Writers on Film

Age of Cage  might be the closest we will get to understanding the singular beauty of each of Nic Cage’s always electric performances. You are holding the Rosetta Stone for Cage. Enjoy it.” — Paul Scheer, actor, writer and host of the  How Did This Get Made?  and  Unspooled  podcasts Icon. Celebrity. Artist. Madman. Genius. Nicolas Cage is many things, but love him, or laugh at him, there's no den...

Michel Ciment is the legendary editor of Positif and the author of numerous books on cinema, from Billy Wilder to Stanley Kubrick, Jane Campion to Fritz Lang. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

John Bleasdale talks to Matthew Page about his new book 100 Bible Films. From  The Passion of the Christ  to  Life of Brian , and from  The Ten Commandments  to  Last Temptation of Christ , filmmakers have been adapting the stories of the Bible for over 120 years, from first time the Höritz Passion Play was filmed in the Czech Republic back in 1897. Ever since, these stories have inspired musicals...

John Bleasdale talks to Leon Hunt, the author of Mario Bava: The Artisan as Italian Horror Auteur. The blurb from Bloomsbury: How do we approach a figure like Mario Bava, a once obscure figure promoted to cult status? This book takes a new look at Italy's 'maestro of horror' but also uses his films to address a broader set of concerns. What issues do his films raise for film authorship, given that...

Read the book Cimino here. The first biography of critically acclaimed then critically derided filmmaker Michael Cimino—and a reevaluation of the infamous film that destroyed his career The director Michael Cimino (1939–2016) is famous for two films: the intense, powerful, and enduring Vietnam movie  The Deer Hunter , which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1979 and also won Cimino Best Di...

Sydeny Ladensohn Stern talks to john Bleasdale about her new book The Brothers Mankiewicz available here . Between them the Mankiewicz brothers were responsible for films as diverse as Citizen Kane and Monkey Business, Cleopatra and All About Eve. Sydney Ladensohn Stern's dual biography is a treasure trove of fascinating stories and insight as she brings a journalist's eye to bear on two brothers...

John Bleasdale talks to Kim Newman, journalist, film critic and fiction writer. He is author of numerous books on film including Nightmare Movies as well as novels such as Anno Dracula and his latest Something More than Night. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...

Jonathan Rigby is the author of English Gothic (available here ), American Gothic (available here) and Euro Gothic as well as books on Christopher Lee and Roxy Music. He  is an English actor and film historian who has written several books.  Video Watchdog  magazine described him as occupying "a proud place in the advance guard of film researchers, writers and critics." [1]  In 2019, he...

'Like a pizza delivery driver who travels everywhere by moped, or a volcanologist who keeps turning the central heating up, I'm a film critic who loves going to the cinema.' Peter Bradshaw is the film reviewer for intelligent, curious cinemagoers; he has worked at the  Guardian  for twenty years.  The Films That Made Me   collates his finest reviews from the last two decades, which carry with them...

Joseph McBride has written a ton of books, as well as writing screenplays and television specials. The subjects of his work include baseball slang, JFK, and biographies of Frank Capra, Billy Wilder and John Ford. His latest is a superb exploration of the work of the Coen Brother s. Here's the blurb: The Coen Bros. have attracted a wide following and have been rewarded with Oscars and other honors....

John Bleasdale talks to Isaac Butler the author of The Method How the 20th Century Learned to Act.  “Entertaining … a remarkable story.”--The New Yorker “Delicious, humane, probing.”--Vulture, Most Anticipated Books of 2022 "The best and most important book about acting I've ever read."--Nathan Lane From the coauthor of  The World Only Spins Forward  comes the first cultural history of Method act...

John Bleasdale talks to J Blake Fichera author of Scored to Death and Scored to Death 2, available here. Scored to Death  collects 14 info-packed, terrifyingly entertaining interviews with renowned film composers who have provided music for some of the horror genre's greatest films and franchises, including  Halloween ,  A Nightmare on Elm Street , Friday the 13th,   Hellraiser ,  Maniac ,  The Fo...

Ben Slater  is a writer, editor and lecturer based in Singapore who has written on film for newspapers, books, magazines and journals. He’s the author of  Kinda Hot: The Making of Saint Jack in Singapore  (Marshall Cavendish: 2006), the writer/editor of  25: Histories & Stories of the Singapore International Film Festival  (SGIFF: 2014), and the editor of  NANG 1: Screenwriting  (Cinemasias Ed...

John Bleasdale talks to Philip Gwynne Jones, author of the Venice based Nathan Sutherland series. We talk about Venice, Horror and specifically Italian Horror as well as Philip's recommended book Euro Gothic by Jonathan Rigby. Visit Philip's website for more information. At the end of the episode there are bonus film book recommendations from Kaleem Aftab, Łukasz Knap and Anders Emblem, which I re...

John Bleasdale talks to John Rosenthal, an actor, musician and writer, known for  Ted K  (2021),  Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America  (2007) and  Out of Our Minds  (2009). Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for...

Matt Glasby is a journalist and the author of three books on film. His latest is the Book of Horror and is available here . Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

John Bleasdale talks to Noah Isenberg about his book We'll Always Have Casablanca . Here's the blurb: For the 75th anniversary of its premiere—the incredible story of how  Casablanca  was made and why it remains the most beloved of Hollywood films. Casablanca  was first released in 1942, just two weeks after the city of Casablanca itself surrendered to American troops led by General Patton. Featur...

In 1996, Trainspotting arrived in UK cinemas and became one of the most iconic films of the decade. Introducing a plethora of young acting talent, it was Danny Boyle's second film. An adaptation of Irvine Welsh's hugely popular novel, the film had an impact on music and fashion for a generation. Jay Glennie's remarkable new book charts the making of the film in great depth while retaining the ener...

John Bleasdale talks to Patrick McGilligan, biographer, film historian and writer. His biography on Alfred Hitchcock, Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light was a finalist for the Edgar Award. He is the author of two New York Times Notable Books, and he lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also wrote an amazing biography on Clint Eastwood, Clint: The Life and Legend. In addition to Hitchcock...

John Bleasdale talks to Michael Leader and Jake Cunningham, hosts of the podcast Ghibliotheque, now a beautiful book. Ghibliotheque  offers a well-balanced and highly informed critique of some of the greatest animated movies of all time, including  Spirited Away ,  My Neighbour Totoro  and  Princess Mononoke . From  Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind  to  Earwig and the Witch , authors Michael Lea...

John Bleasdale talks to Jonathan Melville author of A Kind of Magic: Making the Original Highlander . When two American producers took a chance on a college student's script, they set in motion a chain of events involving an imploding British film studio, an experimental music video director still finding his filmmaking feet, a former James Bond with a spiralling salary, and the unexpected arrival...

John Bleasdale talks to Clark Collis, the author of You've Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead was Brought to Life. How did a low-budget British movie about Londoners battling zombies in a pub become a beloved global pop culture phenomenon? You’ve Got Red on You  details the previously untold story of 2004’s  Shaun of the Dead , the hilarious, terrifying horror-comedy whose fan base continues to...

John Bleasdale talks to Anna Cale author of The Real Diana Dors. The story of Swindon-born film star Diana Dors is one of fame, glamour and intrigue. From the moment she came into the world, her life was full of drama. Her acting career began in the shadow of the Second World War, entering the film world as a vulnerable young teenager and negotiating the difficult British studio system of the 1940...

John Bleasdale talks to Ian Nathan about Peter Jackson and his book Anything You Can Imagine: Peter Jackson and the Making of Middle Earth . The definitive history of Peter Jackson's Middle-earth saga, Anything You Can Imagine takes us on a cinematic journey across all six films, featuring brand-new interviews with Peter, his cast & crew. From the early days of daring to dream it could be done, th...

John Bleasdale talks to Glenn Frankel author of books on The Searchers, High Noon and Midnight Cowboy. Glenn worked for many years at the Washington Post, where he served as bureau chief in London, Jerusalem and Southern Africa, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for International Reporting. He taught journalism at Sanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, where he directed the Schoo...