Released in the summer of 1991, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves was a monster success that grossed over $165 million at the US box office and more than $390 million globally - a number which made it one of the biggest hits of the year.

The success of the film, along with the massive Bryan Adams hit, (Everything I Do) I Do It for You means that it still resonates today. 

The classic Kevin Reyndolds directed adventure gives Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood plenty of swash and buckle alongside Morgan Freeman's Merry Man, while a villainous Alan Rickman chews the scenery as the Sheriff of Nottingham.   

Hot on the heels of a fantastic new release by the aptly named Arrow Films, Pen Densham and John Watson, the writers of Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves join the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about how the film came to be, its enduring legacy  - and the sequel that never happened.

Manifest West is a coming of age survival drama starring Milo Gibson, Annet Mahendru and Lexi Kolker. A film about a family ditching civilisation and seeking a new life in the American wilderness, Manifest West is an incredibly timely movie which looks at family values, the broken economy and the search for a better way of life.

The film’s writer-directors Joe Dietsch and Louis Gibson joined Niall Browne on the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about how the film came to be and the struggles of making such a close-knit drama. Louis Gibson (the son of actor Mel Gibson) also talked about what it was like making the film which stars his wife Annet and his brother Milo in the lead roles.

Sam & Kate is a heartfelt family dramedy from writer-director Darren Le Gallo. It’s a low-key piece, which features a collection of strong performances from its cast - Dustin Hoffman, Sissy Spacek, Jake Hoffman, Schuyler Fisk and Henry Thomas. They all manage to cover a wide range of emotions, delivering plenty of light-hearted moments amongst the very honest dramatic beats.

Aside from the well honed screenplay, Sam & Kate is notable because it not only features the pairing of Hoffman and Spacek - but because Jake Hoffman is the son of The Graduate star, while  Fisk is the daughter of the acclaimed Badlands actress.

Darren Le Gallo, Schuyler Fisk and Henry Thomas all joined the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about their time working on film.

Le Gallo discussed the film's long gestation period and how it came to star two Hollywood greats and their offspring. Fisk discussed working with her mother as well as her musical career and Thomas touched on everything from his upcoming projects to well the pros and cons of streaming and the theatrical releasing.

This episode of the Movies In Focus podcast sees a pair of directors join Niall Browne to talk about their latest movies.

First up is French filmmaker Romuald Boulanger who is discussing his new thriller On The Line. The film sees Mel Gibson star as a radio host whose evening show is thrown into chaos when he gets caught-up in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a deadly caller. It’s a hugely enjoyable film with plenty of twists and turns which will keep audiences guessing right to the end.

This spoiler free chat sees Romuald talk about working with Mel Gibson, shooting the L.A. based movie in Paris and what it’s like shooting a thriller in a confined location.

The second guest in Chuck Russell, director of the Jim Carrey breakout comedy The Mask, the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Eraser and the Dwayne Johnson vehicle, The Scorpion King.

Chuck joins the podcast to discuss Paradise City, a new film which reunites Pulp Fiction stars John Travolta and Bruce Willis. It’s a chat which covers everything from working with two of the biggest screen icons of the last 50 years to the complexities of filming an action movie on location in Hawaii.

Director K. Asher Levin joins the Movies In Focus podcast to talk with Niall Browne about his horror-action-comedy Slayers.

A very modern take on the vampire film, Slayers stabs its stake into the heart of everything from online influencers to QAnon conspiracy theorists. It’s an energetic and entertaining genre pic with committed performances from a cast that includes Thomas Jane, Kara Hayward, Jack Donnelly, Lydia Hearst, Malin Akerman, Abigail Breslin.

During the course of the conversation Levin discusses what it's like working with Thomas Jane, how the films of John Carpenter and The Lost Boys influenced the film’s style and tone and how the structure of Slayers changed in the editing room.

Gerry Maguire, the Head of Irish Film London returns to the Movies In Focus podcast to discuss the 2022 incarnation of The Irish Film Festival London.

The festival, which is now in its 11th year will take place in London from the 16 – 20 November 2022. Showcasing the best of Irish cinema, the festival opens with a gala screening of Frank Berry’s drama, Aisha at the Vue Leicester Square on 16 November and closes with Róise & Frank at the Riverside Studios on Sunday November 20. 

With patrons including Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell and Fiona Shaw, the organisation is not just a major force for Irish film in the UK, but it now has a strong global reach.

This time around Gerry talks about the The Irish Film Festival London’s 2022 line-up, the festival's selection process, what it's like hosting a film festival in a shifting cinema culture and more.

You can see the full Irish Film Festival London 2022 line-up and download the brochure here and visit www.irishfilmlondon.com to get your tickets. 

Steven E. de Souza, the acclaimed screenwriter and director joins Niall Browne for this episode of the Movies In Focus podcast.

Mega hits and cult classics such as 48 Hours, Commando, Die Hard, The Running Man, Die Hard 2, Hudson Hawk, Streetfighter, Judge Dredd and Tomb Raider litter his filmography. That’s taking into account television shows such as The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Knight Rider, V and Tales From The Crypt.

In this bumper-size episode, Steven talks about how he broke into the movie and television business and how he went on to become one of the most sought after screenwriters in Hollywood.

This conversation is filled with movie trivia, behind the scenes shenanigans and all sorts of great tales. It’s an episode you won’t want to miss!

This time around Irish filmmaker Andrew Baird joins Niall Browne to talk about his new film One Way. 

A character based thriller which stars Colson Baker (aka Machine Gun Kelly), Kevin Bacon and Travis Fimmel, One Way is a piece which mainly takes place in one location - onboard a bus.

Considering its limited scope, One Way is a film which is directed with a tremendous amount of flair and energy - and it must be given credit for featuring a strong performance by rapper-turned actor Coulson Baker. 

During the course of the conversation, Baird talks about how the thriller came together, its various location changes, the difficulties of making a low budget film  - as well as what it was like working with his leading man.

Actors, writers, directors and producers all have key roles in production - but one of the most important aspects in a film is the musical score - a score can literally make or break a film.

Composer Lorne Balfe joins the Movies In Focus podcast about his work on the hugely acclaimed and massively successful Tom Cruise blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick. Balfe worked on the film’s music alongside the masterful Hans Zimmer and the legendary Harold Faltermeyer.

Balfe started his career as Zimmer’s assistant and over the last decade has become one of the most influential composers working in the film industry - delivering a variety of memorable scores in films such as Michael Bay’s 13 Hours, 6 Underground and Ambulance, Marvel’s Black Widow and many others

He has also become an important composer when it comes to taking established film franchises and breathing new life into iconic scores like Balfe did with Terminator Genysis, Mission: Impossible - Fallout and Bad Boys For Life.

It was his work with Tom Cruise on Mission: Impossible and Jerry Bruckheimer on Bad Boys which made him the perfect candidate to create new music - and update old themes - for Top Gun: Maverick.

Lorne Balfe talks about the film scoring process and what it was like composing music for the follow-up to one of the most iconic soundtracks of the 1980s.

At the tail end of 2021 Movies In Focus watched and reviewed Sonny Mallhi’s excellent horror, Hurt. On The surface it appeared that Hurt was just another film in the slasher genre - but it turned out to be much more than that,

Yes, it was a horror film but it had rich characterisation and dealt with a lot of interesting themes such as fear, death, violence, loss, love, family, isolation and yes, hurt.

Sonny got in touch, thanking me for my review and I invited him onto the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about the film and his career. He started off producing films such as the Keanu Reeves/Sandra Bullock romance The Lake House before moving on to darker material such as The Strangers, House At The End Of The Street, Spike Lee’s remake of Oldboy and the brilliant The Dark And The Wicked.

Mallhi is also a writer, having penned five films - including the aforementioned Hurt - a film which he also directed. Passionate about film, my conversation with Sonny Mallhi covered a vast array of fascinating topics in this hour-long episode.