Electric Shadow

Without spoiling The Force Awakens, John Gholson joins Moisés to reminisce about the rise, fall, and potential “re-awakening” of Star Wars fandom . From childhood to anticipation of the new movie, what triggers your Star Wars sense memory? Pictured above, John Gholson, age 5. In our next episode, we will dig into spoilers for The Force Awakens. In addition to holding publication until public screenings start Thursday night, it’ll carry warnings (and no spoilers in its show notes). Brought to you by * Casper: premium mattresses for a fraction of the price. Use coupon code ELECTRICSHADOW to save $50 on your choice of Casper mattress.  Terms and Conditions Apply. Note: no Bothans were harmed in the making of this ad. * Warby Parker: Affordable eyewear with a free 5-day, 5-pair home try-on program. Get free 3-day shipping by using our referral link.

Modern TV has melded the old-school “chapter play” format with modern, lower-cost (and at once higher quality) production methods. The result is episodic content that is more than giving feature-length movies a run for their money. Erika Ensign (Verity, Lazy Doctor Who) joins Strax the Sontarran himself Dan Starkey to reveal how Doctor Who is succeeding where multimillion-dollar franchise features are hit-and-miss. Brought to you by * SaneBox: Stop letting your email eat you alive. Do the 2-week free trial and get $25 off your new membership when you sign up by visiting SaneBox.com/esn.

Remastered and re-edited, this 2012 interview with Crimson Peak director Guillermo del Toro found him in post-production on Pacific Rim and nearing production on Crimson Peak(still in theatres) and The Strain, which just completed its second season. He talks about the power of monsters, video games, and his devout fervor for Hitchcock. Interview originally broadcast 21 December 2012.

Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie (Chris Sarandon and Ken Page) take center stage in this very special Halloween bonus installment of our Behind the Microphone series, discussing their formative creative influences, strange things they've signed, and the power of the theatre. Behind the Microphone: part 3 in an ongoing series Brought to you by * SaneBox: Stop letting your email eat you alive. Do the 2-week free trial and get $25 off your new membership when you sign up by visiting SaneBox.com/esn.

Cowboy Bebop changed the perception of anime dubbed into English. Steve Blum (Spike) and Mary McGlynn (Julia and ADR Director on Bebop) discuss their origin stories as performers and voice actors in the latest installment of our Behind the Microphone series. Stick around for a falling-in-love story that's never been told on-the-record. Brought to you by * Casper: premium mattresses for a fraction of the price. Use ELECTRICSHADOW to save $50 on your choice of mattress. Terms and Conditions Apply. * Warby Parker: Affordable eyewear with a free 5-day, 5-pair home try-on program. Get free 3-day shipping by using our referral link. * Symbolicons: by Jory Raphael, designer of all our new artwork. Get 40% off any icon set bundle with ESN1 * SaneBox: Stop letting your email eat you alive. Do the 2-week free trial and get $25 off your new membership when you sign up by visiting SaneBox.com/esn.

At his final convention appearance in 2011, Leonard Nimoy revealed more in one sitting than anyone expected, at once telling his life's story and reminding us that "There's always room for one more good one". Pictured above: Nimoy (r.) and his son Adam (l.) Brought to you by * Warby Parker: Affordable eyewear with a free 5-day, 5-pair home try-on program. Get free 3-day shipping by using our referral link. * Casper: premium mattresses for a fraction of the price. Use coupon code ELECTRICSHADOW to save $50 on your choice of Casper mattress.  Terms and Conditions Apply.

A look at the different paths taken by actors known best for their various voices, featuring the incomparable Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants,  Adventure Time) and Charles Martinet (the voice of Nintendo's Mario). There's more to voice acting than just doing "funny voices". As an exclusive treat, you'll hear the first meeting between SpongeBob and The Ice King and learn the definitive pronunciation of "Mario". Brought to you by * Warby Parker: Affordable eyewear with a free 5-day, 5-pair home try-on program. Get free 3-day shipping by using our referral link. Guests * Tom Kenny maintains absolutely no social media accounts. If you see one, it's fake. * Charles Martinet has a website and valiantly tries to keep up with  Twitter and Instagram.

A look at the sensation that is Sailor Moon, which has always been more than "just another anime for girls". Rockstar comic creators Babs Tarr and Jess Fink talk about the series' deep influence over them as creative professionals. Creators like Babs and Jess are now in turn driving stronger, more complex and relatable roles for women in their industries as well as in the stories they are telling. Brought to you by * Casper: premium mattresses for a fraction of the price. Use coupon code ELECTRICSHADOW to save $50 on your choice of Casper mattress.  Terms and Conditions Apply. * The Shuttle: Save $10 while they last with coupon LOSTMYREMOTE.

Just after Disney acquired LucasFilm in the fall of 2012, Moisés spoke with film critic Drew McWeeny about the doors opened by a regime change, the early days of Ain't It Cool, his being officially banned from Skywalker Ranch, and the best way to watch Star Wars with your kids, among other things. 2.5 years later, and on the heels of the opening of Star Wars Celebration 2015, Drew comes off as more prescient than anyone gave him credit for being...at the time or since. The discussion featured in this Newly Remastered, Re-Edited Special Edition episode first posted on 5 November 2012. Brought to you by * Squarespace: Use offer code ELECTRIC at checkout to get 10% off your new account signup.

Ex Machina writer/director Alex Garland grew up a fan of science fiction. His new film sets itself apart by happily eschewing on- and off-screen obstacles that get in the way of sci-fi cinema being great. At SXSW 2015, he and Moisés discuss the formative and professional influences that brought Ex Machina to the screen. Enter to win a copy of the Ex Machina soundtrack by leaving Electric Shadow a fresh iTunes review and email us using the contact form. Brought to you by * Squarespace: Use ELECTRIC at checkout to get 10% off  

The Hundred-Foot Journey is anything but shy on the subject of flavor. The film's star, Manish Dayal, talks about his upbringing in two cultures and helps answer what makes a "food film" worth watching. Brought to you by * The Warner Archive Collection: whether you're watching DVDs and Blu-rays, or live in a streaming-only household, there's something new from them each week, like White Comanche (1968), where William Shatner plays the dual role of half-Comanche twins.

Keith Calder and Simon Barrett return for an all-spoiler discussion of The Guest, now on VOD, DVD, and Blu-ray in the U.S. None of this will make much sense unless you've seen the movie, and is full of spoilers.Consider this "Electric Shadow episode 16B", with a continuity-free, "regular" episode to come before the week ends.Brought to you byESN Members: if you love our shows, you're going to love some of the new things we have coming soon. Members get a first look at new stuff, with more benefits to come in 2015.GuestsKeith Calder (twitter) produces movies and runs Snoot Films with his wife Jess Calder. He also "Tumbls" and is bravely forging ahead as a pioneer on Ello., which has basically died since last he was on Electric Shadow.Simon Barrett (twitter) writes movies and is still a licensed Private Investigator.Related EpisodesElectric Shadow 16: Earned Surprise is required listeni

Christopher Nolan's Interstellar: like, love, or hate it, this is one of the biggest of the big movies of 2014. Can a movie this big live up to any (not even all) of our expectations? Guest * Adam Lisagor (twitter) and his company of wizards make better ads than any single entity I can think of anymore. I dare you to disagree . Brought to you by... * Our Members: consider membership if you want to support us trying new shows, formats, and things that don't necessarily start out with ads * Our Founding Sponsors: click on those links and use those offers. * Try out Warner Archive Instant (available on Roku and iPad) and check out great vintage scifi movies like The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms  and The Green Slime. * This episode ran sponsor-free in thanks to our audience going without the show for a few weeks while it was going through retrofit.

Keith Calder and Simon Barrett talk about their new movie The Guest, being influenced by movies they (do and do not) love, the nuance in reaching modern audiences, and when to Blu-ray versus when to VOD. Guests * Keith Calder (twitter) produces movies and runs Snoot Films with his wife Jess Calder. He also "Tumbls" and is bravely forging ahead as a pioneer on Ello. * Simon Barrett (twitter) writes movies and is still a licensed Private Investigator. Listen to the below-linked Nerdist Writer Panel for more on that. Sponsors * Symbolicons: by Jory Raphael, designer of all our new artwork. Get 40% off any icon set bundle with ESN1 * Harry's: $5 off your first order with ELECTRIC * Backblaze: unlimited, unthrottled backup for $5/month * Drobo: $50 off Drobo 5D or 5N with MOISES Related Episodes * Extras 13: Monkey's Paw (also posted as Electric Shadow 20) is full of spoilers for The Guest, and will be retroactively posted once the movie has

Alejandro Brugués and Nacho Vigalondo (l. to r.) are writer/directors from Cuba and Spain, respectively, but they consider Austin their birthplace as filmmakers. In a format-defying episode, we travel through time to tell their stories as artists who love making their movies as much as they do celebrating the work of others.WARNING: Very explicit language and imagery throughout.Enjoy.GuestsNacho Vigalondo is on Twitter, was nominated for an Oscar, and someone made nightmare-inducing masks of his face this year, as depicted below. His movie Open Windows, starring Elijah Wood and Sasha Grey, is out now.Alejandro Brugués is on Twitter, and studied under Gabriel García Márquez while at film school (100% true). His next project is The Wrong Place.SponsorsSymbolicons: by Jory Raphael, designer of all our new artwork. Get 40% off any icon set bundle with ESN1Drobo: $50 off Drobo 5D

Apple has been using cinematic techniques in their events and ads since 1984. Horace Dediu, Jason Snell, and John Gruber discuss the story Apple has told on screens for 30 years: one of engineering thriving on dynamic creativity.PanelistsHorace Dediu runs Asymco and hosts The Critical Path.Jason Snell bleeds Six Colors, captains The Incomparable, and just started Upgrade and moved Clockwise to RelayFM.John Gruber is the Daring Fireball, hosts The Talk Show, and is 1/3 of Vesper, a great note-taking app.SponsorsSymbolicons: 40% off any icon bundle with ESN1Harry's: $5 off with ELECTRICBackblaze: unlimited, unthrottled backup for $5/monthIconic: $25 off Iconic Classic or Classic Plus(Fair Use) Audio Clips - Video Library1984, directed by Ridley ScottApple Watch - RevealMac Pro - Cinema AdNew Coke (two ads in one), directed by Ridley ScottiMac - (She Comes in) ColorsiMac - Jeff Goldblum: EmailOrtega TacosGold iPhone 5s - Metal MasteredJ

Eric Vespe and John Gholson discuss Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, as well as the various canonical and non-canonical offshoots, spinoffs, and wholly unconnected diaspora connected to them: video games, toys, and even Ecto Cooler.Happy 30th and 25th birthdays (respectively) to each. We promise Electric Shadow is not turning into an anniversary-only podcast. Alternate title for this episode: Two Rays and an Egon.PanelistsEric Vespe (twitter) is Managing Editor at Ain't It Cool News. You might know him better as Quint.John Gholson (twitter) co-hosts Giant Size, writes for Movies.com, and does amazing tricks with pretzel sticks.Show Notes and LinksYes, that (Not "The Real") Ghostbusters cartoon was real. So was the live-action, Larry Storch-costarring reason it could happen.Playthroughs of the Commodore 64, NES, and XBOX 360 

Tim McCanlies and Harry Knowles discuss The Iron Giant and its hard road to completion. One wrote the screenplay for the movie, and the other wrote about the movie from afar. They touch on the genius of Brad Bird, removing a giant space bat from a rock opera, and the magic of animation, from Fleischer to Miyazaki.15 years ago, The Iron Giant flopped at the box office, but it has become a beloved animated classic thanks to home video and cable. Share it with friends and family over the upcoming holiday weekend...or whenever it is you realize you know someone who hasn't seen it yet.Make sure you've seen The Iron Giant before listening to this episode, which is full of spoilers.SponsorsNEED: Place an order and send an email to hello@neededition.com mentioning ESN in some way to get 25% off your next order and extras freebies sent your way in the meantime.Harry's: they're a

Andy Ihnatko joins Moisés to discuss the mind, career, and incalculable impact of Robin Williams. There never has been (nor will there ever again be) one like him.SponsorsHarry's: they're already disrupting the shaving industry by offering a much better shaving experience at a much better value. Use promo code ELECTRIC for $5 off.NEED: Place an order and send an email to hello@neededition.com mentioning ESN in some way to get 25% off your next order and extras freebies sent your way in the meantime.Show Notes and LinksStandup clips care all taken from Reality...What a Concept (1979), an album which...is not purchasable on iTunes?On YouTube, there's a smorgasbord of clips from Robin Williams's appearances on late night talk shows. The latest one posted is from Monday night's Late Show with David Letterman. Dave's tribute to Robin's 50 times on one or another of his shows 

Howard the Duck co-creator Val Mayerik joins Moisés and Giant Size co-host John Gholson to talk about his past life as an actor, specifically in 1977 grindhouse Z-movie The Demon Lover. They discuss the infamous Demon Lover Diary, Z-movie auteur Donald G Jackson, and making things for the love of making them.PanelistsVal Mayerik co-created Howard the Duck, has trained in martial arts, and co-stars alongside Gunnar Hansen (the original Leatherface) in The Demon Lover (1977)John Gholson is a UI/UX designer by day. By night, he co-hosts Giant Size, reviews movies in comic strip form, and muses on comics at Gutters and Panels.Show Notes and LinksThe Demon Lover and Demon Lover Diary are a hell of a double feature. Listen to this episode before "DLD" and you'll be more apt to notice some of the extremely manipulative techniques used in its making.Donald G Jackson g