The Projection Booth

For the 500th episode of The Projection Booth, Skizz Cyzyk and Jeff Meyers join Mike to discuss Terry Gilliam's Brazil. A film with as fascinating a story behind and in front of the camera, Brazil tells the story of Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce), an office drone who dreams of flying away with the love of his life (Kim Greist). This episode includes the second part of our interview with Michael Palin...

Maurice Bursztynski and Skizz Cyzyk join Mike to discuss Staci Layne Wilson's documentary about The Ventures -- one of the best instrumental bands of the 20th Century. Formed in the late '50s and still going today, The Ventures are most famous for their versions of "Walk, Don't Run" and the Hawaii 5-0 theme. The documentary goes beyond the hits to show the influence that The Ventures have had for...

Wrap up 2020 with a slice of self-indulgence! It's the 10th Ego Fest where Mike answers listener mail, gives some updates about the podcast, and talks to some very special guests. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection Boot...

Mike talks to Jennifer Trainer, director of the 2019 documentary Museum Town, a look at how a contemporary art museum saved a former mill town. Visit https://www.museumtownmovie.com/ for more information! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become a supporter of T...

We're looking at a film about the end of the ‘60s, Bruce Robinson's Withnail & I. Released in 1987, the film stars Richard E. Grant as the titular Withnall -- an acerbic drunk who, along with the titular, I (Paul McGann) -- go on holiday by mistake. It's an examination of a friendship between two out of work actors. Jon Cross and Vincenzo Natali join Mike to talk about the movie while actor Ralph...

Jonathan Owen and Samm Deighan join Mike to look at three films by Lindsay Anderson that all star Malcolm McDowell as Michael “Mick” Travis. In If.... Mick is the leader of a student revolution. In O Lucky Man he’s a coffee salesman. And, in Britannia Hospital he’s an investigative reporter. We’ll be talking about how Mick changes through the three films along with their possible connections and c...

Mike talks to author Sydney L. Stern about her latest book, The Brothers Mankiewicz: Hope, Heartbreak, and Hollywood Classics. Buy it at: https://amzn.to/2Ly6lEp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.c...

Miguel Llanso's Crumbs (2015) is the story of a post apocalyptic future where items from the past are given special significance as our hero, Candy (played by Daniel Tadesse), goes on a quest, first to see the witch and then to see Santa Claus. Chris Stachiw and Mark Begley join Mike to talk about Crumbs as well as Llanso's Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway from 2019. Learn more about your ad...

Lee H. Katzin's The Phynx (1970) is a story of espionage, intrigue, rock and roll, and the generational divide. It's about a fake rock band, the titular Phynx, who are sent on the road to infiltrate Albania whose evil government has been kidnapping America's elderly celebrities. Mike Sullivan and Terry Frost join Mike to discuss the film as well as other generation gap movies like Skidoo, Sextette...

As a bonus for our episode on The Phynx, here's more of the interview with Larry Hankin where he discusses his early days in The Committee, on Laverne & Shirley, in Escape from Alcatraz, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Proje...

Jonathan Melville returns to podcast to discuss his latest book, A Kind of Magic: The Making of the Original 'Highlander'. It's an exhaustive book about Russell Mulcahey's 1986 film. Buy the book here: https://amzn.to/2HbC1xB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Be...

#Noirvember2020 concludes with a look at William Friedkin's To Live & Die in L.A. (1984). The film pits Treasury agent William Petersen as Richard Chance against Willem Dafoe as artist and forger Rick Masters. Based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Petievich, it’s an unexpected cat and mouse story bathed in the harsh light of Los Angeles. Jedidiah Ayres and Andrew Nette join Mike to discuss...

More from editor M. Scott Smith as he discusses working on The Crow, Mobsters, Darkman, and My Name is Bruce. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.com/projectionbooth 

John Badham returns to the podcast to discuss the latest edition of his invaluable guide, On Directing. Mike also talks with Mr. Badham about the Blu-Ray release of his film The Hard Way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection Boo...

Yaniv Eidelstein and Skizz Cyzyk join Mike to discuss the latest documentary feature by Alex Winter, ZAPPA. It’s a two plus hour look at composer, musician, artist, singer, agent provocateur Frank Zappa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . Become a supporter of Th...

On this special episode we’re looking at the 1984 film from director Alan Sacks, Du-Beat-E-O. It’s a movie as unusual as its name. It’s the multi-layered story of a director -- the titular Du Beat E O played by Ray Sharkey -- who is given a chore to put together a film about the band The Runaways. At the same time we hear a postmortem of the film as we’re watching it unfold courtesy of a running f...

We continue Noirvember 2020 with a look at Peter Yates’s The Friends of Eddie Coyle. Based on the novel by George V. Higgins, the film stars Robert Mitchum as the titular Coyle, an over-the-hill small time crook who’s trying to get by in the milieu of Boston’s underground. The film is rich with incredible character actors like Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Alex Rocco, and more. Andrew J. Rausch and...

On this special episode, Mike talks with author Glenn Kenny about his new book, Made Men, the Story of Goodfellas, a terrific tome all about Martin Scorsese's seminal 1990 gangster film. Get the book at https://amzn.to/2Kj23Ab Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support . B...

Noirvember 2020 continues with a look at Robert Montgomery’s Ride the Pink Horse. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Dorothy B. Hughes, the film also stars Montgomery as Lucky Gagin, a man who comes to the small town of San Pablo, New Mexico during their annual fiesta…. Jedidiah Ayres and Carol Borden join Mike to discuss the various adaptations of Ride the Pink Horse. Sarah Weinman discus...

#Noirvember 2020 kicks off with a look at John Farrow's The Big Clock (1947). Based on the 1946 novel by Kenneth Fearing, it's the story of George Stroud (Ray Milland) an editor at Crimeways magazine and employee of Earl Janoth (Charles Laughton). When a woman that both Stroud and Janoth have been sleeping with is murdered, Stroud is put on the case to find out who was last seen with the victim. A...

We're looking at David Cronenberg's The Brood. It's the story of the Carveth family and how the sins of the past visit the children of the next generation. Frank Carveth (Art Hindle) and his wife Nola (Samantha Eggar) have separated. She’s under the care of Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed). He's the head of the Somafree clinic and has mastered the art of psychoplasmics where negative thoughts and feel...

I couldn't speak to Stephen Bissette about his monograph on The Brood without also asking him about his decades working in the comic book industry. He dishes a bit about his beginnings, his work on Swamp Thing, and more. Hear the rest of our interview on The Brood episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/po...

We conclude #Shocktober2020 with a look at Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners. Made between Heavenly Creatures and the Lord of the Rings series, the film was a signal to Hollywood that Peter Jackson could play by the rules. It’s the story of Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox), a man with a gift that he can commune with the dead. He uses this to bilk the people of Fairwater out of money by haunting hous...

It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent's fritters! Heather Drain and Ben Buckingham join Mike to talk about Kevin Connor's 1980 horror/comedy starring Rory Calhoun and Nancy Parsons, Motel Hell. Connor discusses his work on the film as well as his earlier work while Frank Cotolo dishes about working with Wolfman Jack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Be...

We’re not talking about a movie for once but, instead, we’re looking at Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated. It was the eleventh incarnation of the Scooby gang and it ran from 2010 to 2013 with a total of 52 episodes spread over 156 weeks. It was also one of the best and most self-referential animated series that I’ve ever seen. Producer Mitch Watson shares some behind-the-scenes stories about the cr...