It’s the penultimate episode of the Australian Era of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour and your friends in podcasting are offering something for everyone on this particularly nourishing and personal installment. First Dean Haglund shares a bit about what he will miss about being “Down Under” and regales with descriptions of some of his favorite places in Australia. Then, Phil Leirness shares an email from a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU) about editing techniques, a continuation of a discussion about how editing affects actors’ performances that began on last week’s show. Somehow both fascism and democracy get discussed in the context of film editing! From there, Phil celebrates the 25th Anniversary of “The X-Files” by asking Dean about his favorite episodes and who his favorite character is (other than “Langley”, of course). Dean’s answers might just delight you! Then, Dean and Phil weigh in on how the show’s influence is still being felt on television today in shows as disparate as Vince Gilligan’s “Better Call Saul” and NBC’s sitcom “The Good Place”. The final “Lawsuit of the Week” of the intercontinental era is a re-visitation of Shari Redstone’s efforts to re-merge CBS with Paramount and what the failure to do so means for the companies and for their flagship franchise, “Star Trek”. The show concludes with a fascinating discussion of prolific television writer, producer and show-runner Gregory Berlanti’s hit feature film Love, Simon. The film’s themes are celebrated, and what the film’s style says about the state of, and future of, big-screen storytelling is questioned.

Dean tells stories about the Sydney Opera House. Phil tells stories about an amazing interview he did for his “other” podcast and tells an hilarious story about his upcoming bachelor party. Dean and Phil then share “What We’re Reading” and compare notes on the healing nature of live classical music in the “Live Event of the Week”. A little good news about HBO’s terrific “Barry” is shared in discussion of the Emmy Awards and Dean sings the praises of the Canadian adventure series “Frontier”. Then, your friends in podcasting tackle a wide range of cinematic efforts, from Elia Kazan’s classic film noir Panic in the Streets to the Jack Lemmon vehicle The Days of Wine and Roses, from John Carpenter’s masterful (and initially rejected) The Thing to a current release that has met with praise and promising box office, even though it’s all sorts of awful. Finally a legendary and groundbreaking dancer is remembered in “Celebrity Deaths”. Oh, yeah, and if that wasn’t enough, no actor, editor or filmmaker will want to miss the discussion inspired by an email from a loyal listener …

It’s Memorial Day here in the USA, so this episode is coming out about 12 hours later than we like. Nevertheless, Dean and Phil remember a wonderful actress, the artist who designed so many classic movie posters, a pop artist whose sculpted work is iconic, a movie actor and television star from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and a prolific and controversial award-winning novelist. Following “Celebrity Deaths”, your friends in podcasting will weigh in on the criminal charges filed against former mogul Harvey Weinstein and his lawyer’s rather shocking public defense of Weinstein’s actions. Then, it’s time to dig into the latest “Star Trek” news and a handful of recent cinematic releases a half-dozen or more current or recent cinematic releases, including a new “Star Wars Story”, two superhero movies, and an indie comedy. All that, plus a Memorial Day-inspired re-appraisal of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.

 

Many years ago, your friends in podcasting had a very unique Summer Movie Preview episode that proved extremely popular. They’ve always thought of doing another, but for whatever reason, schedules never allowed. Finally, 7 years later, Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness have done their prep work and are ready to deliver. After all, what is more “summer” in the movie biz than a long-anticipated sequel?! Perhaps, a sequel no one asked for …

Oh, well … On this week’s show, Dean and Phil preview all the hopeful blockbusters as well as several of the smaller comedies, documentaries and independent films hoping to make their mark at the box office as “counter-programming”. They do this by analyzing these movies’ trailers. Is the trailer good or bad? What can be gleaned about whether the film is good or bad? Do they think the film itself is like or unlike the one being advertised? The services AND disservices done to the audience by the way these films are marketed and advertised gets fully discussed. Film distribution nitty gritty, summer movie previews and much hilarity on this week’s brand new episode of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour!

As you know, each year, your friends in podcasting celebrate what they think were the best films of the previous year. Well, this year, Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness welcome special guest, film critic and Los Angeles Film Critics Association member Luke Y. Thompson to help them as they discuss the best films AND the worst films of 2015! 

Best and worst in one show?! 

Why, that sounds like two shows! And it almost is. At almost 1 hour and 50 minutes, this is our longest show ever (if you don’t count the 28 hour live “podcastathon” Dean and Phil did to ring in the end of the Mayan Calendar). So, get those Netflix queues handy, power up with the caffeinated beverage of your choice and let’s begin

Dean Haglund is in Fargo, North Dakota. Phil Leirness is on set somewhere, directing and producing 2nd unit on a feature film. So, how are your friends in podcasting able to bring you this brand new installment of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour?

Why, through the magic of podcasting, of course!

If you love Star Trek … If you love Star Trek: The Next Generation … If you love James Bond … If you love Planet of the Apes … If you love science-fiction … If you love social media … If you love the space shuttle, scientific exploration, tiki bars, Jameson’s, Blade Runner, independent film … OR, if you just love good conversation, you are going to love this week’s show, where Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness welcome special guest Robert Meyer Burnett.

Happy Monday, from YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour.

Robbie Consing is one of the top storyboard artists in the film biz. Since starting in 1991, Robbie has lent his illustrating talents to the pre-visualization of more than forty feature films. He has worked on such blockbusters as Batman Forever, The Rock, Face/Off, Armageddon, Inspector Gadget, The Haunting, Mission: Impossible 2, Pearl Harbor, Minority Report, X2, Terminator 3, National Treasure, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Transformers. He has collaborated with such acclaimed directors as David Fincher, Oliver Stone, John Woo, Bryan Singer, Steven Spielberg, Doug Liman and JJ Abrams. Currently, he is hard at work on the new Spider-Man reboot. Most important of all, he’s a loyal listener of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour! And now he’s our guest!