Ryan and Esteban explore the works of director Robert Altman, examining the context of his films, how they speak to the current moment, and look at his wider circle of proteges and influences. Currently covering the films of Jonathan Demme.
Bonjour, folks - it's a new episode of ALTMANIA coming at you. We're talking about a documentary that Jonathan Demme made for the PBS, a portrait of a nation in constant renewal and on the brink of their first elections — it's HAITI: DREAMS OF DEMOCRACY. We talk about Jonathan Demme falling in love with this place and its people, how he learned more about Haiti through artists and music, what set them up for the current political situation of the film, and what Haiti is currently going through at the moment, how United States intervention and neoliberal policy has left the nation in the dust after a catastrophic earthquake in 2010, and much more. It's a politics heavy episode, but we do our best to cover a beautiful place full of beautiful art and people.Resources for Haitian Aid:Haiti Adolescent Girls NetworkLide HaitiPartners in Haiti LiteracySt. Luke FoundationSt. Vincent's CenterFollow Altmania:https://altmaniapod.comhttps://estebannoel.comDEMME ARCHIVESupport us on Patreon:https://patreon.com/altmania
10 Sept 2025
Swimming to Cambodia (1986) w/ Jane Altoids
We've sat down at our little tables, taken out our Ronald McDonald notebooks, and prepared a fantastic spoken word piece (aka podcast) for all of you. Joined by returning friend Jane Altoids from Pacino Pod, we get into Spalding Gray and Jonathan Demme's masterpiece, SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA. We talk about Gray's modern conversational nature, go over his life and it's tragic end, his frank way of speaking and how he weaves in and out of life stories to war crimes of the US government, how much this film resonates in the current moment, morality as the movable feast, the cognitive dissonance of making a film about a genocide as it's happening (i.e. The Killing Fields), and so much more. This one was a really great conversation, Jane was fantastic, and we hope you all enjoy.Follow Jane Altoids:Pacino Podhttps://twitter.com/staticbluebatFollow Altmania:https://altmaniapod.comhttps://estebannoel.comSupport us on Patreon:https://patreon.com/altmania
3 Sept 2025
Something Wild (1986) w/ Peter Raleigh
Nobody move, nobody get hurt, just sit down and listen to a new episode of ALTMANIA. Joined by writer and a regular on the show, Peter Raleigh, we dive into one of Jonathan Demme's MOST "Jonathan Demme" movies ever, SOMETHING WILD. We talked scary Ray Liotta, how he landed this role, all of the production and improvisation that shaped the film into what it is and helped it find it's central idea, how money drives the story forward and what Demme is putting into the film in terms of abandoning capitalism with Charlie Driggs' arc, Jeff Daniels as the perfect WASPy guy, identities and personas that everyone has through the film. There's a lot of great stuff here, and Peter is the perfect guy to chat about it with, please enjoy!Follow Peter Raleigh:https://twitter.com/PetreRaleighLong Library | Peter RaleighFollow Altmania:https://altmaniapod.comhttps://estebannoel.comDEMME ARCHIVESupport us on Patreon:https://patreon.com/altmania
Who has been a guest on Altmania
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Gigi
Robert Reed Altman
Valerie Keaton
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.7 / 5
15 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 57 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
85
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
71
Contact Altmania
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Altmania?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
