This week on the channel +55K views this week

Wildwood divides Sardonicast before David Bruckner joins the conversation

Laika's fantasy sparks a debate about darkness and comedy, followed by the horror filmmaker's stories and a discussion of Pulse.

Channel:

Sardonicast Story of November 13, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.

Sardonicast 228: Wildwood, Pulse feat. David Bruckner

What did you think?

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

3:44Adam questions how Wildwood balances its long runtime and mature elements with child-oriented storytelling.
9:20Dark scenes giving way to goofy comedy become a central point of disagreement.
26:20Jake and Adam want tighter early storytelling, while Alex defends the pacing and tone.
40:02Adam and Alex defend stop-motion through its tactile reality, lighting control and distinct artistry.
46:14David Bruckner traces The Signal's origins to Atlanta's PushPush Theater and the Dailies Project.
56:32Bruckner recounts directing "Amateur Night" for the found-footage anthology V/H/S.

Alex sees a grand fantasy world; Adam and Jake keep finding places where the script could use another pass. Sardonicast's only new upload this week, "Sardonicast 228: Wildwood, Pulse feat. David Bruckner," gives that disagreement room to breathe before welcoming a filmmaker who knows plenty about unsettling audiences.

The stop-motion animation is a shared attraction. Alex compares Wildwood's ambition to The Lord of the Rings, while Adam questions the quick shifts from dark material to goofy comedy. Jake asks the bigger question: with computer animation so advanced, why keep making stop-motion? Adam and Alex's answer comes back to physical objects, lighting and the particular artistry of something tangible in front of a camera.

Bruckner arrives around 46 minutes in. The director of The Ritual and The Night House looks back at his beginnings in Atlanta and making "Amateur Night" for V/H/S, before the episode moves to Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Pulse. It's a generous itinerary for one upload, which has drawn about 28,000 views.

Viewers are extending the animation conversation with suggestions of Mad God and The Shivering Truth. Others debate whether Wildwood fills a useful gap for young teenagers ready for darker fantasy, and imagine what Laika might do with Tolkien.

The new episode is comfortably the channel's busiest video right now. The preceding conversation, covering Whalefall and both versions of The Blob, continues to draw views, followed by the Hope, Digger and Bad Boy Bubby episode. Subscribers were unchanged over the week, and daily viewing is a little below Sardonicast's usual pace. Among nearby film-commentary channels, The Rest Is Entertainment is having a much busier spell; Sardonicast's week belongs to one long, sometimes divided conversation.

Published on Trari

Most watched today ›

Where next?

Also in Movie and TV clips and commentaryVideo taking off 37x its usual first dayRicky Álvarez gets Ariana Grande laughing on the premiere carpetVariety bills their appearance at the "Focker in Law" world premiere as their red carpet debut together.Channel: Variety · Story of November 13, 2026

A different discovery todayVideo taking off 23x its usual first dayJimmy Kimmel sets Trump's Triumphal Arch against veterans' budget cutsWith veterans in the audience, his Veterans Day monologue also revisits the Arlington guard's rebuke and closes on a parody doll commercial.Channel: Jimmy Kimmel Live · Story of November 13, 2026

What viewers say

Awesome that you guys got David Bruckner on the pod. Pulse is one of my favourite movies so the discussion is either gonna break my heart or I’m gonna love it.
@google-made-me-coughSee it on YouTube
Surprised Mad God didn't come up in the stop motion discussion
@KyleFromTheShireSee it on YouTube
I've been getting through Star Trek (TNG, DS9 and Voyager) over the last year and I agree with Jake as much as I enjoy plenty of modern shows it sucks we've lost the ability to make long running TV shows that are distinctly different types of media to movies
@callumbrown5375See it on YouTube

6 more comments

Wildwood feels like the perfect movie for 12-14 year olds. Most kids that age want to engage in mature material. A lot of the popular “for kids” books are extremely violent, like Warrior Cats. Wildwood fits that hole for movies, it’s mature it has violence, but it still feels like its made with kids in mind. It makes kids feel grown up while still engaging in material that’s suitable for them
@newthejsterjacob408See it on YouTube
Wildwood is a banger. The only major gripe I have is that the tone could’ve been balanced a little better. Some of the humorous moments had their place but some of them could’ve been cut out.
@vijayjayant1081See it on YouTube
I listened to the Wildwood discussion, but did Adum mention The Shivering Truth? It’s the best stop-motion media i’ve ever seen, personally.
@dmaniz888See it on YouTube
Yo this is wild, I only just started following this podcast and now you’re covering my favorite movie Pulse. Haven’t listened to the segment yet, but it’ll be interesting to hear what you all get out of it. The films kinda maniacally complicated, what with all there is to unpack and piece together. At the very least I know you’ll enjoy the visuals.
@mistafista4998See it on YouTube
This was so interesting, David is so articulate with a myriad of anecdotes
@zaphodmilkermuffin4870See it on YouTube
What an awesome conversation with david, I was surprised how much info he gave about the new blob project really hope they can get it made
@channelname5345See it on YouTube