Movie Madness

Today Hank and Wayne speak with Canadian Filmmaker Liam Higgins about his newest short film, coming Jan 19th: Wake. A film which deals with heavy subject matter such as loss, mental health and suicide. It is a beautiful understated film which hopes to help people understand and cope with their own feelings. This acclaimed cinematographer and journalist also wrote the film and we discuss his histor...

Today we're talking with Ian Floodgate, Film Critic and communications officer for the North East International Film Festival. As well as giving him THE QUESTIONS, we talk about the Festival, its importance and impact here in the North, how it came about and also how YOU, our listeners can get a good deal on checking out some screenings! All listeners of this Podcast can get 20% official selection...

(Fan Service and Cliffhangers) On the Season Finale, we discuss cliff hangers in media and how annoying they can be as well as Fan Service and when is it right or wrong to just give the audience what they want? And what do they really want? We look at a few extreme examples and also our personal experiences with our own fans! Also we talk a lot about games and movies and other crap. It's the seaso...

(Time Travel in Film) Who wouldn’t love to go back in time?! Feels like every movie you see these days is a time travel movie with so much 80s and 90s Nostalgia trips going on, but no, we’re talking actual time travel; Back to the futures and so on. Some of the great ones, some of the lame ones. What makes these movies so much fun to watch and why do we love the idea of changing the past so much?...

(Cars in Film) James Bond, Mad Max, John Wick, Thelma and Louise, Bullit, Batman and more – are as linked to their cars as anything else. We look back to classic movies and TV shows for the cars that got us excited. Top Gear for Cinephiles today! Hank, Wayne, Madden and Chris discuss their favorite and least favorite cars in film and why some cars can pack a legacy in just a look. Let’s get fast a...

Henry and Wayne sit down and chat with Filmmaker Chris J. Allan; Filmmaker and co-founder of Wycombe89 media, teacher, editor and coordinator for Sunderland Shorts Film Festival. We discuss the Sunderland Shorts Film Festival, how it has needed to evolve in a post-pandemic world, his experiences as a teacher, Chris’s films such as his short documentary big pink dress and about the film industry in...

(Terminator, Alien and Predator Franchises) Host Henry Thompson and guests Wayne Thompson, Wayne Madden and Chris Reed discuss their favorite and least favorite releases of the Terminator, Alien and Predator movies as well as a bunch of useless trivia, “Did you knows” and in honor of the only man killed by all three – Bill Paxton They also discuss a few other flicks and controversially what they w...

(Anthologies) We look back at some of the classic Anthology collections (Twilight Zone, Outer Limits) from back in the day as well as modern versions such as Black Mirror and the coming Cabinet of Curiosities. The power of television is the ability to tell longer more detailed stories – so why does Anthologies work? Will streaming help or hinder them? We also discuss the uniformity of how tv works...

(Indie Filmmaking: Mental Health and Finance) Just the two of us… Wayne and Henry discuss their struggles as Independent filmmakers, their lofty goals to open a Studio to help others, the sometimes selfish mindset of filmmakers, the Indie “dream system” which prays on the hopes of up and coming filmmakers, mental health struggles and where you can seek help if you are involved in the Film Industry...

(Prison breaks and other crap) What does The Green Mile, The Predator and Jumanji all have to do with Prison Break films? We don’t know either. Just run with it. We discuss the best and worst prison break or “break from some form of authority or entrapment” films we can think of as well as a few other lengthy tangents. Why do we want bad guys to go to Jail but then love watching prison break films...

(Is Streaming becoming quantity over quality?) Further to our talks about GREED from last week, we discuss the massive renewals of shows like Rick and Morty and South Park and question as more companies aim to create their own streaming spaces – instead of sharing past content libraries – is the push for original exclusive content leading to a glut of average entertainment? Or are we in a renaissa...

(Is the Film Market greedy by nature?) With ScarJo being in the news complaining about ONLY getting 25 million for the release of Black Widow due to the film being co-released on streaming… We thought it would be good to talk about film from concept to finished product and how greed has corroded the creative side. We also discuss nudity in films. Wages in film. Streaming rights and services. And m...

(80’s franchises that won’t die) We pull the loose thread of 80s characters who won’t leave our screens for better or worse – also the power and deception of modern trailers, is there a place for 80’s level violence and sex in today’s films and TV? And more on today’s Movie Madness! Tune in, subscribe, like, share and all that jazz but most of all: Enjoy! To remind you: We'd love to hear your thou...

(Filmmaking in the North of England) As Indie filmmakers in the North we discuss the pros and cons of the Region, how we feel there is few opportunities by comparison to other regions and explain for those that don’t know that we are not “next to London” There is still big shows being filmed here, new Studios – including ours! – opening up, so is it all looking up for the North? But we also talk a...

(Michael Crichton adaptions) Continuing with authors, we discuss the few Michael Crichton adaptations such as Jurassic Park and its modern parodies such as Jurassic World. Westworld and it’s modern parody. Some of the winners and losers in the lottery of adapted work and also why such a prolific writer is more or less forgotten about by modern Filmmakers and studios. Which books are waiting to be...

You’ve heard him on Movie Madness before – or on Nova Radio or the Spanish Announce Table. Or maybe even read his work in NE Volume or the Crack or any of the many other magazines he has written for. We’re talking with and about Wayne G.Madden: Journalist, writer, actor, Studio Manager. We discuss his early days in Ireland, coming to the UK, his interest in Journalism and how he fell into getting...

(Stephen King films and shows) One of the most adapted authors – Stephen King has had many stories turned into movies – Carrie, The Green Mile, Dreamcatcher… So we look through his catalog and as we do as discerning filmgoers – we judge! What are some of the best adaptations? Worst adaptations – and why? What hidden gems didn’t get the notice of his more recognized work? Is the book always better...

(DC Films and their Future?) Batman and friends – the past, present and future. The flops and the hits. DC has their fans – but their attempt to build a Universe has more or less crumbled. Between controversies with the Justice League and the Snyder cut and the loss of forward momentum, reboot upon reboot and sequel – is it all going to get better? Or is this what it is? Did JOKER swing things bac...

(Marvel Films and their Future?) The first phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has wowed and amazed most of the world - leading to End Game being the biggest film of all time (for a few weeks until an Avatar re-release at least) But going forward, are we still excited? Has the trailers for Eternals or Shang-Chi got you all worked up? Or do you care anymore at all? How do you feel about the liv...

(Lost and Alternate media) Filmmaking is littered with lost media. From deleted scenes to alternate versions to films which changed dramatically during production. We discuss some of these lost films, lost versions and alternate versions to well known and loved films. Fun fact: Less than 30% of movies made before 1950 are still available to watch, having either been lost, destroyed or whatever. As...

(Are Film ratings helping or hindering?) As big fans of the R rated blockbusters of the 80s and 90s. The Die Hards, the Terminators, the Unforgivens, etc. We feel its pretty sad that for the most part chasing the almighty profit margin is making more and more movies PG-13 – and we argue that STREAMING SERVICES are the only saving grace to “adult entertainment” Do ratings really help or are we all...

(What happens when we no longer buy films?) As streaming services dominate the marketplace, what happens to us as filmmakers and film fans as we no longer “own” anything anymore. What does the future have in store for us as cinemas continue to decay and we are given more and more curated entertainment at a fractional cost. What does the future of this look like? How do we feel about it? What can b...

(The films of Zack Snyder) Hot off the presses, like most of you we sat down this weekend to watch the new ARMY OF THE DEAD, #ZackSnyder’s return to “#Zombie” flicks. Use that term loosely… From #Dawnofthedead to #ArmyoftheDead we discuss the films of Zack Snyder. Our thoughts about the pros and cons of the DC films he has masterminded and a lengthy discussion about the newest flick Army of the de...

(Short films) As Filmmakers we all have to cut our teeth with short films. But what we expect from a short film as an audience or Filmmaker has changed overtime with the rise of YouTube and TikTok and so on. So we discuss our thoughts about the Festival circuit versus free online viewing, story versus visuals. Impact versus resonance. Why Animation is perfect for short films and what we want to se...

(Nostalgia as a gimmick in Films) Filmmakers have often used setting a movie in the past instead of the present day to help sell it to audiences by instilling that element of Nostalgia. Stand by me. Stranger Things. Etc. We discuss how this has been used well and poorly and what the future holds for Nostalgia in film – how it can be used to enhance a story – or distract from how poor it is. Are re...