Episode 4: “The Dead Zone” with Violet Lucca
A podcast about the great movies.
We’re back with our latest episode of Guide for the Film Fanatic! In each episode, Jason Bailey and Mike Hull invite a guest from the world of film (including filmmakers, authors, critics, actors, and more) to select one of the 1600+ “must-see movies” collected in Danny Peary’s seminal 1986 book, Guide for the Film Fanatic. Bailey, Hull, and their guests deep dive on each film, discussing its history, themes, style, performances, initial reception, and legacy, taking a fresh look at some of the most beloved titles in cinema history.
Violet Lucca, film critic and author of the new, essential book David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials, joins us for to talk about one of Mr. Cronenberg’s early hits, The Dead Zone. Hear us revel in the pleasures of Walken and the various ways critics found to deem the film “tasteful” and “restrained,” and marvel at the silliness of an insane amoral strongman somehow becoming President of the United States.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’re partnering up with One Heat Minute Productions on this show, so we’re migrating it over to their feed; subscribe now if you haven’t already.
We’re also putting our new episodes up on YouTube! Watch the show on our YouTube channel, @guideforthefilmfanatic, for visual accompaniment and bonus stuff and who knows what else:
The Dead Zone is streaming on good ol’ Pluto TV. It’s also available for digital rental or purchase, or on 4K from Shout Factory. You can also watch the trailer here. You can read Janet Maslin’s New York Times review here, Roger Ebert’s review here, Variety’s review here, and Dave Kehr’s mild dissent here. And you can check out the full New York Times from the movie’s opening day here.
David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials is out now. If you’d like to check out the YouTube page for Mike’s other podcast, Black Diplomats, it’s here. And if you’d like to pre-order Jason’s new book Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend, you can pre-order it from MZS Press, Bookshop and Barnes & Noble.
Last but not least, if you’d like to make a little donation to support us and the show, you can do that at Ko-fi!