When the Maysles brothers showed up at Grey Gardens, they thought they were filming a quick piece on Jackie O’s quirky relatives. Instead, they uncovered Big and Little Edie Beale—an isolated mother-daughter duo living in shocking squalor, feeding raccoons in their attic, and completely frozen in time. In the second episode of Out of Frame, Lizzie and Chris are joined by Watch What Crappens hosts Ben Mandelker and Ronnie Karam to unpack the wild behind-the-scenes story of the 1975 documentary ‘G...
Nov 21, 2025•1 hr 23 min
There’s no 'Toy Story' without Pixar, and there’s no Pixar without… Steve Jobs. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first computer animated feature film ever, Chris and Lizzie dive into the story behind 1995’s absolutely miraculous 'Toy Story'. Find out why an early version of Woody made Disney almost pull the plug, how Tim Allen changed Buzz Lightyear, and why George Lucas let Pixar slip through his fingers for only $10M. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 17, 2025•1 hr 22 min
What if you got a do-over on the score of a lifetime? Would you take your shot, or walk away? Join Chris & Lizzie as they infiltrate the incredible crew behind 'Heat' and learn how Michael Mann was finally able to pull off his sprawling LA crime drama yet still ended up getting robbed… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 10, 2025•1 hr 28 min
Michael Mann meets his match in one of the most dedicated method actors of all time: Daniel Day-Lewis. Join Chris and Lizzie as they chronicle Mann’s obsessively detail-oriented 1992 historical epic ‘The Last of the Mohicans’. Find out how on-set strikes and last-minute firings caused turmoil behind the scenes, and why ‘Dances with Wolves’ inspired Russell Means (Chingachgook) to join the cast… but not for the reasons you might think. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 03, 2025•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 158
Paint your leaves yellow and orange and scatter them across the yard, because it's springtime in Pasadena and Halloween is coming to town! Chris & Lizzie plumb the depths of the real Michael Myers, how John Carpenter's career was saved by UK audiences, and why you should never show anyone your movie without music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 27, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 157
When Natalie Wood drowned in 1981 she was only 43 years old. Thanks to films like ‘West Side Story’, ‘Rebel Without a Cause’, and ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ she was an icon, but she’d been out of the spotlight for almost a decade. Wood was in the midst of filming her comeback, ‘Brainstorm’, when she, her co-star Christopher Walken, and her husband Robert Wagner took their yacht out for Thanksgiving weekend. What happened that night depends on who you ask… and when you ask them. Join Chris, Lizzie,...
Oct 24, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 158
In 1999, a found footage documentary showed audiences the terrifying last days of 3 intrepid filmmakers before they disappeared forever. Thanks to the popularity of the film, their mothers received condolence calls and police offered to reopen their case - there was just one problem… they were actors and they were very much alive. ‘The Blair Witch Project’ shattered box office records thanks in no small part to its brilliant viral marketing campaign. But while studios made millions, its incredib...
Oct 20, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 156
This week Chris and Lizzie dive into Wes Craven's nightmares, bask in Johnny Depp's nauseatingly green performance, and marvel at Freddy Krueger's culinary inspired makeup. Plus, how Bob Shaye's leap of faith on Elm Street gave us Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings", Wes Craven's failed attempts to make a nice movie, and the unexpected benefits of setting yourself on fire, literally and otherwise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 13, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 155
Tom Cruise was thrilled to be cast in 1994’s ‘Interview with the Vampire’ - he'd been a fan of the books since his teens. Imagine his surprise when he found out that author Anne Rice absolutely hated him. Join Chris and Lizzie as they break down this bloodsucking behind the scenes battle of the wills! Find out why this movie took almost 20 years to make, what made Brad Pitt utterly miserable on set, and which part Cher almost played! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 06, 2025•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 154
As we crawl into spooky season, Lizzie pries open the caskets of vampires past. Join us for a plunge into the dark history and shimmering evolution of the vampires we all know and eternally love, from their origins in Eastern Europe to the Anne Rice renaissance and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 03, 2025•19 min•Ep. 155
Who has nine lives, one Oscar, a Razzie and a check for $12-14 million? Halle Berry, and we love her for it. This week, Chris, Lizzie and Ryan Bailey (of the 'So Bad It's Good' podcast) explore a cinematic furball solidly centered in the pantheon of so bad its good greatness. They dive deep on Catwoman's origins, then throw them away just like Warner Bros. did in an effort to make a movie for... cat lovers? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 29, 2025•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 153
Elephants, dysentery, and cannibalism, oh my! Join Chris and Lizzie as they venture down the river in 1951’s ‘The African Queen’. Find out why Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and John Huston ventured to Africa to escape HUAC, how they were terrorized by bugs, and why John may have accidentally… eaten a person. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 22, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 152
How did two Bobs, fresh off back-to-back flops, the studio's second choice sitcom star, and a script that changed more than Marty's future, er, present, become one of the most beloved movies of all time? Plus, Sid Sheinberg's terrible title ideas, the origins of "nuking the fridge," and how Crispin Glover girded SAG for the AI battle of the 2020s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 15, 2025•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 151
What if Rob Reiner hadn’t directed ‘This Is Spinal Tap’? What if the classic 1984 rockumentary had never even existed? This week Chris and Lizzie go to eleven with a behind the scenes look at why no one wanted to finance Spinal Tap, how Tom Petty served as inspiration, and why it took 36 years and a $400M lawsuit for its creators to finally get paid. In honor of ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’, join us on this journey behind the scenes with one of England’s loudest bands. Hosted on Acast. See...
Sep 08, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 149
Come see us live! Oct. 8th and 9th at the Caveat Theater in Manhattan! Head to cheerfulearful.com/podlifeevents.com and click on our show dates for tickets! They say one man's dream is another man's nightmare, but what if your nightmare is the leading man of your dream? Join Chris and special guests Casey O'Brien and Mille De Chirico of "Dear Movies, I Love You" as they head down river with Werner Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo", a Sisyphean endeavor to bring a Sisyphean endeavor to the silver screen. C...
Sep 01, 2025•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 148
Between overly involved band members, a completely absent director, and a huge legacy for lead actor Rami Malek to live up to, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ had more than its fair share of problems. This week Lizzie and Chris dive into one of the messiest biopic productions in movie history and discover why it took so long to FINALLY fire director Bryan Singer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 25, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 146
You’d be hard pressed to find someone who’s contributed to more of your nightmares than Alec Gillis. He’s behind creature designs for monsters from Predators to Xenomorphs, Graboids, to brain bugs and everything in between. Join Chris and Lizzie as they discuss his career, creatures, and his favorite James Cameron memory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 22, 2025•58 min•Ep. 145
How do you satirize a self-serious sci-fi staple? Any way you can! This week, Chris & Lizzie drop in on Paul Verhoeven's widely misunderstood anti-fascist spectacle and try to figure out how the cast of 90210 was employed to battle some of Phil Tippett's best-looking creations on Klendathu. Come see us live! Oct. 8th and 9th at the Caveat Theater in Manhattan! Head to cheerfulearful.com/podlifeevents.com and click on our show dates for tickets! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...
Aug 18, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 144
Join Chris as he creeps and crawls through humanity's fear of some of its most helpful planetary cohabitants: bugs, and how they have evolved as on-screen foes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 15, 2025•21 min•Ep. 143
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & Kill Bill: Vol 2 were never intended to be two separate movies - but Quentin Tarantino’s vision proved too expansive and the production too unruly. Join Chris and Lizzie as they explore how The Bride was born, why it took 10 years for her to make it to the screen, and how a reckless car accident on set temporarily destroyed Tarantino’s complicated relationship with Uma Thurman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Aug 11, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 142
Hope is a powerful thing, and Frank Darabont hung his on Stephen King. This week, Chris and Lizzie chronicle the unlikely story of an episodic Stephen King novella, shaped by the hands of a set-dresser turned B-movie writer, and transformed into one of Hollywood's most popular films. Learn how Shawshank had to fail before it could succeed, and why most millennials saw it on TNT about nine hundred thousand times as they came of age. *CORRECTIONS: The IMDb logline reads, "A banker convicted of uxo...
Aug 04, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 141
‘All That Jazz’ is a movie about what a brilliant jerk Bob Fosse is… and it was written and directed by Bob Fosse. Chaos ensued as the legendary choreographer attempted to confront his demons onscreen and off. Chris and Lizzie are joined by Demi Adejuyigbe as they discover just how insane Bob Fosse really was, and why Roy Scheider was not the first ‘Jaws’ star chosen to play Joe Gideon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 28, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 140
How did a freshly minted horror maestro, one of Hollywood's most alternative leading men, and the squeaky clean Mouse House join forces to revive the water-logged pirate genre? Join Chris and Lizzie as they brave the fraught production of 2003's surprise summer smash, The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. From explosive studio meetings to actual sinking ships, learn how Disney bet it all on a live action adaptation of one of their oldest theme park attractions. *CORRECTIONS...
Jul 21, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 139
Join Chris as he walks the plank and dives headfirst into the myth-filled world of pirates, from their state-sanctioned origins to their silver screen renditions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 18, 2025•19 min•Ep. 139
Mel Gibson shouts his way to a bigger budget, no one cares about historical accuracy, and somehow the most Scottish movie ever was filmed… in Ireland. Join Lizzie and Chris for a wild journey through Mad Mel’s sophomore directorial effort: 1995’s ‘Braveheart’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 14, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 138
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a dummy fired out of a cannon! This week, join Chris and Lizzie as they fly 'round the world to turn back time to witness Richard Donner's herculean efforts to bring the Man of Steel to the silver screen. From shady producers and flimsy financing to Marlon Brando's bagel-based bravado and a budget that flew higher than Christopher Reeve, this DC debut defied the odds in making it to theaters at all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 07, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 137
1965’s The Sound of Music would eventually become known as “The Sound of Money” but initially no one wanted to be a part of the film - especially Christopher Plummer. Join Lizzie and Chris as they discover why everyone was embarrassed to be a part of this enduring classic, how a helicopter kept knocking Julie Andrews over, and why the boat scene turned dangerous for one of the children. Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Sailydata plans! Use code [wrong] at checkout. Download Saily app ...
Jun 30, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 136
How did a scrappy production out of the UK with little more than a dozen DV camcorders revive a decidedly dead genre and spark a renaissance with the recently departed? Join Chris and Lizzie as they explore Danny Boyle's lo-fi technically-not-a-zombie-movie-zombie-movie and learn why 100 buckets is never enough, the terror of Kiwi test screenings and why Danny Boyle couldn't wait to get Cillian Murphy shirtless. *CORRECTIONS: The most violent news footage shown in the film's opening (executions,...
Jun 23, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 135
Join Chris as he explores the evolution of zombies, from their birth in the Caribbean amidst the horrors of the Atlantic slave trade to their high-speed, globalized, modern incarnations. Endlessly adaptable and mutable to represent our evolving societal fears, zombies continue to be the monster that never dies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 20, 2025•20 min•Ep. 134
A very real fear of nuclear war drove Stanley Kubrick to create one of the greatest satirical films ever made - but it wasn’t always a comedy. Find out where the idea for 1964’s ‘Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb’ came from, how a rival film almost ruined its chances of success, and which major role Peter Sellers had to drop out of mid-production. *CORRECTIONS: Merkins were originally worn by prostitutes to hide the effects of lice, disease, or to conceal shave...
Jun 16, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 133
