When human beings began criss-crossing the globe, they took more than just strange and exotic products with them from place to place. They took stories, too. And despite sometimes vast cultural differences, very very often, those stories translated perfectly well. Different cultures might appreciate stories differently or for different reasons, but the essence of those stories translated and translates just fine. Great stories do not get lost in translation. In this episode, we’re going to talk about cinematic storytelling as an international language. Which, really, it is. Early moviemakers like Edwin Porter and D W Griffith more or less invented […]

Making a return visit to the podcast is my very good friend – and former agent – NICK MECHANIC. If you enjoyed Nick’s first visit, you’ll love his second. And if you haven’t met Nick yet, prepare to be blown away by the INSIDE LOOK you’re about to get into the film and TV business. At the DEAL-MAKING level. Where the rubber of creativity hits the road of commerce. As Nick’s great stories reveal, it’s a world brimming with both princes and thieves. How I Met Mechanic I first met Mechanic during the down years after “Tales From The Crypt“, […]

In this episode, we’re finally standing up for standing in. Well, our guess RON OSTROW is standing up for standing in. And it’s about bloody time someone did! Ron’s been acting for more than 45 years – on BROADWAY, in TV SHOWS and in FEATURE FILMS. You’ll find him in A FEW GOOD MEN, SPORTS NIGHT, THE WEST WING and THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE. One of the appeals – to me – about the TV and movie business is how incredibly collaborative it is. It really takes a village of people to put on a show. No Small Parts When […]

Way, way back in season two, we sat down with screenwriter extradordinare, our good friend STEVE DE SOUZA. Steve kinda invented the MODERN ACTION MOVIE. He wrote the scripts for 48 HOURS, COMMANDO, STREET FIGHTER and, of course, DIE HARD. Die Hard set a new gold standard for action movies. If ever a movie, its hero and the actor hired to play them achieved perfection together, Die Hard did it That was almost in spite of itself.   Bruce Willis Like Bogie getting Rick in CASABLANCA, BRUCE WILLIS getting cast as John McClane was a happy accident. Die Hard was […]

Earlier this season, we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with SEAN CASSIDY, the son of actor TED CASSIDY and keeper of his dad’s flame. Sean does the horror convention circuit as SON OF LURCH. He really and truly does his dad proud! Ted Cassidy did something only a handful of actors can ever hope to achieve. Not only did Ted appear in iconic movies and TV shows (“BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID” and “THE ADDAMS FAMILY”), he got to speak iconic lines in both! Going in reverse order, Ted made his name playing the Addams Family butler LURCH. […]

There’s a bit of common wisdom that says, be careful when you meet the people you admire most. They can disappoint you profoundly and break your heart. Or they can exceed even your most heightened expectations and become gods in your mind. Or just plain old “God”. The creator of everything that matters. That’s how I felt about WILLIAM M. GAINES – publisher of EC COMICS and MAD MAGAZINE. I was one of those kids who read Tales From The Crypt and Mad under the covers. Not cos I had to, but because Bill Gaines’ oeuvre was so clearly subversive […]

The short answer is “The Dads From the Crypt Podcast“. One of the main reasons there’s a “How NOT To Make A Movie Podcast” is because there’s a Dads From the Crypt Podcast. I’ll dive into the story below, but one of the pleasures of podcasting – for me anyway – is watching other podcasters (especially ones I know) succeed. There are myriad reasons why podcasting is exploding right about now. And, one of those reasons is because podcasts can have horror, parenting and podcasting itself in common. The Dads From The Crypt I first met Jason Stein – one […]

Our good friend Brandon Routh is one of those “thoughtful actors”. Some, by contrast, are more intuitive. They let their guts and gut instincts guide them and their creative choices. In most cases, their life choices, too. But, that’s another conversation for another day and another podcast. I’ve no doubt that had Brandon become anything else – a doctor, a teacher, a businessperson – he’d have been just as thoughtful. But he’s a storyteller by trade. Being “thoughtful” is part of the gig. Maybe that’s why he’s so good at it. An Excellent Superman It’s why Brandon made and still […]

Today we’re talking about criticism – and why REAL movie critics really do matter. Here’s the thing about criticism. If you can’t take it, you have no business being in show business. Show business is all about getting and taking criticism. There WILL Be Criticism! From the moment you put any sort of creative idea on the table – whether in the form of a pitch or a script or a concept package – whether it’s the people you’re working with or the people you’re trying to sell it to – there will be criticism. First thing? You cannot take […]

Don’t ya just hate it when soap gets in your eyes? Nothing burns quite like it. Today, we’re going to talk about ACTING – but a very specific kind of acting. The kind they do in SOAP OPERAS like THE GUIDING LIGHT, GENERAL HOSPITAL, ALL MY CHILDREN, AS THE WORLD TURNS. Or like in the one soap opera aimed at people like me, DARK SHADOWS. It really is a particular kind of acting. And it requires a particular skill set to pull it off. Not every actor can. They get self conscious about it. Or they judge it. More fool […]