Episode 719: The Grifters (1990)

Special Guests: Peggy Rajski, Barbara De Fina
Guest Co-Hosts: Jedidiah Ayres, Andrew Nette

Noirvember 2024 ends with a bang as we delve into Stephen Frears's electrifying neo-noir The Grifters (1990). Adapted from Jim Thompson’s novel by screenwriter Donald Westlakd, this razor-sharp film stars Angelica Huston as Lily Dillon, a veteran con artist manipulating the odds at the racetrack. Her uneasy reunion with estranged son Roy (John Cusack) and his cunning girlfriend Myra (Annette Bening) sparks a volatile triangle of deception and betrayal in the high-stakes world of grifting.

Mike is joined by crime fiction experts Andrew Nette and Jedidiah Ayres to untangle this web of cons and double-crosses. Plus, executive producer Barbara De Fina and producer Peggy Rajski reveal what it took to bring this stylish, unsettling tale to life.

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Listen to "Episode 719: The Grifters (1990)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy The Grifters on Blu-Ray
Buy The Grifters by Jim Thompson
Buy Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson by Robert Polito
Find out more about The Trevor Project
Buy Revolution in 35mm: Political Violence and Resistance in Cinema from the Arthouse to the Grindhouse, 1960–1990 by Andrew Nette and Samm Deighan

Music:
Original Soundtrack - Elmer Bernstein

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Special Report: Better Off Dead (1985)

Special Guests: Diane Franklin, Savage Steve Holland, Curtis Armstrong
Guest Co-Hosts: Mike "McBeardo" McPadden, Jess Byard

On this special episode we're discussing Better Off Dead (1985) from writer/director Savage Steve Holland. The film stars John Cusack as Lane Myer, a high school student obsessed with his girlfriend, Beth (Amanda Wyss). When Beth breaks up with him -- throwing Lane over for Roy Stalin (Aaron Dozier), a jock douchebag who can ski the most dangerous mountain around -- Lane attempts suicide several times... like you do in a good comedy.

Jess Byard and Mike "McBeardo" McPadden, author of Teen Movie Hell, join Mike to discuss the film and its fast follow-up, One Crazy Summer.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Better Off Dead (1985)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Better Off Dead on Blu-Ray
Buy One Crazy Summer on DVD
Buy How I Got Into College on DVD
Buy the books of Diane Franklin
Buy Revenge of the Nerd: Or . . . The Singular Adventures of the Man Who Would Be Booger by Curtis Armstrong

Music:
"Race the K-12" - Rupert Hine
"A Little Luck" - E.G. Daily
"Everybody Wants Some" - Van Halen
"One Way Love (Better Off Dead)" - E.G. Daily

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Special Report: McBeardo's Teen Movie Hell

Special Guest: Mike "McBeardo" McPadden

Mike "McBeardo" McPadden has done it again; trawling through the sludge of a film subgenre to find the commonalities while holding up both the gems and the most execrable examples of teen flicks in his latest book, Teen Movie Hell: A Crucible of Coming-of-Age Comedies from Animal House to Zapped!.

On this special episode of The Projection Booth, Mike talks to McBeardo about teen movies from the more goofy and subversive (Joysticks, Hamburger: The Motion Picture, Lemon Popsicle) to the mainstream (Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club) and so much more.

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Listen to "Special Report: McBeardo's Teen Movie Hell" on Spreaker.

Music:
"Kicking Up a Fuss" - Blow-Up
"Tryin' to Kill a Saturday Night" - Keane

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Episode 198: The Ice Harvest (2005)

Special Guest: Scott Phillips

In The Ice Harvest, Charlie (John Cusack) is a mob lawyer in Wichita, Kansas who decides to rip off his boss (Randy Quaid) of just over $2 million. Charlie decides to bring in his pal, Vic (Billy Bob Thorton) to help on this Christmas Eve caper. Soon the partnership between Charlie and Vic starts to crack as a femme fatale gets into the mix.

Links:
Buy The Ice Harvest on DVD
Buy The Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips
Visit the official Scott Phillips website
Read Harold Ramis's obituary
Hear Scott Phillips on our Miami Blues episode

Listen / Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 198: The Ice Harvest (2005)" on Spreaker.

Music:
"Little Drummer Boy" - Frank Sinatra
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" - Roy Rogers

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Episode 190: Election Special

Special Guests: Herschell Gordon Lewis & Harry Lennix
Guest Co-Host: Josh Gravel

Vote early, Vote often!

With Election Day right around the corner, we're talking about three films of guitar-toting demagogues, A Face in the Crowd from Elia Kazan, Year of the Yahoo from Herschell Gordon Lewis and Bob Roberts from Tim Robbins.

We'll be joined again by the Arkham Film Society's Joshua Gravel.

Listen/Download Episode:

Listen to "Episode 190: Election Special" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy A Face in the Crowd on DVD
Buy The Year of the Yahoo on DVD
Buy Bob Roberts on DVD
Buy Some Faces in the Crowd by Budd Schulberg
Buy The Godfather of Gore Speaks - Herschell Gordon Lewis Discusses His Films by Andrew Rausch
Hear more of Harry Lennix on our Titus episode
Make sure to vote for The Projection Booth by leaving a review for us on iTunes!

Music:
"Elected" - Alice Cooper

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Episode 22: Tapeheads (1988)

Special Guests: Bill Fishman, Peter McCarthy
Guest Co-Host: Skizz Cyzyk

Let's get into trouble, baby! It's time to look at the 1988 film Tapeheads starring John Cusack, Tim Robbins, and a whole heck of a lot of other people in remarkable cameo roles (Mike Nesmith, Jello Biafra, King Cotton, Susan Tyrell, Courtney Love, etc). Follow as Josh (Robbins) and Ivan (Cusack) form Video Aces, a video production company that makes its bones shooting funerals, pet seances, wills, commercials and, inevitably, music videos.

Mike talks to the Tapeheads director Bill Fishman and co-writer Peter McCarthy. Along for the ride this week is commentator Skizz Cyzyk, a real live video ace.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 22: Tapeheads (1988)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Tapeheads on DVD

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