CinemAddicts 200: ‘Beau Is Afraid’ Review And ‘Barbie’ Box Office Talk!

Anderson Cowan, co-creator of CinemAddicts, joins us for the 200th episode of the show!

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It’s the 200th episode of CinemAddicts, and to celebrate the show co-creator Anderson Cowan is back with the crew. Anderson and I created CinemAddicts back in late 2015. I’ve got a few memories to share before diving into our milestone episode!

Greg Srisavasdi and Anderson Cowan – CinemAddicts – YouTube Review of Neon Demon

I have been close friends with Anderson since the Westwood One years. He was working on Loveline and another radio program (I think it was called Ferrall on the Bench). We immediately struck a friendship thanks to our shared love of cinema.

My job initially was a partnership between E! Entertainment and Westwood One. They combined to form E! Radio. I attended press junkets, did a daily news fax and would also edit soundbites to go on a daily prep service  that serviced radio stations across the U.S. It wasn’t a solo operation, and in my 19 years on the job I had several partners to help get the daily show out to stations.

My interviews at the time were recorded on cassette tape, and during those years Anderson would listen to my press junket tapes for a little education and insight. I complained about doing junkets and watching movies that were pretty forgettable. I wasn’t watching the movies I really wanted to see, but instead was assigned movies to cover for E! Radio.

I have since tempered my pessimism. Watching movies as part of your job, though not lucrative by any means, is a total privilege. 

That said, witnessing Anderson over the years continue to have a passion for movie watching and filmmaking is a total inspiration. When we started CinemAddicts, it was Anderson who wanted to spotlight Indie films. Basically stuff that was not exactly front and center on The Film Vault (the popular movie review podcast he hosts with Bryan Bishop).

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I wanted a more populist take on movie reviewing with CinemAddicts, but thankfully Anderson’s focused viewpoint on the podcast won out. 

For several years, Bruce Purkey, Eric Holmes and I also did a weekly movie review podcast titled Find Your Film. Due to Anderson’s many commitments, he could not record CinemAddicts on a regular basis. Just one regular episode and a Patreon bonus episode is all he could give the past two years, and to be honest I was surprised he was able to keep CinemAddicts a priority with all his responsibilities. 

Bruce and Eric moved from Find Your Film to CinemAddicts in November 2022 and since then CinemAddicts has returned to its regularly scheduled weekly format.

The name CinemAddicts was coined by Anderson Cowan over drinks at a Westwood bar (whose name I forget). Who knew years before I would stumble on that very same moniker while reading a movie review by writer James Agee. Best known for his screenplays for The Night of the Hunter and The African Queen, Agee received a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for his autobiography A Death in the Family.

***One of my favorite moments in cinema is this scene from The Night of the Hunter:

Ironically, Anderson has stated many a time how much he dislikes The African Queen. I am assuming he loves The Night of the Hunter (I can’t name a person who dislikes this movie). But I wonder if he stumbled upon the word “cinemaddicts” while reading an Agee movie review (he was also a respected critic). From my recollection, he just thought “cinema” and “addict” joined by the “a” would be a catchy podcast name. He was right.

Synchronicity may have been involved regarding the creation of CinemAddicts. As much as I try to infuse CinemAddicts with a ton of sarcasm and attempted wit, I have a deep affection for Anderson Cowan, Eric Holmes, and Bruce Purkey. These days I start off CinemAddicts by calling Eric and Bruce “my betters.” I have that same sentiment for Anderson. Any kind of success of this podcast is due to their immeasurable contributions to CinemAddicts.

Apologies for this long post. It is the 200th episode. I have at least 200 more things to say why I love my fellow CinemAddicts. But for now, let’s throw Barbie and Beau Is Afraid into the mix.