The CineClub Podcast

This week the triumvirate discuss the quirks and wonders of the Wes Anderson filmography. Prompted by CineClub’s recent screening of Rushmore , the Team delve into Anderson’s back catalogue and select some ‘peak Anderson’ films. There’s much to discuss from the specific ‘Anderson dialogue delivery style’, the repeating Anderson actors, and a particular examination of ‘modern Anderson’. Billy asks...

It’s a controversial topic this week, but a goodie! The team move out of ‘classic’ film territory to examine the post Endgame Marvel and whether it’s now just ‘teasing slop’…. From the questionable MCU humour, the continuity issues, the actors pay and screen time, characters no one cares about and the pace of the storytelling – there’s so much to say this is the longest CineClub episode EVER! Bill...

This week the Team take on the ‘Teens’ with a detailed chat about Heathers and Mean Girls . From representations to dark humour and the songs in the musical versions of the stories, the CineClubbers have a blast dissecting the details. Rhys even suggests the Heathers is Mean Girls fan fiction before Mean Girls was made! Our presenters are Bebe, Matthew, Jake and Rhys. The episode was engineered an...

This week the team discuss film soundtracks and debate whether an original score or licensed music produce more iconic soundtracks. This episode is full of fun and passion. The name dropping reaches epic proportions – and it’s not just the films, it’s directors, musicians and composers. It demonstrates the team’s attention to detail listing Baz Luhrman, John Carpenter, Daft Punk, Ed Sheeran and th...

This week the three amigos, Billy, Matthew and Jake, celebrate Val Kilmer – an actor with the distinction of playing rock legends Jim Morrison and Elvis Presley, as well as iconic film characters, Batman, ‘Iceman’ and Doc Holliday. The team discuss Kilmer’s performances and conclude whilst he wasn’t always the lead, he always stood out. RIP Val Kilmer.   Our presenters are Billy, Matthew and...

This week the CineClub Podcasters discuss monsters and their metphors. From the plethora of Godzilla films to Mothra, King Kong and Cloverfield, the team ponder the complexities of the monster film. The chat ranges from the use of special effects, atomic breathe scenes, low angle shots, poor lighting, unhappy endings and some useless human characters! The guys ruminate about what is so watchable (...

This week the team discuss the differences between musicals and films with music. Along with chat of Bugsy Malone , Rocky Horror Picture Show , and The Sound of Music , the team consider some of the dark topics at the heart of several musicals. Meanwhile, Rhys gets evangelical and spreads the gospel of Phantom of the Paradise – is this one of the most underrated films of all time? Our presenters a...

We’ve shown lots of 1980’s films at CineClub recently so this week we discuss our favourites and decide what’s ‘Excellent’ and what’s ‘Bogus’. In the excellent category we have Killer Clowns from Outer Space , The Lost Boys and the infinitely quotable Flash Gordon . The team agree Flash is the standout winner - after all “he’s for everyone of us!”  A couple of questions remain after the episo...

This is the first of our CineClub Shorts series. In this special episode Matthew chats with Dr Dan Kilvington, Reader and Course Director of Media and Cultural Studies at Leeds Beckett University. They discuss Ava Du Vernay’s powerful documentary 13th and consider institutionalised racism in US and UK contexts. Our presenters are Billy and Matthew. The episode was engineered and edited by Emily Ma...

This week we pay tribute to recently deceased actor Gene Hackman, discussing his acting style and lasting legacy. In this special episode we chat with Senior Lecturer in Film and Cultural Studies, John-Paul Green. JP and the team discuss their favourite Hackman films and characters and wonder about the merits of Superman 4! Our presenters are Billy, Dion, Jake and Matthew. The episode was engineer...

This week it’s a double bill of Failsafe (1964) and 12 Angry Men (1957) showcasing the immense talent of director Sidney Lumet.   The team discuss the lasting impact of Failsafe and ruminate how relevant this classic remains in the contemporary world. They compare it to 12 Angry Men , which whilst different in topic is similar in tone and tension. In lighter moments of the conversation there...

This week it’s all about slasher films inspired by the recent screening of Texas Chainsaw Massacre . The team discuss what makes a great slasher film, the slasher film tropes like the ‘final girl’, the best horror directors, and the importance of audience investment in the characters and actors. It’s all about ‘substance’ says Billy and ‘not just about the gore’. Our presenters are Billy, Jake, Rh...

This week we discuss the recent screening of Steamboy and the anime classic Akira . Secretly, we’re wondering if we’re anime obsessed at the moment! Throughout the episode, we shared our mixed feelings about the English dub of both films, particularly the celebrity voice actors, and how it impacted our viewing experience. We debated the merits of watching the films in their original Japanese with...

It’s all high brow this week with a discussion of favourite International films and the two recent screenings of Snowpiercer and Grave of the Fireflies . Serious issues are covered in these films and the team do not shy away from the difficult topics and imagery, discussing their responses to the storytelling in their own inimitable style. Our presenters are Dion, Rhys, Gabriel and Jake. The episo...

Surely Airplane’s one liners are the stuff of legend. Stop calling me Shirley! This week the team discuss the jokes, puns and movie that launched a thousand memes! The team dissect Airplane’s lasting impact and consider the elements that might be awkward for a modern audience, but that’s not important right now. Then they take a look at forthcoming movies – especially, Superman and the future of D...

And we’re back! If you’re feeling the January Blues, give this a listen to lift your weary spirits. As always there’s some great banter – but it’s the shear joy of the catch up that will brighten your day in this special Christmas content review. The panel discuss everything that we’ve been watching on Telly over the Christmas break, from Gavin and Stacey to Wallace and Gromit and classics such as...

In this week’s episode of The CineClub Podcast, we talk all things ‘action’ with a discussion of John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China and Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky series. We couldn’t ignore that it’s Christmas, so we end the episode considering our favourite Christmas movies. And Die Hard is definitely a Christmas film according to Connell! Let us know your favourite using the email belo...

In this week’s episode of The CineClub Podcast, we talk to Dr Mark McKenna, from the University of Staffordshire, about his connection to the 1978 film Big Wednesday, directed by John Milius. Mark has written a book about the film and gave us some insights about the film’s themes of friendship and loyalty, and a thought-provoking personal journey about his time writing the book. Mark mentioned the...

In this week's episode of the Cine Club Podcast, we dive into the whimsical world of the 1965 film "Help!" directed by Richard Lester and starring none other than the Beatles themselves. In this episode, cinephiles Jake, Rhys, Matthew, and Dion all share their favourite Beatle. We kick off the discussion by reflecting on our recent horror selections, including "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "A...

Welcome to the Cineclub podcast. In this new podcast, students and staff from the University of Sunderland's long-running cinema club talk about movies, from Hollywood Blockbusters to the best (and strangest) of world cinema. In this inaugural episode, we chat with Dr Steve Cannon, the club's convenor, about the club's history and what we get up to in the dark. We will be back with more episodes s...