Best Garret Castleberry Podcasts (2025)

1
The Heist Film: Season 5 Preview! 19:53

Play Pause

1M ago19:53

19:53

A new season, and an old season, are here! Join us as we peek into the past and present for a season built around the heist movie genre. The Dialogic Duo is up to no good! Host Garret Castleberry convinces Scott McMurry to "get the gang back together" to pull off one last job. That job? To expand the discourse around heist films as a way of better …

1
2025 Summer Movie Season - August 1:02:34

2M ago1:02:34

1:02:34

Finally...the 2025 Summer Movie Season concludes. Host Garret Castleberry is joined by Kyle Hammonds to discuss key releases in August. Was August 2025 the best August in summer movie history? These rhetors debate the successes and failures of the doldrum summer month. Listen to hear which mainstream movies had their ticket stubs torn, and reach ou…

1
2025 Summer Movie Season - July 1:56:38

2M ago1:56:38

1:56:38

Somehow...the 2025 Summer Movie Season returned. Host Garret Castleberry is joined by Kyle Hammonds to discuss key releases in July, a month rich is blockbuster discourse Listen to hear which mainstream movies had their ticket stubs torn, and reach out to connect and let us know which July releases topped your radar in 2025. Hosts: Garret Castleber…

1
Film Review: One Battle After Another ... One Pod After Another 40:01

3M ago40:01

40:01

The 2025 Summer Movie Season interruption CONTINUES with a second reflection on Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. 2025). How does PTA's latest film rate as a Border Western, and what character themes resonate with contemporary tensions in America? Host Garret Castleberry provides an armchair rhetorician second screening …

1
Audiences Weren't Ready For "Eddington"...And They're Not Ready For "One Battle After Another" 14:29

3M ago14:29

14:29

By Garret Castleberry

1
Summer Movie Season Top 5's - Summer Movies Snacks! 20:42

3M ago20:42

20:42

Summer is a time to celebrate a great many things, and we are seasonally framing our favorite "cool down" treats for a hot sunny day at the movies . Host Garret Castleberry grabs his wallet, swipes his card, and collects enough goodies to count down a "Top 5 Summer Movie Snacks". It's a Top 5 Countdown to get the mouth watering. Email us your rainy…

1
2025 Summer Movie Season - June 1:15:15

4M ago1:15:15

1:15:15

We're BACK! After a minor hiatus to update the power converters and reset the flux capacitor (movie logic excuses only), the 2025 Summer Movie Season resumes with an enriched look into the month of June. Host Garret Castleberry is joined by Kyle Hammonds to discuss key releases in June, a month full of genre surprises. Listen to hear which mainstre…

1
Summer Movie Season - Retro Rewatches Special! 34:05

4M ago34:05

34:05

It's a mid-season interlude ripe with nostalgia! Helping transition from early to mid-summer focus, Special Topics in Media offers a "2025 Summer Movie Season" side story. Host Garret Castleberry sits down with scholarly cinephile Kyle Hammonds to unpack the phenomenon of retro film screenings. The duo examine a partial sample of recent rewatches w…

1
Summer Movie Season Top 5's - Rainy Day Movie Theater Drop-Ins 26:51

4M ago26:51

26:51

It's an early fall celebration! The rainy season arrived unexpectedly this August, and to commemorate the cool down, Special Topics in Media offers a "2025 Summer Movie Season" reprieve. Host Garret Castleberry dims the lights, curls up with a remote mic, and let's the thunder roll while recollecting a "Top 5 Rainy Day Movie Theater Drop-Ins". It's…

1
2025 Summer Movie Season - May 1:23:19

4M ago1:23:19

1:23:19

The Special Topics in Media event "2025 Summer Movie Season" expands with a deep dive into the major releases of May! Kyle Hammonds joins host Garret Castleberry to assess the technical start to summer. The rhetorical reviewers chart their May moviegoing, and make the ultimate case for what went horribly wrong with Mission: Impossible - The Final R…

1
Summer Movie Season Top 5's - First Run In-Theater Heart-Pounding Experiences ...and Kindergarten Graduation! 32:19

4M ago32:19

32:19

In this early interlude within our Special Topics in Media "2025 Summer Movie Season", host Garret Castleberry accesses sentimental bias to recall his "Top 5 First-Run Summertime In-Theater Heart-Pounding Experiences". It's a Top 5 Countdown to help listeners cool off during the dog days of summer. Hosts: Garret Castleberry Producers: Garret Castle…

1
2025 Summer Movie Season - April 1:02:32

5M ago1:02:32

1:02:32

The extended "2025 Summer Movie Season" wrap-up conversation starts here! Host Garret Castleberry is joined by media scholar Kyle Hammonds to list, rate, and respond to the films that ushered in the summer movie season back in April. Hosts: Garret Castleberry Producers: Garret Castleberry, Will McMurry (Audio Engineer), Alli Garner (Cover Art), Aus…

1
Summer Movie Season Top 5's - The Brainstorm! 14:26

5M ago14:26

14:26

As we get set to premiere our "2025 Summer Movie Season", host Garret Castleberry ushers in a secondary moviegoing conversation that strikes at the heart of memories, movies, and personal preferences. It's a Top 5 Brainstorm to coincide with the dog days of summer. Hosts: Garret Castleberry Producers: Garret Castleberry, Will McMurry (Audio Enginee…

1
2025 Summer Movie Season - The Preview! 13:58

5M ago13:58

13:58

The cinema harvest is nearly here! Tune in to our "2025 Summer Movie Season" preview event. Host Garret Castleberry and Kyle Hammonds dart under the velvet rope, cut through the concession lines, and sneak into their local theaters to dive in and dissect which movies are making waves in summer 2025. Hosts: Garret Castleberry Producers: Garret Castl…

1
Talking Mass Communication Perspectives - "Smartphones as Substitute Teachers" 41:38

5M ago41:38

41:38

This week we wind down our "Talking Mass Communication Perspectives" season of Special Topics in Media. Garret Castleberry and Season 13 guest host Annabeth Fehrle reflect on how technologies challenge traditional educational systems, spring-boarding conversation out of Brian Gilchrist's essay, "The Smartphone as Permanent Substitute Teacher," whic…

1
Talking Mass Communication Perspectives - "Hashtag Advertising and Multistep Flow Theory" 41:16

6M ago41:16

41:16

Welcome to the "Talking Mass Communication Perspectives" season of Special Topics in Media. Once again Garret Castleberry is joined by Season 13 guest host Annabeth Fehrle to discuss Multistep Flow Theory and how it functions as a part of #Hashtag Advertising strategies. Reading Reference: Andrew Sharma & Chrys Egan. "Hashtag Television Advertising…

1
Talking Mass Communication Perspectives - "Muted Group Theory in Pixar Animation" 42:15

6M ago42:15

42:15

Welcome to the "Talking Mass Communication Perspectives" season of Special Topics in Media. This week Garret Castleberry and Season 13 guest cohost Annabeth Fehrle discuss Muted Group Theory and how it can be interpreted within the narrative framework of a trio of Disney-Pixar animated feature films: Brave (2012), WALL-E (2008) and The Incredibles …

1
150th Episode Monologue! 12:07

6M ago12:07

12:07

In this summer interlude, host Garret Castleberry looks back at the past year's programming themes, while setting the stage for ongoing programming to come. Host: Garret Castleberry Producers: Garret Castleberry, Will McMurry (Audio Engineer), Alli Garner (Cover Art), Austin Foster (Music) Ways to Connect with us online: Follow and engage with Spec…

1
Talking Mass Communication Perspectives - "Fantasy Theme Analysis in TV's Parks & Rec" 37:42

6M ago37:42

37:42

Welcome to the "Talking Mass Communication Perspectives" season of Special Topics in Media. This week host Garret Castleberry is joined by Annabeth Fehrle to discuss Fantasy Theme Analysis and how it applies to two politically oriented TV programs, ABC's Scandal (2013-2018) and NBC's Parks & Recreation (2009-2015). Reading Reference: Fogle, Krystal…

1
Talking Mass Communication Perspectives - "Interpreting Hegemony in Disney" 37:33

6M ago37:33

37:33

Welcome to the "Talking Mass Communication Perspectives" season on Special Topics in Media. This week we tackle Disney, Hegemony, and the role that Critical Theory plays in shaping our views of the world. Reading Reference: Applequist, Janelle. ""Let it go, let it go"--Hegemony and Counter-Hegemony in Disney's Frozen". In Communication Theory and M…

1
Talking Mass Communication Perspectives - The Teaser! 10:37

7M ago10:37

10:37

A New Season begins! What is on deck? Who is covering it? And why should you listen! Reading Reference: Roberts, Kathleen Glenister (Editor). Communication Theory and Millennial Popular Culture: Essays and Applications. New York: Peter Lang, 2016. Host: Garret Castleberry, Annabeth Fehrle Producers: Garret Castleberry, Will McMurry (Audio Engineer)…

1
Internship Interview Series: "Sports Social Media & Graphic Design" with Jacob Mallozzi 25:22

7M ago25:22

25:22

Closing out our Internship Interview Series, host Garret Castleberry visits with graduating senior and MACU's Men's Baseball pitcher Jacob Mallozzi, a student athlete blurring the lines between reporter and player. Jacob talks about his Texas roots and how this background provided the basis for his journeyman shifts in degree focus and professional…

1
Internship Interview Series: "Social Media Coordinator" with Kaetlen Schier 24:07

7M ago24:07

24:07

Winding down this month's Internship Interview Series, host Garret Castleberry visits with junior Kaetlen Schier, a student athlete "thriving in the chaos" of work-life balance. Kaetlen talks about the value available when students seek internships that align with areas of passion and/or study;; in this instance interning with a men's semi-pro voll…

1
Internship Interview Series: "Multimedia Ministry" with Brady Allen 17:25

7M ago17:25

17:25

Rounding the corner with May's Internship Interview Series, host Garret Castleberry connects with junior Brady Allen, a missions-minded media production specialist interning in areas that connect lighting, audio, and multimedia production in cooperation with a multi-campus ministry organization. This May, Special Topics in Media is proud to recogni…

1
Internship Interview Series: "Social Media Videography" with Jared Hinkle 23:24

7M ago23:24

23:24

Continuing May's Internship Interview Series, host Garret Castleberry connects with sophomore Jared Hinkle, a burgeoning videographer and social media coordinator affiliated with Major League Fishing who travels the country by day while casting lines that deepen his social media imprint by night. This May, Special Topics in Media is proud to recogn…

1
Internship Interview Series: "Public Speaking" with Annabeth Fehrle 24:45

8M ago24:45

24:45

Diving deeper into May's Internship Interview Series, host Garret Castleberry sits down with graduating senior, MACU Women's Volleyball player, and recipient of the 2024-25 Media Production Award, Annabeth Fehrle. Annabeth discusses her passion for public speaking and how it translates into and out of the classroom. This May, Special Topics in Medi…

1
Internship Interview Series: "JV Collegiate Coaching" with Jordan Smith 19:25

8M ago19:25

19:25

Kicking off May's Internship Interview Series, host Garret Castleberry sits down with graduating senior, MACU Men's Baseball Pitcher, and recipient of the 2024-25 Communication Award Jordan Smith to discuss his transition from collegiate student athlete to junior varsity assistant coach. This May, Special Topics in Media is proud to recognize colle…

1
Internship Interview Series - The Teaser! 6:23

8M ago6:23

6:23

This May, Special Topics in Media is proud to recognize students demonstrating excellence through participating in internship partnership this year. Throughout the month we will spotlight one-on-one sit-downs with current and graduating students in the Media Production and Communication program at MACU. Host: Garret Castleberry Producers: Garret Ca…

1
"College Unpacked" Author Interview with J Hall 52:37

8M ago52:37

52:37

Celebrating independent bookstore week, Special Topics in Media host Garret Castleberry sits down with indie book store aficionado, universal book lover, and nonfiction author J Hall to discuss the release of his newest book College Unpacked: A Practical Guide to Choosing, Preparing For, and Excelling in College. The book provides a user-friendly g…

1
Vinylthon Month Special: Vinyl on Film Countdown! 1:08:49

8M ago1:08:49

1:08:49

Vinylthon month is here! Which raises a fun question: How does vinyl intersect with other mass mediums? To connect the dots between vinyl and film history, Scott McMurry joins Special Topics in Media for a discussion about films that capitalize on the music craze. Celebrate "Vinylthon" by tuning in to the nonprofit event this April, or consider sup…

1
Vinylthon Month Special: What is Vinyl? 27:13

9M ago27:13

27:13

Vinylthon month is here! Which raises an important question: What exactly IS Vinyl? To deepen listener appreciation for Vinylthon month, Scott McMurry joins Special Topics in Media for a discussion about what distinguishes vinyl from other forms of physically reproduced media. Celebrate "Vinylthon" by tuning in to the nonprofit event this April, or…

1
Vinylthon Month is Here! What is Vinylthon? (Interview: Tim Craig) 44:32

9M ago44:32

44:32

Vinylthon month is here! Which raises an important question...What IS Vinylthon? Joining us to discuss "Vinylthon" and more, Dr. Tim Craig (Warner University) joins Special Topics in Media for a discussion about the origins of Vinylthon, grassroots growth of this musical movement, and the ways in which it continues to diversify its programming stra…

1
Film Listology: The Recalibration Countdown (#107-76) 1:31:44

9M ago1:31:44

1:31:44

The time has come. In this "Recalibration Preview", Special Topics in Media examines the data sets that feed into the tabulation process defining the "Film Listology" methodology. Cohost Scott McMurry provides listeners with the clearest explanation yet for how the math works to determine placement in the Super Index ranking for culturally signific…

1
Film Listology: Recalibration Preview! 32:31

10M ago32:31

32:31

The time has come. In this "Recalibration Preview", Special Topics in Media examines the data sets that feed into the tabulation process defining the "Film Listology" methodology. Cohost Scott McMurry provides listeners with the clearest explanation yet for how the math works to determine placement in the Super Index ranking for culturally signific…

1
Film Listology: #76 - A Streetcar Named Desire 1:05:29

10M ago1:05:29

1:05:29

In the "Film Listology" entry to Special Topics in Media, hosts Garret Castleberry and Scott McMurry evaluate the legacy of Elia Kazan's adaptation of the Tennessee Williams literary stageplay of the same name, A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). Boasting a pair of explosive performances by Vivian Leigh (Gone With the Wind) and Marlon Brando (The Godf…

1
Film Listology: #77 - Metropolis 1:21:08

10M ago1:21:08

1:21:08

This week in our "Film Listology" season of Special Topics in Media, Garret Castleberry and Scott McMurry explore the innovation and influence of Fritz Lang's 1927 science fiction silent film Metropolis. Can silent cinema maintain high cultural significance in an age of immersive media and high definition spectacle? The dialogic duo wrestle with th…

1
Film Listology: #78 - The Dark Knight 1:10:45

10M ago1:10:45

1:10:45

Continuing the "Film Listology" seasons of Special Topics, the dialogic duo strategize the placement of the #78 film on the Super Index(TM), Christopher Nolan's 4-quadrant blockbuster released by Warner Bros. in 2008, The Dark Knight. The middle act to Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight won praise among audiences and critics, and became a zeit…

1
Film Listology: #79 - Amadeus 1:06:19

11M ago1:06:19

1:06:19

In this "Film Listology" episode, hosts Garret Castleberry and Scott McMurry compose an argument both for and against reading the 1985 Academy Award winner for Best Picture as culturally significant to the history of film. Directed by Milos Forman and released in 1984, Amadeus posits a lavish period biopic about the famed composer Wolfgang Amadeus …

1
Film Listology: #80 - WALL*E 38:12

11M ago38:12

38:12

In this episode, hosts Garret Castleberry and Scott McMurry assess the cultural significance of the 2008 Pixar Animated feature film WALL*E. Directed by Andrew Stanton and released to wide critical acclaim, WALL*E centers on a labor robot fascinated by the haunting reveries of the now-vanished human civilization. WALL*E imaginatively embodies quali…

1
Film Listology, Reveal Episode! #80-76 54:10

11M ago54:10

54:10

In our January RETURN to the Film Listology experiment, Scott McMurry reveals the next five films currently ranked by the analytics super index. What movies emerge as the Dialogic Duo debut the #80-76 entries? Should each of these be canonized in the Top 100, or is the data scheme exhibiting flaws in its matrix? Screen these film classic all month …

1
Future Shock Voices: Michael Harris (Author, Come With Me If You Want to Live) 1:17:20

11M ago1:17:20

1:17:20

In a world where science fiction breeds serious introspection... In this episode, host Garret Castleberry connects with science fiction film and media scholar Michael Harris to discuss his book Come With Me If You Want to Live: The Future as Foretold in Classic Sci-Fi Films (Roman & Littlefield). Commemorating the book's one-year anniversary releas…

1
Future Shock Voices: Keith M. Johnston (Author, Science Fiction Film: A Critical Introduction) 1:26:45

12M ago1:26:45

1:26:45

In a world where science fiction breeds serious discussion... In this episode, host Garret Castleberry connects with science fiction film and media scholar Keith M. Johnston to discuss his book Science Fiction Film: A Critical Introduction (Bloomsbury Press). Commemorating the book's ten-...to fifteen-year anniversary, the author discusses his rese…

1
Future Shock Film: Student Roundtable, Part 2 38:39

12M ago38:39

38:39

In a world where free speech converges with film studies, one group of students fight the pandemic and enter the "forbidden zone" whereby their thoughts on Future Shock Cinema enter the public sphere. In "Part 2" of our student roundtable, we sit down with the second group of classmates to discuss their reaction to the future shock course, our film…

1
Future Shock Film: Student Roundtable 57:51

1y ago57:51

57:51

In a world where free speech converges with film studies, one group of students fight the pandemic and enter the "forbidden zone" whereby their thoughts on Future Shock Cinema enter the public sphere. We sit down with students from the class immediately following our final course screening to discuss their reaction to the future shock course, our f…

1
Future Shock Film: Arrival (2016) 45:23

1y ago45:23

45:23

In a world where language gains new meaning, Special Topics looks back at a film that imagines forward to a point in which "first contact" with extraterrestrial life posits the unexpected arrival of the future. In this entrant to our "Future Shock" season, we examine 2016's Arrival. Twenty-first century sci-fi auteur Denis Villeneuve directs this a…

1
Future Shock Film: Tenet (2020) 2:04:25

1y ago2:04:25

2:04:25

In a world where time marches forward...and backward, one protagonist stands between an open future and an open war on the past. John David Washington stars in the mind-bending blockbuster that never was, Tenet (2020). Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Tenet posits a world where the laws of physics both conceal and reveal ways in which the…

1
Future Shock Film: Oblivion (2013) 1:00:59

1y ago1:00:59

1:00:59

In a world where science fiction spectacle overwhelms science fiction narrative, one team emerges from deep space to confront the uncanny moviegoing valley. Amidst a career pivot from grounded dramas and espionage action films, global superstar Tom Cruise reinvented his career with a series of strategic choices increasingly oriented around the scie…

1
Future Shock Film: I Am Legend (2007) 1:04:04

1y ago1:04:04

1:04:04

In a world where society suffers the consequences of global biological contamination, one individual survives as the bridge between our recognizable past and an undetermined future. Box office superstar Will Smith stretches his action-comedy comfort zone to anchor I Am Legend, which was released in 2007 and directed by Francis Lawrence. Smith stars…

1
Future Shock Film: Greenland (2020) 1:04:02

1y ago1:04:02

1:04:02

In a world where extinction events pose an imminent threat, one family enacts their survivalist instincts in a desperate ploy to stay alive. From director Ric Roman Waugh and starring his frequent leading man counterpart Gerard Butler, Greenland fell out of theatrical wide-release in 2020 when it ran up against the real-world threat in the COVID-19…

1
Future Shock Sound Bite: Literature Review 18:45

1y ago18:45

18:45

In this interlude "Future Shock Sound Bite", host Garret Castleberry briefly overviews key academic scholarship selected to accompany the educational approach to studying future shock science fiction film. Future Shock sound bites will function as complementary additions to the episodic Special Topics film analysis episodes. These supplemental mini…