Jon Sheasby
Here at 25YLSite, we handle a lot of heavy lifting. Analysis, interpretation, deep discussion, introspective interviews… you name it, we’ve got it. “Favorites” takes a lighter approach to the material we normally cover. Each week, we will take you through a list of favorites — whether it’s moments, scenes, episodes, characters, lines of dialogue, whatever! — in bite-sized articles perfect for your lunch break, a dull commute, or anywhere you need to take a Moment of Zen. So, sit back and enjoy this week’s offering: Jon Sheasby’s favorite film-related podcasts.
For many, listening to a podcast has become as normal as watching TV or going to the cinema. I’m a subscriber to more than a dozen of them (some of which have been on a long hiatus such as Serial), but I still spend many hours every week listening to people talk, debate, and analyse all kinds of subjects. I love podcasts and I love the ridiculous amount of variety on any given topic: whether it’s listening to the rich and famous on Marc Maron’s twice-weekly podcast, WTF with Marc Maron, or laughing along with Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman’s twisted look at showbiz news, Hollywood Babble-On, or getting my geek on with the guys over at the iFanboy.com Comic Book Podcast. So, being as this is a website dedicated to all things film and TV, I thought I’d list my favorite film-related podcasts you should be listening to. There are obviously many more great ones, but these are the five that get my vote time and time again.
5) Arrow Video Podcast
The Arrow Video Podcast with Sam Ashurst and Dan Martin is a bi-weekly film discussion show about the weird and wonderful titles released by Arrow Films, one of the UK’s leading independent distributors of cult, horror, classic and world cinema on DVD and Blu-ray. Every other week, Sam (a writer/director and film critic) and Dan (a special effects artist) pick a title from Arrow’s extensive catalogue and discuss their thoughts on the movie, while recommending other rare and obscure films we might enjoy based on their title of choice. Occasionally, there’s news relating to upcoming Arrow releases and some episodes end with an interview with a special guest, but what’s fun about the podcast is listening to Sam and Dan debate the merits of everything from Richard Franklin’s underrated slasher sequel, Psycho II, to Jack Hill’s blaxploitation classic, Coffy, to Dario Argento’s giallo masterpiece, Tenebrae. I own many Arrow titles, and the podcast is a great addition to their portfolio.
4) Post Mortem with Mick Garris
The first of two podcasts from Blumhouse Productions — the production company behind Get Out, Split, and the Paranormal Activity franchise — Post Mortem with Mick Garris is the conversational one-on-one podcast that dives into the minds of the most famous names in horror cinema. An icon among horror fanatics like myself, Mick Garris is not only a brilliant filmmaker and author, but he’s also one of the best interviewers in the business. Smart, calm and as passionate about horror as anyone, Garris eloquently converses about various topics with each guest — some of whom he has known for decades and others of whom are mere newbies compared to their more seasoned idols. From Rob Zombie to Bryan Fuller to John Carpenter and Coralie Fargeat, Post Mortem takes you through their entire existence from childhood to their latest project. Of course, it’s easier to get these kinds of names on your show when you’re Mick Garris, but the chats are continuously excellent and endlessly fascinating.
3) Shock Waves
The second of my two picks from Blumhouse Productions, Shock Waves brings together Rob Galluzzo, Rebekah McKendry and Elric Kane (the three former co-hosts of Killer POV), plus Blumhouse’s very own VP of Feature Film Development, Ryan Turek. The four share a natural chemistry and a great understanding of their likes and dislikes, which is made even more entertaining by the fake jabs often thrown out by McKendry and Kane. Their knowledge of genre cinema runs deep, like, really deep and each episode feels like a history lesson in horror. Episodes include getting candid about the history of the Friday the 13th and House franchises with Sean S. Cunningham, to retrospective tributes to legendary figures like Tobe Hooper and George A. Romero, to analysing the theme from The Exorcist with Christian James Hand. Shock Waves is a must-listen for any genre fan who wants to hear a bunch of like-minded people riff on anything from LGBT horror to the sub-genre known as sharksploitation.
2) Now Playing Podcast
I first stumbled upon Now Playing Podcast back in 2009 while searching around for anything relating to the then-upcoming Friday the 13th reboot. And as luck would have it, the guys and gals behind Now Playing were just starting the first of hundreds of podcasts retrospectively covering the many, many franchises from movie history. The rotating panel of three hosts per series keeps every retrospective fresh, and I haven’t missed a week of their coverage in almost a decade since their introduction. They have covered virtually every franchise and genre imaginable, producing high-quality content week-after-week for our listening pleasure. Do you want to hear their thoughts on every DC/Marvel film ever made? Or how about every film adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s words? Or maybe this audience would appreciate their views on the films of David Lynch? Now Playing has covered them all, film-by-film, week-after-week. They even produced a Twin Peaks spin-off last year called Now Peaking!
1) Wittertainment: Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review
“Hello to Jason Isaacs.” Self-proclaimed as the BBC’s flagship film programme, Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review is my favorite film-related podcast ever. Since 2001, Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo have delighted listeners across the globe, earning loyal fans who have become obsessively devoted to the Church of Wittertainment. Kermode (the UK’s leading film critic) and Mayo (a mainstay of UK radio since the ’80s) bicker through two hours of programming every Friday, which features commentary on the UK’s top 10 films of the week, emails from listeners, interviews with guests, reviews and much more. The in-jokes and recurring segments play better to those who consider themselves longtime listeners, but newer Wittertainees can jump straight in and enjoy the rants, the spats, and Kermode’s unique ability to retell the same anecdote over and over like he is mentioning it for the first time. Expect Kermode to try and connect an entirely unrelated film to The Exorcist as much as possible, too!
Those are my personal favorite film-related podcasts, so what are some of yours? Please leave a comment and let us know by following the information about our social media accounts, which can be found below. Alternatively, you can follow me on Twitter (@JonSheasby), and we’ll continue the conversation over there.
