In Northern Alaska, Josh Hartnett is fighting vampires to protect his small town in 2007's 30 Days of Night, directed by David Slade. Listen in as Mike Field and Mike Butler discuss this action/horror film; both the good and the bad. The Mikes enjoy the action, the setting, and some of the actors in their roles, but film is plagued by other characters that seem wasted, generic, or just plain useless. Some of the vampire lore that the film attempts to set up also seems to make little sense or contradict itself at times. Field and Butler will talk about some of the character actions seeming to happen just to move the story along and Butler believes that the final act was a big rush job just to wrap it all up. That being said, the Mikes thoroughly enjoy the action, and the story presented within the film. It's a decent film that like a vampire victim's neck, has a lot of holes. So grab your EMF Reader and voice recorder, please notice the ectoplasm puddles to the left and right of you, and float your way into https://www.forgottenentertainment.com/ (Forgotten Horror). 

Forgotten Cinema

30 Days of Night

It's that time of year again! Time to get Spooky y'all!!!!! It's time for the third annual Forgotten Horror! On this first adventure in fear, the Mikes are discussing the 1987 John Carpenter film Prince of Darkness. Join Mike Butler and Mike Field as they discuss the interesting way that the film attempts to blend science fiction and biblical horror. The Mikes also discuss the fantastic use of practical effects in the film and the way that the film succeeds with it's singular location and tight script. They will also talk about some of the less than spectacular performances and a cameo that Butler finds to be a little too much. They'll also agree that the film is rife for a sequel that can also serve as a reboot of sorts without ignoring the original. So press play on this episode if you dare and listen to the Mikes discuss the first Forgotten Horror film that gave Field a nightmare! Mwahahahaha!!!! So grab your crucifix and steak, please notice that sunrise is in about two hours, and sink your teeth into https://www.forgottenentertainment.com/ (Forgotten Horror). 

Prince of Darkness

The Mikes are hunting for a serial killer in Soviet Russia on this episode of Forgotten Cinema as they discuss the 1995 film Citizen X, starring Stephen Rea and Donald Sutherland. An HBO film. You read that right; Mike Butler and Mike Field are doing a "TV" movie!!! Butler was hoodwinked I tells ya! Field tricked him! But the stigma of non-cinema releases aside, Butler believes this is one of the best films that they have covered thus far on the podcast that he has not already seen. Listen in as the Mikes discuss the amazing character arch's of both Sutherland and Rea; their chemistry together and their overall fantastic acting. The writing is also top notch in this film which has a surprising amount of heart and warmth in a film which in itself is about the hunt for a man of pure evil. So grab your popcorn and soda, please notice the exits to the left and right of you, and settle down for https://www.forgottencinemapodcast.com/ (Forgotten Cinema). 

Citizen X

"My God! It's full of stars! That's right, the Mikes are taking on the sequel to what is widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made, 2010: The Year We Make Contact, which was directed, written, and filmed by Peter Hyams and starring Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, and Helen Mirren. Join Mike Butler and Mike Field as they talk about how this film went up against in possible odds; not just in box office competition (although it absolutely did), but also in that it would always be judged, unfairly, against the Stanley Kubrick classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Field and Butler talk about the fantastic acting from Scheider and crew, the fact that this film has a lot of great story to it and tells a story of science and exploration that most films, even today, do not. They'll also discuss how this film, 16 years later, doesn't hold a candle to 2001 special effects-wise and ponder what could be if they continued the series whose book versions have two more sequels. All in all though the Mikes will hopefully convince you to watch an overlooked sequel to a classic that holds up on its own through story, writing, and theme. Special thanks to the Mike's pal, Greg Antonini, who have been pestering them to cover this movie since before they even started recording the podcast. So grab your popcorn and soda, please notice the exits to the left and right of you, and settle down for https://www.forgottencinemapodcast.com/ (Forgotten Cinema). 

2010: The Year We Make Contact

You and the Mikes, you're gonna have a fight. Today. After school. Three o'clock. In the parking lot. You try and run, they're gonna track you down. You go to a teacher, it's only gonna get worse. You sneak home, they're gonna be under your bed. That's right! The Mikes are fighting you! No...wait. Correction. The Mikes are talking about the 1987 cult classic comedy Three O'Clock High, starring Casey Siemaszko and Richard Tyson, and "not" produced by Steven Spielberg. Listen in as Mike Butler and Mike Field discuss why this film has been criminally overlooked by fans of 80's teen comedy. From director Phil Joanou taking inspiration from Martin Scorsese's After Hours and Raging Bull, the use of Tangerine Dreams' score, to the way the film plays out in its final moments of actually having the titular three o'clock fight. The Mikes also discuss how the film eschews typical teen "archetypes" and displays a heightened, but perhaps slightly more realistic look at how high school and being a teenager really works. Butler breaks down why he believes this film is better than many of the John Hughes teen films of the 80's, especially The Breakfast Club and Mike Field argues that had Spielberg kept his name attached to this picture, it would be remembered not as a cult comedy, but a classic comedy. So grab your popcorn and soda, please notice the exits to the left and right of you, and settle down for https://www.forgottencinemapodcast.com/ (Forgotten Cinema). 

Three O'Clock High

"What I want out of each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area." Wait...we're not doing that one. Much to Field's chagrin. The Mikes are discussing the 1998 sequel to The Fugitive, the Stuart Baird directed US Marshals, starring Tommy Lee Jones returning as US Marshal Sam Gerard out to capture Wesley Snipes' fugitive spy, Mark Sheridan. Mike Field can't help but compare this film to 1993 Harrison Ford original; which Mike Butler sees as unfair, but understandable. Listen in as they debate about the character of Sam Gerard, and whether or not he is performing the character in the same way as in the first film. Field and Butler also talk the awesome practical effects and stunt work used in the film, and an original third act that was re-written and reshot due to test audience feedback; a third act that may have been more interesting, more engaging, and more true to the characters that have been on screen for two thirds of the film already. Had they used this ending, maybe we could have seen more films with Sam Gerard and his Marshals. So grab your popcorn and soda, please notice the exits to the left and right of you, and settle down for https://www.forgottencinemapodcast.com/ (Forgotten Cinema). 

US Marshals

Hey...come here...come here. The Mikes are getting uncomfortable in this episode of Forgotten Cinema as they discuss the Jack Black/James Marsden film you didn't know existed; The D Train. Join Mike Butler and Mike Field as they talk about how the film is filled with uncomfortable moments of both comedy and drama that makes Butler feel uncomfortable. That being said, both Mikes agree that this is a film worth watching. From an overused premise of trying to look cool for your high school reunion, the film has a twist that turns the film on its head; making D Train a very unique and original film that you don't want to miss and that the Mikes don't want to spoil for you....but you know...they will. That's their job. To talk about the movie. So grab your popcorn and soda, please notice the exits to the left and right of you, and settle down for https://www.forgottencinemapodcast.com/ (Forgotten Cinema). 

The D Train

The Mikes are taking on some assumed identities and running away from a crime they did indeed commit...but this time, they're taking the whole family!!! That's essentially the plot of this week's episode of Forgotten Cinema, as they discuss the 1988 Sidney Lumet film Running on Empty starring River Pheonix, Judd Hirsch, and Christine Lahti. Listen in as Mike Butler and Mike Field talk facts and their opinion on Butler's fiance's (Elyse from Crackin' One Open) first audience choice selection. The Mikes are super impressed with all of the performances in this film, especially from Pheonix and Lahti. Butler believes Lahti was robbed of an Oscar nod (Pheonix was nominated). The performers have done their homework and know their characters inside and out. Its in the story and writing that Field and Butler sometimes run into some issues. But overall this is a great film where the performances alone should be reason enough to check it out, or give it a revisit. So grab your popcorn and soda, please notice the exits to the left and right of you, and settle down for https://www.forgottencinemapodcast.com/ (Forgotten Cinema).  Listen to Elyse (and Butler again) on https://crackin-one-open.captivate.fm (Crackin' One Open) at https://www.forgottenentertainment.com/ (ForgottenEntertainment.com) or wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Running on Empty

Is this a frying pan which I see before me? The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee! I have thee not and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal burger cooker sensible to feeling as to sight? Or art thou but a frying pan of the hunger, a false creation, proceeding from the burger-deprived stomach? Burgers? Macbeth? That's right. It's 2001's Scotland, PA; an indie film that takes McDonalds and makes it McBeths....get it? Like...Macbe...ok, moving on. Mike Field and Mike Butler discuss the film and how it succeeds at adapting it's subject matter. Butler needs it to be a bit closer to Shakespeare's original tragedy, leaving the goofy jokes aside and letting the seriousness of taking place in a burger joint making it a funnier dark comedy. Field believes that the jokes work and that the adaptation should take it's language and story further from the source material. While both Mikes have differing opinions on the main bones of the story, they both agree that the acting by James Le Gross, Maura Tierney, Christopher Walken, and Kevin Corrigan is top notch as well as the style and 1970's flair that director Billy Morrissette brings to this..."delicious" tragedy. Damn, now I want a large #4 with a Coke. So grab your popcorn and soda, please notice the exits to the left and right of you, and settle down for https://www.forgottencinemapodcast.com/ (Forgotten Cinema). 

Scotland, PA

This week, the Mikes talk about the most recent movie on the show thus far, Bad Times at the El Royale, directed by Drew Goddard starring Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, and a whole lot more. To the east, you have Mike Butler; a man who loves this eccentric, slick, well acted original picture that enjoys its characters, tale, and atmosphere. To the west, there's Mike Field; a man who likes this film, yet constantly boards the Train of Negativity as he pokes holes all over the story, questions style, character, story, and cinematography choices. That's right...it's gonna be one of those episodes! So grab your popcorn and soda, please notice the exits to the left and right of you, and settle down for https://www.forgottencinemapodcast.com/ (Forgotten Cinema). 

Bad Times at the El Royale

The Mikes are popping their collars, moving to New York, and climbing to the top of 1987 Wall Street while taking a look at the "oh so eighties" comedy starring Michael J Fox, The Secret of My Success. Join Mike Butler and Mike Field as they discuss the eighties-ness of it all! From the style of the clothes to the style of the film itself; the use of montage and music, the ridiculousness of the situations. Also, unfortunately with the "that's so eighties" comes the not so great parts of it; the less-than okay dialogue and scenes, especially regarding the treatment of some of the women in this film. The Mikes also debate such important topics as whether or not Michael J Fox was a teenage heartthrob? Could you make this film today? Does anyone born after 1995 know what a yuppie is? And the most important question of all; how does Michael J Fox take his pants off over his shoes so fast? All these topics and more on this season 10 premiere!!! So grab your popcorn and soda, please notice the exits to the left and right of you, and settle down for https://www.forgottencinemapodcast.com/ (Forgotten Cinema). 

The Secret of My Success

In this Spotlight compendium to their Titan AE episode, the Mikes are talking about some of their favorite animated films that are targeted at both kids and adults. Mike Field and Mike Butler talk about films that were not just animated films with a few jokes that go over a kid's head, but ones that are meant for the entire family, kids and adults to enjoy (at least) nearly equally. The Mikes list films such as the Toy Story films, Inside Out, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and more as they discuss these films not pandering to their adolescent audience and finding themes that work for an audience regardless of age. They also bring up that as an adult its important to keep some wonder, and childhood whimsy; to not become someone that your younger self would no longer recognize. So grab your concessions, find your seat and get read for https://my.captivate.fm/forgottencinemapodcast.com (Forgotten Cinema: Spotlight)!

Spotlight - Animated Films for Kids & Adults

All good things must come to an end, and like the changing of the seasons, so must go our Forgotten Summer season. But first, the Mikes are blasting off into space, watching Earth blow up, and avoiding weird electric aliens as they search for the only ship that can save mankind in Don Bluth's 2000 animated adventure film Titan AE, starring the voice talent of Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Bill Pullman, and Janeane Garofalo (in her 4th FC film). Mike Butler and Mike Field discuss how this film was marketed as a new paradigm shift in blockbuster films; not just for kids, not just for adults. A big budget action adventure for the whole family using the latest and greatest in animation. Unfortunately the film was riddled with behind the scenes woes; from the firing of its original director to the rushing of it's new directors, including legendary animation director Don Bluth. Titan AE is a film filled with potential...potential buried by plot holes, bad dialogue, questionable character choices and a strange mix of animation styles (partly to do with my different animation studios used to rush production). As Mike Field brings up in this episode, if a reboot were done to redo the mistakes made on a previously flawed film that brimmed with potential...this is it. A diamond in the rough, filled with promised, marred by issues. So pack up your beach toys, put that cover on your pool, notice the pumpkin-spiced everything ads to the left and right of you, and settle down for the final episode of https://my.captivate.fm/Forgottencinemapodcast.com (Forgotten Summer)!

Titan AE

In this Spotlight compendium to their Layer Cake episode, the Mikes are talking British gangster films, both with and without an accent...just kidding....mostly... Mike Field and Mike Butler point out some awesome British gangster films that you should see and some that they want to see as well, while at the same time talking about what it is that makes a British gangster film different than their crime family brothers from across the pond. From the style of the films, to the the fact that there is almost a language of their own within the film. Many of these films also deal with different themes and have characters dealing with issues that might be slightly different than the usual crime film. They also tend to be a bit more fun and cheeky than their American gangster counterparts. So grab your concessions, find your seat and get read for https://my.captivate.fm/forgottencinemapodcast.com (Forgotten Cinema: Spotlight)!

Spotlight - British Gangster Films

The Mikes are taking a journey across the pond on the penultimate episode of Forgotten Summer as they take a look at one of Mike Butler's favorite films; the Matthew Vaughn directed, Daniel Craig starring Layer Cake. Listen in as Mike Butler and Mike Field discuss this 2004 (2005 in the States) British gangster film and the first film directed by Vaughn; who was previously a producer on Guy Ritchie's films. The Mikes notice similarities in both directors' styles, but they also vary in different ways. Butler talks about how this is the film that made Daniel Craig the top choice to play James Bond in Casino Royale. There's also numerous plot lines and the stories of the past of many of the OG gangsters in the film to talk about; some are successfully explored, while others are super interesting, but leave the audience wanting. Butler also discusses the tremendous acting talent behind the film; Colm Meaney, Michael Gambon, Burn Gorman, Kenneth Cranham, and George Harris. This film has an incredible pool of talent all at the top of their game. So grab your ice cream, please notice the surfboards to the left and right of you, and settle down for https://my.captivate.fm/Forgottencinemapodcast.com (Forgotten Summer)!

Layer Cake

Welcome to Forgotten Cinema! Each episode, Mike Field and Mike Butler highlight a film that for a variety of reasons was forgotten by audiences. Whether it be because a more popular movie was released at the same time or the movie simply didn’t catch on with an audience in the its initial run. We’ll discuss what we love about the movie or perhaps don’t love about it and decide whether the movie is worth a revisit.

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Forgotten Cinema

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