The Extras

Send us Fan Mail Matthew Field, the world's leading authority on the cult classic 1969 film THE ITALIAN JOB, joins the podcast for a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the film.  We start with a review of the cult status the film has achieved as one of the most popular films in the UK.  Matthew then takes us into the development of the film with writer Troy Kennedy Martin, producer Mic...

Send us Fan Mail In part 2 of our Warner Archive January release highlights, George Feltenstein reviews three films scheduled for Blu-ray release on January 24th.  We start off with the 1954 road comedy "The Long, Long Trailer" starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and directed by Vincente Minelli. Next, we review "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" (1939), starring Robert Donat who won a best...

Send us Fan Mail Host Tim Millard takes a look back at 2022 and the terrific line-up of guests on the podcast.  He also provides an update on some of the most popular episodes and thanks the international fans.  Then he provides reviews of the 4K releases of films "Heat" (1995), "Saturday Night Fever" (1977), "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022), and the Korean Zombie horror fi...

Send us Fan Mail George Feltenstein of Warner Bros answers questions from fans of the Warner Archive and Warner Bros catalog.  Topics discussed include how long it takes for a planned restoration or remaster and Blu-ray release, whether there is any truth to the rumor of a potentially longer version of Batman Forever and Clint Eastwood films releasing on 4K,  more musicals, silent movies, and Clar...

Send us Fan Mail George Feltenstein takes a "look back" at some of the challenges and highlights of 2022 for the Warner Archive in this "Year in Review."  Then we discuss the first two Blu-ray releases of January 2023.  We start off with the 1928 MGM classic silent film "Our Dancing Daughters" starring Joan Crawford in a star-making role.  The music and dancing in thi...

Send us Fan Mail Extras producers Emily Summers and Jason Hillhouse join the podcast for a fun-filled discussion about some of their favorite Christmas movies of the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. The traditional favorites appear, but a few surprises make the list, like  "Strange Brew" (1983) and "Gremlins" (1984). We also review the recent 4K releases of "A Christmas Story" (1...

Send us Fan Mail Documentary filmmaker Daniel Griffith joins the podcast to discuss his extras on the IMPRINT Blu-ray release of "Directing Roland Joffe (1984-92)."  These four films were released in less than a decade and represent an amazingly creative output in a short amount of time.  The films are "The Killing Fields" (1984), "The Mission" (1986), "Fat Man a...

Send us Fan Mail Warner Bros George Feltenstein and horror and monster film historian Tom Weaver take us through the December 2022 Warner Archive Blu-ray releases.  We start with the 1958 sci-fi horror film "Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" starring Allison Hayes, Yvette Vickers, and William Hudson.  Tom provides background on the film and the unfortunate tragic end to stars Hayes and Vickers...

Send us Fan Mail Actor Jim Beaver joins the podcast to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the finale of the hit TV series Supernatural.  We also discuss his work on the HBO series "Deadwood" and the current Prime Video series "The Boys" from creator Eric Kripke (also creator of Supernatural).  And we finish up our discussion with Jim's work with GUILLERMO DEL TORO on...

Send us Fan Mail Extras producers and friends of the podcast Alan Griswold and Constantine Nasr discuss their extras on some recent 4K releases. We start off the episode with filmmaker Constantine Nasr as he discusses his all-new documentary "To Kill a Mockingbird: All Points of View," which is a part of the "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962) 60th Anniversary Limited Edition 4K rel...

Send us Fan Mail Warner Bros George Feltenstein and author Alan K. Rode lead us in a nostalgic discussion of the legacy of "Casablanca." Our discussion begins with a personal look at the impact this film has had on each of our guests over the years.  Then Alan K. Rode, author of "Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film" takes us on a review of the origins of the film, including the purc...

Send us Fan Mail 20 years after their initial release, former Warner Bros Entertainment Senior Vice President of Creative Content Paul Hemstreet takes us through the initial development and production of the home entertainment extras for the first two Harry Potter films. When Warner Bros acquired the film rights to the Harry Potter franchise it marked the historic rise of one of the most profitabl...

Send us Fan Mail Cinematographer Tom Sigel joins the podcast to talk about filming the 1995 cult classic THE USUAL SUSPECTS.  Tom takes us back through his first meetings with director Bryan Singer and their collaboration on the filming style.  We also discuss the locations in San Pedro on the ship and at the old Harold Examiner Building for the interrogation scenes.  Tom talks about his collabora...

Send us Fan Mail Classic horror expert Tom Weaver joins the podcast for a fun-filled look at some of his favorite Universal Classic Monster films.  Rather than detailing all four of the new to 4K films in the Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Volume 2 release, Tom picks a favorite scene from each movie and a “why’d they do that” moment.  We start with 1931’s classic “The Mummy” starring...

Send us Fan Mail Internationally acclaimed James Bond expert and author Steven Jay Rubin joins the podcast to celebrate the 60th anniversary of “Dr. No” and the James Bond film franchise. We start with a discussion of his newly updated “The James Bond Movie Encyclopedia,” the ultimate resource for Bond fans and collectors.  Then we discuss the early development of the first Bond film before gettin...

Send us Fan Mail Warner Bros executive George Feltenstein is joined by horror expert and filmmaker Constantine Nasr to discuss the October 2022 Blu-ray releases from the Warner Archive.  We kick off the discussion with a revisit of the 1957 Hammer Horror classic  THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN" starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and directed by Terence Fisher.  Constantine Nasr reviews the e...

Send us Fan Mail Screenwriter Tim Sheridan talks about breaking into writing for animation and the path that led him to working on "Batman: The Long Halloween."  This seminal work from writer Jeph Loeb and legendary artist Tim Sale has impacted filmmakers from Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy to the recent Matt Reeves "The Batman."  Tim Sheridan give...

Send us Fan Mail LUCIFER showrunners Joe Henderson and Ildy Modrovich take a fun-filled look back at the TV series to commemorate the release of the sixth and final season on DVD and Blu-ray.   We discuss the move from Vancouver, Canada to LA between seasons 2 & 3 and the impact on the cast and crew.  And we review the extras we worked on together, including the hilarious gag reel and the feat...

Send us Fan Mail Warner Bros executive George Feltenstein takes us through the September 2022 Blu-ray releases from the Warner Archive.  We kick off the discussion with the release of two TV series on Blu-ray.  First is the popular comedy “Young Sheldon” season 5,  which includes a 100th episode retrospective featurette titled, "Time Flies When You're Having Fun: Young Sheldon at 100.&qu...

Send us Fan Mail Film historian Gary Gerani joins the podcast to discuss his documentary extra “Romantic Mysticism” on composer Billy Goldenberg.  We discuss Billy’s early career working with Steven Spielberg on the pilot for NIGHT GALLERY (Spielberg's professional directorial debut) as well as the TV movie "Duel."  Gary provided the audio commentary on the pilot for the Kino Lorber...

Send us Fan Mail Bill Hunt of The Digital Bits joins the podcast to take a deep dive into the current state of physical media, the 4K explosion, and what the future might hold.  We also discuss home entertainment trends, common consumer complaints, and how streaming is impacting the release schedules.  And Bill details the recent and future "Star Trek" motion picture 4K releases and we d...

Send us Fan Mail George Feltenstein of the Warner Archive answers fan questions in this special mailbag episode.  George addresses the questions surrounding the August release schedule, answers questions about upcoming animation and Golden Harvest releases, box sets, pre-code Hollywood titles, and many more. Otaku Media produces podcasts, behind-the-scenes extras, and media that connect creatives...

Send us Fan Mail Bob Furmanek and Jack Theakston of the 3-D Film Archive join the podcast to discuss their work on preserving classic 3D films.  In addition, we review their current 2D release of Abbott and Costello's first color film, the 1952 classic "Jack and the Beanstalk."  They review their 2 years of painstaking work on the restoration of this Cinecolor classic to create a ve...

Send us Fan Mail Max Fleischer was a pioneer in early animation and yet many of his cartoons are in desperate need of restoration.  Joining the podcast to talk about their restoration efforts in partnership with the Max Fleischer estate and Paramount pictures are Mauricio Alvarado of Rockin Pins, restorer Brandon Adams, and author and Max Fleischer expert Ray Pointer. Along the way, we discuss the...

Send us Fan Mail Warner Bros executive George Feltenstein takes us through the July 2022 Blu-ray releases from the Warner Archive.  We kick  off the discussion with the release of “Adventures of Don Juan” (1948) starring Errol Flynn and Viveca Lindfors, and directed by Vincent Sherman.   Beautifully restored in Technicolor, this film is another in the long line of swashbuckler roles for Flynn, tho...