Mike White March 2025

Chris Stachiw makes the same mistake every year when he asks Mike to program a month of movies at The Kulturecast. For 2025 a handful of films from Robin Williams are on deck. The movies rank on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb at the bottom of Robin Williams's filmography and range from the maudlin (Jack, Patch Adams) to the derivitive (RV, License to Wed) to the truly exerable (Man of the Year). Joining Mike and Chris are many Kulturecast favorites like Mark Begley, Cullen Gallagher, Ryan Verrill, and Richard Hatem.

Jack (1996):

Listen to "Jack" on Spreaker.

RV (2006):

Listen to "RV" on Spreaker.

License to Wed (2007):

Listen to "License to Wed" on Spreaker.

Man of the Year (2006):

Listen to "Man of the Year" on Spreaker.

Patch Adms (1998):

Listen to "Patch Adams" on Spreaker.

Episode 732: Death of a Bureaucrat (1966)

Guest Co-Hosts: Cullen Gallagher, Rob St. Mary

Mike kicks off a fresh month of Patreon picks alongside Cullen Gallagher and Rob St. Mary to unpack the satirical brilliance of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea's 1966 gem, Death of a Bureaucrat. When a revered Cuban sculptor invents a revolutionary bust-making machine only to meet his untimely demise at its mechanical hands, bureaucratic absurdity kicks into high gear. Buried proudly with his labor card, the sculptor inadvertently sparks a Kafkaesque quest as his widow and nephew wrestle hilariously with red tape, relentless officials, and ridiculous obstacles—all in pursuit of the one document standing between them and survival. Special thanks to Patreon supporter John Redford for this sharp, comedic dive into the madness of bureaucracy.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 732: Death of a Bureaucrat (1966)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth

Music:
"Roldán: Danza Del Diablito" - Leo Brouwer

Watch:

Episode 730: Burglar (1987)

Special Guests: Lawrence Block
Guest Co-Hosts: Kevin Lehane, Cullen Gallagher

Whoopbruary rolls on with Burglar (1987), a comedic crime caper starring Whoopi Goldberg as Bernice Rhodenbarr -- Hugh Wilson's reimagining of the literary burglar created by Lawrence Block.With Bobcat Goldthwait bringing his signature chaos as her loyal sidekick and G.W. Bailey on her trail, this one’s packed with familiar faces and offbeat energy.

Guest co-hosts Cullen Callagher and Razzie-award nominated screenwriter Kevin Lehane join the discussion, plus we’ve got an interview with Lawrence Block himself.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 730: Burglar (1986)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg
Buy Burglar on DVD
Buy The Burglar in the Closet by Lawrence Block
Buy The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling by Lawrence Block

Music:
"Bobcat Rap (I'm A Lot Like You)" - Bobcat Goldthwait

Watch:

Episode 660: Sonatine (1993)

Guest Co-Hosts: Beth Accomando, Cullen Gallagher

Beth Accomando and Cullen Gallagher join Mike to discuss another Patreon request, Sonatine. Released in 1993, the film stars Takeshi Kitano as Murakawa, an aging gangster with no real sense of purpose. He's sent to Okinawa on yakuza business where things don’t go as well as they should.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Sonatine on DVD

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 660: Sonatine (1993)" on Spreaker.

Music:
"Beat Takeshi" - Demoted

Watch:

Mike White March 2022: Chow Yun-Fat Movies

It's that time again! Chris Stachiw asked Mike to program another Mike White March for The Kutlurecast. 2022 brought a slate of movies starring the one and only Chow Yun-Fat.

The Seventh Curse:

Listen to "The Seventh Curse" on Spreaker.

An Autumn's Tale:

Listen to "An Autumn's Tale" on Spreaker.

Tiger On Beat:

Listen to "Tiger on Beat" on Spreaker.

All About Ah-Long:

Listen to "All About Ah-Long" on Spreaker.

Full Contact:

Listen to "Full Contact" on Spreaker.

Watch:

Guest Spots Galore

Over the last few months I've been a guest on a wide array of other peoples' podcasts.

The Kulturecast

It's "Begleyary" at The Kulturecast where Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley has chosen several films with Ed Begley Jr. in them to discuss including Now You See Him, Now You Don't and Citizens Band.

Listen to "Now You See Him Now You Don't" on Spreaker.

Listen to "Citizens Band" on Spreaker.

Gutting the Sacred Cow

You can hear why I'm not invited on more comedy podcasts as I totally tank in the "taking down" of Troy Duffy's The Boondock Saints.

The Coolness Chronicles

Meanwhile, on Ryan Luis Rodriguez's The Coolness Chronicles, I was on to discuss The Naked Gun 33 1/3 in an episode he called Hey, It's Enrico Pallazo!.

Cinema Beef

On Cinema Beef I joined a discussion of a double feature of crime films, A Simple Plan and No Country for Old Men that they called Take the Money and Blood.

Mystic & Severe Radio

You can see my ugly mug on the Mystic & Severe Radio episode about Five Fingers of Death.

Robert Bellissimo At The Movies

Last but not least I was on Robert Bellissimo At The Movies to talk about Carol Reed's Odd Man Out.

Episode 560: I Can't Sleep (1994)

Guest Co-Hosts: Judith Mayne, Cullen Gallagher

Judith Mayne and Cullen Gallagher join Mike to discuss Clair Denis's J'ai pas sommeil (1994). The film winds together three stories of artists in Paris who live on the outskirts of society. Daiga (Yekaterina Golubeva) travels from Lithuania because of the promise of an acting job from an unscrupulous director. Theo (Alex Descas) does odd jobs to survive and feed his wife (Beatrice Dalle) and son while wanting to return to Martinique. Meanwhile, Camille (Richard Courcet) is a drag performer and serial killer...


Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 560: I Can't Sleep (1994)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy I Can't Sleep on DVD

Music:
"Relax ay Voo" - Dean Martin and Line Renaud

Watch:

Episode 545: The Silent Partner (1978)

Special Guest: Elliott Gould
Guest Co-Hosts: Jonathan Melville, Cullen Gallagher

Noirvember 2021 kicks off with a look at Daryl Duke’s The Silent Partner. Released in 1978, it was from a screenplay by Curtis Hanson and based on the book Think of a Number by Anders Bodelsen. The film stars Elliott Gould as Miles Cullen, a rather mild mannered bank teller -- and keeper of the vault -- who figures out that his bank has been targeted for a robbery. With this piece of information he decides to rob the bank himself and let the robber (Christopher Plummer) take the fall.

Jonathan Melville and Cullen Gallagher join Mike to discuss the film while Elliott Gould talks about his role as Miles Cullen.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 545: The Silent Partner (1978)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy The Silent Partner on Blu-Ray
Buy Think of a Number by Anders Bodelsen
Buy Think of a Number on DVDr

Music:
"The Silent Partner" - Original Soundtrack
"Tænk på et tal" - Bent Fabricius-Bjerre

Sponsor:
This episode was brought you by Storyblocks

Watch:

Episode 527: Matalo! (1970)

Guest Co-Hosts: Cullen Gallagher, Chris Stachiw

We kick off Spaghetti Western month with a look at Cesare Canevari's 1970 metaphysical horror western, Matalo! It's got outlaws, a ghost town, a stage coach robbery, and a soft-spoken man who comes to town armed to the teeth with boomerangs (Lou Castel).

Cullen Gallagher and Chris Stachiw join Mike to talk about this bizarre Western hybrid.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Matalo! on DVD

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 527: Matalo! (1970)" on Spreaker.

Music:
"The Chase" - Mario Migliardi

Watch:

Episode 441: The Reckless Moment (1949)

Special Guest: Lutz Bacher
Guest Co-Hosts: Samm Deighan, Cullen Gallagher

We continue Noirvember 2019 with a look at Max Ophüls's The Reckless Moment (1949) which tells the story of Lucia Harper (Joan Bennett), a mother who’s out to protect her family from the forces of evil including Ted Darby, a swindler who’s making moves on her 17 year old daughter. Mrs. Harper will go to extremes to keep her family safe.

Cullen Gallagher and Samm Deighan join Mike to discuss the film and swoon over star James Mason. Our interview this week is with Lutz Bacher, author of Max Ophuls in the Hollywood Studios.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 441: The Reckless Moment (1949)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy The Reckless Moment on Blu-Ray
Buy The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
Read Woody Haut's poem about The Reckless Moment

Music:
"Reckless" - Tilly and the Wall

Watch:

Episode 417: Emperor of the North Pole (1973)

Guest Co-Hosts: Cullen Gallagher, Noel Thingvall

Based loosely on the writings of Jack London and Leon Ray Livingston, Robert Aldrich's Emperor of the North Pole 1973 tells the story of two hobos in the American Northwest during the Great Depression -- A Number One (Lee Marvin) and Cigaret (Keith Carradine). The two have a very uneasy relationship with one another and a completely antagonistic relationship with Shack (Ernest Borgnine), a railwayman who doesn’t want any freeloaders on his train.

Noel Thingvall and Cullen Gallagher join Mike to discuss riding the rails, Robert Aldrich, and much more.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 417: Emperor of the North Pole (1973)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Whatever Happened to Robert Aldrich?: His Life and His Films by Alain Silver and James Ursini
Buy Lee Marvin: Point Blank by Dwayne Epstein
Buy Ernie: The Autobiography by Ernest Borgnine

Music:
"A Man and a Train" - Marty Robbins

Watch:

Episode 411: American Tiger (1989)

Guest Co-Hosts: Kat Ellinger, Cullen Gallagher

Miami just got a lot hotter...

Also called American risciò or American Rickshaw Sergio Martino’s American Tiger (1989 ) is the story of Scott Edwards (Olympic champion Mitch Gaylord) a rickshaw driver in Miami, Florida who becomes embroiled in a supernatural mystery involving VHS tapes, Asian mysticism, Jonestown, and the dark lord Satan himself.

Cullen Gallagher and Kat Ellinger (All the Colours of Sergio Martino) join Mike to try and unravel this delightfully bizarre film.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 411: American Tiger (1989)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy American Rickshaw on Blu-Ray

Music:
"Little Rickshaw Boy" - Upper Crust
"'B' Gas Rickshaw" - The Raybeats

Watch:

Episode 372: Figures in a Landscape (1970)

Guest Co-Hosts: Cullen Gallagher, Heather Drain

Robert Shaw and Malcolm McDowell are two men on the run from mysterious forces in Joseph Losey's Figures in a Landscape (1970). Adapted by Shaw from a novel by Barry England, the film is something of an artsy action movie.

Heather Drain and Cullen Gallagher join Mike to discuss the film... and learn a bit about themselves along the way.

Links:
Buy Figures in a Landscape on Blu-Ray
Buy Figures in a Landscape by Barry England
Learn more about The Ghost of Peter Sellers
Watch Popeye in Goonland

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 372: Figures in a Landscape (1970)" on Spreaker.

Music:
Score by Richard Rodney Bennett

Watch:

Episode 301: Run of the Arrow (1957)

Special Guests: Samantha Fuller, Christa Fuller, Paul Talbot
Guest Co-Hosts: Joseph Maddrey, Cullen Gallagher

Sam Fuller's Run of the Arrow (1957) tells the tale of O'Meara (Rod Steiger) the man who shot the last bullet of the Civil War. Disenfranchised by Reconstruction, he heads west to live with the Sioux (lead by Charles Bronson). Relevant in 1957 when the U.S. was tearing itself apart over Civil Rights, the film is still as relevant in today's tumultuous times.

Filmmaker Samantha Fuller discusses A Fuller Life (2013), the documentary about her father's life, while Christa Fuller offers insight about the making of Run of the Arrow. Paul Talbot, author of Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films, discusses Charles Bronson's career and the times he played Native Americans in film.

Joining Mike are film scholar Cullen Gallagher and Joseph Maddrey, author of The Quick, the Dead and the Revived: The Many Lives of the Western Film.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 301: Run of the Arrow (1957)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Run of the Arrow on DVD
Buy A Fuller Life on DVD
Buy Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films by Paul Talbot
Buy Bronson's Loose Again! On the Set with Charles Bronson by Paul Talbot
Buy The Quick, the Dead and the Revived: The Many Lives of the Western Film by Joseph Maddrey
Read a review of the Warner Archive disc
Read The Essentials: The 5 Best Sam Fuller Films

Music:
"The End of the Story" - Victor Young
"The Blue and the Grey" - Victor Young
"The Purple Hills" - Victor Young
"Ghost Riders in the Sky" - Vaughn Monroe

Watch:

A Fuller Life Trailer from Samantha Fuller on Vimeo.

Episode 299: The Chase (1946)

Special Guest: Francis M. Nevins Jr.
Guest Co-Hosts: Maitland McDonagh, Cullen Gallagher

Noirvember 2016 concludes with a look at Arthur D. Ripley's The Chase (1946). Adapted by Philip Yordan from a Cornell Woolrich novel, the film tells the tale of Chuck Scott (Robert Cummings) a down-on-his-luck veteran who ends up working for gangster Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran) before falling for Roman's wife (Michèle Morgan) and stealing away with her to Cuba.

Cullen Gallagher and Maitland McDonagh join Mike to discuss The Chase, Cornell Woolrich, and more.

Listen/Download Now:

Links:
Buy The Chase on Blu-Ray
Buy Cornell Woolrich: First You Dream, Then You Die by Francis M. Nevins Jr.
Buy books from Maitland McDonagh
Read more from Cullen at Pulp Serenade

Music:
"Peter Lorre" - Satan's Pilgrims
"Peter Lorre" - Tony Miracle

Watch:

Episode 244: Alphaville (1965)

Special Guest: David Sterritt
Guest Co-Host: Cullen Gallagher

Noirvember continues as we look at crime and detective films with a foreign accent. We're looking at Jean-Luc Godard's 1965 sci-fi philosophical noir starring Eddie Constantine and Anna Karina, Alphaville.

We're joined by David Sterritt, the author of The Films of Jean-Luc Godard: Seeing the Invisible, and Pulp Serenade's Cullen Gallagher.

Links:
Buy Alphaville on DVD
Buy The Films of Jean-Luc Godard: Seeing the Invisible by David Sterritt
Visit the official David J. Sterritt website
Read a very different opinion of Germany Year 90 Nine Zero by Jonathan Rosenbaum
Keep up with Cullen Gallagher at Pulp Serenade

Music:
"Big in Japan" - Alphaville
"F*ck the World" - Insane Clown Posse

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 244: Alphaville (1965)" on Spreaker.

Watch:

Episode 70: Vanishing Point (1971)

Special Guest: Malcom Hart
Guest Co-Host: Cullen Gallagher

Celebrate your independence with Vanishing Point. One of the best road movies of the '70s, the film tells the story of Kowalski (Barry Newman), a driver, who's tearing ass across the southwest to get a car from Colorado to San Francisco in 15 hours.

Links:
Buy Memoirs of an Underground Filmmaker by Malcolm Hart
Visit Malcolm Hart's official website
Buy Vanishing Point on DVD
Check out the Pulp Serenade blog
Listen to Modern Silent Cinema

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 70: Vanishing Point (1971)" on Spreaker.

Watch: