Newton Talks

In this episode Dr Joseph Oldham joins me to discuss British TV spy dramas such as Callan , Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy , The Night Manager , and Spooks among others. Joseph is the author of Paranoid Visions: Spies, Conspiracies and the Secret State in British Television Drama , published by Manchester University Press.  

In this microcast, I talk about one of the definitive cult films of the 1980s, Alex Cox's debut feature, Repo Man (1984). As well as being a filmmaker, Cox was also presenter of the BBC series Moviedrome , which has an important place in the perception of cult cinema.

In this episode, Dr Johnny Walker joins me to talk about the video rental boom of the 1970s and 1980s in Britain, and how it impacted the film industry in terms of new market opportunities, influencing future filmmakers, and also its effect on Britain's working class and South Asian communities. 

In this episode, journalist and James Bond aficionado Lee Kenny joins me to discuss the BBC radio play adaptations of Ian Fleming's 007 novels. The first was broadcast in 2008, the most recent in 2020, and they all feature Toby Stephens as Bond, as well as other recurring cast. We talk about how they capture the overall strangeness of atmosphere present in Fleming's stories, and how they provide a...

Between 1960 and 1964 cult director Roger Corman made eight horror films loosely adapted from poems and stories by Edgar Allan Poe. In this microcast, I present an overview of the cycle and a brief assessment of each movie. 

In this one I talk about Jim Van Bebber's no budget, underground street gang action movie, Deadbeat at Dawn (1988).

What more is there to say about Robin Hardy's folk horror masterpiece   The Wicker Man (1973)? Not too much. But nevertheless, in this short microcast, I share a few thoughts. 

Television historian Amanda Reyes joins me to talk about the American TV movie of the 1960s-1990s, its relationship to cinematic genres, and how their narratives dealt with topical subjects often on meagre shooting schedules and budgets. Amanda's book on the subject, Are You in the House Alone , is published by Headpress, and her Made for TV Mayhem podcast is available here: https://tvmayhempodcas...

In this episode of my microcast series I talk about Perry Henzell's The Harder They Come (1972), starring Jimmy Cliff. Possibly more famous for its soundtrack album, I consider Cliff's performance and the visual style employed by Henzell.

In this short microcast I consider the much maligned vigilante movie The Exterminator (1980), directed by James Glickenhaus. 

In the first of a new series of microcasts I talk about Walter Hill's The Warriors (1979), and consider some of the reasons for its reputation and following among fans of cult cinema.

My guest in this episode is Adam Herron, a researcher studying a PhD entitled Queering the Porn Theatre: Sexual Spaces in New York City 1967-1980 . His project looks at histories of grindhouse cinemas in New York, how they operated as gay social places, and how this was reflected in the pornography shown in 42nd Street porn theatres.

In this episode I welcome back media lecturer Will Hill to discuss Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker (J.J. Abrams, 2019). We analyse the latest film, the sequel trilogy more generally, and the franchise as a whole. 

In this latest episode I run down my favourite movies of the year, and also bring in some informed guests to tell me about the films they enjoyed most in 2019. 

In this episode I talk to filmmakers Sam Mason Bell and Jackson Batchelor, the creative directors of Trash Arts in Portsmouth. Trash Arts have collectively produced numerous features, shorts, and web series, including Lonely Hearts , Conspiracy X , Trash Arts Killers Vol. 1 and 2 , and the forthcoming Millennial Killer , along with many others. We discuss their filmmaking ethos, how to make featur...

This episode features prolific Welsh horror and exploitation filmmaker Andrew Jones. Andrew, through his company North Bank Entertainment, has directed nearly thirty profitable movies, including The Curse of Halloween Jack , Robert the Doll , Werewolves of the Third Reich , Bundy and the Green River Killer , The Manson Family Massacre , and many more. I talk to him in this podcast about his career...

In this podcast I take an in-depth look at Quentin Tarantino's new movie Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood . I discuss my thoughts, and also bring in guests Lee Kenny, Chris Deacy, and Nigel Mather, to talk about their reactions to the film.

Here, myself and Will Hill discuss superhero and comic book blockbusters, including Spiderman: Far From Home , Batman Vs Superman , MCU, X-Men, and DC. Will Hill is a Lecturer in Media and Communications at Canterbury Christ Church University, and is currently completing a Masters project on the comic book industry.

Here, I talk with Dr Dieter Declercq, and discuss his research on satire, and how his interest in the topic began by watching The Simpsons whilst growing up in Belgium. We discuss satire's limitations and paradoxes, as well as the distinctions between satire and mockery. We also talk about Dieter's new research on satire and mental health.  Dieter is a Lecturer in Media and Film at the University...

In this episode I talk to journalist Lee Kenny about representations of the West Midlands on screen, including in Man Like Mobeen and Peaky Blinders . We also discuss the recent Netflix release, Shaft . And also move onto talking about the trajectory of 80s action franchises like The Terminator , Predator , and Die Hard . Lee Kenny is a journalist brought up in the Midlands, who currently works in...

In this episode I talk with Dr Chris Deacy, Reader in Theology and Religious Studies, about his research on religion and film - touching on cinema-going as a quasi-religious practice, redemption in film, and movies about Jesus such as Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and Gibson's The Passion of the Christ . Chris also discusses how films such as The Exorcist and Taxi Driver might tell us s...

In this episode I chat to Dr Nigel Mather about his upcoming book on British comedy drama since the turn of the century, and also discuss Stephen Merchant's new film, Fighting with My Family (2019).