The Projector #35: Still Sheltered In Place (Patreon)

by Keith Phipps

How’s everybody doing? If you find yourself asking that a lot lately, you’re not alone. So here’s us asking you: Are you doing okay? We’re just a podcast, but we’re trying to keep things going, in part because we enjoy doing the podcast (and need stuff to do), but also in part because we want to keep the world seeming as normal as possible. And if that means uninterrupted service from a bunch of people talking about the 1950 Elia Kazan movie Panic in the Streets, the subject of this week’s episode, then so be it.

Beyond this, how is the new shelter-in-place lifestyle affecting what you watch and listen to? Are you digging back into old favorites for comfort viewing? Exploring new options? I’m lucky to be busy with assignments (and a book) that have dictated what I’ve watched even in most “off” hours (if that term applies anymore), but my wife and I have used the opportunity to finally start watching Deadwood (good show!) and Brockmire (also a good show!). But it’s also been hard to focus, and at the end of a day trying to homeschool and work and keep the house in order, it’s sometimes hard to find the energy to devote to entertainment.

Finally, do you find you’re talking more about entertainment online? Just anecdotally, I’ve noticed my Twitter feed is pretty evenly divided between COVID-19 talk and entertainment minutia. There seem to be more people than usual watching Columbo reruns. Is this your form of escapism?

As always, thanks. It means a lot know we’ve got people out there listening.

Also, if you want to do some reading…

• For Vulture, Charles Bramesco talked to some directors of movies that won’t see the light of day at the time of their scheduled release. (They’re all kind of scared.) Related: Edgar Wright talked to Bilge Ebiri about his experience in the U.K. and Luca Guadagnino did the same with Hunter Harris about life in Milan under lockdown.

• Also for Vulture, Jen Chaney wrote about how everything she watches reminds her of the coronavirus.

• For The Guardian, Scott Tobias considered Pretty Woman at 30. Spoiler: Julia Roberts is movie star material!

• At The New York Times, Werner Herzog talked to David Marchese about everything (including his dislike of dogs).

• An unexpected side effect of COVID-19: Drive-ins are back! (Sort of. And maybe not for long).

• At Mel, Jordan Hoffman watched the hottest movie of the last pandemic, 1918’s Mickey.

• Also at Mel, Keith Phipps talked to some people who grew up in the bubble of faith-based entertainment.

• And at Fangoria, the same Keith Phipps wrote about New Orleans horror movies.