Mike ventures deep beneath the surface with director Rob Petit to discuss Underland (2025), a haunting, meditative documentary that charts an extraordinary subterranean journey into the hidden worlds beneath our feet. Narrated by author and co-writer Robert Macfarlane, the film adapts his bestselling book Underland: A Deep Time Journey, bringing to life an awe-inspiring descent into caves, catacombs, glacial crevasses, and underground rivers spanning continents. More than just a travelogue, Underland explores humanity’s relationship with deep time—how we bury our dead, our nuclear waste, and our myths far below the surface.Mike and Petit explore the technical and philosophical challenges of filming underground, the role of sound and narration in shaping the film’s atmosphere, and how Underland uses darkness and silence to confront ecological crisis, mortality, and deep history. A lyrical, unsettling, and urgent cinematic experience, Underland burrows into the mind as much as the earth.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.
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24:44
Episode 748: The Exterminating Angel (1962)
What happens when a lavish dinner party refuses to end? Mike is joined by filmmaker Miguel Llansó and critic Rob St. Mary to unpack the surreal social satire of Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel (1962). In this sharp and strange masterwork, a group of upper-crust guests find themselves mysteriously unable to leave a post-opera gathering—days pass, civility erodes, and Buñuel’s absurdist lens skewers class, ritual, and the thin veneer of order.From sheep in the parlor to the creeping dread of inaction, we discuss the film’s dream logic, religious and political interpretations, and its place in Buñuel’s legendary career. Whether you’re trapped by tradition, status, or just polite company, The Exterminating Angel remains one of cinema’s most biting allegories—and we’re not letting you leave until we’ve talked it through.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.
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1:27:51
Special Report: The Travel Companion (2025)
Mike chats with co-directors Travis Wood and Alex Mallis about their debut feature The Travel Companion (2025), a painfully funny look at friendship, ambition, and emotional unraveling among aspiring filmmakers. The story centers on Simon (Tristan Turner), a struggling documentarian who clings to the one major perk in his life: the free airline travel he enjoys as the designated companion of his best friend and roommate Bruce (Anthony Oberbeck), a flight attendant. When Bruce starts dating the effortlessly cool and talented Beatrice (Naomi Asa), Simon spirals into insecurity and paranoia, terrified of losing his ticket—literally and figuratively.Premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, The Travel Companion marks a sharp, darkly comedic debut for Wood and Mallis, blending deadpan wit with painfully relatable emotional stakes. Mike talks with the directors about their collaborative process, casting from the comedy and indie film worlds, and crafting a story that pokes at the messy, ego-driven realities of creative life.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.
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22:12
Episode 747: Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumber (1972)
We wrap up Maudit May with a look at Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers (1972), a once-lost independent musical that’s recently been restored and released on Blu-ray by the American Genre Film Archive. Directed by Robert J. Kaplan and written by Sandra Scoppettone, the film stars Holly Woodlawn as Eve Harrington, a young woman from Kansas who moves to New York City in search of something more—only to find herself in a strange world of characters who, like her, share names with familiar figures from classic Hollywood.Joining Mike to explore the film’s unconventional structure, layered references, and cultural significance are co-hosts Elizabeth Purchell and Rahne Alexander. The episode also features interviews with screenwriter Sandra Scoppettone and Jeff Copeland, author of Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn, who help contextualize the film’s production and its star’s place in the broader history of queer and underground cinema.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.
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1:35:32
Bonus Interview: Charles Evans Jr.
The day we released The Brave episode, producer Charles Evans Jr. texted me to say that he was sorry he hadn't gotten back to me but wanted to share some memories of making the film. We discussed how the project came to be and his experience making it.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.
The Projection Booth has been recognized as a premier film podcast by The Washington Post, The A.V. Club, IndieWire, Entertainment Weekly, and Filmmaker Magazine. With over 700 episodes to date and an ever-growing fan base, The Projection Booth features discussions of films from a wide variety of genres with in-depth critical analysis while regularly attracting special guest talent eager to discuss their past gems.Visit http://www.projectionboothpodcast.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.
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