Podcasts about Screenplay

SUBURBAKNIGHT: Act Two Walter Knope has finally discovered the one thing worse than suspecting your new neighbor is a sex demon. Being right. Inside Richard's immaculate house, Walter gets the confirmation he was looking for. The Maitlands are dead. Richard isn't human. And he isn't just interested in Samantha. He wants everything Walter has. Walter tries to warn Sam. It goes badly. What starts as an argument about Richard quickly becomes an argument about money, sex, failure, jealousy and every other thing a married couple has been politely not saying out loud. Sam packs a bag. Walter, terrified Richard will get to her, practically helps her leave. Written by Nick Bannister, SUBURBAKNIGHT is a wicked suburban horror-comedy about marriage, masculinity and what happens when your midlife crisis actually grows horns. Walter needs someone who understands monsters. Enter Bobby Joe Williams. Local horror host. Full-time drunk. Part-time monster expert. Possibly the least reassuring person you could want standing between your family and eternal damnation. Bobby Joe confirms the bad news. Richard is an incubus. He feeds on souls, controls his victims through desire and, unfortunately, appears to be immortal. Meanwhile, Richard has already started remaking the neighborhood. Walter goes looking for Andy and instead finds him dead in the bathtub, his wife Alli transformed into something considerably less neighborly. Walter barely escapes with his life. Then Samantha comes home. Richard is waiting. This time, Sam sees him too. When Richard finally drops the charm and shows them what he really is, he offers Walter everything he ever wanted. Money. Freedom. A fresh start. All he wants in return is Samantha. Walter says no. Then Mia introduces Richard's face to a medieval mace. For a moment, it feels like the Knopes may actually have this thing under control. Then Richard takes their daughter. Now Walter and Sam are done running. They need Mia back. They need help. Unfortunately, the closest thing they have to a professional is Bobby Joe Williams in boxer shorts drinking margarita straight from a blender pitcher. So they do what any responsible parents would do. They raid the failed antique business. Crossbow. Mace. Axe. Sword. Armor. Walter's junk has finally found a purpose. And across the street, Richard is waiting. Starring Darin Toonder, Jim O'Heir, Jade Tailor, Jack Daniel, Rob Fitzgerald, Logan Laurel, Emily Brolin, Ashley Platz, and Zeke Alton. Produced by Table Read Podcast and Manifest Media Productions, LLC. Executive Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell. Find The Show: Table Read PodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The team behind Lessons from the Screenplay breaks down the narrative of Prometheus to extract storytelling lessons and explore the kinds of tools writers can use to address various problems in their stories. In particular, we look at the motivation of the central characters, the themes the filmmakers seemed to be interested in examining, and the overall onslaught of themes, rules, creatures, and lore this movie attempts to fit into its two hour runtime.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TjSzDVS93ws

Host Jeff Goldsmith talks to Emmy® nominated actor Nick Offerman and showrunner Mike Makowsky about their limited series - Death by Lightning. Download my podcast here Copyright © Unlikely Films, Inc. 2026. All rights reserved. For more great content, read Backstory Magazine!

SUBURBAKNIGHT: Act Two Walter Knope has finally discovered the one thing worse than suspecting your new neighbor is a sex demon. Being right. Inside Richard's immaculate house, Walter gets the confirmation he was looking for. The Maitlands are dead. Richard isn't human. And he isn't just interested in Samantha. He wants everything Walter has. Walter tries to warn Sam. It goes badly. What starts as an argument about Richard quickly becomes an argument about money, sex, failure, jealousy and every other thing a married couple has been politely not saying out loud. Sam packs a bag. Walter, terrified Richard will get to her, practically helps her leave. Written by Nick Bannister, SUBURBAKNIGHT is a wicked suburban horror-comedy about marriage, masculinity and what happens when your midlife crisis actually grows horns. Walter needs someone who understands monsters. Enter Bobby Joe Williams. Local horror host. Full-time drunk. Part-time monster expert. Possibly the least reassuring person you could want standing between your family and eternal damnation. Bobby Joe confirms the bad news. Richard is an incubus. He feeds on souls, controls his victims through desire and, unfortunately, appears to be immortal. Meanwhile, Richard has already started remaking the neighborhood. Walter goes looking for Andy and instead finds him dead in the bathtub, his wife Alli transformed into something considerably less neighborly. Walter barely escapes with his life. Then Samantha comes home. Richard is waiting. This time, Sam sees him too. When Richard finally drops the charm and shows them what he really is, he offers Walter everything he ever wanted. Money. Freedom. A fresh start. All he wants in return is Samantha. Walter says no. Then Mia introduces Richard's face to a medieval mace. For a moment, it feels like the Knopes may actually have this thing under control. Then Richard takes their daughter. Now Walter and Sam are done running. They need Mia back. They need help. Unfortunately, the closest thing they have to a professional is Bobby Joe Williams in boxer shorts drinking margarita straight from a blender pitcher. So they do what any responsible parents would do. They raid the failed antique business. Crossbow. Mace. Axe. Sword. Armor. Walter's junk has finally found a purpose. And across the street, Richard is waiting. Starring Darin Toonder, Jim O'Heir, Jade Tailor, Jack Daniel, Rob Fitzgerald, Logan Laurel, Emily Brolin, Ashley Platz, and Zeke Alton. Produced by Table Read Podcast and Manifest Media Productions, LLC. Executive Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Jeff Goldsmith talks to co-writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers about their hit film - Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Download my podcast here Copyright © Unlikely Films, Inc. 2026. All rights reserved. For more great content check out Backstory Magazine @ Backstory.net

This week, we discuss the 1957 biographical drama, The Spirit of St. Louis, which stands as a unique outlier in Billy Wilder's filmography—the only biopic he ever directed, and his only collaboration with Jimmy Stewart. SPOILER ALERT We will be talking about this movie in its entirety. If you haven't seen this classic, we suggest you watch it before listening to our takes.A Warner Bros. production. Released on April 20, 1957. Directed by Billy Wilder. Screenplay by Billy Wilder and Wendell Mayes, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography by Charles Lindbergh. Starring James Stewart, Murray Hamilton, and Patricia Smith. Cinematography by Robert Burks and J. Peverell Marley. Edited by Arthur P. Schmidt. Score by Franz Waxman.

Host Jeff Goldsmith talks to co-writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers about their new film - Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Download my podcast here Copyright © Unlikely Films, Inc. 2026. All rights reserved. For more great content check out Backstory Magazine @ Backstory.net

Het is de hoogste tijd om de Oscarvoorspellingen te updaten zo vlak voor de najaarsfestivals beginnen en de line-ups van Venice, Telluride & TIFF bekend zijn gemaakt. In deze aflevering gaan we verder met Best Directo en de Screenplay categorieën en tippen we kort de belangrijkste tech's aan in Editing, Cinematography en Score. Enjoy!Redactie: Don Zwaaneveld Bedankt voor het luisteren!Volg @dononfilm op Instagram & Letterboxd en op de Award Expert app voor de meest actuele Oscar voorspellingen. En @blijebes op Letterboxd! 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the top screenplay hacks according to NoFilmSchool.com, with examples of how and when they use those hacks in their own professional writing, and also when to leave a hack on the cutting room floor.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

In honor of Criterion's new Southern Gothic collection, we're sharing some of our favorite Southern Gothics from past episodes. ---Have you seen Cape Fear or have you seen Cape Feare (The Simpsons episode paraodying the movie)? Cape Fear (1991) Dir. Martin Scorsese. Screenplay by Wesley Strick. Starring Robert DeNiro, Juliette Lewis, Nick Nolte, and Jessica Lange.Email sogothicpod@gmail.com. Follow Chance and Amanda on Letterboxd @mrchancelee and @mcavoy_amanda. Instagram @sogothicpod Closing music "Gothic Guitar" by Javolenus 2014 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)

We said The Prestige is the "most" Christopher Nolan movie, and that Inception is his most autobiographical... but it turns out we were wrong, because both apply to Interstellar. It's a movie where a character literally says, "I'm not afraid of death. I'm afraid of time." It's a movie about a man who desperately wants to return home to his children, except that he wants even more to go do some cool stuff in outer space. The movie's working title was Flora's Letter, referring to Nolan's real-life 11-year-old daughter Flora, the inspiration for the character of Murph. And it's probably Nolan's best movie. Laci and Matt spend more than three hours celebrating this masterpiece, and talk a lot about whether you should even care if the human race got resurrected via a tube of sperm on another planet hundreds of years in the future.    Watch this Interstellar podcast in full on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@1weekrental  Get more 1-Week Rental on Patreon: https://patreon.com/1weekrental  Next episode (Aug. 14, 2026): Tenet (2020)!   The Summer of Nolan is our summer 2026 miniseries covering the movie career of Christopher Nolan through nine movies on the main feed (plus additional episodes on the Patreon!), presented in chronological order, starting with Memento and going through Oppenheimer. And don't be surprised if our old pal Odysseus drops by to tell us about his long journey home to his wife.   Time stamps: 00:01:41 — What have we learned about Christopher Nolan so far? And how does it apply to Interstellar?  00:20:00 — History segment: Producer Lynda Obst and physicist Kip Thorne develop Interstellar for Steven Spielberg, with Jonah Nolan as the screenwriter; Spielberg leaves, Christopher Nolan comes aboard; the science of Interstellar is always emphasized during the movie's development; Nolan works with composer Hans Zimmer on the movie's music before shooting begins; casting Matthew McConaughey; release, reception, and legacy of Interstellar 01:24:43 — Movie discussion + Interstellar film analysis 03:10:55 — Star ratings + final review of Interstellar    INTERSTELLAR (2014) was directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Nolan with his brother Jonah. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy, Matt Damon, David Gyasi, Bill Irwin, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck, Topher Grace, Timothée Chalamet, and Michael Caine as Professor Brand.   Sources: "Interstellar: How Christopher Nolan's Space Exploration Movie Achieved Lift-Off" by Dan Jolin | Empire (2014) - https://bit.ly/451fLOh "The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan" by Tom Shone (2020) - https://amzn.to/4yiNtw0 Sleepless in Hollywood: Tales from the New Abnormal in the Movie Business by Lynda Obst (2014) - https://amzn.to/4xjbtOa  "Wrinkles in Spacetime: The Warped Astrophysics of Interstellar" by Adam Rogers | Wired (2014) - https://bit.ly/4wbvs0r  "Writer with real stars in his eyes" by Jay Fernandez | The Los Angeles Times (2007) - https://lat.ms/4pSL4UO  "All About Christopher Nolan's 4 Kids, Who All Worked on 'The Odyssey' With Him" by Bailey Bujnosek | InStyle (2026) - https://bit.ly/4bwYeRI  "Meet the Woman Behind Dunkirk" by Rebecca Keegan | Vanity Fair (2017) - https://bit.ly/4bvzlps  "Christopher Nolan on Dunkirk, Taking His Kids to Phantom Thread" by Christina Radish | Collider (2018) -  https://bit.ly/3RP25mf "Steven Spielberg Worked on 'Interstellar' for One Year and Says 'I Became Fascinated With It' Before Dropping Out: 'It Was a Much Better Movie in Nolan's Hands'" by Zack Sharif | Variety (2026) -  https://bit.ly/4cmPqht    Transcript: https://1weekrentalpod.com/2026/08/interstellar/#transcript  Artwork by Laci Roth.   Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts!  PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (https://bit.ly/4jRL2K1), Spotify (https://bit.ly/4a8jM6E), and YouTube (https://youtube.com/@podjob007). The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap Podcast on Apple Podcast (https://bit.ly/4vtO6jG), Spotify (https://bit.ly/4w1qDat), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@TheSignPostUpAhead).   Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC).   Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: "Summer of Nolan" - https://youtube.com/shorts/CAIzthDLrT8  "Winston-Salem" - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM "Snake Drama" - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg "The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet" - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ    The "Summer of Nolan" theme song was written by Matt Stokes. Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends. Performed by: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums, percussion, and backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals, guitar, and bass   Follow 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: @1weekrental | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Facebook: @1weekrental Instagram: @1weekrental TikTok: @1weekrental | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @1weekrental.bsky.social   1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.

Creature of Destruction (1968) AIP Production #6815 AITV Package: 15 New Science Fiction  Jeff and Cheryl see a woman regress into a monster and go on a country club killing spree in Creature of Destruction.Screenplay by Enrique Touceda Produced and Directed by Larry Buchanan Starring: Les Tremayne as Dr. John Basso Pat Delany as Doreena Aron Kincaid as Capt. Theodore Dell Neil Fletcher as Sam Crane Ann McAdams as Mrs. Crane Roger Ready as Lt. Blake  Ron Scott as Nick  Suzanne Ray as Lynn Crane Byron Lord as Investigating Psychiatrist / The Creature Barnett Shaw as Investigating Psychiatrist Scotty McKay as Singer An Azalea Pictures Production Stream Creature of Destruction on Plex, Tubi, Fawesome, Momentu and other platforms. Visit our website - https://aippod.com/ and follow the American International Podcast on Letterboxd, Instagram and Threads @aip_pod and on Facebook at facebook.com/AmericanInternationalPodcast  Get your American International Podcast merchandise at our store. Our open and close includes clips from the following films/trailers: How to Make a Monster (1958), The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962), I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), High School Hellcats (1958), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), The Wild Angels (1966), It Conquered the World (1956), The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), and Female Jungle (1955) This episode includes AI-generated content.

The BTS team discusses Odysseus' character arc, Nolan's modern approach to crafting a mythological epic, and the story's themes of homecoming, hospitality, and guilt.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LZIQUlPEh24

This week, we turn our attention to Billy Wilder's first collaboration with Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch. It's most famous for the iconic subway-grate skirt blowing image, although, as we discuss, it's a rather small part of the movie.SPOILER ALERT We will be talking about this movie in its entirety. If you haven't seen this classic, we strongly suggest you watch it before listening to our takes.A Twentieth Century-Fox production. Released on June 3, 1955. Directed and produced by Billy Wilder. Screenplay by Billy Wilder and George Axelrod, based on the play by George Axelrod. Starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell. Cinematography by Milton R. Krasner. Edited by Hugh S. Fowler. Score by Alfred Newman.

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down Structure for a feature-length story to its basics. What are each of the turning points, when should they fall in your movie, why are they important, and what effect should they have on your story.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Queen of the Seas (1964)(Original title Le Avventure di Mary Read)AIP Production #6333AITV Packages: Epicolor ‘64 and New Color Adventures Jeff and Cheryl defy gender norms and set sail for adventure in the New World with the Queen of the Seas. Produced by Fortunato Misiano for Romana Films Story and Screenplay by Ugo Guerra & Luciano MartinoDirected by Umberto Lenzi Starring: Lisa Gaston as Mary Read Jerome Courtland as Peter Goodwin Agostino Salvietti as Uncle MangiatrippaGermano Longo as Pirate Ivan Walter Barnes as Captain PoofGianni Solaro as Florida GovernorGisella Arden as French dancerDina De Santis as Lady flirting with PeterTullio Altamura as Don Pedro AlvarezIgnazio Balsamo as Captain of the GuardAnna Arena as Lady aboard hr DilligenceGiulio Battiferri as Prison GuardFranco Jamonte as Horse-riding instructorEdoardo Toniolo as Lord GoodwinPiero Pastore as Protocol instructorLoris Gizzi as Praison DirectorGualtiero Isnenghi as Captain of the English shipEleonora Morana as Miss Elizabeth Bruno Scipioni as Lord Stewart An Alta Vista Production Stream Queen of the Seas on Fawsome or Sword-n-Scandal. Visit our website - https://aippod.com/ and follow the American International Podcast on Letterboxd, Instagram and Threads @aip_pod and on Facebook at facebook.com/AmericanInternationalPodcast  Get your American International Podcast merchandise at our store. Our open and close includes clips from the following films/trailers: How to Make a Monster (1958), The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962), I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), High School Hellcats (1958), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), The Wild Angels (1966), It Conquered the World (1956), The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), and Female Jungle (1955) 

Send us Fan MailThe residents of Pluff Mud Place refine their business plans and fight with their relatives after taking the rejuvenating drug 20 More Years. Owners Sherrod and Bulgur decide to charge the residents more for room and board.BTW: "B is for Bisexual" is number 42 in this list of Top 50 podcasts: podcast. feedspot.com/bisexual_podcasts/.B is for Bisexual - short stories by Laura P. Valtorta

When The Dark Knight Rises came out in 2012, expectations were sky high. After all, Christopher Nolan had shattered all box office records and blown critics away with The Dark Knight… what would he be doing now to dazzle audiences everywhere?  Maybe it's inevitable that the reception would be mixed. For the first time in his career, a Nolan movie was given generally negative reviews. And while it ultimately made more money worldwide than The Dark Knight did, it didn't become the biggest movie of all time. Earlier that year, in fact, The Avengers had pulled that off, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe's reign had officially begun. Nolan said the only reason he would ever consider making a sequel to The Dark Knight was if he came up with a story that was so good it justified its own existence. So… does The Dark Knight Rises do that? Laci thinks so; Matt doesn't. In this episode, 1-Week Rental takes you behind the scenes of The Dark Knight Rises to give you the story of how Nolan developed this idea along with his collaborator David Goyer and his brother Jonah. Then, how Bane was selected as the villain, and how world events like Occupy Wall Street gave the film a fortuitous sense of timing. But is Nolan giving himself too much credit by saying Bane foreshadowed Donald Trump? What exactly is Nolan saying in this movie, anyway? And is he trying to say one thing but accidentally saying something else, instead? Then, Laci and Matt review The Dark Knight Rises. Is Bane ultimately a letdown? Would the Joker have made more sense carrying out Bane's exact plan? Anne Hathaway is excellent as Selina Kyle, but does her character make sense? And is Marion Cotillard as "Miranda Tate" the least developed of all of Nolan's female characters? All this and more in a supersized episode as the podcast concludes its coverage of Nolan's trilogy of Batman films.   Watch Matt's video about The Road to El Dorado: https://youtu.be/y5x3zDnjXrg  Watch this Dark Knight Rises podcast in full on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@1weekrental  Get more 1-Week Rental on Patreon: https://patreon.com/1weekrental  Next episode: We're off on July 31, but we shall return on August 7, 2026 with an episode about Interstellar (2014)!   The Summer of Nolan is our summer 2026 miniseries covering the movie career of Christopher Nolan through nine movies on the main feed (plus additional episodes on the Patreon!), presented in chronological order, starting with Memento and going through Oppenheimer. And don't be surprised if our old pal Odysseus drops by to tell us about his long journey home to his wife.   Time stamps: 00:01:24 — Opening thoughts on The Dark Knight Rises 00:20:15 — History segment: Nolan searches for a sequel to The Dark Knight; how they decided to use Bane and cast Tom Hardy; the politics of The Dark Knight movies; production, release, and legacy of The Dark Knight Rises 01:04:29 — Movie discussion + The Dark Knight Rises film analysis 02:56:20 — Star ratings + final review of The Dark Knight Rises   THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012) was directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Nolan with his brother Jonah; screen story by Nolan with David Goyer. Starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Tom Conti, Matthew Modine, Ben Mendelsohn, and Glen Powell as a stock trader.   Sources: "The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture" by Glen Weldon (2016) - https://amzn.to/4aNZi2Y  "Christopher Nolan (Iconic Directors)" by Dan Jolin (2026) - https://amzn.to/4oEtmE3 "The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan" by Tom Shone (2020) - https://amzn.to/4yiNtw0  "The Dark Knight Trilogy: The Complete Story Of Christopher Nolan's Batman Films" by Dan Jolin | Empire (2012) - https://bit.ly/44KS6kW  "Heath Ledger was planning to return as the Joker in The Dark Knight Rises before his death, say family" by Jacob Stolworthy | The Independent (2018) - https://bit.ly/3T8u5So  "For now, Nolan and Batman will rest in 'Dark' glory" by Scott Bowles | USA Today (2008) - https://bit.ly/4yxUUiU  "Christopher Nolan on 'Dark Knight' and its box-office billion: 'It's mystifying to me'" by Geoff Boucher | The Los Angeles Times (2008) - https://lat.ms/4hm5SSr    Transcript: https://1weekrentalpod.com/2026/07/the-dark-knight-rises/#transcript  Artwork by Laci Roth.   Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts!  PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (https://bit.ly/4jRL2K1), Spotify (https://bit.ly/4a8jM6E), and YouTube (https://youtube.com/@podjob007). The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap Podcast on Apple Podcast (https://bit.ly/4vtO6jG), Spotify (https://bit.ly/4w1qDat), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@TheSignPostUpAhead).   Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC).   Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: "Summer of Nolan" - https://youtube.com/shorts/CAIzthDLrT8  "Winston-Salem" - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM "Snake Drama" - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg "The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet" - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ    The "Summer of Nolan" theme song was written by Matt Stokes. Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends. Performed by: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums, percussion, and backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals, guitar, and bass   Follow 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: @1weekrental | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Facebook: @1weekrental Instagram: @1weekrental TikTok: @1weekrental | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @1weekrental.bsky.social   1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.

This week, we discuss the classic romantic Cinderella/Ugly Duckling story, Sabrina, a film that showcases Billy Wilder's ability to balance sophisticated, witty dialogue with genuine heart and a smidge of social commentary.SPOILER ALERT We will be talking about this movie in its entirety,. If you haven't seen this classic, we strongly suggest you watch it before listening to our takes.A Paramount Pictures production. Released on September 22, 1954. Directed and produced by Billy Wilder. Screenplay by Billy Wilder, Samuel A. Taylor, and Ernest Lehman, based on the play Sabrina Fair by Samuel A. Taylor. Starring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and William Holden. Cinematography by Charles Lang. Edited by Doane Harrison. Score by Frederick Hollander.

In the eighth and final 15 minutes of our screenplay treatment, Napoleon really is trying to get this one last job done by completing the Brumaire coup. But his bid for his ultimate goal requires an unexpected sacrifice and is dependent on an essential contribution from his now thoroughly beloved Josephine. With a new framing device underlining the crucial role of Paul Barras in this story as the antagonist, we're sprinting for a finish line - and a certain comfy chair for our leading man.Yes, it's episode nine of our screenwriting escapade, in which we complete our mission of crafting a top-notch screenplay treatment about the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham (who knows a thing or two about screenwriting) and Ben Deery (who knows a thing or two about acting) to put the movie world to rights. Having analysed the pitfalls and frustrations of Ridley Scott's Napoleon 2023 in the first season the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly, this time round the team have tried their uppermost to come up with the magic themselves.As our resident artificial aide-de-camp NAIpoleon Bot-aparte puts it:[02:27] The Recap of the "Rotten Pear": James catches us up on Act Three so far, featuring Napoleon's desertion from Egypt, a "titanic" row with Josephine, and a dinner with Barras that changes everything.[12:12] History is a Farce: Alex reads from Zamoyski's biography, revealing the hilarious historical reality of the coup: a bucking horse, a stress-induced facial rash, and a very "undone" Napoleon.[17:03] Dramatic Masterstroke or "Sh*tshow"?: The team debates whether Napoleon's historical bungling of the coup is a screenwriting disaster or an ironic opportunity for a "stunning performance."[19:13] The Ultimate Sacrifice: Alex pitches a thematic climax where Napoleon trades his "Great Man" dignity and romantic ideals for the grubbiness of actual power.[21:45] The Novella as a Blunt Instrument: Ben suggests a high-action alternative involving Napoleon beating a man unconscious with his own rolled-up novella manuscript.[28:35] The Framing Device Rabbit Hole: A deep dive into the art of the framing device, featuring references to The Princess Bride, Amadeus, and the "triangle" used in the World Snooker Championship.[33:10] Perspectives on a Dinner: The hosts pitch a circular narrative structure that uses a dinner with Barras to show how the "urbane puppet master" became the man who "owes Napoleon everything."[43:03] Marinara in the Sticks: Exploring the "fitting end" for Barras—sidelined to a provincial town like Ray Liotta at the end of Goodfellas with nothing but bad pasta sauce for company.[45:28] The Bonaparte Whisperer: Josephine finally gets an active role in the heist, proving she is a master survivor who knows exactly how to handle smitten Directory presidents and resignation letters.[52:36] The Dictator's Comfy Chair: The team lands on a final image involving a circular seating arrangement, an enigmatic grin, and the most crucial question of the production: "Who is going to play the pug?"Help us produce more episodes by supporting the Napoleonic Quarterly on Patreon: patreon.com/napoleonicquarterly

Monster from a Prehistoric Planet (1968) AIP Production #6715 AITV Package: 15 New Science Fiction Jeff and Cheryl fight back tears while watching the tender family drama Monster from a Prehistoric Planet.Screenplay by Iwao Yamazaki and Ryuzo Nakanishi English Dialogue by William Ross Produced by Hideo Koi Directed by Haruyasu Noguchi Starring: Tamio Kawaji as Hiroshi KurosakiYoko Yamamoto as Itoko Koyanagi Yuji Okada as Prof. Daize Tonooka Kōji Wada as MashidaTatsuya Fuji as George InoueKeisuke Inoue as Mr. Funazu, Playmate magazine ownerZenji Yamada as Captain of the Kamome-MaruBumon Koto as Chief of Obelisk IslandSaburô Hiromatsu as HosodaBinnosuke Nagao as Commander RikuMasaru Kamiyama as ProfessorKokan Katsura as Saburo HayashiShirô Oshimi as Oyama (Funazu's daughter?)Yoko Oyagi as AiharaMike Danine as Petty OfficerRuich Fidancer as Captain of the Sea AngelsPaul Scheman as Professor McDonaldA Nikkatsu Production Stream Monster from a Prehistoric Planet on Tubi, Fawsome, Fandango at Home, YouTube TV, or rent on Prime Video. Visit our website - https://aippod.com/ and follow the American International Podcast on Letterboxd, Instagram and Threads @aip_pod and on Facebook at facebook.com/AmericanInternationalPodcast  Get your American International Podcast merchandise at our store. Our open and close includes clips from the following films/trailers: How to Make a Monster (1958), The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962), I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), High School Hellcats (1958), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), The Wild Angels (1966), It Conquered the World (1956), The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), and Female Jungle (1955) 

This week, we discuss the tense but slyly comedic prisoner-of-war thriller, Stalag 17, a film that balances suspense with Billy Wilder's signature sharp, cynical wit.SPOILER ALERT We will be talking about this movie in its entirety. If you haven't seen this classic, we strongly suggest you watch it before listening to our takes.A Paramount Pictures production. Released on July 1, 1953. Directed and produced by Billy Wilder. Screenplay by Billy Wilder and Edwin Blum, based on the play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski. Starring William Holden, Don Taylor, Robert Strauss, Harvey Lembeck, and Otto Preminger. Cinematography by Ernest Laszlo. Edited by Doane Harrison. Score by Franz Waxman.

Invisible Creature (1964) aka The House in Marsh Road (1960) AIP Production #6445 AITV Package: Amazing '65; Sci-Fi 65 Jeff and Cheryl get into the haunted real estate market with Invisible Creature. Screenplay by Maurice J. WIlson Based on the Story "The House in Marsh Road" by Laurence Meynell Produced by Maurice J. Wilson Directed by Montgomery Tully Starring: Tony Wright as David Linton Patricia Dainton as Jean Linton Sandra Dorne as Valerie StockleyDerek Aylward as Richard Foster Sam Kydd as Morris Lumley Llewellyn Rees as P.J. Webster Anita Sharp-Bolster as Mrs O'BrienRoddy Hughes as DanielsHarry Hutchinson as Pub LandlordOlive Sloane as Mrs MorrisGeoffrey Denton as Police InspectorOlga Dickie as Hotel Proprietress An Alta Vista Production  Stream The Invisible Creature/The House in Marsh Road on Tubi, Fawsome, Plex, or rent on Prime Video. Visit our website - https://aippod.com/ and follow the American International Podcast on Letterboxd, Instagram and Threads @aip_pod and on Facebook at facebook.com/AmericanInternationalPodcast  Get your American International Podcast merchandise at our store. Our open and close includes clips from the following films/trailers: How to Make a Monster (1958), The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962), I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), High School Hellcats (1958), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), The Wild Angels (1966), It Conquered the World (1956), The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), and Female Jungle (1955) 

Few movies have penetrated the general pop culture landscape like Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. And few characters have resonated the way the Joker, as brought to life by Heath Ledger, did when Nolan's movie came out in the summer of 2008 and became the biggest movie of all time. For their 200th episode, Matt and Laci dive deep—and I mean deep—into The Dark Knight. And in a surprise that could have been conceived by the Joker himself, it turns out Laci loves this movie. Matt, meanwhile, continues to feel extremely mixed about all three of Nolan's Batman movies—there's so much to love, and so much more to be confused and baffled by.  For the history segment, the podcast goes behind the scenes to talk about the casting of Heath Ledger and his process for becoming the Joker. Ledger famously isolated himself in a hotel room for a month, journaling his weird thoughts to turn into a version of the Crown Prince of Crime we'd never seen before. We also talk about the history of the Joker as a character, going all the way back to the 1940s. What exactly is it about the Joker that appeals to so many people? And, even putting aside the tragic circumstances behind Ledger's performance, what about the Nolan Joker resonated with so many people?  Then, we talk for two hours about the movie itself, celebrating what we love, rubbing our temples about what we hate, and ultimately trying to figure out what exactly Bruce Wayne believes. How has he become so enchanted by a tough-on-crime prosecutor? Isn't Harvey Dent just Rudy Giuliani, but handsome? And the Joker's philosophy was extremely appealing to people, but does it actually make sense? We spend a lot of time unpacking it, and theorizing about where the Joker would have gone in a sequel, and if he would have done some maturing in between movies. If we have a contrarian take on The Dark Knight, it is this: The Joker isn't a reaction to Batman, he's a reaction to Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne rules the world of this movie so insivisbly that he poisons everything without anyone noticing.    Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OFrmrdTeHX4  Get more 1-Week Rental on Patreon: https://patreon.com/1weekrental  Next week (July 17, 2026): Inception (2010)! The Summer of Nolan is our summer 2026 miniseries covering the movie career of Christopher Nolan through nine movies on the main feed (plus additional episodes on the Patreon!), presented in chronological order, starting with Memento and going through Oppenheimer. And don't be surprised if our old pal Odysseus drops by to tell us about his long journey home to his wife.   Time stamps: 00:01:24 — Opening thoughts on The Dark Knight 00:15:10 — History segment: Initiatal development of the Batman Begins sequel; a brief history of the Joker; Heather Ledger and the Joker; the legendary viral marketing campaign Warner Brothers ran to introduce the world to Ledger's Joker; Ledger's tragic death and the pall that cast over the movie; the release and legacy of The Dark Knight and the Ledger Joker 01:12:28 — Movie discussion + The Dark Knight film analysis 02:51:15 — Star ratings + final review of The Dark Knight   The Dark Knight was directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Nolan with his brother Jonah; screen story by Nolan with David Goyer. Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Eric Roberts, Chin Han, Nestor Carbonell, Joshua Harto, Michael Jai White, Ritchie Coster, Colin McFarlane, Monique Curnen, and Anthony Michael Hall as a news anchor.   Sources: "Dark Knight Review: Nolan Talks Sequel Inflation" by Anne Thompson | Variety (2008) - https://bit.ly/3RsQ7yy  "Batman's Burden: A Director Confronts Darkness and Death" by David M. Halbfinger | The New York Times (2008) - https://bit.ly/4glGzQ4  "The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture" by Glen Weldon (2016) - https://amzn.to/4aNZi2Y  "Christopher Nolan (Iconic Directors)" by Dan Jolin (2026) - https://amzn.to/4oEtmE3  "The Making Of The Joker" by Dan Jolin | Empire (2009) - https://bit.ly/44MKjmz  "A look inside Heath Ledger's sinister 'Joker journal' for The Dark Knight" by Christopher Hooton | The Independent (2015) - https://bit.ly/4eKswSY  Interview with Christopher Nolan by Steven Weintraub | Collider (2008) - https://bit.ly/3QZqR2Q  "Why is the Joker so popular?: A psychological look" by Byron Lafayette | Bam! Smack! Pow! (2019) - https://bit.ly/4xZCJCu  "Why So Serious? Warner Bros.' Use of the Joker in marketing The Dark Knight" by Kim Owczarksi | from "The Joker: A Serious Study of the Clown Prince of Crime" edited by Robert Moses Peaslee & Robert G. Weiner (2015) - https://amzn.to/4gqECC0  "Christopher Nolan: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work" by Ian Nathan (2026) - https://amzn.to/4oc2lro  "Heath Ledger died of accidental overdose" | The Associated Press (2008) - https://bit.ly/4p7oebP  "Showdown in Gotham Town" by Manohla Dargis | The New York Times (2008) -  https://bit.ly/4fjtaad  "The Joker Didn't Inspire the Aurora Shooter, but the Rumor Won't Go Away" by Yohana Desta | Vanity Fair (2019) - https://bit.ly/4vmCAXq    Transcript: https://1weekrentalpod.com/2026/07/the-dark-knight/#transcript  Artwork by Laci Roth.   Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-kKLhWb2g0bKA-RrvvLh0Q/  Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts!  PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (https://bit.ly/4jRL2K1), Spotify (https://bit.ly/4a8jM6E), and YouTube (https://youtube.com/@podjob007). The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap Podcast on Apple Podcast (https://bit.ly/4vtO6jG), Spotify (https://bit.ly/4w1qDat), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@TheSignPostUpAhead).   Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC).   Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: "Summer of Nolan" - https://youtube.com/shorts/CAIzthDLrT8  "Winston-Salem" - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM "Snake Drama" - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg "The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet" - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ    The "Summer of Nolan" theme song was written by Matt Stokes. Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends. Performed by: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums, percussion, and backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals, guitar, and bass   Follow 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: @1weekrental | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Facebook: @1weekrental Instagram: @1weekrental TikTok: @1weekrental | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @1weekrental.bsky.social   1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.

This week, we discuss Billy Wilder's darkest and most cynical film, Ace in the Hole, a scathing indictment of tabloid journalism and public spectacle. It flopped on its original release but has seen its reputation improve as time catches up to it.SPOILER ALERT We will be talking about this movie in its entirety. If you haven't seen this film, we strongly suggest you watch it before listening to our takes.A Paramount Pictures production. Released on June 29, 1951. Directed and produced by Billy Wilder. Screenplay by Billy Wilder, Lesser Samuels, and Walter Newman. Starring Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur, and Porter Hall. Cinematography by Charles Lang. Edited by Doane Harrison. Score by Hugo Friedhofer.

In the seventh and penultimate 15 minutes of our screenplay treatment, Napoleon is back in France to go for the top prize - power. But his bid for his ultimate goal is not going to be straightforward and he has to accept that in order to achieve this, he'll have to put aside romantic dreams and do what matters to get this one last job done. That means a new approach to his unfaithful wife Josephine; a reckoning with our antagonist Paul Barras; and a new kind of battlefield - the Council of Five Hundred.Yes, it's episode eight of our screenwriting escapade, in which we continue to forge ahead in our mission of crafting a top-notch screenplay treatment about the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham (who knows a thing or two about screenwriting) and Ben Deery (who knows a thing or two about acting) to put the movie world to rights. Having analysed the pitfalls and frustrations of Ridley Scott's Napoleon 2023 in the first season the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly, this time round the team have to come up with the magic themselves.As our resident artificial aide-de-camp NAIpoleon Bot-aparte puts it:Alex Stevenson introduces the climax phase of the Napoleon screenplay project and acknowledges the contributions of James Topham and Ben Deery 00:00.Ben Deery revisits an underappreciated Sphinx joke from previous episodes, sparking playful banter about comedic appreciation 00:01:16.James Topham recaps the emotional and psychological journey of Napoleon in Act 2, culminating in a brutal turning point during the Egyptian campaign 00:03:01.Introduction and breakdown of Act 3 structure: the internal-external conflict resolution, new plans, and the heightened sense of sacrifice Napoleon must undergo 00:10:03.Deep dive into the historical coup of Brumaire, exploring how Napoleon's ambiguous resolve and political struggles can be mapped onto the screenplay's climax 00:13:01.Discussion of antagonist dynamics: Paul Barras must return as a strong opposition for the final act, including possible narrative liberties to heighten his role 00:24:28.Insight into the B story: Napoleon and Josephine's tumultuous reunion, tying personal and political stakes together in a pivotal emotional scene 00:34:05.Reference to classic films and psychological theories (e.g., High Society, Taxi Driver, Madonna-Whore complex) to illustrate character developments and narrative arcs 00:39:34.Strategizing the depiction of the coup's high-stakes drama—physical peril, the threat of the guillotine, and how to visually and emotionally convey Napoleon's critical risk 00:52:13.Closing with an explanation of the filmic denouement: what “new normal” the world and characters face after Napoleon's victory, and teaser for the next episode's focus on wrapping up the screenplay 00:54:54.Help us produce more episodes by supporting the Napoleonic Quarterly on Patreon: patreon.com/napoleonicquarterly

RECALL: Act Three By the time RECALL reaches Act Three, Miami Military Academy is no longer pretending it can survive. The school is still marching, still saluting, still shining brass and barking orders into the Florida heat, but the center is gone. Colonel Barnes is dying. Commander Patterson knows it. Sally knows it. And the boys, even when they are laughing too hard to say it out loud, can feel the whole place slipping into history. Written by Academy Award nominee Bruce Davison, and once optioned and held by the great Carroll O’Connor with eyes on a Pacino lead,, RECALL is a funny, savage, deeply human coming-of-age drama about abandoned boys, broken fathers, old soldiers, Cuban exiles, secret weapons, and the terrible bargain countries make when they ask the young to carry the sins of the old. Act Three begins with the last quiet hours before everything breaks. Lishinsky and Sally steal a small piece of freedom on the water, drifting toward Captain Kidd’s Island, talking about California, escape, fathers, graves, and the strange fantasy that two damaged kids might simply sail away from all of it. But nobody really gets away from Miami Military Academy. Not yet. Inside Barnes’ house, Patterson sits beside a dying friend and is handed the thing no soldier wants: responsibility without rescue. Barnes tells him the Army is calling in its chips. The school, the land, the boys, the munitions, the whole dream is coming apart. Patterson rages because he knows what the place is, and what it has been. A broken institution, yes. A madhouse, absolutely. But also the only home some of these boys have ever had. Then the machinery starts moving. The Army arrives. The Cuban officials arrive. The inspection becomes theater. A live round falls where it should not. The old bunkers by the bay are suddenly more important than the boys standing in formation. The parade takes them through Miami and into the Dade County Fair, where the whole strange, glorious organism of “A” Company explodes into one last carnival of cigars, sheep, majorettes, busted noses, bad decisions, and Patterson turning, for one mad instant, into the hero the boys still need him to be. But the comedy cannot hold the line forever. Colonel Barnes is gone. The flag drops to half-mast. The Razor Fiend is finally revealed. Lindquist, the feral boy from the mango trees, becomes a cadet, a savior, and maybe the strangest proof that the academy was never only a school. It was a place that took in the lost and gave them a uniform because it had no better language for love. Slouch and Bebop reach the end of pretending. Bebop is called home by a country that no longer exists the way he remembers it. Slouch follows because friendship, for him, is the only oath that ever meant anything. The Cuban exiles come in the night. Patterson tries to stop them. History steps over him. Sally leaves for California. Lishinsky stays behind with the ache of first love and the knowledge that some people are not meant to be held. Patterson sits with his ghosts. The boys graduate into a world already waiting to use them. And somewhere beyond the academy walls, the Bay of Pigs turns courage, loyalty, and bad American promises into blood in the surf. RECALL is about boyhood at the edge of the American century, when duty still sounded clean from a podium and war still knew how to dress itself up as honor. It is about boys who wanted fathers, fathers who failed them, soldiers who could not save themselves, and a country that keeps asking the young to pay for the old men’s maps. Starring Alan Rosenberg, Carson Bolde, Stone Garcia, Wesley Kimmel, Dan Lauria, Kensington Tallman, Roxton Garcia, Bruce Davison, Luca Diaz, Amari O’Neil, Amir O’Neil, David Errigo Jr., Zeke Alton, Gian Franco Rodriguez, Miki Yamashita, Nemil Mudvari, Sofia D’Marco, and Ashley Ciarra. A portion of proceeds from RECALL will benefit the National Veterans Foundation and the Lifeline for Vets. To support NVF or speak with a Veteran who understands, visit https://nvf.org or call 888-777-4443. Produced by Table Read Podcast and Manifest Media Productions, LLC. Executive Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Enjoy this episode? Please share it with at least ONE friend who you think needs to hear it!Former Freemason Leo Zagami explores the Vatican's hidden role in UFO disclosure, the Jesuits' influence on Disclosure Day, and the alleged reverse engineering program that began with Italy's 1933 extraterrestrial crash in episode 253 of the Far Out with Faust podcast.A former Freemason with connections to Italy's infamous P2 Masonic network, Leo Zagami is an Italian author whose work explores the Vatican, intelligence agencies, secret societies, and UFO disclosure. Drawing on decades of research and his own experiences inside esoteric organizations, he investigates the historical forces he believes continue to shape global politics, religion, and the modern disclosure movement. His latest book, The Vatican's Top Secret Alien Agenda, traces the origins of modern UFO disclosure through the Vatican's role in extraterrestrial encounters, Jesuit astronomy, hidden archives, and Italy's alleged 1933 UFO crash.What if the modern UFO disclosure movement didn't begin with Roswell at all? Faust and Leo argue that today's debates over extraterrestrials, the Vatican, and non-human intelligence can only be understood by looking much further back — through the Book of Enoch, the theological changes of Vatican II, and the institutions that have shaped public understanding for generations. As the conversation expands from alleged reverse engineering to the CIA's Legacy Program and the enduring aliens-versus-demons debate, it asks whether disclosure is revealing something new — or reviving a story that never truly disappeared.In this episode:• The 1933 Magenta Crash: Was Roswell really the beginning?• Disclosure Day: Why Leo believes Hollywood may be prepping us for what's coming next.• The Book of Enoch: The ancient text that changed entire aliens-versus-demons debate.• The SOL Foundation: Is the world's leading UAP think tank managing disclosure?• Vatican II: The forgotten theological shift—how the Church views extraterrestrials.• Jesuit Astronomers: Why would one of the world's oldest religious orders be watching the skies?• Remote Viewing & Stargate: What the CIA hoped to learn from psychic contact with non-human intelligence.• Marconi's Death Ray: The bizarre World War II technology story most people have never heard.• Anunnaki & Nephilim: Are the oldest stories in human history describing the same phenomenon?• Brother Extraterrestrial: Why one Vatican phrase could redefine the entire disclosure narrative.If the story of UFO disclosure really began long before Roswell, the biggest secret may not be what we're discovering today — but what we've been taught to forget.00:00:00 Leo Zagami's New Book The Vatican's Top Secret Alien Agenda00:00:42 Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" Screenplay & Hollywood Gatekeepers00:01:54 Mussolini's UFO Crash: Hidden 1933 Italian Evidence00:03:41 David Grusch Exposed: Whistleblower or Authorized Agent?00:08:15 Vatican Secrets on Extraterrestrial Life00:13:31 The Magenta UFO Crash & The Real Birth of Reverse Engineering=00:19:20 Inside Cabinet RS 33: Italy's Top Secret Fascist UFO Team00:22:51 The Marconi Death Ray & Secret Pope War Interventions00:31:48 Pope Pius XII's Close Encounter in the Vatican Gardens00:35:45 53 Miles of Vatican Secret Archives00:38:01 The Vatican Faculty of Paranormal: Training Priests for Aliens00:40:20 Pope John XXIII's Secret 1961 Alien Encounter at Castel Gandolfo00:45:31 Inside The Sol Foundation: The CIA's New Disclosure Playbook00:54:29 Zecharia Sitchin's Hidden Collaboration with the Vatican00:56:03 Forbidden Book of Enoch: Why the Vatican Censors Malevolent Entities01:08:19 Jack Parsons, L. Ron Hubbard, & Interdimensional Occult Portals01:17:40 Mount Graham Observatory & The L.U.C.I.F.E.R. Telescope Secrets01:28:04 The Trojan Horse of AI: Reverse-Engineered Tech & Humanity's FutureWatch Leo's other appearances on the show Ep. 227 Unmasking the Heretical Sect Behind Jeffrey Epstein | Leo Zagami https://youtu.be/Hl4iKOfrJukEp. 206 The Illuminati Infiltration of Christianity, Judaism & Islam | Leo Zagami https://youtu.be/rp8fTQuTEJUEp. 102 Money, Jesuits, & Occultism in the Catholic Church | Leo Zagami Podcasthttps://youtu.be/12FtYvLCxVACheck Out Leo's bookshttps://www.amazon.com/stores/Leo-Lyon-Zagami/author/B0D6HQCQH6Connect with Leo Zagamihttps://leozagami.com/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHLs2vy3GKHrBDG0q6_FFNQJoin us on PatreonFor uncensored episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive community access:https://patreon.com/FarOutWithFaustListen on Spotify + Apple PodcastsSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6StPwgq2di3f8uxnc6SmIfApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/far-out-with-faust-fowf/id1533017218FOWF & Faust Checho on socialhttps://www.instagram.com/faroutwithfaust/https://www.instagram.com/theonefaustchecho/https://www.facebook.com/Faroutwithfausthttps://x.com/faustchechohttps://patreon.com/FarOutWithFaustQUESTION THE ANSWERS™#Vatican #Pope #Extraterrestrialwe'd love to hear from you

Send us Fan MailIn this 4th of July special, Dante, Marco, and Laura read the first part of the screenplay, 20 MORE YEARS - a story about the residents of a long-term care facility who may become test subjects for a longevity drug. The residents are happy, but what about their children and grandchildren?B is for Bisexual - short stories by Laura P. Valtorta

Alpha is a Huge Disappointment

We are back this week, with the action-adventure classic, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which brought together Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to introduce audiences to iconic hero Indiana Jones.SPOILER ALERT We will be talking about this movie in its entirety, including the iconic opening temple run and the supernatural climax. If you haven't seen this classic, we strongly suggest you watch it before listening to our takes.A Lucasfilm production, released by Paramount Pictures on June 12, 1981. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Starring Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, and Denholm Elliott. Cinematography by Douglas Slocombe. Edited by Michael Kahn. Music by John Williams.

Sacagawea was an ADULT!   For bonus episodes and content, go to patreon.com/mostcontroversial

The BTS team discusses Spielberg legacy of alien encounter movies, the bombastic action sequences, the performances and character design, and how it all comes together in the film's final moments.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z9tgsDlBJTg

Host Jeff Goldsmith talks to writer-director Derrick Borte about his new film - The Get Out. Download my podcast here Copyright © Unlikely Films, Inc. 2026. All rights reserved. For more great content check out Backstory Magazine @ Backstory.net

Christopher Nolan fully became Christopher Nolan with The Prestige—a masterpiece that juggles seven interweaving timelines, multiple perspectives, and red herrings that all snap into focus. Join Laci and Matt for a behind-the-scenes deep dive into how Nolan transformed Christopher Priest's novel into cinema's ultimate puzzle box, plus the career impact this movie had on everything he made after. Laci and Matt go through the history of this movie, starting with the novel by Christopher Priest that inspired it. Then they go behind the scenes of the movie and talk about the Nolan brothers' yearslong struggle to adapt it. One issue for Nolan: Magic on screen is not exciting like magic is in person. So instead,  After that, a look at Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, and how each of their upbringings and acting styles informs the characters they play. Not only that, Jackman, Bale, Angier, and Borden all reflect parts of Christopher Nolan's schizophrenic directorial personality, torn between a populist, a puzzle maker, a hoity-toity artiste, and a crowd pleaser. Then: The Prestige. We discuss it in depth, theorize about all kinds of weird crap that's going on in the background of the movie, and gush over Bale, Jackman, Michael Caine, and Rebecca Hall, and marvel at how Nolan managed to pull off this magic trick of a movie.   Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pdPkvpEMCw0  No new episode next week (July 3, 2026). We'll be back on Friday, July 10, 2026 with episode 200, about The Dark Knight (2008)! The Summer of Nolan is our summer 2026 miniseries covering the movie career of Christopher Nolan through nine movies on the main feed (plus additional episodes on the Patreon!), presented in chronological order, starting with Memento and going through Oppenheimer. And don't be surprised if our old pal Odysseus drops by to tell us about his long journey home to his wife.   Time stamps: 00:01:39 — Opening thoughts on The Prestige 00:09:19 — History segment: Christopher Priest writes the novel The Prestige; Nolan and his brother adapt the novel; career overviews of Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, and how each informs the character they play; reception and legacy of The Prestige 00:55:00 — Movie discussion + The Prestige film analysis 02:30:45 — Star ratings + final review of The Prestige   The Prestige (2006) was directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Nolan with his brother Jonah, based on the novel by Christopher Priest. Starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis, David Bowie, Piper Perabo, and Ricky Jay as Milton the Magician.   Sources: "Ten Years Later, Why We're Still Obsessed With 'The Prestige'" by Colin Biggs | Screen Crush (2016) - https://bit.ly/4enO2g9 "'Out of the Furnace' Star Christian Bale on His 'Love-Hate' Relationship with Acting (Q&A)" by Scott Feinberg | The Hollywood Reporter (2013) - https://bit.ly/4eGoKc2  "Pressure as a child formed 'love/hate' relationship with acting" by Ben Child | The Guardian (2013) - https://bit.ly/4xJ5nYx  "Christian Bale on suffering from insomnia and running into Viggo Mortensen in Rome" by Jonathan Heaf | British GQ (2012) - https://bit.ly/4eCGPaJ  "Christopher Priest obituary" by John Clute | The Guardian (2024) - https://bit.ly/4eJQtIZ  "Christopher Nolan (Iconic Directors)" by Dan Jolin (2025) - https://amzn.to/4oEtmE3 "Christopher Nolan: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work" by Ian Nathan (2026) - https://amzn.to/4oc2lro "Behind the Magic with Prestige Cast" | Access (2006)  "The Prestige: Inside Christopher Nolan's Movie Magic Trick" by Dan Jolin | Empire Magazine (2006) - https://bit.ly/4vv7HRo  "Christian Bale: 'I was asked to do a romantic comedy. I thought they'd lost their minds'" by Rory Carroll | The Guardian (2018) - https://bit.ly/44sb3IQ    Transcript: https://1weekrentalpod.com/2026/06/the-prestige/#transcript  Artwork by Laci Roth.   Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-kKLhWb2g0bKA-RrvvLh0Q/  Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts!  PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (https://bit.ly/4jRL2K1), Spotify (https://bit.ly/4a8jM6E), and YouTube (https://youtube.com/@podjob007). The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap Podcast on Apple Podcast (https://bit.ly/4vtO6jG), Spotify (https://bit.ly/4w1qDat), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@TheSignPostUpAhead).   Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC).   Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: "Summer of Nolan" - https://youtube.com/shorts/CAIzthDLrT8  "Winston-Salem" - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM "Snake Drama" - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg "The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet" - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ    The "Summer of Nolan" theme song was written by Matt Stokes. Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends. Performed by: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums, percussion, and backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals, guitar, and bass   Follow 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: @1weekrental | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Facebook: @1weekrental Instagram: @1weekrental TikTok: @1weekrental | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @1weekrental.bsky.social   1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.

RECALL: Act Two In February 1961, the boys of Miami Military Academy are still marching, joking, fighting, shaving, bleeding, stealing, and pretending the world outside the gates is someone else’s problem. But the world is already inside the school. It is in the news from Cuba. It is in the old munitions bunkers by the bay. It is in the secrets the adults keep, the wounds they drink through, and the wars they keep handing down to children. Written by Academy Award nominee Bruce Davison, and once optioned and held by the great Al Pacino, RECALL is a funny, savage, deeply human coming-of-age drama about abandoned boys, broken fathers, old soldiers, Cuban exiles, secret weapons, and the machinery that turns fear into patriotism. Act Two begins as Stephen Lishinsky tries to survive the strange education of “A” Company. His head has been butchered. His pride has been beaten. His idea of honor has already taken a few direct hits. When he tries to run, Commander Patterson finds him at the bus stop and gives him the kind of broken advice only a broken soldier can give: if you are in a storm, sometimes the only move is to sit tight and let the morning come. But morning at Miami Military Academy is never clean. Coombs is missing. The Razor Fiend is back. Bear is bleeding into the sink. Lindquist, the feral boy from the mango trees, is pulled into uniform and passed off as a cadet because, at this school, identity is just another piece of equipment someone misplaced. Sally Barnes drifts through the place like a lit match, furious at her father, suspicious of Patterson, and impossible for Lishinsky to ignore. Patterson tries to protect her, but the past between him, Colonel Barnes, and Sally’s mother is its own battlefield. Meanwhile, Slouch and Bebop stop pretending their war is imaginary. The key to Bunker 3 becomes guns, ammunition, and contraband dragged through the machinery of a school that is already falling apart. Patterson lectures boys on amphibious landings while the real invasion waits in the shadows. Bebop is pulled closer to the Cuban exile cause. Slouch, half romantic and half criminal, follows him into the Everglades, into blindfolds, pistols, secret rooms, and men who do not look like teachers. There is comedy everywhere because boys make comedy out of terror. There is coconut rum, marching songs, bad haircuts, chocolate cokes, contraband, dirty jokes, and the Dade County Fair waiting like a reward for good behavior nobody intends to have. But underneath the noise, the rifles are getting heavier. The lies are getting harder to carry. And the adults are running out of time. RECALL is about boyhood at the exact moment history stops being a lesson and starts becoming a weapon. It is about fathers who failed, sons who improvise, countries that ask for sacrifice before they explain the cost, and boys who are still laughing because they do not yet understand what the world is loading. Starring Alan Rosenberg, Carson Bolde, Stone Garcia, Wesley Kimmel, Dan Lauria, Kensington Tallman, Roxton Garcia, Bruce Davison, Luca Diaz, Amari O’Neil, Amir O’Neil, David Errigo Jr., Zeke Alton, Gian Franco Rodriguez, Miki Yamashita, Nemil Mudvari, Sofia D’Marco, and Ashley Ciarra. A portion of proceeds from RECALL will benefit the National Veterans Foundation and the Lifeline for Vets. To support NVF or speak with a Veteran who understands, visit https://nvf.org or call 888-777-4443. Produced by Table Read Podcast and Manifest Media Productions, LLC. Executive Produced by Jack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark Knell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the sixth 15-minute section of our screenplay, Napoleon plunges into his darkest hour. Reeling from betrayal and defeat, he confronts the plague-ridden horrors of his campaign in the Levant and faces the brutal consequences of war, both on the battlefield and within himself. The myth of his invincibility shatters as failed sieges and the massacre at Jaffa weigh on his conscience. Josephine's infidelity and his own disillusionment reach a crisis, forcing Napoleon towards a reckoning with his ambitions, relationships, and the cost of power. As despair and self-doubt threaten to overwhelm him, the stage is set for the transformation that will propel him towards his final bid for greatness.Yes, it's episode seven of our screenwriting escapade, in which we continue to forge ahead in our mission of crafting a top-notch screenplay treatment about the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham (who knows a thing or two about screenwriting) and Ben Deery (who knows a thing or two about acting) to put the movie world to rights. Having analysed the pitfalls and frustrations of Ridley Scott's Napoleon 2023 in the first season the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly, this time round the team have to come up with the magic themselves.As our resident artificial aide-de-camp NAIpoleon Bot-aparte puts it:Alex Stevenson opens the episode by reflecting on its many possible names, likening it to the Beatles' White Album, and notes listener feedback they've received for discussion 00:00:10.01:03 - All three speakers share significant personal updates in rapid-fire, overlapping fashion to create comedic confusion for the audience 04:01 - James Topham reveals the existence of a secret WhatsApp chat with Benjamin Deery (excluding Alex Stevenson), mirroring earlier feelings of exclusion05:52 - James Topham debuts a homemade Napoleon movie trailer, involving Benjamin Deery performing in different voices, to energize the creative process 12:04 - James Topham recaps the previous episode: Napoleon is exiled to Egypt under the guise of glory, his fleet is destroyed, and he discovers Josephine's infidelity, marking his lowest point 20:24 - A historical debate occurs: Alex Stevenson clarifies that Napoleon was enthusiastic about Egypt rather than simply exiled, and discusses how both his ambitions and the political machinations of others shaped his choices 29:38 - The group discusses the "dark night of the soul" as a structural turning point, emphasizing Napoleon's internal reckoning after a series of personal and military setbacks, rather than a literal period of inaction33:30 - Alex Stevenson details three major events for Napoleon's crisis: the plague hospital at Jaffa, a war crime (massacre of prisoners), and the failed siege of Acre—all contributing to his psychological breaking point 41:29 - The B story (Josephine's infidelity) is revealed to have a psychological turning point for both characters, paralleling Napoleon's emotional hardening and the collapse of romantic idealism51:01 - The hosts reveal a major twist: this project is envisioned as a trilogy, meaning there's much more story (and podcasting) ahead than Benjamin Deery anticipated, much to his mock dismayHelp us produce more episodes by supporting the Napoleonic Quarterly on Patreon: patreon.com/napoleonicquarterly

With Ryan Villopoto racing in Mammoth, Ricky Carmichael calls on old rival 3-time AMA Champion Chad Reed to discuss High Point, from Hunter Lawrence's impressive win, the drama between Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan, whether Cole Davies' grace period is over, is there a Pro Circuit curse, Jorge Prado's odd ride, Mayla Herrick's tremendous debut, and whether Michael Jordan is coming dirt-bike racing. Follow us on Instagram TitleTwoFourWatch us on the Motorsports on NBC YouTube (0:00) Welcome Chad Reed to Title 24!(1:30) The Two-Two Family of Racing.(9:11) Michael Jordan rumors answered.(14:30) Hunter Lawrence: To Be Expected.(17:40) Jett Lawrence is "looking at the bigger picture."(21:06) Haiden Deegan: "Punching above average."(26:16) Jett v. Haiden: "A screenplay rivalry."(32:10) Ricky's connections to Haiden and Jett.(48:56) Jorge Prado "looks left-footed."(54:50) Cole Davies v. The Field.(59:40) Seriously? A grace period?(1:06:55) Jo Shimoda: "Held to a higher level."(1:12:05) Levi Kitchen "needs to learn."(1:15:43) AC/PC: The Pro Circuit Curse or lack thereof.(1:19:05) Only RC and RV can loop out like Seth Hammaker.(1:22:10) First-time winners!(1:28:15) How do you bounce back from a major injury?(1:33:26) What's next on the schedule?(1:38:38) SMX on NBCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Jeff Goldsmith talks to writer and showrunner, Eric Kripke, about The Boys Season 5. Download my podcast here Copyright © Unlikely Films, Inc. 2026. All rights reserved. For more great content check out Backstory Magazine @ Backstory.net

We're recasting and rebooting The Matrix and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in our ongoing segment, Screenplay Replay! Plus: Whale graveyards, Outcome on Apple TV and a Trailer Review for Spider-Man: Brand New Day!Time Codes---------------Feedback: 1:17Host Banter: 3:30Nerdy News: 11:53Screenplay Replay: 15:20Radical Recommends: 35:12Trailer Review: Spider-Man: Brand New Day: 38:14

Host Jeff Goldsmith talks to host and correspondent, Michael Kosta, about writing for The Daily Show. Download my podcast here Copyright © Unlikely Films, Inc. 2026. All rights reserved. For more great content check out Backstory Magazine @ Backstory.net

The lessons that shape us often come from the places we never planned to go and the challenges we never expected to face. In this conversation, I speak with Eric Fisher about the experiences that shaped his approach to mental wellness, resilience, grief, and personal growth. Eric shares how martial arts taught him balance, self-control, and perseverance, and how those lessons now help him guide people through addiction recovery, relationship challenges, and life's hardest moments. We explore the realities of grief, the power of trust, the difference between inpatient and outpatient counseling, and why healing often begins with self-acceptance. Eric also discusses his books, including The Martial Art of Recovery and Buried Alive, revealing how personal experiences and family stories continue to shape his work. If you've ever faced loss, adversity, addiction, or the challenge of rebuilding after setbacks, I believe you will find both practical insights and encouragement in Eric's story. Highlights: 08:10 - Eric shares lessons learned from his FBI internship experience. 18:43 - A friend's crisis leads Eric and his wife to move to New Zealand. 23:38 - Martial arts becomes a foundation for recovery and mental wellness. 37:05 - Eric reflects on grief, loss, and the importance of support. 43:12 - Self-acceptance plays a critical role in addiction recovery. 50:26 - Couples learn to face problems together instead of against each other. About the Guest: Eric Fisher, a Canadian transplant, is a counselling therapist who resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally from Tennessee, he has over 15 years of experience working outpatient and inpatient treatment settings in the US and Canada. He has two books published at this time: The Martial Art of Recovery: Self-Mastery Practices to Subdue Addiction and Achieve Mental Wellness, and Buried Alive: Four Ways to Free Yourself from the Dirt. Eric is a master practitioner of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and is also trained in EyeMovement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), both of which are evidence-based treatments for trauma. Eric's private practice, Recovery Arts Counselling, serves individuals, couples, and families both locally and remotely. In the past, Eric has supervised masters-level graduate students and counsellors early in their careers. He has won multiple awards for his screenwriting: The Departure - official finalist in biographical/historical genre - 2014 Beverly Hills Screenplay Contest. Only 16 Miles - Finalist - 2014 Horror Screenplay Contest. Universal Escapade (Finalist - Top 25) - WeScreenplay International Screenplay Competition. Hipster Z (co-written) - best feature screenplay - 2017 Action On Film International Film Festival. Hipster Z - Best horror/comedy Screenplay - 2017 International Horror Hotel Film Fest. Additionally, Eric has a black belt in two martial arts styles: American Kenpo and Wadō-ryū. One interesting thing about Eric is that he had the opportunity to be an intern with the FBI -- twice. Eric enjoys hiking and riding his bike outdoors, music concerts, tasting new food dishes to keep his taste buds guessing, travelling near and far, and meeting people. . Ways to connect with Eric: Website: https://www.recoveryartscounselling.com Linktree:  https://linktr.ee/ericfisherauthor  Instagram - @recoveryartscounselling - https://www.instagram.com/recoveryartscounselling/ @ericfisherwriter - https://www.instagram.com/ericfisherwriter Linkedin - Eric Fisher - www.linkedin.com/in/eric-m-fisher-5b83724a Facebook - Recovery Arts Counselling - https://www.facebook.com/RecoveryArtsCounselling About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:03 One of the biggest things holding you back isn't what's in front of you, but rather what you believe. Welcome to Unstoppable Mindset, where inclusion, diversity, and the unexpected meet. I'm your host, Michael Hingson, speaker, author, and advocate for inclusion and possibilities. This podcast explores how the beliefs we carry shape the way we live, lead, and connect with others. Each week, I talk with people who challenge assumptions, face adversity head on, and show what's possible when we choose curiosity over fear. Together we focus on mindset, resilience, and the small shifts that lead to meaningful change. Let's get started. Well, hello there, everyone. I am your host Michael Hinkson, and you have found the Unstoppable Mindset Podcast. Today, we get to chat with Eric Fisher, who is a rather interesting person. I believe he's a counseling therapist, he's a transplant, he now lives in Calgary, but he used to live in Tennessee, very similar. I'm sure we'll have to find out more about that, but I'm really glad that that you're here with us. Eric, welcome to Unstoppable Mindset. Eric Fisher  01:29 Yes, thank you for having me on, Michael. I appreciate it. Glad to be here. Michael Hingson  01:32 Well, I'm going to have to ask, how did you get from Tennessee to Calgary, besides by Claire? But you know, but Speaker 1  01:41 it's a bit to make a long story short. The wife, you know, yeah, she's from Calgary originally, so I surrendered up here. Michael Hingson  01:52 Yeah, well, is there a backstory that you want to tell? Speaker 1  01:57 You know, the quick version would be from Mississippi to New Zealand to Calgary, and that was over a span of, you know, two and a half years, and then finally to Calgary. After those other two places, was she Michael Hingson  02:10 with you during all of those? Mississippi, New Zealand, and then Calgary. Speaker 1  02:14 She was for the long haul. Yeah, yeah, she's experienced humidity and the dryness, all the extremes. Michael Hingson  02:24 When we moved to New Jersey in 1996 my wife didn't really want to go. She was a California native, but it was where the job had to take me, and it was either that or go find a new job, and I really didn't want to undertake a job search, because that's pretty traumatic. So, especially if you happen to be blind, because people think blind people really can't do stuff, and that's why the unemployment rate among employable blind people is in the 70% range. So the bottom line is that we moved to New Jersey, we were there for six years, and then of course the World Trade Center happened, which is kind of a dramatic way to allow us to get back to California, but it worked, so here we are. Speaker 1  03:05 Yeah, that is a lot of different places, and it's unfortunate with that percentage, right? Michael Hingson  03:10 Yeah, well, and she passed. She was in a wheelchair her whole life, and she passed in November of 2022 We were married 40 years, and I'm sure she's monitoring me from somewhere, so I work on continuing to be a good kid, because if I'm not, I'm going to hear about it somehow, Speaker 1  03:27 one way or another. There's, there's still some surveillance happening. There Michael Hingson  03:31 is, I am absolutely sure of it. Well, tell us kind of about the early era growing up, and all that. Speaker 1  03:37 Grew up in Arkansas, yeah, Newport, Arkansas, you know, grew up behind a Walmart in a small subdivision, and moved to Tennessee at an early age. I was around five years old, going over, going on six at the time, I believe, and so I understand what it means to kind of get uprooted from somewhere and place somewhere else, and my dad was in the medical profession, so that's the reason that we moved, and so that's a little bit about that. My mom's family is from Kansas City, so I really did enjoy going up to the city there and being with my mom's family during holiday seasons. That was really my only exposure to, like, a city, like an urban population, more than what I experienced anywhere else. So, and yeah, got one brother, played with him a lot, and a lot of it was being creative outside, getting outside and doing stuff, and having fun outside, you know, little bit different from a lot of kids today, perhaps. Michael Hingson  04:44 Yeah, well, it's also a lot scarier, I think, today, even though there's a lot of value in being outside. There are just so many crazy things going on. It's got to be scarier for kids, and certainly even more scary for parents, and they tend. To want to really monitor their, their children a lot more, and that's got us pluses, minuses, but it still has got to be really scary to let them just go outside. Speaker 1  05:09 Yeah, just, you know, looking at what's on the news and the possibilities of what could happen. Michael Hingson  05:16 Yeah, so where did you, or did you go to college? I assume you went to college. Speaker 1  05:22 I did. Yeah, I went to a small private Christian university in Tennessee called Freed Hardiman, and you know it was interesting because there's this whole thing about townies versus us being called freedies because of Freed Hardman. The course, the joke is, you know, free hardly because of the expense of going to the institution. Yeah. Michael Hingson  05:48 Well, with your experience and your observation in life, what do you think about going to a small college as opposed to a larger college? Speaker 1  05:55 I really enjoyed it, being from a rural area. I mean, it was a good transition for me, and just getting to know people I feel like might have been easier in a more rural setting, as opposed to urban. Michael Hingson  06:10 I went to University of California, Irvine, way back, starting in 1968 and when we started at UCI, there were like 25 2600 students, and I think when I graduated with my bachelor's, it was like a little over 3000 students, but I loved the fact that it was a smaller college. I think it was for me a lot better, and I, I really like the smaller college environment, and I understand why colleges have advantages when they're bigger, but by the same token, for students, if you want to really stand out, it's kind of harder to do with a big college. Well, and now University of California, Irvine, where I went to school, has 32,000 undergrads in it, Speaker 1  06:52 32,000 as opposed to the around, that's a huge jump from like 25 2600 yeah, Michael Hingson  07:00 yeah, and so it's, it's a huge place. I was there last a year and a half ago. I was invited to join. I couldn't do it as an as a student because the chapter was formed just as I was leaving, but Phi Beta Kappa, and they heard about me along the way, and I was invited to join as an alumni member back in 2024 So that's the last time I've been to UC Irvine. What a huge place! Speaker 1  07:29 Wow, yeah. Of course, UC Michael Hingson  07:30 Irvine, UCI really stands for Under Construction Indefinitely, so you know Speaker 1  07:38 they make that, they made that kind of humorous remark up here, with like winter and construction, that's the two seasons of Calgary. Yes, I totally get that. Michael Hingson  07:47 My brother-in-law lives in Sun Valley, Idaho, in Ketchum, and has been a skier for most of his life, and in the summer he's a master cabinet maker. Now he's a general contractor, but he's thinking about retiring, but in the winter everything goes by the wayside for skiing, Speaker 1  08:10 everyone's out on the slopes, you know. Well, and what he did Michael Hingson  08:12 to even make it more fun is he got his professional ski guide status in Europe and became a professional ski guide, taking people to do off-piece skiing in the French Alps, which is, Speaker 1  08:25 that's really nice, awesome. Michael Hingson  08:28 I love to, I love to say that I'm not gonna go skiing, because I know those trees are out to try to get me. Speaker 1  08:35 They start to grow their branches, you know? They just spring Michael Hingson  08:38 out at you when you're not looking. Speaker 1  08:40 Yes, I just.. Michael Hingson  08:42 I've never skied. I don't have anything against it. It's just not one of those things that I've done, but he enjoys it, and I'm sure it's a lot of fun to do. Speaker 1  08:51 Yeah, I can appreciate people that do. Michael Hingson  08:53 Yeah. Well, what did you do after college? Well, you got your undergrad, then you went on. Speaker 1  08:58 Yeah, so after my undergrad, I stayed at the university, and you know, I had a bachelor's in psych, and I was like, well, what do I do with this degree? And so I decided to move forward, since I didn't see too much availability, and did a master's in clinical mental health counseling, and during that time of my master's, I was able to intern with the FBI, which was a great opportunity. Michael Hingson  09:25 What caused you to do that? Speaker 1  09:28 I found, I mean, part of it was just a lot of curiosity, and of course, watching a lot of media and the work that they do. Yet I also found the possibility of implementing the psychology from a law enforcement angle on a federal level with this, so I did interning in my bachelor's FBI, that was really nice at a local office, and then later on in my master's at the FBI headquarters in DC, and just really interested in just the field and this the different. Psychological opportunities, Michael Hingson  10:02 you didn't stick with it, though. Or Speaker 1  10:05 I did the internships, I did the agent exam, and failed. Oh boy, just kind of had my time with it, and then moved on. It was a great experience. Michael Hingson  10:16 What you learned from it, the Speaker 1  10:19 importance of teamwork, the importance of community, the importance of intention to detail, and I can't say how I came to those, because then I have to bring up certain things that I can't talk about, but yeah, just the importance of being able to work with other people from other walks of life, and just seeing everyone's different perspectives is something that I learned, coming from, you know, small town, quite homogeneous, small university, and then being able to meet people from different parts of the country, even different territories, like Wall, it was, it was amazing to branch out and just have that life experience, Michael Hingson  11:06 get a lot of different experiences, and you saw how people in other parts of the world live, which obviously has to be an interesting perspective. Speaker 1  11:18 Yes, yes, it was really interesting, and just seeing how they think and their outlook on the world, and I had to take a polygraph examination for both internships, so the importance of honesty, and not that I didn't think honesty was important before, but definitely when you're under the microscope of being asked yes or no questions, it's an interesting experience. Michael Hingson  11:40 Yeah, well, I guess you must have passed the lie detector test. They didn't throw you away or put you in jail. Speaker 1  11:48 That's right. Neither of those happened. I did have one question asked of me that was a little bit ambiguous. It was coming up that I deceived. It's something that happened earlier in the day, and then they asked me about it, and then I said something that was not the truth, and then I explained the reasoning as to why. And then the agent was like, okay, thanks for letting me know, it's all good. It's like, okay, that's good. Michael Hingson  12:21 Yeah, they have to be pretty skilled interrogators to really be able to do that, and, and ask questions, and I, and I know no matter what's going on with the lie detector technology, they're observing you as well, so they're looking for things, and I suppose it's possible to fool the lie detector technology, but I know that it continues to get better too. Speaker 1  12:45 Yeah, and wondering if that's because, like, people are sociopaths, or they don't have any - they actually believe what they're saying. Yeah, yeah, Michael Hingson  12:54 I've never taken lie detector tests, but I know that for me, I'm not a good fibber, so I've got to tell the truth, and like I said, my wife's watching anyway, so I gotta always be a good kid. Speaker 1  13:06 If you were taking a lie detector test knuckle and you said something, you might get an invisible slap, like, oh, Michael Hingson  13:12 exactly, Speaker 2  13:13 okay, I get it, or Michael Hingson  13:16 a poke or something. Yeah, yeah, no. So, better, better to just be honest about it, but yeah, I understand what you're saying, but it is, it is fascinating. I'd love to experience taking a test sometime, but because I only understand all about it intellectually, having never seen it on television or anything like that, but by the same token, I'm glad that the technology exists, and I'm glad that the people do what they do, and I, I too very much believe in law enforcement. I believe in the value of the FBI and police, and so on. I took a couple of police-oriented courses when I was at UC Irvine. We had an engineering professor who was a reserve deputy sheriff, so we, we got to do ride-alongs, and even went down and visited the Orange County Jail once, and you know, because he, he said it all, so it's kind of fun to be able to do it, and I learned a lot and value that. Speaker 1  14:19 That's awesome. I'm glad you had that experience. Michael Hingson  14:21 Yeah, I think it's kind of cool to be able to have had that. So, you got a master's degree? Did you get a PhD? Speaker 1  14:29 No, you know, I was encouraged to do so, to pilot higher and deeper, as the PhD acronym goes. Yeah, and I just, I decided to not go that route. Michael Hingson  14:40 So, what did you do after you got your master's? Speaker 1  14:43 After the master's, I started to do well. I was doing my practicum during the master's, yet after the master's, I started to work primarily where I did my practicum in Mississippi and started actually doing counseling work. So I was doing what's called a mobile therapist. For this organization, where I would go to people's houses and speak with people, do counseling work, which was pretty cool. I got to be out in the community, meet a lot of folks, made confidentiality sometimes a little bit of a challenge, small town. And then two days a week I was in the office, doing whoever came in through the clinic, so I was in the, I was in the work, I was in the grind, just doing what I had been trained to do. Definitely learning on the job, though, for sure. Michael Hingson  15:27 Where in Mississippi, Speaker 1  15:29 Corinth, Mississippi, which is like right at the state line. Yeah, they actually have a road called State Line Road, where houses on one side, North or Tennessee houses on the other side have Mississippi license plates. Michael Hingson  15:45 That's pretty funny. In New Jersey, when we lived there, there were a number of streets in towns that had a very interesting environment, and that is that every town had its own tax base. There wasn't a statewide thing for property taxes and everything else, or for a lot of taxes, so every town had its own, and you could be on a street where someone may pay 1213, $14,000 a year in taxes, and if you lived on the other side of the street, you were in a different town, and your taxes were like 4800 $5,000 Speaker 1  16:24 Whoa, no, Michael Hingson  16:26 it's crazy. Speaker 1  16:27 That is a sheer difference. Michael Hingson  16:30 It is a huge difference, and the other thing that that we experienced is that a lot of the the work is done by lawyers when you're closing a house, for example. Back there, they didn't really have escrow, was all done through attorneys, and so on. And some of those people were involved in the tax stuff as well. It's kind of a very fascinating and interesting place to be, certainly different than what we experienced in California. Speaker 1  16:57 Yes, that sounds like a very, very different type of experience, for sure. Wow, wow. Okay, Michael Hingson  17:04 but you know things happen. Well, so you, you started doing counseling and therapy, and as you said, and I can appreciate how it must have been difficult sometimes from a confidentiality standpoint, because it is a small town and people overhear or talk about, and that's not always a good thing. Speaker 1  17:24 Yeah, you know, things like that come up. You know, you hear the whispers, and one time I was actually trying to find a place in a lower-income part of town, and I was doing circles in the neighborhood, and a police cruiser started to follow me, and so I stopped my car, got out with my credentials, towed the towed the police officer who I worked for, and then he was just kind of like, oh, okay, carry on. So, did Michael Hingson  17:46 you ask him for directions? Speaker 1  17:49 You know what, I did not know, like that would have made sense. I'm trying to look at find this house, never. Oh, over there, sir? Okay, but no, I did not. Michael Hingson  18:05 So, how long were you in Mississippi? Then Speaker 1  18:09 I was in Mississippi from around 2009 to 2013 I want to say, we left. We left for New Zealand for the whole year 2013 so no, 2012 sorry, the end of 2012 so about three and a half, three or so years. Okay, yeah. How did you Michael Hingson  18:33 meet your wife in all this Speaker 1  18:34 online? Yeah, back when it was clandestine, like you met somebody online, are they an ax murderer? Can you trust them? Do you need to get references, which she did. Yeah, yeah. And we checked you out, huh? She checked me out for sure. She even called people that I gave references for. And then we courted for two and a half years. And then after that, tied the knot in Tennessee, moved to Mississippi. Well, she moved to Mississippi, where I was already living, and yeah, we were there until we went to New Zealand about 10 months later. Michael Hingson  19:06 So she was living in Tennessee at the time, Speaker 1  19:09 she was up here in Calgary, or she was in Calgary. Michael Hingson  19:12 Okay, Speaker 1  19:12 we, we got married in Tennessee, Michael Hingson  19:14 okay. Well, that's that's cool though. What, what prompted the trip and moving to New Zealand for a year, I've been there, and I actually spent three weeks there, and very much enjoy it. Speaker 1  19:28 Whereabouts? Well, I wanted to ask, all over New Michael Hingson  19:30 Zealand, I mean, I was there with the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind. They asked me to come and speak in 2003 talk about September 11, and so on, and they were trying to raise funds, so we helped them raise something like over $375,000 in a three week period, and literally I had 21 speaking events in 13 days all over both islands. Speaker 1  19:55 Wow, that's that's a, that's a lot of speaking events, and a certain amount of days. Days you've been, you probably been close more than I've been, more places than I've been. So, what, what prompted the move was a friend of mine I had made previously being there. He reached out to me through just electronic media. He was having a spiritual emergency, and he asked me, he asked me to come to come help him, and so I just said, "Sure, let's do it. My wife and I left the rental unit, the rental house where we were staying, and left furniture behind, two cars behind, appliances, and we just, just left him, or there for 13 months, didn't look, didn't look back. Michael Hingson  20:45 Did you spend any time in Dunedin while you were there? Speaker 1  20:49 We didn't spend any time in Dunedin. We weren't only there for like a week when we did some vacation time. Michael Hingson  20:57 Yeah, I, they gave me literally a half, three quarters of a day off from speaking. In fact, they said you can play in Dunedin, and so we were there, and it was one, I guess, was a one full day. They had some unique toys to play with in New Zealand. They had a thing called a bungee rocket. Have you ever heard of that? Speaker 1  21:22 A bungee rocket. No. So, Michael Hingson  21:24 you know what bungee cords are, and you stretch them out and all that. Well, the bungee rocket, you attach bungee cords to this platform, this cage, but the bungee cords are attached to a device way up high, and then they're also attached to this plat, this cage, then they pull the cage down, and they fasten it, so the bungee cords are very stretched, and then people get in, and they sit down, and they fasten seat belts, and then when everybody's all secure, they loose the platform, and the bungee cords pull this thing up like a rocket. Speaker 1  22:01 Whoa, yeah. I wasn't about to do that. I was with someone who Michael Hingson  22:05 did, and he came off apparently as white as a sheet. He said, "I'm never gonna do that. Speaker 1  22:10 It was a one and done experience for him. It was Michael Hingson  22:16 for me. It was, "I'm not gonna do that, brother. And I had my guide dog, and somebody would have held the dog, but I wouldn't do that. I have other memories, which are more fun, I think, and probably for me more pleasurable. Speaker 1  22:31 Yeah, one of the things we did down on the South Island was some knife making, and it was really.. it was something I surprised my family with. They didn't know we were doing that day, and this guy was hilarious. I mean, something straight out of a documentary about New Zealand, as far as, like, locals, you would see he had a witty sense of humor, and he would, he would like, finish off the knives for us after we did the preliminary steps, just to make them look nice. Yeah, that was one of my favorite memories down there. Michael Hingson  23:00 Wow, yeah, I've, I've got a lot of memories, even though it was back in 2003 so 22 years, 22 and a half years, but I love the memories, and love being down there was a wonderful place, Speaker 1  23:13 awesome, so that was pretty cool. Well, so you, you came back, and, and you eventually ended up in, in Calgary, which is, which is great. So, what do you do now? Got a few hands in a few honey jars. I have a private practice for the counseling. I work for a retreat center company out of a place called Brad Creek, called Vita Wellness. I work for a nonprofit up in a place called Erdrie as a consultant. I work for a clinic remotely that's in the city as an associate. Am I forgetting anything? I think that's the main ones right now. Also, work doing like couples therapy for a relationship-based app. Yeah, so that's a lot of people that are in the States, there. So, it's yeah, few things to keep me busy. Speaker 3  24:13 If you enjoy Unstoppable Mindset and would like to help us continue bringing these conversations to you each week, we've created a way for you to support the show. Your contribution helps us cover production costs and continue sharing stories, insights, and ideas that inspire people to live with purpose and possibility. If supporting the podcast feels right for you, you'll find the link in the show notes. Thank you for being part of the unstoppable mindset community, Michael Hingson  24:47 they do well. You also write Speaker 1  24:50 that as well. Yeah, Michael Hingson  24:52 you've written a couple of books, and I guess you've also done some screenwriting and all that, and love to hear more about all that. Tell. You bought your books. Speaker 1  25:01 Yeah, the first book that I published, self-published, and that was two years ago now. That was called, that is called The Martial Art of Recovery: Self Mastery Practices to Subdue Addiction and Achieve Mental Wellness. Say three times real fast. So, yeah, that book is all about the intersection of martial arts concepts with addiction and mental health treatment, so that has personal experiences, and my times in the martial arts, and also I just bring in like holistic health techniques, and also I get some interviews, some of them are a little bit shorter than others, but at least some some chunks from people that I know in different disciplines, different fields, like an old martial arts teacher, a medicine family medicine doctor here in the Calgary area, people like that. So that was that was about a 14 month writing experience before it was published. Michael Hingson  25:57 When was it published? Speaker 1  26:00 Back in March of 2023 Michael Hingson  26:05 Okay, not your first book. Speaker 1  26:07 Not that's my first book. Yes, Michael Hingson  26:09 yeah, Speaker 2  26:10 yeah. Michael Hingson  26:12 What do you, what do you think of being an author and the whole experience of writing? Speaker 1  26:19 There was not. there was a lack of faith, for sure. I had a really difficult time, even acknowledging, "Hey, this is something I could do. Had a lot of self-doubt, and so even the process I found pretty daunting, pretty, like pretty challenging, for sure. And I do enjoy the process. It's like a double helix, though. I, I enjoy it, yet it kind of puts the screws to me, as far as enjoyment, but also challenge, yet I do enjoy the experience and being able to get my voice out there, yet I listen to someone else talk about publishing, and the person said, you know what, when you publish it, now it's that person's turn to take it on and they can make it their own, Michael Hingson  27:04 yeah. Speaker 1  27:04 So I found that to be a really cool way to look at it. So yeah, and I enjoy it. It's been, it's been good, it's been fun. Michael Hingson  27:13 And then you wrote a second book, Speaker 1  27:15 I did. Yeah, that one's called Buried Alive: Four Ways to Free Yourself from the Dirt. It's a lot more personal, I think, because it is about a true story that happened to my dad, and something that was quite harrowing for him, which, yes, as the book title suggests, is what happened, and part of the book is about the interviews I did with the three men involved with this very scary incident back in February of 2000 so 25 years now, and talks about their different perspectives on what happened that day when they were digging for Native American artifacts, arrowheads, and I bring in some self-help concepts that apply to what happened that day, and also just for anyone that's looking to bring those into their own lives, Michael Hingson  28:03 what happened? Speaker 1  28:05 Yeah, so they were digging at what's called an overhang, which is like a cliff face that shuts out small little, I don't know if you would even call it a cave, but there was a place underneath the overhang that kind of came in anyway, when Native Americans would come to an area, they wouldn't ever bring dirt out, they would always bring dirt in, and so there was so much dirt that was piled up over the years that my dad and the people that were digging with him, I was there six months to the day before this incident happened, we would, we would have to dig, they would dig to get to their arrowheads that were quite far down underneath the dirt, Michael Hingson  28:46 yeah, Speaker 1  28:47 yeah, yeah, and so this unfortunate day, my dad was in a hole, probably I don't know, eight or nine feet, and a little dirt fell on him, and you know, he kind of joked with his friend Jason, who was further up this hall, and a few seconds later all that dirt just came in, just, just quickly, automatically. He was vanished without a trace, and then a big rock came down on that dirt. If it wasn't for that third person that decided to come that very morning, they did not come before. His name's Jerry. Then I'm sure that my dad would have died, Michael Hingson  29:25 because Speaker 1  29:25 there was no way that Jason, who also was stuck up to like his knee in dirt, could have got out in time to get the rock and then to unearth my dad. So, Michael Hingson  29:39 yeah, a fascinating book. Now, you, you self-published that one as well. Speaker 1  29:43 I did, didn't wait around, just went ahead, and yeah. Michael Hingson  29:49 Do you have other books in you? Speaker 1  29:51 I have one done. I needed to get it edited, and editorial reviews, and get my book cover designer over in Italy to do her magic. She did on the last two books, so yeah, I do have one in the, in the oven. Michael Hingson  30:05 Can you tell us a little about what it will be about, or what it's called, or anything? Speaker 1  30:08 Sure, the book right now is called I'm Listening, and it's all about my experiences, my pitfalls, my learnings as a therapist, and so it's a bit of a memoir of my professional work in the field, and some, some personal experiences. Michael Hingson  30:25 I think one of the most powerful things about books, especially when you're, when you're dealing with more nonfiction, because fiction books usually have stories with them, but a lot of nonfiction books don't really provide enough, I think, of a personal inroad to the individual who wrote the book. One of my big beliefs, one of my pet peeves, is I think textbooks are so boring, like physics. My master's degree is in physics, and I maintain that the big problem is that none of the physics professors who are writing all these books ever put anything in about their own personal experiences to really get people excited because of of their their stories and what they can teach through their stories. It's just all math and equations and and words, just about the physics, but never the other part. I think that textbooks would be better if they put some stories in them, Speaker 1  31:22 I think. So, too, I think people's eyes wouldn't come out of their sockets, and they wouldn't, you know, be comatose. You know, they can actually keep up, and they can be engaged and involved with the material. Yeah, Michael Hingson  31:35 I had a colleague when we were at UC Irvine. We were in the same physics class together, and he had this one book, and he noticed that there didn't seem to really be any typos or whatever in it, and he meticulously, through the whole quarter, went through that whole book, and I think he finally found one misspelled word, and he was so proud of both that there were there were no others other than the one, but that he found one misspelled word we do with our lives. Speaker 1  32:07 What people do sometimes for kicks. Well, I'm glad. I wonder where that word was. Like, did he go through the whole book, and it's like on the last page, or you know, where is that at? It was Michael Hingson  32:22 near the end, but it wasn't on the last page, but it was.. it was.. it took him a long time to find it. Speaker 1  32:29 I wanted to do that with my first book. I could have easily done a book about the intersection of martial arts themes with, you know, mental wellness, but I mean, why not? I mean, I had that experience for over four years in the martial arts. Why not do that? Michael Hingson  32:48 So, tell me about that. You've mentioned martial arts several times, so obviously you've had some involvement with martial arts. Speaker 1  32:54 I have. Yeah, so when I was a preteen, I got a black belt in what's called a Water Rule Karate, so it's like W A D O R Y U, and when I was a teenager, like 16 to 18, I was doing what's called American Campo, and that did have a little bit of Jiu Jitsu thrown into the mix, Michael Hingson  33:16 so what prompted the interest in doing that Speaker 1  33:20 first was my dad, you know, part of my family was interested, so the guy, why not? And I don't know at that time whether I was experiencing bullying. Unfortunately, I experienced bullying like going to church before church started, which was unfortunate, say. So I mean, I think it was just a really good experience for me, looking back for balance and discipline in that way, and getting to meet people in the community. I can't, I can't initially remember what prompted that. My dad was interested, my brother was too, so was I. And then when I was 16, I was like, let's pick it up, let's do something different, let's try something new, and so we were able to go to this really small outfit, which was called the Snake Pit at the time, very different from the more like larger dojo in the community from my early years. Michael Hingson  34:14 What has being involved with the martial arts done to help you or to you or for you in dealing with mental wellness and the whole issue of what you do today. How is martial arts affecting all of that? Speaker 1  34:35 Yeah, it's a really good question. Martial arts showed me the importance of balance when we're doing sparring, when we're doing more, so when we're doing training on techniques, I can't be too far away when I'm sparring someone, because then it's not natural, it's not organic, nor, but I can be so close that I might hit them, so there needs to be some type of balance and self control, and that's. Something else, as well as being out of some self control. Yeah, Michael Hingson  35:05 well, martial arts is, I understand, it seems to me, as much about your mental being as learning physical techniques, because there is a whole lot that really comes down to how you approach it mentally. Am I correct? Speaker 1  35:24 Yeah, there's a big piece when it comes to stamina. When I was doing sparring, I actually had to find a place between being so passive, but also not being super aggressive. Like, how do I get that mental, emotional stamina to do this powering, you know, in a way that was quite balanced. Yes, but there is a lot when it comes to being in touch with my body, being in touch with where my mind is, with focus, with being not beating myself up, not really being perfect, or trying to achieve perfection. Yet, there's a certain vulnerability that comes with that in the mind, and also when it comes to the body, Michael Hingson  36:06 how so Speaker 1  36:10 well, there's vulnerability just simply with doing different techniques, because if you don't, if you don't like being touched, then it's going to be really difficult, because there's often a lot of touch happening, and and when it comes to the mind, it's there's vulnerability with putting myself out there and being seen by others, because we're often watching one another with training, and so there is this piece around vulnerability around, hey, you know what, whatever they think, okay, they can think I'm still working on this technique, Michael Hingson  36:40 mm and it, and it does, as you grow mentally with, with martial arts, I'm sure that it also helps in terms of your resilience. Speaker 1  36:55 Resilience plays a key factor, indeed, because you know, when it comes to even with sparring, you know, getting hit, I can't just kind of, oh, I got hit and I want to go back and I want to go in the corner. Well, no, I've got to keep going. Yeah, gotta keep moving, gotta keep walking and deflecting, and you know, going with the punches. And I, there was one experience with a young man, at least two years younger than me, he was a silver glove boxer, like a champion silver glove, and there had to be some resilience for me there, because I was getting clobbered, I was getting, I was getting hit over and over, because he was using a boxing type of, you know, boxing moves I wasn't used to defending against, and he was quick, and there comes a certain level of humility when it comes to being in the martial arts as well, because there's going to be experiences like that. Michael Hingson  37:49 Well, did you eventually get to the point where you could defend yourself against him? Speaker 1  37:55 He wasn't there for too long. Yeah, the more yet, the more that I was able to work with him, the more I was able to, you know, understand a little bit more where he was coming from with the moves, Michael Hingson  38:05 right. Well, in your life and all the things that you've done, have you experienced grief in any way? And kind of, what was that? Speaker 1  38:14 Yeah, there was a moment, there wasn't an issue when it came to a disenfranchised loss. My wife had a silent miscarriage, and so that was pretty brutal. How that turned out for her, and vicariously for me, and seeing her go through that really difficult, emotionally painful situation was hard. And so I mean, I've sure I've lost all but one grandparent at this point, and I did lose some child, like one childhood friend, when I was 16 to a car accident that was pretty brutal. Yet this loss was, yeah, was really difficult, because it's something that a lot of people don't understand, they don't want to talk about, they don't know what to say, or it's really difficult just to listen, and that was hard. Michael Hingson  39:09 Yeah, but at the same time, as you well know, from all that you've experienced, God doesn't give us things that we can't handle, and we have to learn to move forward Speaker 1  39:22 with resilience, with God's help. Michael Hingson  39:24 Yeah, Speaker 1  39:24 yeah, with prayer, perseverance. Yeah, Michael Hingson  39:27 I lost my father, actually, on November 1 of 1984 and my mother in May of 1987 and then my brother actually developed breast cancer in 2011 and they, they dealt with it, and he went into remission, but it came back, and he didn't take care of himself very well, as I understand it, because he lived in Florida, and we were in California, but anyway, it came back, and it metastasized, and so we lost him in 2015 so at the same time. Yeah, there were relatives on my wife's side that we lost a couple very unexpectedly, and yeah, you do learn to deal with grief, but you learn that you got to go forward, and so when Karen passed in 2022 at least it wasn't totally all of a sudden, so I had some time to prepare, but you know, I still miss her, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Speaker 1  40:23 Yeah, for sure. I, and I mean, losing your parents around two and a half or so years apart, and with your brother, and then with your wife, that's a lot. That's a lot. Yet I hear that even though there was some preparation time for you, it can still be, it can still be difficult, it can still hit the nail, you know. I was doing some grief work, a grief course, and they showed us this poem called Whose Whose Grief Is Worse, basically. And there were these two experiences of someone that lost someone suddenly and someone that knew, and at the end of the poem. Basically, it's both are painful. There is no worse grief. Michael Hingson  41:05 There's no, there's no wrong or right answer to all of that. It's, it's different, but we all can learn to deal with it. I know when the events of September 11 happened, for me, ironically, the greatest blessing I had was that the media got my story and we started getting a lot of requests for interviews and my wife and I decided we would accept them and I got asked so many questions by so many different reporters, some dumb questions were absolutely stupid, idiotic questions, but some that were very insightful, and so I probably was able to move on from that day much more because of all of the questions and getting used to dealing with those questions than anything else that could have come along. It Speaker 1  41:58 was a choice, and you probably appreciated those reporters that took the time to ask those carefully planned questions. Michael Hingson  42:06 I've had some people, no matter how many times the story gets repeated, who still say, "What were you doing in the World Trade Center, anyway? And I'm sitting there going, "Have you read Thunderdog? Have you read any of the stories in the press? What do you mean, what was I doing in the World Trade Center? Speaker 1  42:23 It's not like, you know, it's out there, you know, it's been published, you can read it. Yeah, Michael Hingson  42:30 I wasn't a spy for the terrorists, I can tell you that. Speaker 1  42:36 I wouldn't, I wouldn't have thought that for a second, Michael Hingson  42:41 but but, but you know, things happen, and you never know where you're going to be, you never know what might come up, and it's just one of those things that we, we all really need to deal with in one way or another, and that's just what's so important. Speaker 1  42:56 Absolutely, you know, one of the quotes I heard from my training was, and I take it with me, and I, I definitely relate to it personally. Is joy shared is joy doubled, and grief shared is grief halved, and the stuff we're doing, even today, and even those listening that might have been through grief, is as long as we're able to talk about it, and just talk about something that does not make any sense whatsoever to us, that's part of the healing process. Michael Hingson  43:23 Yeah, it's important to talk about it. It's important to share, and I understand you want to be careful. You don't want to just talk necessarily about it with anyone, but you do need to find people that you can share with and that you can talk to about Speaker 1  43:39 it. Totally, yeah, the grocery store clerk, you know, that I'm getting my bread and butter from, maybe they're not ready for that, that particular topic, Michael Hingson  43:48 yeah, Speaker 1  43:48 yeah, Michael Hingson  43:50 and and the thing that we all need to do is to really, I think, do a lot more to listen to our inner voice, it'll tell us what we need to do if we listen, Speaker 1  43:58 yes, I believe that for sure, I've seen, I've seen that. Yeah, Michael Hingson  44:03 so you've dealt with all the, this, the psychological work that you do. You dealt with addiction, and so on. How does martial arts play into that? What have you learned from martial arts that helps you in dealing with recovery from addiction? Speaker 1  44:16 Oh, well, where to start. I think that one piece to really focus on is this concept of self love, and I don't mean self love like I'm better than other people out there, but just being okay with where I'm at for myself, but still pushing myself to learn new things, so some acceptance about where I'm at when it comes to martial arts, that has to be there. I might not be doing the technique perfectly, and I, there was times where I could really easily beat myself up mentally, like, "Oh, why can't I get this? Yet it's just trying to take a step back and see that I'm worthy enough to make the. Approach to make these changes when it comes to addiction. I'm worthy enough to seek out help. These feelings I have that they're okay to feel, and I don't have to beat myself up for this. Michael Hingson  45:11 Yeah, because addiction is is a disease, and I think anyone who condemns somebody just because, for example, they use drugs, and, well, they shouldn't do that. They're dumb for doing it. They really miss assess what's going on. Speaker 1  45:28 People that have that mindset that it's more of a mere choice, they don't understand that if you put, you know, a shot of alcohol in front of someone and you tell them not to drink it, and you put a gun on them, they're going to be wondering, maybe he'll slip his hand off the trigger, you know, that kind of thinking, that's that's the disease aspect. And I recommend anybody that wants to know more about addiction being a disease, check out Kevin McCauley's documentary, Pleasure Unwoven. It's a really good documentary that shows the different aspects of the disease. Yeah, Michael Hingson  46:08 I have never taken drugs in that way, and don't want to, but again, that's my choice, and I've learned enough from other people that I know that if, if I'm having a problem, taking drugs isn't going to help me solve the problem, and it isn't going to even really help me hide from it, but I guess that's just my makeup that I know that I have to face whatever comes along head on. Speaker 1  46:33 Yes, the resilience piece, Michael Hingson  46:36 the resilience piece, and I've wanted to do that. Speaker 1  46:39 Awesome, I can see with everything you've been through, Michael, you've definitely lent in, you've leaned in, you've pushed forward. Michael Hingson  46:47 Well, I think that part of the issue is as a, as a blind person who's faced a lot of challenges and seen things, what I choose to do whenever anything happens to me is I want to learn from it, so I don't want to ignore it, even if it's something that's totally not related to me in any way. I want to learn from it, if I'm involved, because I think that's the only way I'm going to be able to make sure that I deal with anything like that, any kind of surprise. The next time I talk about a lot when I am talking to people about blindness, about surprises, and I talk about the fact that I could be crossing a street, I could get to the corner and listen to the traffic, and when I hear the traffic going the way I want to go, then I'll cross the street. So I start crossing a street, and all of a sudden I hear a car from behind me, and it's not going the way I want to go, suddenly it's, it's turning, or there's somebody that is is across the street from me, not the way I'm going, and I start to cross the street when it's supposed to be my turn, and they decide they're going to go, and so I am, I've learned to constantly be alert, but at the same time, what I have to do is figure out very quickly, do I want to go forward or do I want to go backwards to have the best chance of getting away from this, Speaker 1  48:11 which way do I move in my direction with my spatial awareness with your spatial awareness, and that, and that brings me to another, I think, actually, another piece with martial arts and how it intersects is treating the addiction like an opponent that may be sauntering around that corner at any moment in time, and being able to see that I need to be on the alert, I need to know more than one direction, as you mentioned a moment ago, more than one direction that I could go, rather than just the free, the ability to have choice. Yeah, Michael Hingson  48:51 can addiction truly be cured? Not the reason I asked the question is I know so often I hear when I hear people talking about alcoholism, you can't really cure alcoholism, and maybe that's true. I don't know, Speaker 1  49:10 you know, it depends on how you ask, from a medical standpoint, from a disease standpoint, since we see it as a chronic progressive primary condition, which means nothing necessarily causes it every time. The answer would be no, because of its progression. However, can it can addiction, whether it's alcoholism, whatever, be stunted as far as its progression? Absolutely. Can be, can people live fulfilling lives? Absolutely. Can there be reversal of certain symptoms and signs. Yes, however, just I think that to say, you know, one day someone's gonna wake up and they no longer have cravings or the warning signs or the the neurobiology. Logical strings, it's tough to say that's a no. Michael Hingson  50:04 Yeah, thanks. That's the makeup of the individual that brings that about. I, I have.. I take an occasional drink. In fact, Karen and I used to have a drink on Friday night, one drink, and I kind of honor her by having a bourbon and seven every Friday night when I make, when I cook dinner, but one, because I've never been a great fan of the taste of alcohol, but I understand there are a lot of people who really like the taste of it, and that has led them into pretty dark places, which is unfortunate. Speaker 1  50:36 Yeah, still Michael Hingson  50:37 happens. Speaker 1  50:38 It does still happen, for sure. And I appreciate you liking bourbon. We make a bourbon walnut ice cream, and I don't ever drink the bourbon by itself. It's been in the cupboard for months now. And anyway, Michael Hingson  50:55 well, my bourbon and seven is a whole lot more seven up than bourbon. Speaker 1  50:59 Totally right, and good for you for having that ritual, you know, for you and for Michael Hingson  51:06 her. That's kind of neat to be able to do that, but I've just never felt that I need to, and I'm, and I'm glad. So it's continuing to share that. Well, you do a lot of couples therapy. How does all that go, and what kind of challenges does that make for you and for them? Speaker 1  51:29 Well, I'll give you this short story. We were eating at Denny's with this man, and just a friend of a friend, and he said to us, he asked me about my work, and I told him, yeah, I'm working with, you know, a lot of addiction, and with couples, he's like, I heard from another counselor, Eric, that if you really want to make it hard on yourself, you work in addiction, and you work with couples that always make it have a challenge, and, like, yeah, true. And so, when it comes to working with couples, it is challenging. There's something about having two people to work with, there's so many dynamics at play, different than perhaps being with just one person, you know, coming from two different histories, biographically different life upbringings, family upbringing, personalities. It can be really challenging. I do appreciate challenge. I've learned so much. I learned from each couple that I work with, and it's a whole different beast. Michael Hingson  52:29 Yeah, and, and it is. I like what you said, though. You learn from it, and that's probably the most important thing that any of us can do with anything in any endeavor that we undertake is that we learn from it. Speaker 1  52:44 If I can't learn from something, what am I, what am I doing there? And if I'm not learning from something, how can that benefit other people that I'm trying to help support? So, yeah, I tried to get the couple to start to be, you know, them versus the concern, rather than you versus me. That's a big goal of couples therapy. Michael Hingson  53:08 That's an interesting way to put it. That makes a lot of sense. I've never thought of it that way, but it's them. It does have to be them, but them versus the concern. That, that's interesting. Speaker 1  53:18 Yeah, yeah. Then they start, they start looking at how can we collaborate rather than trying to annihilate each other. Michael Hingson  53:26 Yeah, Speaker 1  53:27 metaphorically speaking, Michael Hingson  53:31 so you've talked about the work that you did when you were in Mississippi, when you worked in small towns, and so on, and you worked in probably some fairly substantive places as well. What do you find that's different about outpatient versus inpatient work, and in terms of what you do and how you approach it? Speaker 1  53:52 Well, I'll just say that doing inpatient work is kind of like raising kids, so not.. I mean, I don't have any experience, because I don't, I don't have kids, I got nieces and nephews yet. I know that feeling well. Yeah, there's just something about being around someone more than just like that hour, hour and a half, seeing them like eight or nine hours a day, you get to know them pretty well, as opposed to, you know, once an hour every one or two, three weeks, that in that comes some benefits with the inpatient work. Yet also it can be really difficult when it comes to boundaries. They feel like you can do things that maybe you're not able to do professionally with them, maybe like as far as like self-disclosure wise or things like that, and there's just there's just a thing around boundaries, and even with the inpatient work, you know, I'll have one client come and say, 'Hey, this other counselor said I could do this, and I would be like, 'Okay, and then I found out later the counselor didn't say that at all, so there's that type. The drama got to deal with, with it, with the inpatient work, Michael Hingson  55:04 but you don't find that as much without patient, because you tend to be able to get closer to the individual, and that probably also develops a higher trust level. Speaker 1  55:14 There is a higher trust level if you mean, like, doing outpatient work, or outpatient, but we have the outpatient, for sure, because I am solely with them, and they know that time is of the essence, whether it's weekly or bi-weekly, whatever, and I'm being able to focus on them, for sure, yeah, Michael Hingson  55:35 and it's a lot harder to do that when it's an impatient kind of situation Speaker 1  55:40 in my two experiences, both up in Calgary and also Mississippi, with inpatient, there's so many other things in the inner workings of doing inpatient going on that sure I can still add that time with somebody, yet I'm also thinking about, you know, the next class and next group offering other logistical duties, it's a little bit easier to do that one on one. Yeah, indeed, indeed. Michael Hingson  56:10 Do you think that you can develop? I assume the answer is yes, but I'll ask, do you think that it's possible to develop the same level of trust in doing inpatient work, or it may be harder, but can you do it? Speaker 1  56:28 That can happen on a case by case basis, depending on my relationship with someone. Yes, I can get there, and you know, just.. and sometimes, paradoxically, it can happen even quicker than outpatient, depending on the situation, because I am with them. There is a positive with that. Yes, Michael Hingson  56:48 it's.. it's a matter of working to build it, you know. And, unfortunately, human beings, especially nowadays, are so mistrustful of so many things, we've learned not to trust, and so in my latest book, Live Like a Guide Dog, I talk about that a lot, because while I think dogs love unconditionally, they don't trust unconditionally, but they're open to trust, they want to develop trusting relationships, and we just assume everyone has their own hidden agendas, and it's so hard to develop trusting relationships, Speaker 1  57:24 very hard, very difficult. It takes time and effort and patience, tolerance for myself, the other person, and that makes sense with dogs, because I mean, enough's, you know, when a dog's been abused, they don't want to trust right away, no, for sure. Michael Hingson  57:38 Well, but even even dogs that aren't abused, like I believe it takes for me, and I think if you really analyze it, for most people with a guide dog, I think it takes a good year to develop such a working relationship that you develop such a trust that essentially you each know what the other is thinking and you really know how to work it. It's not that they're not mistrustful, but they're open. They're open to trust, but you've got to, you've got to gain their trust, and that's my job as the team leader. And I'm supposed to be the team leader, but it also means that I have to agree, well, earn or gain their trust. The neat thing, and what makes it possible to do that, assuming that you approach it the right way and don't assume a dog is just a dumb animal, which they're not, is that in fact working with a dog, you know that they're more likely to be open to trust, and that makes it a little bit easier than our prejudice that says everybody's got a hidden agenda that we got to focus on, Speaker 1  58:47 yeah. And appreciate you sharing that, and it shows just the amount of work that comes into play with trust. Michael Hingson  58:54 Yeah, it's it's a challenge, but it is doable. Well, so what's next for you? Speaker 1  59:01 Yeah, just doing some work after this with the work that I do, and yeah, it's starting to get that book into the place of having editorial reviews and starting to get that edited professionally. Michael Hingson  59:14 Have either of your books been converted to audio? Speaker 1  59:17 The second one has. Yes. Michael Hingson  59:22 Is it? Where is it available? Audible, or how is it available? Speaker 1  59:25 It's my own special design. It's actually got a, it's got a Texan man, a doing it. He's got a nice voice, pretty soothing. Yet it's through what's called the Hero app, H I R O. And I can send you the link if you're interested. For that, Michael Hingson  59:40 love to, yeah, Speaker 1  59:42 yeah. Michael Hingson  59:44 Well, this has been enjoyable, certainly by any standard. If people want to reach out to you, maybe use your services or talk with you. How do they do that? Speaker 1  59:53 They can find me, Michael, through Recovery Arts counseling.com and that's Counseling with 2l's since I'm up here in Canada. You can find me through Instagram at Eric Fisher Writer or Recovery Arts Counseling. You can find me Facebook the same way on LinkedIn, just type in my name. You can look for, like, Calgary, like counselor recovery counseling. What do else? That's right, everybody learned something new today, if they did not, if they didn't already. So, those are a few Michael Hingson  1:00:25 ways. Well, that's great. Well, I really appreciate you taking the time to be here, and I value greatly your insights. I've learned things, and I always enjoy doing that. And I hope all of you out there listening have as well. Love to get your thoughts, so I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at Michael M I C H A E L H I at Accessi B A C C E S S I B e.com Wherever you're listening or watching, or both, this podcast, please give us a five star review. But even more important than a review, a rating, five star rating, give us a review. We really value reviews and people who might be interested in listening to our podcasts, are going to read those reviews. I can tell you for sure that people love to know what others think. So, we value your reviews a great deal. And if any of you, including you, Eric, know of anyone else who ought to be a guest on Unstoppable Mindset, we'd love an introduction, because we're always looking for people who want to come on and tell their stories, so I hope that that we'll find ways to do that, and definitely value you being here, Eric, and doing all this, and I want to thank you again for being here. This has been a lot of fun. Speaker 1  1:01:37 Thank you, Michael. Happy to be on you. thank Michael Hingson  1:01:43 you for being here with me on Unstoppable Mindset. I hope today's conversation left you with a fresh perspective, a new insight, or at least something worth thinking about. If you're ready to go deeper into the ideas that shape how we see ourselves and others. I have a free gift for you. Head over to Michael hingson.com and download my free ebook, Blinded by Fear. It explores the invisible beliefs that hold us back and shows you how to reframe them, so you can move forward with clarity and confidence. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review, and share this show with someone who can use a reminder that growth starts with mindset. When people think differently, we all move forward together. Thanks again for listening. Keep learning, keep questioning, and keep choosing to live with an unstoppable min

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the many different ways screenwriters revise a script - from tackling major problems after a first draft to handling vague notes, character issues, comedy passes, production rewrites, and someone else's pages. They break down their personal revision processes, why certain notes require going back to the cards, and how knowing what kind of rewrite a script needs can keep you from getting overwhelmed.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

FANCY YOURSELF A CELEB EXPERT? Take The Spill's Pop Culture Quiz here.Get ready because this Brutally Honest Review is indeed Brutal. We watched Office Romance so you don't have to (or so you can debate us after you do).The premise: J Lo is a big shot at work, there are workplace rules, and absolutely nobody follows them. And let's just say we have some absolutely brutal thoughts on her leading man Brett Goldstein's presence, whether the chemistry actually lands, and why this feels less like a rom-com and more like a very expensive fan letter nobody asked for.We also get into what that shocking baby scene means for Australian birth rates, and the bigger question: does this actually move the needle for the rom-com crisis, or is it just another in-between filler?Remember The Spill drops the tea twice a day in this feed so follow us for all the latest entertainment news… OR you can WATCH our show in full length video on the Apple Podcast app - make sure your phone is up to date and enjoy the watch! Link here. THE END BITS Find and follow us on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespillpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thespillpod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thespillpodcast/ Read all the latest entertainment news on Mamamia: https://mamamia.com.au/entertainment/ Support Independent Women’s Media. Your subscription helps us continue to tell the stories that matter to women. Want to join the conversation? Have feedback or a topic you want us to discuss? Send us a voice message or email us at thespill@mamamia.com.au and we’ll get back to you ASAP! Executive Producer: Monisha Iswaran Audio & Video Producer: Michael Kean Mamamia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Jeff Goldsmith talks to creator-screenwriter Mike Makowsky about his limited TV series, Death by Lightning. Download my podcast here Copyright © Unlikely Films, Inc. 2026. All rights reserved. For more great content check out Backstory Magazine @ Backstory.net

Rewind. Sandy and Terry will discuss Billy Wilder's 10 tips for screenwriters. Few screenwriters are as pedigreed as Billy Wilder, who is renowned as one of the most creative filmmakers of American cinema's Golden Age. Wilder was nominated 21 times at the Academy Awards, 13 for screenwriting and 8 for direction. He won the Best Director award for his 1945 film "The Lost Weekend" and again 15 years later for "The Apartment." Thanks to the success of "The Apartment," Wilder became the first person to win an Academy Award as a producer, director, and screenwriter for the same movie. Cameron Crowe said, “There's no better film school than listening to what Billy Wilder says.”The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT.Executive Producer Kristin OvernCreator/Producer Sandy AdomaitisProducer Terry SampsonMusic by Ethan Stoller

This week on ClassHorrorCast, I'm joined by screenwriter Jeff Barker for one of the most thoughtful and inspiring conversations we've had on the show.Jeff is not only a writer in his own right, but also the father of filmmaker Curry Barker, whose new film Obsession has been making a huge impact. We talk about the incredible success surrounding the film, Jeff's own contributions to the project, and what it's been like watching something that started so small become such a major moment.We dive deep into Jeff's lifelong love of cinema, how he developed his voice as a writer over the years, and the kinds of stories and emotions he's always been drawn to expressing creatively. We also discuss some of the filmmakers and movies that continue to inspire him.Beyond filmmaking, this episode becomes a conversation about family, passion, and perseverance. Jeff opens up about his relationship with Curry through the years and what it means to now witness everything they've achieved together.We also talk about Curry's next film, which has already wrapped, and Jeff shares his thoughts on the upcoming A24 Texas Chainsaw project.Along the way we explore imposter syndrome, navigating difficult periods in life, staying positive, and continuing to chase creative goals no matter where you are in the journey.We also spend time discussing Jeff's fantastic YouTube channel, The Screenplay Lab, where he creates brilliant screenplay breakdowns and insightful analysis of some truly great films.This is a unique, honest, and incredibly interesting conversation with someone whose own creative journey feels like it's only just beginning and someone who may have some very exciting years ahead.Enjoy the episode.More of my content and to purchase my book HEREJeff Barker'sYOUTUBEWEBSITEINSTAGRAMBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/class-horror-cast-horror-movie-podcast--4295531/support.

In the fifth 15-minute section of our screenplay, Napoleon's journey takes a sharp, downward turn. Success is replaced by mounting setbacks as our hero heads to Egypt - an ambiguous mission that isolates him from power and allies. The Directory's antagonism grows ever more apparent, Josephine's betrayals come to light, and disaster strikes in the form of Nelson's fleet. As loyalty in his own ranks falters, Napoleon faces not only external foes but the erosion of his own myth, setting the stage for the looming low point of his story.In episode six of our screenwriting escapade we continue to forge ahead in our mission of crafting a top-notch screenplay treatment about the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham (who knows a thing or two about screenwriting) and Ben Deery (who knows a thing or two about acting) to put the movie world to rights. Having analysed the pitfalls and frustrations of Ridley Scott's Napoleon 2023 in the first season the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly, this time round the team have to come up with the magic themselves.This episode features a bonus contribution from our own Prof Alexander Mikaberidze from 35:40 - explaining the precise nature of the incontrovertible evidence of Josephine's infidelity which Junot is supposed to have presented to Bonaparte... As our resident bot NAIpoleon Bot-aparte puts it:A Playful Opening and Format Mash-UpThe episode begins with a tongue-in-cheek parody intro as “Cavalry Matters,” poking fun at historical drama tropes and AI-generated content, before moving into the “Napoleon movie” project focus 00:00:09.Introduction of the Team and Their RolesAlex Stevenson introduces the project collaborators: Benjamin Deery (acting expertise) and James Topham (screenwriting expertise). The trio set out to reimagine Napoleon's story for the screen 00:01:26.Recap and Structure So FarJames Topham recaps their progress, summarizing the story up to scene 20—the film's midpoint. He details five key scenes depicting Napoleon's transition from general to budding ruler and the dynamic with Josephine 00:03:14.Dramatic and Character DevelopmentsThe team walk through significant scenes involving military victories, shifting romantic dynamics (including Napoleon's changing feelings for Josephine), negotiations, and turning points, such as Josephine's infidelity and the metaphorical “unripe pear” scene 00:04:34.Debate over Historical Events and Narrative ChoicesThere's an in-depth discussion about the authenticity and dramatic effectiveness of sending Napoleon to England vs. Egypt, with concerns about narrative payoff and dramatic logic for audiences 00:12:22.Motivations Behind the Egyptian CampaignAlex Stevenson provides historical context for Napoleon's Egyptian adventure, discussing the Directory's motives, the project's ties to myth-making, prestige, and the origins of Egyptology (including the Rosetta Stone) 00:16:16.Identifying the "Bad Guys Close In" PhaseThe team frame the next segment of their narrative as the “bad guys close in” phase, per Blake Snyder's structure. This act will feature setbacks for Napoleon, the Directory as antagonists, and cracks forming within Napoleon's “gang” 00:22:02.Setbacks in Egypt and Antagonist DynamicsA list of major setbacks is outlined: confirmed betrayal by Josephine, isolation after Nelson destroys the French fleet, Ottoman intervention orchestrated by the Directory, and discussions on how to visually and narratively stack these blows for dramatic effect 00:27:32.Reintegrating and Redefining the "Gang"They debate how to portray dissension among Napoleon's loyalists. 00:43:22.Looking Ahead: Approaching the Low PointThe episode closes with a preview of the next section: Napoleon's imminent “all is lost” moment, a stretch defined as the dark night of the soul, where all seems lost before act three begins. 00:51:07.

Host Jeff Goldsmith talks to writer-producer Aline Brosh McKenna about her latest film, The Devil Wears Prada 2. Download my podcast here Copyright © Unlikely Films, Inc. 2026. All rights reserved. For more great content check out Backstory Magazine @ Backstory.net

Frankie Stockes sits in for Stew Peters and drills down on members of government and corporate media alike who've stepped up to remind us all of just how fake the world they present to the masses really is - apparently down to the faces and necks of the actors in their Truman Show reality.