City University of New York lecturer and film historian James Kenney once again joins the Movies In Focus podcast. The last time he was on the show he talked about discovering the original cut of Peter Bogdanovich’s Squirrels To The Nuts - and this time round he discusses Gee Malik Linton’s surrealist religious drama, Daughter Of God.

Starring Keanu Reeves and Ana De Armas, Daughter Of God was recut by producers - who removed almost forty minutes - and released it under the generic title of Exposed. This gutted release, diluted the performances of Reeves and De Armas and turned the film into a plodding and rudderless thriller that came and went with little fanfare. 

In this episode, James Kenney reveals how he discovered this director’s cut of Daughter Of God and how he’s attempting to bring this ‘lost’ film to audiences.

Running on HBO for seven seasons and 93 episodes from 1989 to 1996, Tales From The Crypt was a wonderfully ghoulish show that was based on Bill Gaines’ EC Comics imprint of the same name.

Executive produced by Joel Silver, Richard Donner, Robert Zemeckis, Walter Hill and David Giler, the show was a huge success due to its dark tales and even darker humour. From the second season onwards, Tales From The Crypt was produced by Gil Adler and A L Katz, a duo who oversaw the show's production and its rise glory - or as the Crypt Keeper would say, ‘rise to gory’.

As the show was winding down on television, it made the leap to the big screen with Tales From The Crypt Presents: Demon Knight in 1995 and Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood in 1996. The later film’s troubled production is what made A L Katz create the How Not To Make A Movie Podcast - essential listening for those who like Tales From The Crypt or have an interest in juicy stories on the making of movies and television.

A L Katz joined the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about the making of Tales From The Crypt, how the How Not To Make A Movie Podcast came about as well as the new series that he hopes to make with Gil Adler.

Japanese-American director Yoko Okumura makes a punchy feature film debut with Unseen, a new genre-bending comedy-thriller from Blumhouse Productions.

Running a tight eighty minutes, Unseen stars Midori Francis as Emily, a woman escaping from a boyfriend who wants to kill her. Lost in the woods, and without her prescription glasses, she relies on the help of Jolene Purdy’s put-upon cashier, Sam to guide her to freedom by video call.

Funny when it needs to be and brutal when you least expect it, Unseen is an assured debut from Okumura. At the centre of the film is the great chemistry between Midori Francis and Jolene Purdy - no mean feat when they don’t even share the screen!

Yoko Okumura joins the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about Unseen, the complexities of making a film where the leads are in different locations. as well as what it’s like working for the biggest horror producer in Hollywood.

Corey Deshon, the talented multi-hyphenate writer-director joins the Movies In Focus podcast to talk about his new film, Daughter.

Daughter is an intense psychological thriller that stars Vivien Ngô as a young woman who is abducted and then inducted into a family as their new daughter. Casper Van Dien plays the mysterious Father, the man who will stop at nothing to keep his family unit intact.

A small film with great performances, Daughter is a piece which plays with genre and expectations. It’s an incredibly well acted film with standout performances from Ngô and a career best Van Dien.

Writer/director Corey Deshon discusses how Daughter came to be and how he made this unexpected dramatic thriller.

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.