Podcast – Podcasting Them Softly

The Auteur Series: Abel Ferrara’s Short Films & 9 Lives of a Wet Pussy

May 19, 2021May 19, 2021 by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Podcast

Frank and Dr. Crain are back with a soft reboot of our Abel Ferrara Auteur series. This time we’re doing it right and starting off with Abel Ferrara’s short films: Nicky’s Film, The Hold Up, and Could This Be Love which are available and both screened by Frank and Patrick via the Cult Epics release that also includes the Driller Killer and the trailer for Nine Lives of a Wet Pussy. We also cover Abel Ferrara’s first feature, the adult film Nine Lives of a Wet Pussy which was beautifully released by Vinegar Syndrome.

For Your Ears Only: Quantum of Solace

May 10, 2021May 10, 2021 by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, For Your Ears Only, Podcast

We’re pleased to bring you our latest discussion in our For You Ears Only series featuring Frank and Tom. This time, we’re joined with special guest playwright and actor Jeremy Kareken to discuss Daniel Craig’s second outing as James Bond in 2008’s Quantum of Solace, which is a direct continuation of the storyline from Craig’s debut, Casino Royale. The film was directed by Marc Foster, and Neal Purvis and Robert Wade collaborated again with Paul Haggis, and the film also features Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Gemma Arterton, David Harbour, Giancarlo Giannini, Jeffrey Wright, Jesper Christensen, and Judi Dench.

Podcast: Actor’s Spotlight with Harry Northup

Featured by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Actor's Spotlight, Interviews, Podcast

We are honored to present our latest conversation in our Actor’s Spotlight series. With this episode, Frank and Raymond Benson have a conversation with poet and actor Harry Northup who is living film history. Harry was featured in Martin Scorsese’s first six films WHO’S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR, BOXCAR BERTHA, MEAN STREETS, ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE, TAXI DRIVER, and NEW YORK NEW YORK. Harry was also a frequent collaborator with maverick filmmakers Jonathan Demme and Jonathan Kaplan. Harry has been featured in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, TOM HORN, and OVER THE EDGE amongst many others. Harry recounts his very rich filmography, along with stories of working with actors Harvey Keitel, Richard Farnsworth, Billy Green Bush, Peter Boyle, and Steve McQueen.

Please checkout Harry’s poetry here.

For Your Ears Only: Martin Campbell’s CASINO ROYALE

Featured by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, For Your Ears Only, Podcast

Welcome everyone to a very special episode of Podcasting Them Softly’s For Your Ears Only series. Today we are going to discuss Martin Campbell’s return to the Bond franchise with CASINO ROYALE. Released in 2006 this was Daniel Craig’s debut as James Bond, based on Ian Flemings’s first Bond novel of the same name. Featuring an amazing cast coupled with Chris Cornell’s show-stopping title song, CASINO ROYALE had a worldwide box office total of 600 million and went on to win a bounty of BAFTA awards and Daniel Craig became the first actor to be nominated for a BAFTA for portraying James Bond.

What makes this episode so very special, is that we are joined with returning guest and one of our favorite filmmakers Wayne Kramer and actress Ivana Milicevic who co-starred in both CASINO ROYALE as Valenka – Mads Mikkelson’s girlfriend, and Wayne’s neo-noir masterpiece, RUNNING SCARED.

For Your Ears Only: DIE ANOTHER DAY

March 8, 2021March 23, 2021 by Frank Mengarelli, posted in For Your Ears Only, Podcast

Join Frank, Mac and the esteemed Tom Zielinski as they discuss Pierce Brosnan’s final outing as 007 in Lee Tamahori’s DIE ANOTHER DAY. The film also features Halle Berry, Judi Dench, Toby Stephens, Will Yun Lee, Michael Madsen, John Cleese, and Rosamund Pike. The film grossed a little over 400 million at the global box office, which at the time was considered a box office success, yet the producers decided to take the franchise in another direction, released Brosnan, and then cast Daniel Craig to take the series in a new direction. For our next episode in the For Your Ears Only series, Frank and Tom will be joined with filmmaker Wayne Kramer and actress Ivana Milicevic to discuss CASINO ROYALE.

3 for 3: Sean Connery

February 15, 2021February 15, 2021 by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, For Your Ears Only, Podcast

Join Frank, Tom, and the esteemed Mac McSharry as we bring Podcasting Them Softly’s For Your Ears Only and 3 for 3 full circle! We discuss three “undercard” films of Sean Connery’s at length, discuss his contribution to film, along with some of our other non-Bond films that didn’t make our respective selections! Upcoming podcasts from the three of us include Pierce Brosnan’s final outing as James Bond in DIE ANOTHER DAY and then a brand new 3 for 3 where we discuss our three favorite character actors.

3 for 3: John Carpenter

December 28, 2020December 28, 2020 by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Podcast

We’re pleased to bring you our next installment of 3 for 3, this time discussing the works of John Carpenter. Carpenter is one of our favorite filmmakers who is responsible for many classics ranging from HALLOWEEN, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, to STARMAN. Please stay tuned for our next 3 for 3 regarding our favorite character actors, as well as a 3 for 3 – For Your Ears Only crossover where we pay tribute to Sean Connery, and talk about his diverse contribution to film beyond James Bond.

FOR YOUR EARS ONLY: Michael Apted’s THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

December 21, 2020December 21, 2020 by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, For Your Ears Only, Podcast

We welcome author and James Bond connoisseur Deborah Lipp to join in our discussion of the 19th 007 picture in the EON series THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, as well as the latest edition of her highly regarded book, “The Ultimate James Bond Fan Book.” Please explore the works of Deborah at her bookshop.

For Your Ears Only: Roger Spottiswoode’s TOMORROW NEVER DIES

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020 by Frank Mengarelli, posted in For Your Ears Only, Podcast

Join Frank, Tom, and Mac with special guest Perrin Spychala as they discuss Pierce Brosnan’s second outing as 007 in Roger Spottiswoode’s TOMORROW NEVER DIES. Released in 1997, the film also features a terrific ensemble composed of Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Ricky Jay, Gotz Otto, Vincent Schiavelli, and Joe Don Baker.

FOR YOUR EARS ONLY: Martin Campbell’s GOLDENEYE

September 14, 2020September 14, 2020 by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, For Your Ears Only, Podcast

Tom and Frank are back with special guest Mac McSharry to discuss Martin Campbell’s GoldenEye, which was Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as 007. Also discussed is the pop culture effect the film had on home video as well as video games along with being a world wide box office smash and how that jump started the franchise. Join us next time as we discuss Brosnan’s follow-up, Tomorrow Never Dies!