The Wrong Side of Hollywood

It’s the 50th anniversary of the first-ever summer blockbuster film, JAWS! The lads – huge fans of the movie – nosh on fresh pastries from local North Hollywood bakery La Rochelle while discussing their experiences of seeing the film fifty long years ago. The chaps are joined by special guest, Guy Masterson – director of The Shark Is Broken, James’s brother and Martin’s friend! Guy discusses how h...

The chaps interview Paul Swain, a fellow Brit with an Aussie accent who has climbed out of the trenches to make his name as editor of The Moody’s , Brockmire , and more recently, Poker Face , among others. They discuss Paul’s epic career journey from printer in Surrey, UK, to film & TV editor in Hollywood, California, via Hong Kong and Australia. The lads test Paul on his Britishness with the...

Finally the chaps are back, and given the state of things are taking a sunlit stroll down memory lane to those golden days of the 1980’s. Yes! They’re going full retro with rundown of their favorite movies and music from those fab times. Martin regales us with happy memory of his first time in L.A. at the Sunset Grill working on Waxwork 2. Over a slice of Mrs Fact Check’s homemade Lemon Cake they...

It’s 2025! James has returned from Blighty and brought with him wind and fire! Martin laments the passing of film director David Lynch and the lads discuss his legacy while eating delicious grub from Bafang Dumpling to celebrate Chinese New Year: Year of the Snake. The chaps describe their L.A. fire experiences and commend the incredible work of firefighters and emergency services. And it’s only t...

It’s the last podcast before the end of the year and my, what a year it’s been. Martin, just back from his visit to Blighty, presents James with two gifts: British Christmas pudding and a dose of the trots! The lads discuss flying woes, disinterested flight attendants and, whilst munching on Hanukkah doughnuts, they grumble about director Steve McQueen’s latest offering Blitz . Ending on a festive...

Martin’s back in Blighty and so James thinks he has a few weeks off. Alas, he was mistaken! Martin calls to check in with some choice British dunking fare and James, completely ill prepared, offers up a lone cup of cheap java. The fellas discuss movies such as Gladiator 2 , the horror flick Heretic and a movie Martin worked on. But, he’ll be back Stateside soon… We’re sure he’ll have plenty to gru...

Martin cross-examines James’ marathon five-week jury duty stretch, incredulous as James admits to actually ‘enjoying it’. The lads discuss the daily commute, the interesting and dodgy people populating the journey, whilst examining the way the court system works (or doesn’t) in Los Angeles. Munching away on freshly baked honey cake made by Martin’s missus, the fellas chew over various court room f...

The lads, and Mrs ”Fact Check”, head off on a foggy morning to check out the Burbank boulevard of horrors for Halloween. First they stop at Horror Vibes Coffee in NoHo’s art district for a Call of Cthul-Ube, a Candyman Latte and some awesome horror art. After, they head to one of a kind Dark Delicacies, browse the Halloween Town store and cautiously wander into the Mystic Museum. Did they make it...

The lads take shelter from the nuclear heat outside to watch the latest offering in the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus at their local movie house. With much lauding and praise surrounding the film, the gents return to discuss their thoughts over tea and Martin’s mum’s home-made fruitcake. With an eye on honest critique rather than a fanboy foaming session, the fellas tuck in. Hosted on Acast. See...

The heat is on, and the lads take shelter inside to record an episode whilst trying out some new mics, resulting in double entendres and a few "ooh matron!" moments. Martin attempts to convince James to get healthy and give oat milk a go whilst sampling a delicious almond and pear tart from Lou's, the French on the Block. As usual, they discuss their latest viewings, the UK General Election, and J...

The Gents are utterly gobsmacked to discover that their trusty old British insults are as outdated as a dial-up. Desperate for a modern slagging-off upgrade, they resort to noshing on authentic French croissants and pondering which Hollywood flicks are worth their two cents. Amidst the banter, Martin finds himself "Swimming With the Sharks" over a certain actor's behaviour and subsequent acquittal...

The lads interview visual effects supervisor and story artist Tyler Gooden. A renaissance man who has studied in Italy, and worked in Europe for such luminaries as Terry Gilliam and Martin McDonagh. The chaps discuss the trials and successes of filming VFX whilst storyboarding at the same time. Tyler shares his battle to get his own animation project made. Navigating the treacherous waters of...

It’s been a tough month and the gents have plenty to grumble about. From the homeless housing crisis and the unaccounted billions spent on it, to pissing off friends with endless texting wind ups. The lads discuss their latest viewing pleasures over a classic British pie for their Dunk Love section, Amazon’s Fallout gets full marks and Netflix’s Baby Reindeer delves deep and brings memories for on...

The lads battling rain and technology are finally back behind the mics! For this episode Martin and James taste the differences between British and American chocolate. Whilst chomping on the waxy and creamy delights respectively, the fellas tear into the Netflix hit: 3 Body Problem…if you ain’t seen it, we’d advise you to steer clear from 22:55 - 28:47 till after… You have been warned! Hosted...

It’s the 96th Academy awards! The lads from the other side of the hill share their thoughts of the contending films. Sampling some Mexican baked goods from La Monarca bakery the chaps chew their way through the current crop of offerings, whilst discussing the mechanics of being “melvined” by a contender for best Director! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s 2024 and the lads are back in front of the mics readying to celebrate the year of the wooden dragon! Alas, they have been challenged to eat a very spiky and extremely stinky and rather dangerous looking Asian fruit. Their palette whetted, the lads spill the beans on some of their past entertainment failures. The question is: did they learn from them? We’ll let you decide. Hosted on Acast. See...

In the hilarious conclusion of the Michael Sorich Interview, our good Greek friend speaks of how he got the acting and voice over bug while in 2nd grade by impersonating his school principal and the likes of Walter Cronkite. The chaps press him to reveal his influences and how he learned to perform, the long slog to consistent work in voice over, as well as hone his skills as a director. Mike demo...

Thank fanny the strike is over! The lads surprise their special guest, the legendary voice over artist/actor/director Michael Sorich, with special baked goods, Loukoumades. Turns out Michael’s ancestry is a combination of Greek and Slavic heritage. The grumbling gits enquire about his incredible career and Mike shares anecdotes about his diverse experiences from portraying Fidel Castro to writing...

What with Prof’s return from Blighty and Halloween just around the corner, the chaps head to a coffee shop near the original filming locations for the 1978 John Carpenter classic slasher film, Halloween! Recording their first podcast away from the studio (AKA Hoff’s dining room) they discuss the film, British motorways and Halloween’s past… All the while sipping a nice brew and munching a croissan...

Hoff & Prof might look and act young, but they are no spring chickens. As the Chinese moon festival approaches the chaps discuss, over tea and Moon Cake, the trials and tribulations of navigating the world of social media and the massive changes and challenges ahead for two old duffers stuck in the 1990’s. They chat with Prof’s young lad, Lucas, who like most young scraps these days, know’s th...

Fellow grumblers! It’s the 30th Anniversary of Saban’s Power Rangers premiere episode, Ay-Yi-Yi! In this episode, the gents conclude their discussion with scrivener James W. Bates as he reveals how he got the gig writing on the Bart Simpson Comics, his subsequent hiring at Fox Kids Network, to landing a dream story editor job on one of the most famous I.P.’s of all time.  They whinge about th...

Admit it; you’re all foaming fans of the Power Rangers, just like us. Well, we bring you the mind behind the scripts! The wordsmith himself, James W. Bates.   In this episode we follow his journey from humble beginnings playing Dungeons and Dragons in New Jersey, to landing a promising executive position at Walt Disney TV Animation in Los Angeles. Along the way, we sample some tasty pretzels...

Mary Claypool continues sharing her story to the lads in this hilarious conclusion. From Masters of The Universe to Gremlins 2: The New Batch at Cinovation with the make up master Rick Baker. Back when phones were bricks and having a valid passport meant being whisked off to Japan to work with the gods of Anime! Yo! Move over Snoop Dogg & Pharrell (who ?)… Mary’s in da house! Hosted on Acast....

The gents will tell you that 80’s cinema was pure gold, filled with cracking visual and practical effects! Hoff’s chum Mary Claypool was there! Prof brims with excitement as he learns that she was an integral part of two legendary Hollywood effects houses; Richard Edlund’s Boss Film Studios and Rick Baker’s Cinovation - between them, they created visuals and creatures for the likes of Ghostbusters...

The Guy Masterson interview continued! Here we discuss how he came to direct the West End hit show: The Shark is Broken. Hoff and Prof learn how to get to "The Right Side of Hollywood” (or Broadway) as Masterson reveals his methods and beliefs in sustaining a successful creative career whilst helping others. Meanwhile, the lads reminisce about driving on the wrong side of the road in L.A. and drop...