Cinema Sounds & Secrets

Encore! Today we're revisiting our tribute episode for Norman Lear– a truly incredible screenwriter and producer who created or developed over 100 shows including All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, and Good Times.

He's always singin' and dancing... in the rain!

Welcome to another Saturday Matinee With Friends episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) sit down for a discussion with American media executive David Madden! After graduating from Harvard, Madden took part in theater before exploring the film industry and eventually becoming president of Fox Television Studios and executive at Paramount Pictures. A few of his legendary production credits include Runaway Bride (1999), The Shield (2002), Something the Lord Made (2004), The Shield (2002), The Americans (2013), Doctor Who (2005), Better Call Saul (2015), Killing Eve (2018) and many more!  To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) discuss the life and career of an incredible American film director, producer, and actor. Once called “The Pope of Pop Cinema” and “The King of Cult” this massive talent also assisted in jumpstarting many careers of the actors and directors we know and love… It's Roger Corman! While he was an innovator and pioneer in the world of independent film, Corman actually studied engineering at Stanford before discovering his passion for movies. Many of his films would go on to achieve cult following status including A Bucket of Blood (1959), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), The Intruder (1962), X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes (1963), The Wild Angels (1966), and The Trip (1967). To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!

In this week's tribute, Janet, John, (and Pen) celebrate the life and career of a truly legendary artist, director, and filmmaker. He turned suburbia, teen angst, and small town life into objects of horror, admiration, and pity. Genius, artist, and madman… It's David Lynch! While Lynch had little interest in schoolwork growing up, a love for painting brought him to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He would later shock the movie business with a student film in response to the madness of America in the days of Vietnam. With a career spanning over five decades, Lynch is known for his incredibly vivid, unforgettable, and dreamlike films including Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), Dune (1984), Blue Velvet (1986), Wild at Heart, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992), Lost Highway (1997), Mulholland Drive (2001), and more. He received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2006, an Academy Honorary Award, and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for surrealist horror-mystery series Twin Peaks.  To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!  

The Outsiders (1983), Ferris Bueller's Day Off  (1986), and Say Anything (1989). This week, Janet, John (and Pen) take a look at three films that explore the lives of teenagers and angst in the 80s with very different tones and intentions. Whether the story explores a teen in the perfect urban home with mom, dad, and kid sister, a real loner with a dream, or only finding solace with a gang of other misfit kids, everyone wants to connect. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!   

In this week's tribute episode, Janet, John, (and Pen) explore the life of one of Britain's most acclaimed stage and screen stars. The second of only four actresses to have won two Golden Globes in the same year and made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004… it's Joan Plowright. With a career spanning over six decades, she received accolades including an Olivier Award, a Tony Award and nominations for an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and Emmy. You may know her from films like Moby Dick (1956), The Entertainer (1960), Uncle Vanya (1963), Three Sisters (1970), Equus (1977), Avalon (1990), Dennis the Menace (1993), Enchanted April (1991), 101 Dalmatians (1996),  Jane Eyre (1996), and more. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!

In this week's tribute episode, Janet, John, (and Pen) celebrate the life and career of an American actress with “Hollywood in her DNA,” known for her comedic roles in film and television in the 1970s and 1980s. A true courageous and magical talent.. Teri Garr! Born in Los Angeles to a theatrical multi-hyphenate father and Radio City Rockette mother, Garr was trained in ballet and would go on to appear as a dancer in five Elvis Presley movies. After studying acting in New York City, she had her breakthrough appearing in the episode Assignment: Earth of Star Trek in 1968. From there she starred in Francis Ford Coppola's thriller The Conversation in 1974 and found increasing success in films like Oh, God! (1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Black Stallion (1979), One from the Heart (1982), After Hours (1985), and Tootsie (1982) which earned her the nomination for an Academy Award. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!

In this week's tribute episode, Janet, John, (and Pen) discuss the life and career of a wonderful American comedian and actor who came to prominence in 1960 and is known for his deadpan delivery style... Bob Newhart. Starting out by engaging in humorous telephone conversations with a friend in which he improvised characters to alleviate boredom at his office job, the actor would go on to receive three Grammys, an Emmy, and a Golden Globe Award. After catching attention from a local DJ he began his career as a stand-up comedian, and transitioned to working in television in the series Newhart after his album of comedic monologues became a bestseller. Known for films like  Hell Is for Heroes (1962), Hot Millions (1968), Catch-22 (1970), Cold Turkey (1971), The Rescuers (1977), In & Out (1997), First Family (1980), Elf (2003), and more. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!   

Bonnie & Clyde (1967) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). This week, Janet, John (and Pen) discuss two masterpieces from a legendarily great actor/director/producer. Warren Beatty's groundbreaking movies rocked the film industry in 1967 with unflinching violence and amazing folk scores that would later become Oscar-winning favorites.  To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) highlight one of the most honored American screenwriters in motion picture history… Bo Goldman! Called the “the screenwriter's screenwriter” Goldman received two Academy Awards for his screenplays of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Melvin and Howard (1980), two Golden Globe Awards, two Writers Guild of America Awards and the Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. Listen to learn more about one of the true greats, known for films like The Rose (1979), Shoot the Moon (1982), Scent of a Woman (1992), and Meet Joe Black (1998).  To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!  

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) discuss the life and career of an incredible Canadian-born actor whose film and television career spanned seven decades. From a cool hippie Literature professor and a billionaire to a grieving and murderous father in a raft of great sci-fi and horror films… Donald Sutherland! With an education from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, he moved to Hollywood, where he was cast in several WWII films and life was never the same. He found fame in movies like The Dirty Dozen (1967), MASH (1970), Klute (1971), Don't Look Now (1973), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Animal House (1978), Ordinary People (1980), The Hunger Games franchise and many more.  To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!  

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) delve into the life and career of American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader… the incomparable Quincy Jones. Born Quincy Delight Jones Jr. on March 14, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, this gifted musician discovered a love for the piano at age 11 and would go on to win 28 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy, and a Tony. Jones explored music throughout high school, becoming passionate about the trumpet, and would eventually collaborate with incredible artists like Lesley Gore, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, and many more. In 1961, he composed music for The Pawnbroker (1964), the first of his nearly 40 film scores. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!

Cinephile, film publicist extraordinaire, and technicolor advisor guru to directors like Coppola and Scorsese, Bob Hoffman sits down with Janet to talk about the magic of color, how it came to be, and what it's like to work in the dream factory of Hollywood, from ALL angles.  To learn more about this episode and others, visit the Official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website. And check out our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod!  

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) delve into the amazing career of an actor whose film, stage, and television career spanned nearly seven decades… Gena Rowlands! From growing up in Madison, Wisconsin to attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, Rowlands was a true star from the Golden Age of Hollywood and a pioneer of independent film. The four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner is known for her incredible performances in films like A Child Is Waiting (1963), Faces (1968), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Opening Night (1977), Gloria (1980), Tempest (1982), Love Streams (1984) and more. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the Official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website. And check out our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod!  

Happy/Merry Valentine's Day from Janet, John, and Pendleton!

The More the Merrier (1943) & Annie Hall (1977). This week, Janet, John, (and Pen) revisit the LOVE Episode… Two classic romantic comedy-dramas from two great directors thirty years apart, both get to the heart of the bumpy road to love; one taking place in Washington D.C. in WW II where a person would find it hard to find a place to rest his head – let alone the perfect mate, the other happens in the “I Love New York“ era New York, when Times Square was a hub of hustlers and movie art houses sprung up like the spring daisies in Central Park. Both films bringing together unlikely lovebirds! For info on this episode and more, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!  

Happy/Merry Valentine's Day from Janet, John, and Pendleton!

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) explore the life and career of a true humanist and good soul, a character-driven director with a brilliant eye, and gorgeously framed films… Jonathan Demme! The five-time Academy Award winner was born in New York in 1944 and is known for films like The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Something Wild (1986), Philadelphia (1993), Caged Heat (1974), Rachel Getting Married (2008), Melvin and Howard (1980), and Married to the Mob (1988). To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!  

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) discuss influential American country songwriter, singer, actor, and outlaw country movement figure Kris Kristofferson! His debut album Kristofferson (1970) introduced us to iconic songs and he eventually fell into movie stardom with legendary roles like Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), A Star Is Born (1976) — for which he won a Golden Globe — and the Blade trilogy (1998–2004). To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!

The Birdcage (1996) & Victor Victoria (1982). This week, Janet, John (and Pen) explore two go-to movies for when you need a good laugh. With inspired performances from Robin Williams, James Garner, Diane Weist, and Julie Andrews, this episode proves that great comedy takes great writing and brilliant performances. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website! 

This week, in Part Two of Saturday Matinee with Friends, Janet and John continue their talk with Mike Newell at home in London to discuss his life, films, and some amazing revelations. 

In this special two-part Saturday Matinee with Friends, Janet and John visit Mike Newell at home in London to discuss his life, films, and some amazing revelations. 

Encore! Encore! This winter break, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes. Last but certainly not least, a very special mini-sode. To find out more about this and past episodes' movies, including trivia and other fun facts, visit our official Cinema Sounds and Secrets website.  

Happiest of holidays from Cinema Sounds & Secrets. In 2025, keep moviegoing alive and support your local cinema (says Pendleton)!

Encore! Encore! - This winter break, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes. Today we look back on two stand out “kids” movies that took the world by storm – and are still winning hearts in 2019 – E.T. in 1982 and Toy Story from 1995. To find out more about this and past episodes' movies, including trivia and other fun facts, visit our official Cinema Sounds and Secrets website.

Happiest of holidays from Cinema Sounds & Secrets. In 2025, keep moviegoing alive and support your local cinema (says Pendleton)!

Encore! Encore! - This winter break, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes. Next up, we're traveling to the 1960's to explore what a partnership between a director at the top of his output as a comic genius and one of the truly greatest film composers to ever score a film can do when they team up to create two masterpiece. To find out more about this and past episodes' movies, including trivia and other fun facts, visit our official Cinema Sounds and Secrets website.  

Happiest of holidays from Cinema Sounds & Secrets. In 2025, keep moviegoing alive and support your local cinema (says Pendleton)!

Encore! Encore! - This winter break, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes. First up, we bask in the hilarity of 3 great 1970's comedies with some of the funniest film moments in film brought to us by; Mel Brooks, Arthur Hiller and Ivan Reitman.  To find out more about this and past episodes' movies, including trivia and other fun facts, visit our official Cinema Sounds and Secrets website.  

Happiest of holidays from Cinema Sounds & Secrets. In 2025, keep moviegoing alive and support your local cinema (says Pendleton)!

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) explore the extensive career (spanning over seven decades) of the truly remarkable British actress Maggie Smith. Born on December 28, 1934, in Ilford Essex, England, despite never having gone to the theater and being considered "too common" to be onstage, Smith grew up with a love for Shakespeare and was encouraged to act by her English teacher. In 1952, at 17 years old, her career began as Viola in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night.” Smith received international fame for her role as Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey (2010–2015) and is known for films including Othello (1965), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), Travels with My Aunt (1972), California Suite (1978) A Room with a View (1985), Gosford Park (2001), the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011), Death on the Nile (1978), Hook (1991), Sister Act (1992), The Secret Garden (1993), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), Quartet (2012) The Lady in the Van (2015) and more. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the Official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website. And check out our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod!

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) explore the life and career of Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison. Born in 1926 in Toronto, Jewison acted out movies as a boy and was involved in school productions at a young age. He studied at the Royal Conservatory and worked as a radio actor before he began writing, directing, and producing shows for the network CBC. He made his feature film debut in 1962 and began directing shortly after. He's known for films like The Cincinnati Kid (1965), The Russians Are Coming (1966), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Rollerball (1975), Justice for All (1979), A Soldier's Story (1984), Agnes of God (1985), Moonstruck (1987) The Hurricane (1999), and more, receiving Academy Award nominations for best director three separate times.  To learn more about this episode and others, visit the Official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website. And check out our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod! 

Cinema Sounds & Secrets is the perfect Thanksgiving drive show... Just ask Brian Cox!

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) explore the life and career of American actor Dabney Coleman. Born in Austin Texas in 1932, Coleman excelled at tennis, playing across Europe and serving in the army before deciding to pursue acting. He appeared in over 175 films and television programs, recognized for comedic and dramatic roles, including 9 to 5 (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Tootsie (1982), WarGames (1983), Cloak & Dagger (1984), and You've Got Mail (1998). To learn more about this episode and others, visit the Official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website. And check out our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod!  

The General (1926), Sunrise (1927), and City Lights (1931) Join Janet, John, (and Pen), this week to explore three films that set the bar for comedy, music, and drama with not one word spoken. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website and check out our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod!

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) take a look at the career of the truly remarkable actress and producer Shelley Duvall. Born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1949, the oldest of four children (and only daughter) Duvall would go on to collaborate with Robert Altman and gain prominence as a one-of-a-kind performer. Known for her iconic roles in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Nashville (1975), Annie Hall (1977), Popeye (1980), The Shining (1980), and many more, the actress would later produce television programs like Faerie Tale Theatre, Tall Tales & Legends, Nightmare Classics, and Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the Official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website. And check out our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod!  

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) explore the life and career of brilliant American actor James Earl Jones. Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi in 1931, Jones served in the army before pursuing acting, eventually gaining international fame for his voice role as Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, and later achieving EGOT status for his extensive work. He made his acting debut in Dr. Strangelove (1964) and is known for films like The Man (1972), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Matewan (1987), Coming to America (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Sneakers (1992), The Sandlot (1993), The Lion King (1994), and Cry, the Beloved Country (1995). To learn more about this episode and others, visit the Official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website. And check out our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod!

Janet and John suggest a few of their favorite films (both scary and non-scary) to watch during this spooky season!

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) explore the life and career of English actor Albert Finney. Finney Attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before attaining fame in the early 1960s, and is known for his roles in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), Tom Jones (1963), Annie (1982), The Dresser (1983), A Man of No Importance (1994), Erin Brockovich (2000), Big Fish (2003) and many more. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the Official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website. And check out our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod!  

Janet and John suggest a few of their favorite films (both scary and non-scary) to watch during this spooky season!

Live at the Twenty Two Club, Director Mike Newell does the BAFTAS! This week Janet and John are joined by special guest Mike Newell to compare six of this year's BAFTA-nominated movies with six of the greatest British films. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the Official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website. And check out our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod!

This week, director Mike Newell comes to CSS Saturday Matinee with friends LIVE in London!

The Apartment (1960) and Terms of Endearment (1983). This week, Janet, John (and Pen) get to know two incredible movies that defined their decades and garnered heaps of Oscar nominations. Both films look at normal people with imperfections and foibles, in a humorous, touching and sometimes heart-aching way.   To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website!

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! This week Janet, John, (and Pen) explore the life and career of British film director and playwright Anthony Minghella. Minghella was born in 1954 in Ryde, Isle of Wight, England, and later studied drama at the University of Hull. He's known for incredible films like The English Patient (1996), Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), and Cold Mountain (2003), receiving the Academy Award for Best Director for The English Patient, and many other nominations.  To learn more about this episode and others, visit the Official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website. And check out our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod!

Welcome to another Cinema Sounds & Secrets Tribute episode! Today's tribute is for Doris Day. From a child of German immigrants born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1922 to the number one box office actress for most of the sixties, Doris May Anne Kappelhoff had a truly incredible career as a leading film star in Hollywood. She recorded more than 650 songs and is known for iconic films like Romance on the High Seas (1948), Calamity Jane (1953), Love Me or Leave Me (1955), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Pillow Talk (1959) and more. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the Official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website! Also visit our Instagram, @cinemasoundspod.

Cinephile and massively brilliant actor Brian Cox joins Janet, John, and his best dog friend Pen in a different kind of crime spree, as they do a deep dive into the most iconic gangster films that created the genre. To learn more about this episode and others, visit the official Cinema Sounds & Secrets website - and check out our Instagram @cinemasoundspod!