Eye of the Duck: A Film Podcast

There can only be one. And he's with us this week for HIGHLANDER! It's screenwriter, playwright, and co-host of the very good Die Hard on a Blank podcast, Philip Gawthorne. From bonkers accents, to decapitations, to the exact number of smashed panes of glass, we go long on what may very well be the most insane movie of the 1980s. The quickening is upon us. References: Special Features Interview wi...

What is light without dark? What are you without me? What is Eye of the Duck without Ridley Scott? The day of Darkness has come, friends. Behold, the most 80s Dark Fantasy of all 80s Dark Fantasies....LEGEND!! References: Special Features Remembering a Legend The Music of Legend Creating A Myth: Memories of Legend Cinefastique The Making of Legend Legend Making by William Hjortsberg The Washington...

Dorothy returns to Oz...kind of. This week we are joined by our series Assistant Programmer and great friend, Nik Long to venture back to Frank Baum's world of witches, nomes, tin men, and one very, very scary Princess. Finally, a movie that considers, what if WIZARD OF OZ was a complete nightmare? Watch the short film Nik mentions at the link here: Tourist Trap References: Walt Disney Return to O...

Flying (not) dogs, muddy ponies, and the infinite Nothing. We're finally here! It's the moment '80s Dark Fantasy movies become box office gold. And we have our old friend Sarah Welch-Larson to help us tell the tale. References: Special Features Re-imagining The NeverEnding Story Cinema and Sorcery: The Comprehensive Guide to Fantasy Film Entertainment Weekly The NeverEnding Story Production Histor...

This week, we're talking wolves, baby. Man-wolves, She-wolves, werewolves, and even wolf-wolves. It's Neil Jordan's COMPANY OF WOLVES, and of all the most overlooked films in this series, this one may be the most criminal. Go. Watch. This. Movie!!!! References: Special Features The Company of Wolves Behind the Scenes Dossier Neil Jordan Commentary The Curious Room, Angela Carter Channel 4 Angela C...

A thousand years ago, this land was green and good...until the Crystal cracked. Today, we return THE DARK CRYSTAL to its former glory. Whether or not you love this movie, we can promise you one thing–you will never see another one like it. References: Special Features The Myth, Magic, and Henson Legacy The World of The Dark Crystal SFGate Dave Goelz Interview Fantastic Films Jim Henson Interview S...

Kittridge is back. And so are we. Will you take the Oath? References: Christopher McQuarrie Returning for M:I-7 & 8 Esai Morales Replaces Nicholas Hoult as Villain Angela Bassett Not Returning for M:I-7 Production: Impossible Empire McQuarrie Responds to Polish Backlash Entertainment Weekly Christopher McQuarrie Interview Light the Fuse 100th Episode Special Light the Fuse 200th Episode Special Li...

[Whip sound!!!!] Today we rewind through a fissure in time and return to our Indiana Jones miniseries for one last movie. Joining us to explore DIAL OF DESTINY are returning guests, Griffin Newman and Connor Ratliff, who you might know as the hosts of The George Lucas Talk Show. Covered in this (very long) discussion: Griffin's franchise exhaustion, Connor's Indy watching order, the hubris of Disn...

Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of...it's the big one, duck-heads. John Milius's CONAN may not be the most subtle movie. But it's the start of something big, awesome, and unshakeable. Let us tell you of the days of high adventure! References: Special Features Conan Unchained Cinefastique “Nine Days in Cimmeria” Cinema an...

In the Dark Ages, Magic was a weapon, Love was a mystery, Adventure was everywhere... and Dragons were real. Today we lose our minds over Vermithrax Pejorative, the greatest Dragon in cinema history. And so will you. References: Special Features Into the Lake of Fire The Final Battle Welcome to Cragganmore A Long Way to Urland Vermithrax Pejorative The Making of Dragonslayer in Dragonslayer - The...

Podcasters of the round table, assemble. John Boorman's EXCALIBUR may be a bit grittier and more 1970s-esque than the bulk of the '80s Dark Fantasy films on our slate. But the genre (and many actors' careers) simply does not exist without it. Also, this technically counts as our second Grail quest movie. References: World History Encyclopedia Excalibur History The Vintage News Excalibur History Ad...

Another world. Another time. In the age of wonder...Welcome to Part 1 of our 80s Dark Fantasy miniseries, LEGENDS OF THE EYE OF THE DUCK. Today we're blasting off to Planet Mongo, facing down (and cringing over) Ming the Merciless, and making sense of the madness that is Mike Hodges's FLASH GORDON. Also...Queen! References: Behind the Scenes of Flash Gordon Lost in Space: Nic Roeg’s Flash Gordon I...

ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS – EXCEPT EUROPA. ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE References: A Trip to the Moon (Black and White) A Trip to the Moon (Color) A Grand Day In: The Story of Cardamon Credits: Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced, by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich . This episode was edited by Erik Gunnarsson . This episode was researched by Parth Marathe . Our logo was designed by Francesca...

It's a classic romantic comedy. Lonely trash robot meets sentient space probe. You'll laugh. You'll cry. Your soul will be shattered and jettisoned into the abyss. Our last movie of Eye of the Duck: A Space Odyssey is WALL-E. So you know we had to leave you (and ourselves) in an emotional black hole. Thanks, Pixar. References: Special Features Where It Began: The Origins of Wall-E A Visit to the P...

When Ridley Scott goes to space, we follow. That's just the rule of our podcast. If you're a longtime listener, a friend of the show, or just someone who's walked past us on the street, you can probably tell how important ALIEN is to our friendship. And this is as close as we're going to get to talking about our beloved Xenomorph in this space series. The question is, though, you can take the Xeno...

Hold on. There's a whole other movie from 1998 about a doomed crew rocketing to outer space to board an asteroid and cancel humanity's extinction? Really? From the SAME year? It just wouldn't be fair to do ARMAGEDDON without DEEP IMPACT. So here we are. And hey, Elijah Wood's in this one! Rad! References: Special Features Making an Impact Creating the Perfect Traffic Jam Preparing for the End Part...

Houston, this is a kick-ass ride. Yup, it's ARMAGEDDON week. Returning to save the world from a second extinction is our old friend, filmmaker and film programmer, Desmond Thorne! Can fracking actually save the planet? Listen to find out! References: Special Features Commentary Special Effects Richard Hoover Hoyt Yeatman Pat McClung Production Design Vision of Armageddon Wardrobe/NASA Armadillo/Sh...

We all knew this day would come. You could call this a bonus. You could call it a swerve. But, listeners, let's be honest with ourselves. Jason X was going to happen on this podcast someday. And that day is today. References: Special Features Outta Space: The Making of Jason X In Space No One Can Hear You Scream Kristi is a Headbanger Jason Rebooted Todd Farmer Jason X AV Club Interview Kane Hodde...

Ever watch a movie so satisfyingly repulsive that you have no choice but to claw your eyes out and enter a chaos dimension? We have. If you haven't watched EVENT HORIZON, this is your chance. Come aboard the Lewis and Clark as we venture to Proxima Centauri and chant into an unfeeling void, "Libera Te Tutemet Ex Inferis." **Also, Adam has a lot to say about Paul W.S. Anderson's SHOPPING(!!?) Refer...

Murph. We're coming home. Join us this week for one of those "this is why we started this podcast" kind of episodes. It's no coincidence that Nolan's space epic is coming up right smack dab in the middle of our miniseries. INTERSTELLAR somehow encompasses every space movie ever made...and yet it still manages to be such a singular achievement in the genre. So you better believe we went long this w...

This is a space movie! It may only spend a total of like 20 minutes in outer space…but it still counts! For our first ever Robert Zemeckis film, we’re hanging out with Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, and a very prominent Bill Clinton down on Earth, trying to decode a (potentially problematic) broadcast from far above. Is this a bonus episode? Even we’re not completely sure. References: Entertai...

Brad Pitt is a superhero. His superpower? Depression. On this week's episode, we travel to the outer limits of our solar system in search of a very, very, bad dad. A "bad dad-stra," if you will. Really, though, As far as space movies go, it doesn't get much better than this one. References: Special Features To The Stars A Man Named Roy The Art of Ad Astra James Gray Confirms Ad Astra at Cannes 201...

I. Hate. Space. This week we're finally saying the quiet part out loud with Alfonso Cuaron's landmark (and weirdly...forgotten?) space disaster thriller starring Sandra Bullock, and our old friend, George Clooney. It's the 10 year anniversary of GRAVITY this year. Lets get some 3D IMAX screenings going, please!! References: Special Features It Began With A Story Initial Challenges: Long Shots and...

Our sun is dying. Mankind faces extinction. And on this week's episode, we're strapping ourselves to the Icarus 2 (with a payload the size of Manhattan) and attempting to create a star within a star. Should be easy, right? Listen to find out. References: Special Features Commentary with Danny Boyle Web Production Diaries Zero G Flight Anita Screens Alwin Kuchler Cliff Curtis Love Letters VFX A Bri...

How many Sam Rockwells is too many Sam Rockwells? Joining us this week to talk Duncan Jones's MOON and answer that question is returning guest, YELLOWSTONE and TWILIGHT ZONE actor, Jefferson White! **Trick question. There can never be too many Sam Rockwells. References: Special Features Commentary The Making of Moon Creating the Visual Effects Science Center Q&A with Director Duncan Jones Variety...