The Projection Booth

We conclude #Shocktober2020 with a look at Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners. Made between Heavenly Creatures and the Lord of the Rings series, the film was a signal to Hollywood that Peter Jackson could play by the rules. It’s the story of Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox), a man with a gift that he can commune with the dead. He uses this to bilk the people of Fairwater out of money by haunting hous...

It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent's fritters! Heather Drain and Ben Buckingham join Mike to talk about Kevin Connor's 1980 horror/comedy starring Rory Calhoun and Nancy Parsons, Motel Hell. Connor discusses his work on the film as well as his earlier work while Frank Cotolo dishes about working with Wolfman Jack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Be...

We’re not talking about a movie for once but, instead, we’re looking at Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated. It was the eleventh incarnation of the Scooby gang and it ran from 2010 to 2013 with a total of 52 episodes spread over 156 weeks. It was also one of the best and most self-referential animated series that I’ve ever seen. Producer Mitch Watson shares some behind-the-scenes stories about the cr...

#Shocktober2020 continues with a look at Neil Jordan’s The Company of Wolves. It's a melange of tales based on the writings of Angela Carter which intertwine and layer upon one another. At the heart is a re-telling of the Little Red Riding Hood tale but there’s more… much more… than that. Kat Ellinger and Heather Drain join Mike to discuss the film and women's burgeoning sexuality. This episode fe...

We’re looking at Clive Barker’s Nightbreed. It’s the story of Aaron Boone (Criag Sheffer). He dreams of a place called Midian, an underground world of monsters. His psychiatrist, Doctor Decker (David Cronenberg) also wants to go there but to destroy all the monster life. Tim Luz and Samm Deighan join Mike to look at the various cuts of the film and its storied history. Learn more about your ad cho...

We kick off Shocktober 2020 with a look at Tobe Hooper's 1982 film Poltergeist. It'ss the story of a suburban family beset by supernatural forces. Vincenzo Natali and Christine Makepeace join Mike to discuss hauntings, the pedigree of the film, the sequels, and 2015 remake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/p...

We’re looking at the 2019 film from director Orçun Behram, The Antenna (2019). The film stars Ihsan Önal as Mehnet, a overseer of an apartment building in Turkey. We begin the film on the day when a new satellite dish is being installed that is part of a new era for the country where the government can now broadcast directly to its citizens’ televisions. Let’s just say that this isn’t the utopia t...

We conclude Czechtember 2020 with a look at Vera Chytilova’s Fruit of Paradise. This may be the most experimental and unusual movies we’ve covered as part of Czechtember. It’s a re-telling of the Adam and Eve story directed by Chytilova and co-written by her and Ester Krumbachova. Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan join Mike to discuss this experimental narrative and squeeze oranges. Learn more about y...

We continue #Czechtember 2020 with the 1969 Slovakian film Birds, Orphans, and Fools by Juro Jakubisco. It’s a story of three young people in the turbulent year and place of 1968 Slovakia. There are birds, the characters are orphans, and they often play the fool as we experience a slice of their lives. Kat Ellinger and Jonathan Owen join Mike to discuss the film, Jakubisco's other work, and his fe...

Mike talks to Helena Trestíková (aided by the film's rep, Daniel Vadocký) -- half of the directing team behind the 2019 documentary Forman Vs. Forman -- about her life in occupied Czechoslovakia, her 45... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become a supporter of...

#Czechember2020 continues with a look at Juraj Herz’s Morgiana. Released in 1972 the film stars Iva Janzurova as both Victoria and Clara Tragen, two sisters who are driven apart by their father’s will and the jealousy of Clara by Victoria. We’ve talked about Herz in the past including his incredible film The Cremator. And, for as subversive as that film was, it was Morgiana that got him into more...

We're looking at Park Chan-wook's Oldboy (2003). Based loosely on the manga by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, the film tells the tale of Oh-Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik), a salaryman who gets abducted and held in a cell for 15 years. Just as he's abducted without explanation he's freed just the same. From there the film becomes a mystery where Oh-Dae-Su tries to find not just who abducted him but w...

We continue Czechtember 2020 with a look at Jindrich Polak’s Tomorrow I Will Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea (1977). From a script co-written by Milos Macourek, the film stars Petr Kostka as both Jan and Karel Bures, twin brothers, one of who has helped invent a rocket that allows people to travel through time. A group plans to rent out a rocket just for them and, rather than going back to do a...

We're doing something a little different for Czechtember 2020 with two commentary track episodes. First up, a discussion of Vojtech Jasný's All My Good Countrymen (1969), a tragic tale of a group of friends in post-WWII Czechoslovakia. Spencer Parsons and Chris Stachiw join Mike to discuss Jasny's lyrical film which was banned by Czech authorities. We also talk about the unofficial "remake", The M...

Mike gives a few capsule reviews of titles playing at this year's Fantasia film festival: Class Action Park, Feels Good Man, Tiny Tim - King for a Day, Clapboard Jungle, Hail to the Deadites, Monster Seafood Wars, Traveling Cat Chronicles, Survival Skills, Patrick, The Columnist. This episode also features an interview with the director of The Columnist, Ivo Van Aarte. Learn more about your ad cho...

We are looking at Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. Based on the novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws is the story of Sheriff Martin Brody -- a former New York City cop who’s moved to the idyllic island community of Amity. All is going well in his white picket world until a Great White Shark picks the waters around Amity as a feeding ground. Jamie Benning (Inside Jaws) and Chris Sasser (Shark City) join Mike to d...

Mike talks to Amy Stoch about her time on Star Search, working with James Arness, and playing Missy / Mom in the three Bill & Ted films. Party on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.com/projectionbo...

F for Fake, the 1973 essay film from Orson Welles is a story of art forgery, the phony autobiography of Howard Hughes, and quite a bit of sleight of hand from our humble narrator, Mr. Welles himself. Peter Flynn and Spencer Parsons join Mike to discuss hoaxes, magic tricks, and the power of editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast:...

Mike spoke to writer/director Michael Almereyda about his latest film, Tesla (2020) which stars Ethan Hawke as the titular inventor. Almereyda's Tesla script was one of the first things he wrote and was initially optioned in the early '80s. But, good ideas never die! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/...

It’s showtime, folks! On this episode we’re talking about Bob Fosse’s 1979 film All That Jazz. It’s definitely not an autobiographical picture about a choreographer slash director (Roy Scheider) who’s working on his previous film about a groundbreaking stand-up comedian (Cliff Gorman) while rehearsing his next Broadway sensation. It’s definitely not about Fosse facing down the specter of mortality...

Mike talks with Charles Mruz about his 2020 documentary Gamemaster -- the story of game development, play, and how games bring us together. Gamemaster is now available to rent/buy/stream on most major streaming platforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become...

We're discussing the film from co-directors Josie Hess and Isabel Peppard, Morgana (2019). It's the story of Morgana Muses, a former housewife who found her path to self expression and fulfillment via making personal, often very adult, films. Lisa Vandever and Kevin Heffernan join Mike to talk about this powerful documentary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a...

We’re discussing the 1985 film from Wolfgang Petersen, Enemy Mine. Based on a novella by Barry Longyear, the film stars Dennis Quaid as Davidge and Lou Gossett Jr. as Jerry. The two are of different races -- one human, one drac -- who find themselves stranded on a hostile world. Corine and Tim Luz from the Cinemaspection podcast join Mike to discuss the odd journey of Enemy Mine from novella to fi...

In a special cross-over with the See/Hear Podcast, we're discussing Suzi Q (2019) a documentary from Liam Firmager about Detroit's own Suzi Quatro, who left the States early in her career and became more of a rock star in the UK and Australia while not charting as high as she should in her home country. She became known more in the U.S. thanks to her many appearances on Happy Days as the character...

Mike talks with author/screenwriter Scott Smith about his latest film, The Burnt Orange Heresy -- an adaptation of Charles Willeford's wonderful book about a sociopathic art critic. Mr. Smith also discusses his earlier work from A Simple Plan to The Ruins to Siberia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/...