narratives frame despair as a defining emotional condition of the era, while asking whether hope can survive systemic pressure. Some films embraced the darkness; others, like Universal Language, quietly resisted it through small acts of human connection.
⏱ Timestamp Breakdown
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | Episode introduction & format |
| 02:00 | Why 2025 was a great year for film |
| 03:00 | Controlled formalism & visual trends |
| 07:00 | Superhero films & genre reinvention |
| 10:00 | Sound design, silence, and scoring |
| 18:00 | CGI vs practical effects |
| 21:00 | Lighting: flat vs dynamic |
| 25:00 | Thematic trends: children, systems, despair |
| 32:00 | Criteria for personal picks |
| 35:00 | Dave’s picks: Train Dreams & Ebony and Ivory |
| 42:00 | Michael’s picks: It Was Just an Accident & Universal Language |
| 50:00 | Shared Top Films discussion |
| 1:18:00 | Final reflections on cinema & culture |
Hosts
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Michael Cockerill
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David Canfield
Links & Contact
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📘 Facebook
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🎧 Now Playing Network
Mindframes is a sometimes half‑assed but always wholehearted conversation about film, culture, and the moments that shape us.