Eye of the Duck: A Film Podcast

Today, we're saying farewell to Ethan Hunt and our entire MISSION miniseries with the squad who helped us produce it. That's right, the whole EyeMF is here, including our researcher, Parth Marathe, our editor, Erik Gunnarson, and a very special special call-in from our chief analyst, Brendon Bigley. Mission: Accomplished. Also, listen through to the end for the reveal of our next miniseries! Credi...

TOP GUN BONUS. Pausing our exploration of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movies for a TOP GUN: MAVERICK bonus episode. No further information needed. Well you in the skies. [Jet engine noises]  References: Tom Cruise Playboy Interview Eddie Hamilton Craft Services Interview Joseph Kosinski Vulture Interview Joseph Kosinski Deadline Interview Making of Flying Sequence IndieWire Val Kilmer Collider Interview V...

At last, the fallout of our entire MISSION IMPOSSIBLE series is here. This week, it’s M:I-FALLOUT, featuring mustache drama, arm reloads, and the unspeakably dangerous HALO jump. Join us! References: Blu-Ray Special Features: Light the Fuse Top of the World The Big Swing Rendezvous in Paris The Fall The Hunt is On Cliffside Crash Christopher McQuarrie Empire Podcast Interview Christopher McQuarrie...

It’s ROGUE NATION today, and we’d like to thank all the honorable workers out there, especially the members of the IMF who risk their lives every day protecting us from the dark and evil Syndicate forces. Thanks, IMF!! Happy Labor Day.  References: Blu-Ray Special Features: Commentary Lighting the Fuse Cruise Control Heroes Cruising Altitude Mission: Immersible Sand Theft Auto The Missions Continu...

We’ve initiated Ghost Protocol on Dom. For this week’s episode on the fourth MISSION IMPOSSIBLE film, Adam is joined by Eye of the Duck Chief Analyst Brendon Bigley from the very good Into the Aether podcast. Or is it Dom in a mask? Listen to find out.  References: Blu-Ray Special Features: Suiting Up in Pragu Heating Up in Dubai Vancouver Fisticuffs The Russian Prison Shooting in IMAX Stepping in...

What do random Italian garbage men, Ethan Hunt, a “traffic statistician”, and Philip Seymour Hoffman all have in common? They’re all played by Tom Cruise in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III.  This week, our mission is to find out who the hell Ethan Hunt really is.  References: Blu-Ray Special Features: Commentary with JJ Abrams and Tom Cruise Making the Mission Inside the IMF Mission: Action Visualizing th...

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 is utter chaos. Batshit action drenched in sweat, fire, and doves. Finding one scene that could represent the whole movie is a ridiculously difficult task. But this isn't Mission: Difficult. It's Mission: Impossible, here on EYE: OF THE DUCK week 2.  References: Behind the Mission (Blu-Ray Special Feature) Mission Incredible (Blu-Ray Special Feature) Impossible Shots (Blu-Ray...

Welcome to the premiere of our new miniseries, EYE: OF THE DUCK! Today's episode is all about the worst mission of Ethan Hunt's life. It’s Brian De Palma's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. Will you accept it? This message will self destruct in five seconds. References: Explosive Exploits (Blu-Ray Special Feature) Langley Heist (Blu-Ray Special Feature) Catching the Train (Blu-Ray Special Feature) MISSION: IMP...

Jurassic Summer is over. Long live Jurassic Summer. Credits: Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced, by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich . This episode was edited by Erik Gunnarsson . Our intro and outro themes were lovingly mashed together from various tracks of the original Jurassic Park soundtrack album composed by John Williams. Our logo was designed by Francesca Volerich , you can purchas...

It's a million degrees outside, and it feels like a swarm of flaming locusts are raining on the earth. It's the perfect setting for JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION, Colin Trevorrow's roaring apocalypse to one of cinema's biggest franchises, and the penultimate episode of our Jurassic Summer miniseries! References: Why Colin Trevorrow Didn’t End ‘Jurassic World’ Trilogy with ‘Fantasy Movie’ About ‘Chomping...

This week, we contend with the terrifying notion that in 2018, the Jurassic Park franchise goes from awe-inspiring to downright apocalyptic. And the series has stayed that way ever since. Welcome to JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM. References: On Set with Chris and Bryce (Blu-Ray Special Feature) The Kingdom Evolves (Blu-Ray Special Feature) Birth of the IndoRaptor (Blu-Ray Special Feature) Rooftop...

We’re back! John Hammond told us to spare no expense. So here we are on PART 2 of our JURASSIC SUMMER miniseries, gyrosphering back to Isla Nublar for the first time in 14 years to investigate the first entry of the JURASSIC WORLD trilogy!  References: Chris and Colin Take on the World (Blu-Ray Special Feature) Dinosaurs Roam Once Again (Blu-Ray Special Feature) Welcome to Jurassic World (Blu-Ray...

Bonus episode!!! As we tie off our back-to-back Spielberg miniseries, we figured there'd never be a better time to figure out what the hell was going on with READY PLAYER ONE. Also, the movie has a T-Rex. *The* T-Rex. So it counts. Welcome to the Oasis, gamers. Credits: Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, produced, by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich . This episode was edited by Erik Gunnarsson . Our th...

Somehow...Alan Grant has returned! This week we are hang-gliding back to Isla Sorna to meet the scary Spinosaurus and unpack a taut sequel that has aged like untouched raptor eggs. It's JURASSIC PARK III, and it deserved better! References: Return to Jurassic Park (Blu-Ray Special Feature) The Making of Jurassic Park III (Blu-Ray Special Feature) Joe Johnston in IGN Joe Johnston in DVDFile Joe Joh...

Thank god for Site B. This week's episode is all about Isla Sorna, the *other* InGen island full of genetically-engineered nightmare monsters...THE LOST WORLD.  Is this movie really as disappointing as we all remember? Or are we just judging it by impossible Spielberg standards? Only one way to find out... References: Return to Jurassic Park (Blu-Ray Special Feature) The Making of The Lost World:...

[T-Rex roar] Our summer miniseries has begun! It's JURASSIC PARK!!!  Dinosaurs, Spielberg, the birth of modern CGI, and the great and terrible extinction of the old ways of making movies. We spared no expense.  Welcome to Jurassic Summer. References:  Return to Jurassic Park (Blu-Ray Special Feature) The Making of Jurassic Park (Blu-Ray Special Feature) HBO's Spielberg Phil Tippet: Mad Dreams and...

What a miniseries! This week we're riding off into the sunset, wrapping up the 4 films we covered in our INDIANA JONES miniseries, unveiling our **mysterious new video project** and announcing our next miniseries! Farewell Indy, Steven, and George...for now 🦖 Credits: Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced, by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich . This episode was edited by Dom Nero. Our logo wa...

It’s the final film of the INDIANA JONES saga (for now), and we finally got our chance to speak with Mr. George Lucas himself. From the Dead Eyes Podcast and George Lucas Talk Show, it’s Connor Ratliff!  Join us as we explore the KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL.  References: Interview with John Hurt LA Times Timeline Interview with Spielberg and Lucas in EW Spielberg in Vanity Fair Lucas in Vanity Fa...

**BONUS*** For this week’s episode, we spent about 3 hours with the great Brendon Bigley living inside George Lucas's brain and exploring MYSTERY OF THE BLUES, an episode of the YOUNG INDIANA JONES television series where a bearded Harrison Ford uncovers a tiny saxophone from his past, and, yes, saves jazz.  This TV show, really, truly, belongs in a museum. References: Young Indy at The Raider. Ne...

What if Indiana Jones** had a dad? What if his dad was James Bond? And what if they were both horny for the same woman? These questions and more, answered in this week's episode on INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. **Indiana was the dog's name References: An Oral History of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The Making of The Last Crusade at Raider. Net 15 Things You Didn't Know about Last Crusa...

This week’s episode is all about holding many thoughts at once: Is TEMPLE OF DOOM racist? Yes. Is it mean-spirited? Yes. But does Short Round also kick ass? That’s what makes this so hard…Joining us today to help wade through the minefield of this film is our old friend Warren Chao! References: How Temple of Doom Changed the MPAA Rating System An Oral History of Temple of Doom The Making of Temple...

Spring is here and it's the start of a new adventure for us here at Eye of the Duck. Over the next month we'll be exploring the legendary scenes of the INDIANA JONES franchise, starting with one of the most influential films movies ever made, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Joining us today in our search for the Ark of Covenant is Academy Award winning director Shawn Christensen! References: An Oral Hist...

Demon hotels, Liam Neeson, toxic fans, goblin babies, time-traveling ghouls, Things, Things, and more Things...we saw it all this winter. But it's time to say goodbye. Our April miniseries will kick off next week. Until then, farewell, Winter Hell. Credits: Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced, by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich . This episode was edited by Dom Nero. Our intro song for Wint...

This week, it’s John Carpenter’s THE THING! At last! We have arrived at the end of our icy tour of winter horror films.  Next week, we’ll be wrapping up AND announcing our next miniseries 👁🦆 References: The Thing: Terror Takes Shape The Thing Blu-Ray from Shout Factory Credits: Eye of the Duck is created, hosted, and produced, by Dom Nero and Adam Volerich . This episode was edited by Dom Nero. O...

What was the original THING that came before THE THING and also before the the prequel to THE THING?  It's 1951’s THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, where the titular Thing is basically Carrot Frankenstein...and we fucking loved it. Really, it's worth watching. References: John Carpenter on "The Thing from Another World" The Making of "The Thing from Another World" in American Cinematographer Christian...