We'll be speaking with one of the semi-finalist teams, Ian Wagner and Michael Burke, whose short film Simple Math earned them one of the top spots and a chance to compete for the grand prize. They'll talk about the challenge of coordinating a cocktail party film shoot with less than a day's notice and explain how they both ended up in the pool.

Plus, Geoff and I open up the viewer listener mailbag to cover questions about Canadian movie favorites, the current state of thoughtful film journalism (the Star Wars 7 characters have names, people!), and other subjects of engrossing interest.

You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.

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Luckily, we'll be speaking with one of the semi-finalists, Alvaro Ron, whose short film To Kill or Not to Kill earned him one of the top spots and a chance to compete for the grand prize. He'll share his experience as a filmmaker, the challenges of the competition, and how he overcame those obstacles.

Plus, Geoff and I will offer up four directors, four screenwriters and four actors who broke through this year, delivering the kinds of movies and performances that get us excited about the future.

As a bonus, William Fichtner drops by to add a gorgeous dose of zen to the show.

You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.

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Our hero wakes up, yawns and stretches. It's a typical day, and that's a really boring introduction. Imagine it with an explosion instead. Thanks.

This week on Reddit, a user asked for some dead giveaways that a screenplay was written by an amateur, and the hivemind (probably made up of angry script readers and finicky producers) didn't fail. One such reader and producer offered a laundry list of bad habits, and we've invited him on for an open discussion about cringe-worthy mistakes that any aspiring writer can make (and avoid).

Grab a pencil, realize you're on a computer, and then take notes with that.

You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.

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This week the world lost a peerless filmmaker (and EGOT winner) who delivered a hot tub full of fantastic films. Mike Nichols put Dustin Hoffman in a compromising position, tortured Meryl Streep and found a grounding commonality even with his most extraordinary characters. We'll celebrate his work with Professor John Whitehead, author of "Mike Nichols and the Cinema of Transformation," and try to recapture what made his stories so moving.

Plus, Geoff answers your screenwriting questions about third person expository openings (so to speak), the new trend in query letters and whether you should get a script consultant.

Double plus, we'll chat briefly about Bill Cosby and the question of enjoying good art from bad people.

You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.

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Is Fight Club satire? That's the question we'll attempt to settle this week with a knock down, drag out debate where two men enter the ring, and two men also exit the ring safely. Fortunately, we've got special guest moderator Eric D. Snider to keep us honest, and since he takes bribes, I've got this one sewn up.

Plus, we'll discuss whether data can help make you a better screenwriter, and The Bitter Script Reader drops by to discuss his new book, "Michael F-ing Bay: The Unheralded Genius in Michael Bay's Films," where he argues that the much maligned director's movies are more than meets the eye.

You should follow Eric (@ericdsnider), The Bitter Script Reader (@bittrscrptreadr), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.

Zero more days 'til Halloween, my friends. That means we'll all soon be dressing up in pop culturally aware costumes, eating candy we're supposed to be giving to children and gorging ourselves on fright night features.

To mark the occasion, special guest host Eric D. Snider submits himself to a fiendish quiz about horror movies and Psychorama after we share your responses to last week's question.

Plus, we have a candid conversation with R-rated producer Adi Shankar who continues playing by his own rules with the release of a twisted, Saturday Morning Cartoon From Hell take on Judge Dredd.

You should follow Eric (@ericdsnider), Adi Shankar (@adishankarbrand), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.

It's been a hell of a week, so it would be great to talk about films that make us happy. Unfortunately, that's not the show we prepped.

Instead, we've got a dissection of characters who are pushed to the breaking point inspired by Miles Teller destroying himself to become the next Buddy Rich in Whiplash. Who knew jazz drumming was so brutal? We'll discuss people incrementally becoming disillusioned, forget to talk about Oldboy and then connect Falling Down to Gamer Gate in one seamless move.

Plus, a 10th anniversary appreciation of what Saw did right as a low budget horror movie made in an astonishingly short amount of time (18 days).

You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.

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If you're waiting for a call to explain your existence, this week's show might be it. We'll talk with Terry Gilliam about religious themes in his movies, ask him to psychoanalyze Don Quixote and then find out what he'd do if he ran a billion-dollar movie studio.

Plus, Geoff and I offer the lessons we've learned going into the final week of the Six Week Spec Challenge and offer/dissect some creepy/funny two-sentence stories.

As a bonus, we'll present our favorite three two-sentence stories from the ones you sent in.

You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.

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We'll speak with short filmmaker Josh Soskin about the benefits and challenges of going the festival route, and the best way to take the next step after completing a film.

Plus, we'll have an Interrogation Reviewification of Gone Girl, and we'll cover our favorites from Fantastic Fest.

You should follow the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.

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In response to A.O. Scott's gorgeously organized, well thought out treatise on how maturity is and is not displayed in TV and film, we'd like to offer a free-wheeling conversation filled with half-formed ideas. How are we displaying adulthood in our art, and is it an accurate reflection of our lives and escapist desires?

We'll also check in Kate Erbland to hear about the best movies of TIFF that you'll be able to see soon, and Jack Giroux interviews Jeremy Renner about his new biopic of Iran-Contra whistleblower Gary Webb, Kill the Messenger.

You should follow Kate (@katerbland), Jack (@jackgi), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.

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