Mike gives a few capsule reviews of titles playing at this year's Fantasia film festival: Class Action Park, Feels Good Man, Tiny Tim - King for a Day, Clapboard Jungle, Hail to the Deadites, Monster Seafood Wars, Traveling Cat Chronicles, Survival Skills, Patrick, The Columnist. This episode also features an interview with the director of The Columnist, Ivo Van Aarte. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podc...
Aug 30, 2020•50 min
We are looking at Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. Based on the novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws is the story of Sheriff Martin Brody -- a former New York City cop who’s moved to the idyllic island community of Amity. All is going well in his white picket world until a Great White Shark picks the waters around Amity as a feeding ground. Jamie Benning (Inside Jaws) and Chris Sasser (Shark City) join Mike to discuss the film that defined what a "blockbuster summer hit" was. Screenwriter Carl Gottlieb (The Ja...
Aug 28, 2020•2 hr 57 min
Mike talks to Amy Stoch about her time on Star Search, working with James Arness, and playing Missy / Mom in the three Bill & Ted films. Party on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.com/projectionbooth...
Aug 28, 2020•32 min
F for Fake, the 1973 essay film from Orson Welles is a story of art forgery, the phony autobiography of Howard Hughes, and quite a bit of sleight of hand from our humble narrator, Mr. Welles himself. Peter Flynn and Spencer Parsons join Mike to discuss hoaxes, magic tricks, and the power of editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support . Become a supporter ...
Aug 26, 2020•1 hr 57 min
Mike spoke to writer/director Michael Almereyda about his latest film, Tesla (2020) which stars Ethan Hawke as the titular inventor. Almereyda's Tesla script was one of the first things he wrote and was initially optioned in the early '80s. But, good ideas never die! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http:/...
Aug 21, 2020•29 min
It’s showtime, folks! On this episode we’re talking about Bob Fosse’s 1979 film All That Jazz. It’s definitely not an autobiographical picture about a choreographer slash director (Roy Scheider) who’s working on his previous film about a groundbreaking stand-up comedian (Cliff Gorman) while rehearsing his next Broadway sensation. It’s definitely not about Fosse facing down the specter of mortality and expressing it the best way he knows how. David Kittredge and Emma Westwood join Mike to discuss...
Aug 19, 2020•3 hr 42 min•Season 1Ep. 481
Mike talks with Charles Mruz about his 2020 documentary Gamemaster -- the story of game development, play, and how games bring us together. Gamemaster is now available to rent/buy/stream on most major streaming platforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.com/projectionbooth...
Aug 14, 2020•29 min
We're discussing the film from co-directors Josie Hess and Isabel Peppard, Morgana (2019). It's the story of Morgana Muses, a former housewife who found her path to self expression and fulfillment via making personal, often very adult, films. Lisa Vandever and Kevin Heffernan join Mike to talk about this powerful documentary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/su...
Aug 13, 2020•1 hr 25 min
We’re discussing the 1985 film from Wolfgang Petersen, Enemy Mine. Based on a novella by Barry Longyear, the film stars Dennis Quaid as Davidge and Lou Gossett Jr. as Jerry. The two are of different races -- one human, one drac -- who find themselves stranded on a hostile world. Corine and Tim Luz from the Cinemaspection podcast join Mike to discuss the odd journey of Enemy Mine from novella to finished film including the initial work by original director Richard Loncraine. Learn more about your...
Aug 12, 2020•3 hr 12 min
In a special cross-over with the See/Hear Podcast, we're discussing Suzi Q (2019) a documentary from Liam Firmager about Detroit's own Suzi Quatro, who left the States early in her career and became more of a rock star in the UK and Australia while not charting as high as she should in her home country. She became known more in the U.S. thanks to her many appearances on Happy Days as the character Leather Tuscadero. The film looks at her career overall, showing what a wild ride it’s been. Leon C...
Aug 10, 2020•2 hr 3 min
Mike talks with author/screenwriter Scott Smith about his latest film, The Burnt Orange Heresy -- an adaptation of Charles Willeford's wonderful book about a sociopathic art critic. Mr. Smith also discusses his earlier work from A Simple Plan to The Ruins to Siberia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http:/...
Aug 07, 2020•21 min
We are looking at the 1984 film from writer/director Michael Crichton, Runaway. It’s the tale of Jack Ramsay (Tom Selleck) a member of the Runaway unit who takes care of errant robots. He’s a single dad with a son and a robot at home and a new partner on his team, Karen Thompson (Cynthia Rhodes). He’s put on a case which leads him to the dastardly Luther (Gene Simmons). Carol Borden (The Cultural Gutter) and Josh Stewart join Mike to discuss this quasi-futuristic tale. Learn more about your ad c...
Aug 05, 2020•1 hr 26 min
We’re looking at the 1985 film from director Mark L. Lester, Commando. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger at PEAK Schwarzenegger. The film really defines 80s action movies -- hyper violence, a killer soundtrack, and corny one-liners. The only things missing are gay panic and a good dose of misogyny. Ti Singh (In Search of the Last Action Heroes) and Chris Stachiw (The Kulturecast) join Mike to discuss action films, Schwarzenegger, the unmade sequel, the Russian remake, and more. Learn more abo...
Jul 30, 2020•2 hr 28 min
We conclude Cinema Novo month with a look at Glauber Rocha’s The Lion has Seven Heads, though, this movie seems to be post-Cinema Novo and wasn’t even made in Brazil. Instead, this film was made after Rocha was exiled from Brazil and shot in Brazzaville in the Democratic Republic of Congo along with help from French and Italian producers. Chris Stachiw and Heather Drain join Mike to discuss this dense political treatise about colonialism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...
Jul 29, 2020•1 hr 6 min
We're discussing Better Off Dead (1985) from writer/director Savage Steve Holland. The film stars John Cusack as Lane Myer, a high school student obsessed with his girlfriend, Beth. When Beth breaks up with him -- throwing Lane over for Roy Stalin, a jock douchebag who can ski the most dangerous mountain around -- Lane attempts suicide several times… like you do in a good comedy. Jess Byard and Mike "McBeardo" McPadden, author of Teen Movie Hell, join Mike to discuss the film and its fast follow...
Jul 24, 2020•3 hr 37 min
Cinema Novo month continues with a look at Joaquim Pedro de Andrade’s Macumaia. Based on the 1928 Modernist novel of the same name by Mário de Andrade (no relation). Some see the Cinema Novo movement ending around 1967 while others say that it simply entered another phase. Regardless, Macunaima is unlike any other movie we’ve discussed this month so far and it might be in the running as a favorite film overall. It’s wild, colorful, and filled with enough subtext to choke a horse. Chris Stachiw a...
Jul 22, 2020•1 hr 7 min
On this special episode of The Projection Booth, Mike talks to writer/director/actor Oliver Robins about his latest film, Celebrity Crush (2019). The film stars Robins as a celebrity who is kidnapped by an obsessive fan after a one night fling at a convention. Hear the rest of our interview with Mr. Robins on our Poltergeist episode in October! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-...
Jul 17, 2020•30 min
Cinema Novo month continues with a look at Glauber Raucha’s Terra em Transe also known as Entranced Earth or Land of Anguish. It’s the story of the mythical country of El Dorado where the events seem to oddly parallel the political upheaval of Brazil from 1960 to 1966. It was initially banned by the Brazilian government until enough public outcry allowed it to be shown domestically as well as in film festivals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of ...
Jul 15, 2020•1 hr 7 min
On this very special episode of The Projection Booth we're looking at the films of Trent Harris, specifically The Beaver Trilogy (2000) which includes a documentary segment about Utah native "Groovin' Gary" along with two narrative remakes (starring Sean Penn and Crispen Glover in the Gary role). We also look at the documentary about The Beaver Trilogy from director Brad Besser called The Beaver Trilogy Part IV. Bill Ackerman and Rahne Alexander join Mike to discuss the Beaver Trilogy films as w...
Jul 10, 2020•1 hr 57 min
Cinema Novo month continues with a look at Glauber Rocha's Black God, White Devil (and its follow-up, Antonio Das Mortes). It's two stories in one as our main character, Manuel, kills his boss and then goes on the run, becoming a follower of Sebastian (the Black God of the title) before eventually becoming a follower of Corisco (the White Devil). Ken Stanley and Chris Stachiw join Mike to discuss Rocha's work before and after the political coup that changed Brazilian history. Learn more about yo...
Jul 08, 2020•1 hr 12 min
We are kicking off a month of shows discussing the Cinema Novo movement from Brazil with a look at Nelson Pereira dos Santos’s 1963 film Vidas Secas. Also known as Barren Lives, the film is based on a 1938 novel by Graciliano Ramos. It’s the story of a family trying to survive in the scraggly countryside of Northeast Brazil. We join them as they search for a place to live, a way to put food on their table, and how to make enough money to buy a leather bed. Chris Stachiw and Trevor Gumbel join Mi...
Jul 01, 2020•54 min
Can Dialectics Break Bricks? is the 1973 film from Rene Vienet which is a re-dubbing of the 1972 film Crush. The film re-tells re-tells the story of Crush as the story of a bunch of rotten bureaucrats who have oppressed the working class long enough. The workers look forward to a day when the landlords will all hang, priests will be cut in two and the churches will be burned to the ground. Spencer Parsons and Rob St. Mary join Mike to to discuss the Situationist movement, detournement, and its m...
Jun 24, 2020•2 hr 31 min
We’re looking at the 1971 film from James Bidgood, Pink Narcissus. It’s a wordless film which tells the story of a young hustler played by Bobby Kendall who engages in a series of fantasies throughout an evening. The film was shot on 8mm but still presents a lush, fantastic color palette and incredible sets that are even more incredible when the viewer remembers that this was all shot in Bidgood’s Hell’s Kitchen apartment. Maitland McDonagh and David Kittredge join Mike to discuss lyrical pornog...
Jun 17, 2020•1 hr 13 min
Jess Byard and Heather Drain join Mike to discuss the Panic Movement and Fernando Arrabal's freshman film, Viva La Muerte. It's the surrealistic tale of Fando, a boy whose mother sold his father out to the fascists during the Spanish Civil War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support . Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.com/projec...
Jun 10, 2020•1 hr 17 min
Daniel Kremer and Jarrod Labine join Mike to discuss The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart. Based loosely on Robert T. Westbrook’s book of the same name, the film follows the exploits of the unlikely-named protagonist who’s not very likable, Stanley Sweetheart (Don Johnson). He fancies himself an underground filmmaker and Lothario. The film follows him on his exploits as he navigates life, women, and the scene in 1970’s New York. Our episode features interviews with Robert Westbrook, actress Li...
Jun 03, 2020•3 hr 9 min
Bro, on this special episode of The Projection Booth we're looking at the 2001 movie from R. D. Robb, Don's Plum. The film remains officially unreleased in the U.S. while available legally in other parts of the world. The film stars a group of young actors known as "The Pussy Posse" including Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Macguire. It's about a group of guys who bring their dates to the titular diner where they talk, boast, and engage in bathroom-bound monologues. Mike Sullivan (Shock Cinema, Cine...
Jun 01, 2020•2 hr 41 min
French Month concludes with a look at Jean Rollin's Lips of Blood (1975). The film stars Jean-Loup Philippe as Frederic, a man who, one night at a party, sees a photograph of a gothic castle that triggers a memory. He suddenly recalls a time when he was young when a young woman gave him shelter for the night. After that he's plagued by visions of her and feels the need to reconnect. Maitland McDonagh and Samm Deighan join Mike to talk about Rollin, cinemafantastique, and Suck Me, Vampire. Learn ...
May 27, 2020•1 hr 42 min
French Month continues with a look at Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Le Corbeau. Also known as The Raven, the film was released in 1943 and made by Continental Films, a German company operated in France during World War II. It’s the story of the small town of Saint Robin which is plagued by a poison pen letter writer who torments citizens with scandalous details of their lives, turning people against one another and casting a net of suspicion across the entire region. Special guest Judith Mayne (Woman ...
May 20, 2020•2 hr 22 min
We’re looking at a new series called Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time. Directed by Danny Wolf, the title might tip you off that this is a documentary about cult movies with an audacious title and scope. Rod Lott and Chris Stachiw join Mike to discuss this 5 1/2 hour, 3 part series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support . Become a supporter of T...
May 18, 2020•1 hr 37 min
French Month continues with a look at Alain Renais's Last Year at Marienbad (1961). Based on a script by Alain Robbe-Grillet, the film tells the tale of three characters, M, A, and X, as they wander the halls and grounds of a vast hotel in Marienbad. What are their relationships? What are they doing in Marienbad? How does this film take apart everything that we think we know about narrative storytelling? We'll try to figure some of that out as we go along. Jim Vendiola and Samm Deighan join Mike...
May 13, 2020•1 hr 45 min
