Eye of the Duck: A Film Podcast

Listeners, the power of the Three Rings is ended. This week we fulfill our oath and complete the Peter Jackson LOTR trilogy! We’re talking Denethor (aka Dennis Thor), the army of the dead, Aragorn’s long sword , Eowyn being horny, the Mouth of Sauron being repugnant (put him back into the theatrical cut, cowards!) and how fun it is to see what Gandalf looks like when he sleeps. Also….Death! Death!...

Forth Eorlingas! This week we toss Gimli face first into the forces of the Enemy. It’s another four hour tour of Middle Earth, and this time, we brought Ents. Is the middle film of a trilogy ever the best one? In this case, the jury's out, but one thing is for certain: it has the weirdest title of all three. Topics explored this week include: Legolas’s whole deal, the groundbreaking creation of Sm...

Listeners, the Third Age is finally upon us. The nine companions are assembled. The recording is 4 hours long. It shall be… The Fellowship of the Duck! This week, Adam and Dom are embarking on a quest to save Middle-Earth and somehow make sense of the greatest trilogy in movie history. It’s FELLOWSHIP, and we still cannot believe Peter Jackson actually pulled this off. There are simply too many Ey...

Happy holidays! Adam made a feature film and we’re (finally) going to celebrate it in style. It’s a bonus episode of holly, jolly, drinks, and independent film. With a very special guest host! Our old friend Sarah Welch-Larson takes the reins this week for an exploration of feature filmmaking, micro budget cinema, the inspirations behind Adam’s film, and some questions about its creation–including...

Justice for Gurgi! This week it’s the final stop on our tour of pre-Jackson LOTR-inspired films… and our very first ever Disney animated film! Joining us to explore Welsh mythology, The Chronicles of Prydain , and the weird lengths Disney will go to make their adaptations kid-friendly is returning guest (and Eye of the Duck digital producer) Nik Long! Next week we have a very special holiday surpr...

Sing it with us!! WHERE THERE’S A WHIP [WHIP SFX] THERE’S A WAY! WHERE THERE’S A WHIP [WHIP SFX] THERE’S A WAY! This week we face the Lord of the Lash himself for the epic return of Arthur Rankin & Jules Bass, and the wildest voice cast in Tolkien history. Roddy McDowall is Sam? Casey Kasem is Merry?! It may not be the most beloved Rings adaptation out there…but it’s certainly the last one in a ve...

It’s the first major adaptation of Tolkien’s trilogy and it is…rotoscope animation? Enter Ralph Bakshi and his completely batshit vision of an animated Middle Earth! Is it a mixed masterpiece or a very audacious disaster? Either way, Bakshi’s rotoscope RINGS is extremely influential for Peter Jackson, and we’re celebrating its legacy this week. Next week, we complete our unofficial animated trilog...

Listen up, Hobbitses! An adventure is knocking at your door! Will you answer it? Even if it’s a musical? It’s the first actual Tolkien adaptation of our series this week, and we are so confused that it exists. Rankin and Bass? The dudes who make the Rudolph and Frosty movies? Yes. And for some reason, Otto Preminger is in it. Next week it’s Ralph Bakshi’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS animated spectacular...

Series premiere! This week we leave The Shire behind to embark on our journey through Middle Earth and the epic fantasy genre! In the spirit of Lord of the Rings, we’ve divided our miniseries into three parts, and we’re starting today with Part 1: The Road to Mordor. And that road begins with, you guessed it, Ray Harryhausen! Peter Jackson’s trilogy would not exist without the sword-and-sandals st...

Run back the tape! We’re closing the book on yet another miniseries this week, and… revealing the journey that lies ahead! It’s been a joy scrubbing through all the haunted camera recordings of these found footage horror movies, and we’re thrilled to tie off some loose ends, answer listener questions, and decide once and for all: is the Blair Witch even named Blair? Next week, we start anew…listen...

Try to remember these times, listeners. Some of the best nights of our lives were being had in parking lots. When Connor O’Malley brings a couple DV cameras to the suburban abyss of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, we simply have no choice but to watch. It’s somehow the culmination of every found footage film we covered in this series, and also one of the funniest feature-length films ever uploaded direct...

Welcome to the dark web! For the penultimate episode of our found footage miniseries, we’re making Eye of the Duck history and inviting a writer/director to come on and explore his own film! Stephen Susco joins us to sail down the river and talk all things UNFRIENDED, such as transitioning the franchise from horror to thriller, the cursed search history of a professional screenwriter, the legacy o...

It’s Late Night with Abraxas! Hosted by the one and only…. Mr. Wriggles!  This week we’re filming one VERY cursed television broadcast in front of a live studio audience! LATE NIGHT is perhaps the most popular found footage movie of the past few years, and we’re finally going to answer the question… is it really found footage? (Yes. The answer is yes). Don’t forget your sacrificial dagger!  Next w...

We are so back! It’s the worst pandemic in modern history, and we couldn’t be more excited (and terrified) to be trapped on a Zoom call with you (and a demon) again. Lockdown-era movies have been pretty unimpressive so far, but HOST is a VERY notable exception. This Zoom call has everything! A mopey quarantine boyfriend, a naughty grandpa, and… oh god is that a disembodied facetune filter? Next we...

The screen is life! The found footage genre infects MacOS this week with a truly horrific story of parenting, grief, and, of course, screens!! Is John Cho the most oblivious father in movie history? Or is the internet a terrible place that preys on society’s most vulnerable youths? Probably a little of both… but hey, at least we still had Addicting Games Dot Com! Next week, we fall even deeper int...

There’s meta, and then there’s a movie thats so self-referential it basically takes place inside a Russian nesting doll. It’s the INCEPTION of the found footage genre! This week we’re getting to the center of a very, very crunchy tootsie pop. Another remarkable low-budget success story, ONE CUT is the type of movie that makes you want to pick up a camera and go shoot something… or behead some zomb...

Grandma’s home! It’s Shyamalan’s ticket out of director jail this week, we’re paying him a visit.  There’s something seriously wrong with Becca and Tyler’s grandparents. And it may or may not involve dirty diapers, naked sleepwalking, and a very, very scary game of hide and seek.  Next week, it’s the found footage zombie satire, ONE CUT OF THE DEAD (2017). Join the conversation on our Discord at h...

Mark Duplass has entered the fray! And he is very, very creepy. This week we’re going deep on another found footage gem from the indie world. In what may be the only true “character study” of our series, Patrick Brice presents a new type of slasher… who simply won’t shut the fuck up. He’s Peachfuzz, and he may have therapy language, but he’s basically Psycho in a dollar store wolf costume. Run for...

It’s indie filmmaking Smash Bros this week! Ti West, Joe Swanberg, Kentucky Audley–everyone is here! And they’re all (probably) going to die!!  This week we are joining a cult that’s definitely not a Jonestown ripoff, and getting everything on tape for our latest VICE documentary. Hopefully no one gets killed!  Next week it’s another mumblecore favorite, Patrick Brice’s CREEP. Join the conversatio...

We are so back….in space!! This week we’re blasting off towards Jupiter for a one-of-a-kind outer space found footage experience. Sebastián Cordero’s 2013 sci-fi surveillance thriller was NOT originally on our miniseries radar. But we could not resist the temptation of leaving this earth behind and spending some time amongst the (unforgiving) stars again. So here we are. Next week, we’re doing ano...

Surprise! We’re moving to our new home at SiriusXM next week, and that means all episodes will now drop on BOTH main and premium feeds on the same day! To close the gap, our next episode is available to listen right now. Listeners, we’ve officially logged on! This week we’re gazing into the blue light of our very first “screen life” movie, the type of Found Footage horror where computers are curse...

What if an asshole got superpowers? Would he save the world? Or just prank old ladies and do sick magic tricks to impress chicks at the talent show? This week it’s Josh Trank’s found footage superhero film where a pothead, a burnout, and an aspiring class president become invincible (and fly!) What could go wrong? Next week we kick off our screen life era (!!) with Levan Gabriadze’s UNFRIENDED (20...

Where my Ringlefinches at? This week we’re talkin’ film students, government coverups, massive UV lights, trolls, and the one very cool guy who hunts them. Also, he wears an amazing hat. Next week, we’re tackling our first superhero found footage movie, Josh Trank’s CHRONICLE. Join the conversation on our Discord at https://discord.com/invite/RssDc3brsx and get more Eye of the Duck on our Patreon...

Finally, a movie that proves why you should NEVER under any circumstances buy a Ouija Board! It’s Oren Peli’s found footage masterpiece, with a demon so scary that it literally convinced Steven Spielberg his office was haunted. Is PARANORMAL ACTIVITY the one true successor to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT? And is it better to live with a scary ghoul than a shitty day trader boyfriend? These questions an...

Listeners… we’re not feeling so good… [cue explosion] This week we’re taking a swing at the second most famous movie to feature a beheaded Statue of Liberty! It’s the brainchild of returning faves JJ Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Drew Goddard! And it’s the hottest people you know experiencing worst horrors imaginable. Sounds like a fun time! Join the conversation on our Discord at https://discord.com/i...