Episode 755: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Special Guest: Jim Bloom
Guest Co-Hosts: Jamie Benning, Stephen Scarlata

Sci-Fi July wraps up with Return of the Jedi (1983), the final installment of the original Star Wars trilogy—directed by Richard Marquand, guided by George Lucas, and packed with new creatures, recycled plot beats, and merchandising gold. Joining Mike to explore the film's legacy and limitations are Jamie Benning (Filmumentaries) and Stephen Scarlata (Best Movies Never Made), along with special guest Jim Bloom, associate producer on Empire and Jedi.

From Jabba's palace to yet another Death Star, Jedi tries to close the saga with spectacle and sentiment—but not without creative compromises. We dig into the behind-the-scenes drama, the tonal whiplash between Ewoks and existential stakes, and how Jedi served as both a climax and a commercial pivot point for the franchise. Was it a fitting finale or just a soft landing pad for action figures? Strap into your speeder bike, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

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Listen to "Episode 755: Return of the Jedi (1983)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Return of the Jedi on Blu-Ray
Buy The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by J.W. Rinzler

Music:
Original Soundtrack - John Williams

Watch:

Special Report: A Disturbance in the Force (2023)

Special Guests: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak

On this episode Mike talks with Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak about their new film A Disturbance in the Force (2023). It's all about the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special and just had its premiere at South By Southwest.

Be sure to visit their website https://www.holidayspecialdoc.com/ to find out when it's playing near you.

Music:
"Light The Sky On Fire" - Jefferson Starship

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: A Disturbance in the Force (2023)" on Spreaker.

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Special Report: Patrick Read Johnson on 5-25-77 (2022)

Special Guests: Patrick Read Johnson

Eighteen years in the making, Patrick Read Johnson's 5-25-77 (2022) is a partially autobiographical film about a young man (John Francis Daley) in the Midwest who sees an early screening of Star Wars and how it changes his life.

Mike talks to Johnson about the journey of the film along with the story behind the end theme to Spaced Invaders (1999).

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy 5-25-77 on Blu-Ray
Buy Spaced Invaders on Blu-Ray

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Patrick Read Johnson on 5-25-77 (2022)" on Spreaker.

Music:
"Takin' Over the World" - David E. Russo, Kirk R. Thatcher, Michael McClure and David Friendly

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Special Report: Hollywood Bulldogs (2021)

Special Guests: Jon Spira

Director Jon Spira talks to Mike about his career including his latest film, the 2021 documentary Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntmen.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Elstree 1976 on Blu-Ray
Buy Anyone Can Play Guitar on DVD

Music:
"Hey Bulldog" - The Beatles

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Hollywood Bulldogs (2021)" on Spreaker.

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Guest Spot: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

For my final guest appearance of 2019, Chris Stachiw asked me to be a part of his discussion of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. See if you can pinpoint the moment I lost my mind.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker" on Spreaker.

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Special Report: Solo - A Star Wars Story (2018)

Special Guest: Rob Bredow
Guest Co-Hosts: Chris Bricklemyer, Josh Stewart

Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) is the origin story of Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) when he was a little scamp on Corellia and all the things that put him on the path to be the Han Solo we all loved... before he was horrifically murdered by his own son.

Chris Bricklemyer and Josh Stewart join Mike to discuss the oft-maligned and troubled Star Wars film. VFX Supervisor and Co-Producer Rob Bredow talks about his book Making Solo: A Star Wars Story.

This episode uses clips from MauLer's Solo "review".

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Special Report: Solo - A Star Wars Story (2018)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy Art of Solo: A Star Wars Story by Phil Szostak
Buy the Solo: A Star Wars Story comic adaptation by Robbie Thompson

Music:
"Han Solo" - MC Chris
"Han Solo Song" - Eclectic Method

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Episode 219: Star Wars (1977)

Special Guests: Roger Christian, Michael Kaminsky, Chris Taylor, Alexandre O. Philippe, Harmy
Guest Co-Host: Chris Bricklemyer

Continuing our Maudit May series, we look at George Lucas's Star Wars (AKA Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), the sci-fi film from 1977 that has been rendered unavailable in its original form due to its creator's tampering.

We're joined by Outside the Cinema's Mr. Chris to get nostalgic and discuss how Star Wars may (or may not) have influenced our lives.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 219: Star Wars (1977)" on Spreaker.

Listen to the Star Wars Music Mix:


Links:
Buy The People Vs. George Lucas on DVD
Buy The Secret History of Star Wars by Michael Kaminsky
Buy How Star Wars Conquered the Universe by Chris Taylor
Buy Cinema Alchemist by Roger Christian
Read more about Roger Christian's Black Angel on io9
Watch The Star Wars Holiday Special on YouTube
Watch From Star Wars to Jedi on YouTube
Read about Harmy's Despecialized Version of Star Wars
Read George Lucas talking about altering films
Listen to Rob St. Mary's interview with Richard Chew on WDET
Read about the Annotated Star Wars
Read about the Lost Cut of Star Wars
Read the io9 Star Wars Guide
Read the Raiders of the Lost Ark story conference
Read George Lucas Was Incredibly Specific About How Much He Wanted Greedo to Shoot First by James Whitbrook
Read Mike White's article on Star Wars Rip-Offs
Visit the OriginalTrilogy.com website
Visit the official Star Wars website

Music:
"In the Year 2525" - Zager & Evans
"Double Sunset" - John Williams
"Star Wars" - Dangerous Darrin
"Star Wars Gangsta Rap" - Jason Brannon & Chris Crawford

Watch:

Blast it Biggs! Where are you?! - By @jamieswb from Filmumentaries - Jamie Benning on Vimeo.