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Welcome To The Party Pal: The Mind-Bending Film & Television Podcast You Didn't Know You Needed!
Episode 4: Electric Dreams with Kalen Egan (writer/producer)
Ep. 4
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The Welcome To The Party Pal team is back at it, this time putting under the microscope the exciting new anthology series now streaming on Amazon titled Electric Dreams. Electric Dreams is a series based on the writings of Philip K. Dick, and in this episode all the splendor of the captivating first season is examined. In order to fully discern all the richness Electric Dreams has to offer, and to dig deep into the origins of the series and get a behind the scenes look at its production, this episode features an interview with one of the executive producers and writers of the series (as well as The Man In The High Castle), Kalen Egan. More than just one of the creative minds involved in bringing Electric Dreams to life, Kalen also works with Electric Shepherd Productions, a production company that works in partnership with Philip K. Dick’s daughter, Isa Dick Hackett, and is dedicated to stewarding and adapting Dick’s vast catalog for television and film projects.
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Episode 161: Taxi Driver's 50th Anniversary
41:54|To celebrated the 50th Anniversary of director Martin Scorsese's classic, Taxi Driver, Welcome To The Party Pal expounds upon the perpetual greatness of the neo-noir psychological drama written by Paul Schrader. Set in a decaying New York City following the Vietnam War, it stars Robert De Niro as taxi driver Travis Bickle, whose mental state deteriorates as he works nights in the city. The film also features Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, and Albert Brooks. In this episode hosts Michael Shields and Douglas Grant discuss the themes found in Taxi Driver which still resonate today, the haunting score composed by Bernard Herrmann, the brilliant screenplay crafted by Schrader, the stunning acting in the film, its enduring legacy, and so much more.
Episode 160: Secret Mall Apartment
36:08|This episode of Welcome To The Party Pal dissects Secret Mall Apartment, the documentary film directed by filmmaker Jeremy Workman that recounts the story of a group of young Rhode Islanders who built a secret apartment inside the Providence Place shopping mall in Providence in 2003, living there for four years until getting caught and charged with trespassing in 2007. At the center of the film is Michael Townsend, the artist whose work sparked the story — and this episode features an interview with Michael that delves into his motivations, his enduring and inspiring work with Tape Art, the blended line between art and everyday living that defines Michael’s life, and so much more.
Episode 159: One Battle After Another
34:37|This episode of Welcome To The Party Pal dissects the black comedy action thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another. It is loosely based and inspired by the 1990 novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti (in her film debut). Join in as hosts Michael Shields and River Jordan visit a heated showdown in Batkin Cross, traverse the hilly terrain of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and enjoy a few small beers all while giving just due praise to PTA's most recent masterpiece.
Episode 158: The Best Television Shows of 2025
01:12:28|In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal hosts Michael Shields and Ryan O’ Connell share their choices for the best television shows of 2025. Join in on a journey that whisks listeners to Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics, quarries in Delaware County, galaxies far far away, a frantic ER in Pennsylvania, the 1880 Republican National Convention, and beyond.
Episode 157: Eddington
37:00|This episode of Welcome To The Party Pal dissects Eddington, the neo-Western thriller written and directed by Ari Aster, and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Luke Grimes, Micheal Ward, Austin Butler, and Emma Stone. Set in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico, the film examines the political and social turmoil caused by the contested mayoral election fought between Sheriff Joe Cross and Mayor Ted Garcia. Join in as hosts Michael Shields and Douglas Grant brave a heated, rural New Mexican town in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic to break down one of the most compelling films of 2025.
Episode 156: Predator Badlands
28:33|This episode of Welcome To The Party Pal dissects Predator : Badlands, the science fiction action film and the seventh installment in the Predator franchise. The film was directed by Dan Trachtenberg and written by Patrick Aison from a story by Trachtenberg and Aison. Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi star in leading roles. In the film, Dek, a young Yautja exiled from his clan, crash-lands on a hostile planet and must prove himself worthy of the hunt. Struggling to survive, he forms an unlikely alliance with Thia, a damaged Weyland-Yutani Corporation android, as they face off against an apex predator. In this episode hosts Michael Shields and Douglas Grant journey to the emphatically dangerous planet of Genna with Dek, Thia, and the loveable and dangerous Bud in an episode that celebrates not only Badlands but the entire Predator franchise.
Episode 155: Frankenstein
37:53|This episode of Welcome To The Party Pal delves into Frankenstein, the gothic drama film produced, written, and directed by Guillermo del Toro, based on the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley. The film stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Creature, while Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz play supporting roles. The story follows the life of egotistical scientist Frankenstein whose experiment in creating new life results in dangerous consequences. Join in on an episode where hosts Michael Shields and Ryan O'Connell whisk listeners off to Geneva, Switzerland, Ingolstadt, Germany, and the Arctic Circle in a hunt for the Creature.
Episode 154: Task
50:37|This episode of Welcome To The Party Pal journeys to Delaware County, Pennsylvania to celebrate the crime drama, HBO hit Task, created and written by Brad Ingelsby. It stars Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones, Fabien Frankel, countless bottles of Yuengling, hoagies, and the Dark Hearts. In it, Philadelphia-based FBI agent Tom Brandis is put in charge of a task force investigating a string of violent robberies against stash houses run by outlaw motorcycle gangs. Join in on an episode that tips its Eagles hat to two of the best acting performances of the year, and an unforgettable season of television.
Episode 153: Alien Earth
38:41|This episode of Welcome To The Party Pal celebrates Alien : Earth, the FX / Hulu television series created by Noah Hawley. It is the first television series in the Alien franchise and is set two years before the events of the 1979 film Alien. The series stars Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, David Rhysadle, and Timothy Olyphant. In this episode hosts Michael Shields and Douglas Grant dissect the fascinating, xenomorph-heavy first season, one that gifted the world with the beloved parasitic eye-alien, Species 64.