Movies In Focus

Kimball Farley, the star and co-writer of the new off-beat indie film Hippo joins this episode of the Movies In Focus podcast. Directed by Mark H. Rapaport, Hippo is a black-and-white coming-of-age story set in the 1990s that explores the lives of two step-siblings. The film's quirky tone - reminiscent of the films of Wes Anderson - is complemented by Eric Roberts' excellent voice-over, which adds...

Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, the directors of the iconic horror film The Blair Witch Project join this episode of the Movies In Focus podcast. Released in 1999, the film not only essentially created the found-footage genre but it also left an indelible mark on the landscape of independent cinema. Daniel and Eduardo share their insights on the film's production - everything from its unique ma...

Action superstar Scott Adkins joins this bite-sized episode of the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about his latest film Take Cover - a high-octane one-location action flick that’s a real must for fans of the genre. Known for his athletic turns in films like Accident Man, Undisputed, John Wick Chapter 4 and The Expendables 2 , Scott has entertained audiences with his martial arts prowess and chari...

Two very different directors talk about two very different films on this episode of the Movies In Focus podcast. First-up, Kevin Smith talks about his 1980s set comedy, The 4:30 Movie and then later in the episode Euros Lyn discusses his vampire-comedy, The Radleys . Kevin Smith was one of the leading figures in the 1990s independent film scene. His self-financed low-budget comedy Clerks was a mas...

Director Mikael Håfström joins this episode of the Movies In Focus podcast to discuss his latest film, Slingshot , a space thriller starring Casey Affleck and Laurence Fishburne. Mikael is no stranger to crafting tense, atmospheric films, having directed works like his adaptation of Stephen King’s 1408 starring John Cusack and the Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger team-up, Escape Plan ....

Directed by Adam Nelson and written by Chris Watt, The Mire is a well-honed dramatic thriller which grabs your attention and draws you into its tense plot. Essentially a one-location, three-hander,  the low-budget film knows exactly what to do with its limited resources and it keeps you hooked until its surprising finale. Returning guest Adam Nelson and newcomer Chris Watt both join this episode o...

Director Joe Stephenson joins this episode of the Movies In Focus podcast to discuss his latest film, Doctor Jekyll . This film marks a significant moment for Hammer Studios, being their first horror release since the company's acquisition by the aptly named John Gore. Starring, Eddie Izzard and Scott Chambers, the film offers a fresh take on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale Joe shares insigh...

Dog Soldiers, The Descent and Doomsday filmmaker Neil Marshall joins the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about his new gangster film, Duchess alongside its star, co-writer and producer Charlotte Kirk. The pair previously collaborated on the action-horror The Lair and the mediaeval thriller, The Reckoning .  With Duchess , Marshall delivers a fast-paced revenge thriller where Kirk’s working-class c...

On this episode, Jeff Downes and Graham O'Dwyer from the brilliant At The Flicks podcast discuss Kevin Costner's western epic, Horizon: An American Saga . We'll be putting our collective expertise to work as we explore Costner's latest directorial effort, examining its place within the western genre and its potential impact on cinema. So let's saddle up and ride off into the sunset with Jeff and G...

Director Alejandro Brugués goes for old-fashioned chills and offers up some slow-burn horror with his excellent new horror, The Inheritance . It can be difficult to have sympathy for characters who have immense wealth and privilege – especially when you’re not supposed to like them. However, The Inheritance gets the balance just right – and along with some good casting choices, you’ll be somewhat...

Written by Joe Russo and Chris LaMont, The Inheritance delivers old-fashioned chills and offers up some slow-burn horror. The quick pitch is to call the Alejandro Brugués directed film a well-balanced mix of Knives Out and The House On Haunted Hill by way of The Haunting Of Hill House and Succession . There’s a sophistication and understanding of the horror genre that shows a real understanding of...

Shane Dax Taylor’s Murder Company is an old-fashioned World War II men on a mission movie. On Demand now in the U.S., the film stars  William Moseley, Pooch Hall, Gilles Marini, Joe Anderson and Kelsey Grammer. The plot follows a group of US soldiers as they attempt to smuggle a member of the French resistance behind enemy lines so that he can assassinate a high-value Nazi target. Star Gilles Mari...

Writer/director Jake Allyn's film Ride is now available On Demand in the US. It’s a wonderful modern day western that sees Allyn star alongside C. Thomas Howell, Annabeth Gish & Forrie J. Smith. It's a beautifully shot & exceptionally well acted film that has dramatic highs alongside some strong tension. Jake Allyn joins the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about making Ride , the complexit...

Alexander Payne’s 1999 release Election was a film which took the filmmaker’s career to the next level. A biting satire, it features a great Matthew Broderick as a teacher with a grudge battling Reese Witherspoon‘s overly enthusiastic student, Tracy Flick. As part of a special look back at some of the films released in 1999 - a year many believe to be one of the finest in cinema history - film cri...

Arrow Shorts is a showcase for great short-form film-making. From the scary to the bizarre, Arrow highlights the amazing work being created by filmmakers in a shorter-length medium. Film-maker Drew Maxwell Weiss joins this episode of the podcast to talk about his Giallo inspired short Anatomy Maestro. With nods to the bloody thrillers of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, this short sees a stalker beco...

Arrow Shorts is a showcase for great short-form film-making. From the scary to the bizarre, Arrow highlights the amazing work being created by filmmakers in a shorter-length medium. Film-maker Alex Baro-Cayetano joins this episode of the podcast to talk about his small, but perfectly formed short, Keith . In the film, a little girl meets someone called Keith during difficult times. She doesn't kno...

Darkness Of Man is a new action noir starring Jean Claude Van Damme as a former Interpol agent haunted by the actions of his past.  Visually striking, Darkness Of Man sees Van Damme give a nuanced turn - and it’s once again an indicator that the action icon can deliver good performances alongside bullets and flying kicks. James Cullen Bressack, the director, producer and co-writer of Darkness Of M...

Arrow Shorts is a showcase for great short-form film-making. From the scary to the bizarre, Arrow highlights the amazing work being created by film-makers in a shorter-length medium. Film-maker Ryan Iriving joins this episode of the podcast to talk about Bark , a witty, original and well-composed slasher pastiche which crams a lot into its short running time. Bark sees two women desperately trying...

Arrow Shorts is a showcase for great short-form film-making. From the scary to the bizarre, Arrow highlights the amazing work being created by filmmakers in a shorter-length medium. Film-maker Izzy Lee joins this episode of the podcast to talk about her incredibly fresh and original short film Meat Friend . Meat Friend was nominated for a 2023 Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Short Film, and it fo...

The Image Of You is the screen adaptation of Adele Parks’ novel of the same name. Directed by Jeff Fisher and adapted by screenwriter Chris Sivertson, the film stars Sasha Pieterse, Parker Young, Néstor Carbonell and Mira Sorvino. It’s something of an outlier - a modern take on the erotic thriller - one with particular nods to masters of the genre like Brian De Palma and Paul Verhoeven. Director J...

Adele Parks MBE has sold over 5 million plus copies and has been translated into over 30 different languages. Her 19th novel, The Image Of You has now been adapted for the screen by director Jeff Fisher and screenwriter Chris Sivertson. Starring Sasha Pieterse, Parker Young, Néstor Carbonell and Mira Sorvino, the film is a modern take on the erotic thriller that features nods to genre masters like...

Sometimes a movie will come along and subvert expectations - and Francis Galluppi’s brilliant feature film debut, The Last Stop In Yuma County is one of the movies. The set-up is that a travelling salesman is caught up with a pair of bank robbers in a remote diner - we’ve all seen that type of thriller a dozen times before but Galluppi takes things in many surprising directions. The last act is fi...

As its title suggests, Stefon Bristol’s Breathe is a claustrophobic and tense film that will leave you gasping for air. A prescient science fiction piece, Breathe is set in the near future where the earth has a depleted oxygen supply. A small family eke out an existence, but when strangers arrive at their doorstep paranoia seeps into their lives. Are these new arrivals friends or foes? Bristol’s f...

Unfairly dismissed in 1998, Paul W.S. Anderson’s Soldier underperformed when it was released, grossing a paltry $14.5 million at the U.S. on a then substantial $60 million budget. In the UK the Kurt Russell starrer became the most expensive film to go straight to DVD/Video. Danny Stewart's book Soldier: From Script to Screen takes a serious deep dive into the making of Paul W.S. Anderson’s film, c...

It’s usually hyperbole to say that someone does it all, but in the case of Larry Fessenden, it just so happens to be true. An award-winning actor, producer, writer, director and editor - Fessenden is a genre filmmaker with a real skill in delivering works that entertain but also have a fair amount of nuance and sophistication. Fessenden’s latest film is Blackout , a werewolf horror with a top-notc...