John Bleasdale talks to J Blake Fichera author of Scored to Death and Scored to Death 2, available here. Scored to Death collects 14 info-packed, terrifyingly entertaining interviews with renowned film composers who have provided music for some of the horror genre's greatest films and franchises, including Halloween , A Nightmare on Elm Street , Friday the 13th, Hellraiser , Maniac , The Fog , Prince of Darkness , Cujo , Dawn of the Dead , Deep Red , Suspiria , Santa Sangre , Zombie , The Beyond...
Feb 23, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Ben Slater is a writer, editor and lecturer based in Singapore who has written on film for newspapers, books, magazines and journals. He’s the author of Kinda Hot: The Making of Saint Jack in Singapore (Marshall Cavendish: 2006), the writer/editor of 25: Histories & Stories of the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF: 2014), and the editor of NANG 1: Screenwriting (Cinemasias Editions: 2016). He’s also a script editor, most recently for Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy’s Rose Plays Ju...
Feb 16, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 43
John Bleasdale talks to Philip Gwynne Jones, author of the Venice based Nathan Sutherland series. We talk about Venice, Horror and specifically Italian Horror as well as Philip's recommended book Euro Gothic by Jonathan Rigby. Visit Philip's website for more information. At the end of the episode there are bonus film book recommendations from Kaleem Aftab, Łukasz Knap and Anders Emblem, which I recorded while attending Tromsø film festival. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast...
Feb 09, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 42
John Bleasdale talks to John Rosenthal, an actor, musician and writer, known for Ted K (2021), Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America (2007) and Out of Our Minds (2009). Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Feb 02, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Matt Glasby is a journalist and the author of three books on film. His latest is the Book of Horror and is available here . Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jan 26, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 40
John Bleasdale talks to Noah Isenberg about his book We'll Always Have Casablanca . Here's the blurb: For the 75th anniversary of its premiere—the incredible story of how Casablanca was made and why it remains the most beloved of Hollywood films. Casablanca was first released in 1942, just two weeks after the city of Casablanca itself surrendered to American troops led by General Patton. Featuring a pitch-perfect screenplay, a classic soundtrack, and unforgettable performances by Humphrey Bogart...
Jan 19, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 39
In 1996, Trainspotting arrived in UK cinemas and became one of the most iconic films of the decade. Introducing a plethora of young acting talent, it was Danny Boyle's second film. An adaptation of Irvine Welsh's hugely popular novel, the film had an impact on music and fashion for a generation. Jay Glennie's remarkable new book charts the making of the film in great depth while retaining the energy of the film in its own pumping narrative drive. You'll discover all the secrets behind the scenes...
Jan 12, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 38
John Bleasdale talks to Patrick McGilligan, biographer, film historian and writer. His biography on Alfred Hitchcock, Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light was a finalist for the Edgar Award. He is the author of two New York Times Notable Books, and he lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also wrote an amazing biography on Clint Eastwood, Clint: The Life and Legend. In addition to Hitchcock and Eastwood, he has written biographies on Robert Altman, James Cagney, George Cukor, Fritz Lang, O...
Jan 05, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 37
John Bleasdale talks to Michael Leader and Jake Cunningham, hosts of the podcast Ghibliotheque, now a beautiful book. Ghibliotheque offers a well-balanced and highly informed critique of some of the greatest animated movies of all time, including Spirited Away , My Neighbour Totoro and Princess Mononoke . From Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind to Earwig and the Witch , authors Michael Leader and Jake Cunningham review every Studio Ghibli feature film, providing insightful background information...
Dec 29, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Season 1Ep. 36
John Bleasdale talks to Jonathan Melville author of A Kind of Magic: Making the Original Highlander . When two American producers took a chance on a college student's script, they set in motion a chain of events involving an imploding British film studio, an experimental music video director still finding his filmmaking feet, a former James Bond with a spiralling salary, and the unexpected arrival of low-budget production company, Cannon Films. Author Jonathan Melville looks back at the creation...
Dec 16, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 34
John Bleasdale talks to Clark Collis, the author of You've Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead was Brought to Life. How did a low-budget British movie about Londoners battling zombies in a pub become a beloved global pop culture phenomenon? You’ve Got Red on You details the previously untold story of 2004’s Shaun of the Dead , the hilarious, terrifying horror-comedy whose fan base continues to grow and grow. After consulting dozens of the people involved in the creation of the film, author Cla...
Dec 11, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 33
John Bleasdale talks to Anna Cale author of The Real Diana Dors. The story of Swindon-born film star Diana Dors is one of fame, glamour and intrigue. From the moment she came into the world, her life was full of drama. Her acting career began in the shadow of the Second World War, entering the film world as a vulnerable young teenager and negotiating the difficult British studio system of the 1940s and 50s. Yet she battled against the odds to become one of the most iconic British actors of the 2...
Dec 02, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 32
John Bleasdale talks to Ian Nathan about Peter Jackson and his book Anything You Can Imagine: Peter Jackson and the Making of Middle Earth . The definitive history of Peter Jackson's Middle-earth saga, Anything You Can Imagine takes us on a cinematic journey across all six films, featuring brand-new interviews with Peter, his cast & crew. From the early days of daring to dream it could be done, through the highs and lows of making the films, to fan adoration and, finally, Oscar glory. Lights...
Nov 28, 2021•1 hr 43 min•Season 1Ep. 31
John Bleasdale talks to Glenn Frankel author of books on The Searchers, High Noon and Midnight Cowboy. Glenn worked for many years at the Washington Post, where he served as bureau chief in London, Jerusalem and Southern Africa, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for International Reporting. He taught journalism at Sanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, where he directed the School of Journalism. He has won the National Jewish Book Award and was a finalist for the Lost Angeles T...
Nov 25, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 30
John Bleasdale talks to Tom Shone, author of Blockbuster, The Nolan Variations and Martin Scorsese a Retrospective. Marvel, Dune, No Time to Die and Last Duel discussed as the Blockbusters Strike Back. There are SPOILERS. Here's the blurb from the book : It's a typical summer Friday night and the smell of popcorn is in the air. Throngs of fans jam into air-conditioned multiplexes to escape for two hours in the dark, blissfully lost in Hollywood's latest glittery confection complete with megawatt...
Nov 13, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Season 1Ep. 28
John Bleasdale talks to Mark Searby, author of Al Pacino The Movies Behind the Man. His recommended book is Lawrence Grobel's biography of Al Pacino. Here's a blurb from the book: Al Pacino: The Movies Behind The Man is the ultimate insider’s guide to the filmography of the legendary Hollywood actor. Consistently recognised as one of the greatest actors of all time, Al Pacino has a huge legacy within film and an equally impressive archive of awards to his name. Unlike many other books that hold ...
Nov 11, 2021•1 hr 44 min•Season 1Ep. 27
John Bleasdale talks to author Jason Bailey about his new book, described below. You can also hear his podcast at this link. In Fun City Cinema: New York and the Movies That Made It , author Jason Bailey digs through New York’s last century via one quintessential New York film of each decade: The Jazz Singer , King Kong , The Naked City , Sweet Smell of Success , Midnight Cowboy , Taxi Driver , Wall Street , Kids , 25th Hour , and Frances Ha . In doing so, Bailey crafts two intertwining historie...
Oct 28, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Amy Raphael has written for all the UK broadsheets and myriad magazines, including The Face , Esquire and the Radio Times . Her first book, Never Mind the Bollocks: Women Rewrite Rock was published in 1995 and an updated version, A Seat at the Table: Women on the Frontline of Music , was published in 2019. A Game of Two Halves: Famous Football Fans Meet Their Heroes , with forewords by both Gary Lineker and Raheem Sterling, raised money for UNCHR. She co-wrote Steve Coogan’s autobiography Easily...
Oct 21, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 24
John Bleasdale talks to Lynne Sachs, the Memphis born, Brooklyn based filmmaker on the eve of a season of her works being streamed on the Criterion Channel . Since the 1980s, Sachs has created cinematic works that defy genre through the use of hybrid forms and collaboration, incorporating elements of the essay film, collage, performance, documentary and poetry. Her films explore the intricate relationship between personal observations and broader historical experiences. With each project, she in...
Oct 14, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 23
L.A. native Sam Wasson studied Film at Wesleyan University and at the USC School of Cinematic Arts before publishing his first book, A Splurch in the Kisser: The Movies of Blake Edwards , which film critic Andrew Sarris deemed “the critical resurrection of Blake Edwards." In 2010, Wasson's Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman became a New York and Los Angeles Times Best Seller. The book has been translated into over a dozen languages, and...
Oct 07, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 22
John Bleasdale talks to Paul Duncan author and editor of The James Bond Archives : The ultimate companion to all things 007, covering the making of every single movie in the James Bond franchise, from Dr. No to No Time To Die. With more than 1,007 images and an oral history featuring 150 members of cast and crew, this comprehensively updated XXL edition will delight fans of the most successful and longest-running film franchise in cinema history. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See...
Oct 03, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 21
John Bleasdale talks to Ian Nathan, one of the UK’s best known film writers. A former editor and executive editor of Empire magazine, is the author of Alien Vault, the worldwide best-selling history of Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, Quentin Tarantino: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work, a gorgeous study of the acclaimed director; studies of The Coen Brothers, Tim Burton, the adaptations of Stephen King; plus the best-selling Anything You Can Imagine: Peter Jackson and the Making of Middle-earth, the...
Sep 23, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 19
John Bleasdale talks to Wendy Mitchell, journalist, author and editor. Wendy is a contributing editor for Screen International. She has been a staff writer and editor at Entertainment Weekly, IndieWire, and Rolling Stone and has written for The Guardian, Variety, Time Out New York, Glamour, and Billboard. She consults for the San Sebastian and Zurich film festivals. She is also the author of Citizen Canine , available from all good book outlets. This charming and adorable collection of the best ...
Sep 10, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 17
CORRECTION: Rob mentioned some 80s film essays on Channel Four by Lindsay Anderson and Alan Clarke – it was actually Alan Parker. (His correction) Rob Young's new book continues his exploration of British culture, delving into TV and cinema. Growing up in the 1970s, Rob Young's main storyteller was the wooden box with the glass window in the corner of the family living room, otherwise known as the TV set. Before the age of DVDs and Blu-ray discs, YouTube and commercial streaming services, watchi...
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 15
John Bleasdale talks to Ed Potton of The Times and freelance journalist and Manson/Tarantino expert Damon Wise about Quentin Tarantino's first novel: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. They discuss the film and its relationship to the book and Damon fills us in about the Manson conspiracy theories and how Bruce Lee was once suspected. We also address some of the issues of generational change in Hollywood and how and when Tarantino might retire. Ed's recommended book is Anthony Lane's Nobody's Perfec...
Aug 25, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 14
I talk to Matthew about Night Moves and the Scottish screenplay writer Alan Sharp, as well as Orson Welles and especially his recently reconstructed film The Other Side of the Wind. You can find Matthew's work here: www.matthewaspreygear.com Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Aug 20, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 13
John Bleasdale talks to Paul Duncan about his writing. From his first efforts to his amazing Taschen books, he describes his encounters with famous filmmakers such as Michael Mann and George Lucas and his work on the Ingmar Bergman Archives. His recommended book is John Boorman's Money into Light. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jul 30, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 10
I talk to Pamela Hutchinson about her BFI book Pandora's Box and we talk silent cinema generally, its newness and originality. Pamela's blog is available here . Her book is available here . Her recommended book is here . Thanks again to Elliot Atkins for the music and Ali Harwood for the artwork and enthusiasm. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jul 16, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Jay Glennie talks about his making of books, his relationship with Robert de Niro and the way he set up his own publishing house. To get his books click on this link. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jul 02, 2021•59 min•Season 1Ep. 6
The last few years Mexican film-makers winning the Best Director Oscars 5 times, and Best Picture 4 times: Alfonso Cuaron with Gravity and Roma. Alejandro Inarritu with Birdman and The Revenant Guillermo del Toro with The Shape of Water We talk the revised edition of The Faber Book of Mexican Cinema brings this astounding story up to date, as well as profiling the next generation, waiting in the wings. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Lear...
Jun 25, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 5
