You're Missing Out: A National Film Registry Podcast

• Lassie Come Home (1943) w/ Hunter Robinson

  "I know something about this dog. She's going somewhere - she's on her way." Hunter Robinson, the host of the Tumbleweeds and TV Cowboys podcast, joins the show to talk about one of the biggest movie stars in cinema history. No, not John Wayne, it's Lassie. We'll talk about the massive Lassie franchise, the dog star at the heart of the film, and even share a personal family connection to the four-legged hero of Hollywood. Follow the Show:TwitterInstagramWebsite Music by Mike Natale

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• Animal Folklore in Film & a Conversation with the Creator of Iyanu

  This week, our hosts bridge the gap between Cat People and Lassie Come Home with an informal conversation about animal folklore and animal companions in film. Plus, Mike sits down with Roye Okupe, the creator of Iyanu, the graphic novel and hit animated series on Cartoon Network and HBO Max. We'll be back to our regular format next week! Follow the Show:TwitterInstagramWebsite Music by Mike Natale

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• Cat People (1942) w/ Rebecca Rozenberg

  “I like the dark. It's friendly.” – Cat People (1942) This week, we turn the lights low with special guest Rebecca Rozenberg, Publicity Manager at Simon & Schuster, who brings insight honed from working with bestselling authors and deep industry experience. Together, we dive into Jacques Tourneur and Val Lewton’s Cat People, a landmark psychological horror film that uses suggestion, shadow, and sound to terrify far more than it shows. Rebecca helps us unpack how this low-budget classic redefined horror through restraint, atmosphere, and subtext, and why its themes of transformation, identity, and repression still echo today. Cat People continues to loom large over genre filmmaking and remains revered for its chilling economy. Episode Notes:Cat People (1942) directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val LewtonStarring: Simone Simon, Kent Smith, and Tom ConwayNotable for:Introducing the famous “Lewton Bus” jump scare techniqueMasterful use of lighting and sound to build suspense and psychological dreadThemes of sexuality, isolation, and metamorphosis explored with subtletyDiscussion points include:How Cat People shaped modern psychological horror and inspired filmmakersThe importance of suggestion over explicit imagery in genre storytellingSimone Simon’s haunting performance and the film’s layered subtextThe collaborative vision of Val Lewton and Tourneur in creating minimalist horrorFeaturing special guest: Rebecca Rozenberg, Publicity Manager at Simon & Schuster Follow the Show:TwitterInstagramWebsite Music by Mike Natale

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• Badlands (1973) w/ Tom Augustine

  “He was the most trigger-happy man I had ever met.” – Badlands (1973)This week, we hit the open road with guest Tom Augustine to explore Terrence Malick’s stunning debut, Badlands. Based loosely on the real-life killing spree of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, the film casts Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as drifting outsiders caught between detachment and violence, beauty and brutality.With its lyrical narration, haunting imagery, and philosophical detachment, Badlands marked the arrival of a singular voice in American cinema. Tom joins us to discuss Malick’s influence, the film’s unsettling calm, and how it carved a new path for the American New Wave.Episode NotesBadlands (1973) was written and directed by Terrence Malick, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy SpacekSelected to the National Film Registry in 1993Loosely inspired by the 1958 Starkweather-Fugate murdersDiscussion topics include:How Badlands redefined the true-crime genreThe film’s romanticized nihilism and its critique of American mythmakingThe influence of Badlands on later filmmakers and Malick’s own careerSissy Spacek’s voiceover and the use of classical music as emotional counterpoint Follow the Show:TwitterInstagramWebsite Music by Mike Natale

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• The Wind (1928) Feature Length Commentary Track

  “If only the wind would stop!” – The Wind (1928)This week, we return to the silent era with a full-length commentary track for Victor Sjöström’s haunting 1928 drama The Wind. Starring Lillian Gish in one of her most intense and vulnerable performances, the film tells the story of a woman slowly unraveling on the harsh, wind-swept plains of the American frontier. As we watch along, we unpack the film’s eerie atmosphere, groundbreaking visual effects, and the psychological complexity that makes The Wind one of the final—and finest—masterpieces of the silent era. It’s a slow-burn descent into isolation, madness, and survival, and a striking example of how silent cinema could deliver deeply cinematic storytelling without a single spoken word. Follow the Show:TwitterInstagramWebsite Music by Mike Natale

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