Still Watching the Skies: Episode 126 “Mr. Stitch”

By Robert Reineke

I think we all consider ourselves fans of Rutger Hauer which lead Cody, Robert, and Nat to 1995’s MR. STITCH by Roger Avary.

MR. STITCH was originally intended to be a television series and then was turned into a movie. I’m sure everyone had good intentions, but a difficult Rutger Hauer and apparently a producer not backing up the writer/director Roger Avary helped defeat those intentions. So, we’re left with a Frankensteined version of what was intended, which is perhaps appropriate.

But, beyond the summary, it has to be said that there are good ideas for a post-modern Frankenstein story here. Roger Avary was hot coming off of Killing Zoe and an Oscar win for Pulp Fiction. It’s not surprising it would draw interest from old pros and up and comers. Will Wheaton has talked about it, Rutger Hauer was something of a bankable star, plus a good actor, in those days. I can think of worse things that shooting a movie in Nice, France. It’s no wonder it got made.

Alas, things did not come together. Most reports appear to blame Rutger Hauer for being “difficult”, to put it kindly. Ultimately what started as an intention for a tv series turned into a one shot tv movie on Syfy that was quickly forgotten.

But watching things that nobody else does is what we do around here. And while we perhaps don’t deviate too much from the general consensus, that doesn’t mean that we can’t find ideas to engage with and odd touches that are worthy of discussion. We hope that we found enough for an engaging episode, even if it is painful for those involved in the production.

No need to access cellular memory to listen to this episode. You can give us a play below or download the episode. Also, feel free to let us know what you think by commenting on our page at Facebook or you can Email Us at skiespocast@gmail.com as we appreciate feedback.

Time tracks:
0:00:00 – MR. STITCH Discussion
1:11:38- Next Movie and Outro

Next month, we perhaps scrape the bottom of the barrel with LEPRECHAUN 4: IN SPACE. Wish us luck for our St. Patrick’s day celebration.

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Robert Reineke

Robert Reineke was born in the dark era before cable television, but somehow survived based on a steady diet of Universal Monsters, Hammer Horror, 1950s science fiction, and Godzilla on his local UHF station. As a college student, he discovered the works of David Lynch and Akira Kurosawa which opened up different vistas for him. When he’s not doing useful things like heading up environmental investigations and cleanups or designing sewers, you can find him watching movies, writing about them, and talking about them. He’s a booster of the Milwaukee Film Festival. Somehow he puts up with young whippersnappers Nat Almiral and Cody Lang on the Still Watching the Skies podcast.