//podcastplus.net/feed/welcome-to-the-party-pal-the-mind-bending-film-television-podcast-you-didnt-know-you-needed~cd5903c1 Welcome to the Party Pal is the mind-bending film and television podcast you didn’t know you needed. Hosted by Mitch Lucas (filmmaker) and Michael Shields (writer/editor), WTTPP is a celebration of the art of cinema and filmmaking, where movies and television shows are meticulously dissected and analyzed to evaluate their grandeur (or, conversely when necessary, lament their shortcomings). Guests will include the filmmakers and industry insiders that craft the works of art that inhabit the current zeitgeist. All spoilers, all the time...listeners be warned! Sun, 09 Aug 2026 12:54:18 +0000 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode69-tedlasso/media.mp3 In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, host Michael Shields, with the help of film/television enthusiast and podcaster Jonathan Hart, celebrates Ted Lasso , the comedy series developed by Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis, Joe Kelly and Brendan Hunt, based on a character of the same name that Sudeikis first portrayed in a series of promos for NBC Sports' coverage of the Premier League. The Apple TV breakout hit finds American college football coach Ted Lasso recruited to coach an English Premier League team, AFC Richmond, despite having no experience in association football. In this episode Michael and Jonathan explore just what is so special about this unassuming sports comedy while hailing its eclectic cast, musing on Lasso's knack for locker room speeches, and marveling about the bounty of "Lasso-isms" found within one of the most heartwarming shows on television. Jonath... Thu, 14 Jan 2021 09:20:00 +0000 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode69-tedlasso/media.mp3 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode68-sweetsmellofsuccess/media.mp3 In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, film historian and host Christian Niedan, with the help of editor and culture journalist Dante A. Ciampaglia, celebrate the 1957 cult classic Sweet Smell of Success .  Sweet Smell of Success  is a noir drama film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner, and written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and Mackendrick from the novelette by Lehman. The darkened noir cinematography filmed on location in New York City was shot by James Wong Howe. The film tells the story of powerful and sleazy newspaper columnist J.J. Hunsecker (portrayed by Lancaster and based on Walter Winchell) who uses his connections to ruin his sister's relationship with a man he deems unworthy of her. The musical score was arranged and conducted by Elmer Bern... Fri, 08 Jan 2021 00:43:41 +0000 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode68-sweetsmellofsuccess/media.mp3 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode67-aholidaymoviecelebration/media.mp3 In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, host Michael Shields, with the help of the podcaster behind the Daddy Unscripted Podcast , Timothy Wheaton, celebrates a bevy of movies that are brimming with all the feels, ones that have become profoundly embedded in American's year end rituals and celebrations. Throughout this ode to Holiday / Christmas films, you will find Michael and Timothy diving deep into a slew of holiday favorites including Elf , Scrooged , National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation , Die Hard , Love Actually , It's a Wonderful Life , and A Christmas Story (amongst others!). They also focus their yuletide cheer upon a collection of holiday movie "outliers" as well as noteworthy blockbusters targeted at December audiences. Ultimately, and once and for all, they pin down exactly what film is deserving of the title: The Best Holiday Film of All Time. 
  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Thu, 17 Dec 2020 07:40:00 +0000 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode67-aholidaymoviecelebration/media.mp3 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode66-afaceinthecrowd/media.mp3 In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, host Michael Shields — with the help of actor / comedian / writer / director and host of the podcast God Ween Evan , Will Nunziata — dissects  A Face in the Crowd , the 1957 film starring Andy Griffith (in his film debut), Patricia Neal, and Walter Matthau, and directed by Elia Kazan ( Gentleman's Agreement, On The Waterfront , East of Eden , A Streetcar Named Desire ). The story centers on Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, a drifter who is discovered by the producer of a small-market radio program in rural northeast Arkansas. Rhodes ultimately rises to great fame and influence on national television, but at a great cost. In this episode Michael and Will explore the themes present in the movie that are relevant fifty years after the film premiered. They examine how a film that while funny, embracing of a doomed romantic narrative and a captivating rags to riches tale,... Fri, 04 Dec 2020 07:40:47 +0000 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode66-afaceinthecrowd/media.mp3 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode61-anhonestliar-fforfake/media.mp3 In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal host Michael Shields, with the help of film historian Christian Niedan, delves into the nature of truth, and of art, and of the fine line that exists between deception and entertainment. To do this properly, two documentaries that expose the craft of deception are analyzed. First up, An Honest Liar,  a documentary about the world-famous magician, escape artist, and world-renowned enemy of deception, James "The Amazing" Randi. Next,  F for Fake is examined, a free-form documentary by Orson Welles where the legendary filmmaker reengages with the central preoccupation of his career: the tenuous lines between illusion and truth, art and lies. Beginning with portraits of the world-renowned art forger Elmyr de Hory and his equally devious biographer, Clifford Irving, Welles embarks on a dizzying journey that simultaneously exposes and revels in fakery and fakers of all stripes. Utilizing the content of these two thought-provoking documenta... Thu, 17 Sep 2020 06:40:21 +0000 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode61-anhonestliar-fforfake/media.mp3 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode59-perrymason/media.mp3 In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, hosts Michael Shields and Justin Wells focus their aim at the period drama television show Perry Mason , based on the character of the same name created by Erle Stanley Gardner. The series premiered in June on HBO and was developed and written by Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald. Starring Matthew Rhys in the title role, Perry Mason explores the origin tale of the famed defense lawyer. As the story goes, in 1932, Los Angeles was prospering while the rest of the U.S. was recovering from the grip of the Great Depression. Down-and-out private investigator Perry Mason is struggling with his trauma from World War I and from his recent divorce. Mason is hired for a sensational child kidnapping trial and his investigation portends major consequences for Mason, his client, and the city itself. Besides Rhys ( The Americans ), Perry Mason also stars Juliet Rylance, John Lithgow, Shea Whigham, Tatiana Maslany ( Orphan Black ), Chris Chalk, and Stephen Root. It is dir... Thu, 03 Sep 2020 15:14:05 +0000 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode59-perrymason/media.mp3 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode57-mostdangerousgame/media.mp3 In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, host Michael Shields, with the help of film historian Christian Niedan, explore the numerous adaptations of Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game" (also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff"). The renowned tale features a big-game hunter from New York City who falls off a yacht and swims to what seems to be an abandoned and isolated island in the Caribbean, where he is hunted by a Russian aristocrat. Launching into the discussion with an examination of the 1932 RKO Pictures film The Most Dangerous Game , starring Joel McCrea and Leslie Banks, Michael and Christian dissect what is so compelling about a story which combines psychological savagery with enthralling action. Further exhibiting the allure and timelessness of Connell’s story, the hosts examine the innovative 1994 remake Surviving the Game which was directed by Ernest R. Dickerson and stars Ice-T, Rutger Hauer, and Gary Busey. The episode culminates with a discussion centering on the ... Thu, 06 Aug 2020 10:49:40 +0000 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode57-mostdangerousgame/media.mp3 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode55-fellinis81-2/media.mp3 In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal, hosts Mitch Lucas and Michael Shields explore the 1963 Italian surrealist comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini,  8 1⁄2 . It stars Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi, a famous Italian film director who suffers from stifled creativity as he attempts to direct an epic science fiction film.  8 1⁄2 is shot in black and white by cinematographer Gianni Di Venanzo and features a captivating soundtrack by Nino Rota. The film classic won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Costume Design (black-and-white). It was among the top 10 on BFI's The Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time list, ranked third in a 2002 poll of film directors conducted by the British Film Institute, and is widely hailed as one of the most com... Mon, 20 Jul 2020 12:27:42 +0000 https://sphinx.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode55-fellinis81-2/media.mp3 https://media.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode51-theleftovers-seasonone/media.mp3 In the first of a three part series breaking down the meticulously crafted and thought provoking HBO series The Leftovers , hosts Chris Thompson and Michael Shields seek to interpret one of the most penetrating television shows of all time. The Leftovers is the supernatural mystery drama created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, based on Perrotta's novel of the same name. The series begins three years after the "Sudden Departure," a global event that resulted in 2% of the world's population disappearing. In season one, police chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), his family, grieving widow Nora Durst (Carrie Coon) and her brother, reverend Matt Jamison (Christopher Eccleston), are the focal points who struggle to adjust to life after the Departure. Uniquely, on lockdown in the age of Covid-19 is an apropos time to re-examine the weighty themes present in The Leftovers . The mysterious worldwide event that acts as the foundation of the series now fashions itself chillingly relatable, as the Departure ... Fri, 15 May 2020 15:15:46 +0000 https://media.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode51-theleftovers-seasonone/media.mp3 https://media.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode44-anianmckellentribute/media.mp3 I an Mckellen is a legend of stage and cinema. He has incredibly starred in over four hundred plays and films and he is that rare character actor that awes in each and every performance. McKellen is a celebrity of such distinguished political and social service that it has transcended his international fame to reach beyond the stage and screen. The breadth of his career — professional, personal and political — has been truly staggering. Sci-fi and fantasy fans know him as Gandalf from the Lord of The Rings and Magneto from the Marvel X-Men series of films. Theater lovers know of McKellen’s roles as Macbeth, King Lear, and Estragon in the truly fantastic Waiting For Godot . From his West End acting debut in 1964 in James Saunders’s A Scent of Flowers , to the day he took Broadway by storm when he played Antonio Salieri in Peter Shaffer’s Tony-Award-winning play Amadeus , to his many turns on screen, McKellen is an international treasure and icon, and it is because of this that Welcome To ... Thu, 19 Mar 2020 16:49:05 +0000 https://media.acast.com/welcometothepartypal/episode44-anianmckellentribute/media.mp3