A look at the eclectic mix of offerings from Welcome To The Party Pal: The Mind-Bending Film & Television Podcast You Didn’t Know You Needed (Osiris Media), thirty episodes in…
WTTPP on Spotify • WTTPP on iTunes
Catch up with Episodes 1 – 5 , Episodes 6 – 10 , Episodes 11-15, Episodes 16 – 20 & Episodes 21-25
Welcome to the Party Pal (WTTPP) is the ATM-affiliated mind-bending film and television podcast you didn’t know you needed! Hosted by Brian Sachson (producer/writer) and Michael Shields (writer/editor), WTTPP is a celebration of the art of cinema and filmmaking, where movies and television shows are meticulously dissected and analyzed to evaluate their grandeur (or, conversely when necessary, lament their shortcomings). Guests include the filmmakers and industry insiders that craft the works of art that inhabit the current zeitgeist. In the wake of the release of its thirtieth episode, ATM takes a look at what this exciting podcast has brought forth in its latest batch of episodes…
Episode 26: The Game of Thrones Episode
WTTPP hosts Brian Sachson and Michael Shields — with the help of Game of Thrones expert and Across The Margin’s GOT Guru Geoffrey Golia — celebrate and dissect the worldwide phenomenon that is the television series Game of Thrones. Coming on the heels of the hit HBO show’s series finale, the George R.R. Martin penned epic is given the full WTTPP treatment in an episode that attempts to reconcile with and expound upon the controversial “Mad Queen” twist that served as the climax of the eighth and final season. In addition, accolades are given to the brilliance behind pulling off such a wondrous cinematic fantasy, from the showrunners, to the writers, actors and production team that brought this remarkable achievement to life. In this episode, Brian, Michael, and Geoffrey examine Tyrion Lannister’s pivotal role in the series, marvel over the abundance of jaw-dropping moments the show provided, share insight into the Targaryen bloodline and family history, respond to the negative reaction to the eighth season that inundated social media, spend time celebrating Sansa the Queen of the North, and much, much more!
Episode 27: The Apocalypse Now 40th Anniversary Spectacular
On the cusp of its 40th Anniversary, the Welcome To The Party Pal duo — with the help of actor/comedian Will Nunziata (of God Ween Evan fame) — celebrate the masterpiece that is Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. Apocalypse Now journeys to Vietnam in 1970 where Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) takes a dangerous and uniquely psychedelic journey upriver to find and terminate “with extreme prejudice” Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a once-revered officer who has reportedly gone insane. In this episode the differences between the original release, Apocalypse Now Redux, and the forthcoming “Final Cut” are discussed, the lengths it took to bring this astonishingly ambitious project to life are hailed, the film’s poignant commentary about Imperialism is considered, and Will makes the case for the film to be known forevermore as not only one of the greatest films about Vietnam ever birthed, but one of the best road trip movies of all time.
Episode 28: Black Mirror, Season 5
The Welcome To The Party team revisits the subject of their debut episode, once again exploring the twisted, thought-proving world of the techno-paranoia anthology Black Mirror. Black Mirror is a television series created by Charlie Brooker, which he writes and executive produces with Annabel Jones, where each episode “is all about the way we live now; and the way we might be living in 10 minutes’ time if we’re clumsy” (Brooker). The recently-released Season 5 features three episodes (“Striking Vipers,” “Smithereens,” and “Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too), and in this episode the complex and provocative themes about how humankind grapples with technology found within the season are dissected thoroughly!
Episode 29: Chernobyl
In April 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics became one of the world’s worst man-made catastrophes. In June 2019, the hosts of Welcome To The Party Pal — Brian Sachson and Michael Shields — convened to celebrate and dissect HBO’s 5 part miniseries about the disastrous event, Chernobyl. Chernobyl was created and written by Craig Mazin, and directed by Johan Renck. It features an ensemble cast led by Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, and Emily Watson, and this episode of WTTPP digs into the intricacies of this well-crafted and thought provoking series.
Episode 30: Mike Judge Presents Tales From The Tour Bus
Episode 30 on WTTPP takes you on the road in an in-depth celebration of the first two seasons of Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus. Tales from the Tour Bus is an animated documentary television series created by Mike Judge, Richard Mullins and Dub Cornett that airs on Cinemax which presents a biographical oral history of musicians with each season focusing on a specific genre (Season 1: Outlaw Country / Season 2: Funk!). Joining in on the fun is writer, editor, and film historian Christian Niedan (who birthed the film interview site Camera In The Sun), who helps heighten a music-centric episode that delves into the lives & antics of George Clinton, Waylon Jennings, Bootsy Collins, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, James Brown, Betty Davis, Johnny Paycheck and more!
TO BE CONTINUED…
