Cinematic Doctrine
Melvin Benson
Welcome to Cinematic Doctrine, a non-spoiler Christian Movie Podcast where we sit at the table of Cinema and eat. Sometimes we dine on popular cuisine, other times we savor a cult classic!
- 52 minutes 5 secondsIron Lung - Is Cosmic Horror Hope-core?
MOVIE DISCUSSION:
Shirleon joins Melvin to talk about Markiplier's Iron Lung movie! Is it like the game? Is it claustrophobic? Is it spooky-scary? The game is about 45-minutes whereas the movie is a little over 2-hours... is it bloated? Tune in and find out!
Topics:
- (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 20-minutes talking about the vibes around Chris Pratt, if he's as popular as Hollywood thinks he is, what the financials of his latest features tell us, and where we think he's going next. (PATREON EXCLUSIVE)
- Setting the groundwork for the Iron Lung game so we can talk the Iron Lung movie.
- Both Shirleon & Melvin liked the movie, and the two chat about what worked for them.
- The film succeeded in making Shirleon feel very claustrophobic.
- Why is cosmic horror or weird fiction so difficult in film?
- Melvin feels Iron Lung showcases Markiplier's talent as a writer/director.
- Why do we think people love stories that contain such a degree of hopelessness?
- Some specifics about the ending are a bit confusing, but Melvin doesn't feel it detracts from the experience.
- Shirleon chats about the creature.
- In terms of filmmaking, what's next for Markiplier?
Recommendations:
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: Episode III (2025) (Novel)
- FoundTV (Streaming App)
Support 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 & Pins
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11 February 2026, 9:00 am - 1 hour 5 minutesStranger Things S5 - Canon Fanfiction
TV-Show Discussion:
Kathryn joins Melvin to discuss Stranger Things Season 5! Was it worth the 9-year adventure? How was it in theaters? Is there a secret 9th episode? The two discuss it all, from the insanely large cast of characters to #ConformityGate!
Topics:
- Editor's Note: No Patreon Exclusive discussion! But, I do intend to trim this episode down from its original 1:32:13 length, so if you want to hear the UNCUT version, tune in on Patreon here!
- It's so nice that Stranger Things is actually over during a time where fiction seems never-ending.
- Kathryn and Melvin went to the theater for the finale. For Melvin, it was great. For Kathryn... well...
- Melvin, "It is probably the worst season of Stranger Things."
- Why couldn't it land the plane?
- Offering rewrites because that's what podcasts do!
- So... why does Stranger Things avoid killing major characters?
- Talking #ConformityGate.
- Mel, "Good coming-of-age [stories have] consequences."
Recommendations:
- A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel (2015) (Graphic Novel)
- The Crazies (1973) (Movie)
Support 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 & Pins
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4 February 2026, 9:00 am - 1 hour 7 minutesPriest - happy new year i guess
PATREON PARTY PLEASER:
This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon. Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard!
Shirleon joins Melvin to summarize Priest, a forgotten feature from 2011. Loosely based upon a Manhwa of the same name, the two explore some of the neat ideas stuck beneath this unfocused, Syfy-original-like flick. And yes, it starts with a lore dump because of course it does.
Topics:
- Editor's Note: No Patreon Exclusive discussion! But, I do intend to trim this episode down from its original 1:22:34 length, so if you want to hear the UNCUT version, tune in on Patreon here!
- Priest feels like it should have come out in the early 2000s.
- Comparing vampire lore.
- Melvin feels Paul Bettany isn't a leading man, but he has criticisms over the entire casting of Priest.
- Discussing the vampire design.
- Priest can't go a few minutes without making mistakes.
- It's infrequent but occasionally the movie has some cool sci-fi visuals.
- Shirleon, "It's got good bones."
- Further vampire-lore conversations.
- When an ending promises spectacle but pulls the rug out from under you.
Recommendations:
- The Devouring Light by Kat Ellis (2025) (Book)
- Tech Billionaires Want Us Dead by Taylor Lorenz (YouTube)
Support 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 & Pins
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28 January 2026, 9:00 am - 39 minutes 40 secondsQ4 Catch-Up 2025: The Finale!
QUARTERLY CATCH-UP:
Movies & Us: Podcast, Instagram
Quarterly Catch-Up is a co-production between Cinematic Doctrine & Movies & Us! While answering a few questions about watching habits, we also talk about what else we've been up to this quarter, as well as our enjoyment over completing this lil' series. We hope you had a wonderful 2025, and we look forward to what 2026 will bring!
Things Mentioned:
- A Man on the Inside (2024-X) (Series)
- Hedda (2025) (Movie)
- Jane Austen's Period Drama (2024) (Short Film)
- Sorry, Baby (2025) (Movie)
- Train Dreams (2025) (Movie)
- Mr. Scorsese (2025) (Series)
- It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This (2023) (Movie)
- Occult (2009) (Movie)
- Good Boy (2025) (Movie)
Support 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 & Pins
Social Links:
7 January 2026, 9:00 am - 52 minutes 59 secondsThe Bishop's Wife - Cucked by an Angel
PATREON MOVIE DISCUSSION:
This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon. Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard!
Kathryn joins Melvin to discuss The Bishop's Wife, an Oscar winning Christmas flick from 1947! What do they like? What do they dislike? It's got a lot of similarities to It's a Wonderful Life, but how does it compare? And what about that strange ending? Tune in to find out!
Topics:
- (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 27-minutes discussing the current Avengers: Doomsday trailers - Steve Rodgers, Thor, and X-Men - and our current vibe regarding the MCU in the big '25 (PATREON EXCLUSIVE)
- Kathryn and Melvin take it easy: they list what they like followed by what they didn't like.
- The film is structured like a 3-episode sitcom condensed into a single, overly-long movie.
- Talking characters, and how the two wishes they were better.
- The two explore how The Bishop's Wife has many narrative and thematic similarities to It's a Wonderful Life, a bonafide perfect movie.
- Henry isn't convincing as the character he's supposed to be, and it left Kathryn cold.
- God builds his church, not man. Not Henry.
- Kathryn and Melvin spend time trying to figure out why the ending is the way it is.
- Despite their criticisms, the "Mrs. Hamilton" angle of the ending was appreciated.
Recommendations:
- Popcorn Bucket Cookies (Recipe)
- Suspiria (1977) (Movie)
Support 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 & Pins
Social Links:
31 December 2025, 9:00 am - 57 minutes 40 secondsSuperman (2025) - Curtains for Comic Book Movies?
MOVIE DISCUSSION:
Shirleon joins Melvin to discuss Superman (2025), James Gunn's latest superhero feature and first of the new DC Studios flicks! The two explore what they like, what they didn't like, how there's an earnest hope in this modern, live-action iteration of Clark Kent/Superman, and if they're excited for any upcoming DC Studios projects. And, because he likes numbers, Melvin breaks down the finances for 2025's comic book movies.
Topics:
- (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 30-minutes discussing McDonald's entirely "AI" produced Christmas-themed commercial, how it was taken down after receiving intense backlash, and the many philosophical issues regarding "art" made by AI. (PATREON EXCLUSIVE)
- Shirleon feels pretty mid-to-good about Superman (2025).
- Melvin keeps it simple and starts with what he likes followed by his dislikes.
- There's a nostalgia that feels imbued within the style of the film.
- Are comic-book movies washed? Let's look at some numbers.
- Adjusting for inflation, Iron Man nearly cost the same to make as Superman (2025), yet the former outpaces the latter in being a "franchise starter" by a wide margin.
- Superman (2025) is the most profitable superhero movie of 2025, but it still didn't do crazy numbers at the box-office. Has the "superhero fatigue" officially set in?
- Why it's nice to watch a protagonist who is kind and hopeful.
- Discussing the ending and if they're interested in future DC Studios films.
Recommendations:
- R.E.P.O. (2025) (Video Game)
- Rewatch a movie you love!
Support 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 & Pins
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24 December 2025, 9:00 am - 10 minutes 56 secondsPodcast Update + A Royal Christmas Mini-Game
UPDATE:
I'm a Store Manager for a popular retail space. For obvious reasons this time of the year is extremely busy for me. Like previous years I thought I could handle my irl work and my podcast work, but that is not the case this year. For the time being, the only guaranteed episode to release in December 2025 is the Patreon-Selected movie at the end of the month. Any other releases this month have released by the skin of their teeth.
In the meantime, enjoy this bonus semi-rerelease of a lil' mini-game I played with Chris Staron of Truce Podcast. If you want to hear the full episode this mini-game is from, tune in to this episode here.
Support 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 & Pins
Social Links:
10 December 2025, 9:00 am - 54 minutes 1 secondNow You See Me - Audiences Deserve Better
PATREON MOVIE DISCUSSION:
This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon. Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard!
Shirleon joins Melvin to discuss 2013's insane surprise financial hit, Now You See Me! Despite being a critical flop the film was a blockbuster blowout earning nearly 5x its budget! So, who's right, the critics or the audiences? Tune in and find out!
Topics:
- Editor's Note: No Patreon Exclusive discussion! But, I do intend to trim this episode down from its original 1:08:02 length, so if you want to hear the UNCUT version, tune in on Patreon here!
- Shirleon says she'd rather rewatch Death Note (2017) than ever watch Now You See Me again.
- Melvin, "I just thought the movie was bad."
- Every character basically sucks. If they don't suck, they're boring.
- Melvin has an issue with how normies and the working-poor are depicted, and he also feels it takes its audience for granted. It thinks its audience is a bunch of morons.
- Shirleon is overtaken by how much stuff is stuffed into this film, and the two discuss why that's a serious problem.
- Melvin talks about Safety Not Guaranteed, a movie that's got similar themes of belief and hope but isn't a total mess.
- Trying to make sense of the ending.
Recommendations:
- What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (2023) (Novel)
- Smiling Friends (2020-X) (Series)
Support 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 & Pins
Social Links:
26 November 2025, 9:00 am - 1 hour 16 minutesKeeper - Is It Good?
MOVIE DISCUSSION:
Kathryn joins Melvin to discuss Osgood Perkins' second movie of 2025, Keeper! Has Perkins created another commercially accessible psychological-horror success, or has he returned to his undeniably divisive slow-burn roots? And is Keeper another one of his female-led soft-feminist tales? Tune in and find out!
Topics:
- Editor's Note: No Patreon Exclusive discussion! But, I do intend to trim this episode down from its original 1:44:01 length, so if you want to hear the UNCUT version, tune in on Patreon here!
- Because the trailers didn't seem representative of the final product, Melvin pitches the movie a little differently by explaining what the movie actually is.
- Kathryn and Melvin get the impression that Osgood Perkins isn't so much interested in characters as he is the film as a whole, and thus his work is often vibes-heavy.
- Osgood Perkins, from Melvin's perspective, creates dense films that often appear simple.
- Kathryn felt the overly-exposited third-act somewhat muddled the film.
- Talking about some recurrent visuals and motifs, like the water and the dream sequences.
- Specifically talking about what Melvin is calling the "Mini Minka" scene.
- Discussing the line, "We are your children and all the women that came before you."
Recommendations:
- The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall (Podcast)
- Occult (2009) (Movie)
Support 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 & Pins
Social Links:
19 November 2025, 4:00 pm - 57 minutes 36 secondsDeath Note: The Last Name - Satisfactory
MOVIE DISCUSSION:
Shirleon joins Melvin to discuss Death Note: The Last Name, a sequel to 2006's Japanese live-action adaptation, Death Note, that released 3-months later. The two look at the film as a unit with its predecessor, its successes as a stand-alone sequel, and compare it to the anime (as well as the Western Netflix adaptation).
Topics:
- (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 26-minutes discussing "Evil AI is Boring Now - Which is Kind of Scary", a think piece from James Hibberd on The Hollywood Reporter, and wondering what makes AI/AGI movies interesting, or not, in 2025. (PATREON EXCLUSIVE)
- How Death Note: The Last Name truncates the the latter-half of the source material, reordering some things and altering others outright, works pretty well.
- Shirleon enjoyed seeing the Death Note story unfold in a new, better-handled manner. It helped her better understand what she likes about the overall narrative.
- If these adaptations are missing anything, it's the monologues.
- Melvin wonders why a "Set in the world of Death Note" anthology movie or series hasn't been created, and he elevator-pitches five ideas that could be explored.
- Talking about the recurrent line "Sacrifices are necessary.".
- Melvin felt the ending satisfied the main thematic beats of its source material. Shirleon feels different.
Recommendations:
- Alien: Earth (2025) (TV Series)
- Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) (Movie)
Support 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 & Pins
Social Links:
12 November 2025, 9:00 am - 1 hour 16 minutesBlack Phone 2 - Truth is Scary
MOVIE DISCUSSION:
Kathryn joins Melvin to discuss Scott Derrickson's latest horror feature, Black Phone 2! The two get into what sets it apart from other franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street, how it holds up against the first film, and how it's... more Christian? Oh snap!
Topics:
- (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 23-minutes discussing Sigourney Weaver saying at NYCC 2025 that there's a "very strong first 50 pages" script of Alien that includes Ripley, and where she is at the time, and the two wonder both earnestly and cynically about the idea of a Ripley-included Alien sequel in the 2020s (PATREON EXCLUSIVE)
- First things first... is it A Nightmare on Elm Street meets Friday the 13th?
- Exploring the pervasive online joke that The Grabber, as a new "slasher icon", is an industry plant, and why it may feel that way.
- The dialogue here is bad. Full stop. The drama works if you buy into it, but the bad dialogue is a heavy cost.
- Kathryn and Melvin both had this fear: is Scott Derrickson just gonna do Sinister again? Thankfully, the answer is more nuanced than that.
- The spirituality isn't Deistic and the way Gwen prays and interacts with Jesus is as though Jesus is an active, non-corporeal character in the film.
- Talking Terrence, The Grabber, and Finn.
- There's no doubt in Melvin's mind that Scott Derrickson is evoking real-life Protestant Camp abuse tales with the drama and setting in Black Phone 2, including Kanakuk Kamp, LifeWay Camp, and Matt Chandler's church.
- Kathryn, "Knowing the truth, believing the truth, and speaking the truth can be really scary."
Recommendations:
- In the Mouth of Madness (1995) (Movie)
- Caveat (2021) (Movie)
Support 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 & Pins
Social Links:
5 November 2025, 9:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App