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On Broken Projector, screenwriter Geoff LaTulippe and movie critic Scott Beggs dole out interesting angles on movie culture, talk to prominent filmmakers and debate topics of gargantuan importance.
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It's possible that the people who write the movies you love will stop working on May 2nd. Screenwriter John Gary joins us to explain how we got here, and what may happen next.
This week on the show, a special interview with Splice writer Noah Berlatsky about movies made by and about fascism where we consider The Eternal Jew, Casablanca, Dirty Harry and more.
This week on the show we answer your screenwriting questions about how to make the Second Act easier to slog through [1:50 - 13:10] and what to do if your friends (and husband) make fun of you for taking time to write [13:10 - 23:30]. Then we mine Chef David Chang's article in Wired about "unleashing the world's most amazing flavors" for nuggets of wisdom for screenwriters [23:30 - 38:00].
The 2017 Oscars are this Sunday, and instead of complaining about the wrong movie winning, we're challenging ourselves to pick Best Actors, Actresses, Screenplays, Directors and Movies that didn't make the Academy Award cut. What didn't get nominated, but deserves to win? Let's find out.
Special guest Christopher Lockhart, story editor at WME, joins us to answer your screenwriting questions about your entitlement to have your script read [0:00 - 15:00], whether studio passion for IP extends to short stories [15:00 - 19:55], times Chris has passed on projects and regretted it [19:55 - 26:00], whether writing diversity into your script is a risk (hint: it isn’t) [26:00 - 31:50], and if it’s a good idea to write an adaptation for a book you don’t own the adaptation rights to [31:50 - 40:00].
This week, award-winning filmmaker BenDavid Grabinski joins us to answer your screenwriting questions about writing for an international audience [0:00 - 8:25], what the heavy amount of biopics on the 2016 Black List means [8:25 - 18:00], and how to dance around the specter of Donald Trump at your pitch meetings [18:00 - 25:00].
This week on the show, we answer your screenwriting questions about Johnny Depp being overpaid [0:00 - 5:00], how much of a lunch meeting is spent on small talk vs the project [5:00 - 10:00], preparing for a pitch meeting [10:00 - 16:00], what a "set piece" is [16:00 - 23:00], and the best movie made from a bad script [23:00 - 33:00].
This week we welcome IndieWire’s senior film critic David Ehrlich to the show to discuss the best movies of 2016, the state of cinema, and his supercut celebrating both. Plus, we officially close the door on 2016 (2017 now starts on December 10th).
Westworld's season one finale is this Sunday, so we brought on expert fan conspiracy theorist and probably-real-human Joanna Robinson to hash out what we think may happen in the closing moments. We'll unwrap some mysteries and contemplate some character growth in a world where Anthony Hopkins' yogurt puppets are packing.
This Thanksgiving week, we answer your screenwriting questions about pushing through depression-based writer's block [0:00 - 11:15], reaching the decision to give up on your dream [11:15 - 22:30], the difference between different incarnation's of the hero's refusal [22:30 - 23:55], and the line between world-building and dumping too much detail on the page [23:55 - 31:00]. We close out by sharing some of the TV shows and movies you told us you were thankful for (as well as offering a few of our own) [31:00 - 36:00].
This week, we return from a long hiatus to deliver a massive conversation about conversations with Talk Easy Pod host Sam Fragoso, who reveals how he gets people like Don Cheadle and Zoe Kazan to get their guard down for an intimate, real conversation.
We talk about great conversational scenes in movies, something that may need a larger spotlight in an age dominated by plot-heavy, punching-fueled films.
Plus, an epic rant/rave, imploring all of us to stop sharing cultural spoiled milk.
What's the 80siest 80s movie? What can 2017 learn from the era of Jaws and Indiana Jones? We answer these questions and more with the hosts of the 80s All Over podcast, film geeks-on-high Drew McWeeny and Scott Weinberg. Grab some leg warmers and join us.
This week we answer your screenwriting questions about creative script fixes for budget problems (Hey, Deadpool!) [1:15 - 11:30], showing a character lying with your visuals [11:30 - 16:40], writing an action synopsis that isn't just a laundry list of action scenes [16:40 - 22:15], figuring out why Doctor Strange showed up on General Hospital [22:15 - 27:45], and then Geoff wants to bring up the new Willy Wonka movie for some reason [27:45 - 33:00].
This week we answer your screenwriting questions about what to do with your old "practice" scripts [0:00 - 9:55], what to do if you keep spoiling the tone of your serious movie with unfunny jokes [9:55 - 16:30], what it means for a producer to attach themselves to a project [16:30 - 20:30], when you should give up on becoming a professional writer [20:30 - 41:45], and what music we listen to while writing [41:45 - 44:00].
This week, the Onion AV Club's Nathan Rabin introduces us to "7 Days in Ohio: Trump, The Gathering of the Juggalos and the Summer Everything Went Insane" while exploring the nexus where the Republican presidential candidate, the world's most hated clown-make-up-wearing hip hop crew and blockbuster cinema collide.
This week on the show we hang out with literary manager Michael Botti of Industry Entertainment. We learn how he became a manager [0:00 - 7:45], and answer your screenwriting questions about expectations for meeting with a manager for the first time [7:45 - 17:55], if following up ever leads to a 'yes' [17:55 - 20:45], whether cold queries are worth the time [20:45 - 26:00], how UK-repped writers can get in on the LA action [26:00 - 26:45], how someone with a few script under their belt who doesn't live in LA can catch a manager's attention [26:45 - 34:05], if managers are looking for writing teams [34:05 - 35:15], if managers should be more regulated as an industry [35:15 - 43:00], what the distinction is between managers who produce and producers who manage [43:00 - 60:45], what a manager does to develop a writer [60:45 - 69:35] and whether it's pronounced "By-o-pic" or "Bio-dome" [69:35 - 70:30].
This week, we get to know writer/director Emily Carmichael (Pacific Rim 2, Stryka, Powerhouse) [0:00 - 4:35] who sticks around to read through some of your board game movie pitches [4:35 - 8:45], and answer your screenwriting questions about structuring your rewrite process [8:45 - 13:25], what ideas to scrap when you see similar concepts sold [13:25 - 16:55], whether you change writing styles for something you know you're not directing [16:55 - 17:45], getting into the industry later in life [17:45 - 23:25], our approach to creating characters [23:25 - 34:05], how much to care about crafting a theme [34:05 - 39:05], annoying genre tropes we're bored with [39:05 - 45:00], and how to pronounce "biopic" correctly [45:00 - 49:00]. Spoiler alert: no one knows that last one.
Can movies and TV accurately portray politics and government? Are our politicians more Veep, Scandal or West Wing? What's the virtue of a proportional response?
We explore these questions while talking Mr. Smith, Air Force One, Milk, Ides of March and many more.
This week on the show we follow-up on a question about selling yourself and your writing [4:30 - 12:30], then answer your screenwriting questions about how to know which manager is right for you [12:30 - 17:00], where to find solid script resources [17:00 - 20:00], if you can write about true crime without permission [20:00 - 22:45], and how to go about inventing a pitch for a board game that doesn't have a story behind it [22:45 - 35:00].
Send questions to podcast@filmschoolrejects.com or @brokenprojector on Twitter.
This week on the show, we answer your questions about selling your work and yourself [0:00 - 9:30], which production company we're dying to write for [9:30 - 15:45], and how to keep your script on target for a PG-13 rating [15:45 - 24:00].
Send your questions to @brokenprojector on twitter or email podcast@filmschoolrejects.com.
This week we talk about falling off a horse [0:00 - 3:30], then answer your screenwriting questions about the value of simplicity [3:30 - 11:35], the biggest mistakes of our respective careers [11:35 - 14:00], formatting a character who also goes by a nickname and other slightly wonky irritations [14:00 - 20:00], how much you can get wrong in a first draft [20:00 - 26:45], what lessons screenwriters can pull from great novels [26:45 - 31:45], and whether/why more actors are becoming screenwriters than any other time in Hollywood history [31:45 - 42:00]
This week on the show, guest host Eric Heisserer (Lights Out, Hours) offers a revolutionary way of thinking about horror screenwriting, talks about adapting a one-punchline short film into a feature and answers a few listener questions about when to introduce the big baddie.
Movies that make a ton of money are rewarded with sequels — and it’s hard to find fault with that formula — but it’s not working anymore. Pamela McClintock at The Hollywood Reporter and Derek Thompson at The Atlantic both have evidence that suggests studios will need to discover a new formula, and fast. Namely, a host of summer sequels that have flopped spectacularly this year.
This week we answer your screenwriting questions about the pitfalls of outlining too much, the market for delightful pg-rated rom-coms, how long it takes to become a great writer and more.
This week we answer your screenwriting questions about whether plot or characters are driving a script, what happens when a ton of writers work on a project and how to approach a slapstick scene that rests largely on the actor's shoulders.
On the doorstep of wedding season (and coming off the hangover of Geoff's bachelor party) we examine the few successful bachelor party movies in order to figure out why bachelor party movies typically don't work. Special guest appearance by things we don't remember doing the following morning.
This week we answer your screenwriting questions about tackling story concepts that are outside your personal experience, common mistakes to avoid when trying to get representation, and we learn what a First Class Twinkie really is.
This week, special guest Justin Marks (Jungle Book, Top Gun 2, Counterpart) helps us answer your screenwriting questions about IP, getting started in animation, if one bad film can hurt your career and more.
Send us your questions @brokenprojector on Twitter and podcast@filmschoolrejects.com.
This week special guest Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim, The Curiosity) helps us answer your screenwriting questions about determining if your idea is a TV show or a movie, being unafraid of collaboration, the feeling of that first great script, and much more.
Send us questions @brokenprojector on Twitter or podcast@filmschoolrejects.com.
Beyonce isn’t a pop staranymore. Not content to put out fun, funky anthems that sweetlychirp about empowerment, she’s taken a baseball bat to her imagealongside the artistic talents of Mark Romanek, Jack White andWarsan Shire.
Consider Lemonade the dark andgritty reboot of the most dominte pop singer of our time. Whileyou’re at it, stop worrying about Becky with the good hair.
Angelica Jade Bastien has broken down and annotated the symbolic elements of the film andjoins us to discuss the bad ass, witchy ways of an emotional rollcoaster (and to tell Piers Morgan to kiss her ass).
Plus, Geoff and I agonize over Neill Blomkamp’spresence at the helm of a new Alien movie and wonder how manysecond chances a failing director should get without snuffing outinteresting voices.
This week we answer your screenwriting questions about the best script ever written, how to know if your industry contact is worth anything, what to do when you've got a great script but want perfection, and we probably survive a kick-ass boat chase.
Send us your questions @brokenprojector on twitter or podcast@filmschoolrejects.com
This week's questions involve pesky page economy, looking outside of writing for writing advice, how to avoid being longwinded and the absolute best screenwriting book to buy (if you can only get one).
Send your questions to @brokenprojector on Twitter and podcast@filmschoolrejects.com.
Is Jon Snow really dead? How much stalling will the show need to do to let George R.R. Martin catch up? How good can a blind assassin be? Can you unring a Shame Bell? What armies are even out there still fighting? What main character should be killed to get the shock mojo back?
This week's episode seeks to answer as many Game of Thrones questions as we possibly can, speculating and crossing our fingers with special guest hosts Joanna Robinson and Neil Miller (of the Storm of Spoilers podcast!).
Is doubling down on blockbuster construction the way to run a modern studio? Whether or not Warners is really going through with that, Geoff and I get into the weeds about what motivates a filmmaking industry constantly on the hunt for $1 billion and a shipment of plastic toys from China. We'll also discuss the implications of shifting all your money into big bets in an age of demanding fans and super-monotony.
Plus, is it a curse or blessing when sequels for cult movies we love get cancelled?
This week we answer your screenwriting questions about crafting dialogue for a family fighting over dinner, where to find a qualified reader, and how insane writing a full season of a TV drama can be.
Send us your questions @brokenprojector on Twitter or podcast@filmschoolrejects.com
The rubble of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the horizon of 20+ superhero movies hitting screens in the next few years is a disaster of bland action waiting to happen. Can the superhero movie be saved? The first step is admitting the problem.
Elsewhere on the show we'll break down our 6 most anticipated summer movies and explain why hope springs eternal.
This week we answer your screenwriting questions about using a novel to promote your script, good summer internships and domes on the moon.
Send us your questions @brokenprojector on Twitter and podcast@filmschoolrejects.com
Batman branding villains, Superman bleeding, a young Donald Trump building a monster to take both of them down. Yes, we're talking about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in this larger-than-normal episode. We also debate whether Superman is the right superhero for our current social psyche and whether Zack Snyder understands the character, and how the film makes Man of Steel better, all with our friend Brian Truitt from USA Today.
You should follow Brian Truitt (@briantruitt), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
This week, we answer your screenwriting questions about character bio pros and cons, and whether you need an online presence to break into Hollywood.
Send us more questions on Twitter @brokenprojector or podcast@filmschoolrejects.com
"We can make our own Wally World out of that."
This week, we answer your screenwriting questions about using brands and IP in your script, what to do when your character names suck, putting personality in your descriptions, using banana computers and more.
Oh, movies of 2005, we can't quit you. This week on the show we will right some wrongs by using ten years' worth of hindsight in order to reevaluate the movies lauded at the 78th Academy Awards.
Joining us for the operation is screenwriter John Gary, who helps us explore the correlations between Munich and Bridge of Spies and asks the toughest question of all about Crash.
Plus, Capote, Walk the Line, Good Night and Good Luck and many more to examine with the test of time. It was also a year that brought us a new Batman and a new Fantastic Four movie, so it's a lot like stepping out of a time machine and thinking it didn't work. Should you join us anyway? Absolutely.
You should follow John Gary (@johngary), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Your screenwriting questions, answered. This week, we look at some red flags that might tell you that it's time to get a new agent (if they're charging you money to take out scripts, RUN), try to figure out the puzzle of self-evaluation, decry feelings of worthlessness in the face of a difficult career goal and talk an unusually appropriate amount about Nana's birthday party.
Send your questions to us: podcast@filmschoolrejects.com
Deadpool! It succeeded! It was R-rated! Studios are baffled for no real reason! Get ready for copycat syndrome and shoehorned violence. Today on the show we welcome on Forbes box office pundit Scott Mendelson to help us roll our eyes at shocked studio narratives and to examine the elements of what made Deadpool work (and which ones will be overlooked completely by executives looking for an easy turnaround buck).
As we speak, interns are combing through studio-owned IP to see what goofy superhero they can pour blood all over.
Plus, Geoff and I will talk about the movie review website and the statistics project that won the week.
You should follow Scott Mendelson (@scottmendelson), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
How much unfilmable material can you have in a script? What contests and festivals should you spend money on? Can a new computer program tell how emotional a script is? Your screenwriting questions, answered.
Inspired by Hail, Caesar!, Trumbo and Karina Longworth's outstanding (and ongoing) You Must Remember This series on the Hollywood Blacklist, we want to bring the past into the present.
What would happen if Congress decided to go after Hollywood in 2016 for being "anti-American"? Would they still attack Communism or widen their gaze? Would they even be able to wrangle the broad, diverse amount of movies being made? Would TV be on their main hit list?
This week, special guest host Joanna Robinson joins me to dig into this thought experiment and (hopefully) come out on the other side with our souls in tact. Listen to find out who we're calling before the new House Un-American Activities Committee.
This week on the show, Geoff and I debate the harmfulness of the Disney vault, and our special guest, Slate culture reporter Aisha Harris, joins us to discuss the underlying issues plaguing the so-white Academy Awards. Listen along as we solve Hollywood.
Your screenwriting questions, answered. This week: how much outlining and when to diverge from it; when to give a character a specific race; what Hollywood trends are on the rise and fall (and why that doesn't really matter).
Grab a pen. These are the movies you'll need to keep an eye on as they emerge from Sundance and onto the screens near you.
This week on the show we celebrate David Lynch's birthday by taking a non-random angle on Mulholland Drive and the keys to its mystery. If there is such a key. Probably not. Life doesn't make sense.
Plus, we comb the news to explain why we're excited about Suicide Squad and ARRAY.
Double plus, a bonus mystery segment that will be revealed only to listeners. You'll be given instructions during the show. We hope you have all your canned goods prepared.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Two years to finish a screenplay? Novelistic scripts? How important is reinventing the wheel? Your screenwriting questions answered.
The world has lost a few heavyweights recently. Luminaries that gave us part of themselves so that we could learn more about who we were. This week on the show, we'll celebrate the work of David Bowie and Alan Rickman while cursing cancer and wishing it dead.
Plus, to lighten the mood, we'll briefly chat about what it was like for me to watch Garfield 2: A Tail of Two Kitties on repeat for 24 hours. Why did I do it? Is my brain still in tact? Domino marshmallow hop lawn pointillism? All these questions answered and more.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Your screenwriting questions, answered. This week we cover the ideal first ten pages, crafting emotion and what to do when you lose your agent.
We're back. With a vengeance. Just one vengeance, though. Nothing crazy.
In a new year with a (slightly) new show, we're delivering two episodes per week. Our main show will feature our standard, intelligent irreverence while our second show (which we're calling "Vomit Draft") is a screenwriting question supplement so that we can focus on writing every single week.
To kick this new era off, Geoff and I discuss The Hateful Eight's limitations and the possibility that they all stem from one source. Plus, we challenge each other with film-focused hypothetical questions like: what one movie would you show aliens to illustrate the nature of humanity? and If you could choose a movie to build an expanded universe from, which one would it be?
All of our answers are, of course, correct.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Your screenwriting questions, answered. This week we cover scene and character descriptions, fundamentals for short films and how to ensure a pilot script stays uncluttered.
If you're reeling from an explosive summer, you're in luck. There are currently two movies in theaters (and in the VOD-o-sphere as well as iTunes) that are both hilarious and treat relationships with a complexity and realism that you might be missing. The first is Sleeping With Other People, a romantic comedy where Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie use a safe word for when they're feeling sexual tension. We'll talk with writer/director Leslye Headland about finding honesty with a high concept.
The second is People Places Things, the story of a graphic novelist/teacher (played brilliantly by Jemaine Clement) who is going through divorce, trying to be a good father and trying to contemplate defining his life now that half of it is over. We'll also speak with its writer/director, James C. Strause.
Plus, Geoff and I will answer some of your screenwriting questions, and, since I'm moving across the planet over the next two months, we'll briefly consider the role packing up everything plays in a handful of films.
Filling in for Geoff this week, Pacific Rim screenwriter Travis Beacham hangs out for the hour, so we use Age of Ultron, Back to the Future and his Kaiju-battling film to discuss plot density (and the 2015 trend of convoluted messes) in big adventures.
We also discuss his newest project, a directorial debut called The Curiosity that was born out of the abject despair of getting his television show at Fox canceled before it even aired. After dedicating his life and hard work to something that will never be seen, he's found redemption in a new idea and new learning curve.
Gigantic robots and hard-working people making good. What's not to love about this episode?
Everybody cut loose. Because Kevin Bacon is chasing you, and he wants to bury you in the woods.
Bacon stars in the indie flick Cop Car as a bad guy sheriff whose siren-topped vehicle is stolen by two young boys running away from home. This joy ride was co-written and directed by Jon Watts, who will take on the next Spider-Man movie, so it's a dark artifact of what his aggressive and comedic sensibilities if you're looking for a hint of what he might bring to the Peter Parker table. Plus, Bacon offers some stellar suggestions for actors who are in scenes without any other actors to talk to.
Geoff and I will also say goodbye to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and answer your screenwriting questions about pagination and the first step after your last step.
It's our 100th episode, and to celebrate we've invited some special guests to help us count 100 of the 1,00,000 reasons we love movies.
We aren't interviewing anyone, handing out screenwriting advice or getting too deep in our discussion of Top Gun this week, so we hope you consider this episode as a shot of adrenaline that recharges an already-well-lit passion.
We hope you see yourself in these reasons. We hope that you add to the list with your own experiences. We hope that we're able to tell 100 different stories just by evoking these favorite moments, scenes, props, lines of dialogue and memories.
The most radical thing about The Look of Silence isn't that a man sits knee-to-knee while interviewing the men who brutally murdered his brother, but that the man approaches those interviews with the goal of forgiving them.
What does it really mean for a movie to be "patriotic"? Every list of patriotic movies features the same rah-rah films celebrating our military prowess, our national history and our small town pastimes, but what if you had to make a list of patriotic movies that didn't include The Patriot or The Sandlot or Saving Private Ryan or any of the others?
Is it possible that a mockumentary about a beauty pageant can both celebrate and make fun of tradition? Are the rebellious teenagers of Dazed and Confused more American than apple pie? Can the married owners of The Birdcage be emblematic of family life in this country?
These questions and more as Geoff and I explore 8 unconventional patriotic movies. Plus, even more quandaries as we answer your screenwriting questions about compelling characters, villains who want to get caught and more.
Everyone else was doing it, and since we're nothing if not topical, we've decided to rank every Pixar movie, but we're also going beyond a simple list to discuss what makes Pixar magical (and/or disappointing). Will we put Up ahead of Toy Story? Will we put Ratatouille ahead of Finding Nemo? Will the ranking ultimately be arbitrary because there's only cosmetic distance between each entry of the top ten?
Satisfy your curiosity for these questions now.
To help us out, we've invited FSR Associate Editor Kate Erbland and Mousterpiece Cinema co-host Josh Spiegel to wrestle with the most important cultural, position-based question of our time.
You should follow Kate (@katerbland), Josh (@mousterpiece), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
This week on the show, we explore the curious trend of summer high school movies developing cancer -- why are so many YA summer releases designed to make us cry? Who's up for a triple feature of Paper Towns, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and The Fault in Our Stars?
Plus, Geoff offers a control-based hypothesis for why book fans have produced a loud backlash to Game of Thrones this season.
And our special interview this week is with John Cusack. Jack Giroux speaks to the veteran actor about playing Beach Boy genius Brian Wilson in Love and Mercy.
Mad Max: Fury Road and Pitch Perfect 2 are both out this weekend, and since we're nothing if not topical, we're covering both because they make an excellent double feature.
First up, special guest co-host John Gholson will review Fury Road without spoilers, while placing it within the larger context of the Mad Max Universe and explaining why we should feel free to buy into the hype. Then, he and I will discuss the issue of the dearth of Black Widow action figures and why we can't be too quick to call the toymakers evil.
For the grand finale, Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2 screenwriter Kay Cannon joins us to explain what's inherently funny about placing two naked people into a scene about joining a collegiate club and to talk about how her experiences on 30 Rock helped pave the way for writing feature films.
Kevin Pollak's latest movie is a documentary that questions whether pain is necessary to create the kind of comedy that resonates. Misery Loves Comedy sees an enormous amount of professional funny people explaining their experiences, and Pollak joins us this week to discuss the myth of the tortured artist and what he learned crafting 700 hours of footage into a 90-minute movie.
Plus, Geoff and I will dissect a serious scene from a comedy -- specifically the To The Pain speech from The Princess Bride -- in order to see how one cup of dirt and three cups of sugar can create meaningful dramatic moments in a movie that makes you laugh.
Double plus, we'll have a spoiler-free interrogation reviewification of Avengers: Age of Ultron that sends us to the corner store for ear plugs.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Now that we've had time to process Ex Machina, it's easy to recognize that we haven't had enough time to fully process Ex Machina. However, we're going to dive into the deep end of its concepts, philosophies and plot devices with writer/director Alex Garland. We'll also discuss the game theory of misdirecting your audience and compare the isolation of Ex Machina to Garland's other scripts.
Plus, with Geoff still on assignment, we're pleased to have author and screenwriter Jason Arnopp fill in as guest-host for a conversation about what horror and sci-fi have in common.
You should follow Jason (@jasonarnopp), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
When she was ten years old, Marya E. Gates' favorite actor was Nicholas Cage. That's not the only thing you need to know about her, but it's definitely important. She's also currently spending an entire year watching only movies directed by women, and she's our guest co-host this week.
We'll have a thorough, frank discussion about her experience watching movies made by women, the challenges facing female directors and the potential solutions to bring greater equality and more voices to the studio system.
Plus, we'll lighten things up a bit by celebrating the hallmark style of 80s movies. Naturally that involves a lot of lace and werewolf fur.
You should follow Marya (@oldfilmsflicker), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
If you're standing in the rain with a lost love, this is the perfect episode to listen to. It'll dry you right out.
This week, Geoff and I will briefly question why Nicholas Sparks keeps getting away with writing the same exact story over and over before sharing a list of some of our favorite tragedies. Somehow, the topics blend together perfectly.
Plus, we'll answer screenwriting questions about annoying characters and overbearingly bleak tones, and The Immigrant writer/director James Gray will talk about actors with surprising styles and what he got out of film school.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
This week on the show it's our honor to have modern indie pioneer Hal Hartley join us to discuss love, religion and revenge in his latest movie Ned Rifle.
Plus, we brainstorm 6 pitches for animated children's movies that Disney should remake as live-action, and Geoff's pick for what actor should play Ursula in a dark Little Mermaid wins everything.
Double plus, we answer your screenwriting questions about managing to live while attempting to sell a script in L.A., the difficulties for non-English-speaking writers, and the guidelines for killing your main character in a blaze of glory at the end.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Should TV shows and movies with mysteries at their hearts reveal their answers or is it better to let the top spin? What's the right balance in making your audience wonder and making your audience gasp at the answers? Geoff and I will consider these questions with Lost, Agatha Christie and Inception in tow. Plus, Geoff offers a 4-layer dip for categorizing mysterious stories. We'll call it the Oldboy Upstream Color Spectrum until someone else comes up with a better name.
The bigger question on the show this week is whether we want the things we think we want. With new episodes of The X-Files coming soon, and so much geek culture co-opted, repackaged and dumped on our doorsteps, it's starting to seem like the disappointments outweigh the anticipation.
Our big finish is a conversation with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the filmmakers behind the romance-horror Spring, where a misguided old monster and a misguided young monster help each other while falling in love. It's as if Linklater and Cronenberg had a baby (with dragon wings and squid arms).
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Do you have to move to Los Angeles to become a professional screenwriter?
This is probably the most common question that aspiring professional screenwriters have. The answer is also the most hated, most despised, most likely truest pieces of screenwriting advice that aspiring professional screenwriters can get. However, instead of merely ending the conversation by insisting you uproot your life in order to make your dream come true, Geoff and I want to dissect and explain exactly why living in Los Angeles is so vital to creating and maintaing a career as a screenwriter.
Plus, we explore and revel at the concept that Cinderella, Captain America and Harry Potter are all the same character.
If you've ever stuffed DVDs into envelopes or furiously filled out Without a Box submission forms in order to prepare your baby, your darling, your movie to be sent off to a film festival for their harsh and final judgment, this one's for you. DC Shorts founder and programmer Jon Gann joins us to discuss some common mistakes made by filmmakers attempting to get their work screened and to talk about the philosophy behind how his team chooses what movies they pick.
Plus, Geoff and I answer your screenwriting questions about avoiding procrastination, specialized drafts and how to write scene description without going overboard.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
In Everly, Salma Hayek's title character is stuck inside a highrise apartment with well-armed bad guys constantly coming through the door. She'll need a lot of fire power and guts to survive the night.
Naturally, director Joe Lynch says, "the whole movie is about a mother and daughter reconnecting."
Our conversation with the filmmaker obviously covers the emotion and tonally wild action of Everly, but we also cover topics like making movies that Hollywood won't and the European techno-erotica of RoboCop. Plus, Lynch's enthusiasm should replace the three cups of coffee and that eight ball you were planning on crushing today.
Also on the program, I try to pinpoint exactly why the Oscars feel perfunctory and devoid of meaning.
Gary Whitta got a big break with The Book of Eli, a spec screenplay where he doesn't so much save the cat as he kills it and cooks it over a spit within the first few pages. Now he's coming off writing for one of the stand-alone Star Wars movies, he's working with Mark Millar on Starlight, and his debut novel "Abomination" is available for pre-order through an innovative publishing platform. It has everything in the above image and more.
Whitta joins me this week as our special guest co-host (Geoff is on assignment in Kazakhstan), and we discuss the dominance of The Empire Strikes Back, the slightly ironic relationship movies have to comic books now and why he might not have done the very thing that brought him success knowing what he knows today.
Things get educational, so grab a notepad and a splashguard.
You should follow Gary (@garywhitta), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Last week we looked at American Sniper as a political football, and this week we turn to a fresh take on military life which will sadly only get a fraction of the attention Sniper did.
Amira and Sam star Martin Starr will discuss preparing to play an army veteran, finding humor and nuance in an important script and the vital way in which the movie portrays a progressive Muslim girl.
Plus, Geoff and I will weigh in on the blockbuster-ish news about Ghostbusters getting an all-female cast and Indiana Jones hypothetically looking to Chris Pratt to take the whip and fedora.
Then, Rob Hunter will take some time out of shivering in the cold at Sundance to tell us his five favorites of the fest. You'll want to write these down and hunt them down in the future.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Through editorials and online chatter, we seem to be struggling to talk about American Sniper in a meaningful way, deciding instead to divide into Team A and Team B before launching empty words back and forth. It's a political movie, yes, but it's vitally important that we remain able to discuss political movies without succumbing to conversation-ending blather.
This week, Geoff and I will discuss the great need for art to stay uninfected by the corrosive divisiveness that is modern political discourse.
We'll also dissect a handful of amazing, inspiring (and disheartening) movie speeches and answer a listener screenwriting question about what goes into a shooting script. You'll want to wear a helmet for this one.
Now that we've all had some time to think about it, we're going to explore the best movies of 2004 after dissecting our favorites from 2014. Pay extra special attention to the names of filmmakers, writers and actors that are shared between the years. What has stood the small test of time? What has survived by living in our memories or hiding out in our hearts? The answers will probably not surprise you or be in any way controversial.
To undertake this epic task, we've brought on FSR associate editor Kate Erbland and freelance writer for Esquire and The Atlantic Alexeander Huls to round out a four player rodeo of film appreciation.
You should follow Kate (@katerbland), Alex (@alxhuls), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new year, which means that we'll be examine the concept of beginnings by figuring out how three different movies (Scream, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Drive) successfully set up the rest of their runtimes for success.
Plus, we'll answer your screenwriting questions and try to explain why the Academy considers Whiplash to be an adapted script when it's an original concept.
We'll be speaking with a co-lead for one of the semi-finalist teams, Tim Wen, whose short film Unexpected Arrival earned one of the top spots and a chance to compete for the grand prize. He'll talk about the challenge of making something quick without a budget and how to aim the camera in a way that hides your flaws.
Plus, while Geoff is sleeping off an egg nog bender, I'll offer three ingredients for a successful boxing movie and challenge you to correct me without your fists.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
We'll be speaking with one of the semi-finalist teams, Ian Wagner and Michael Burke, whose short film Simple Math earned them one of the top spots and a chance to compete for the grand prize. They'll talk about the challenge of coordinating a cocktail party film shoot with less than a day's notice and explain how they both ended up in the pool.
Plus, Geoff and I open up the viewer listener mailbag to cover questions about Canadian movie favorites, the current state of thoughtful film journalism (the Star Wars 7 characters have names, people!), and other subjects of engrossing interest.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Luckily, we'll be speaking with one of the semi-finalists, Alvaro Ron, whose short film To Kill or Not to Kill earned him one of the top spots and a chance to compete for the grand prize. He'll share his experience as a filmmaker, the challenges of the competition, and how he overcame those obstacles.
Plus, Geoff and I will offer up four directors, four screenwriters and four actors who broke through this year, delivering the kinds of movies and performances that get us excited about the future.
As a bonus, William Fichtner drops by to add a gorgeous dose of zen to the show.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Our hero wakes up, yawns and stretches. It's a typical day, and that's a really boring introduction. Imagine it with an explosion instead. Thanks.
This week on Reddit, a user asked for some dead giveaways that a screenplay was written by an amateur, and the hivemind (probably made up of angry script readers and finicky producers) didn't fail. One such reader and producer offered a laundry list of bad habits, and we've invited him on for an open discussion about cringe-worthy mistakes that any aspiring writer can make (and avoid).
Grab a pencil, realize you're on a computer, and then take notes with that.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
This week the world lost a peerless filmmaker (and EGOT winner) who delivered a hot tub full of fantastic films. Mike Nichols put Dustin Hoffman in a compromising position, tortured Meryl Streep and found a grounding commonality even with his most extraordinary characters. We'll celebrate his work with Professor John Whitehead, author of "Mike Nichols and the Cinema of Transformation," and try to recapture what made his stories so moving.
Plus, Geoff answers your screenwriting questions about third person expository openings (so to speak), the new trend in query letters and whether you should get a script consultant.
Double plus, we'll chat briefly about Bill Cosby and the question of enjoying good art from bad people.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Is Fight Club satire? That's the question we'll attempt to settle this week with a knock down, drag out debate where two men enter the ring, and two men also exit the ring safely. Fortunately, we've got special guest moderator Eric D. Snider to keep us honest, and since he takes bribes, I've got this one sewn up.
Plus, we'll discuss whether data can help make you a better screenwriter, and The Bitter Script Reader drops by to discuss his new book, "Michael F-ing Bay: The Unheralded Genius in Michael Bay's Films," where he argues that the much maligned director's movies are more than meets the eye.
You should follow Eric (@ericdsnider), The Bitter Script Reader (@bittrscrptreadr), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Zero more days 'til Halloween, my friends. That means we'll all soon be dressing up in pop culturally aware costumes, eating candy we're supposed to be giving to children and gorging ourselves on fright night features.
To mark the occasion, special guest host Eric D. Snider submits himself to a fiendish quiz about horror movies and Psychorama after we share your responses to last week's question.
Plus, we have a candid conversation with R-rated producer Adi Shankar who continues playing by his own rules with the release of a twisted, Saturday Morning Cartoon From Hell take on Judge Dredd.
You should follow Eric (@ericdsnider), Adi Shankar (@adishankarbrand), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
It's been a hell of a week, so it would be great to talk about films that make us happy. Unfortunately, that's not the show we prepped.
Instead, we've got a dissection of characters who are pushed to the breaking point inspired by Miles Teller destroying himself to become the next Buddy Rich in Whiplash. Who knew jazz drumming was so brutal? We'll discuss people incrementally becoming disillusioned, forget to talk about Oldboy and then connect Falling Down to Gamer Gate in one seamless move.
Plus, a 10th anniversary appreciation of what Saw did right as a low budget horror movie made in an astonishingly short amount of time (18 days).
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
If you're waiting for a call to explain your existence, this week's show might be it. We'll talk with Terry Gilliam about religious themes in his movies, ask him to psychoanalyze Don Quixote and then find out what he'd do if he ran a billion-dollar movie studio.
Plus, Geoff and I offer the lessons we've learned going into the final week of the Six Week Spec Challenge and offer/dissect some creepy/funny two-sentence stories.
As a bonus, we'll present our favorite three two-sentence stories from the ones you sent in.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
We'll speak with short filmmaker Josh Soskin about the benefits and challenges of going the festival route, and the best way to take the next step after completing a film.
Plus, we'll have an Interrogation Reviewification of Gone Girl, and we'll cover our favorites from Fantastic Fest.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
In response to A.O. Scott's gorgeously organized, well thought out treatise on how maturity is and is not displayed in TV and film, we'd like to offer a free-wheeling conversation filled with half-formed ideas. How are we displaying adulthood in our art, and is it an accurate reflection of our lives and escapist desires?
We'll also check in Kate Erbland to hear about the best movies of TIFF that you'll be able to see soon, and Jack Giroux interviews Jeremy Renner about his new biopic of Iran-Contra whistleblower Gary Webb, Kill the Messenger.
You should follow Kate (@katerbland), Jack (@jackgi), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
There's only one, iron-clad, sure-fire, can't-miss, hyphen-toting method to finishing a screenplay in only six weeks. Fortunately, we know the secret and are willing to share it with you (for less than $600). The trick is, in order for it to work, you have to follow the 1,008-step process exactly or it doesn't work. If you think you're up for the challenge, listen to the episode. We'll also need all of your credit card information, your blood type and what you'd do for a Klondike Bar.
Beyond sharing the trick to writing a script in a month and a half, we'll answer a few screenwriting questions about the nature of negotiating a script fee and laugh about the supposed ban on jokes that Warners has set up for its superhero movies.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
We wanted to discuss magic, laughter and the difficult stuff that lies in between this week because Robin Williams was so much more than a comedian. One of the very best, to be sure, but he was like a Guinness World Record holder who somehow found time for a dozen other hobbies. Which he then mastered.
So what was supposed to be a normal-length segment ballooned into a winding conversation about a tireless artist's power to find a human connection in everything he did. We talk funny stuff, dark stuff, and Geoff explains how Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire made him understand his own dad.
Plus, we speak with To Be Takei director Jennifer M. Kroot about chronicling Sulu in his natural habitat (and a little on how to hide in plain sight with a massive camera on your shoulder).
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Who have you randomly bought pizza for this week? Today on the show, we'll speak with comedian and TV writer Ricky Smith about his Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere movement, his documentary Follow Me and his Twitter-based rise into the entertainment world.
Plus, Geoff will answer screenwriting questions about the phantom of writer's block and montages.
More importantly, we want to invite you to check out Geoff's Six Week Spec Writing project where 10 aspiring writers will be chosen to produce a spec script in a month and a half while chronicling their trials and tribulations. At the end of the road, they'll have free hosting at The Black List and four professional script readers providing feedback on their screenplay.
You should follow Ricky (@rickonia), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
In what universe could Minnie Mouse fight crime with The Hulk? In our own. This week on the show, Geoff and I will toss around a few ideas for movie universes to collide -- legally based on which global conglomerate owns which intellectual properties. Get ready to see Donald, Darkwing and Howard the Duck team up for an adventure with a terrible title.
Plus, since we're retuning from break, we wanted to talk about the phenomenon of and meaning behind adding "The Return of" to your hero's sequelized journey. What kinds of movies boldly ask us to return and why?
Double plus, we'll speak with Landon Palmer about The Blair Witch Project and how we've been judging it unfairly all these years.
You should follow Landon (@landonspeak), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Let's say you desperately want to make a feature film, but you don't have any money to do it. Can you scrape together a few thousand? Good, because writer/director Joshua Caldwell and producer Travis Oberlander join us this week to explain how they made Layover for only $6,000.
Beyond making a movie for a few months' rent, Geoff and I will answer your screenwriting questions and continue our star-spangled conversation from last week by exploring the concepts of Freedom and Revolution as they apply (for better and worse) to filmmaking.
You should follow Caldwell (@joshua_caldwell), Travis Oberlander (@tobewan), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
For our extra special Independence Day Eagle-Blasted, Star-Spangled, Overly-Adjectived Extravaganza, Geoff and I ponder the very nature of the United States of America. We try to hone in on its complexities and paradoxes by contemplating what movies best capture Columbia's essence. In other words, the most American movies ever made. Is there a particular genre that echoes its spirit? Is it more about pure patriotism or can the story display our darker side? Where does the heart of American cinema lie?
Listen and contemplate while you grill meat stuffed into another meat, or as you slide down the tarp you poured dish soap onto.
Plus, to celebrate our victory over the British, we invite the absolutely delightful Maisie Williams onto the show to discuss her new movie Heatstroke, explain why she's not Justin Bieber and share her love for Twitter.
You should follow Williams (@maisie_williams), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
In less than 300 days, writer/producer/director Brian Koppelman has delivered 300 screenwriting lessons, 6 seconds at a time. That's a half hour of Vines that act as miniature cattle prods for anyone looking to have the creative section of their brain lit up.
To celebrate the achievement, Brian joins me to explain what a beloved cookie has to do with the writing process, to describe the methods he uses to get unstuck, and to challenge a conventional way of thinking about "breaking into the business."
You should follow Brian (
This week on the show, 13 Sins director Daniel Stamm explains why the title I chose for this article is a bad one, discusses The Hero's Journey as addiction and describes how he's using his knowledge of movie marketing (and misleading trailers) to subvert the system. They should really let German directors make more rom-coms.
Plus, Geoff and I will break down movie scenes that make us break down in order to figure out how they make us cry. Fair warning: the first ten minutes of Up will be discussed. Come prepared.
You should follow Daniel Stamm (
Cadillac and the Producers Guild of America recently launched Make Your Mark, a short film competition that challenges producers to create compelling content with limited resources. Contestants will make a short film over a single weekend in late June, and the 30-second Cadillac spot featuring the grand prize winner’s film will air during the 2015 Academy Awards.
As such we'll be speaking with last year's winner Jason Shulz, who offers his experience and some helpful lessons for those filmmakers who want to hoist the trophy for themselves this year.
Plus, in a segment that tears up apart, Geoff and I will chat about the pure, accidental brilliance of The Room and what it's like to watch an unintentionally terrible movie while sitting next to its director.
Last, but definitely not least, we'll talk to Enlisted creator Kevin Biegel about why he's fighting so hard to promote a show that's already been cancelled. He'll also offer some keen advice about breaking into TV writing that you won't want to miss.
You should follow Kevin Biegel (@kbiegel), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Last year around this time we were growing tired of the summer blockbuster bloat, so we took a break by looking ahead to the future that's now the present. We're feeling a bit winded yet again by all the city-stomping, stadium-lifting largeness, so it's time to take refuge once again in the eternal potential of amazing movies that we can't see for another year. Yes, the summer blockbusters of 2015.
Fortunately, old robot Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hulk are here to guide us.
Plus, we'll discuss the concept of raising stakes in screenwriting by examining some movies that do it well, and we'll praise Tom Cruise's decades-long excellent for no other reason than to praise him.
Follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Clark Gregg recently wrote, directed and starred in an indie called Trust Me, and instead of asking one question about it before moving on to nine questions about Marvel movies, we took the opportunity to dig deep into what's clearly a very personal work. In the movie he plays a former child actor turned child actor agent (have fun, Psych majors) who discovers an amazingly gifted young actress who might join a major franchise and bring him the success he's always dreamed of. Spoiler alert: Loki never shows up.
Plus, Geoff and I answer your screenwriting questions and then discuss some bizarre real-life things that would make amazing movies.
Follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
What if you could go back in time and set your favorite shark-jumping movie franchise back on the right course? Which would you choose? How would you do it? Would it require Hugh Jackman getting naked and standing in front of a window?
We tackle all of these questions on this week's show as we try to right some cinematic wrongs, review X-Men: Days of Future Past in depth and dissect a famous scene from Back to the Future to figure out why it works so damned well.
You might feel a pinch.
Follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
In our shortest episode of the year, I take a minute to dissect the way gigantic things are being portrayed on screen and to consider how Godzilla is like the most recent doomsday climate change report.
Plus, Jack interviews the legendary Bill Paxton who plays a pitching coach in Million Dollar Arm. They get philosophical about acting just above a whisper and going calmly over the top. Fortunately, the lurking Predator decides not to attack them in the process.
As it turns out, it's completely possible to spend the warmest months without seeing a single superhero or explosion, and on this week's show, Geoff and I proclaim our excitement for the indie/non-blockbuster pics that might provide greatness this season. We'll also talk about our all-time favorite screenplays to read.
More genres, more stories, more women. This week we welcome on Screen Rant's Ben Kendrick for an omnibus discussion of the amazing, as-yet-unrealized potential for superhero movies. At what point will audiences get bored with the same rehashed stories? At what point will one superhero movie lose big to another superhero movie in a crowded summer? At what point will studios develop the guts to take real risks?
Through music and misery, we ask the big questions this week. Specifically, Neil Miller and Geoff get philosophical over High Fidelity and debate whether we're truly defined by what we like (as opposed to what we're like) when it comes to relationships. Plus, Geoff describes a few ways to get into the TV show-writing business (and a few ways not to).
And on our main stage, the stellar Stephen Frears joins us to talk about Philomena and capriciousness, and to offer perhaps the single most important piece of filmmaking advice the show has ever heard.
You should follow Neil (@rejects), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
What happens after The Red Wedding?
With Game of Thrones back for its fourth season on Sunday, we're delivering a singularly-dedicated episode where A Cast of Kings co-host Joanna Robinson and Broken Projector fan favorite Neil Miller join us for a spoiler-less look at what lies ahead (besides Winter).
Neil has already seen the first three episodes and reviewed the spirit of the season, and we're up on all the books, so we follow up the safe portion with a segment focused on spoilers that might shock and amaze virgin viewers.
Something for everyone! Except people who've never seen the show or read the books. Sorry about that.
You should follow Joanna (@jowrotethis), Neil (@rejects), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
This week on the show we tackle some cinematic paranormal problems with Mystic Party! hosts Brea Grant and Zane Grant. The ultimate lesson is to stay away from everything because it’s all haunted and trying to kill you.
Plus, Geoff will answer your screenwriting questions about contests and short film writing, we’ll chat about whether or not we actually want any new Indiana Jones movies, and we’ll turn to your responses to follow up on last week’s discussion of truth in biographical films.
You should follow Brea (@breagrant), Zane (@zanegrant), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Ah, the elusive allure of sequels. What makes you want to revisit a movie universe? What has you leaping to your feet during the credits hoping that the gang will get back together for a second outing? What makes you forcefully cringe when news of a number two breaks? This week on the show, Geoff and I attempt to answer that question while offering a few movies that have the potential for incredible sequels. Like The Incredibles sequel.
Plus, we’ll look to a mysterious story about a potentially fake Twitter feed to examine how much truth we demand in our emotional response, and we’ll dissect movies with outdated teach (28.8 kbps modem!) while puzzling over films that wouldn’t even be possible today because of powerful tech advancements. Somehow along the way, Moore’s Law meets Rule 34.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
Fresh off his Oscar win on Sunday, Gravity visual effects supervisor Tim Webber joins us to talk about his work with Alfonso Cuaron and explain how we can build our own CGI babies at home.
Plus, we discuss how soon is too soon when it comes to real-life tragedy adaptations, and Josh Spiegel from Mousterpiece Cinema helps us debate the state of children's movies (while envisioning a high octane version of Winnie The Pooh).
You should follow Josh (@mousterpiece), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
Remembering Harold Ramis, we take some time this week to recognize his legacy of sophisticated humor and geek prowess. Plus, we'll chat with House of Cards' Rachel Brosnahan and indie writer/director Ari Aster about their new short film Basically, and then Brian Salisbury and C. Robert Cargill join us to cheerlead for underappreciated genre movies and announce an exciting, fattening new podcasting venture.
You should follow Brian (@briguysalisbury), Cargill (@massawyrm), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
Studios should learn a powerful lesson from the one-two punch of The LEGO Movie and RoboCop. Specifically, that they're getting in the way of their own success. How do you make a hit? By making a great movie. How do you make a great movie? Hire great filmmakers and then empower them to create. Unfortunately, there are some huge roadblocks on the path toward that Utopia. We'll discuss them while envisioning a bright new future.
Plus, FSR Associate Editor Kate Erbland joins us for an Interrogation Reviewification of the aforementioned cyborg policeman movie, and we'll all offer some 80s movies we'd love/hate to see remade.
You should follow Kate (@katerbland), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
It's only natural that we discuss Philip Seymour Hoffman and the powerful work he left behind this week. We'll also take the opportunity to think on other outstanding acting talents that we can be thankful for and celebrate some of our favorite Hoffman roles.
Plus, FILM CRITIC HULK joins us to debate our movie fan baggage about remakes on the precipice of a new RoboCop and Film.com's Will Goss drops by to play a thrilling round of Infinity Questions.
You should follow FILM CRIT HULK (@FILMCRITHULK), Will (@williambgoss), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
Some people have a routine of eating two eggs for breakfast, reading the news and brushing their teeth before heading to work; Meryl Streep has a routine of getting Oscar nominations. She's earned her 18th with August: Osage County, and to celebrate her cultural dominance we'll speak with Karina Longworth, author of "Meryl Streep: Anatomy of an Actor" about Streep's rich career arc.
Plus, Geoff will answer three of your screenwriting questions, we'll finally reveal who won the Prestige-Off and Rob Hunter will give us the movies from Sundance to keep on our radar.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
The dream is to get famous on YouTube and translate that success into a feature film career, but so far the only group to truly do that is Radio Silence. The filmmakers behind the found footage uterine horror Devil's Due made a name for themselves on the site where a bajillion hours of video is uploaded every second, and now they're staking that reputation on the big screen. We'll talk to them about that jump and what goes into making a baby.
Plus, Geoff and I attempt to sell each other on two debatable ideas: the rising power of fan clubs to demand content from creators and the need for aspiring screenwriters to avoid reading scripts-in-progress.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
The visuals of 12 Years a Slave are stunning, often unflinching, and this week we've invited cinematographer (and frequent Steve McQueen collaborator) Sean Bobbitt to explain how he made millions uncomfortable with his imagery.
Plus, Geoff and I talk about The Wolf of Wall Street's capability to turn good people into quaalude-hungry maniacs and answer a hypothetical question about saving only one 2014 movie from destruction (by quaalude-hungry maniacs).
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
Everyone is making lists this time of year (including us), but talking about the movies of 2013 has gotten a little old, so we decided to turn to old movies in order to feel new again. Old being relative.
With the fog of hype and immediacy washed away, Joanna Robinson from Pajiba and FSR's own Landon Palmer join Geoff and me to discuss our favorites of 2003 and discover some connections to the trends that would dominate a decade later.
You should follow Joanna (@quityourjrob), Landon (@landonspeak), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
Paul Walker's performance in Hours is a different animal. In the film, he stars as a man who loses his wife during childbirth and must watch over his ailing newborn in a hospital evacuated by the threat of Hurricane Katrina. It's high concept with a big beating heart, and we'll speak with writer/director Eric Heisserer about the challenges of crafting it, and the contextual shift left by Walker's tragic death.
Plus, Eric Vespe (aka Quint) from Aint It Cool News will try to convince Geoff to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug regardless of how the dragon's name is pronounced, and we've got a fundamental screenwriting question on tap for both Geoff and Heisserer. It's our penultimate show, so we're swinging for the fences.
You should follow Eric Vespe (@ericvespe), Eric Heisserer (@HIGHzurrer), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
The master of blending comedy, drama and real people, we can think of no one we'd rather spend an awkward holiday dinner with than John Hughes. So this week on the show we'll heap praise on the filmmaker who delivered our teenage years and families back to us on the screen. To help us out, "You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried" author Susannah Gora joins us to share some fantastic insights into Hughesian magic.
We'll also explore why there are so few Thanksgiving movies (you still have leftovers, right?) and rattle off a list of them (which will naturally lead us right back to John Hughes).
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
This week on the show we're talking with Dear Mr. Watterson director Joel Allen Schroeder about the universal love for Calvin and Hobbes as well as the long, strange trip the Kickstarted movie took to find theaters.
Plus, Vanity Fair's Katey Rich and I debate whether The Hunger Games should be criticized for being a rip-0ff of Battle Royale and Geoff waxes philosophical (and structural) about the right way to approach foreign remakes.
You should follow Katey Rich (@kateyrich), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
Tom Hiddleston joins us this week to discuss his third Marvel outing in Thor: The Dark World, and to find a match for Loki in the Shakespearean universe. Our interview is much ado about spandex, but before it, Geoff and I will share some non-superhero comic books we think should be turned into movies and hyper-sexualized HBO series.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
Scott Derrickson, the writer/director behind The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister, joins us this week to explain how to scare the hell out of someone at the cinema. Plus, FSR head-honcho-in-chief Neil Miller shares what movie prop he desperately wants to own, and we hear some of your responses.
You should follow Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson), Neil Miller (@rejects), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
On today's show we explore the most obvious cultural trend of our time -- the infusion of geeky stuff into the mainstream. We'll talk with Zero Charisma directors Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews about getting geek culture right in their fan favorite film portraying a D&D-like gaming group and their fragile leader.
Plus, Great Showdowns artist Scott Campbell (see above) explains why he puts smiley faces on everything and shares his towering movie passion.
And since I'm feeling overwhelmed by the amount of capes on the big screen, Agents of Geek founder Jim Napier drops by to lift my spirits by offering an optimistic outlook on the future of geek film properties.
You should follow Scott C. (@scottlava), Jim Napier (@jim_napier), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
Donning some sweet spectacles again, Daniel Radcliffe returns to theaters this upcoming Wednesday as beat poet Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings. The actor joins us to talk about finding that character and the hunt for great material.
Continuing that theme, Black List founder Franklin Leonard speaks with us in an extended interview on the website's 1st birthday as an outlet for aspiring writers to be discovered and receive feedback from industry professionals. What successes they've faced, what challenges lie ahead, and what changes we'll see in year two. All coming up on today's program as well as some advice from Geoff on knowing whether you're ready to have your work read by the big dogs.
You should follow The Black List (@theblcklst),Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
Dear sweet lord it's finally here. Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity hits theaters which is bad news for Sandra Bullock's astronaut and great news for everyone else. Drew McWeeny joins us for a little Interrogation Reviewification where he explains the mind-evaporating nature of the movie without spoiling it.
Plus we chat with Rob Hunter about the best of the best coming out of Fantastic Fest (and where you can find them), and I harangue Geoff with a brief history of banned books being adapted to film.
You should follow Drew (@drewathitfix), Rob (@fakerobhunter),the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
On this week's show, we launch a new feature called Convince Me, and in our inaugural edition, Geoff tries to convince me that The Shining deserves a remake (or re-adaptation if you're nasty). We tie all of that up nicely with a pink bow by discussing the Torrance family conspiracy doc Room 237 with Nonfics editor-in-chief Chris Campbell (who also tells us a bit about the brand new site and how he plans to convert more people into documentary lovers).
You should follow Chris (@thefilmcynic), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
On this fun size edition of the program, Geoff defends Steven Spielberg's unfairly maligned War of the Worlds, and I defend the unfairly maligned dumping ground of September-October as one of the very best times of the year for movie fans. It's a magical two months for one very important reason.
We'd also like to thank all of you for pushing us over 125,000 downloads last week. It means Geoff can finally afford shoes.
You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
On this week's 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we're dropping the usual format for an extended roundtable conversation about terrorism and September 11th's effect on film and television. How has our consumption changed? What movie best captures the national spirit in the years following? How soon is too soon to directly confront a tragedy in fiction?
We're joined by Indiewire's TV Editor and Filmspotting: SVU Podcast co-host Alison Willmore, Movie Mezzanine founder and editor-in-chief Sam Fragoso, and FSR's own associate editor Rob Hunter.
You should follow Rob (@fakerobhunter), Alison (@alisonwillmore), Sam (@samfragoso), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
The end is nigh, and speculation is high. Will Walt ride off into the blue sunset, or fall off his horse? If it's the latter, how many will he drag down with him? Will we ever get to see Badger's Star Trek episode?
With so many pressing questions, we turn to Breaking Bad expert Joanna Robinson to parse the crackpot theories and provide so many guesses about the final episode that we're sure to accidentally stumble upon the right answer.
Plus, FSR Associate Editor Rob Hunter joins us for our Fantasy Fall Movie Box Office and Prestige-Off draft, and the stakes couldn't be higher.
You should follow Rob (@fakerobhunter), Joanna (@quityourjrob), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more fun stuff on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
It's the time of year when children head back to campus, but even if you've already graduated, it's still easy to get into the trapper keeper mindset with movies. Beloved culture commentator Matt Patches joins us to celebrate and dissect the greatest movies about school (and escaping it) as we attempt to pinpoint the film that best encapsulates all the feelings we had waiting to be saved by the bell.
Plus, Lords of Salem director Rob Zombie joins us to explain making bad career choices as a viable career choice (including his forthcoming hockey movie), we deliver the news in only 3 words, and then we leave the kind words at home for the giant kind of shouting debate that Ben Affleck's Batman casting deserves.
You should follow Rob Zombie (@robzombie), Matt Patches (@misterpatches), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more fun stuff on a daily basis.
And, as always, if you like the show (or hate it with seething fervor), please help us out with a review.
We've waited a long time to see You're Next, an even longer time to see All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, and we'll never get to see The Day the Clown Cried. While we tear-up about it, producer Keith Calder joins us to describe what it's like to see something you made collect dust on a shelf even as people clamor for its release. He'll explain one direction your luck can go in when your movie is being treated like a used mattress.
Plus, Geoff and I daydream about movies that could have been amazing if they hadn't burned in development hell and explore how to email a professional screenwriter looking for advice.
You should follow Keith Calder (@keithcalder), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more fun stuff on a daily basis.
And, as always, please send us your feedback.
Awkward as a nerdy kid at summer camp, we've built an episode focused on young people who are much, much stronger than they appear (and only some of them wear spandex). First up, an Interrogation Reviewification treatment of Kick-Ass 2 with Neil Miller. He's seen itand lived to the wipe bodily fluids off his shirt in the theater parking lot.
Then we've got a candid interview with D.J. Caruso, whose family-friendly film Standing Up sees two young kids finding friendship in the midst of intensely cruel, mosquito-covered bullying.
From Hit-Girl crushing skulls to coming-of-age on the lam, it's bound to be an adolescent-minded show.
You should follow Neil (@rejects), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more fun stuff on a daily basis.
And, as always, please send us your feedback.
The fantastically talented TyRuben Ellingson has been painting the future for years. Getting his start as a VFX art director on Jurassic Park, he's gone on to envision vehicles, worlds and weaponry for James Cameron and Guillermo del Toro. His work can be seen this summer stomping in Pacific Rim and flying through Neill Blomkamp's Elysium, and we were lucky enough to speak with him about his sci-fi conceptual art.
Plus, Geoff defends screenwriter Damon Lindelof for saying he's tired of destruction porn, and we challenge ourselves to sum up the week's news in only three words.
You should check out Ellingson's website, and follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more fun stuff on a daily basis.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
It's high time we celebrate the on-screen boozer who saves the day, adds some comic relief, falls into spiraling depression or a combination of all three. To do that, we've invited on Alamo Drafthouse Ritz programmer Tommy Swenson -- the man behind a tipsy August lineup in honor of The World's End -- who knows more than a thing or two about movie drunks.
Plus, our big interview this week is with Drinking Buddies writer/director/producer/editor Joe Swanberg who will take us into the craft brewery of his mind. Double plus, Geoff and I talk about intentionally bad movies, and tie it into the overall theme as loosely as possible by drinking a beer beforehand. And after. What? It was a long day.
You should follow Joe Swanberg (@joe_swanberg), Tommy Swenson (@80s_Lightning), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) for more fun stuff on a daily basis.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
This week we answer the most important question of our time: how can a city the size of Detroit go bankrupt? It's crazy, and after figuring that out in about three minutes, we then spend twenty trying to game out what Warners has planned for Batman vs. Supermanbefore pitching actors we want to see take on the cowl.
Plus, we've got an Interrogation Review of The Wolverine, and in case your brain is overwhelmed by things in capes, Geoff and screenwriter Brian Duffield explain what to do when you get an extreme case of writer's block.
You can follow Brian Duffield (@brianduffield), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) for more fun stuff on a daily basis.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
Did you hear that this weekend is Comic-Con? It's true! It's weird that no one told you. Fortunately, this week's show features a visit to San Diego where our sentinels Robert Fure and Jack Giroux will tell us all the crazy stuff that's happening on the ground there in geek paradise (which happens to be a hotel room that's missing a bathroom door).
Plus, Geoff and I disagree wildly in our reviews of the new season of The Newsroom, and we prepare for the possibility of Spike Lee's retirement by discussing his legacy and forcing him to autograph old football paraphernalia.
You can follow Robert Fure (@robertfure), interviewer Jack Giroux (@jackgi), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) for more fun stuff on a daily basis.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
The dynamite is going boom this weekend with Pacific Rim, so we've got an interview with screenwriter Travis Beacham about building monsters with his brain. Plus, we present a handy pop quiz on earth-threatening, stories-tall beasts and some of the most ridiculous examples of them in movie history. You can play along at home, but just know that if you lose, Godzilla will find you and smash your house.
And as a magical bonus, Geoff has some advice about how to approach working screenwriters on Twitter for advice.
Speaking of which, you can follow Travis Beacham (@travisbeacham), interviewer Jack Giroux (@jackgi), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) for more fun stuff on a daily basis.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
We're a little bit exhausted by the summer of 2013. To take a break from it, we wanted to look into the future, and even though there's a giant conversation to be had about Untitled Marvel Studios Movie hitting in 2016, we figured we'd keep it simple by only jumping ahead a year.
So we'll be getting excited about the bursting-with-potential summer movies of 2014, and Geoff will answer a listener's screenwriting question focused on which character romantic comedies should focus on. Plus, we've got an outstanding piece of orchestral music fresh out of the Warner Bros. studio to share with you. It's from a promising young composer with a Reddit-worthy story.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
Not everyone knows what online piracy has done to indie filmmakers, so this week we have a pair of stories that try to shed some light into dark recesses. First, horror filmmaker Filip Tegstedt outlines the saga of futilely trying to find a distributor for a movie that had already been pirated, and then Cinedigm's Jill Calcaterra explains the company's new distribution partnership with BitTorrent.
Plus, Geoff and I offer up the Top Best Greatest Five Movies with which to celebrate the end of DOMA. Yes, it'll be fabulous.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow Cinedigm (@cinedigm), Filip (@thenorthlander), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
What's the perfect zombie-killing weapon? We settle the question with writer/director Joel Morgan, who may or may not be opening a crowbar store in the near future.
And if one Apocalypse isn't enough, we've got another in the form of comments made by Steven Spielberg about the inevitable "meltdown" of the Hollywood studio system. Geoff and I get our hands dirty with that one before appreciating and responding to this screenwriting post by Scott Myers at Go Into the Story.
Grab your crowbar and prepare yourself.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow Joel Morgan (@joelmorgan23), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
This week, we kneel before Zod and Hatchet III star Danielle Harris, who describes her Pussy Posse and explains what it's like to have hoses filled with fake blood aimed at your face.
Plus, Geoff faces an Interrogation Review of Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, and Scott talks with a budding filmmaker who'll learn this weekend if his new project gets funding or not.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow Danielle Harris (@halloweengal), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
It's funny that our last episode was called The Greatest Escape, because this week we'll be talking about how to survive when someone who hunts people for sport is chasing you. Or, at least, what movies have taught us about it. Hint: your chances aren't good.
With Geoff on vacation, Brian Salisbury helps us out with his Count Zaroff impression and his latest research into the only way to enjoy M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening. Plus, we top it all off with an interview with Black Rock writer/actor/director Katie Aselton (seen running for her life above) where we don't ask her for fantasy football tips.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow Brian (@briguysalisbury), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
With a ton of classic films and an Oscar under his belt, producer Walter Mirisch joins us to talk about The Great Escape, Steve McQueen and the key to producing great movies.
Plus, with so much news landing, Geoff and I offer opinionated insight and some insightful opinions on Ray Harryhausen, the future of a potential Downey-less Marvel, a delayed Jurassic Park IV, and the best trailers of the week.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
You know how you went downstairs this morning, and there wasn't quite as much cereal left in the box as you thought there should be? We did that. We have operatives everywhere. We can see and hear everything you taste and smell. Which is why this week -- on an episode that won't self-destruct no matter how much you want it to -- we offer some of our favorite conspiracy narratives after talking with Aaron Eckhart about his latest CIA thriller, Erased.
Plus, we've got a review of Iron Man 3 done interrogation style.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
Amazon recently launched 14 TV-style pilots (including Zombieland), and they're asking users to provide feedback that will theoretically help them decide which shows to keep and what to do with them. Is it a smart move to democratize the development process or will shows end up cowering in fear below a ravenous mob of faceless. aggregated opinions?
Veteran actor Donal Logue weighs in on bringing pilots to the people, shares some Copper-style 19th century Irish American history and drops a piece of advice that should make you change your mindset about finding success. Plus, Geoff wants to warn aspiring writers about the wrong way to present your work.
Then, screenwriter Justin Marks and The Bitter Script Reader join us to dig way too deep into what Amazon is trying to do.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow Logue (@donallogue), Justin Marks (@justin_marks_), The Bitter Script Reader (@BittrScrptReadr), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
It's almost time for sunscreen, something you won't need to purchase if you plan on staying in the cool, dark space of the movie theater from June through August. But what are you going to see? How could you possibly know what's coming out and when? Did you even know there's a Superman movie on the way? Of course you did.
Geoff and I have combed through studio press releases, had a lot of secret meetings in parking garages, and decided to talk about 6 Limited Release Summer Movies that you should keep an eye on.
Plus, our big interview is with Cheech and Chong, who review Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond the Pines andpromise to make Up in Smoke 2 if their new animated movie makes $100m in its opening week.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
Several studies and reams of statistics show what's obvious at a gut level: there aren't nearly as many women directing movies as men, and there probably aren't nearly as many women directing as want to be. What are we missing out on as a culture as a result? How do we help to fix the problem? Is there even a problem that we can fix, and if so, how do we each define it?
Today on the show we'll speak with writer/director Beth Schacter about her experiences and how she sees things can improve. We'll also briefly highlight Tangerine Entertainment and speak with Filminism columnist Jenni Miller and Movies.com editor Peter Hall about women directors who've earned a bigger spotlight.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow Beth (@bethshax), Jenni (@msjennimiller), Peter (@petershall), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
You're going to need some foam core, a few Jeeps and some black-tinted KY jelly. Such is the glamour of the filmmaking business. With Jurassic Park in theaters again, renowned special effects artist Shannon Shea joins us to talk about what it was like building dinosaurs and being on set for the Steven Spielberg picture.
He was also nice enough to share some rare behind-the-scenes pictures (and a dramatic reading of the infamous baby triceratops scene that never made the film).
For more from us on a daily basis, follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
Facial tattoos and boredom-induced improvisation! Jack brings us an interview with Place Beyond the Pines star Ryan Gosling who discusses the consequences and magic of making mistakes.
Plus, Screen Rant's Ben Kendrick joins us to discuss a few favorite movie pranks, we explore a personalized horror short story prank from author Jason Arnopp, and then celebrate the pure majesty of the too-often-maligned dumb action genre. Body massage machine go!
For more from us on a daily basis, follow Ben (@benkendrick), Jason (@jasonarnopp), Jack (@jackgi), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter.
And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
Films noir, crime novels and detective stories all have a long history of unlikable characters that we cheer for. Bad guys doing good work. Flawed heroes who always know the right line to say and the right time to offer a lady a light. Agatha Christie this ain't, and this week we're getting our hands dirty by talking with Killing Them Softly director Andrew Dominik about violence and "Seduction of the Innocent" author Max Allan Collins about the history of the genre.
He'll offer the best films noir for new fans to start with, and then Geoff and I will discuss how to write unlikable characters with Chinatown in our sites.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter. And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
Vimeo has launched a new distribution channel for creators, and a major studio is using Kickstarter. It's been quite a week for the future of film financing.
In this episode, we'll talk with Vimeo VP for Creative Development Blake Whitman about Vimeo On Demand, and then Operation Kino co-hosts Matt Patches and Da7e Gonzales join us for a four-way conversation about whether Warner Bros. getting into the crowdfunding game with Veronica Mars is good, bad or ugly.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe), Scott (@scottmbeggs), Patches (@misterpatches) and Da7e (@da7e) on the Twitter. And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
Rhythm and Hues and several companies at the top of their game have now gone bankrupt; hundreds protested outside the Oscars; the Jaws theme added insult to injury; and it all adds up to the VFX industry being in trouble. But how can something so central to modern filmmaking be struggling to stay alive? If blockbusters earn billions on the back of stunning CGI wizardry, why are the best in the business failing?
Industry veteran Jim Hillin joins us to explain it all in simple terms and to offer a few solutions in the face of a complex, dire situation. Plus, Geoff and Scott share a few big visual effects moments that changed movies by delivering real magic.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on the Twitter. And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
Nerdist's Alison Haislip joins us this week as we get our hands dirty solving the deep-seeded problem of video game movies. They're pretty much all terrible, but it doesn't have to be that way! They can all be better! Alison explains why they need an Iron Man moment, and we give Hollywood studios permission to take video game stories seriously.
For more from us on a daily basis, follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe), Scott (@scottmbeggs) and Alison (@alisonhaislip) on the Twitter. And, as always, we welcome your feedback.
With painted-on Tuxedos and a foolish bet about who can accurately predict more Oscar winners, we set out to discuss the Academy Awards with the lucky benefit of hindsight. We'll be borrowing expertise from Guy Lodge of HitFix's In Contention blog for a look into how this year shapes up (and what the future may bring).
Plus, one of us is going to be drunkenly reciting the opening monologue from Patton next week. It all comes down to who wins for Best Achievement in Costume Design.
Charlie Day joins us this week to talk about the inventive offensiveness of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as well as what it was like to play a hipster scientist for Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim.
Plus, Sasha Grey gives us some romance tips after scaring us in Would You Rather, Craig Mazin shares the creation of four Identity Thief script pages, and we answer a listener question about finding viable production partners.
That's a lot of ground to cover, and we're all hung over on discount champagne, so let's get started.
There were far too much news stories about Star Wars this week. It was a shock and awe campaign of rumors, half-truths and legitimate plans that all pointed to Disney making 29 new films featuring all our favorite characters for the next 200 years. To help dig through it all, Full of Sith podcast host Consetta Parker and Jovial Jay from TheForce.net join us to explain whether a movie about Yoda, Boba Fett or Han Solo should shoot first.
Plus, Identity Thief screenwriter Craig Mazin explains how to make an uninteresting character interesting, and Geoff and I tackle a listener question about overcoming the fears of rejection and failure by talking about our own biggest failures.
If you want to sell a movie script, you've got to get in the room. But what do you do once you get there? Geoff answers a listener question by explaining what you need to do when prepping a pitch and presenting it to producers (all of whom are throwing knives at you as you speak).
Plus, we kick off Oscar Month, celebrating the 99th anniversary of Oscar royalty Charlie Chaplin's appearance in film, and Scott engages in an insightful discussion with How to Survive a Plague director David France about his Academy Award-nominated AIDS documentary.
This week on the show, Scott and Geoff discuss Shane Carruth's 9-year hiatus as a viable career option, get some thoughts on Upstream Color from Rob Hunter at Sundance and talk to up-and-coming actor Micah Hauptman about his first big break in the movie Parker.
Plus, in the main event, short filmmaker Aaron Morgan (No Way Out) and Aint It Cool's Eric "Quint" Vespe stop by to discuss the legacy of two titans of filmmaking, asking the all-too-important question: In 50 years, will Steven Spielberg overtake Alfred Hitchcock as the more popular icon of movies?
We praise Girls, a show we hate, and Kate Erbland helps us understand the genuine love for Lena Dunham's terribly average HBO series.
Plus, Broken City director Allen Hughes talks shooting fast, celebrating 20 years of Menace II Society and why he loves crime dramas, and Geoff explains a truly despicable "management" scam that aspiring screenwriters need to protect themselves against.
Don't get suckered. Listen now.
Scott debates HitFix's Drew McWeeny over which Raiders of the Lost Ark sequel is the best, Geoff and Scott pitch two historical wrongs they want Quentin Tarantino to right, Film School Rejects' Rob Hunter reviews Gangster Squad, and Louie is forced to take his kids to the comedy clubon a school night.
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