Second Cut

About Second Cut

Jacob, Kieran, and Sam explore topics in film history, criticism, and theory through weekly movie reviews!

Publisher

Second Cut

Category

tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

22 Jun 2021

Latest episode

12 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

109 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Aug 2026

   Sony’s Spider-Man Universe: Madame Web & Kraven the Hunter

   Sony’s Spider-Man Universe tried to build a connected franchise around Spider-Man villains and supporting characters... without Spider-Man. In this episode of Second Cut, we revisit Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter to ask why Sony’s spin-offs never became a functioning cinematic universe and why making every film an origin story only made the problem worse. We trace Spider-Man’s film-rights history, Sony’s Sinister Six plans, its relationship with Marvel Studios, and the varying fortunes of Venom and Morbius. We then discuss Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Madame Web’s unused Spider-Women, precognition, catastrophic ADR, Pepsi, disability representation, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, J. C. Chandor, Rhino, the Foreigner, Ariana DeBose, Kraven’s R-rated violence, and Sony’s failure to find a magnetic franchise lead. Finally, we debate why Madame Web is the worse-made but more rewatchable film—and why Kraven’s greater competence ultimately makes it more forgettable. Subscribe for more film criticism, history, and theory-driven conversations. Follow Second Cut: YouTube: @SecondCutPod Substack: https://secondcutpod.substack.com Socials: @SecondCutPod Email: secondcutpod@gmail.com Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:24 How Sony got Spider-Man’s film rights 04:41 Sony, Marvel, and Spider-Man’s “joint custody” 07:26 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and the Sinister Six plan 09:31 Venom, Morbius, and the SSU’s track record 13:58 Why Spider-Man’s villains need Spider-Man 19:00 Madame Web: an origin story set in 2003 23:38 Dakota Johnson and a workable premise 30:14 Abandoned teenagers, Peru, and time powers 33:58 The Spider-Women who never become Spider-Women 38:26 Why Madame Web is more rewatchable than Kraven 40:16 Ezekiel Sims, catastrophic ADR, and the Pepsi can 43:23 Madame Web and disability representation 45:13 Kraven the Hunter: a better idea? 47:07 Kraven’s Last Hunt and the antihero rewrite 49:48 Why Sony never found its Robert Downey Jr. 51:22 Russell Crowe, Rhino, and the Foreigner 54:32 Ariana DeBose and the digital-mouth disaster 57:07 Why Kraven’s violent first half works 59:20 Where Kraven loses its way 01:01:32 Russell Crowe and the father-son story 01:05:48 J. C. Chandor and a painfully generic blockbuster 01:07:32 The Kraven-Venom crossover Sony never made 01:10:47 The SSU’s origin-story trap 01:12:47 Madame Web vs. Kraven: bad or boring? 01:16:09 Final verdict: good riddance 01:16:47 Plugs and outro Music: Awakening (Instrumental) by Wataboi https://soundcloud.com/wataboi Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Music promoted by FDL Music https://youtu.be/X2oQNUOmk2k

2. 

   5 Aug 2026

   Pedro Almodóvar: Dark Habits, The Skin I Live In & Pain and Glory

   Pedro Almodóvar can move from drug-taking nuns and a pet tiger to surgical body horror and an aging filmmaker confronting his past without losing his unmistakable voice. Jacob, Sam, and Kieran trace that voice across Dark Habits, The Skin I Live In, and Pain and Glory. They explore Almodóvar’s emergence from La Movida Madrileña, his vivid visual style, his blend of melodrama and genre, his treatment of sexuality and identity, and his decades-long creative partnership with Antonio Banderas. Across three radically different films, the conversation examines how Almodóvar transforms taboo, desire, pain, and memory into cinema. Full spoilers for Dark Habits, The Skin I Live In, and Pain and Glory. Subscribe for more film criticism, history, and theory-driven conversations. Follow Second Cut: YouTube: @SecondCutPod Substack: https://secondcutpod.substack.com Socials: @SecondCutPod Email: [secondcutpod@gmail.com](mailto:secondcutpod@gmail.com) Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 07:24 From Franco to La Movida 14:10 Almodóvar’s style and themes 22:42 Dark Habits 40:26 Almodóvar’s career and Antonio Banderas 42:22 The Skin I Live In 54:51 Eyes Without a Face and body horror 57:50 Gender and identity 1:07:46 Pain and Glory 1:13:31 Autofiction and memory 1:21:36 Authorship and lost love 1:31:04 Final thoughts 1:32:34 Bitter Christmas and outro Music: Awakening (Instrumental) by Wataboi https://soundcloud.com/wataboi Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Music promoted by FDL Music https://youtu.be/X2oQNUOmk2k

3. 

   29 Jul 2026

   Remembering Sam Neill: Possession & Hunt for the Wilderpeople

   Sam Neill became a movie icon as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, but his career stretched across New Zealand and Australian cinema, Hollywood spectacle, psychological horror, comedy, and character drama. In this episode of Second Cut, we remember Neill through two of his most revealing performances: Mark in Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession and Hec in Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople. We discuss Neill’s career and New Zealand identity; Isabelle Adjani, marital breakdown, doppelgängers, violence, and the famous subway sequence in Possession; and Julian Dennison, Rachel House, foster care, New Zealand humor, and the wilderness chase in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Along the way, we consider Neill’s surprising horror legacy, his discomfort with Possession, the reinvention of Alan Grant, his range of accents, and why no single role—not even Jurassic Park—could contain his career. We close by remembering Kaylee Hottle and discussing disability representation in blockbuster cinema. Follow Second Cut for more film criticism, history, and theory-driven conversations. Follow Second Cut: YouTube: @SecondCutPod Substack: https://secondcutpod.substack.com Socials: @SecondCutPod Email: secondcutpod@gmail.com Chapters 00:00 Cold open: Sam Neill’s horror contradiction 00:27 Remembering Sam Neill 02:47 From New Zealand to James Bond and Jurassic Park 05:12 New Zealand identity and the Event Horizon flag 07:22 Alan Grant and Spielberg’s Jurassic Park 09:44 Possession: Żuławski’s marital nightmare 12:11 Exile, censorship, and cinematic breakdown 14:49 Divorce, Bob, and art as therapy 17:08 What “possession” really means 19:33 Isabelle Adjani and the subway breakdown 21:56 Violence, performance, and ethical discomfort 24:23 Mark, Helen, and the idealized doubles 26:47 Doppelgängers and Sam Neill’s horror legacy 28:48 Bob, the ending, and collateral damage 29:44 Parker Finn’s Possession remake 32:09 Camera movement and visual control 33:00 Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Taika Waititi 35:24 Ricky Baker, Hec, and Bella 37:45 New Zealand humor and Taika Waititi’s ensemble 39:36 Julian Dennison and directing young actors 41:41 Foster care, grief, and Hec’s legal danger 43:57 Rachel House, Psycho Sam, and the manhunt 46:23 Is Wilderpeople a kids’ Badlands? 48:24 Prison, reconnection, and the ending 49:26 Haikus, Julian Dennison, and staying homegrown 51:48 Thor cameos and Sam Neill’s accents 56:16 Final thoughts on Sam Neill’s legacy 58:35 Remembering Kaylee Hottle and representation 1:00:53 The Odyssey and outro Music: Awakening (Instrumental) by Wataboi https://soundcloud.com/wataboi Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Music promoted by FDL Music https://youtu.be/X2oQNUOmk2k

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Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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