Welcome To The Party Pal: The Mind-Bending Film & Television Podcast You Didn't Know You Needed!

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, host Michael Shields, with the help of the podcaster behind the Daddy Unscripted Podcast , Timothy Wheaton, celebrates a bevy of movies that are brimming with all the feels, ones that have become profoundly embedded in American's year end rituals and celebrations. Throughout this ode to Holiday / Christmas films, you will find Michael and Timothy diving...

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, host Michael Shields — with the help of actor / comedian / writer / director and host of the podcast God Ween Evan , Will Nunziata — dissects  A Face in the Crowd , the 1957 film starring Andy Griffith (in his film debut), Patricia Neal, and Walter Matthau, and directed by Elia Kazan ( Gentleman's Agreement, On The Wat...

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, hosts Michael Shields and Chris Thompson examine Raised By Wolves , the science fiction drama television series created by Aaron Guzikowski that premiered on HBO Max on September 3, 2020. The first two episodes were directed by Ridley Scott who also serves as an executive producer for the show.  Raised By Wol...

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, host Michael Shields, along with film historian Christian Niedan, examines the recently released film Kajillionaire , from acclaimed writer/director Miranda July. The moving and wildly original comedy tells the story of con-artists Theresa (Debra Winger) and Robert (Richard Jenkins) who have spent twenty-six years training their only daughter, Old Dolio...

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, hosts Michael Shields and Mitch Lucas conclude a two part exploration of, and an ode to, 1980’s horror films. In what was a truly game-changing decade, rife with unfathomable ingenuity and creativity, 1980’s horror films launched franchises, birthed tropes that define the genre to this day, and redefined possibilities in filmmaking, not just for horror...

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, hosts Michael Shields and Mitch Lucas commence a two part exploration of, and an ode to, 1980’s horror films. In what was a truly game-changing decade, rife with unfathomable ingenuity and creativity, 1980’s horror films launched franchises, birthed tropes that define the genre to this day, and redefined possibilities in filmmaking, not just for horror...

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal host Michael Shields, with the help of film historian Christian Niedan, delves into the nature of truth, and of art, and of the fine line that exists between deception and entertainment. To do this properly, two documentaries that expose the craft of deception are analyzed. First up, An Honest Liar,  a documentary about the world-famous magician, es...

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, host Michael Shields, along with the help of podcaster ( Brokedown Podcast / The Helping Friendly Podcast ) and musician Jonathan Hart, explores the recently-released micro-documentary John Was Trying To Contact Aliens . Directed by Matthew Killip and featuring electronic whiz John Shepherd, the documentary tells the story of a man who tried to contact...

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, hosts Michael Shields and Justin Wells focus their aim at the period drama television show Perry Mason , based on the character of the same name created by Erle Stanley Gardner. The series premiered in June on HBO and was developed and written by Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald. Starring Matthew Rhys in the title role, Perry Mason explores the origin tal...

In this episode Welcome To The Party Pal focuses its gaze on a new short film written and directed by one of the hosts of the podcast, Mitch Lucas, That film, Coin Catcher , shot entirely on 16mm and Super 8 film, stars David Carl as Kelly No-Drop, a former world record Coin Catcher in search of his former greatness. The film also stars Katie Hartman as Dez and David Bluvband as Boss Boom. Coin Ca...

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, host Michael Shields, with the help of film historian Christian Niedan, explore the numerous adaptations of Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game" (also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff"). The renowned tale features a big-game hunter from New York City who falls off a yacht and swims to what seems to be an abandoned and isolated islan...

I n an episode that acts as an introduction to one of the most exciting and influential periods of cinematic history, Welcome To The Party Pal hosts Mitch Lucas and Michael Shields explore the French New Wave, an art film movement which emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconoc...

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, hosts Mitch Lucas and Michael Shields explore the 1963 Italian surrealist comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini,  8 1⁄2 . It stars Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi, a famous Italian film director who suffers from stifled creativity as he attempts to direct an epic science fiction film.  8&n...

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, host Michael Shields, with the help of film historian and writer Christina Niedan, explores the latest release from prolific filmmaker Spike Lee entitled Da Five Bloods . The film's plot follows a group of aging Vietnam War veterans who return to the country in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader, as well as a treasure they buried wh...

In the third and final installment of a three-part series breaking down the meticulously crafted and thought-provoking HBO series The Leftovers , hosts Chris Thompson and Michael Shields seek to interpret one of the most penetrating television shows of all time. The Leftovers is the supernatural mystery drama created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, based on Perrotta's novel of the same name. T...

In the second installment of a three part series breaking down the meticulously crafted and thought provoking HBO series The Leftovers , hosts Chris Thompson and Michael Shields seek to interpret one of the most penetrating television shows of all time. The Leftovers is the supernatural mystery drama created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, based on Perrotta's novel of the same name. The series...

In the first of a three part series breaking down the meticulously crafted and thought provoking HBO series The Leftovers , hosts Chris Thompson and Michael Shields seek to interpret one of the most penetrating television shows of all time. The Leftovers is the supernatural mystery drama created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, based on Perrotta's novel of the same name. The series begins three...

In this latest episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, hosts Mitch Lucas and Michael Shields celebrate the eccentric, provocative, and and thought-provoking works of famed Greek film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter Georgios "Yorgos" Lanthimos .  Yorgos has received four Academy Award nominations for his work, including Best Foreign Language Film for ...

Welcome To the Party Pal meticulously explores the ins-and-outs of Nexflix’s fascinating money-laundering drama Ozark , the crime drama series created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams starring Jason Bateman and the multi-talented Laura Linney as a married Chicago couple forced to relocate their family to the Ozarks following a money laundering scheme gone wrong. Ozark has garnered fourteen Primet...

Welcome To the Party Pal meticulously explores the breakout hit  Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness , the true crime documentary miniseries about the life of zookeeper Joe Exotic released by Netflix on March 20, 2020. The series focuses on the small but deeply interconnected society of big cat conservationists such as Carole Baskin, owner of&nb...

Welcome To the Party Pal meticulously explores the in-and-outs of a compelling new addition to the Star Trek franchise — Star Trek: Picard . Picard is a web/television series featuring the character Jean-Luc Picard (in a role reprised by the brilliant Sir Patrick Stewart), created for CBS All Access and developed by Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, Kirsten Beyer, and Alex Kurtzman. It is the eighth...

In this episode, hosts Michael Shields and Justin Wells celebrate the tenth season of the HBO comedy television series  Curb Your Enthusiasm , created by and starring Larry David as a fictionalized version of himself. The series follows Larry in his life as a semi-retired television writer and producer and stars Cheryl Hines as his wife Cheryl, Jeff Garlin as his manager a...

Even though the menacing year that is 2020 is in full swing, Welcome To The Party Pal takes a look back at one of 2019's most acclaimed and captivating films, 1917 .  1917  is a British epic war film directed, co-written, and produced by Sam Mendes. The film stars George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, and features assists from Mark Strong, A...

I an Mckellen is a legend of stage and cinema. He has incredibly starred in over four hundred plays and films and he is that rare character actor that awes in each and every performance. McKellen is a celebrity of such distinguished political and social service that it has transcended his international fame to reach beyond the stage and screen. The breadth of his career — professional, personal an...

Welcome To The Party Pal invites you to join in on an in-depth look at an exciting mixture of Hollywood filmmakers on the eve of what appears to be a golden age for female action directors. Inspired by an article by film historian Christian Niedan (who is featured in this episode) entitled " The Women of Action ," this episode celebrates a bounty of talented female directors taking Hollywood...