The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: Legacy, Renewal, and Fish

Kathryn joins Melvin to discuss The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Wes Anderson’s follow-up to The Royal Tenenbaums. It’s comedy, it’s drama, it’s silly outfits are all on the table as the two explore ideas of legacy, found-family, and so much more.

Topics:

• (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 37-minutes discussing the games Kathryn & Melvin are playing, including an “uglicy” in Sims 3 and reflections on over and decade of Call of Duty games. (PATREON EXCLUSIVE)
• Kathryn has seen more Wes Anderson movies than Melvin, and something about his style was getting to her. Melvin, however, really enjoyed the film.
• Melvin shares what resonated with him, contrasting it with what he felt The Royal Tenenbaums wasn’t able to do a year ago.
• Steve Zissou is constantly thinking about his future, and is clearly ruminating on his past, and the film takes these things to task as it orients him toward his present.
• One’s legacy is at the forefront of the film, and this is contrasted against nature’s beautiful indifference.
• Kathryn, “…the emotional heart of this movie is definitely Ned.”
• Discussing the ending, and why Melvin loved it so much.

Recommendations:

• And Then We Grew Up: On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood by Rachel Friedman (2019) (Book)
• The Peanut Butter Solution (1985) (Movie)

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is Rated R for language, some drug use, violence and partial nudity. It features Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, and Jeff Goldblum. Directed by Wes Anderson. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is available here.

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Melvin Benson is the Founder, Editor-In-Chief, and Lead Host of Cinematic Doctrine. Whether it’s a movie, show, game, comic, or novel, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s rich, he’s ready and willing to give it a try! His hope is to see King Jesus glorified as far as the east is from the west!

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Frogman – Cryptids, Found-Footage, & Self-Destruction – Cinematic Doctrine: A Movie Review Podcast Hosted by Christians

Send us a Question!PARTY PLEASER:Shirleon & Kathryn join Melvin to summarize Frogman, a surprise found-footage horror feature from 2023 about the Loveland Frogman! The three discuss their familiarity with Frogman, the inherent qualities of Found-Footage narratives, and whether they're frog people or rat people!Topics:(PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 33-minutes describing three cryptids, exploring their history, and deciding, "Do we believe?". (PATREON EXCLUSIVE)Asking the important questions: what's Frogman, and is he a swamp-mermaid?Each scene cleverly employs a new framing device, helping the film keep a healthy forward momentum.So… what does the gang think about the film's characters?The interview section of the film is when Melvin thought to himself, "Oh, like, this is a competent, real found-footage film, not just some Tubi-esque feature. Nice."Frogman is a real cryptid, but some of the environmental stuff in Frogman isn't. Kathryn shares why that may be.Does the Found-Footage genre typically result in a main character's self-destruction?Recommendations:Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie (2023) (Book)Old Gods of Appalachia (2019 – X) (Podcast)Hokum (2026) (Movie) Support the showSupport on Patreon for Unique Perks! Early access to uncut episodes Vote on a movie/show we review One-time reward of two Cinematic Doctrine Stickers & PinsSocial Links: ThreadsWebsiteInstagramLetterboxdFacebook Group 

1. Frogman – Cryptids, Found-Footage, & Self-Destruction 59:30
2. Vertigo – The iPad Kid Killer 01:05:58
3. Grant Gow on "What's Theater Programming?" at the Hiway Theater 35:50
4. Obsession – w/ Dreadful Digest on Female Agency and Pathetic Men 01:16:29
5. Backrooms – The Liminal Space Between Character & Vibes 01:26:34