Full Cast And Crew
Film, TV & Pop Culture
About
Proudly independent and ad-free since 2018, the Full Cast and Crew Podcast stands out in a crowded field by focussing on emotional reactions to films as much as it shares the entertaining anecdotes behind their making and seeks to place movie in context with our shared experiences as filmgoers coming of age in the 70's and 80's and beyond.
Episodes
- 286. 'The Times of Harvey Milk' (1984)
Rob Epstein and Richard Schmiechen's 1984 documentary about the life and shocking 1978 killing of San Francisco gay activist and Board of Supervisors member Harvey Milk is one of the great American documentaries and a still-vital example o…
- 285. 'Misery' Commentary Track
Watch-along by pressing play when I say, or simply enjoy the auditory delights of listening to me comment along with 'Misery' and fill in the anecdotes, line readings, thoughts and questions that arise.
- 284. Movies I've Never Seen: 'Misery' (1990)
Yeah, so I never saw 'Misery'. Did I miss anything? Find out in this breezy, bubbly, downright Liberace-esque episode, where, in an admittedly hacky concept, I watch a movie I've never seen and then tell you all about what I thought.
- 283. 'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975) Part 2: The Real Story
In the second of my two-parter on Dog Day Afternoon, we get out of the fictional universe of the film and explore the real people behind the characters shown onscreen. John Wojtowicz' life proved truly stranger and more depressingly pedest…
- 282. 'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975) Part 1: The Film
Sidney Lumet's 1975 masterpiece of naturalistic filmmaking is many things: a bank robbery procedural, a time capsule of 1970's NYC political and economic movements, a groundbreaking cinematic portrayal of a leading gay character, and maybe…
- 281. [Indistinct Chatter] 5/8
[the week's collected thoughts] Climbing Docs I recommend: The Dark Wizard (HBO) Assault on El Capitan (Prime) Fine Lines (Prime) The Alpinist (Prime) Valley Uprising (Prime) The Summit (Prime) Meru (Prime) The White Mountain (Prime)
- 280. Sacred Cows: The Star Wars Films
In the second of my infrequently recurring series, Sacred Cows, I'm taking a look anew at Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
- 279. 'Miami Vice' (2006)
Wrapping up the South Beach sojurn into the world of Miami Vice (at least until the Michael B Jordan/Austin Butler film 'Miami Vice 85' comes out next year) with a revisit of Michael Mann's 2006 film. Mann started from a place of "what if…
- 278. [indistinct chatter] 4/24
Welcome to the existential wormhole that IS [indistinct chatter]...a new regular Friday drop covering topical and episodic ephemera. THIS WEEK: "Judgement" at Nuremberg indeed; the Hershey biopic you knew you didn't need or want; despite r…
- 277. The 'Miami Vice' Pilot Episode (1984)
I've long wanted to revisit some of the great episodes of the Miami Vice TV series, and to find out if it's more influential than truly "great". So I finally did, and the result is a Roland Jazz Chorus-and-pastel-linen-suit-jacket infused…
- 276. Choices Were Made: 'Nuremberg' (2025) & 'Judgement At Nuremberg' (1961)
Two different films tackle the same subject matter with wildly divergent results. You might be surprised which one is a vibrant, shockingly modern film that ranks amongst the greatest courtroom dramas ever made.
- 275. 'Pulp Fiction': Still Crazy After All These Years
You see this watch? I hadn't seen Pulp Fiction probably since it came out in 1994, so when my family (including a teenager) wanted to watch it this weekend I wondered if it would hold up and if it would hold the attention of today's kids.…
- 274. Sacred Cows: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Since I contain multitudes, have run out of ideas, and since I aspire the podcast to embody Paul Krassner's iconic satirical magazine The Realist's motto of "Irreverrance is our only sacred cow", I am debuting the first in a series of occa…
- 273. 'My Cousin Vinny' (1992)
Somehow, I've never seen this film before for reasons to do with "the 90's" as described in the episode. What a great experience to watch a ruthlessly efficient screenplay in the hands of such an excellent and fun cast. Plus, it turns out…
- 272. Emergency Episode: The Bachman Twist Pretzel Crisis of 2026
In this urgent plea for understanding in these troubled times, I veer off the normal charted waters of the podcast and into the knotty, twisted reality of a dawning awareness that all has not been as it seemed in the world of my most belov…
- 271. Abbas Kiarostami's 'Close-up' (1990)
One of the greatest, most thought-provoking yet totally accessible films is this masterpiece of cinema from Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami. It's the true story of a Tehran man who impersonates a famous filmmaker and convinces a family…
- 270. Robert Duvall in 'The Godfather Part II'
From Senator Geary to Frankie Five Angels, Duvall's Tom Hagen navigated a twisty and often dirty road in the second Godfather film. Watching the movie through the lens of Tom Hagen, it's clear tha the film in its own way really focusses on…
- 269. 'Night of the Juggler' (1980)
'Night of the Juggler' is either one of the best 70's film titles or one of the worst. Honestly I enjoy it, for it's uniqueness and complete (well...near complete) relevence to the film's plot. It's certainly memorable, if not directly spe…
- 268. Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen in 'The Godfather'
Robert Duvall passed away at the age of 95 after more than 60 years as a working actor at the highest levels. One quick way to pay tribute to him is to revisit perhaps his most iconic and substantive role, that of Tom Hagen in The Godfathe…
- 267. 'Hooper' (1978)
Choosing 'Hooper' out of a combination of desperation and momentary podcast apathy, and seeking a distraction and light entertainment, I discover instead a beautifully realized love letter to Hollywood stunt performers inside an impressive…
- 266. American Movie (1999)
Chris Smith and Sarah Price's Sundance-winning first documentary feature, 'American Movie,' remains an iconic and thoroughly modern film to revisit or to experience for the first time. Like all truly great documentaries, it's ostensibly ab…
- 265. Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
The sequel to Denis Villeneuve's 'Sicaro' is an impressive off-ramp from the first film's focus on drug cartels trafficking narcotics and stacking bodies. Italian director Stefano Sollima (Gomorra, ZeroZeroZero) focuses more intently on Jo…
- 264. Sicario (2015)
Denis Villeneuve's film 'Sicario' remains a vital and prescient glimpse into extra-judicial Governmental activities and the blurring of lines on both sides of the drug war, all brilliantly rendered by top-notch cinematography from Roger De…
- 262. Paul Newman in 'Nobody's Fool' (1994)
For my final episode of 2025, it's 'Nobody's Fool' one of my favorite films, and a true comfort watch in keeping with the theme of last week's episode. Sweet, subtle, well-cast and directed, and slyly much more than it seems, it's both a p…
- 261. Comfort Content For Troubled Times
The news is unrelenting. Shootings in Bondi Beach. Terror in the classrooms at Brown University. The terrible deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife in LA. The news is shocking and we become numb to the rippling effects but our minds and bodies…
- 260. Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' (1960)
From a chance viewing of Saul Bass' iconic 'Psycho' titles on TCM sprung this exploration of the straightforward, human experience of watching 'Psycho' with an eye and ear towards how audience expectations were stoked and then subverted by…
- 259. 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' Part 3
This final episode about Milos Forman's brilliant and deeper-than-expected masterpiece adaptation of Ken Kesey's very 1960's novel explores the subtle emotional power of the film's editing and how it establishes certain critical scenes. Pr…
- 258. 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' Part 2
Part 2 of my deep dive into Milos Forman's incredible 1975 film 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'. In Part 2 I get into a handful of scenes from the first third of the film: the introduction of Nurse Ratched, the first time we meet McMurph…
- 257. 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' Part 1: Commitment
Leaving behind one iconic adaptation of a popular novel in 'The Exorcist' and picking up another with this introductory episode about 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest', Milos Forman and Bo Goldman's film based on Ken Kesey's counter-cultur…
- 256. 'The Exorcist' Part 4: Absolution
Finishing up my four-part exploration of The Exorcist, this episode considers the film's exorcism scenes, its ambiguous ending, and lasting legacy. My newfound appreciation for the towering achievement represented by this film is perhaps n…
- 255. 'The Exorcist' Part 3: Film, Faith & Foreboding
In Part 3 of my multi-part deep dive re-exploration of William Friedkin's 1973 masterpiece 'The Exorcist' I take a detailed look at the filmmaking in the first half of the movie. Considering the Northern Iraq sequence, the Georgetown seque…
- 254. 'The Exorcist' Part 2: Rewatch
The 2nd episode in a series of episodes about 'The Exorcist' is inspired by my rewatch of the film. My original plan: to meticulously dissect each of three sections of the film in three subsequent episodes. My new plan? To get this episode…
- 253. 'The Exorcist' Part 1: Origins
In this first of a multi-part exploration of William Friedkin's ground-breaking and massively successful adaptation of William Peter Blatty's best-selling novel 'The Exorcist': Friedkin & DP Owen Roizman coming off 'The French Connection'…
- 252. 'Back To The Future' (Part 2)
Here's the 2nd and final episode of my 'Back to the Future' revisit, enjoy! Huey Lewis guitarist Chris Hayes plays his signature parts from 'Power of Love'.
- 251. 'Back to the Future' (Part 1)
It's the 40th Anniversary of 'Back to the Future' and I read a review of Michael J. Fox's brief new memoir about the making of the film, and about his life before, during, and just after the film's release. This sent me to finally watch 20…
- 250. 'Tropic Thunder'
Like a thunderbolt from another dimension, a dimension where $90 million-dollar comedies with top-tier talent and a first-class, Oscar-winning cinematographer combine with an expensive location shoot in Hawaii (standing in for Viet Nam) to…
- 249. Diane Keaton in 'Annie Hall'
Diane Keaton died over the weekend at the age of 79, and it's been fascinating to read her various obituaries and memories of her being shared. Also interesting to contemplate what a singular presence she was for more than 50 years on stag…
- 248. 'Drugstore Cowboy' (1989)
Gus Van Sant's 2nd feature, starring Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, James Le Gros, Heather Graham, William S. Burroughs, James Remar, and Max Perlich.
- 247. 'Jeremiah Johnson' (1972)
Continuing the Redford Appreciation Episodes with a revisit of Sydney Pollack and Robert Redford's 1972 deceptively revisionist Western, 'Jeremiah Johnson'. Shaped by Redford and Pollack from an apparently off-the-wall John Milius screenpl…
- 246. Robert Redford & 'All Is Lost' (2013)
JC Chandor's 2nd feature film after 'Margin Call' was 2013's sailing-catastrophe film 'All Is Lost', and it's a unique film in that it has virtually no dialogue and a single cast member in Robert Redford, who delivers a tour-de-force of no…
- 245. Robert Redford is Dead at 89
I'm joined by Charles Fleming, LA-based writer, author and returning FCAC guest to talk about todays news of the death of Robert Redford. We discuss Redford's extraordinary career and difference-making life, including his environmental act…
- 244. Empathy and Revisiting 'Brother's Keeper' (1992)
Recent events have gotten me thinking about Roger Ebert's quote about movies being empathy machines, bringing us closer to people we might think we have nothing in common with. When I first saw the Berlinger/Sinofsky documentary 'Brother's…
- 243. 'Making Monsters' With KNB FX Founder Howard Berger and co-author Marshall Julius
Howard Berger and Marshall Julius have a brilliant new book out called 'Making Monsters: Inside Stories From The Creators of Hollywood's Most Iconic Creatures'. It's an indispensable oral history and visually spectacular compendium of Holl…
- 242. 'Videodrome' (1983)
David Cronenberg's 'Videodrome' remains a shockingly prescient vision of the world we're living in now: technology overlords using computerized developments for their own nefarious means...except in the case of 1983 Toronto, personal enric…
- 241. Just Kids
I recently learned of the senseless death of a friend from elementary school—someone I hadn't seen in over forty years. His name was Joe Kane. The news reached across all that time and unexpectedly unlocked a reservoir of childhood emotion…
- 240. 'A Civil Action' (1998)
Here's the next episode in a little courtroom-drama jag I've been on; it's about the second of screenwriter Steven Zaillian's three directorial efforts, 'A Civil Action', from Zaillian's adaptation of the best-selling Jonathan Harr nonfict…
- 239. Dead & Company 60th Anniversary Shows, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA
Dead & Company's 60th Anniversary three-show stand is an opportunity to talk about about the living history that the band's music represents, the ongoing and still-vital multi-generational pull of the concerts, which drew about 175,000 peo…
- 238. John Grisham's The Rainmaker
In 1996, Francis Ford Coppola needed the money. He was coming off a run of films that included The Godfather Part III, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Jack. His critical and box office results were at a career nadir. So he agreed to direct an a…
- 237. '2010 The Year We Make Contact'
Well, it's come to this. Was it curiosity? Was is discovery? A sense of completism? Oxygen deprivation? Whatever it was, I've now watched '2010: The Year We Make Contact' and I leave it for you to decide whether I'm any better for it.