005 – The Wizard of Speed and Time (1989)

Jen welcomes special guest Paul Jay (Twitter: @pauljaycomic) for today’s episode, in which we discuss The Wizard of Speed and Time! We’re a little hard on filmmaker Mike Jittlov, perhaps unfairly— WoSaT producer Richard Kaye allegedly absconded with the film’s completion money, and Jittlov himself considers the project to be only 75% done.

Jittlov started as a math and language major at UCLA back in the 60s, but an animation elective awakened him to his true calling. His breathtaking, award-winning short films led to work at Disney, where he clashed with execs over his desire to be credited for his work. After The Wizard of Speed and Time’s drawn-out production period, Jittlov worked on some major film projects (including Ghost, in which he was responsible for animating the dark spirits that drag Tony Goldwyn to hell). Later, he spent the 90s making the rounds of conventions and screening his only feature for his devoted fans. He still lives in the LA area, and if anyone knows what he’s up to lately, please drop us a line!

The Night Flight website has an excellent write-up about Jittlov and The Wizard of Speed and Time here.

Mike Jittlov’s personal website

004 – Under the Cherry Moon (1986)

Jen welcomes special guest Darren to discuss the art deco black-and-white flop, Under the Cherry Moon! What better tribute to Prince for a movie podcast than to watch the man’s directorial debut? Also discussed is the Dionysian, the epicene, and how much The English Patient sucks.

For the curious, here’s the art for The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak that caught our fancy:

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002 – Split Second (1992)

Tim and Jen find themselves unexpectedly charmed and delighted by a combo of sci-fi, horror, thriller, and schlock: Split Second, from 1992! We discuss the wrong-headed marketing for the film and the delights of mini-guns and cigars shared by two dear male friends.

A hilarious trailer, probably for the video release: