The Projection Booth

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/...

We are looking at the 1984 film from writer/director Michael Crichton, Runaway. It’s the tale of Jack Ramsay (Tom Selleck) a member of the Runaway unit who takes care of errant robots. He’s a single dad with a son and a robot at home and a new partner on his team, Karen Thompson (Cynthia Rhodes). He’s put on a case which leads him to the dastardly Luther (Gene Simmons). Carol Borden (The Cultural...

We’re looking at the 1985 film from director Mark L. Lester, Commando. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger at PEAK Schwarzenegger. The film really defines 80s action movies -- hyper violence, a killer soundtrack, and corny one-liners. The only things missing are gay panic and a good dose of misogyny. Ti Singh (In Search of the Last Action Heroes) and Chris Stachiw (The Kulturecast) join Mike to d...

We conclude Cinema Novo month with a look at Glauber Rocha’s The Lion has Seven Heads, though, this movie seems to be post-Cinema Novo and wasn’t even made in Brazil. Instead, this film was made after Rocha was exiled from Brazil and shot in Brazzaville in the Democratic Republic of Congo along with help from French and Italian producers. Chris Stachiw and Heather Drain join Mike to discuss this d...

We're discussing Better Off Dead (1985) from writer/director Savage Steve Holland. The film stars John Cusack as Lane Myer, a high school student obsessed with his girlfriend, Beth. When Beth breaks up with him -- throwing Lane over for Roy Stalin, a jock douchebag who can ski the most dangerous mountain around -- Lane attempts suicide several times… like you do in a good comedy. Jess Byard and Mi...

Cinema Novo month continues with a look at Joaquim Pedro de Andrade’s Macumaia. Based on the 1928 Modernist novel of the same name by Mário de Andrade (no relation). Some see the Cinema Novo movement ending around 1967 while others say that it simply entered another phase. Regardless, Macunaima is unlike any other movie we’ve discussed this month so far and it might be in the running as a favorite...

On this special episode of The Projection Booth, Mike talks to writer/director/actor Oliver Robins about his latest film, Celebrity Crush (2019). The film stars Robins as a celebrity who is kidnapped by an obsessive fan after a one night fling at a convention. Hear the rest of our interview with Mr. Robins on our Poltergeist episode in October! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

Cinema Novo month continues with a look at Glauber Raucha’s Terra em Transe also known as Entranced Earth or Land of Anguish. It’s the story of the mythical country of El Dorado where the events seem to oddly parallel the political upheaval of Brazil from 1960 to 1966. It was initially banned by the Brazilian government until enough public outcry allowed it to be shown domestically as well as in f...

On this very special episode of The Projection Booth we're looking at the films of Trent Harris, specifically The Beaver Trilogy (2000) which includes a documentary segment about Utah native "Groovin' Gary" along with two narrative remakes (starring Sean Penn and Crispen Glover in the Gary role). We also look at the documentary about The Beaver Trilogy from director Brad Besser called The Beaver T...

Cinema Novo month continues with a look at Glauber Rocha's Black God, White Devil (and its follow-up, Antonio Das Mortes). It's two stories in one as our main character, Manuel, kills his boss and then goes on the run, becoming a follower of Sebastian (the Black God of the title) before eventually becoming a follower of Corisco (the White Devil). Ken Stanley and Chris Stachiw join Mike to discuss...

We are kicking off a month of shows discussing the Cinema Novo movement from Brazil with a look at Nelson Pereira dos Santos’s 1963 film Vidas Secas. Also known as Barren Lives, the film is based on a 1938 novel by Graciliano Ramos. It’s the story of a family trying to survive in the scraggly countryside of Northeast Brazil. We join them as they search for a place to live, a way to put food on the...

Can Dialectics Break Bricks? is the 1973 film from Rene Vienet which is a re-dubbing of the 1972 film Crush. The film re-tells re-tells the story of Crush as the story of a bunch of rotten bureaucrats who have oppressed the working class long enough. The workers look forward to a day when the landlords will all hang, priests will be cut in two and the churches will be burned to the ground. Spencer...

We’re looking at the 1971 film from James Bidgood, Pink Narcissus. It’s a wordless film which tells the story of a young hustler played by Bobby Kendall who engages in a series of fantasies throughout an evening. The film was shot on 8mm but still presents a lush, fantastic color palette and incredible sets that are even more incredible when the viewer remembers that this was all shot in Bidgood’s...

Jess Byard and Heather Drain join Mike to discuss the Panic Movement and Fernando Arrabal's freshman film, Viva La Muerte. It's the surrealistic tale of Fando, a boy whose mother sold his father out to the fascists during the Spanish Civil War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5...

Daniel Kremer and Jarrod Labine join Mike to discuss The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart. Based loosely on Robert T. Westbrook’s book of the same name, the film follows the exploits of the unlikely-named protagonist who’s not very likable, Stanley Sweetheart (Don Johnson). He fancies himself an underground filmmaker and Lothario. The film follows him on his exploits as he navigates life, women,...

Bro, on this special episode of The Projection Booth we're looking at the 2001 movie from R. D. Robb, Don's Plum. The film remains officially unreleased in the U.S. while available legally in other parts of the world. The film stars a group of young actors known as "The Pussy Posse" including Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Macguire. It's about a group of guys who bring their dates to the titular dine...