Supporting Characters

Bill Ackerman talks to writers, bloggers, podcasters, publishers, programmers & more about creative endeavors & film culture.

James Laczkowski James Laczkowski

Episode 39: Ela Bittencourt

Bill speaks to film critic and curator Ela Bittencourt about her many pursuits, from programming the Neither/Nor Polish retrospective at True/False Film Fest and the LGBTQ Brazil series at the Museum Of The Moving Image, to writing for publications like Slant and Film Comment and creating the website Lyssaria to call attention to the work of young filmmakers. Other topics include: Polish Cinema in the 1990s, hybrid documentaries, Andrzej Zulawski, the importance of good editors and the childhood experience of playing an extra in an Andrzej Wajda movie.

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James Laczkowski James Laczkowski

Episode 38: Eric Allen Hatch

Bill speaks to writer and film programmer Eric Allen Hatch about his many endeavors, from writing criticism for Baltimore’s City Paper to his years serving as director of programming for the Maryland Film Festival. Topics discussed include the Filmmaker Magazine piece “Why I Am Hopeful”, The Red Room Collective, Video Americain, Skizz Cyzyk and MicroCineFest, Beyond Video, Baltimore Museum Of Art’s Free First Thursdays film series, memes and social media, POSSESSION, Metrograph, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and the need for community engagement as a programmer.

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James Laczkowski James Laczkowski

Episode 37: Bill Lustig

Bill speaks with filmmaker and Blue Underground CEO Bill Lustig about his many experiences in film, from his childhood experiences on 42nd Street regular to directing cult favorites like MANIAC and VIGILANTE and working in home video with companies like Anchor Bay Entertainment. Topics discussed include Netflix, character actors, ALICE SWEET ALICE, filming car chases with Randy Jurgensen, character actors, the differences between East and West Coast adult films of the 1970s, Duke Mitchell, TRUE ROMANCE and  the economic realities of the home video business.

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James Laczkowski James Laczkowski

Episode 36: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

Bill speaks with critic and author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas about her many pursuits, from co-founding Fiend Magazine and writing books like RAPE-REVENGE FILMS and FOUND FOOTAGE HORROR FILMS to editing for Senses Of Cinema and co-curating the Pioneering Women program on Australian women filmmakers of the 1980’s and 1990’s. Topics covered include: Carol Clover, Plato’s Cave, date movies, masks, MEGAN IS MISSING, writing and editing tips, Hal Hartley, THE STENDHAL SYNDROME, Graveyard Shift Sisters and the predatory behavior of Pepé Le Pew. 

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James Laczkowski James Laczkowski

Episode 35: Michael Brooke

Bill speaks with film writer and DVD/Blu-Ray producer Michael Brooke about his various endeavors, from his years at Hampstead’s Everyman Cinema and the BFI to producing Blu-Ray releases for labels like Arrow Video and Indicator. Topics covered include: London repertory cinemas of the 1980s, Béla Bartók, revisionist video transfers, Ken Russell, video label economics and limited editions, Mehelli Modi and Second Run DVD, Jan Švankmajer, Channel 4's adventurous 1980s programming, audio commentaries, The Quay Brothers and how testing pasta shells for your children can lead you to reconsider appearing on camera.

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James Laczkowski James Laczkowski

Episode 34: Maitland McDonagh

Bill speaks with author, critic and publisher Maitland McDonagh about her creative pursuits, from the origins of books like THE 50 MOST EROTIC FILMS OF ALL TIME and the landmark BROKEN MIRRORS/BROKEN MINDS: THE DARK DREAMS OF DARIO ARGENTO to blogging for TV Guide and founding 120 Days Books. Topics covered include: ballet, COLUMBIA FILM REVIEW, Times Square grindhouse culture, Dennis Gifford’s A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF HORROR MOVIES, writing for TV Guide, contemporary horror films, film theory, DARKER THAN AMBER, cat counselors and Abel Ferrara’s approach to ensuring a quiet setting for an interview.

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James Laczkowski James Laczkowski

Episode 33: Alan Jones

Bill speaks with film journalist, critic and film festival programmer Alan Jones about some of his many endeavors, from writing childhood film diaries to co-directing the UK's largest International genre film festival. Topics covered include: Dario Argento, The Portobello Hotel, punk rock, auditioning for Russ Meyer, CARRIE, the BFI, Guillermo del Toro, disco and Jones’ forthcoming book DISCO MANIA for Nicolas Winding Refn, Asia Argento, visiting film locations, and how following the writing advice of Jackie Collins can allow you to accept the pleasures of alliteration.

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James Laczkowski James Laczkowski

Episode 32: Ashley West

Bill speaks to The Rialto Report’s Ashley West. West explains how his ongoing documentary project detailing the birth of the adult film industry in New York put him on the path to recording audio commentaries with figures like Radley Metzger, consulting on the HBO series THE DEUCE and co-founding The Rialto Report, a collection of podcasts, articles and photographs chronicling the history of the golden age of adult film. Other topics covered include: fanzines, the field recordings of Alan Lomax, the adult film work of Wes Craven, BOOGIE NIGHTS and more!

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James Laczkowski James Laczkowski

Episode 31: Molly Haskell

Bill talks to author and film critic Molly Haskell about some of the many contributions she’s made to film culture, from writing film criticism for publications like The Village Voice and Vogue to developing books like her landmark FROM REVERENCE TO RAPE: THE TREATMENT OF WOMEN IN THE MOVIES and the recent STEVEN SPIELBERG: A LIFE IN FILMS.

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James Laczkowski James Laczkowski

Episode 30: Heather Buckley

Bill talks to film journalist, special effects supervisor, podcaster and award-winning home video supplements producer Heather Buckley. They discuss her path from writing for Dread Central to co-producing the forthcoming feature film THE RANGER. Other topics include: J. Hoberman and Jonathan Rosenbaum’s book MIDNIGHT MOVIES, punk rock, Martin Scorsese, and more!

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