The Story Punk Podcast

This week on Story Punk, we head into the streets of Baltimore for Jay Duplass’s Baltimorons (2025), a tender, funny, and unexpectedly moving Christmas Eve odyssey about sobriety, loneliness, and the strange ways people find each other when they need it most.
The film follows Cliff Cashin, a newly sober sketch comedian whose emergency dental disaster turns into an all-night Baltimore adventure with his older dentist, Didi. What starts as awkward necessity gradually becomes something warmer, deeper, and far more complicated than either of them expected.
In this episode, we talk about:• how vulnerability becomes the doorway to real connection• the anxiety of sobriety, especially for creative people who fear they won’t be “themselves” without alcohol• why the movie works so well as both a romantic comedy and a recovery story• the authenticity that comes from Michael Strassner drawing on his own life• the chemistry between Michael Strassner and Liz Larsen, and why both performances feel so lived-in and real• the movie’s deeply Baltimore texture, from Ravens jokes and rowhouse energy to local landmarks and Christmas Eve melancholy
We also dig into the film’s mix of sweetness and sadness, its indie spirit, and why Baltimorons feels small in scale but rich in emotion.
If you like character-driven films, offbeat romance, intimate indie movies, or stories about broken people trying to make it through one difficult night, this episode is for you.

In this week's episode of Story Punk, we head back to Baltimore, 1959 (via Barry Levinson’s 1982 classic, Diner), where a tight-knit crew of twenty-something friends are getting sideswiped by adulthood one sarcastic conversation at a time.
We talk about the film’s stacked early-career cast, including Steve Guttenberg, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Daniel Stern, Tim Daly, Paul Reiser, and Ellen Barkin, and dig into what makes Diner feel so real: the overlapping dialogue, the episodic “one week in a life” structure, and the way the guys use sports trivia and pop-culture debates to dodge emotions they don’t quite have words for yet.
Along the way, we break down the movie’s uniquely Baltimore DNA (locations, attitudes, and yes, the lifelong Steelers grudge), the film’s place in the long wave of 1950s nostalgia that ran from American Graffiti to Back to the Future, and why this kind of coming-of-age story hits differently when the “kids” are old enough to get married but still afraid of growing up.
It’s funny, familiar, occasionally juvenile, and surprisingly thoughtful once it settles in.
Follow us on Instagram: @StoryPunkPodNew episodes every Thursday.And as always… story matters.

In this episode of Story Punk, Scott and Drew climb aboard Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams (2025), a meditative, visually stunning portrait of a working man’s life in a rapidly changing early-20th-century America.
We talk about Joel Edgerton’s quietly devastating performance as Robert Grainier, the film’s dreamlike (but grounded) storytelling, and why Will Patton’s narration feels less like exposition and more like perspective. Along the way, we unpack the movie’s tension between industrial progress and wilderness, its sense of looming dread, and the way ordinary moments can carry unexpected weight.
We also dig into the film’s craft: the natural light cinematography, the 3:2 aspect ratio inspired by historical photography, and the striking imagery that makes even tragedy feel hauntingly beautiful.
If you’re working through the year’s Best Picture contenders or you love films that feel like a life remembered, Train Dreams is one worth seeking out.
Follow us on Instagram: @StoryPunkPodFind us on Letterboxd: StoryPunkScott and SolidGold

This week on Story Punk, Scott and Drew head to Guantánamo Bay (cinematically speaking) for a deep dive into Rob Reiner’s A Few Good Men.
We revisit the razor-sharp courtroom classic that somehow feels even more relevant now: the line between duty and morality, the duplicitous comfort of “just following orders,” and what a “code of honor” really means when the stakes turn deadly.
Along the way, we dig into:
Why this ultra-theatrical, dialogue-heavy script never feels stagey on screen
Tom Cruise’s arc from slick plea-deal machine to locked-in courtroom fighter
Jack Nicholson’s unforgettable Jessup: intimidation as a strategy, not a cartoon
The bittersweet ending that lands like real life instead of a victory lap
Behind-the-scenes and casting what-ifs
The real-life case that inspired Sorkin’s story, and the eerie details that stuck with us
Plus: a modern recast draft and a mini detour into reality of streaming platform.
Follow the show for new episodes, and find us on Instagram @storypunkpod.

This week on Story Punk, we tackle The Long Walk (2025), directed by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games), a grim, gripping dystopian endurance thriller based on Stephen King’s early work from his  Richard Bachman era.
The premise is brutally simple: a group of late-teen boys are selected for an annual event called “The Long Walk.” Keep walking at the required pace… or you get shot. No finish line comfort. No easy outs. Just miles, exhaustion, and the slow collapse of certainty as the grueling trek grinds everyone down.
We break down why the film works (and why it’s the kind of “that was good, I’ll never watch it again” experience): the escalating psychological pressure, the uneasy camaraderie and rivalry, and how the story turns a survival contest into a bleak meditation on obedience, spectacle, and what people become when the only choice is forward.
Featuring Cooper Hoffman as Ray Garraty, David Jonsson as Peter McVries, Judy Greer, Josh Hamilton, and Mark Hamill as the ominous authority figure known only as “The Major.”

This week on Story Punk, we explore director Michael Duignan's The Paragon, a microbudget New Zealand sci-fi comedy that somehow pulls off psychic training, cosmic stakes, and surprisingly warm character growth on the kind of budget most movies spend on one lunchtime shrimp platter.
After a hit-and-run leaves Dutch (Benedict Wall) technically dead for six minutes, he becomes obsessed with finding the driver and getting revenge. But once he teams up with the mysterious psychic coach Lyra (Florence Noble), the story swerves into telelocation, astral weirdness, interdimensional power plays, and a looming threat tied to a reality-bending object known as “the Paragon.”
We break down why the film works so well: its deadpan tone, its trippy DIY visual style, and the way it flips the usual revenge fantasy into something more human, empathetic, and oddly sweet. They also talk about the film’s retro-psychedelic vibe (part ‘70s fever dream, part ‘90s synth haze), its charmingly scrappy filmmaking tricks, and why this tiny movie ends up feeling surprisingly big.

This week on Story Punk, we are breaking down Darren Aronofsky’s latest film, Caught Stealing (2025) a gritty New York crime story that puts us inside a world of desperation, chaos, and moral gray zones.
Known for psychologically intense films like Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream, Aronofsky brings his brand of existential self crisis to a street-level story where small decisions spiral into big consequences. We break down the film’s tone, performances, and pacing, and talk about how Aronofsky balances character study with thriller energy.
We discuss:• Aronofsky’s signature style and how it evolves here• the film’s portrayal of New York and urban survival• character motivations and moral ambiguity• tension-building, cinematography, and atmosphere• where Caught Stealing fits in Aronofsky’s filmography
If you’re into crime dramas, psychological tension, or filmmaker-driven storytelling, this episode unpacks what makes Caught Stealing tick and whether Aronofsky sticks the landing.

This week on Story Punk, Scott and Drew dive into a one of the most influential and haunting films to come out of the 1950s: The Night of the Hunter, starring Robert Mitchum and directed by Charles Laughton in his one and only feature film as director.
We unpack why this film has become a cornerstone of cinema history, from its nightmarish Southern Gothic / fairy tale structure to its bold themes of religious hypocrisy, weaponized faith, corruption, and the dark underside of the American dream. We also break down Mitchum’s iconic performance as Harry Powell, including the unforgettable “LOVE/HATE” symbolism that echoes through decades of filmmaking.
And of course, we go deep on what makes this film legendary: the striking German Expressionist cinematography, the inky blacks, the dreamlike staging, the underwater imagery, and the visual language that inspired filmmakers for generations.
If you love classic cinema, film history, or movies that feel like nightmares you can’t shake, this is an essential listen.

This week on Story Punk, we kick off our first full review of the year with a deep dive into Predator: Badlands, directed by Dan Trachtenberg (Prey). And this one isn’t business-as-usual for the franchise.
Unlike previous films, Predator: Badlands makes the Predator (Yautja) the central character, delivering a sci-fi action story that blends brutal survival, creature feature thrills, and unexpectedly emotional themes. We break down the plot, performances, and world-building, including the Badlands alien planet setting, the film’s commentary on strength vs. vulnerability, and how the story explores found family rather than dominance.
We also discuss Elle Fanning’s standout dual role as synthetic android sisters Thea and Tessa, the character arc of Dek, and the emotional bond that develops with Bud. Plus: franchise connections, Weyland-Yutani implications, and how this film may link thematically and visually to the larger Alien vs. Predator universe.

In this special Look Ahead to 2026 episode, Story Punk sets its sights forward and breaks down the upcoming movies of 2026 that have us counting the days. From big studio releases and franchise continuations to original projects and potential dark horses, we talk through what’s on the calendar and why these films have landed on our must-watch list.
We dig into directors we trust, actors we’ll always show up for, and the trends shaping the year ahead from genre mash-ups and sequels, to bold new ideas trying to break through. Along the way, we speculate with cautious optimism, temper expectations, and share the kind of excitement that only a fresh movie year can bring.
Whether you’re planning your theater trips or just want to know which films are worth tracking, this episode is a roadmap to the movies we’re most excited about in 2026 and a perfect jumping-on point for new listeners looking to see how Story Punk talks cinema.