Movies In Focus

Director and writer D.J. Caruso joins this episode of the  Movies In Focu s podcast to talk about his career and the ever-changing landscape of film.  Caruso has had a impressive career - making his feature directorial debut with the excellent Val Kilmer starring neo-noir, The Salton Sea  before going on to direct  Taking Lives  with Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke,  Two For The Money  starring Al...

Filmmaker Dara Van Dusen joins this episode of the  Movies In Focus  podcast to talk about her new film,  A Prayer For The Dying .  Starring Johnny Flynn and John C. Reilly, the film is an arthouse western that packs a real emotional and psychological punch. A Prayer For The Dying   is based on a novel by Stewart O’Nan and Dara Van Dusen not only makes her feature length directorial debut with the...

New thriller  Knightfall  is the latest release from prolific British film producer Jonathan Sothcott. It’s a throwback action film sees Geoffrey Moore team with Ian Ogilvy and Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott to uncover a conspiracy that lies deep within the British Secret Service.  Geoffrey Moore joins this episode of the  Movies In Focus  podcast to talk about  Knightfall , working with former  The   S...

Mark Vanselow, Liam Neeson’s long time stunt double joins this episode of the  Movies In Focus  podcast to talk about his feature directorial debut,  The Mongoose.   The high-octane thriller sees Neeson play a former special forces operative who finds himself on the run from the police and caught in a cross country pursuit. The film - which opens in U.S cinemas on October 30, 2026 also stars Maris...

Matt Sukkar and Duke Nicholson, the director and star of the off-beat crime thriller  The Deputy   join this episode of the  Movies In Focus  podcast.  A 1970s-tinged darkly comedic thriller,  The Deputy  sees a none-too-bright small town deputy uncover a local conspiracy after a routine night on the job goes horribly wrong. The Deputy  marks Sukkar’s feature film directorial debut and it also see...

Ian Ogilvy is an actor who has entertained generations, having starred in a plethora of roles across film and television. He’s worked alongside iconic stars like Boris Karloff and Vincent Price in cult horror films  The Sorcerers  and  Witchfinder General  as well as having roles in everything from  The Avengers  and  I, Claudius  to  Murder, She Wrote  and  Robin Of Sherwood . However, his most f...

Director Adam Rifkin and actor James Paxton join this episode of the  Movies in Focus  podcast to talk about their new film,  Last Train To Fortune .  Also starring Malcolm McDowell, Mary Steenburgen, Bernadette Peters and Laura Marano, Rifkin’s film is a comedy-western that plays with the genre's well-worn tropes - but it does so with a good heart and good characterisation. As I say in our di...

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald joins this episode of the  Movies In Focus podcast to talk about his latest film,  The Runner   starring Gal Gadot and Damien Lewis.  The Runner  is a tense real-time thriller that sees a lawyer (Gadot) racing across London in attempt to save her abducted son at the behest of a mysterious caller (Lewis).  Kevin Macdonald is a prolific filmmaker, adep...

Filmmaker Robert Gamperl joins this episode of the  Movies In Focus  podcast to talk about his enigmatic western short films,  Darlin  and  Stubborn . A former football player (or soccer player, if you're that way inclined) and a very talented film director and director of photography, Robert discusses his love of the western and the effort that it takes to make a selection of short films whic...

Film historian and author,  Danny Stewart  returns to the  Movies In Focus  podcast to talk about cult films - and his books  Saluting The Blood of Heroes: Behind The Apocalyptic Film  and  Silent Trigger: Shooting The Film .  Danny previously joined the podcast on  episode 48  where he discussed  his book on the under-appreciated Kurt Russell film,  Soldier . This time around he delves into  Davi...

Singer-songwriter Sean Rowe joins this 111th episode of the Movies In Focus  podcast. Rowe wrote the songs on the soundtrack to Travis Mills’ excellent 2025 western,  Frontier Crucible -  and these punctuate the film as transitional pieces, much like the way that Leonard Cohen’s songs cut through the icy locales of Robert Altman’s  McCabe & Mrs. Miller . It’s a fantastic suite of songs, which...

Set in Los Angeles during Christmas,  Above The Line  sees six Hollywood wannabes get the invite of a lifetime when a mysterious messenger gives them the opportunity to steal the Best Picture Awards belonging to an unscrupulous film producer, played by Gregg Henry.  Directed by Jeffrey Scott Collins,  Above The Line  is an on-point black comedy that takes plenty of potshots at Hollywood and the fi...

Over the course of the last half century, Gregg Henry has become one of the most prolific - and one of the best character actors around. A man who has notched-up five guest-starring roles in  Murder, She Wrote  alone and who has starred in six Brian De Palma projects as well as movies like  Payback, Jason Bourne and the Guardians Of The Galaxy  films - to name but a few.  I first noticed him oppos...

A faux documentary that charts the chaos around the making (and therefore the unmaking) of a fictitious $500 million epic called  Dissident ,  Chapter 51  positions itself as a true crime documentary which delves into the murder of three lead actresses during production.  This is essentially flawless filmmaking, a rare cinematic gem that delivers on an intriguing premise. It would be great without...

John Brownell’s  Coin  is a crypto comedy that sees two slacker friends who, through a series of events, manage to misappropriate political campaign funds in order to launch a cryptocurrency so they can save their local park from developers. Things don’t quite go to plan and the pair find themselves pursued by a hitman. A sort of modern day take on the type of films where Kevin Smith made his name...

Filmmaker Jordan Ruttert joins the  Movies In Focus  podcast to talk about the first episode in a proposed independent TV series,  The Reverb , which is premiering at the  Dances With Films  festival on June 27th,  Pitched as a show written by Gen Z for Gen Z, the series will follow a band on the decline that is struck by an unexpected tragedy. They must then turn to old friends in a fight to unco...

Director-producer Jay Silverman joins this episode of the  Movies In Focus  podcast to discuss his new film  Yale .  The comedy-drama launches at the  Dances With Films  film festival on June 18th and it’s a smart, well acted piece that feels like it was lifted straight from the 1990s - and I mean that in a good way.  Starring Caitlin McGee and  Kevin Dunn ,  Yale  is based on a true story about a...

The wonderful David Morse and director Joseph T. Walker join this episode of the  Movies In Focus  podcast to talk about their new film,  Broken Land .  An excellent small scale drama, the film sees Morse play a widowed Texas rancher who takes an injured migrant (played by Jaklyn Bejarano) under his wing.  Broken Land  features strong performances and it has a real 1970s feel with characters and p...

Legendary horror icon, Barbara Crampton ( Re-Animator, Chopping Mall, Castle Freak ) and Desiree Staples ( My Divorce Party ), the stars of short film,  The Blue Diamond , join this episode of the  Movies In Foc us podcast, along with the film’s director and co-writer, Sam Fox ( Fck'n Nuts ). The Blue Diamond  is a quirky and energetic sci-fi short set in an 1980s ski resort which deals with p...

Jon Keeyes, the director of the new supernatural thriller,  Speed Demon   joins this special bite-sized episode of the  Movies In Focus  podcast. A gonzo mix of  The Exorcist  meets  Speed  by way of  Murder On The Orient Express ,  Speed Demon sees a Nun who has lost her faith battling demonic possession on a runaway train. Frankly, if that doesn’t make you want to watch the movie then nothing wi...

Filmmaker Paul Bunnell - the man behind  The Ghastly Love of Johnny X  - joins this episode of the  Movies In Focus podcast to talk about his new film, an offbeat reimagining of the now lost Lon Chaney horror film,  A Blind Bargain .  Shot on Kodak film, this 1970s set horror comedy sees Jake Horowitz’s Dominic Fontaine make a Faustian pact with Crispin Glover’s mysterious Dr. Gruder.  A fascinati...

Michael Schilf’s  The Wolf And The Lamb  is a real curio of a western-horror hybrid with a stacked cast that includes Cassandra Scerbo, Adrianne Palicki, Zach McGowan, James Landry Hébert, Q’orianka Kilcher and Clint Howard.  A strange blend of western series,  Deadwood  and Stephen King's   Salem’s Lot , this a true ensemble film that really plays with the horror slow burn as a quiet evil beg...

You might have certain expectations when going into a film called  The Yeti . However, filmmakers Gene Gallerano and William Pisciotta blow those expectations out of the water with their surprising new monster film. A horror pic with a difference, this period creature feature has a strong cast that includes Brittany Allen, Eric Nelsen, Jim Cummings, William Sadler and Corbin Bernsen. The Yeti  fol...

Returning guest Pen Densham joins this episode of the  Movies In Focus  podcast. Pen is a hugely talented writer, producer and director, who is probably best known for writing and producing Kevin Costner’s iconic 1991 adventure,   Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves  alongside his film-making partner, John Watson.  He also has a whole host of other interesting film credits to his name - including:  Blow...

Kathryn Ferguson’s  Nostalgie  is an exceptional short film that was given an Honourable Mention in the competition shorts section at the Belfast Film Festival, where it was Based on the short story by author Wendy Erskine (and adapted by Stacey Gregg),  Nostalgie  follows Drew Lord Haig (Aidan Gillen), a former ’80s pop star who is given a shot at reliving his glory years by taking a gig at a gat...