While studios in 2025 chased scale, algorithms, and intellectual property, something quieter—and more meaningful—was happening on the margins. Independent films stepped into the gap, telling smaller stories with sharper edges, clearer voices, and something increasingly rare: conviction.

As blockbuster releases grew bloated and risk-averse, indie filmmakers delivered character-driven dramas, bold genre experiments, and personal stories that actually trusted the audience. Even as high-profile films like One Battle After Another made headlines, it was the independent scene—festival standouts, limited theatrical runs, and word-of-mouth releases—that reminded us what cinema can still be.

Today, we’re looking back at 2025 through the lens of independent film—the risks they took, the truths they told, and why the future of cinema may not belong to the biggest studios, but to the bravest storytellers.

Click here to send us feedback, or if you have a request please reach out.

Heroes used to earn their victories. They faced fear, made sacrifices, and returned changed. But somewhere along the way, the journey itself began to disappear.

Today, corporate money shapes what stories get told, while algorithms decide which ones survive. Franchises are engineered for global markets, risk is minimized, and characters are sanded down until no one stands too tall. At the same time, postmodern writing has reworked the very idea of heroism—blurring good and evil, questioning moral certainty, and turning once-mythic figures into vessels for commentary rather than transformation.

In this episode, Craig, Susie and Shawn explore how corporate interests and postmodern storytelling have reshaped the hero’s journey—and ask a simple question: when meaning, courage, and growth are stripped away, what’s left of the hero?

Click here to send us feedback, or if you have a request please reach out.

In this episode, we dive into the new sci-fi series Alien Earth, a bold reimagining of humanity’s future and our struggle to survive on a rapidly changing world. The show blends political tension, frontier exploration, and alien mystery—and our hosts have very different opinions about it.

Craig comes in mostly impressed by its potential, praising the series for its gripping atmosphere, layered mythology, and its introduction of a whole host of new and scary creatures. Craig believes the show’s potential is enormous, but not fully realized… at least not yet.

Shawn, however, isn’t fully convinced. While he appreciates the ambition and visual throwbacks to 1979, he argues that the pacing lags, the character motivations feel murky, and certain plotlines—especially involving boy genius—raise more questions than answers.

Susie on the other hand couldn't finish it. She chose having a peaceful sleep over enduring 8 episodes of horror with a Xenomorph and "The Eye".

Together, they break down the themes, standout moments, and where the series might go next—offering a lively, thoughtful, and occasionally fiery debate.

Whether you’re a die-hard sci-fi fan or just curious about the hype, this is your guide to understanding the strange, fascinating world of Alien Earth.

Click here to send us feedback, or if you have a request please reach out.