Shout!takes: A Shout! Factory Podcast

Hackers is one of those movies that was criticized in the press for being too far-fetched when it was released, but gets criticized now for being too outdated. In this fascinating interview with the film's director, Iain Softley, we hear about working with up-and-comers Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie, designing a world that's minutes away from existing, and learn that the movie wasn't nearly as fantasy-laden as one may think.

This week, we’re bringing you an interview with another iconic figure in television, Norman Lear. We’ve been fortunate enough to do several releases of Lear’s series; All in the Family; Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; The Jeffersons; Maude; One Day at a Time… And each one used the medium of television and the genre of situation comedy to push very important social conversations into American homes. Here, Norman talks about All in the Family, the controversy the network believed was coming, whether a series like it could air today, and the little-known family that took the Bunkers' place at 704 Hauser.

Earlier this week, the world lost another legend, Mr. Steven Bochco. Over the years, Shout! Factory has been fortunate enough to have released a number of Bochco titles, including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and, yes, Cop Rock. This week, we decided to remember those classics that helped shape the way we view television today, as we present this intelligent, raw interview with Steven Bochco on creating his two biggest shows.

You may not instantly know her name, but Jane Jenkins is a legend of casting in Hollywood. Along with her casting partner, Janet Hirshenson, Jane has helped introduce audiences to some of the faces that we would later recognize as huge stars. This week, we talk to her about casting one of those movies that would go on to produce several household names; including Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey and more. We're talking about John Milius's Red Dawn.

In a very personal episode, Brian Ward remembers his friend, the late Len Wein; co-creator of such iconic comic book characters as Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Lucius Fox and, of course, Swamp Thing. It's for this interview, for Swamp Thing: The Series, that Brian first met Len in 2007 and the two shared a friendship until Len's passing in September of 2017. With WonderCon, one of the largest comic conventions in the United States, coming up in Anaheim, California, this week, we thought it was an excellent time to pay tribute to this comic book legend.

This week, we’re bringing you a truly, truly, truly outrageous interview with the one and only Samantha Newark, whose voice can be heard as Jerrica Benton and her superstar alter ego, Jem, in Hasbro’s original '80s animated series, Jem and the Holograms.

As “Stiles,” Jerry Levine was the conniving best friend everyone loved and, quite possibly, the inventor of the snarky t-shirt craze. As “Lewis,” Matt Adler played the conscience of the 1985 Michael J. Fox hit, Teen Wolf. But in 2017, we reunited the two of them to discuss the film’s productions and its legacy over the last three decades.

This week saw the fourth season debut of iZombie, but before she was sautéing brains, Rose McIver was kicking butt as Summer Landsdown in Power Rangers RPM. In this episode, the down-to-earth star talked about her character, working on the hit franchise in her native country New Zealand, and the loving Power Rangers fans.

Though the other characters didn’t always see it, in Soap and its spinoff sitcom, Benson, his character was always the smartest man in the room. In Aaron Sorkin’s Sports Night, not only was he the smartest man in the room, he also got to be the boss. Of course, we’re talking about the iconic Robert Guillaume, who, sadly, passed away in October of 2017. This week, we honor his memory by presenting the complete interview with the man behind “Isaac Jaffe.” In this episode, Robert talks about why he found Isaac’s name so interesting; the power of Aaron Sorkin’s writing; mentoring the up-and-coming cast; which cast member did the best Richard Pryor impersonation; and the fateful day he survived a stroke in his dressing room.

In addition to his duties as President of Entertainment at the BET network and producing and directing hit movies and TV shows, Reginald Hudlin became known as one of the foremost writers of Marvel's Black Panther comic book and adapted the first six issues of his run as an animated mini-series. In this episode of Shout!Takes, Brian Ward sits down with Reginald to discuss his lifelong love of comics, getting the opportunity to write for Black Panther, the importance of the character in media, and converting the series to animation for Marvel Knights. Plus, despite the interview having been shot in 2011, Reginald even discusses his favorite character's inevitable presence on the silver screen in his own film; a desire that has finally come true, as the film Black Panther officially joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe today.

Everyone remembers the environmental superhero with the magnificent mullet. But there was a huge story behind the creation of that hero and the legacy he's left behind. In this episode, LeVar Burton tells his side of that story; regaling us with tales of playing Kwame, the Planeteer with the power of Earth; the importance of having a hero like this visible to kids; and his experience with fans since the show's departure from television.

Believe it or not, John Carpenter's The Thing was Keith David's very first film role. Since then, of course, he's become a bit of a Hollywood icon, particularly of genre film, TV and video games. In this interview, Keith talks about the importance of the theatre, performing in The Thing, and his experiences working in a small mining town during the production, amongst plenty of other topics.

Imagine if everything you thought you knew about modern U.S. history--the Kennedy assassination, bad LCD, the Manson murders--was actually a cover-up of an invasion and ongoing war with aliens. This was the premise of Dark Skies, an NBC series that aired from 1996-97, starring Eric Close and Megan Ward. We sat down to talk with Megan in 2010 for Dark Skies: The Declassified Complete Series box set and learned about the show's creators, Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman, as well as working with the pilot movie's director, horror icon Tobe Hooper, the impact Sony's Men in Black film had on the series and much, much more!  

Marvel's 2017 TV series, Inhumans, has been met with mixed reviews from critics and fans. But whatever you think about the series, the material on which it was heavily based is brilliant. And we're talking to its writer, Paul Jenkins. When he was asked to write Inhumans, Paul had no idea who the characters were, which he credits with the unique spin he gave them, igniting a new love from fans. This interview was originally shot for Shout! Factory's line of Marvel Knights animated comics.

With films like This is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men, Stand By Me and The Sure Thing under his belt, Rob Reiner is certainly a filmmaking icon. Here we talk to Rob about one of his absolute best works, the Academy Award-winning thriller Misery. Rob discusses working with Kathy Bates, who took home the Best Actress Oscar for her turn as "Annie Wilkes;" working with his longtime teammates; differences between the film and Stephen King's original book; and King's reaction to the film, when it was completed.

It's a movie that's relevant today, perhaps, more than ever. The Tiger Hunter stars Danny Pudi (Community) as an immigrant in the 1970s, moving to Chicago to find his fortune in order to win the approval of the love of his life's father in India. But it's not simply an immigrant story. In fact, writer-director Lena Kahn didn't set out to make an immigrant story at all. Learn more about The Tiger Hunter's origin, production and newly-minted legacy, as this episode of Shout!Takes introduces us to Lena and the film's producer Megha Kadakia.

If you're a fan of indie cinema, you undoubtedly know Tom DiCillo's 1995 masterpiece, Living in Oblivion; starring Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney, James Le Gros and Peter Dinklage in his first onscreen speaking role! In this episode of Shout!Takes, Brian talks to Buscemi and Dinklage, who were both in different places in their careers at the time of filming the movie, but each has wonderful stories about working on the film and share incredible insights into surviving the Hollywood machine.

In one of Brian Ward's favorite interviews of all time, legendary actor John Lithgow becomes downright giddy, as he reminisces about his time on the set of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. 

It's our extra special, extra long inaugural episode of Shout!Takes and we're kicking it off with Jeff Goldblum. And you don't get much more "Goldblum" than this interview, recorded for the Blu-ray release of Into the Night, a film by iconic director John Landis; starring Goldblum as Ed Okin, an insomniac who, upon discovering that his wife is unfaithful, embarks on an adventure with a beautiful, mysterious young woman (Michelle Pfeiffer)! The movie's absolutely fantastic, but this rare interview with Goldblum is a legitimate treat. Join us, as he meticulously reimagines his character for today and regales us with tales of a young Jeff Goldblum (circa 1985), finding his way in Hollywood!

Welcome to Shout!Takes: a podcast by Shout! Factory. This is where you'll come to hear the raw interviews you've only previously seen or heard as edited documentaries and featurettes on your favorite releases from Shout! Factory and Scream Factory. Hosted by Brian Ward. Be sure to subscribe, rate and spread the word!