Podcast appearances and mentions of jon spira

It's time for one of those huge episodes. Well, it's a four parter anyways. 1990 was a damn fine year for horror movies. Unfortunately though, once again, there is no iron clad masterpiece amongst them. Just a stack of really decent films. But, what do I think was the very greatest horror movie that came out during 1990? Well, here we have the top 10. The worst 10. A slew of also rans. Some awesome mates. Some special guests. Several pints of beer and a 6+ hour running. This is 1990, A Year In Horror.It's a pretty long journey this one, part 2 of 4 in fact. I am going to give you the time codes below so if you don't want spoilers then, please, avert your eyes.0.33 - The Witches6.22 - Gremlins 2 (w/ Jon Spira)53.09 - Also Rans (Part 2)1.03.00 - Exorcist III (w/ Kevin Lyons) You can now support A Year in Horror via the Patreon.Theme Music by Max Newton& Lucy Foster.Email the podcast at ayearinhorror@gmail.comDon't bother following the podcast on Facebook. But feel free to...Follow me on Twitter.Follow me on Instagram.Follow me on Letterboxd.

Christian Zyp interviews Jon Spira (director/screenwriter) about the documentary THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF CHRISTOPHER LEE. It screens as part of CUFF.Docs Sunday November 24th, 2024 at 6:30pm at the Globe CInema.Christopher Lee's story would be fascinating, even if it only went as far as audiences already know; that of an iconic actor who defined the role of Dracula and went from being the star of the 1960s Hammer horror films to a distinguished career encompassing the 007, STAR WARS, and LORD OF THE RINGS franchises. But there is so much more to the life and career of Sir Christopher Lee. From Italian aristocratic roots through his wartime experiences in the Finnish and British military, his post-war Nazi-hunting spy adventures (perhaps making him the inspiration for James Bond, which was written by his cousin), and his unequalled acting career which culminated in a Guinness World Record for highest number of screen performances.www.jonspira.co.uk/

In this episode, I sat down with Jon Spira to dive deep into the making of his latest documentary, The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee. If you're a regular listener, you know Jon's been on the podcast a couple of times before, and it's always a treat to hear him talk about his work.This time around, he takes us through the journey of bringing Christopher Lee's story to life—literally.Jon kicked things off by sharing what drew him to this project in the first place. Inspired by a mix of fascination and intrigue, he became captivated by Lee's enigmatic presence, especially after rewatching a rather unusual "This Is Your Life episode" featuring Lee. Jon's documentary doesn't just skim over Lee's storied career, from Hammer Horror to The Lord of the Rings, but it digs into the emotional layers of a man who, despite his towering on-screen persona, was often plagued by self-doubt and a desire to control how the world perceived him.We spent a good amount of time talking about the challenges Jon faced in portraying someone as multifaceted as Christopher Lee. It's no small feat to condense a career that spanned over six decades into a single film. Jon wanted to avoid the usual biographical pitfalls—just ticking off achievements and movie titles—and instead aimed for something more intimate and emotionally resonant. He wanted viewers to come away with a sense of who Christopher Lee really was, beyond just the roles he played.One of the more fascinating parts of our conversation was Jon's decision to use a marionette puppet to represent Lee. It was an unconventional choice, but as Jon explained, it made perfect sense for a subject who was so concerned with how his story was told. He originally toyed with the idea of CGI but felt that it lacked the emotional warmth he was looking for. So, he collaborated with Andy Gent, known for his work with Wes Anderson and Tim Burton, to create a beautifully crafted puppet of Lee. And who better to provide the voice than Peter Serafinowicz, whose deep, rich tones helped bring that puppet to life. Jon's approach allowed Lee to narrate his own story, with other voices occasionally chiming in to add a touch of warmth and gentle contradiction. It's this kind of creative storytelling that sets Jon's work apart—finding new ways to tell familiar stories.Jon and I also delved into some of the broader challenges facing filmmakers today. The industry is in a strange place right now, with budgets tightening, streamers changing their strategies, and the rise of new technologies like AI reshaping the landscape. We had a lively discussion about the role of AI in filmmaking. For one specific sequence in the film—recounting a moment when Christopher Lee witnessed the last public execution by guillotine in France—Jon's team used AI-assisted animation to breathe life into archival photos. It's a decision that has sparked some controversy, especially from certain corners of the American press, but Jon sees it as just another tool in the creative toolkit. He acknowledges the fears around AI and the impact it might have on jobs, but he also believes that, when used thoughtfully, it can elevate storytelling in new and exciting ways.Throughout our conversation, a recurring theme was empathy—something that Jon clearly values in his approach to documentary storytelling. He talked about how he always aims to create a sense of connection between the audience and his subjects, to show their humanity in all its complexity. For Jon, it's not just about documenting facts; it's about exploring how those facts feel, and how they shape the person behind the public image. In The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee, this approach results in a film that isn't just a tribute to a cinematic legend but also a portrait of a man grappling with his own insecurities, just like the rest of us.We also touched on the state of cinema today—how trends are shifting, the uncertain future of theatrical releases, and what that means for filmmakers who, like Jon, are passionate about telling unique, challenging stories. It's clear that Jon sees the current moment as both a challenge and an opportunity—a chance to push boundaries and keep audiences engaged in new ways, even if it means embracing some unconventional methods along the way.All in all, our chat was a rich, multi-layered conversation, touching on everything from the intricacies of puppetry to the big questions about where the film industry is headed. It's a must-listen for anyone interested in the art of documentary filmmaking, the evolving landscape of cinema, and the enduring allure of a complex, larger-than-life figure like Christopher Lee.

Mike talks to writer/director Jon Spira about his latest film, The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee. It's a documentary about the Lee's life and career that features a great array of interviews and a fascinating visual style.Pre-order the film at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonspira/the-life-and-deaths-of-christopher-leeBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.

Mike talks to writer/director Jon Spira about his latest film, The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee. It's a documentary about the Lee's life and career that features a great array of interviews and a fascinating visual style.Pre-order the film at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonspira/the-life-and-deaths-of-christopher-leeBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.

Really, 007! celebrate the release of the fascinating documentary film with its writer/director/producer Jon Spira about the screen legend Sir Christopher Lee, who played villain Francisco Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun...Host Tom Pickup is joined by fellow Bond fans Christopher Goldie and Jon Auty from Behind The Stunts.Disclaimer: Really, 007! is an unofficial entity and is not affiliated with EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Danjaq, LLC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Try not to wolf out because we're talking about John Landis' classic, An American Werewolf in London (1981). Backpacking along with us is Xero Gravity, who went on a werewolf binge and has recommendations! Up for discussion: Alex's underdeveloped character, urban set pieces, dirty movie theaters, and British rural horror. Plus: a queer reading of David and Jack's relationship, Jewish horror, an unsexy sex scene, and extended tangents about werewolf anatomy. References: > Matt Geiger. “The Secret Queer Subtext of 'An American Werewolf in London'” Incluvie > Marisa Mercurio. “Queer Moon Rising / The Love of a Good Woman Won't Save You: Queer Narratives in An American Werewolf in London (1981)” Ancillary Review of Books > Jon Spira. “I Think He's a Jew: The Werewolf's Secret” Video Essay. Arrow Physical Media Release Questions? Comments? Snark? Connect with the boys on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Letterboxd, Facebook, or join the Facebook Group to get in touch with other listeners > Trace: @tracedthurman > Joe: @bstolemyremote > Xero: @xghorror / @blerdymassacre Be sure to support the boys on Patreon!  Theme Music: Alexander Nakarada   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Navigating Uncertainty, Dr. Mansharamani speaks with Jon Spira-Savett, Rabbi of Temple Beth Abraham in Nashua, NH. Rabbi Jon shares his personal story of growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota and spending his summers in the Boston area. He also talks about education journey that took him to Harvard and then rabbinical school. After discussing his thoughts about the October 7th and its impact on the Jewish community, Rabbi Jon concludes with some sage advice for navigating uncertainty: do a good deed in times of uncertainty and be grateful to yourself for having compassion.mansharamani.substack.com

We conclude Sci-Fi July with a look at Mike Hodges's Morons from Outer Space. Written by Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith, the film tells the tale of a quartet of less-than-bright intergalactic travelers who crash land on Earth. The film lampoons the idea that we of Earth may be visited by beings from outer space only to find that they're not as enlightened as we'd fancy them to be.Cecil Trachenburg and Jon Spira join Mike to laud the film while Griff Rhys Jones discusses how disappointing he found the experience.

We conclude Sci-Fi July with a look at Mike Hodges's Morons from Outer Space. Written by Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith, the film tells the tale of a quartet of less-than-bright intergalactic travelers who crash land on Earth. The film lampoons the idea that we of Earth may be visited by beings from outer space only to find that they're not as enlightened as we'd fancy them to be.Cecil Trachenburg and Jon Spira join Mike to laud the film while Griff Rhys Jones discusses how disappointing he found the experience.

This episode I have a returning guest, Jon Spira who directed Elstree 1976 and Hollywood Bulldogs is back to talk about his new series streaming on Britbox, namely Reel Britannia. Jon has written and directed this himself and it's a blast. I'm fortunate enough to have watched the first three episodes before I spoke to Jon. The fourth episode is just being finished up as I speak.I hope you enjoy our conversation.Britbox.comElstree 1976 - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4558042/Hollywood Bulldogs - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12142914/

For this episode, number 43 I spoke with documentary director Jon Spira.I became aware of Jon's work in 2015 with the release of Elstree 1976. A broad look at the men and women who were tucked away, far far away, in the back ground of some of the shots in Star Wars. They were often extras and masked characters that we didn't even know were there. His film is a kind of microcosm of celebrity culture and how being on the periphery of a huge cultural event like Star Wars can impact on ones life.I spoke to Jon in November 2021 for a couple of hours. We had briefly met once before at a BFI screening and we'd been intending to have a chat ever since.Since making Elstree 1976, Jon has most recently made Hollywood Bulldogs Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntman which is currently on Britbox here in the UK. I really enjoyed listening to the stories of this unconventional group of men who worked on some of the biggest films in movie history.Hollywood Bulldogs Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7COvrZs4JnsElstree 1976 Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IhEuYdArz4Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/jamiebenning)

SWAU Graphcast is back with a very special guest, the talented Director Jon Spira, who helmed the in-depth 2016 documentary "Elstree 1976"! Join the crew as they talk behind the scenes, film making, autographs, and Star Wars film history and legends! If you would like to learn more about star wars autographs or just autographs in general, or would like to start collecting yourself, don’t hesitate to join our facebook group. Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/starwarsautographuniverse/ iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/star-wars-autograph-universe-graphcast/id1341049375 SoundCloud: @star-wars-autograph-universe-graphcast

Lights, camera, action! This week we go all the way back to the birth of cinema as Mike is joined by Jon Spira to discuss the work of filmmaker and pioneer Georges Méliès and his influence on occult and horror cinema. In the second half of the podcast, Mike is joined by Projections Podcast co-hosts Mary Wild and Sarah Cleaver to hear their thoughts on Occult cinema.  Music by Jack Whitney.  Visit our website www.evolutionofhorror.com  You can now buy Evolution of Horror T-SHIRTS!  www.evolutionofhorror.com/shop Subscribe and donate on PATREON for bonus monthly content and extra treats... www.patreon.com/evolutionofhorror  Email us!  Follow us on TWITTER Follow us on INSTAGRAM Like us on FACEBOOK Join the DISCUSSION GROUP Follow us on LETTERBOXD Mike Muncer is a producer, podcaster and film journalist and can be found on TWITTER

From the director of Life of Brian! Starring John Cleese! It's... Erik The Viking! Tim Robbins has had enough of rape, violence and Viking stuff and seeks to lead a bunch of British character actors to Valhalla without having to die in battle. Author and former video shop owner Jon Spira joins me to discuss a film that seems to have been forgotten by many, despite the obvious potential. There are also mentions for Jon's new book Videosyncratic, which is available on Amazon with a foreword from Suzie Dent off Countdown, one of Jon's former customers.

Laurie met Director Jon Spira in glamorous central London to talk about The Last Jedi and his critically acclaimed documentary following the strange life experiences of extras from the original Star Wars trilogy, Elstree 1976. We covered a huge range of topics and got into the nitty gritty of the film industry itself, from Jon’s … Continue reading with Jon Spira: Elstree 1976 & The Last Jedi →

Oh man, when two cineastes decide to have a conversation watch out! It is hard to contain the purest of enthusiasm for movies that erupts when you put me on Skype with my friend Jon Spira! You might remember that from episode 157, when he joined me to discuss his documentary Elstree 1976, which you […] More

Some of our listeners would suspect the Regular Joe's exclusively watch movies and TV shows with spaceships and aliens etc. but occasionally, we do take time out to enjoy something more cerebral, like a documentary about, spaceships and aliens etc. This week Dave (reputed to be the biggest Star Wars fan in the group) suggested Elstree 1976 (2015), by director Jon Spira, about extras and bit players in the early Star Wars films. Tod (in contention with Dave as the biggest Star Trek fan) suggested, For the love of Spock (2016) by Adam Nimoy, which addresses both the cultural significance of the character made famous by his father, actor Leonard Nimoy, and an intimate look at the life of the man himself. In an increasingly rare case of trilateral agreement, all three had similar takes on the two productions. One very good, one not so much. One certainly worth watching, the other . . . well you get the idea. If it's possible to spoil a documentary, then there are SPOILERS. This episode also contains a protracted discussion on what constitutes a "Jedi" and a round of Star Trek/Star Wars themed Random Topics interrupted only by Barry's desire to talk about another film that won't be made anyway. Thanks for Listening!

Welcome to Episode 8 and we are concentrating solely on Star Wars this week. These are the stories - ELSTREE 1976 CARRIE FISHER REVEALS AFFAIR WITH HARRISON FORD IN 1976 HAN SOLO MOVIE TO HAVE YOUNGER CHEWIE ROGUE ONE FIRST SHOWING EARLIER IN UK You can get your copy of ELSTREE 1976 on iTunes here itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/elstree…976/id1146840330 Or on Amazon here www.amazon.co.uk/Elstree-1976-DVD…rds=elstree+1976 If you have any questions or comments please leave them below or email us at pancast@live.com Check out all our podcasts at www.pancast.co.uk FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/pancast TWITTER www.twitter.com/pancastpods INSTAGRAM www.instagram.com/pancast

Degunk your junk and clear your phone memories, as you're going to need it all for this epic edition of The Vintage Rebellion Podcast. This months show has no less than ten guests joining the team throughout the various sections. Stuart is joined by Horacio Narvaez (Ozio) and Marco Jay to take an in depth look at the Lili Ledy license.  Rich has no fewer than FOUR guests during this months rebel Briefings.  Jon Spira joins him to discuss the Elstree 1976 DVD release, whilst Adam Pemberton speaks with Jez about the recent Echo Live toy show.  Henrik Friden discusses the recent huge Norway haul and Jason Smith returns to the show to discuss Palitoy 45 AB combinations. This month in the newly titled Beyond the Toys section, Grant speaks to Propstore's Prop Guru Brandon Alinger and Emmy Award winning comedy screenwriter David mandel on their new publication 'The Art of Ralph McQuarrie'.  The book which will be the most comprehensive guide to artists behind The Original Trilogy. Pete continues the guest ratio having Chris Botkins join him for Market as they take a look at the Rebel Commando, whilst also delving into the recent Propstore auction. Jez offers a feast of acquisitions in the NA segment, as he looks at Trilogo MTV-7s, Hoth Survival mailer Kits, Canadian Ugnaught MOC, Argentinian Pepsi rulers, TIE Pilot Uzays, AT-ATs and a look at Cash Converters. As well as all this Chris Georgoulias joins the team during feedback to make some corrections on information given during Episode 29. Don't fear the length of this show is a one off and will be back to the usual 5 hours in December. x x Enjoy the show!!!!!!!

Last week, Horrible Imaginings presented a week of screenings of the new documentary “Elstree 1976” at the Digital Gym Cinema here in San Diego, California. During the Saturday night screening, director Jon Spira graciously agreed to talk to the theater after the screening for a Q&A via Skype. What this meant for him was setting […] More

00:00 The Who Wars Podcast Theme 00:30 Introduction to the show; includes discussion of the reaction to a female Master in Doctor Who between last week and this week's show; forgetting to mention the name of the Binro Was Right podcast in the previous episode; meeting Chris Roberts and some of his team from the crowd funded PC game 'Star Citizen' - the largest crowd fund of anything, ever; promotion of the podcasts Reality Bomb and Rebel Force Radio; get in touch with the show and/or leave some iTunes feedback. Details in the closing credits. Reality Bomb: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/reality-bomb-doctor-who-podcast/id672090945?mt=2 Rebel Force Radio: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rebelforce-radio-star-wars/id593355728?mt=2 Star Citizen: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/ Chris Roberts talks crowd funding with ABC News (Australia): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDCJ-N3N96Y 19:08 NEWS - Star Wars Episode VII gets a name. Kate @Kamiduu joins Rob @WhoWars to discuss. 31:50 NEWS - Elstree 1976 Star Wars documentary maker, Jon Spira, provides an update on the project. Elstree 1976: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/832232974/elstree-1976 35:05 NEWS - Daniel Radcliffe discusses a visit to the Star Wars Episode VII set on Conan. 38:24 NEWS - BBC responds to criticism of Doctor Who: Dark Water. http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complaint/Doctorwho011114/ 42:04 ADVERT - Doctor Who: Dark Journey 42:28 REVIEW - Star Wars Rebels: Breaking Ranks by Rob @WhoWars & Leo 57:35 REVIEW - Doctor Who: Dark Water (BBC) by Lex @Lexerness 1:06:50 REVIEW - Doctor Who: Death in Heaven (BBC) by Rob @WhoWars  1:20:49 FEATURE- Second Hand Star Wars by Kate @Kamiduu 1:27:02 ADVERT - We're looking for team members. Want to join us? Want to contribute something? 1:27:26 Closing remarks; call for iTunes feedback on the show 1:29:17 The Who Wars Podcast Credits (including how to get in touch with the show)