The Kulturecast

We take a break from Mike White May to do a crossover with The Projection Booth taking a look at the Millennium Trilogy , otherwise known as the first three Lisbeth Salander books by journalist Stieg Larsson. Those films are The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , The Girl Who Played With Fire , and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest . Starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist, the two play Lisbeth S...

We near the end of Mike White May with a look at Milos Forman's first foray into American filmmaking, which also happens to be quite the doozy to track down: Taking Off . The Projection Booth's Mike White and Supporting Characters Bill Ackerman stop by to talk about this underrated Forman film that features the one and only Bobo Bates! Starring Buck Henry and Lynn Carlin, the two play New York par...

We continue Mike White May , without the man himself on this episode, with a look at what could be considered Forman's finest hour as a filmmaker but what is definitely his most critically revered work, Amadeus . Rankin on Bass's Richard Hatem joins the episode he programmed to talk all about F. Murray Abraham, the power of legacy, and Mozart's raucous farts. Directed by Forman, the film follows t...

We kick off the greatest month of the year, Mike White May , with a look at the first film that the subject of the month, Milos Forman, ever directed: Black Peter .The Projection Booth's Mike White and Scary Stories We Tell's Jess Byard join the show to talk about a film that sets the stage for Forman's career but maybe little else. Directed by Forman, the film follows the titular Peter as he bumb...

We end Book to Screen April Movie with a film that's more an experience and less a straightforward narrative that not only challenges the audience to think about the American Dream but also how it would feel to go into the depths of a heavy drug binge, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas . Author Andrew J. Rausch stops by to talk all about Hunter S. Thompson, his effect on both of their lives, and what...

We continue Book to Screen April with a film whose reputation precedes it due to the cast, the script, and damn near everything: The Last Picture Show. Movie Geeks United's Adam Long programs the episode and joins the conversation to talk all about one of the great coming-of-age stories ever adapted. Starring Jeff Bridges, Cybill Sheperd, and Timothy Bottoms, the story follows the three as they ne...

We continue our look at random horror movies that we want to after having watched Knock at the Cabin and Red State with a film that is as polarizing as it is one-of-a-kind: Tusk . Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley is playing the part of Mr. Tusk on this episode while he and Chris talk all about the film, where it is almost a decade later, and Tusk$ . Starring Justin Long as podcaster Wallace Bryton, he...

We kick off Book to Screen April with a film based on a Jim Thompson book that delves deep into the psyche of a sociopath attempting to keep up the facade of a small-town sheriff, The Killer Inside Me (1976) . Pulp-Serenade's Cullen Gallagher and Mondo Heather's Heather Drain stop by to discuss the comparisons to the book, the dreadful remake, and who else could have played Lou Ford. Starring the...

We reach the end of Marrr-ch, a month named for what else but pirate films, with a movie that's as tonally inconsistent as it is entertaining, t he big screen adaptation of Peter Benchley's The Island . Northwestern film professor Spencer Parsons stops by to talk all about how he thought this movie was something else entirely but loved its brand of insanity nonetheless. Starring forever stodgy Bri...

We near the end of Marrr-ch, a month named for what else but pirate films, with a film that wrestles with a very different kind of pirate along with not even hanging "pirate" in its original British title: Pirate Radio (The Boat that Rocked) . Movie Geeks United's Adam Long programs the episode and stops by to talk about indie comedies of the late 2000s and whether this film's use of music matches...

We circle back in this bonus episode to more apocalyptic or apocalypse-adjacent content given the success of Knock at the Cabin and The Last of Us with a film that is unlike any other from its director: Red State . Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley is subjected once again to a film that may define conventional genre labels but works in spite of that. Starring Michael Parks as a Fred Phelps-type pastor,...

Tom Hanksuary is in the books but we're still talking all the lovable American actor with his directorial debut and a possible entry into the perfect film club: That Thing You Do! Dark Destinations' Father Malone and On Seagal's Trevor Gumbel are here to talk all about a film that captures a time and place better than most legitimate biopics do. Starring Tom Hanks as a Phil Spector-inspired music...

We kick off a limited crossover marathon with our friends over at 80's TV Ladies to coincide with their look at the Nine to Five TV show with an ensemble film that features two-thirds of 9 to 5's cast along with two more heavy-hitting actresses: 80 for Brady . 80's TV Ladies Sharon Johnson and Susan Lambert Hatem join the show to talk all about a film that's way better than it has any right to be....

We continue Marrr-ch, a month named for what else but pirate films, with another film whose reputation not only precedes it, but also is rightfully earned: Yellowbeard . Mondo Heather's Heather Drain and Dark Destination's Father Malone join the proceedings to determine how a movie with this many comedians can be this bracingly unfunny. Starring a veritable who's who of '70s and '80s comedians, bo...

We take a trip to the old multiplex in this bonus episode with a look at M. Night Shyamalan's latest joint: a film adaptation of Paul Tremblay's Knock at the Cabin . Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley programs the film and edits the episode on this very topical crossover that may send us down a rabbit hole or two.. . Starring an ensemble cast, it follows a gay couple and their daughter who go on a retrea...

We kick off Marrr-ch, a month named for what else but pirate films, with a film so reviled, so totally unworthy of your time, it's kinda shocking that we talked for over an hour about it: Roman Polanski's Pirates. Film professor Spencer Parsons and Scary Stories We Tell's Jess Byard stop by to talk about possibly the worst film this humble movie podcast has ever covered. Starring Walter Matthau, t...

We end T om Hanks-uary with an adaptation of Tom Wolfe's seminal '80s classic that ended up being one of the biggest bombs of all time: Bonfire of the Vanities. Movie critic Dustin Rutledge stops by to talk all about Hanks, the bizarre Bruce Willis performance, and that opening shot. Starring Hanks, Bruce Willis, and Melanie Griffith, it follows Hanks as Sherman McCoy, a man at the center of a con...

We near the end of T om Hanks-uary with the film that features what will be shown at Tom Hanks' "In Memoriam": Forrest Gump . Wolf & Raisin's HP stops by to talk all about Hanks, his performance for the ages, and what it means that Bubba Gump Co is still open today. Starring Hanks in a role for the ages, he plays the slow Forrest Gump, a man who is every American of a certain generation's wet...

We continue T om Hanks-uary with an early entry into the Hanks filmography: Mazes & Monsters . Dark Destination's Father Malone picks the film and stops by to talk all including some choice line delivery from Hanks himself. Starring Hanks, Chris Makepeace, and Wendy Crewson, the three play college students who are obsessed with a Dungeons & Dragons-esque game that soon takes over their ent...

We continue T om Hanks-uary with a film that features Hanks playing someone who's immensely unlikable: Volunteers . The Hollywood Outsider's Aaron Peterson stops by to talk all about Hanks, Candy, and everything else wrong with this strange little comedy. Starring Hanks, John Candy, and Rita Wilson, the three join the Peace Corps and head to Thailand for fun, fellowship, and some light heroin smug...

We continue T om Hanks-uary with an early entry into the actor's growing list of serious-leaning roles that show is ability to balance comedy and drama: Big . DC Titan's Richard Hatem picks the film and stops by to talk all about it including why it may be an entry into the "perfect film club". Starring Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, John Heard, and Robert Loggia, it follows Hanks as a thirteen year ol...

We kick off T om Hanks-uary with an early entry into the beloved actor's career when he was known more for comedy and less for baiting all those Academy Award nominations playing real people: The 'Burbs . Mondo Heather's Heather Drain and Dark Destination's Father Malone stop by to talk all about what may be both of their favorite films in Hanks' expansive filmography. Starring Hanks, Rick Ducommo...

We continue Indian Cinema Month, this year to coincide with launch of the B ollywood Cinema Club, our first all Indian cinema biweekly podcast , with an Indian cinema film that doesn't require any translation whatsoever, the critically acclaimed silent film Pushpaka Vimana. DC Titan's Richard Hatem joins Chris to talk all about the film that doesn't do nearly as much with its niche premise as it c...

We continue Indian Cinema Month, this year to coincide with launch of the B ollywood Cinema Club, our first all Indian cinema biweekly podcast , with a Tamil-language film that begs the question: if a man is interested in a woman with amnesia who thinks, talks, and sounds like a child, is he a creep? The Projection Booth's Mike White stops by to help answer that question and more with a look at 19...

We take another break from Indian Cinema Month to check out a black comedy horror takedown of the haute-cuisine world of Alinea and Noma: The Menu. Taking place at Hawthorn, an exclusive restaurant on an island, the film follows the staff and guests through a tasting menu unlike anything they've ever experienced. Know as little as possible going in and, if you're a fan of Chef's Table, your culina...