Hand Me the Mike

Did you ever f*** Mel Gibson? After a hiatus, Hand Me the Mike is back with one of our most fun episodes yet! Host Daniella Mazzio is joined by Minneapolis-based writer Natalie Marlin to talk about John Waters' irreverent Hollywood satire Cecil B. Demented (2000). Listen as Daniella and Natalie discuss the different eras of John Waters' career, his prescience regarding the future of filmmaking, an...

We don't want these wounds to get infected. As we near the end of 2025, host Daniella Mazzio is joined by cartoonist Whitney Wasson ( Sober Rabbit ) to discuss Michael Shannon's directorial debut Eric LaRue . Though the film (written by Brett Neveu, adapted from his play) hasn't made it into awards conversations, Daniella and Whitney discuss the 2025 release and how it encapsulates many of the fee...

Hey, you. Host Daniella Mazzio has finally emerged from the bunker (aka a month of depression) to bring you the latest Hand Me the Mike! Writer and musician Ross W. Berman IV joins to talk about Joshua Oppenheimer's first narrative feature (and a musical, too!) The End. We discuss how Oppenheimer's film is in conversation with his seminal documentary The Act of Killing , varied perspective on the...

Razzle them... dazzle them... Last week was a wild one, to say the least. We took a week off, but we're back and boy do we have a doozy! On the latest Hand Me the Mike, host Daniella Mazzio is joined by Chicago-based writer Peter Raleigh to talk about two 2009 Werner Herzog movies—both featuring Michael Shannon— My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Liste...

...Wrestlemania! In the latest Hand Me the Mike, host Daniella Mazzio is joined by Caitlin Durante, comedian, writer, educator, and co-host of the Bechdel Cast podcast . Together, they talk about Groundhog Day (1993), media conglomerates, the five stages of grief, the dissolution of Harold Ramis and Bill Murray's friendship, Groundhog Day's romance, Caitlin's memories of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania...

'Sorry' ain't gonna pay the bills, Chico! In the latest Hand Me the Mike, host Daniella Mazzio is joined by illustrator and Sidney Lumet evangelist Vincent Mollica to talk about Lumet's final film Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Topics of conversation include Lumet's actor-first process, the movie's layers of visual metaphor, the southern gothic pulse throughout the film, and how Michael Shann...

You are not alone... In the latest Hand Me the Mike, host Daniella Mazzio is joined by Jack McCoy, owner and founder of Sweet Void Cinema in Chicago, to discuss Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. Yes, we talk about James Gunn's take on Superman, but we unpack so much more, including philosophy and politics at the heart of Man of Steel, Snyder's vulgar auteurism, and why Michael Shannon brings an appropri...

There is a storm coming... In the first full episode of Hand Me the Mike, host Daniella Mazzio is joined by critic Isaac Feldberg to discuss the 2011 Jeff Nichols film Take Shelter. Listen as we discuss why Michael Shannon is "the meltdown maestro," how Take Shelter predicts the social anxieties dominating our lives today, and what makes the movie secretly a love story. Plus: A discussio...

What is it about Michael Shannon? In the introductory episode of Hand Me the Mike, host Daniella Mazzio walks through the actor's career and explores what makes him so compelling as a performer. On the next episode of Hand Me the Mike, Daniella will be joined by Chicago-based entertainment journalist, critic, and Michael Shannon super-fan Isaac Feldberg to discuss the 2011 film Take Shelter . Sign...