mike@projection-booth.com mike@projection-booth.com

Reviews

On occasion, we get some nice words written about The Projection Booth:

No matter how comprehensive and wide-ranging you believe your tastes to be, The Projection Booth will stun you with lengthy discussions on many films you’ve never seen or even heard of. Soviet cinema, obscure independent French films, forgotten B-movies, and massively influential blockbusters are all on the autopsy table to be examined by host Mike White (no, not that Mike White) and his endless procession of guests. With over 550 episodes and counting, there are so many different reviews and interviews that anyone could find something that appeals to them. Where else could you find a podcast with several months dedicated to Czech cinema, next to discussions of early feminist cinema and an interview with body-horror and sci-fi legend Jeffrey Combs? One for the most hardcore film enthusiasts, give The Projection Booth a listen, even if it’s to add some of these weird, obscure movies to your watch list. Collider
An absurdly long but thoroughly immersive series of round table conversations about cult films. Shows which are co-hosted by Rob St. Mary and Mike White (not the screenwriter) with some alternating co-hosts, and include clips and guest interviews as well. Examples of a typical 3-hour show includes episodes about the obscure ’70s porno Water Power, and Bob Guccione’s Caligula. Some episodes run shorter but be prepared to drain your iPhone.

My takeaway: This podcast keeps me appreciative of the unconventional and to think beyond the mainstream. There are tons of underground and forgotten films out there that go unheeded. There’s more to life than festival films, after all. No? Filmmaker Magazine
The Projection Booth is a podcast for the kind of cinephile who gets excited by the idea of four hours of commentary for a 90-minute movie. Its latest episode on Orson Welles’ butchered 1942 film The Magnificent Ambersons—filled with thoughtful analysis, heaps of background info, and an interview with the filmmaker’s daughter—took two years to compile is practically a necessity for any serious Welles aficionado. And for other episodes, hosts Mike White (not, not the Enlightened guy) and Rob St. Mary seemingly put an equal amount of work into tracking down an uncredited screenwriter for Brain DePalma’s Blow Out and an Upton Sinclair scholar to help discuss There Will Be Blood. For casual film fans, this attention to detail may be overzealous; The Projection Booth is definitely pharmaceutical-grade film geekery. For those that can handle it, it’s a great score. [DD] A/V Club
"White and St. Mary's podcast doesn't cover time-sensitive material the way that "The Business," "The Frame" and even "Screen Talk" does; a practice that not only produces evergreen content, but also, can be described as an alternative form of film scholarship. Each week, "The Projection Booth" engages in a sophisticated conversation about a cult film pulled from the annals of forgotten film history by co-hosts White and St. Mary, who are also usually joined by guests with a unique relationship to the film being discussed. The conversations on "The Projection Booth" usually center on the film's production history, as well as it's relationship to audiences at the time of its release and into the present. Archival clips of sound from film and other sources provide an eerie, yet alluring backdrop. The historical focus of the series affords listeners a certain degree of flexibility with their listening schedule. Listeners can work through the episodes from the beginning, at their own pace. They can further enrich their experience by watch the films that are being discussed before or after listening to each episode." IndieWIRE
Listening to “The Projection Booth,” for example, is a little like hanging out with the guys who work at the video store, back when that meant something. Each episode is a deep dive into a movie with a few film fanatics, plus interviews with people who worked in front of and behind the camera. ... In other words, this isn’t for the casual movie fan. ... Episodes of “The Projection Booth” are a mix of criticism and oral history, and they’re exhaustive. That’s the point. They’re created for posterity, which is why host Mike White doesn’t talk about his own life the way so many other podcasters do. Washington Post
There are plenty of podcasts devoted to cult movies, but The Projection Booth leads the pack by covering such an eclectic range of films. I honestly wish hosts Mike White and Rob St. Mary would curate a revival house theater and let me live there. They offer insightful commentary on well-known cult movies bolstered by an amazing array of interviews with the filmmakers and stars. Their splendiferous Beyond the Valley of the Dolls episode featured interviews with stars Dolly Read, Marcia McBroom, Erica Gavin and John Lazar plus composer Stu Phillips and singer Lynn Carey. As if all that wasn’t enough, they threw in a bonus extended interview with Stu Phillips (The Monkees, Battlestar Galactica). How fun is that? But The Projection Booth shines the brightest when it shows some love to truly obscure films. There have been entire episodes devoted to the Czech new wave classic Valerie and Her Week of Wonders and Saul Bass’ insects attack chiller Phase IV. Other forgotten gems included Colossus—The Forbin Project (1970), Working Girls (1986), The Final Programme (1973), Fantastic Planet (1973) and Haxan (1922). Stick with Mike and Rob and they’ll open your eyes to a new world of celluloid wonders. HorrorNews.Net
Guests on any given episode range from directors and actors, to writers and producers, and have included Paul Schrader, Ellen Burstyn, Brad Anderson, Keith David, and Jessica Harper. This is a podcast tailor-made for film geeks. Another big plus is the sheer diversity of films covered. They range from Beverly Hills Cop, rare Czech films, old Hollywood classics, and newly released independent films. Episodes are from one hour, on the very short side, to four-plus hours. Maybe this in itself is the secret to its popularity and longevity. Every episode is a lovingly crafted special edition. Current

3 comments:

  1. Total Agreement with all above!The immersive quality of The Projection Booth is Bucking Frilliant!Like a true Cinefile wandering in the Desert for 40 years finally comes upon an Oasis,each successive night comes to find it's Midnight At The Oasis!!:)Well Played,Projection Booth!!:)

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  2. Two words: consistently extraordinary.

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  3. I have just started to listen to them after a good 6 months of looking for a good film analysis podcast and this is a great film review podcast. There was one other out of a good 10 to 15 that I checked out, all of which were two guys believing they were analyzing film and were really just pretending to put on an entertainment show. Especially painful, when I just want to hear about the movie...in depth. Which these guys do and very very well.
    The one other I won't name because they are not as good.

    Thank you projection booth.

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