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Irreverent film fun.

AHD Podcast #17 – Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies

Posted on by bennyshep

Once a month, the AHD gang dissect, critique and generally jabber about the oddities, the ignored or the duds in a famous director’s filmography. Pay attention, because I will say this only once and I will whisper it so no one else hears. The film this month is Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies. Plus there’s further film talk as the guys talk about what movie magic they’re using to block out the dreadful news cycle and Sam plays quizmaster once again with the Golden Age of Celebrities!

0:00:00 – 0:27:30 – To escape current affairs, Sam has turned to anime (Attack on Titan), Jon focuses on the marvellous slate of upcoming films (Arrival, Manchester by the Sea, John Wick 2) and Ben reminisces about eating cookies at the Alamo Drafthouse.

0:27:30 – 0:51:10 – QUIZ TIME! Jon & Ben go head-to-head in Sam’s Golden Age of Celebrities!

0:51:10 – 1:37:20 – Once upon a time, people did dubious things for their country, but they wore hats while doing it. The guys break down Bridge of Spies (one of us is particularly unhappy about the amount the bridge is featured) and try to work out how many Spielbergian Spielberg films there are.

1:37:20 – onwards – The outro!

Enjoy! Stream or download on the widget above, go to our Soundcloud page and subscribe on iTunes!

Worried about the wrong people having their hands on the nuclear go-codes? Tell us about it by tweeting us at @AHDPodcast or@samsheppard8 or @jonathanhatfull. You got choices, y’all.

Notes this month:

  • The new issue of SciFiNow is available and includes a whole section on David Bowie. So, that’s my jam this month.
  • Jonathan’s other awesome podcast should be on everyone’s must listen list. You can find that here.
  • We chat a very quick bit about Dr Strangelove at the end of the podcast. If you haven’t seen any images of the unreleased ending, now’s your chance!

Music this month:

Lonely Island – Cool Guys Don’t Look at Explosions

Blink-182 – What’s My Age Again?

The Decemberists – The Bagman’s Gambit

AHD Podcast #16 – Andrew Bujalski’s Results

Posted on by bennyshep

Once a month, the AHD gang dissect, critique and generally jabber about the oddities, the ignored or the duds in a famous director’s filmography. This month, pop open the protein shakes, we’re talking Andrew Bujalski’s Results. Plus find out how Ben & Jon got on at the BFI London Film Festival and listen in awe as Jon & Sam go head-to-head in Ben’s movie maths quiz!

0:00:00 – 0:36:45 – Ben and Jon saw some films in London! One of them did some celebrity spotting as well. This was recorded before Black Mirror S3 debuted on Netflix, so Sam was still looking forward to it! Find out how close he was to predicting some of the episodes.

0:36:45 – 0:53:40 – QUIZ TIME! Jon & Sam battle in Ben’s mathematical The Sum of All Fears.

0:53:40 – 1:24:10 –If you suddenly found yourself with a large amount of money, would you continue to make films with non-actors mumbling through scenes or hire Guy Pearce & Cobie Smulders as your own personal trainers? This month, the guys dissect the first modest budget film from the”King of Mumblecore”, Andrew Bujalski.

1:24:10 – onwards – The outro!

Enjoy! Stream or download on the widget above or here if you can’t get that to work.

Hit us up with your favourite kettlebell techniques in the comments below or by tweeting at us at @AHDPodcast or@samsheppard8 or @jonathanhatfull. You got choices, y’all.

Notes this month:

  • Just so it doesn’t sound so random, Andrew Bujalski is obsessed with Rocky, even penning this article for the New Yorker a few years ago. I wonder what he thought of Creed?
  • Jonathan’s awesome other horror-focused podcast’s Halloween special can be found here. Spooky!
  • Sam-sam Town is sadly not a real podcast.

Music this month:

The Velvet Underground & Nico – I’ll Be Your Mirror

Los Campesinos! – Don’t Tell Me to Do the Math(s)

Chad Raines – Man on the Ropes (I Was Doing Dips)

 

 

AHD Podcast #15 – Ridley Scott’s Hannibal

Posted on by bennyshep

Once a month, the AHD gang dissect, critique and generally jabber about the oddities, the ignored or the duds in a famous director’s filmography. This month, pop open the chianti, we’re talking Ridley Scott’s Hannibal. Plus find out how Jon got on at FrightFest and listen in awe as Ben & Sam go head-to-head in Jon’s quiz!

0:00:00 – 0:34:00 – Autumn is here! No more sunny days distracting us from pop culture. There’s a new Nick Cave album to pre-emptively discuss (we cleverly recorded this the week before it came out). Also, Sam & Jon watch old movies. Also also, Jon returns from FrightFest 2016.

0:34:00 – 1:02:45 – QUIZ TIME! Ben & Sam battle in Jon’s fiendishly difficult The Name Is The Game.

1:02:45 – 1:43:55 – Okie dokie, everyone’s favourite cannibal (that’s Hannibal by the way) is in Florence. The chase is on to find him! The guys go in-depth on Ridley Scott’s sequel to Silence of the Lambs. Is it as bad as they all remember?

1:43:55 – onwards – The outro!

Enjoy! Stream or download on the widget above or here if you can’t get that to work.

Hit us up with your favourite recipes…FOR MAN in the comments below or by tweeting at us at @AHDPodcast or@samsheppard8 or @jonathanhatfull. You got choices, y’all.

Music this month:

 

The Birthday Party – Release the Bats

Jessica Lange – The Name Game

Nelly Fuertado – Maneater

AHD Podcast #14 – John Carpenter’s Starman

Posted on by bennyshep

Once a month, the AHD gang dissect, critique and generally jabber about the oddities, the ignored or the duds in a famous director’s filmography. This month, we discuss John Carpenter’s John Carpenter’s Starman. Plus extra fun in the form of film chit-chat and a quiz! What’s not to love?!

0:00:00 – 0:39:50 – The gang discuss Suicide Squad because that is a whole to-do currently, but then recover nicely with some Entertainment, Kubo and the Two Strings and Event Horizon chatter.

0:39:50 – 0:58:40 – Quiz time! This month, Sam is the razzle-dazzle quiz master, bringing us a new quiz; Denzel Washington D.C. (the States Have Never Been Higher)!

0:58:40 – 1:30:40 – In our main segment, we get into a full-blown review and discussion of John Carpenter’s Starman. Is this an overlooked classic or was JC just looking for that Spielberg pay-day?

1:30:40 – onwards – The outro!

Enjoy! Stream or download on the widget above or here if you can’t get that to work.

Hit us up with your favourite sci-fi romance films in the comments below or by tweeting at us at @AHDPodcast or@samsheppard8 or @jonathanhatfull. You got choices, y’all.

Music this month:

.357 LOVER feat. Corn Mo  – Event Horizon

The State Song

Jack Nitzsche – Starman Leaves

 

 

AHD Podcast #13 – Satoshi Kon & Perfect Blue

Posted on by bennyshep

The gang is back with a new format. Once a month we will dissect, critique and generally jabber about the oddities, the ignored or the duds in a famous director’s filmography. This month, we discuss Satoshi Kon’s debut Perfect Blue. Plus extra fun in the form of film chit-chat and a quiz! What’s not to love?!

0:00:00 – 0:29:30 – Have you missed them? The gang is all back to chat recent releases Ghostbusters, Adult Life Skills, Notes on Blindness and Elvis & Nixon, as well as bonus TV chat about The Living & The Dead.

0:29:30 – 0:51:40 – Quiz time! It’s The Vincent Price Is Right round 2! It turns into a giant slam of iMDB scores.

0:51:40 – 1:33:20 – In the first of our new format, we get into a deep dive of Satoshi Kon’s debut feature Perfect Blue. If you haven’t seen it, you should get that blu-ray, watch it and then come back to listen. We’ll wait.

1:33:20 – onwards – The outro!

Enjoy! Stream or download on the widget above or here if you can’t get that to work.

Hit us up with your favourite Satoshi Kon films in the comments below or by tweeting at us at @AHDPodcast or@samsheppard8 or @jonathanhatfull. You got choices, y’all.

Notes:

  • I double-checked and I did roughly remember the Darren Aronofsky details correctly. There are some issues with cited articles no longer existing online, but you can get an idea of the slight controversies here.
  • I would be completely remiss to not mention Tony Zhou’s wonderful visual essay on Satoshi Kon’s editing as part of his Every Frame A Painting series. Essential viewing.
  • Finally, you don’t need to be a Satoshi Kon fan to get the most of this, so you should read his final blog post prior to his passing. It’s an incredibly moving piece that any mensch should read.

Music this month:

Japan – Ghosts

Motörhead – The Game

Susumu Hirasawa – Mediation Field

 

AHD Podcast #11 – Om Nom Nom Edition

Posted on by bennyshep

Who’s hungry for more?! We hope you skipped breakfast because Ben, Jonny and Sam are chatting about food and drink in films! And if you have skipped breakfast, you will get very hungry listening to this! Also, Ben and Jon return from Berlin with a Goosebumps review, Ben reviews Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal – The Movie and our quiz show corner continues with Quizmaster Jonny’s TAGLINES OF TERRRRRROR!

0:00:00 – 0:27:10 – Ben and Jon went to Berlin but not for the film festival. No, they went to Berlin and saw Goosebumps. Sam is intrigued and slightly worried that it’ll turn out that in the end, we’re all the monsters! Speaking of monsters, Ben caught up with Funny or Die’s Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal – The Movie and shares his thoughts.

0:27:10 – 0:53:20 – The quizzing continues as Sam and Ben are pitted against each other in Jonny’s quiz – TAGLINES OF TERRRRRROR!

0:53:20 – 1:39:30 – Food! Glorious food! Listen as the guys struggle to discuss food on film and TV beyond NBC’s Hannibal (Janice Poon represent).

1:39:30 – Outwards – The outro!

Enjoy! Stream or download on the widget above (the download button is on the top right kinda).

Let us know if you also feel your stomach rumbling during the imaginary food sequence in Hook either in the comments below or by tweeting at us at @AutHorsDoeu or@samsheppard8 or @jonathanhatfull. You got choices, y’all.

Music this month:

The Goosebumps TV Theme

Donald Glover & Tracy Morgan – Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

Tom Waits – Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson)

AHD Podcast #8 – Jurassic World Cup?

Posted on by bennyshep

Don’t let the picture fool you, we are not talking about any scary movies, but guess what? Jonathan Hatfull is back, brandishing a chainsaw and protecting the brothers Sheppard against a monster that wants to pick Ben’s nose. The dream team is finally all together and in this episode, Ben, Sam & Jon lay the smackdown on other dream teams – sports dream teams! In movies! Sports movies! Come for Ben & Jon rounding up the films they saw at the London Film Festival, stay for Sam’s pitch for a sequel to Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

0:00:00 – 0:02:34 – The gang attempts to rationalise their decision to forgo a Halloween theme and instead discuss sports films.

0:02:34 – 0:31:24 – London. The City. In the South. They had a film festival recently and Sam wants to know about it! Can Ben and Jon answer his queries??

0:31:24 – 1:22:20 – Touchdown! Offside! Checkmate! Wicket! None of these words come up in our discussion of sports films.

1:22:20  – onwards – THE OUTRO! There’s a cliffhanger!

Enjoy! Stream above or download it here.

Let us know if you’d pay to see a sequel to Bedknobs and Broomsticks set during the Iraq War either in the comments below or by tweeting at us at @AutHorsDoeu or @samsheppard8 or @jonathanhatfull. You got choices, y’all.

Music this month:

Trent Reznor & Karen O – Immigrant Song

Abba – S.O.S.

Maxine Nightingale – Right Back To Where We Started From

We have a podcast! Episode 7 is about Night Movies!

Posted on by bennyshep

Well, look who’s come crawling back! It’s Sam! He’s back with a vengeance in this kinda-recorded-live-but-with-no-audience podcast. Warning: there are accents and, occasionally, singing. The guys hash out some real beef thanks to Michael Mann’s Thief before Ben goes on a tirade about Netflix’s documentary Tig, during which Sam drops some serious clostridium difficile knowledge. The guys also get their jaws nailed to the floor by magic tricks with cards (Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay) and bodies (The Raid 2: Berandal). After they exhaust themselves with tangents, Ben quizzes Sam with a new game, the Vincent Price Is Right, but What are the iMDB Scores For These Movies? So sinister. Finally, because the podcast was recorded at night, the two describe their favourite ‘night movies’, but spend most of the time describing what the hell they think that term means.

0:00:00 – 0:04:55 – Give these guys a Tony for their singing! And Grammies for their theme tune! Nothing for the Tom Waits impressions though.

0:04:55 – 0:56:20 – Jesus Christ, these guys enjoy talking about the movie films. An hour chitter-chatter about pretty much every film listed above, plus an added bonus argument about which Queen songs were on the Highlander soundtrack.

0:56:20 – 1:09:50 – GAME TIME! THE VINCENT PRICE IS RIGHT BUT WHAT ARE THE iMDB SCORES FOR THESE MOVIES? We even threw in a catchy theme tune for you.

1:09:50 – 1:49:45 – Night movies. So like, movies set at night? Movies that feel like they take up a whole night? Who knows.

1:49:45  – onwards – THE OUTRO!

Enjoy! Stream above or download it here.

Let us know if you think ‘night movies’ are an actual thing either in the comments below or by tweeting at us at @AutHorsDoeu

Music this month!

Mick Smiley – Magic

The Price is Right Theme

Kavinksy – Nightcall

Taking it Higher – Five Ways First Day of Camp Makes Wet Hot American Summer Better

Posted on by bryzmangous

Netflix’s original programming has been a revelation over the last couple of years, storming in with bold and interesting new releases. So this makes it totally fitting that the subject I chose to focus on is, in fact, a re-visiting of old material. In 2001, Wet Hot American Summer was released in cinemas to a muted reception but quickly became a cult classic with a cast of emerging stars, such as (MTV Movie Award-winner) Bradley Cooper and (winner in our hearts) Paul Rudd. To be perfectly honest with you, I always felt that the WHAS-train had left me at the station. Despite its sometimes brilliant moments, I thought the film often missed its target at absurdist humour and this left me feeling underwhelmed. So I was all the more surprised at how much I enjoyed Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. Whereas the film focuses on the last day at Camp Firewood, the series tells the story of the first (the clue is in the title). After I watched the series and film in quick succession (I refuse to use the word ‘binge-watch’), I found that the prequel series added to the depth of the film and to my overall enjoyment. Here are 5 scenes that I think add another layer of awesomeness to re-watching the film (and there are going to be spoilers, so go watch it now!).

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Five Reasons We Are Excited for the London Film Festival

Posted on by bennyshep

The August Bank Holiday has come and gone. The fall is upon us, which that could mean one of two things depending on your place of birth. The only things that are certain from both definitions are that the days are shorter and grimmer now, like in Salford. To elevate us all from this misery, the British Film Institute have come along, announced their programme for the 2015 London Film Festival and charitably given us something to look forward to.

The London Film Festival feels like a bit of an oddity compared to other major festivals, lacking both the volume of premieres or buzz that the “Big Three” of Berlin, Cannes and Venice exude, but also thankfully the frantic marketplace atmosphere of something like Toronto. It is simultaneously difficult to choose what to attend and, I imagine, difficult to organise as, not only have the majority of films already premiered elsewhere, but they are also generally receive a broad UK release fairly soon after the Festival’s final curtain closes. This is even further pronounced this year as one of the Official Competition entries has already received limited cinema release in the US (Tangerine) and another will hit Netflix just over a week after its initial screening in London (Beasts of No Nation). Still, if one avoids the Galas, there’s plenty of opportunities to find films that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. Here are five things that have us excited for the LFF. Read More