The Drunk Projectionist

Ep. 19: Sunset Boulevard

Todd Melby is joined by David M. Lubin to talk about “Sunset Boulevard,” a Hollywood classic. A quick plot summary for those who haven’t seen it: an aging silent film sta

Ep. 18: American Dream

When Hormel cut wages like a buzz saw on a pork shoulder, unionized workers rebelled. Director Barbara Kopple traveled to Austin, Minnesota to document the 1984-85 meatp

Ep. 17: 32 Sounds

In 32 Sounds, director Sam Green listens. He listens to the last male bird of a dying species chirp for a mate that will never arrive. He listens to a man who can almost

Ep. 16: Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life

In "Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life," author James Curtis chronicles the silent star’s private life and pictures, including The General, One Week, The Navigator and Ste

Ep. 15: Shhhh! Silents

On this episode we open our ears to the sounds of silent films with an audio documentary about musicians who compose new scores to movies from a century ago. These compos

Ep. 14: Stephen Park

Before he was Sonny the shopkeeper in Do the Right Thing, or Mike Yanagita in Fargo, or Nescaffier in The French Dispatch, Stephen Park was a confused college student. H

Ep. 13: The Godfather

GF1. That’s what the New Jersey gangsters on The Sopranos called the film. To everyone else, it was The Godfather, a 1972 film that saved Paramount Pictures and catapult

Ep. 12: Shaft

Hotter than Bond. Cooler than Bullitt. In this episode, it's Shaft.

Ep. 11: Shooting Midnight Cowboy

Inspired by John Wayne, a Texas dishwasher named Joe Buck (Jon Voight) buys a cowboy hat, boots and leather jacket for his new life as a New York sex worker. He figures w

Ep. 10: Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas

Bloody. Unnerving. Thrilling. Thirty-plus years after its release, Goodfellas still packs a punch. Or should I say a kick in the head? Martin Scorsese directed the movie

Ep. 9: Vertigo Virgin

Lots of critics think that Alfred Hitchcock’s VERTIGO has no peers. One woman begs to differ.

Ep. 8: Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo

An interview with Brett Harvey, director of "Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo." After struggling with heroin and robbing stores as a teenager, Trejo spent years incarce

Ep. 7: Napoléon

Georges Mourier describes Napoléon as “not just a masterpiece." The Cinémathèque Française restoration expert says the 1927 silent film "is also a monster piece.” Which i

Ep. 6: Albert Serra

The Drunk Projectionist's Todd Melby interviews Albert Serra, the director of "The Death of Louis XIV." The opinionated and entertaining Serra discusses the film's origin

Ep. 5: Charles Burnett

The Drunk Projectionist's Todd Melby interviews Charles Burnett, director of "Killer of Sheep." Critic Terrence Rafferty of GQ called the film "one of the most striking d

Ep: 4 Frederick Wiseman

The Drunk Projectionist's Todd Melby interviews Frederick Wiseman director of "Titicut Follies," a 1967 documentary about a hospital for the criminally insane. In this in

Ep. 3: Fargo

When the Coen Brothers released "Fargo" in 1996, pretty much all of North Dakota and Minnesota got upset. "We don't talk like that," they said. Well, the Drunk Projection

Ep. 2: Barbara Kopple

The Drunk Projectionist's Todd Melby interviews Barbara Kopple, director of "Harlan County USA," her 1976 film about a Kentucky coal miner's strike Kopple talks about her

Ep. 1: Kelly Reichardt

The Drunk Projectionist's Todd Melby interviews Kelly Reichardt, director of "Certain Women" and "Wendy and Lucy." Riechardt discusses sound design, her love of trains, h