The Projection Booth

What happens when a lavish dinner party refuses to end? Mike is joined by filmmaker Miguel Llansó and critic Rob St. Mary to unpack the surreal social satire of Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel (1962). In this sharp and strange masterwork, a group of upper-crust guests find themselves mysteriously unable to leave a post-opera gathering—days pass, civility erodes, and Buñuel’s absurdist lens s...

Mike chats with co-directors Travis Wood and Alex Mallis about their debut feature The Travel Companion (2025), a painfully funny look at friendship, ambition, and emotional unraveling among aspiring filmmakers. The story centers on Simon (Tristan Turner), a struggling documentarian who clings to the one major perk in his life: the free airline travel he enjoys as the designated companion of his b...

We wrap up Maudit May with a look at Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers (1972), a once-lost independent musical that’s recently been restored and released on Blu-ray by the American Genre Film Archive. Directed by Robert J. Kaplan and written by Sandra Scoppettone, the film stars Holly Woodlawn as Eve Harrington, a young woman from Kansas who moves to New York City in search of something more—only...

The day we released The Brave episode, producer Charles Evans Jr. texted me to say that he was sorry he hadn't gotten back to me but wanted to share some memories of making the film. We discussed how the project came to be and his experience making it. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection B...

The Projection Booth continues its spotlight on rare and elusive cinema with The Brave (1997), Johnny Depp’s directorial debut and a film shrouded in mystery since its limited release. Adapted by screenwriter Paul McCudden from a novel by Fletch author Gregory McDonald, The Brave tells the harrowing story of Rafael, a Native American man who agrees to sacrifice himself in a snuff film to provide f...

Mike is joined by podcaster Aaron Peterson (The Hollywood Outsider) and filmmaker Miguel Llansó (Crumbs, Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway, Infinite Summer) for a conversation about Rafael Corkidi’s elusive 1971 or 1972 feature debut Ángeles y querubines (Angels and Cherubs). Once presumed lost, this visually ravishing curio from Mexico’s surrealist wave plunges into Edenic allegory, spiritua...

Mike White is joined by Mike Sullivan and Emily Intravia to take a long-overdue look at Move (1970), the surreal, seldom-seen New York comedy directed by Stuart Rosenberg. Fresh off his success in MASH Elliott Gould stars as Hiram Jaffe, a would-be playwright stuck writing porn and walking dogs while waiting for the movers who never arrive. As his mundane reality refuses to budge, Hiram plunges in...

Brace yourself for a mind-melting trip into cinematic obscurity as Mike White, Heather Drain, and Ben Buckingham dive headfirst into There Is No 13 (1974), the elusive, long-suppressed anti-war film from director William Sachs. Blending absurdist humor, surreal vignettes, and unflinching commentary on the Vietnam War, the film follows draftee George Thomas through a fractured journey of memory, fa...

Mike welcomes director Lexi Alexander to discuss her latest film, Absolute Dominion (2025), a dystopian martial arts thriller set in a world torn apart by religious warfare. They dig into the film’s provocative premise, the challenges of balancing action with social commentary, and the process of staging large-scale fight sequences on screen. Lexi shares insights into the production, working with...

Actor James A. Watson Jr. joins Mike White in The Projection Booth for a lively and insightful conversation about his remarkable career. Best known for his work on Quincy, M.E., The Rookies, and Hill Street Blues, Watson reflects on breaking into Hollywood, the challenges he faced as a Black actor, and his early film roles in Halls of Anger and The Organization. He shares behind-the-scenes stories...

The Marvel machine rolls on! Mike welcomes Chris Stachiw and Father Malone back to The Projection Booth to unpack Thunderbolts (2025), Marvel’s latest plunge into the morally murky side of the MCU. With a roster of antiheroes and reformed villains, Thunderbolts flips the superhero script—so does it soar or stumble? The trio dives deep into the film’s character dynamics, chaotic action, and franchi...

Mike welcomes film writer Mike Sullivan and critic/podcaster Amy Nicholson (Unspooled) to dig into So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), Tommy Schlamme’s cult romantic comedy where Mike Myers plays it (mostly) straight — no prosthetics, no outlandish characters, just a jittery San Francisco beat poet navigating his fear of commitment. That is, until his charming new love, played by Nancy Travis, st...

Director Rachel Feldman joins Mike to discuss her powerful new film Lilly (2025), a long-overdue portrait of activist Lilly Ledbetter. They explore the real-life struggles that inspired the story, the battle to bring Lilly’s fight for equal pay to the big screen, and the challenges of crafting a deeply personal historical drama in today’s Hollywood landscape. Feldman shares behind-the-scenes insig...

Prepare for takeoff as Mike White is joined by Mark Begley (Wake Up Heavy) and Chris Stachiw (The Kulturecast) for a high-flying deep dive into Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)! Buckle up for a spirited discussion about the often-overlooked follow-up to one of the greatest comedies of all time. Beyond the crew's lively breakdown, the episode features an impressive lineup of interviews with writer/di...

Join us on The Projection Booth as we welcome back Turner Classic Movies host, Alicia Malone, to discuss her latest book, TCM Imports: Timeless Favorites and Hidden Gems of World Cinema. In this episode, we delve into how Alicia curated a selection of international films, organizing them by season and mood to provide the perfect watch for any time of year. Alicia shares the fascinating process beh...

Tension simmers in La Haine (1995), Matthieu Kassovitz’s electrifying portrait of disenfranchised youth in the Parisian banlieues. Mike is joined by guest co-hosts Lumi Etienne and Judith Mayne for a deep dive into the film’s kinetic black-and-white visuals, pulsing energy, and unflinching look at police violence, social unrest, and alienation. Over the course of a single 24-hour span, we follow V...

Co-hosts Maurice Bursztynski and Jonathan Melville join Mike to take on a Patreon request from listener John Atom—Nevil Shute’s On the Beach. They dive into both the 1959 Stanley Kramer film and the 2000 TV mini-series directed by Russell Mulcahy. Set in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust, the story centers on a U.S. submarine that finds refuge in Melbourne, Australia, where residents face the g...

Film historian Samm Deighan and cult cinema expert Andrew Leavold join Mike to shine a light on Jean-Pierre Melville’s Two Men in Manhattan (1959). Often overshadowed by his better-known crime films, this moody noir follows a journalist and a photographer as they comb the streets of New York in search of a missing French diplomat. The trio digs into Melville’s fascination with American style, the...

Mike speaks with director Paige Bethmann and editor Stephanie Khoury about their powerful 2025 documentary Remaining Native. Bethmann and Khoury discuss the challenges of telling a deeply personal story within a broader political context, the importance of Indigenous voices in environmental activism, and the responsibility of documentary filmmakers in preserving cultural truth. Become a supporter...

The Projection Booth wraps up another month of Patreon picks with what might be the most obscure film ever discussed on the show—Casablanca (1942), that little-known wartime romance directed by Michael Curtiz. Big thanks to Brian Tessitore for this hidden gem. Mike is joined by Bill Ackerman and Federico Bertolini to unpack the fog, flashbacks, and unforgettable lines of this cinematic unicorn. Hu...

Mike talks with director Stefan MacDonald-Labelle about Head Like a Hole (2024), a microbudget psychological horror film about a man hired to monitor a mysterious hole in a basement wall. They discuss the film’s existential themes, low-budget ingenuity, and the challenges of blurring reality and delusion. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--55...

Director Alex Braverman joins Mike to discuss his 2023 documentary Thank You Very Much, a fascinating deep dive into the life and legend of Andy Kaufman. From his genre-defying comedy to his infamous persona-blurring antics, Kaufman remains one of entertainment’s most enigmatic figures. Braverman unpacks the personal connections, archival discoveries, and creative choices that shaped the film—and...

Mike White engages in a captivating conversation with director Joshua Bailey about his feature documentary debut, Stolen Kingdom (2025). The film delves into three decades of mischief, scandal, and theft at Walt Disney World, culminating in the heist of an animatronic valued at nearly half a million dollars. Bailey's documentary offers an unprecedented look into the park's underground community, f...

Co-hosts Ryan Luis Rodriguez and John Walker join Mike to discuss the 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber's blend of comedy and caper, its place in '90s comedy, and its surprising longevity. We discuss how the film launched the Farrelly Brothers into mainstream success and cemented Jim Carrey's status as a box office powerhouse. Screenwriter Bennett Yellin joins the conversation to talk about the film’s d...

Mike White engages in a captivating conversation with director Jeremy Workman and artist Michael Townsend about the 2024 documentary Secret Mall Apartment. The film chronicles the audacious endeavor of eight Rhode Island artists who, from 2003 to 2007, covertly built and inhabited a 750-square-foot apartment within the Providence Place Mall. This hidden residence, complete with furnishings and uti...