X-Files Filmmakers Tribute (with Sohan Sahoo, Ethan Weeks & Oreo Brewer)

[00:00:00] This podcast is a production of Unfiltered Studios. If you would like to know more about joining Unfiltered Studios, please visit our website at unfpod.com for more information.

[00:00:55] We are coming up next. On Sunday, these three young people will be Earth's only hope of survival. The Telus Colony was messaged by an advanced alien civilization of tremendous power. From the producers of the X-Files comes the biggest adventure of them all. Let's go! Space Above and Beyond series premieres Sunday at 7, 6 central.

[00:02:08] You guys will have your minds well. Every once in a while I will encounter an action or sci-fi or a mystery or horror guy. It's like X-Files would totally be up their alley and they never seen it. And I'm like, really? You guys, these are like movies on a day to day basis. So I do feel like they did the tells from the crypt formula of just make it be just movie like. Did Chris direct fight for the future or fight the future?

[00:02:35] He did the second movie, but yeah, he did. Now Rob Bowman who did a lot of it. That's it, yeah. Rob and then Brian Spicer who helmed a lot of the Lone Gunman episodes. Yeah, that launched his career. He'd already done the first Power Rangers movies. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. And he, but he took pretty much everything he learned on the Lone Gunman and the episodes of X-Files featuring them as well as 24.

[00:03:02] And when he was hired, when he later did stuff like out of in plain sight for USA Network. And like you say, Hawaii Five-0 is like he, he's taken everything he's learned in that. He's like, so he's like second units next door doing this fight scene. I'm doing the scenes with the actors that involves the punch lines and the earth stuff. So it's like, he knows how to multitask, get it done.

[00:03:29] But yeah, without Power Rangers, without the X-Files saga, you know, I don't think he would have. He's rich or poor. I love that movie so much. I haven't seen it. I think he did that. He might've done McHale's Navy movie. I don't love it, but it's a lot of fun. Oh, and that's just it. That's what ended him. Those are the same. He lost like $40 million on both of those. So that's just it. Dude, for Richard or for 4 is the funniest movie. It really is. Say what you want about Tim. What's that? It really is a lot of fun. But yeah. What, for Richard or for? Yeah.

[00:03:59] And I'm glad you guys brought that up because I wanted to talk about Brian Spicer, but it's like, yeah, it's like he was always one of my favorite action sci-fi directors. I would totally in a heartbeat, give him his own space opera or horror anthology or comedy show because he really. Yeah. Richard or poor. It's definitely is. Yeah. It's making fun of these guys who pose as a rich couple. They have their identities and inheritances and. Well, no, they're good to be Amish and shit. That's what it was. Yeah.

[00:04:25] They get their estate and he's really good at having in your face moments, I feel. And so that's why I think he's been one of those other guys, but yeah, McHale's Navy. I had talked to the other guys who were totally that generation. They're like, it was fun. You had Ernest Borgnide. So it was like a throwback to the original show that no one was old enough to have seen at the time. And what a big all star cast, Deborah Messing, Tom Arnold, David Allen. And I think that's, is it people get mixed up with down periscope. I'm like, see, I think McHale's Navy.

[00:04:55] Oh yeah. This is a little more fun because you have James Hong and yeah, Tim Curry is bad guys. And they're just making fun of all those different types of trends. Like it's a diehard movie and then it's mixing in. Yeah. Just making fun of like Bruce Campbell talks shit about it. Cause they cut out most of the scenes, but he still has some, a lot to do in it. Um, but yeah, I remember seeing it in college and being like, you know, I, that wasn't half

[00:05:21] bad that I would compare it at least with the SWAT movie where there's some fun throwbacks to the original show it's based on, but it's also trying to, you know, it's obviously it's not a classic, like the fugitive movies, but this is still, they're still making it appealing to the younger crowd, younger crowd, good standalone movie. And so I think that worked why he'd already done power Rangers and same deal is like, I'm

[00:05:48] trying to do an episode of the show, but make it for both the fans and a standalone adventure for people who just want to see a fun action film. Yeah. We got some wonderful cool cats back here on the show. How are you doing? So, hun, you're always doing a movie bracket challenge. And I'm always like, Whoa, you're going to do that this week. All dozens of those movies. It takes me like three. I can maybe sneak in free in a week. I don't know about a dozen or more.

[00:06:17] Um, movie buff himself, Ethan. And we back as always and always feisty, always imaginative and always just, just a legit humane human being. And that is my, my longtime colleague Oreo Brewer. Yup. That's me. Uh, so I just thought we, was that your real name? Yup. That's what I go by. Yes. For now. Come on. Okay. Spill the beans, spill the beans.

[00:06:46] It's his name is an X file in and of itself. We actually don't know his name, but, uh, it is so funny though. Like, can you think of any other show where the looking at the filmmakers, you know, you know, we had Kim manners and Thomas J. Wright, and they're both. The Godfathers. Well, but they're, they're the, they're both referred to as the Godfathers. You know, Kim is the Godfather for X files and Thomas is the Godfather for millennium.

[00:07:13] And then Rob Bowman and Brian Spicer, you know, they, their careers really did take off. I Rob Bowman though. I'm really surprised at just how nice he comes across. Cause you look at all, you know, behind the scenes photos. He looks like he's, you know, tense, you know, he, you got this heavily muscular. Didn't, didn't rain a fire hurt his film career. Basically. I think it did good business. I think it was Electra. Electra was what? Electra. I love that movie.

[00:07:43] Well, I, rain of fire didn't do well either when that came out and I like it a lot. Yeah. But both of them have a cult fan base and, but I, I, I can tell he, I don't think he got burned out. That's definitely some speculation, but I remember him saying in interviews on how this is kind of prior to watchman Zack Snyder having a similar thing, but he would like the MPAA got so up, stuck up about how he was framing gunplay in the movie.

[00:08:11] And he's like, really seeing the barrel of a gun will give me an R rating. It's like, oh no, Sam Vaughn G rating. Yeah. You see this on primetime TV all the time and this is going to get an R rating. It's like, so half the time I think it's kind of like with Brian De Palma and Scarface where sometimes you're just meeting. Why don't you talk to the main, main motion picture association person in charge and ask

[00:08:39] them for a deal instead of talking to the other concerned parents who are part of the council and who are wigging out about everything. It's like, it's kind of like how you see spy movies like shooter and the uncut versions are taken and those get an R rating. But then you see similar stuff like born identity and there's still blood, but it's not focused or minority report. You know, any fugitive on the run movie, even the fugitive self is like there's blood,

[00:09:06] but it's minuscule. So because there wasn't a gory splat, I mean, go back to even just every epic movie like Kingdom of Heaven and 13th Warrior have way more intense, fully sound effects of swords piercing flesh. Well, and you know, tons of, you know, pure red blood while Lord of the Rings is completely dark blood, you know, and so everyone's okay with that. So and plus it's creature fictional creatures they're fighting.

[00:09:33] But yeah, I can only imagine what the MPA was like back in 2005. And it is so funny, though, to like X-Files, I think is a good teaching ground because it's like depending on the episode, I can either be for a PG-13 crowd or mature audience crowd. It just depends on the episode. Sohan, what do you make of just the ratings, spectacles that were a deal back then?

[00:09:57] Well, for the first thing for a lot of television directors is the first big thing is, you know, they weren't, I mean, they're kind of looked down upon by the industry. Sadly, which makes no sense. I think, I think, I think that's changed a lot of the years though. I mean, with, you know, with the streaming services, there's been enough professional filmmakers, you know, going back to television, you know, you see, you know, let's just say, for example, like, you know, like, you know, we write a prestige TV, golden age of television, you have this, all these, you know,

[00:10:27] we become television. Right. Then they look down upon it. Like, like, have you, have you read the report? I think I read a report somewhere about David Nutter, basically about it promoting his new, his film, Strange New Behaviors, Teen Comedy or something. So he talked about how he was, you know, he's constantly being triggered by the studio, about how he was a television director. Now, you know, there's always an uphill battle that the television directors had to do with, you know, when they transition into your films and stuff, the major films and stuff. I think Rob Bowman faced the same problem.

[00:10:57] Pretty sure. I haven't read much about Rob Bowman, but he, I think it fits the mold, right? I mean, the only person that I think successfully did make a goal that successfully made a transition, in my opinion, was probably Morgan Wong. I mean, they create Final Destination. Right, right, right. But, no. But, about the waiting stuff, I mean, you know, I mean, Darren Morgan himself said it, you know, like a lot of this, I mean, that's always been a big part of the parcel of, you know, how a film was working, you know.

[00:11:24] But sometimes they don't make sense. I mean, they feel arbitrary at times, you know, for one thing you're going to cut, the next thing you're not going to cut. I mean, that's so weird. But they've never made sense. Well, it's like, why is it okay at nine at night, when you're going to see this gritty material, you know, during the daytime on cable TV? It's just like... Kim Manners, I gotta say, is like, I wish I had known that name more growing up.

[00:11:51] Because like, he, you know, he left us in 2009, and he's embraced by Charlie's Angels and Supernatural fans. But it's like, man, just look at that resume. Matt Houston. Simon. Hat Squad. Hat Squad. Simon and Simon. Hardcastle and McCormick. Stingray. You know, one episode each of Wiseguy, Star Trek Next Generation. A bit of, a lot of 21 Jump Street. And so he's with Steven J. Cannell.

[00:12:21] And then, yeah, with the commission, Hat Squad. And, but probably the biggest thing outside of this would have been Briscoe County Jr. You know, it's just... Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And... I only want to watch that show. I could never see that show, but... It is so weird. Like, when IMDB... I forgot what it was called before it merged with its streaming service with Amazon. It did put it on there briefly.

[00:12:48] And I was like, oh, this thing should be already on Hulu or Tubi. And I don't know why it hasn't skipped around, but... Yeah, I mean, kind of like Rob Bowman got Dennis Magdalene and some of the other stunt guys he'd known on Star Trek to work on all his... Let me get this straight. I think Rob Bowman and Kim Manners, they both worked on this show, Adventure of Mr. Connie Jr. Yes. Oh, and Brian Spicer, too. So there you go. Yeah, isn't this the one...

[00:13:18] Like... Okay, so they both starred in 93 on Fox, right? Briscoe County and X-Files? Yeah. Yeah, surprisingly. I remember when they were being promoted... I could be wrong, but I thought that back then... I remember seeing the advertising and it seemed like they thought Briscoe County Jr. was possibly going to be the bigger hit. Yeah. And then the X-Files was obviously, you know, because Briscoe County was...

[00:13:47] Similar in that they both got some sci-fi undertones and then some adventure. Yeah. But according to memory, I'll put... Also the Bruce Campbell factor, too. Yeah. Bruce Campbell brings it all around. He's a star. Oh, yeah, right, right. Guest star, yeah. Yeah.

[00:14:02] So apparently, according to memory alpha, the Star Trek Wicca, they cited from the Directors Guild of America a fun article in that Manners actually got the gig on recommendation from Rob Bowman. You know, he was already working on X-Files and then he's like, hey, I know this guy, Kim, you know, he's a good dude. He's cool cat in the industry. I always thought Kim was a chick. I did, too. And see, that's how... I thought, what a person... Not if she wasn't?

[00:14:33] Okay. No, Kim Manners is a... Was a male, but yeah, 52 episodes of the X-Files, including the finale. You're just like, man, 52. It's like... And his name's on a gravestone in the X-Files was season 10, right? I had fun looking at that while geeking out. Yeah. Yeah, the Lord of Scully meet the werewolves. Oh! That's the episode where... Yeah.

[00:14:58] That's a proper tribute, because he has a brother, Kelly A. Manners, who also worked on the first season of Star Trek Next Gen. So, that's just interesting. It's like, kind of like David Livingston on that respective franchise. They had a unit production manager background and then slowly leveled up into producers. And I know a lot of people also get mistaken back and forth by producers. It's like, what's the difference? It's like, well, here's the thing.

[00:15:25] When you're a co-producer, and you're already an established director or unit production manager on the show, you're just there because it's not just that you're loyal to the brand. It's like, people want you to be on there. You're going to answer any questions or help out, maybe even finish a scene if a guest director doesn't know how to proceed, because they're a guest. They're not recurring.

[00:15:49] And so, it is amazing when I hear John Kassar or Robert Duncan McNeil and some of these other guys just talk about how they've helped out over the years. And you cannot interfere by director's guild rules. Like, the only thing you can do is you can fire someone, but you don't want it to ever come down to that. But that's the only power you get. So, like, if they ask you for a suggestion, you can say, I would shoot it this way, blah, blah, blah, keep this open. But it's up to them. You know, like, that's right.

[00:16:18] I have been an extra and I have seen. People work all sorts of jobs like one time, like assistant sound mixer was coming in directing a scene, getting his feet wet. So, I mean, you can see stuff here and there. And I on this particular case, I was on a cheesy USA Network show and the director for the day got excused. And it's not douchey or anything like they they just addresses like director so and so. Thank you for your efforts today.

[00:16:46] You are now excused from set, you know, is like and then they're going to the main producers or other people who are part of the writing staff are going to just get all the shots that the main creator wants, like all the money shots, you know, just all the, you know, getting out of cars, getting cooking in the kitchen. And other clones, the gas. You're right. Dramatically.

[00:17:09] I think, I think if I remember this one famous example of James Wong, that's his first major directing credit. This is unquered by the way. It was in the space of a Beyond episode where I forget freezing on the name of which character, but he gets a hero shot with her. That's that was like that was like James Wong shot. So like basically, you know, I mean, he was the assistant director for that day. So he had the hero shot. He took that hero shot. Right. So thanks. I mean, yeah, you have all these examples of, you know, assistant directors coming up, right?

[00:17:38] A producer, a new show or in this case, you know, coming up and shadow directing television show, television shows, television shows. Yeah, that's that's fun. Thanks. And let me tell you about one. Well, it's it's annoying because you'll see other people who will be like so and so they did everything. It's like, no, no, no, no, no, no. You know, you'll see Michael Mann and Christopher Nolan do their second unit directing is just to own it.

[00:18:06] But I mean, even Tarantino and Spielberg have made it very crystal clear is like I'm there's a reason that whoever's, you know, name is first on the call sheet. That's who's in charge of this thing for the day. And you won't be considered bad as long as you're not, you know, arguing with actors or completely late without any. Make sure that you're on time. You got to be on time. Now, if you can have an emergency, that's quite fine. You know, there's plenty of people who can fill the spot.

[00:18:35] I love it when they got to figure out how they want to reshoot stuff on some of the different back when movies and TVs were first on DVD, because you would every once in a while see a very blunt commentary track or behind the scenes. Like we got to have this stand in come in here for this day that this actor can't come in for the first five actors. We'll get their shot at the by the end of the day. But I think the hardest part is, you know, when you're indoors, you'll always have lighting unless there's a complete blackout in the city.

[00:19:04] But yeah, it's like then you'll just have to rely on the backup generators or some other Chinese lanterns. But what you can get at, you know, a Michaels or CBS, no problem. But yeah, I mean, I do applaud Chris Carter for also stepping in on the director's chair because I see so many other creators or producers who would do that. It's like, no, no, no, no, no. Stay in your cage. Yeah, like to be fair to them.

[00:19:32] I mean, like show running itself is pretty important, right? No, absolutely. Take care of everything. So and in all fairness, I respect these guys because they all properly give each other respect. And same thing with the directors. I don't see any of them overriding each other or saying I want to, you know, because I can't. It's the mythology is all connected, so I've got to make it match.

[00:19:54] But I do feel like they do get to a point like kind of like some of the Star Trek guys where or even the Sopranos guys, for better or worse, is like, OK, it kind of like whoever wrote this episode is going to be real trippy and what have you as like. But I think more or less is like we're also going to.

[00:20:18] Like we're going to leave different stuff in charge, like Kim is pretty much game for everything. A lot of the horror based episode or mystery stuff. And Rob's going to do a lot of the. Main story or action. Yes, definitely the main twisted, complex ones that are going to involve trains. And yeah, but Thomas J. Wright, I got to give him credit because like he was doing everything he was getting inside the killer's eye.

[00:20:47] And you got to remember, he was just a TV director of the week. He had already tried his hand at movies, but no holds barred was not a good hit. That was the Hulk Hogan movie. And yeah. So then he went back to being the CBS NBC TV movie of the week guy, and he did some decent kill or be killed kind of action, mystery and horror movies that if you watch some of them, you're like, my God, that's like the deadliest game ever played.

[00:21:17] But with another plot twist and Bowman do any more films after a lecture? Did he go back to TV? Like he went back to he pretty much was the main producer and director on Castle. And yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, that's right. OK. Yeah. And same kind of deal. He would work with a lot of the same. Actors and directors and stunt crew and co-producers that he had on his last two big shows, but he seems really chill like he'll just still do interviews,

[00:21:46] he'll do podcast interviews and conventions. But and I think he's just happy he's just remembered by anybody's, which I think is pretty neat because you see other people who do the whole like so Han was saying where they're like, I did that, but that's beneath me or I don't really want to be doing that. It's like so I mean, given the what is it? The X-Files budget of the first movie wasn't it like 60 million? And this is nine. Yeah, you were really like that's in the numbers on that as big.

[00:22:14] Yeah, no, no pressure. I only pressure and then Chris Carter gets what 18 mil on the second film. It looks too cheap. 2008. It's like, damn. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no, it's it. I applaud all of them. But so do you guys think this was like a proper like how to make TV shows like more cinematic? Especially considering the 90s. Definitely.

[00:22:44] Oh, yeah. One of my teachers actually said that it looks really cinematic and it's like, I don't I don't know. I mean, I understand. Like, I do think at times it does look it. But I mean, some of the same camera work. I definitely see what this one. Oh, no, it's fine. It's all subjective. Like that. That was the requirement on similar shows like tells from the crypt. Joel Silver is like you got to make it look like a 40 minute big movie. But there are some episodes where you're like, yeah, the budget definitely wasn't there on that one.

[00:23:12] It's like look at the puppetry, but it's kind of like Miami Vice. But Miami Vice is cinematic. But yeah, when they go to like the police station and stuff, it's still like. Totally. No, that's a good example, too. That's like the the outdoor stuff is cinematic and the indoor stuff. It's static. I mean, you look at this with Predator where all the jungle stuff like explosions.

[00:23:35] People have talked about this before, both fans and non fans of the movie where the the opening explosion guerrilla raid is definitely more of a typical L.A. filmed action movie because it's more static setups and explosions from just, you know, a planted camera on like a telephone pole. And then you get to the jungle stuff is like, you know, that's all the South America shot stuff. So it is possible to do that.

[00:24:00] But then a lot of it we don't really it shows how much we actually are our eyes are paying attention to, you know, like the 11th season of the X-Files, the stuff that actually like as I was watching it, I was actually like, oh, this scene actually looks cinematic. Like it just kind of would be like the stuff that was more like car chase type. Yeah. Material like it looked real slick. It looks really like I think that's just wider angles.

[00:24:29] And, you know, I think that's just been TV in general. You have to talk about that because, you know, because when the X-Files came back up off of 2002, right? Like if we talk about the fact that we had a building in television with the Sopranos, they've been Breaking Bad. We have Mad Men, Kathy Wired. So all these shows, you know, aside from being well written shows, they were exceptionally produced well, invented camera direction. I mean, it looked, I mean, it was like a show television, right?

[00:24:56] Instead of, you know, a static shot. The X-Files at its time, yeah. I mean, at the time of Silver Revolution, I still do think if you're taking that in the context of my knees, right? You have a bit more staticky, a bit more visually conservative. I mean, just look at the old Star Trek show there at that time. Like, you get the idea, right? So, and if you look at some of the scenes, like for Samantha's abduction and all that, you know?

[00:25:20] But like, you can look at Gender Banner, Rob Bauman's episode, you know, there's this one ending, like the old submarine shot. Looks cinematic to me. It looks like something that, for a reason, I think, will need to tell. But then something to the 90s, even so. So, I mean, in that context, in the context of 90s television, yeah, I do think it is cinematic. But in the context of, if you can tell the intense, 20s, not so much. But that's what you get them. These are completely two different ages of life.

[00:25:49] Mm-hmm. That's right. You think, like, okay, when you're saying, like, okay, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and those types of things. We're just like talking the camera work, the framing, the... Are you saying that that always looks cinematic, those types of shows, in your opinion? Definitely. I mean, they definitely use a lot of those things. I mean, John Bartley was one of the main cinematographers.

[00:26:17] He did the dark noir aesthetic, especially during the Vancouver years. But I definitely see a lot of that in Breaking Bad, just where you got the darkly lit offices, and people are coming in, and we're not... Absolutely. There are some good tracking shots, and definitely good second unit stuff on all those shows. I mean, just looking at the amount of time where one of the lead stars or their stunt double is running around a corner, or... I mean, but no, I think that's a good...

[00:26:45] You're bringing up some good questions, Ethan, because, like, most of the time when people think of X-Files, they think of the mystery arc, or they think of the special effects. And don't get me wrong, those effects are wonderful, but... Mm-hmm. Yes, I mean, there's... It goes beyond even that, where it's like... There is a reason for that, right? So, like, I want to know a perspective on the CG. Well, and... I don't know if there... How much CGI there was on the show, but if there was, you know, it was pretty good for what it was.

[00:27:15] I mean, just look at episodes like, you know, even Ice, like, for example, we have that terrible CGI. It's a great episode. You just... Yeah. Yeah. Like, that's not good. If that is something that is not aged well, if you look at it now. But, like, Ethan, if Ethan had something to say, though. Like, okay, all your opinions on this. Like, I had a teacher that I did disagree with a lot, but I'm not even sure how I think about this. But, like, she said all the television these days does look really cinematic.

[00:27:45] That's what she said. It's like, I don't know if I really agree with that or any of you. I agree with that, though. I do not agree with that. I do not agree with that. Because I think cinema still, like, it's just the wider angles and stuff like that. I just... I don't know. I'm not saying I do disagree with it. I just... I'm not sure if... Like, when I go see a movie, I'm like, it's just the camera work to me is much better. And there you go. No, there you go. It's perfectly fine.

[00:28:13] I think what we're just getting at is just, like, the lighting and creating a mood is just a little bigger than the static work. So, like, you did mention Miami Vice, and I think that's a proper good example where all the outdoor stuff is Michael Mann's typical creative freedom. Well, anytime it's indoors, it's got to look like a typical show.

[00:28:35] Like, there are some shows where pretty much the only thing that is more edgy that you could say is on the base of a movie might be just maybe the shocking content or the acting or maybe a plot twist or atypical how it begins. But unfortunately, they will still have to do the same aesthetic where we got to have a doctor save everybody in the hospital, you know, before the 40 minute timeline is up.

[00:29:02] Or we got to have this detective going on two part, you know, mystery or this horror anthology needs to wrap up, you know, because again, the day is young. And so, I think we're just more a little more impressed by is like there. You never know how any episode is going to begin, let alone how it's going to end. I mean, you have a question, though. Sure, sure. Yeah. Look, what? How does the quality of Miami Vice fluctuate in season?

[00:29:31] I can have you. I think you guys have seen it all, I think, from what I gather. Most of it. But Miami Vice. So, like, how is it? Like, is it great or like, is it good? How is it? How is Miami? It's quality of the show, you mean? Yeah, just overall. Those three seasons are great out of five. Right. That's what I think. It'll be like many shows where you'll feel it slowly losing steam. But I will admit, when I first tried it in the 2000s, I found it outdated.

[00:30:00] But I've always appreciated it. And then I slowly rectified it in recent years. It's like, you know, I'm going to just still see it. And it's kind of one of those. I don't think it's as groundbreaking as, say, like Hill Street Blues or even Hunter. Oh, hell no. Hell no. Yeah, right. But it is still. But like you say, it is still like seeing a mixture of music video with. I mean, most people are going to see it anyway, just because they're big Michael Mann guys. And they know he's not really the typical predictable style.

[00:30:30] But I think given how there's some crew members and actors who are on that and then on X-Files, I think that's a good turning point in how just having the expectations you just don't expect on any of these movies and shows like that's that's already a win. Yeah. And I think Joseph Kuzinski is about doing Miami Vice reboot. Yes. Yeah. Yep. Yes, he is.

[00:31:00] We will see. There's I will give out some shout outs to some other good directors. I mean, we got to remember. And well, we'll get into it on the writers as well. I mean, but some of the writers trying their hands at the director's chair was a good idea. And Michael W. Watkins and Daniel Sackheim, Tony Warmbi, Cliff Bull and R.W. Goodwin are other big names. I like Cliff. I do, too. He's and David Nutter.

[00:31:30] I mean, there's a here's the biggest name there. You know, that that's the dude behind. Yeah, he like directed David Nutter. There was some statistic. It was like he had 18 pilots that he directed in a row that did get picked up like the like the largest for like a while. And I like disturbing behavior. That was I actually like that. Oh, yeah. And that was like an unofficial X-Files episode in so many ways. Yeah. Yeah. And a movie that really doesn't need to get demolished.

[00:32:00] And I don't ever understand why. But I mean, let's consider the fact that he was on campy stuff like Superboy. He'd done other stuff with the X-Files guys. Yeah. Like 100 lives of Blackjack Savage. And yes. Again, from the Stephen J. Candle camp, you got 21 Jump Street and Broken Badges on his resume. Then he does some B-movie stuff. He does the fourth and fifth Trancers movie for Charles Band's Full Moon B-movie company. Yeah. Not the best ones. Did four episodes of Millennium.

[00:32:29] So that's why I definitely need some love as well. I think he did two, right? I think he did two. Just four. But... Archangel, right? Ah, yes. Yep. I think Archangel. Yeah. A few episodes of Roswell and Band of Brothers, Westway. Jesus. Five episodes of VR. Three episodes of Without a Trace. And then two episodes of Supernatural. And one episode of Nip Tuck. And Game of Thrones. And Sopranos.

[00:32:57] But yeah, most people would geek out because they're like, yeah, that's the dude who worked on the Terminator show and the Pacific and the Flash. And the brothers. But Game of Thrones, you did nine episodes. You got a pay increase. Yeah. One of the best TV directors, unfortunately, I don't think he did any of the X-Files. But Jack Bender, in my opinion. I agree. That guy, he's a great... I think he's a damn good TV director. Yeah.

[00:33:27] And he's another... He would be definitely... I would contrast Jack Bender with Rob Bowman. Because you got to realize, you know, he started off Child's Play Free and some other... Child's Play 3. Yeah, I know. It's like... Some other miniseries and TV movies. But... Yeah. Big deal. Yeah. Anyone who's watched Lost... His work on Lost. Game of Thrones and From... And they're like, yeah, this is a guy who does it all. He does action, sci-fi, mystery, horror movies. He's deadly. And... Yeah.

[00:33:56] And I mean, just something for everybody. Like... Right. Even if you were just casually watching TV, you'd be like, I've seen his name on episodes of Felicity, Profilers, even 90210. And you're like, yeah, he's... He's diverse. And... Yeah. Before he goes into the HBO and J.J. Abrams camp. But... Right. But... Yeah, Nutter I do have some serious respect for just because I just... Despite that unusual surname, Nutter, he's actually a pretty nice polite guy. And...

[00:34:26] It just... I would always... He kind of reminds me of all those Van Patten's. They started off as actors and became directors. He's just... Has always been a writer-director. And... He just seemed very friendly with actors and... Getting notes. And you gotta realize, Chris Carter, pretty polite to work with. Game of Thrones guys, unfortunately, could be a little toxic, making inappropriate jokes behind the scenes. He's making everybody happy. He gets along with everybody. So that's... That's credit to him.

[00:34:53] And he did do two episodes for Space Above and Beyond. So... Yes. He is definitely overdue to work with Morgan and Wong. You know, again. He's lately been helming most of the Time Traveler's Wife TV show for HBO Max that didn't make it. So... Still working. Now working on the... He's now working on the new spinoff. The Lion of the Seven Kingdoms. I haven't seen any of that yet, but... I'm sure they'll call him back eventually.

[00:35:24] And I applaud anybody who's just able to be on all those sets. Because, I mean, they're actually filming in, you know, winter-worn countries. You know? It's like... Mm-hmm. There's... We're setting stuff up, but there's no faking half the stuff we're filming. So I think that's the... That's what we kind of mean a little more about cinematic. Like, the stuff we're seeing, it's going beyond just an outdoor Paramount lot or California Canyon that's been reserved for many movies. It's like, yeah, no.

[00:35:51] We're seeing actual people jump off of cars or jump onto horses and... A lot off a cliff. Even a cliff is like, yeah. There's no blue screen. If there is, it's during reshoots, but... Yep. So, if I think of all the directors, I think... I think Dave Nevers is probably the most successful amongst them, I think. I do feel that. Kind of, yeah. I mean, the fact that the HBO crowd gave him more...

[00:36:21] Yeah, just... Entourage. He didn't take a throne. Yeah, that's a great resume list. I'm surprised I didn't see a Deadwood credit. You know, it's like, yeah. But kudos to him. Especially the ones who are still working. Like, I will see Thomas J. Wright's name still appear once in a while. Thomas J. Wright's director? I mean, I couldn't find any credits, though. Like, I couldn't find any more in IMDb. Like, post...

[00:36:50] Post 2000s, frankly. Yeah, he's... When you see him work on similar shows, like NCIS and Supernatural, he definitely brings a lot of that same gritty stuff. Even CSI. He definitely did a lot of that same, just show something from the killer's perspective. But he did team up with Rob Bowman again on Castle from 2013 to 2016. So, you know. But, yeah. He...

[00:37:20] He hasn't done as much lately. I think it's interesting, though, just realizing is, like, he used to be a storyboard artist. That's pretty cool. His artwork and paintings were used on Rod Sterling's night gallery. So, all those paintings. That's him. And I'm like, what? Did second unit direction on the first final destination. And then it's interesting just seeing... Just...

[00:37:45] Other just stuff, like Production Illustrator and just credits ranging from The Russians Are Coming to Andromeda Strain to Hitchcock's Depaz and even Jaws. It's like, that's... That's something, man. Like, that's your foot in the door. People can see that you're an artist. That's awesome. We'll return after these messages. Hi, folks.

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