Mike talks with writer Katharine Coldiron about her new book, Out There in the Dark (Autofocus Books). Blending film criticism, memoir, fiction, and experimental forms, the collection uses movies as prisms to explore truth, kindness, the female body, the American West, war, and more. From The Sound of Music to Apocalypse Now, Coldiron examines how cinema shapes memory and myth. Praised as “thoughtful, trenchant, and keenly observed,” her essays prove that sometimes the best way to understand life is through the flicker of film.

Find out more at https://autofocusbooks.com/store/p/out-there-in-the-dark

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Buonopalooza rolls on with Robert Aldrich’s Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). Following the massive success of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Aldrich re-teamed with Bette Davis for another Southern Gothic nightmare. This time, Davis plays Charlotte Hollis, a reclusive woman haunted by whispers of murder and locked in a decaying Louisiana mansion where secrets fester and madness simmers. The film co-stars Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, and—of course—Victor Buono in a pivotal role. Mike White is joined by Tim Madigan and Otto Bruno to dig into the history, the production troubles, and the legacy of one of the juiciest entries in the “Psycho-Biddy” cycle.

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Buonopalooza rages on with Victor Buono front and center in The Strangler (1964). One of his rare leading roles, Buono embodies Leo Kroll, a smothered man-child whose repressed rage against women spills into murder. Loosely modeled on the Boston police department’s profile of the Boston Strangler—and hitting theaters mere months after Albert DeSalvo’s confession—the film walks a fine line between crime drama and exploitation, delivering Buono at his creepiest. Mike is joined once again by Otto Bruno and Tim Madigan to dig into this twisted artifact of ‘60s true-crime cinema.

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We’re kicking off a month devoted to the inimitable presence of Victor Buono — though in our opening pick, “starring” might be generous. Let’s say “featuring,” and featuring with impact. Robert Aldrich’s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) stands as the grand dame of “Hagsploitation” — or “Psycho Biddy,” if you prefer — with Joan Crawford and Bette Davis locked in a barbed-wire sister act as Blanche and Baby Jane Hudson. Mike White is joined by authors Otto Bruno and Tim Madigan to unpack the film’s camp, cruelty, and craft.

Plus, actor Dominic Burgess — who portrayed Buono in Ryan Murphy’s Feud — drops in to talk about stepping into the oversized shoes of this unforgettable supporting player.

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The mics are on for Shaun Michael Colón’s Age of Audio (2025), a whirlwind 82-minute tour through the origins, growth, and current state of podcasting. Narrated by and featuring Ronald “Big Ron” Young Jr. — host of multiple award-winning shows — the documentary blends his personal journey with a broader look at the voices, tech, and cultural shifts that shaped the medium. Mike is joined by Chris Stachiw (The Kulturecast) and James Cridland (Podnews Daily Newsletter) for a conversation on how Age of Audio captures the podcasting boom, why the history matters, and what the film says about where the medium is headed next.

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Mike is joined by Emily Intravia (The Feminine Critique) and screenwriter Howard A. Rodman for a sobering descent into Panic in Year Zero! (1962), directed by and starring Ray Milland. Loosely inspired by Ward Moore’s chilling short stories “Lot” and “Lot’s Daughter,” the film imagines a Los Angeles family thrust into chaos after a nuclear attack decimates the city. As Henry Baldwin, Milland leads his wife (Jean Hagen) and children (Mary Mitchel and Frankie Avalon) on a desperate quest for survival in a world unraveling by the hour.

With Cold War dread baked into every frame, Panic in Year Zero! is an eerily prescient slice of apocalyptic Americana—a proto-survivalist tale that predates The Road and The Walking Dead by decades. We unpack its moral ambiguity, its place in the post-bomb canon, and why it remains a startling relic of atomic-age anxiety.

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Mike is joined by Father Malone (Midnight Viewing) and Chris Stachiw (The Kulturecast) to dig into Marvel’s latest reboot attempt, Fantastic Four: First Stps (2025), the long-awaited introduction of Marvel’s First Family into the MCU. Directed by Matt Shakman and starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn, the film blends retro aesthetics with multiversal madness as Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny leap from the 1960s into present-day chaos.

Does Shakman finally crack the code that’s eluded three previous FF films? Or does Marvel’s Phase 6 entry stretch itself too thin? The trio tackles the film’s performances, its ties to Kang and the Secret Wars setup, and whether this version lives up to the legacy of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s original cosmic explorers.

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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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Mike speaks with co-director Fax Bahr and archivist James Mockoski about the stunning new 4K restoration of Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991), the definitive behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling the infamously turbulent production of Apocalypse Now. 

What began as a Vietnam War epic in the Philippines became one of the most harrowing shoots in cinematic history—captured on 16mm by Eleanor Coppola and transformed into a raw, revelatory portrait by Bahr and co-director George Hickenlooper. Bahr discusses the collaborative assembly of Eleanor’s intimate footage, audio diaries, and newly recorded interviews with stars like Martin Sheen and Dennis Hopper.

Meanwhile, Mockoski details how American Zoetrope restored the film from the original elements for the first time, regrading in 4K, restoring the original 2.39:1 aspect ratio, and remixing the sound in 5.1. With the full blessing of Francis Ford Coppola, this restoration brings fresh clarity and depth to a film that remains a blistering, essential look at artistic obsession, collapse, and endurance.

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Sci-Fi July dives deep into the sublime with Upstream Color (2013), Shane Carruth’s mesmerizing meditation on identity, connection, and control. Co-hosts Ben Buckingham and Jim Laczkowski join Mike to untangle the film’s elliptical narrative, which follows a woman who is drugged, robbed, and psychically linked to a pig as part of a surreal cycle of manipulation and rebirth. A bold, enigmatic follow-up to Primer, Carruth’s film is an audiovisual trance, blurring the line between organism and environment, memory and self. We explore the film’s layered metaphors, sound design, and experimental structure — and maybe, just maybe, crack its code.

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Mike talks with director Lisa D’Apolito about her 2025 documentary Shari & Lamb Chop, an affectionate and revealing portrait of Shari Lewis, the groundbreaking performer, writer, and puppeteer behind the beloved sock puppet Lamb Chop. D’Apolito—best known for Love, Gilda—crafts another tender exploration of a complex, trailblazing woman who was far more than a children’s entertainer.

Drawing from never-before-seen footage and interviews with everyone from Shari’s daughter Mallory Lewis to celebrities like David Copperfield, the film revisits the rise, fall, and resurgence of a TV icon who balanced charm and discipline, softness and ambition. We discuss Lewis’s unlikely path through the male-dominated worlds of television and puppetry, the lasting cultural imprint of Lamb Chop, and the evolution of the project itself—from personal archives to a full-scale production with the support of TIME Studios and White Horse Pictures.

Whether you grew up with Lamb Chop’s Play-Along or are just discovering the powerhouse behind the puppet, this conversation offers a moving and joyful look at a singular career in entertainment.

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Sci-Fi July rolls on with Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), Roger Corman’s ambitious space opera directed by Jimmy T. Murakami and written by a pre-Lone Star John Sayles. This wild interstellar remix of The Seven Samurai stars Richard Thomas as Shad, a naive farm boy turned cosmic recruiter who must assemble a team of eccentric mercenaries to defend his planet from the tyrannical Sador—played with ruthless relish by John Saxon.

Mike is joined by Father Malone and Chris Stachiw to dig into the film’s unforgettable cast of characters, James Horner’s rousing score (which sounds suspiciously like his work for Star Trek II), and the early visual effects work of James Cameron. Special guest Allan Holzman, the film’s editor (and future director of Forbidden World), offers behind-the-scenes insights from the golden age of Corman’s New World Pictures. Low-budget spectacle, recycled spaceship sets, and alien oddballs abound in this scrappy cult favorite.

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Mike is joined by Father Malone (Midnight Viewing) and Chris Stachiw (The Kultuecast) to discuss James Gunn's first foray as the head of the "DCU" with his 2025 film, Superman. It's a new interpretation of the Man of Steel as David Corenswet takes to the skies as the lone son of Krypton watches over the people of Earth, much to the chagrin of Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). It's a surprisingly decent entry from DC that may pave the way to a less-dour vision of superheroes.

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Sci Fi July launches with a titan of cinematic futurism: Metropolis (1927). Fritz Lang’s visually stunning epic set the blueprint for dystopian science fiction, blending Gothic horror, political allegory, and machine-age spectacle. Co-written with Thea von Harbou, the film envisions a divided city of soaring towers and subterranean toil, where Freder—the privileged son of master planner Joh Fredersen—awakens to injustice through his encounter with the spiritual leader of the working class, Maria.

Mike is joined by Ranjit Sandhu and Federico Bertolini to discuss the many versions of the film, its fraught production, the complex legacy of Lang and von Harbou, and why Rotwang's lab never goes out of style. From Giger to Gaga, Metropolis casts a long, haunting shadow.

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The Fantasia International Film Festival returns for its 29th edition, running from July 17 to August 8, 2025, and promises another electrifying celebration of genre cinema from around the world. With its full slate now unveiled across three waves of programming, Fantasia 2025 continues its tradition of championing daring filmmakers and boundary-pushing storytelling.

Among the major highlights this year is Yuji Shimomura’s highly anticipated Crazy Musashi, penned by cult favorite Sion Sono. Also debuting is the world premiere of The Beast Within by genre auteur Gabriel Carrer, while Bertrand Mandico’s surreal She Is Conan the Barbarian will receive its North American premiere following acclaim in Cannes. Other festival standouts include Kiah Roache-Turner’s creature feature Beast of War, and Macoto Tezuka’s live-action adaptation Barbara II, based on the manga by Osamu Tezuka.

Fantasia 2025 will also spotlight a robust Quebecois lineup, particularly through the Fantastiques Week-ends du cinéma québécois, which includes 77 short and feature films from emerging and established local talent. This year’s program emphasizes bold, original visions, including the premiere of David B. Ricard’s mockumentary Alien Tribute, and Alexandre Prieur-Grenier’s nightmarish Enfer en eau trouble.

The festival continues its legacy of nurturing new voices with its Camera Lucida and Axis sections, while also welcoming back returning favorites such as Larry Fessenden (Blackout), Takashi Shimizu (Immersion), and Calvin Lee Reeder (Yummy Fur).

With over 130 feature films, dozens of special events, and a strong presence of Asian, North American, and international genre cinema, Fantasia 2025 affirms itself as one of the world’s premier showcases for fantastical film.


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By request from Patreon supporter Peter Rogers, we’re tackling A Man for All Seasons (1966), Fred Zinnemann’s acclaimed adaptation of Robert Bolt’s stage play. Joining Mike are Spencer Parsons and Robert Bellissimo to explore this portrait of Sir Thomas More, played with quiet defiance by Paul Scofield in an Oscar-winning performance. The film follows More’s moral and political stand against King Henry VIII’s divorce and remarriage, a position that would cost him his freedom—and ultimately his life. We unpack the film’s legacy, its courtroom drama structure, and how it reflects shifting power, faith, and integrity during a pivotal moment in English history.

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John Cassavetes may be known for his raw, improvisational indie dramas, but with Gloria (1980), he delivered something entirely different—a gritty urban thriller with a heart, starring the incomparable Gena Rowlands who plays the titular Gloria, a tough, no-nonsense woman with mob ties who suddenly finds herself the reluctant guardian of a young boy targeted by gangsters after his family’s brutal murder. Armed with nothing but attitude and a pistol, Gloria hauls the kid through the hostile streets of New York City, dodging bullets, hitmen, and her own complicated past.

Mike is joined by returning guests Judith Mayne and Andrew Rausch to explore the film’s unconventional blend of gangster tropes, maternal instinct, and Cassavetes’s offbeat sensibilities. We dig into Rowlands’s powerhouse performance, the film’s strange place in Cassavetes’s career, and its legacy as a cult favorite that paved the way for countless “reluctant protector” thrillers.

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Mike talks with filmmakers Chris Rosik and Rob Cousineau about their 2025 film So Fades the Light, a quiet, unsettling drama about the long shadows of cult trauma. The story follows Sun (Kiley Lotz), once known as the “God Child” of the Iron and Fire Ministry, a violent extremist group shattered by a police raid. Years later, Sun lives in isolation, traveling the country in her van—until the release of the cult’s leader (D. Duke Solomon) draws her back to the ruins of her former life.

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Author D. Harlan Wilson joins Mike to discuss his latest book, Strangelove Country, a collection of critical fictions examining four of Stanley Kubrick’s most influential science fiction films: Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Blurring the lines between criticism, fiction, and satire, Wilson explores how Kubrick’s work continues to shape cultural narratives about technology, violence, human identity, and control.

The conversation covers Wilson’s experimental approach to writing, the enduring legacy of Kubrick’s cinema, and how speculative fiction and critical theory intersect. Together, they examine how Kubrick’s visions of the future—and their contradictions—remain as unsettling and relevant as ever.

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Mike is joined by Robert Bellissimo and Philip Marinello to explore O Pagador de Promessas (1962), the landmark Brazilian drama from director Anselmo Duarte. Also known internationally as The Given Word, the film adapts Dias Gomes’s acclaimed stage play into a sharp critique of institutional power.

The story centers on Zé do Burro, a simple farmer who treks over 20 miles into Salvador while bearing a heavy cross—honoring a vow to Saint Barbara after his donkey, Nicholas, falls ill. What begins as a devout act of gratitude becomes a battleground of bureaucracy, media exploitation, and religious gatekeeping. Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, Duarte’s film remains a bold and timely meditation on class, faith, and the politics of devotion.

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