Episode 64 - THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

A shrewd blend of the old and the new made The Blair Witch Project a polarizing phenomenon and a runaway box office hit in the summer of 1999. It was a nearly ancient story--naive young people get lost in the spooky woods--dressed up in a fresh (at the time) found footage approach, implying through its first-person perspective and savvy marketing that this time, the horror was real.

But are the gimmicks that turned Blair Witch into one of the most successful independent films of all time still as effective after so many imitators made its innovations seem trite and commonplace? We gird ourselves to experience the worst student film shoot ever and search for meaning in this infamous cinematic experiment.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez
Produced by Robin Cowie and Gregg Hale
Written by Jacob Cruse and Eduardo Sanchez
Starring Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard

Episode 63 - WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Willy Wonka is a character full of contradictions. He's both a famous recluse and a consummate showman, a whimsical dreamer and a cynical realist. Such an eccentric figure could only be played by a singular performer: Gene Wilder. His personality defines Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, animating Roald Dahl's classic fable with a twinkly-eyed melancholy perfect for the story of a poor little boy realizing his one chance to live out every child's fantasy.

Much like the famous confectioner he portrayed, Wilder became a pop culture icon to several generations of viewers, and his passing in August 2016 was deeply felt by fans around the world. Come join us in a world of pure imagination and help us pay homage to the incomparable Gene Wilder as we revisit his most indelible role.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Directed by Mel Stuart
Produced by David L. Wolper
Written by Roald Dahl and David Seltzer
Based on the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Starring Gene Wilder, Peter Ostrum, Julie Dawn Cole, Denise Nickerson, Paris Themmen, Michael Bollner, Aubrey Woods, Diana Sowle, and Jack Albertson