Cinefantastique podcasters Lawrence French, Dan Persons, and Steve Biodrowski discuss news and events related to horror, fantasy, and science fiction films, including the Stanley Kubrick exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the restoration of HORROR OF DRACULA, and their favorite (or least favorite) restorations.

The Christmas season is upon us, and as we have had occasion to mention, that means ghosts and spirits. And what greater Christmas ghost story is there than Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL? That is the subject of this week’s Cinefantastique Round Table Podcast: Dan Persons, guest John W. Morehead (of Theofantastique.com), and Steve Biodrowski take a look back at the original novel and the numerous film and television adaptations, both live action and animated, that have brought not only Scrooge but also Jacob Marley and the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future to life on the screen. Listen for fond remembrances of everything from the 1951 classic SCROOGE starring Alistair Sim to the 1970 musical starring Albert Finney, from George C. Scott to Patrick Stewart, not to mention Mr. Magoo, the Muppets, and Doctor Who!

George Melies blows up his own head in THE MAN WITH THE RUBBER HEAD

Following up on the previous CFQ Spotlight Podcast devoted to Martin Scorcese’s HUGO, the Cinefantastique crew of Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski – joined by special guest Andrea Lipinski – blast off into the fabulous fantasy world of George Melies. The special effects pioneer and cinema magician of the early silent era was the first to realize the potential of movies imbued with a Sense of Wonder, using the camera not to capture reality but to create dreams writ large on the silver screen.

Also on the table for discussion during this Round Table: upcoming 3-D theatrical films and recent home video releases.

Check out the links below to see some of the Melies movies discussed in the podcast.

STAR WARS is back again – this time on home video – and a look at the 1977 original reminds Cinefantastique Podcasters Lawrence French, Dan Persons, and Steve Biodrowski that, despite having been retitled A NEW HOPE, the first film still works best as a stand-alone original, not as part four in an on-going franchise – fact that no digital enhancements or continuity tweaks can hide. And speaking of the Curse of Continuity, Steve Biodrowski expresses dawning concern over the direction of THE WALKING DEAD’s second season: will AMC’s excellent horror drama slide into LOST-style obfuscation as it holds onto secret plot developments like trump cards to be reserved for play at a later date? Digging deeper, the CFQ crew follow the Midochlorian DNA strand from STAR WARS and THE WALKING DEAD to ISLAND OF TERROR, RED STATE and WITCHFINDER GENERAL – a conversational obstacle course that navigates its way through more treacherous hive of scum and villainy than even Mos Eisley contains. But no matter how disturbing the twists and turns, don’t “opt out” like the raft of suicidal losers in THE WALKING DEAD; after all, hope – or a discussion of the epilogue from the credits of TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN, PART 1 – may be just around the next corner.