Michael May's Blog, page 20

AfterLunch | After Dinner Lounge – CHRISTMAS!

Just before the Christmas holiday, Rob, Evan, Pax, and I gathered to talk about what we've been listening to and reading. As always with these Lounge discussions, the conversation goes its own way, but major topics include how to read short story collections, irritating things about interview podcasts, The Force Awakens and the whole Star Wars sequel trilogy, and of course lots and lots of Christmas music.
Download or listen to the episode here. 

AfterLunch | Scrooged (1988)

A Christmas Carol week concludes with me talking with my brother Mark about the irreverent remake, Scrooged, starring Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Alfre Woodard, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carol Kane, and a bunch of other stars. As with the rest of this week's adaptation discussions, this originally aired on the former Sleigh Bell Cinema podcast.
Download or listen to the episode here.

AfterLunch | Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

A Christmas Carol week continues with another old Sleigh Bell Cinema discussion. This time Paxton Holley and I triple the run time of the movie we're talking about when we dig into the short Mickey's Christmas Carol starring a plethora of Disney characters in the various Dickens roles.
Download or listen to the episode here.

Hellbent for Letterbox | The Harder They Fall (2021)

Pax and I watch the new Netflix Western, The Harder They Fall, directed by Jeymes Samuel. Starring Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, and others as fictionalized versions of actual historical people.
Download or listen to the episode here.

AfterLunch | The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Christmas Carol week continues (and we hit Episode 75 of the podcast) with another Sleigh Bell Cinema discussion about one of the world's favorite Christmas Carol adaptations: The Muppet Christmas Carol starring Michael Caine as Scrooge. This was the very first episode of Sleigh Bell Cinema and featured frequent Nerd Lunch and AfterLunch guest Mike Westfall, whose Advent Calendar House podcast was a direct inspiration for Sleigh Bell Cinema in the first place.
Download or listen to the episode here.

AfterLunch | The Stingiest Man in Town (1956)

AfterLunch's A Christmas Carol Week continues with another re-run from my old Sleigh Bell Cinema show. This time my wife Diane and I talk about the TV musical The Stingiest Man in Town starring Basil Rathbone as Scrooge. And if you'd like to hear me talk about the '70s Rankin-Bass animated remake starring Walter Matthau and Tom Bosley, be sure to check out my guest appearance on Mike Westfall's Advent Calendar House podcast.
Download or listen to the episode here.

AfterLunch | A Christmas Carol (1984)

AfterLunch's A Christmas Carol week continues with this re-run from my former Sleigh Bell Cinema podcast. I talk with Carlin Trammel about one of our favorite adaptations: Clive Donner's TV movie from 1984 starring George C Scott.
Download or listen to the episode here.

AfterLunch | Christmas Ghosts (And One Carol in Particular)

Kicking off a week of Christmas Carol episodes on the AfterLunch podcast, Rob and I welcome new guest Nikki Rollier to talk about ghost stories, their connection to Christmas, and especially the most famous Christmas ghost story of all. We talk about our favorite characters, scenes, and adaptations, and even a thing or two that don't work so well for us.
Download or listen to the episode here.

Seriously Felicity | Todd Mulcahy, Part 2

Kristi and I flub an interview, rediscover our love for art, and meet super young Juliet from Psych. Also, some talk about Psych as well as Scott Foley's new show, The Big Leap. 
Download or listen to the episode here.

“Come In! And Know Me Better, Man!" | Mark McDermott (1910)

Thomas Edison's short, silent film has the same Spirit of Christmas showing Scrooge scenes from his past, present, and future, so there's no new ghost to meet this year. We do get a little interlude between visions though, first with a title card that tells us we're transitioning to "Visions of the Present" and specifically, "what the miser's wealth could do." But we also see Scrooge alone for a few seconds and apparently happy to be that way. He looks around the room and sees no ghost and I think I detect a smile. He pumps his fist as if in triumph and starts to get undressed and ready for bed. But before he even gets his robe off, the Spirit is back.
The Spirit brings no decorations or food and since he's the same ghost for all three time periods, he contains elements of at least the first two. He has the long white hair and clean shaven face of the first Spirit, but the holly crown and big torch (not horn-shaped) of the second. He's not giant, but his seat is elevated like he's sitting on a piece of furniture, so he does loom over Scrooge that way. 
It's a black-and-white production so there's no way to tell what color his robes are, but they're just vaguely regal and medieval and not like what Dickens described at all. He's wearing a fancy tunic and we don't get a good look at his feet (at least, not in my fuzzy print). I can't pick out a sword either, but it could be under the Spirit's royal cape.
Scrooge looks disappointed and impatient that this isn't over yet, so that's consistent with how he's been all along. He's shown emotion at the scenes from the past, but there's no hint yet that he's learning anything from them. He doesn't say anything to the Spirit, nor does the Spirit invite Scrooge to touch his robe. The Spirit is just going to show Scrooge some scenes in his room, whether Scrooge likes it or not.