Best Craft Not Crap Podcasts (2024)

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S3E35: Beetlejuice Plus Crypt Keeper Equals Larry Wilson 1:03:34

2h ago1:03:34

1:03:34

When Gil Adler and I took over HBO‘s iconic TALES FROM THE CRYPT at the start of its third season, one of our tasks was to reignite the series – or see it get cancelled. Crypt was a strange, hybrid creature. Today, talent moves easily from film projects to streaming TV projects and back. That didn’t happen in the mid-1990’s, when we made Crypt. The…

1
S3E34: What's Up Doc 58:17

7d ago58:17

58:17

Our good friend Roger Nygard makes his bread and butter editing and directing TV. Shows like Grey’s Anatomy, The League, Who Is America, Veep and Curb Your Enthusiasm. But, Roger’s passion – the thing that drives him creatively – is making documentaries. That’s part of what motivated him to write his new book “THE DOCUMENTARIANS: The Way to a Succe…

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S3E33 A Crypt Reunion With John Leonetti 55:39

14d ago55:39

55:39

Welcome to another in our series of “TALES FROM THE CRYPT” reunions. This episode’s guest – JOHN LEONETTI – isn’t just a great director of photography and director, he’s from one of HOLLYWOOD’S LEGACY FAMILIES. His dad FRANK LEONETTI was a sought after gaffer who helped light THE WIZARD OF OZ and SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN. John’s brother MATT LEONETTI DP…

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S3E32 Spy Stuff 1:38:06

21d ago1:38:06

1:38:06

Our guest today is both a friend and a co-worker. John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer. After 9-11, John was part of the CIA’s covert team tasked with tracking down Al Qaeda’s leadership. Abu Zubaydah In March 2002, Pakistani forces with CIA support captured the man we thought was Al Qaeda’s number three: a man with the nom de guerre ABU ZUBAYDAH.…

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S3E31: Shaun Of The Dead Fan Club 1:26:53

28d ago1:26:53

1:26:53

We hereby call to order the first meeting of the How NOT To Make A Movie Podcast’s SHAUN OF THE DEAD FAN CLUB! How’s that for a SLICE OF FRIED GOLD? Leading today’s meeting will be our guest writer and entertainment journalist CLARK COLLIS author of the definitive (and only as far as we know) book about the making of Shaun Of The Dead, “YOU’VE GOT …

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S3E30: Exorcist Meets Crypt Keeper - The "Billy Friedkin Experience" 1:00:37

1M ago1:00:37

1:00:37

The idea seemed so natural. Get WILLIAM FRIEDKIN – director of “THE EXORCIST” – to direct an episode of our little horror anthology TV show – “TALES FROM THE CRYPT“. It just so happened that RICHARD DONNER – director of another great contemporary horror classic, THE OMEN – was one of our illustrious executive producers. It made hiring Friedkin a no…

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S3E29: A Sit Down With Standup Rita Rudner 44:33

1M ago44:33

44:33

As we’ve said here before, one of the very best parts of doing Tales From The Crypt (and there were lots of best parts) was getting to work with incredibly talented people. This episode features another TALES FROM THE CRYPT reunion – this time with comedian RITA RUDNER who starred (alongside her friend RICHARD LEWIS in the episode WHIRLPOOL (direct…

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S3E28: Is Charlie Fleischer Nuts (Or Is He Just Smarter Than Everybody Else)? 1:00:09

2M ago1:00:09

1:00:09

You know how you meet someone – on the set of a movie – say TALES FROM THE CRYPT PRESENTS DEMON KNIGHT, and the first thought that hits you (after “wow, he’s a nice guy”) is “Wow – that guy is smart, too!”? That’s Charlie Fleischer! Being smart – especially that smart – has a lot of the same hallmarks as being nuts. Those kinda people tend to focus…

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S3E27: Tobe Hooper's Dirty Little Secret 1:02:54

2M ago1:02:54

1:02:54

Dirty little secrets… Show biz is filled to the brim with em. And Tobe Hooper’s dirty little secret? It might just could blow your mind… One of the greatest things about doing TALES FROM THE CRYPT – and there were lots and lots of great things about it – was getting to work with all the talented people we got to work with. There were a lot of pinch…

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S3E26: Killer Klowns v Crypt Keeper 1:17:12

2M ago1:17:12

1:17:12

In this one, we talk CREATIVE SYNERGY. In this case, the remarkable synergy between our guests THE CHIODA BROTHERS, creators of KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE (celebrating its 35TH ANNIVERSARY). The Chiodas also create lots of other great MOVIE & TV work including some brilliant stuff for TEAM AMERICA, the SIMPSONS and MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES O…

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S3E25 The Mechanic 51:29

2M ago51:29

51:29

Everybody needs a good mechanic, am I right? Someone who understands what you have and what you might could do with it. Alas, not all mechanics are created equal. For a decade or so, I had a GREAT mechanic. Well, he wasn’t actually a mechanic, he was my agent. His name is Nick Mechanic but, most people called him just “Mechanic”. Willie Mo, Parts 1…

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S3E24: Is "Caligula" The Worst Dirty Movie Ever? 33:12

3M ago33:12

33:12

Join us as we revisit a perfect example of How NEVER To Make A Movie, perhaps the worst dirty movie ever, CALIGULA (Roger Ebert certainly thought it was and who are we to argue?). How did this immortal fiasco happen? Didn’t all those famous actors like JOHN GIELGUD, PETER O’TOOLE, HELEN MIRREN and especially MALCOLM MCDOWELL know what they were sig…

1
S3E23: The REAL Crypt Keeper 1:05:26

3M ago1:05:26

1:05:26

The CRYPT KEEPER – the iconic host of HBO’S iconic TALES FROM THE CRYPT TV series – was just an animatronic puppet of course. But he completely represented everything about the show. He was and is the show’s “franchise”. But, if there was a “real” Crypt Keeper – a kind of Ground Zero for everything Tales From The Crypt – it was EC COMICS publisher …

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S3E22: The Reluctant Vampire Speaks! 1:28:50

3M ago1:28:50

1:28:50

Let’s revisit our friend “The Reluctant Vampire”. MALCOLM MCDOWELL. When I was a kid, just beginning to acquire a “taste for cinema”, one of the first movies that gave me that taste was STANLEY KUBRICK’s “A CLOCKWORK ORANGE”. But, there was another Malcolm McDowell movie that struck me even more round about the same time: Lindsey Anderson’s “IF” (t…

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S3E21: The Donor - A Modern HORROR Story 42:26

3M ago42:26

42:26

This very definitely is a “special episode” of the How NOT to Make A Movie Podcast. In the TV business, calling things “Special” has a long, rich history. “Special Episodes” are usually “relationship” episodes tied to family. Well, that’s exactly how we feel here at The How NOT To Make A Movie Podcast – about our new SISTER PODCAST – THE DONOR: A M…

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S3E20 On Being Super, Man 1:31:53

4M ago1:31:53

1:31:53

We talk a lot here about ACTORS and ROLES. How to cast certain roles and how to play them. When the role in question is a SUPERHERO (or a super hero), it changes the equation for actor and whoever’s hiring them. Some actors – like BRANDON ROUTH – seem almost fated to play certain roles – in Brandon’s case SUPERMAN. As a kid, he dreamed about playin…

1
S3E19: It's Dead Easy! 1:14:32

4M ago1:14:32

1:14:32

Ever been haunted by a movie? “Tales From The Crypt Presents Dead Easy” is a movie that, to this day, still haunts us. “Dead Easy” is the movie we should have made instead of “Bordello Of Blood”. It was the movie we started to make. Hell, we spent six weeks in New Orleans prepping the movie, scouting locations and setting up shop. Then Universal Pi…

1
S3E18: Stand Up Guy 1:06:20

4M ago1:06:20

1:06:20

We first met comedian and podcast host Ken Reid when he invited us onto his podcast, the terrific TV GUIDANCE COUNSELOR. In addition to being a big “TALES FROM THE CRYPT” fan, Ted is a BOSTON-BASED STAND UP and a fantastic STORYTELLER. His approach to comedy is via story rather than jokes. That, I suspect, is where our minds all come together. Ken …

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S3E17: Barbie's BFF? 1:14:25

4M ago1:14:25

1:14:25

There are cultural icons and then there’s BARBIE. GRETA GERWIG and MARGOT ROBBIE’S movie is a brilliant reconsideration of that icon. But, a storyteller you’ve probably never heard-of helped shape our whole perception of that icon. Before there was Gerwig and Robbie, ANDREW GALLERANI was BARBIE’S BFF. From 1988 – 2015 (that’s 27 years!), Andrew dir…

1
S3E16: Blind Ambition 1:07:48

4M ago1:07:48

1:07:48

The last thing you’d ever think – if you read my friend TOM SULLIVAN’S bio – is that he’s blind. In fact, Tom is one of America’s most famous blind people. He’s written and produced movies & TV shows, sung THE NATIONAL ANTHEM at THE SUPER BOWL, and written more than a dozen books including IF YOU COULD SEE WHAT I HEAR and LEADING LADY. Tom wrote Le…

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S3E15: Son Of LURCH 1:00:34

5M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

Even among iconic TV characters from the 1960’s, few remain as iconic as LURCH from THE ADDAMS FAMILY. As often happens when a particular actor fills a particular role, TED CASSIDY became synonymous with his creature. A little overly synonymous from Ted’s perspective. Today’s guest – Ted’s son SEAN CASSIDY (the “Son Of Lurch“) – reminds us that his…

1
S3E14: When Crypt Went To London 1:12:28

5M ago1:12:28

1:12:28

It sounded like a GREAT IDEA! In many ways, it was a great idea: take HBO’s iconic “TALES FROM THE CRYPT” to LONDON for its very last season! The great? We got to hire actors like EWAN MCGREGOR and DANIEL CRAIG and STEVE COOGAN and ELIZABETH MCGOVERN. And we got to shoot in the coolest locations – actual CASTLES and other CREEPY PLACES. But, there …

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E3S13: More Buried Bodies 1:08:35

5M ago1:08:35

1:08:35

STORIES are a lot like BURIED BODIES – especially if you’re the one who buried them. Just like with a body, you can bury a story. Sometimes – in time – we forget about them. Meanwhile, there they sit. But, whereas bodies rot into nothing while buried, stories often gain heft and weight – and even significance. Some stories, just like ghosts, seem t…

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S3E12: The 5X2 - 5 Movies 2 Songs 58:39

5M ago58:39

58:39

With a warm tip of the hat to the BBC’s wonderful, long-running classic show “Desert Island Discs“, we offer you the 5X2. Here’s the premise: you’re a passenger on a cool, futuristic spacecraft hurtling toward the far reaches of the cosmos. Your ride is first rate. It’s comfortable as can be. The food’s great! Almost everything has been done to mak…

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The Industry Ebb & Flow, Doing Wacky Crap in Telecine, and TikTok Brain (w/ Guest Brandon from @filmlights) 57:31

5M ago57:31

57:31

Brandon from the popular Instagram account @filmlights joins Vance & Nigel to discuss all things social media including how the elusive algorithms work and change, the phenomenon of TikTok brain, and the gap between having the expertise to create quality work vs. the know-how to post it effectively on social media. They also delve into Brandon’s fi…

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S3E11: A Demon Knight Sequel? 1:48:47

6M ago1:48:47

1:48:47

On the one hand, this episode is a SEQUEL – to our first chat with ETHAN REIFF and CY VORIS, the long-time screenwriting team who wrote TALES FROM THE CRYPT PRESENTS DEMON KNIGHT. The horror audience now considers Demon Knight a CLASSIC. In our sequel, we’ll talk about why there’s never been a sequel to Demon Knight. From the moment it opened, its …

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S3E10 Hollywood Sized Balls 1:27:39

6M ago1:27:39

1:27:39

We first met JACKIE GEORGE when we took over running TALES FROM THE CRYPT. Jackie worked for WARNER BROTHERS and SILVER PICTURES at the time (on movies like DIE HARD, RICHIE RICH and DEMOLITION MAN). That means she worked for our old boss JOEL SILVER. That took considerable balls. Hollywood sized balls. Jackie was Joel’s executive. Before that, she…

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S3E9 "A Comic Book Nerd's Revenge" 1:38:00

6M ago1:38:00

1:38:00

COMIC BOOKS have propelled many a film and TV career. Hell, various SPIDERMAN movies have kept various movie studios alive. DC COMICS was a pillar at WARNER BROS. The MARVEL UNIVERSE has made billions for DISNEY. And where the hell would we be if WILLIAM F. GAINES hadn’t taken over running EC COMICS from his dad in the late 1950’s. EC published tit…

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S3E8: "Demon Knight Payback" 2:00:30

6M ago2:00:30

2:00:30

Thirty years ago, in 1994, alongside my creative partner at the time Gil Adler, I co-produced the now CLASSIC horror movie “TALES FROM THE CRYPT PRESENTS DEMON KNIGHT”. The movie opened on Friday, January 13, 1995. As often happens in the movie biz, as producers, we fired the original writers – CY VORIS, ETHAN REIFF & MARK BISHOP from the project. …

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S3E7: The Real Demon Knight 1:35:51

7M ago1:35:51

1:35:51

Next year, in January, horror movie fans will celebrate the 30th ANIVERSARY of the movie TALES FROM THE CRYPT PRESENTS DEMON KNIGHT. The movie succeeded because it had a great script by CY VORIS and ETHAN REIFF (who also wrote KUNG FU PANDA). ERNEST DICKERSON brought both remarkable skills as a director and cinematographer, and a deep down love of …

1
Acting Person, Little Slivers of Light, and Win It in the Room (w/ guest Alan Blumenfeld) 54:14

7M ago54:14

54:14

Actor Alan Blumenfeld has over 190 credits on IMDb, including a movie Nigel directed, 2gether. Alan shares insights on the differences of working in theater, TV, and film. He also tells us his process of translating unclear direction into something playable, offers advice to young aspiring actors, and reminisces about his first job post-pandemic wo…

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S3E6: "Rust Bust Disgust" 1:18:40

7M ago1:18:40

1:18:40

We could also call this one “Rust Bust Discussed” since that’s what we’re going to do – update our earlier talk about New Mexico indicting actor/producer Alec Baldwin on manslaughter charges. ALEC BALDWIN, you recall, held the 1880’s prop gun on the set of independent western film “RUST” on October 1, 2012. When the PROP GUN fired during a rehearsa…

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S3E5 SNL ALUM (FINALLY) SPEAKS! 1:52:12

7M ago1:52:12

1:52:12

Long before she became an adjunct lecturer at BROWN UNIVERSITY in its Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, my friend CONNIE CRAWFORD did something for which I envied her intensely. In 1978, She appeared on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. She acted in sketches and everything! She was one of five finalists in the “Anyone Can Host SNL” contest the…

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S3E4: 5 Movies & 2 Songs 49:01

7M ago49:01

49:01

In this episode, we’re doing our own version of the BBC’s classic show “DESERT ISLAND DISCS“. On that show, guests are invited to answer the question, if you were marooned on a desert island and could take five pieces of music and two books, what would they be (and neither book can be Shakespeare or the Bible)? Because we’re movie makers, we’ve swa…

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S3E3 Back To College (With Brett Goldstein) 1:31:31

7M ago1:31:31

1:31:31

In this one, I go back to college as Gil and I sit down with BRETT GOLDSTEIN, my freshman semester roommate at VASSAR COLLEGE. This Brett is the American CASTING DIRECTOR and TALENT MANAGER, not the English actor. Brett won an EMMY AWARD casting HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET. He also cast feature films like DONNIE BRASCO, GI JANE and POOTIE TANG! Wh…

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S3E2 Starting Over, Part 2 1:29:56

8M ago1:29:56

1:29:56

This episode is a continuation of S3E1, Starting Over, Part 1. It’s kinda weird, but we feel like we’ve been waiting for 2024 all our lives! And now that it’s here, we’re excited about “Starting Over”! On the one hand, by “starting over”, we mean going back to the very beginning (as Maria sings in The Sound Of Music, it’s “the very best place to st…

1
S3E1: Starting Over, Part 1 1:49:34

8M ago1:49:34

1:49:34

It’s kinda weird, but we feel like we’ve been waiting for 2024 all our lives! And now that it’s here, we’re excited about “Starting Over”! On the one hand, by “starting over”, we mean going back to the very beginning (as Maria sings in The Sound Of Music, it’s “the very best place to start”). Back to how it was when Gil and I started making “Tales …

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S2E69: Beast Of The Year 37:25

8M ago37:25

37:25

For our LAST EPISODE OF THE YEAR (and the season), we present (what our old pal the CRYPT KEEPER would have called “the BEAST of the Year”. Included here are a few favorite bits including our CAR RIDE TO HELL – the story of 6 hours spent driving around L with uber producer JOEL SILVER. There’s our chat with “smartest guy we know” ROGER NYGARD and h…

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S2 Bonus Episode: Tobe Hooper - A "Tales From The Crypt" Tribute 1:04:16

8M ago1:04:16

1:04:16

It’s hard to believe our friend Tobe Hooper has been gone so long. Hardly a podcast goes by where we don’t reference Tobe one way or another. He was a fascinating person to know and work with. Like a lot of people who succeed in horror – or who create iconic horror characters and stories – Tobe was a pussycat. There wasn’t anything scary about him.…

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S2E68: Acting Up 55:34

8M ago55:34

55:34

In this GRAB BAG OF GOODIES, MALCOLM MCDOWELL, TAYE DIGGS, SHERRIE ROSE, BARRY PRIMUS MARK IVANIR, CHARLES FLEISCHER and BRANDON ROUTH all do a little ACTING UP as they take us deep inside their acting process to where the nitty meets the gritty. Where characters really come alive inside actors’ heads. We’ve said many times on this podcast that we …

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BONUS EPISODE: "Is Die Hard A Christmas Movie?" 11:05

8M ago11:05

11:05

It’s a question that comes around every year as reliably as Christmas itself: “Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?” In this BONUS EPISODE, Die Hard’s screenwriter – our good friend STEVE DESOUZA – brings plenty of hard evidence that proves not only IS Die Hard a CHRISTMAS MOVIE, it’s way more of one than than the classic “White Christmas”. In a Yahoo Ne…

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S2E67 Rolling Stone Of Horror 1:23:01

8M ago1:23:01

1:23:01

TV and movie producer SCOTT STONE calls himself a “SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR”. We think of him as a “rolling Stone” because he’s actually one of the most prolific TV PRODUCERS ever. Among his credits are LEGENDS OF THE HIDDEN TEMPLE, THE MAN SHOW, SHOP TIL YOU DROP, THE MOLE and TOP DESIGN. Horror’s not really Scott’s thing. Nor are feature films. But, a…

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BONUS EPISODE: "Dirty Laundry" 49:09

8M ago49:09

49:09

As we head toward 2024, we’re recalling some of our favorite moments from 2023. DIRTY LAUNDRY is a whole episode filled with favorite moments. Wanna know what’s really happening on a movie or TV set? Talk to “the pretties” – HAIR AND MAKEUP or, even better? Talk RANDALL THROPP – he was the WARDROBE SUPERVISOR on “TALES FROM THE CRYPT”. He also work…

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S2E66 Inside The Dark Castle 44:39

9M ago44:39

44:39

DARK CASTLE Entertainment sorta kinda rose from the ashes of BORDELLO OF BLOOD. The creative team had some of the same people as Crypt. And HORROR was its calling card. The brain child of JOEL SILVER, ROBERT ZEMECKIS and GIL ADLER, Dark Castle set out, initially, to re-make the movies in the WILLIAM CASTLE canon: HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, 13 GHOSTS, T…

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Deep Dark Secret, Back to Work, and the Guy That Did That Britney Video (w/ Guest Jonathan Silverman) 59:37

9M ago59:37

59:37

Founding partner of artist agency Intrinsic, Jonathan Silverman sheds some light on some of the misconceptions people have about agents and what they do. He delves deep into Vance & Nigel’s pressing questions exploring the right time to get an agent, staying on good terms with everyone, and his thoughts on big agencies vs. boutique agencies. And fi…

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Bonus Episode: A Crypt Tribute To Elliot Silverstein 57:06

9M ago57:06

57:06

Our good friend – and a guest on this podcast – ELLIOT SILVERSTEIN – just passed away. He was 96 and had an extraordinary run. He was a terrific director with features like CAT BALLOU, A MAN CALLED HORSE and THE CAR to his name. Also, Elliot directed lots of TV including TALES FROM THE CRYPT. That’s when Gil and I first met Elliot. In total, Elliot…

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S2E65 Shooting Stars 1:18:59

9M ago1:18:59

1:18:59

When it comes to SHOOTING STARS, few still photographers have shot as many (on so many movie sets) as DAVID JAMES – maybe the most successful SET PHOTOGRAPHER of all time. Stars like TOM CRUISE and directors like STEVEN SPIELBERG and J. J. ABRAMS love working with David because he understands how to tell (and – just as important – sell) their stori…

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S2E64 On Making "Valkyrie" 1:21:36

9M ago1:21:36

1:21:36

For the first time ever, Gil and I talk about Gil’s last big studio movie, VALKYRIE starring TOM CRUISE and directed by BRYAN SINGER. Bryan asked Gil to produce Valkyrie for him after Gil produced SUPERMAN RETURNS which Bryan also directed. Making Valkyrie changed Gil’s life. That is, it changed the direction his life took. For starters, making a s…

1
S2E63 Still Superman 27:43

9M ago27:43

27:43

When we left BRANDON ROUTH, back in S2E62, SUPERMAN RETURNS had just opened to great reviews and respectable numbers, but not respectable enough for WARNER BROS to continue the SUPERMAN REBOOT. They cancelled the next two movies. It’s devastating seeing your future vanish in front of you. But, in time, Brandon found his feet again. He became a regu…

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Guys Wearing Funny Little Outfits, Red Rag to a Bull, and a Very Exclusive Club (w/ guests Amelia Hann & Jamie Batten) 58:30

9M ago58:30

58:30

Netflix docuseries “Tour de France: Unchained” filmmakers, EP & Showrunner Ameila Hann and Director Jamie Batten, join Vance & Nigel to discuss the unique logistical challenges of capturing such a complex and demanding sport, and how they used the “inbuilt drama” of the Tour as a narrative foundation to tell real human stories. Nigel congratulates …

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