Out of Touchstone

This special two-part episode looking back at the first decade of Touchstone Pictures concludes with Mike and Chad analyzing the success of Touchstone films at the box office during the Eisner/Katzenberg regime, and how the "Disney Renaissance" brought the studio back to the forefront of the moviegoing public's collective mind. Finally, the co-hosts share their Top Te

Before moving on to Disney's 1995 slate, let's take one final look at the first ten years of Touchstone Pictures - in Part 1 of this two-part episode, Mike and Chad touch on Disney's earliest forays into live-action films, the legacy of their animated content, and Ron Miller's wish to produce films that appealed to older audiences without the "family friendly&q

While Touchstone did manage to win a couple of Academy Awards in 1994, the year also provided some notorious flops for the studio. Mike and Chad look back on the year that was, handing out Ronnie Awards for their favorite films and performances - though one film received the lion's share of praise, a few others stepped up to remind us why we enjoy doing this podcast. It may not

It's time for another special interview episode of Out of Touchstone, as Mike had the great thrill to chat with writer/director Ron Shelton! In addition to being responsible for some of the best sports movies of the last few decades, Ron also directed two features for Touchstone Pictures: BLAZE (1989) and PLAY IT TO THE BONE (2000), and shared stories about the casting and prod

With ED WOOD serving as Touchstone's final film of 1994 in late September, Disney leaves themselves three months to wrap up the year with five releases across multiple genres in an attempt to make as much of a mark at the box office as possible. The results were mixed, but the films served their purpose: Hollywood Pictures brought forth sci-fi horror (THE PUPPET MASTERS) and ac

The end of Touchstone's 1994 slate brings forth one of the best films in their entire catalog: ED WOOD!  In this special extended episode, Chad and Mike welcome two of their best friends from college - Mike Meyer and Sean Reynolds - for a roundtable discussion covering many aspects of this beloved entry in director Tim Burton's filmography.  From the incredible performanc

Disney rebounded from a difficult August 1994 with a September that brought critical acclaim but not the greatest box office results.  First up, Touchstone presents a more serious Steve Martin with A SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE - both Mike and Chad lauded the performances and the subtle hints of humor, but the third act doomed the film.  Thankfully, Hollywood Pictures gave the c

It was a month of misfortune for Disney: August 1994 brought four separate flops, though one was clearly better than the others.  Touchstone gave us IT'S PAT: THE MOVIE, a poor attempt to bring the popular SNL character to the big screen.  What can you say about it?  Not much, and Mike and Chad preferred it that way.  From there, the co-hosts turned to Hollywood

It's now the Summer of 1994 and Disney has both a huge hit and a minor success at the box office - but sadly, neither of those came from Touchstone.  As a result, the co-hosts get to do their customary deep dive into I LOVE TROUBLE, a film mostly remembered for the behind-the-scenes squabbles between its two stars, Nick Nolte and Julia Roberts.  Mike and Chad both agree t

We're excited to bring you another interview on Out of Touchstone as we sit down with Jim Burnstein, the writer of RENAISSANCE MAN who now serves as the Director of the Screenwriting Program at the University of Michigan.  He discusses his career at length, beginning with his decision to become a writer and how he managed to navigate the film industry in Hollywood in the late