<p>On this episode we reflect on the reality that we must die, and in order to live we also must love. And it&#39;s a discussion on (ostensibly) a zombie movie that a 20+ year later legacy sequel! </p><p><br></p><p>When the teaser trailer for <a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/28-years-later/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong>28 Years Later</strong></a><strong> </strong>dropped, it seemed clear that the film wouldn&#39;t be a safe, mindless retread of previous material looking to cash in on fan nostalgia. It was visually striking, poetic, foreboding, and promised a dark, brutal world that not only has experienced a viral outbreak, but has evolved to, as much as people collectively can, live with it. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland were cooking up something special and we couldn&#39;t wait! The result was not only a commercial success but a beautifully touching coming of age story that hits on several substantive themes.</p><p><br></p><p>Joining us for this episode is film journalist Brandon Streussnig. Brandon has written for outlets like Vulture, The Ringer, GQ, Inverse, Men&#39;s &amp; Women&#39;s Health, Letterboxd Journal, The AV Club, The Playlist, Polygon, Fangoria, Paste, The Film Stage, In Review Online, AwardsWatch, and others. He&#39;s also contributed to physical media releases from folks like Vinegar Syndrome, Radiance, Umbrella, IFC, Kino, and Arrow Video. In this episode we cover things like</p><ul><li>Brandon&#39;s journey into being a full time film journalist</li><li>His experience seeing the film early in order to interview the director</li><li>The incredible soundtrack from Young Fathers</li><li>Anthony Dod Mantle&#39;s gorgeous cinematography</li><li>Brandon&#39;s real time consideration of the follow up, <strong>28</strong><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/28-years-later-the-bone-temple/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong> Years Later: The Bone Temple</strong></a><strong> </strong></li><li>The way cinema invites us to spiritual considerations regardless of personal beliefs</li><li>Film Twitter&#39;s <a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/miami-vice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Miami Vice</strong></a><strong> </strong>ordeal from a few years ago (that culminated in a screening a listener attended and emailed about!)</li><li>and MORE!</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/philipmarinello/list/substantive-cinema/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Letterboxd List of Substantive Cinema Episodes</a></p><p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/journal/28-years-later-danny-boyle-interview/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Brandon&#39;s interview with Danny Boyle</a></p><p><br></p><p>Shoutout:</p><p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/blue-heron/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Sophy Romvari&#39;s Blue Heron</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Follow Brandon:</p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/brandon_streussnig/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a></p><p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/bjstreu513/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Letterboxd</a></p><p><a href="https://inreviewonline.com/2026/03/13/what-exists-only-in-our-imagination-ian-tuason-interview/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Interview with Undertone director Ian Tuason</a></p><p><a href="https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/products/the-stunt-man-uhd-bd-le?_pos=1&_psq=stunt&_ss=e&_v=1.0" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">The Stunt Man</a></p><p><a href="https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/products/the-cat-le?_pos=1&_psq=cat&_ss=e&_v=1.0" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">The Cat</a></p><p><br></p><p>Physical Media Corner:</p><p><a href="https://mvdshop.com/products/she-shoots-straight-blu-ray?_pos=1&_psq=she+shoo&_ss=e&_v=1.0" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">She Shoots Straight (88 Films)</a></p><p><a href="https://mvdshop.com/products/song-of-the-miraculous-hind-4k-uhd-blu-ray-combo-4k-ultra-hd?_pos=2&_psq=miracu&_ss=e&_v=1.0" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Song of the Miraculous Hind (Deaf Crocodile)</a></p><p><a href="https://mvdshop.com/products/she-shoots-straight-blu-ray?_pos=1&_psq=she+shoo&_ss=e&_v=1.0" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><br></a></p><p>Follow Us:</p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thesubstancepod" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.threads.com/@thesubstancepod" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/philipmarinello/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Philip&#39;s Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/philipmarinello.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Share Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us:</p><p>Email: [email protected]</p><p>DM on Instagram</p><p><br></p><p>Support Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod</p>