Episode 633: True Stories (1986)

Special Guests: Stephen Tobolowsky, Alix Elias
Guest Co-Hosts: Chris Stachiw, Axel Kohagen

Directed by and starring David Byrne, True Stories (1986) tells the story of Virgil, Texas which is having its sesquicentennial anniversary and having a big talent show. We’re introduced to the unusual residents of the town in little vignettes that star a lot of familiar faces.

Axel Kohagen returns to the Projection Booth along with Chris Stachiw. Meanwhile, Mike talks with screenwriter Stephen Toboblowsky and actress Alix Elias about their role in crafting the film.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 633: True Stories (1986)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy True Stories on Blu-Ray
Listen to the Tobolowsky Files
Follow the Food of Love Trio

Music:
"Radio Head" - Talking Heads, featuring Tito Larriva, Esteban Jordan With Los Vampiros
"Dream Operator" - Talking Heads, featuring Annie McEnroe
"People Like Us" - Talking Heads, feautring John Goodman

Watch:

Episode 447: Kin-Dza-Dza (1986)

Guest Co-Hosts: Dan Martin, Jen Handorf

Sci Fi December continues with a look at the 1986 film from Georgiy Daneliya, Kin-Dza-Dza (1986). It’s the story of two men who are transported to the planet Pluke where they have to navigate the barren landscape and strange cultures of the people there.

Jen Handorf and Dan Martin join Mike to unpack the rituals and anthropological implications of Pluke as well as discuss the 2013 animated remake, Ku! Kin-Dza-Dza.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 447: Kin-Dza-Dza (1986)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Kin-Dza-Dza on Blu-Ray

Music:
"Main Theme" - Giya Kancheli

Watch:

Episode 401: F/X Murder by Illusion (1986)

Special Guests: Robert Mandel, Alan Ormsby, Cliff DeYoung
Guest Co-Hosts: Adam Schartoff, Jedidiah Ayres

Robert Mandel's F/X (1986) (AKA FX: Murder by Illusion) is the story of Rollie Taylor (Bryan Brown), a movie special effects man who is hired by two government agents (Cliff DeYoung & Mason Adams) to stage the public assassination of a mob boss (Jerry Orbach) who’s turned state's evidence. What better way to keep the mob off the tail than by “killing him”? But things don’t turn out as easy as that.

Jedidiah Ayres and Adam Schartoff join Mike to discuss F/X, its sequel, and the spin-off TV series.

Interviews on this episode include director Robert Mandel, writer Alan Ormsby and actor Cliff DeYoung.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 401: F/X (1986)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy F/X on Blu-Ray
Buy F/X2 on Blu-Ray
Buy F/X The Series on DVD
Hear more Adam Schartoff on Filmwax Radio
Keep up with Jedidiah Ayres at Hardboiled Wonderland

Music:
"Bust the Bust" - Bill Conti
"The Bombs" - Bill Conti
"Just an Illusion" - Imagination

Watch:

Episode 397: Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Special Guests: Sandy King Carpenter, W.D. Richter
Guest Co-Hosts: Vincenzo Natali, Tony Black

John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China (1986) tells the story of Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), a restaurateur whose finance, Miao Lin (Suzee Pai), gets kidnapped by the nefarious forces of David Lo Pan (James Hong), a seemingly innocent old man who is actually the embodiment of the evil spirit of Lo Pan, a demon who needs a woman with green eyes in order to become corporeal again and begin his reign of terror on earth.

And, there are some other white people involved in the story, too.

Tony Black and Vincenzo Natali join Mike to discuss this bizarre mash-up of Chinese mysticism and American action that only W.D. Richter could write.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 397: Big Trouble in Little China (1986)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Big Trouble in Little China on Blu-Ray
Buy The Official Making of Big Trouble in Little China by Tara Bennett & Paul Terry
Learn more about Storm King productions
Learn more about the Big Trouble comic books
Listen to our interview with Gary L. Goldman

Music:
Music from the Original Soundtrack recording

Watch:

Episode 350: A Better Tomorrow (1986)

Special Guests: Karen Fang, Kenneth E. Hall, Barna William Donovan
Guest Co-Hosts: Beth Accomando

After a brief hiatus, The Projection Booth returns with a discussion of John Woo's A Better Tomorrow (1986). The film, a hallmark of the “heroic bloodshed” subgenre of action films, did for gunplay what a generation of Hong Kong films had done with swords.

The film tells the tale of Ho (Ti Lung), a criminal whose younger brother, Kit (Leslie Cheung), is a police officer. He's betrayed by a fellow gangster (Waise Lee) and sent up the river. When he returns to Hong Kong he wants to stay on the right side of the law which is more difficult than it should be.

The film speaks to loyalty, brotherhood, and put Chow Yun-Fat on the map as a bankable action star.

Cinema Junkie's Beth Accomando and Mike wax fondly about the glory days of HK Cinema, twin brothers, strange sequels, and the true colors of a hero.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 350: A Better Tomorrow (1986)" on Spreaker.

Promos: 1:27:00
In the Mouth of Dorkness
Popcorn Poops
Badasses, Boobs, & Bodycounts
Proudly Resents

Interviews:
Karen Fang, author of John Woo's A Better Tomorrow: 1:31:00
Music: "Fatherly Advice - The Trip To Taiwan" - Joseph Koo

Kenneth E. Hall, author of John Woo: The Films: 2:08:00
Music: "Fatherly Advice - The Trip To Taiwan" - Joseph Koo

Barna William Donovan, author of The Asian Influence on Hollywood Action Films: 2:34:00
Music: "A Better Tomorrow II Theme Song - Instrumental (Reprise)" - Joseph Koo

Discussion 2: 3:13:00
Trailer: Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid: 3:40:00

Outro Music: 3:50:00
"當年情" - Leslie Cheung
"Birdy's Flight (From Not One Of Us)" - Peter Gabriel

Links:
Buy A Better Tomorrow on DVD
Buy the other Better Tomorrow movies on DVD
Buy Bullet in the Head on Blu-Ray
Listen to our episode on The Killer
Read more about the composite version of Bullet in the Head | Download

Watch:

Episode 312: Never Too Young to Die (1986)

Special Guests: Gil Bettman, David Worth, Peter Kwong
Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Josh Stewart

"I kinda wanted it to be Rocky Horror Picture Show meets Rambo" - Director Gil Bettman

An outstanding example of '80s Action Cinema, Never Too Young to Die (1986) stars John Stamos as Lance Stargrove, the "son of Bond", who teams up with Peter Kwong and Vanity to take down the evil intersex rock-n-roll cult leader Velvet Von Ragnar (Gene Simmons).

The brainchild of Steven Paul (Baby Geniuses, Slapstick of Another Kind, The Double 0 Kid), the film is getting a Blu-Ray release in April, 2017.

Josh Stewart and Heather Drain join Mike to discuss this outrageous film.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 312: Never Too Young to Die (1986)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Never Too Young to Die on Blu-Ray
Buy Destroy All Movies by Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly
Visit the official Gil Bettman website
Visit the official David Worth website
Visit the official Peter Wong website
Visit the official Heather Drain website
Follow John Stamos on Twitter
Follow Gene Simmons on Twitter
Follow Josh Stewart on Twitter
Listen to the KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park episode

Music:
"Stargrove" - Tommie Lee Bradley
"Some Velvet Morning" - Lee Hazlewood
"Never Too Young to Die" - Iren Koster

Watch:

Episode 300: Highlander (1986)

Special Guests: Russell Mulcahy, Gregory Widen
Guest Co-Hosts: Mike Thompson, Josh Hadley

There should be only one?

The Projection Booth celebrates our 300th episode with Russell Mulcahy's Highlander (1986), a science fiction/fantasy film in which immortals fight through time until only two remain -- Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) and The Kurgan (Clancy Brown). Though originally a box office flop, the film found new life on cable and VHS before spawning a bizarre franchise.

The film's director, Russell Mulcahy, and original screenwriter, Gregory Widen, discuss their relationship with Highlander. Josh Hadley and Mike Thompson join Mike White in unraveling the many incarnations of the film's progeny.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 300: Highlander (1986)" on Spreaker.

Jonathan Melville's A Kind of Magic: The Making of the Original Highlander

Listen to "Special Report: Jonathan Melville's A Kind of Magic: The Making of the Original Highlander" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Highlander on DVD
Buy Highlander II: The Renegade Cut on DVD
Buy Women of Darby Pop #1 (featuring Mike Thompson)
Read the latest on the Highlander reboot
Read There Was So, So Much Drinking on the Original Highlander Set by Katharine Trendacosta
Read Mike Thompson's Highlander II article
Find more of Josh Hadley at 12:01 Beyond

Music:
Soundtrack - Michael Kamen
"Princes of the Universe" - Queen
"Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)" - Queen
"Who Wants To Live Forever" - Queen
"A Kind of Magic" - Queen

Watch:

Special Report: Killer Party (1986)

Special Guest: Barney Cohen
Guest Co-Hosts: Jim Laczkowski, Kat Ellinger

On this Shocktober special, Kat Ellinger of the Daughters of Darkness podcast and Jim Laczkowski of the Directors Club podcast (among others) join Mike to discuss the 1986 horror comedy from director William Fruet, Killer Party in which a trio of young women (Elaine Wilkes, Joanna Johnson, Alicia Fleer) rush a sorority with horrific results including hazing, murder, and demonic possession.

Writer Barney Cohen talks about Killer Party, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, and the unmade Spiderman film.

Listen / Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Killer Party (1986)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Killer Party on DVD
Hear more of Jim Laczkowski on the Pop Culture Club and the Now Playing Network

Music:
"April" - White Sister
"Give It Up" - KC & The Sunshine Band
"Best Times" - Alan Brackett and Scott Shelly

Watch:

Episode 291: Night of the Creeps (1986)

Special Guests: Fred Dekker, Tom Atkins
Guest Co-Hosts: Heather Drain, Maitland McDonagh

"What is this? A homicide, or a bad B-movie?"

Fred Dekker's Night of the Creeps (1986) is a love letter to science fiction movies of the '50s. It's the story of Chris (Jason Lively) and JC (Steve Marshall), two friends who accidentally unleash a zombie plague from outer space onto their college campus. It's up to them, Cynthia (Jill Whitlow), and the grizzled Detective Cameron (Tom Atkins) to stop it.

Maitland McDonagh and Heather Drain join Mike to discuss this wonderful film. Interviews feature writer/director Fred Dekker and star Tom Atkins

Listen / Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 291: Night of the Creeps (1986)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Night of the Creeps on DVD
Buy the Night of the Creeps soundtrack by Barry DeVorzon
Visit Mondo Heather's website
Visit Diabolique Magazine
Visit the Miskatonic Institute

Music:
Soundtrack - Barry De Vorzon
"The Stroll" - The Diamonds
"The Creeps" - Social Distortion

Watch:

Episode 253: Salvador (1986)

Special Guest: Michael Murphy
Guest Co-Host: Matt Zoller Seitz, Jamey Duvall

Oliver Stone's Salvador stars James Woods as fast-talking journalist Richard Boyle and James Belushi as his friend, Doctor Rock. It’s kind of a "Fear and Loathing in Central America" with fewer drugs and more shooting of innocent bystanders. Despite being nominated for two academy awards, the film was not a box office success. Also it was overshadowed by another little film from Oliver Stone released the same year, Platoon.

Joining Mike this week is Movie Geeks United's Jamey Duvall and the author of The Oliver Stone Experience, Matt Zoller Seitz.

Download/Listen Now:

Listen to "Episode 253: Salvador (1986)" on Spreaker.

Bonus Interview: Oliver Stone

Listen to "Bonus Episode: Oliver Stone on Snowden" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy The Oliver Stone Experience by Matt Zoller Seitz
Buy Salvador on DVD
Buy The Untold History of the United States on DVD
Order The Oliver Stone Experience by Matt Zoller Seitz
Learn more about Matt Zoller Seitz
Be sure to listen to Movie Geeks United

Music:
"Weapons for El Salvador" - The Ex

Watch:

Episode 230: Solarbabies (1986)

Special Guest: D.A. Metrov
Guest Co-Host: Patrick Bromley

What was once "the kids' version of THX-1138", Solarbabies is the story of seven orphans looking for salvation in a water-starved post-apocalyptic world. The neon-colored film from second-time director Alan Johnson was originally conceived by the artist Metrov. The story behind Solarbabies might be more compelling than the final film itself.

We're joined this week by Patrick Bromley of the F This Movie podcast to make our way through the wasteland of Solarbabies.

Links:
Buy Solarbabies on DVD
Visit the official Metrov website
Read Patrick's piece on It Came from the '80s
Read the Forces of Geek piece about Solarbabies
Read Mel Brooks talks Solarbabies
Listen to our Rollerball episode
Be sure to listen to F This Movie!

Music:
"Lawrence of Arabia (Overture)" - Maurice Jarre
"Love Will Set You Free" - Smokey Robinson

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 230: Solarbabies (1986)" on Spreaker.

Watch:

Episode 205: The Wraith (1986)

Special Guests: Mike Marvin, Clint Howard, Jamie Bozian
Guest Co-Host: Patrick Bromley

Released in 1986, The Wraith was directed by Mike Marvin and stars Charlie Sheen as Jake Kesey, a new face in the town of Brooks, Arizona. Jake makes his appearance around the same time as a dark-helmeted, supernatural figure arrives; the mysterious Wraith of the title. This figure takes out members of Packard Walsh's gang of goofs with his badass Dodge -- using the seemingly indestructible car as a weapon.

We talked to writer/director Marvin along with Packard gangmembers Rughead (Clint Howard) and Gutterboy (Jamie Bozian). We're joined by Patrick Bromley of the F This Movie podcast.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 205: The Wraith (1986)" on Spreaker.

Bonus Interview: Dave Sherrill

Listen to "Bonus Interview: David Sherrill" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy The Wraith on DVD
Hear the rest of our Mike Marvin interview
Be sure to LIKE The Wraith Movie Page on Facebook
Hear Patrick on our Bad Lieutenants episode
Visit the official F This Movie website

Music:
"The Wraith" - Blitzkrieg
"High Plains Drifter" - Beastie Boys
"Ghost Rider" - Suicide

Watch:

Episode 195: Hamburger - The Motion Picture (1986)

Special Guest: Mike Marvin
Guest Co-Host: Stephen Sajdak

If sex addict Russell Procope can't get a degree from an accredited university he will miss out on his inheritance. So, Buster Burger University looks like just the place for him... especially with that "no sex" policy. Join us as we talk about one of the smartest sex comedies of the 1980s Hamburger: The Motion Picture.

We talk to Hamburger director, Mike Marvin, and we’re joined by Steve Sajdak of We Hate Movies.

Mike offers a mea culpa in regard to mixing up Sixteen Candles with Pretty in Pink.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 195: Hamburger - The Motion Picture (1986)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Hamburger – The Motion Picture on VHS
Buy Hot Dog… The Movie on DVD, Streaming
Learn about The Butkus Foundation
Listen to the We Hate Movies podcast
Listen to the We Hate Movies episode on Hamburger
Listen to the We Hate Movies episode on Hot Dog
Learn about Hamburger University
Read about the Hamburger Museum
Learn about a real life Buster Burger

Music:
"We're the Meatmen" - The Meatmen
"Beef Bologna" - Fear

Watch:

Episode 186: Working Girls (1986)

Special Guests: Lizzie Borden & Amanda Goodwin
Guest Co-Host: Grace Smith

Lizzie Borden's second feature film, Working Girls (1986) looks at the day in the life of a sex worker, her co-workers, her boss, and her clients.

We spoke to director Lizzie Borden and actress Amanda Goodwin (Dawn) about this groundbreaking film.

We're joined in our discussion by "working girl," Grace Smith, to help us understand how some sex work really works.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 186: Working Girls (1986)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Working Girls on Blu-Ray
Buy Born in Flames on DVD
Watch Amanda Goodwin's Living 'til the End on Amazon
Visit the official Remedy website
Hear more about sex work at The WhoreCast (Formerly "This American Whore")
Read about Alaska's War on Sex Workers
Where is prostitution legal? Find out here

Music:
"Bad Girls" - Donna Summer

Watch:

Episode 173: No Retreat, No Surrender (1986)

Special Guest: Keith W. Strandberg
Guest Co-Host: Zachary Oberzan

Step into the ring and fight for your independence on this Independence Day episode where Jean Claude Van Damme plays an evil Soviet fighter - it's No Retreat, No Surrender! The 1986 low-budget martial arts film stars Kurt McKinney as Jason Stillwell - a young man who continues to learn karate despite his father's wishes. Jason not only has to navigate the ups and downs of being a teen but he meets up with Bruce Lee who gets him ready to square off against the man of muscle West Coast gangsters used to push his father of out of the dojo business.

We are joined by the writer and producer of No Retreat, No Surrender Keith W. Strandberg.

Guest Co-Host this week is Zachary Oberzan - a JCVD enthusiast and filmmaker who played "The Muscles from Brussels" in his film Your Brother, Remember?

Links:
Buy No Retreat, No Surrender on Blu-Ray
Buy/Stream Zachary Oberzan's Your Brother. Remember?
We talked to Zachary Oberzan about his first film, Flooding with Love for the Kid on our First Blood episode

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 173: No Retreat, No Surrender (1986)" on Spreaker.

Watch:

Episode 170: Manhunter (1986)

Special Guests: Tom Noonan, Chris Elliott, Adam Resnick, Jonathan Rayner

Have you ever seen blood in the moonlight? It appears quite black...

Michael Mann's Manhunter was a stylish serial killer film that has proved influential for decades. Other than being known as the first film appearance from Hannibal Lecter (a sublime Brian Cox), Manhunter helped give rise to the crime procedural ("C.S.I.", "Criminal Minds", "True Detective", etc.).

We talked to Tom Noonan about his role as Francis Dollarhyde along with Chris Elliott (and Adam Resnick) about his early appearances in mainstream films. We also discuss the cinema of Michael Mann with Professor Jonathan Rayner.

Our guest co-host is the mysterious Mister X; we discuss the entire "Hannibal Lec(k)tor Legacy".

Listen / Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 170: Manhunter (1986)" on Spreaker.

Bonus:
Mike was a guest on the Kulturecaset where Chris Stachiw and John Lein discussed the disjointed Hannibal Franchise.

Listen to "Hannibal Lecter Franchise" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Manhunter on DVD
Buy Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Buy The Cinema of Michael Mann by Jonathan Rayner
Buy Red Dragon on DVD
Visit the official Tom Noonan website
Learn more about Tom Noonan's Paradise Theater
Visit a terrific Manhunter fansite
Read Mister X's analysis of Red Dragon and Manhunter at Film Threat
Watch That Guy with Glasses compare Manhunter and Red Dragon
Learn more about FBI Profiler John Douglas
Visit the official Thomas Harris website
Listen to us talk about serial killers and blind people on our Peeping Tom episode
Listen to the rest of our conversation with Chris Elliott and Adam Resnick on Cabin Boy
Visit the official Mister X website

Watch:

Recovering the Mindset from Matthew Morettini on Vimeo.

Episode 104: Blue Velvet (1986)

Special Guest: Paul M. Sammon
Guest Co-Host: Vincenzo Natali

Logs, logs, logs. We're going to Lumberton, USA this week to talk about David Lynch's Blue Velvet, a neo-noir that examines the dark underbelly of idyllic small town life.

Joining Mike and Rob is special guest co-host Vincenzo Natali, director of Cube, Splice, and the upcoming release, Haunter.

Links:
Buy Blue Velvet on Blu-Ray
A great German David Lynch site
Another great David Lynch site
Yet another David Lynch site
Buy the Blue Velvet soundtrack
Hear more David Lynch soundtrack mash-ups at Mashed in Plastic
Visit the Blue Velvet Project at Filmmaker Magazine
Read “David Lynch should be shot”: Looking back on the madness and chaos of “Blue Velvet” and Ronald Reagan’s '80s by Dennis Lim
Isabella Rossellini finally responded to Roger Ebert's review

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 104: Blue Velvet (1986)" on Spreaker.

Bonus: Music Mix


Music:
Music used in this episode
"Honky Tonk" by Bill Doggett
"Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton
"Song to the Siren" by This Mortal Coil
"In Dreams" by Roy Orbison
"Blue Rigby" by Wax Audio
"Blue Velvet" by Lana Del Rey
"Frank's Here" by The Who Boys
"Tricky Mystery Cruise" by Robbie D
"Mysteries of Love" by Julee Cruise

Watch:

Episode 54: The Hitcher (1986)

Special Guests: Rutger Hauer, Robert Harmon
Guest Co-Hosts: Brian Kelly. Josh Johnson

There's a killer on the road... John Ryder (Rutger Hauer). He's The Hitcher and he's terrorizing Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) in Robert Harmon's classic road terror flick.

In the booth this week is Josh Johnson of Rewind This! and Brian Kelley of @BTSjunkie.

Links:
Buy The Hitcher by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Check out Rutger Hauer's official site
More of Rutger's Hitcher recollections
Get The Hitcher on UK DVD
Get Highwaymen on US DVD
Get Cohen & Tate on DVD

Listen / Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 54: The Hitcher (1986)" on Spreaker.

Watch: