On this special report, Mike spoke with director Graham Mason and star Ikechukwu Ufomadu about their 2020 film Inspector Ike, one of the best films of 2022 and a must-watch for "Columbo" fans.
Special Guest: Earl Jackson Guest Co-Hosts: Carol Borden, Samm Deighan
Carol Borden (The Cultural Gutter) and Samm Deighan (Twitch of the Death Nerve) join Mike to discuss two adaptations of Edogawa Rampo's Kurotokage. The 1962 was adapted by Kaneto Shindô and directed by Umetsugu Inoue while the 1968 was adapted by Masashige Narusawa and directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Both were based on the stage play version by Yukio Mishima.
Professor Earl Jackson discusses the strange bedfellows behind these amazing films about a criminal mastermind who squares off against the Japanese Sherlock Holmes.
Special Guest: Griff Rhys Jones Guest Co-Hosts: Jon Spira, Cecil Trachenburg
We conclude Sci-Fi July with a look at Mike Hodges’s Morons from Outer Space (1985). Written by Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith, the film tells the tale of a quartet of less-than-bright intergalactic travelers who crash land on Earth. The film lampoons the idea that we of Earth may be visited by beings from outer space only to find that they’re not as enlightened as we’d fancy them to be.
Cecil Trachenburg and Jon Spira join Mike to laud the film while Griff Rhys Jones discusses how disappointing he found the experience.
We continue Sci-Fi July with a look at Jack Arnold’s The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957). Based on the book by, and adapted by, Richard Matheson, the film tells the story of Scott Carey (Grant Williams), a man who goes through a mysterious fog bank on the ocean only to find that it’s caused his body to inexplicably shrink.
John Atom and Emily Intravia join Mike to discuss the film and its 1981 remake, The Incredible Shrinking Woman.
Special Guests: Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Andrew Eaton Guest Co-Hosts: Jedidiah Ayres, Dylan Davis
Directed by Michael Winterbottom, written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, and produced by Andrew Eaton, Code 46 (2003) stars Tim Robbins as William Geld, a fraud investigator who travels to Shanghai to interview the employees of The Sphinx, a company that produces letters of transit. Meanwhile, Samantha Morton plays Maria Gonzalez, the forger of these papers. The two have a connection... a very deep connection... which will eventually doom their relationship.
Special Guests: Alan Dean Foster, Jon Povill, Walter Koenig Guest Co-Hosts: A.J. Black, Trevor Gumbel
Sci Fi July begins with the first entry in the Star Trek film franchise, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). After a decade without a live-action version of Star Trek the crew reunite to embark on a very familiar mission: a Gene Roddenberry special where a god-like creature judges humanity to be lacking.
Our episode features interviews with story writer Alan Dean Foster, associate producer Jon Povill, and actor Walter Koenig.
A.J. Black and Trevor Gumbel join Mike to discuss the unusual path to the big screen the film took as well as how it forges a link between "TOS" and "TNG".
Correction: It was Star Trek: Voyager that lead UPN, not Star Trek: The Next Generation (which was syndicated).
Special Guests: Benni Korzen, Mike Starr Co-Hosts: Chris Stachiw, Richard Hatem
The Rankin on Bass podcast is still going strong so I wanted to share our most recent episode with Projection Booth listeners:
On episode 21 of the Rankin on Bass podcast we're discussing "Tom" Kotani's The Bushido Blade (1981). Written by William Overgard, it's the fictionalized account of Commodore Perry (Richard Boone) and his crew making a treaty with Japan. The film fractures into essentially three storylines featuring Frank Converse, Timothy Patrick Murphy, and Mike Starr in his first film role.
Interviews include a snippet of an earlier interview with Starr as well as a new interview with producer Benni Korzen who worked on the live action Rankin & Bass pictures going all the way back to The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye.
Special Guests: David Renwick, Brian Eastman Guest Co-Hosts: Josh Hadley, Mike Sullivan
Mike Sullivan and Josh Hadley join Mike to discuss the 1986 comedy Whoops Apocalypse. Loosely based on the 1982 British TV series of the same name, it’s a story of chicanery and political intrigue centered on the obscure and fictional British territory of Santa Maya. A power struggle around this small island leads to heightened tensions between the UK, US, and USSR.
Producer Brian Eastman and co-writer David Renwick discuss the mini-series and feature versions of Whoops Apocalypse.