Two Verhoeven in a row! This week we are joined by Lily Eagla to discuss Verhoeven's notorious cult classic "Showgirls," a movie that stalled the career of Saved By The Bell alum Elizabeth Berkley before going on to be recognized as an important piece of satire ahead of its time. We discuss the uncompromising examination of Las Vegas, the way in which it represents the predatory and exploitative nature of the capitalist system, the dehumanization of sex workers, and try to understand the nature of the film's failure when it was released and why it has gone on to become an important piece of cultural criticism.

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In episode two of The Projection Booth, Bill and Evan get the upcoming films for 2026, what's most and least anticipated (spoiler, we don't care about the MCU). We also break down the impact of reality TV and the absolute failure of media literacy (nope, no ever said that before). Check it out!

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This week we are joined by a true and original friend of the show, Farhad, to continue the exploration of the Paul Verhoeven action satire trilogy with 1990's "Total Recall". Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Robby Cox, and Rachel Ticotin alongside others, this 90s classic adapts Phillip K. Dick's short story, "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale." We discuss Verhoeven's repeated misinterpretation by conservative viewers, the progressive levels of complexity his movies achieve, and the metaphorical power of overcrowded aquariums.

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This week we cover Ari Aster's "Eddinton". Released in 2025 and starring Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix, Luke Grimes, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Deirdre O'Connel and Michael Ward, and set in Aster's hometown during 2020 at the height of COVID-19. We discuss how timing is everything, Phoenix might not be a great person in real life, and how this movie stands out as a director trying to say something without saying anything at all.

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If the preview wasn't enough, and we admit it probably wasn't, you can hear the full first episode of our Patreon only series, The Projection Booth here! If you like what you hear join us in The Projection Booth and help support the podcast by supporting us on Patreon!

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Welcome to the first installment of our new Patreon exclusive series, the Projection Booth! This week we start things off with the Left of the Projector Movie Challenge as Evan and Bill challenge each other to watch 2 movies the other has not seen each month and be ready to return in a month to discuss them!

This won't be the only thing you can expect to hear in the Projection Booth, we have lots of things planned for the future and we want to hear any ideas you have as well! Be sure to let us know what you want to hear in the comments!

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This week Evan and Bill are joined by the folks from the Worker's Lit podcast to talk about the 2025 film "The Running Man," directed by Edgar Wright and starring Glen Powell, Colman Domingo, Emilia Jones, William H. Macy, Josh Brolin, and Michael Cera. With a special appearance by Lee Pace. This episode is part two of our collaboration with Worker's Lit covering a book and the movie based on it, in this case the Stephen King novel by the same name. During the episode we discuss how much more capably Wright and Powell portray class consciousness than King, note how the movie improved on the book, and remained loyal to it by having a less than satisfying ending.

Check out the episode we did with Worker's Lit here!

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