Episode 782: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Guest Co-Hosts: Chris Stachiw, Spencer Parsons

Spencer Parsons and Chris Stachiw join Mike to dig into the ideological undercurrents of The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan’s contentious capstone to his Batman trilogy. Released in 2012, the film finds a broken Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) pulled back into action as Gotham—now pointedly resembling New York—falls under siege by Bane (Tom Hardy) and the League of Shadows.

The conversation moves past spectacle to examine the film’s deeply anxious view of revolution, class conflict, and populist politics. Drawing connections to Occupy Wall Street–era fears, Mike, Spencer, and Chris unpack how Bane’s rhetoric of liberation masks authoritarian control, how mass movements are portrayed as dangerous and irrational, and how order is ultimately restored through elite sacrifice rather than systemic change.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 782: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy The Dark Knight Rises on Blu-Ray

Music:
"Ding Ding" - Auralnauts
"I'm Bane" - Auralnauts

Watch:

Special Report: Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

Guest Co-Hosts: Josh Hadley, Chris Stachiw

For a special live podcast, Chris Stachiw (The Kulturecast), Josh Haldey (1201 Beyond), and Mike joined up to discuss Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021): a film many years in the making. We discuss both the Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder versions. We compare the two to find any redemptive qualities in either and talk about how the newer version acts as origin stories for a few of the film's main characters.

You can hear the edited version of the podcast or watch the un-edited version as a YouTube video below.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Read The Snyder Cult: Dawn of a Toxic Fandom by James Reinhardt
Read Zack Snyder’s Justice League Shows Just How Dirty the Theatrical Cut Did Ray Fisher by Joe Jurado
Read Justice League: The Untold Story of Cyborg and Deathstroke by Anthony Breznican
Read Justice League: The Shocking, Exhilarating, Heartbreaking True Story of #TheSnyderCut by Anthony Breznican
Read Messing Up Age of Ultron Helped Joss Whedon Mess Up Justice League by Courtney Enlow

Music:
"Justice League Of America" - John Gart
"Challenge of the Superfriends" - Hoyt Curtin
"The All New Super Friends Hour" - Hoyt Curtin
"Ding Ding (Featuring The Flash)" - The Auralnauts

Watch:

Special Report: The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? (2015)

Special Guests: Jon Schnepp & Holly Payne
Guest Co-Host: Chris Cummins

The fifth feature Superman film took a dozen years and millions of dollars to come to fruition. Along the way the film was almost made as Superman Lives written by Kevin Smith, Wesley Strick, and Dan Gilroy, directed by Tim Burton and starring Nicolas Cage.

The documentary The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? digs into the production, from conception to the camera almost rolling. It's a wild tale of creativity, rampant egos, and one of the most eccentric producers Hollywood boasted.

We're joined by nerdlebrity Chris Cummins along with the producer and director of TDOSLWH, Holly Payne and Jon Schepp.

Links:
Visit the official The Death of 'Superman Lives' What Happened website
Buy Superman: Doomsday on DVD
Buy Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero by Larry Tye
Buy Superman vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon by Jake Rossen
Buy Red Son by Mark Millar
Buy DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore by Alan Moore
Buy Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? by Alan Moore
Buy the Death of Superman saga
Buy The Kryptonite Kid by Joseph Torchia
Visit the Superman Homepage
Read Mike White's Superman: Grounded article
Listen to our episode on Batman Returns
Hear more of Mike on Geek Juice Radio talking about Tim Burton
Follow Chris Cummins on Twitter

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? (2015)" on Spreaker.

Music:
"O Superman" - Laurie Anderson
"Kryptonite" - 3 Doors Down
"Superman" - The Clique
"Superman" - Ides of March
"Superman's Song" - Crash Test Dummies
"Official Suburban Superman" - Suzi Quatro
"Superman Theme" - Chris Joss
"Superman Theme" - Petra Haden
"Superman" - Boyce Avenue

Watch:

Episode 199: Batman Returns (1992)

Special Guests: Daniel Waters, Sam Hamm, Mark Reinhart
Guest Co-Host: Mark Gledhill

In this special year-end episode, we're looking at Batman, focusing especially on Tim Burton's Batman Returns. We're joined by Mark Gledhill of Comic Book Consideration to discuss The Bat (Michael Keaton), The Cat (Michelle Pfeiffer), and The Penguin (Danny DeVito).

Our special guests include screenwriters Sam Hamm (Batman, The Watchmen, Never Cry Wolf, Monkeybone) and Daniel Waters (Batman Returns, Heathers, Vampire Academy) along with writer Mark Reinhart (The Batman Filmography).

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 199: Batman Returns (1992)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Batman Return on Blu-Ray
Buy Batman: Blind Justice by Sam Hamm
Buy The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
Buy Batman: Year One by Frank Miller
Buy The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
Buy The Batman Filmography by Mark S. Reinhart
Visit Comic Book Consideration
Read about Cultural Allusions in Batman Returns
Is Batman Returns an Anti-Semitic Allegory?
Read about The 7 best unproduced Batman screenplays (and what happened)
Listen to Mike talk about Tim Burton on Geek Juice Media
Listen to Daniel Waters on our Adventures of Ford Fairlane episode

Music:
"Batman (Main Title)" - Danny Elfman
"Birth of a Penguin" - Danny Elfman
"Face to Face" - Siouxsie & The Banshees
"I'm Bane" - Auralnauts
"Bat Dance" - Prince

Watch:

The Evolution of Batman in Cinema from Jacob T. Swinney on Vimeo.