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#45 – “I used to pretend I built my own spaceship”: Screenwriter Eric Luke on Joe Dante’s EXPLORERS

On today’s episode, I’m excited to be joined by screenwriter Eric Luke to talk about Joe Dante’s 1985 sci-fi adventure EXPLORERS – a film starring River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke, both in their mid-teens. After the success of GREMLINS, EXPLORERS was expected to become Joe Dante’s next amazing success story. But unfortunately, the movie wasn’t finished properly, and after it was released to some very lukewarm reviews, it quickly disappeared – only to become a minor cult classic later on, thanks to its unique tone and humor. The film is about three youngsters who build themselves a home-made spaceship to

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#44 – “I was always competing with TRON”: Director Steven Lisberger about his sci-fi adventure SLIPSTREAM

Today’s conversation was a hugely thrilling and exciting occasion for me, because the man I spoke to is a true pioneer and a legend of sci-fi cinema, and the movie which he’s most famous for is one which really resonated with me when I first saw it as a teenager, and it’s continued to hold that fascination throughout the years. I’ve had the immense pleasure of talking to Steven Lisberger, the writer and director of TRON, an immensely influential 1982 movie in which Jeff Bridges travels into the virtual world inside the computer, which to a young kid interested in

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#43 – “I wrote the screenplay with no expectations”: Mike Rich on FINDING FORRESTER

For today’s episode, I’ve had the immense pleasure of talking to screenwriter Mike Rich about his very first film, FINDING FORRESTER. Directed by Gus Van Sant, the film came out in the year 2000 and features the legendary “original James Bond” Sean Connery as a reclusive writer in the vein of J.D. Salinger, named William Forrester, who starts mentoring a young 16-year old black kid from the Bronx, Jamal, played by then-newcomer Rob Brown, who divides his time between playing basketball with his friends and at school and his secret interest in writing and literature. The film also stars a

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#41 – “Roger Corman Said I Was More Radical”: Composer/Music Producer Mike Curb on THE WILD ANGELS and Other Biker & Counterculture Films

Today’s guest is Mike Curb, best known as the head of the independent record label Curb Records, which started out in 1964 as Sidewalk Records and is still going strong in 2025. Over the years, Curb have released records like the best-selling COYOTE UGLY soundtrack album and music by Gloria Gaynor, Willie Nelson, Bananarama, The Four Seasons, LeAnn Rimes, Sixpence None the Richer and many other great artists. Mike Curb has also served as the lieutenant governor of California from 1979 to 1983, he’s owned a NASCAR team, he renovated a house owned by Elvis Presley, he supports many charity

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#40 – “He Would Have Been So Happy About This Notoriety”: Ed Wood Heir Bob Blackburn on the PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE Director’s Legacy

Today’s guest is Bob Blackburn – he’s the son of the famous sportscaster by the same name, Bob Blackburn, who was the play-by-play voice of the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA and was inducted into the Sports Halls of Fame in both Oregon and Washington. Bob, the son, also has a background in radio, but the reason I’m talking to him today is the book he just released: KATHY WOOD & I – HOW I FELL DOWN THE ED WOOD JR. ANGORA RABBIT HOLE. Bob, you see, is the custodian of the estate of the independent filmmaker Ed Wood –

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#39 – “I Still Don’t Feel the Code Has Been Cracked on How to Adapt These Things”: Screenwriter Dave Callaham on DOOM

Today’s guest is screenwriter Dave Callaham, and our conversation revolves around one of his early screenwriting assignments: the adaptation of the influential video game DOOM by id Software, turned into an action movie starring The Rock in 2005. Dave quickly became an in-demand writer in Hollywood, and his credits include a ton of high-profile action movies and blockbusters – he wrote the initial script of what would then became Sylvester Stallone’s THE EXPENDABLES, he worked on films like GODZILLA and ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP, he was a screenwriter on big comic book movies like WONDER WOMAN 1984, SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND

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#38 – “I Started Becoming Very Irresponsible”: Director Enda McCallion Explains How He Got Fired from DOOM (and What He’s Up to Now)

Today’s guest is Irish filmmaker Enda McCallion, and our interview was prompted by his involvement in the 2005 horror film DOOM starring The Rock, an adaptation of the influential video game by id Software. Enda was attached to the project in its initial stages and during pre-production, but was then fired and replaced by Andzrej Bartkowiak as the new director. Here, for maybe for the first time, Enda talks about his experience developing DOOM and explains what happened during pre-production, and he also gives us a glimpse of what his version of DOOM would have looked like and what remains

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#37 – “You’re Never Going to Meet Up with Expectations”: Director/Writer Tony Giglio on His Video Game Adaptation DOOM: ANNIHILATION

Today’s guest is filmmaker Tony Giglio, and our conversation revolves around his 2019 film DOOM: ANNIHILATION which he wrote and directed. Unlike the 2005 DOOM movie starring The Rock, this newer adaptation of the infamous and influential ego shooter video game by id Software was made on a very small budget, and it’s not a sequel or remake, but basically a new take on the story of a marines team fighting a horde of demons which infiltrated a space station on Phobos, one of the moons of Mars. DOOM: ANNIHILATION is a well-made, fun action film which finds a good

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#36: “Nobody Said: Wow, We’re Doing Something Revolutionary Here”: Ron Bonk on his Early Found-Footage Film STRAWBERRY ESTATES

Today’s guest is Ron Bonk, best known as the owner of the New York-based underground production and distribution company SRS Cinema. Ron started out as a filmmaker in the shot-on-video world of the 1990’s, writing and directing low-budget genre films like CITY OF THE VAMPIRES and THE VICIOUS SWEET. He went on to direct several independent horror films like CLAY, MS. CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST or the tongue-in-cheek HOUSE SHARK. With SRS Cinema, he’s produced and distributed numerous other films with splendid titles such as AMITYVILLE BIGFOOT, PUPPET SHARK or COCAINE CRABS FROM OUTER SPACE. Our conversation revolves around a found footage

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#35: “It’s Good to Be Ahead of Your Time, But Not a Decade”: Director Dean Alioto on Pioneering Found Footage Film UFO ABDUCTION

Today’s guest is Dean Alioto, writer and director of the groundbreaking found footage horror film UFO ABDUCTION, which also became known as THE MCPHERSON TAPE. The film tells the story of a family whose house is surrounded by alien creatures one night, and while the panicked people inside the house become more and more frightened and try to deal with the situation, a family members records the entire event with a 1980’s-style home video camera. Dean made the film on a shoestring budget in 1989 while he was in his mid-Twenties, and while there have been several found footage and

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