My Movie DNA

In episode 39, Johnny talks to fellow record collector and movie nut Helen Howcroft. Helen lives in Christchurch, New Zealand and is a big fan of the Beastie Boys, all things that groove, and gangster movies. Their chat includes an in-depth look at the films of Martin Scorsese, David Lynch and Peter Greenaway, they discuss those weird saloon doors in New Zealand video stores, and they talk about whether it's morally acceptable to show your child The Adventures Of Milo And Otis.This conversation was recorded online in late-March of 2025.Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠Loco Looper⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.Check out Johnny's new podcast series, 500 Films: A Journey Through Genre Cinema, available wherever you get your podcasts.

In episode 38, Johnny talks to soundtrack nut, Aliens fan, and all-round good guy from Iowa, Joe Foster. Their chat includes a lengthy discussion on Ripley's return to LV-426, they talk about James Horner, Ed Zwick and Michael Biehn, and they discuss whether wearing a pith helmet somehow makes you able to drink beer faster.This conversation was recorded online in mid-March of 2025.Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' Loco Looper game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 37, Johnny talks to teacher and podcaster, Jeremy Downing, one third of the podcasting trio Cinema In Context. You may remember, Jeremy's co-host Sarah Watt was a guest on a recent episode. Their chat includes a quick look at this year's slate of Oscar nominated films, they talk about everything from J.J. Abrams' Lost, the passion of musical theatre, and the futility of live action Disney remakes, and the length of this episode is partly explained by Jeremy pressing one of the secret buttons on My Movie DNA: an in-depth discussion on the Alien universe.This conversation was recorded face to face in mid-February of 2025.Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' Loco Looper game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

It's here, the world's first Emilia Pérez fan podcast!....or maybe not...In a break from the annual tradition, joining Johnny this year on the red carpet is Podzilla & 1978podcaster Jasher Drake, who's turned up a week early at the Dolby Theatre to pounce on unsuspecting celebrities. But fear not, Johnny's usual date for the Academy Awards, the irrepressible Daíbhid MacCann, has sent through his thoughts on who, what and why at this year's ceremony. Daíbhid's whereabouts are currently unknown, but the word on the street is that he's currently in Mexico researching medical operations on the behalf of the local cartel kingpin.We take a look at the recent James Bond Amazon Prime firesale debacle, we discuss sad movies and claymation penises, and we ponder just how one particular film has managed to offend every minority it set out to represent, and bagged 13 nominations in the process. This conversation was recorded online in late February of 2025. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 35, Johnny talks to film critic, teacher, podcaster Sarah Watt.  Sarah can currently be heard as the secret weapon of the 2024 New Zealand film Gut Instinct, providing its perfectly glorious narration.  This conversation was recorded face-to-face in late December of 2024.  Their chat includes getting to know Ryan Gosling and Quentin Tarantino when you really want to get to know Leonardo DiCaprio and Sydney Sweeney, they discuss Sarah's long lost cameo in a world famous New Zealand film, and they wonder whether it's appropriate to choose a life partner based on how they breathe in a cinema (and of course, the answer is a firm yes - it should be top of the list). This conversation was recorded face to face in late December of 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In this bonus episode, Johnny is again joined by his good friend and fellow podcaster Jasher Drake to talk all things James Bond. This is the second of three bonus episodes, and this conversation explores the films of Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton. Johnny and Jasher talk about the majesty of the  Lotus S1 Esprit, they share their appreciation for Moonraker - AKA the Citizen Kane of Bond movies - and we hear what it's like when your voice cracks while singing a Bond theme to a global audience of 1.9 billion people.  This conversation was recorded online in late-December of 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In this bonus episode, Johnny is joined by GUT INSTINCT director Doug Dillaman and the film's star Sarah Watt for a post-film Q&A. This conversation was recorded live on stage at the Hollywood Avondale in late-November of 2024. As such the audio is rough and ready, until we can persuade Peter Jackson to use his software to clean it up. GUT INSTINCT is one of the gems of New Zealand moviemaking in 2024. Trust your gut and seek it out! Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In this bonus episode, Johnny is joined by his good friend and fellow podcaster Jasher Drake to talk all things James Bond. This is the first of three bonus episodes, and this episode explores the films of Sean Connery and George Lazenby. Johnny and Jasher talk about overused Bond cars and underused Bond gadgets, they talk about all the important things like which Bond Girl has the biggest secret weapons, and Johnny accidentally implicates the wrong Hollywood actor in a real-life unsolved murder.  This conversation was recorded online in mid-November of 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 34, Johnny talks to director, editor, writer and podcaster Doug Dillaman. Doug's second feature film GUT INSTINCT is currently infecting New Zealand cinemas, fresh from its world premiere at the Terror-Fi film festival.  GUT INSTINCT is a post-apocalyptic science-fiction film about an alien microbe that invades earth, presented as a public information film, and consisting entirely of archival footage from across the decades. It's something that should be experienced in a cinema, and it can't be recommend enough.  As well as a behind the scenes look at the making of GUT INSTINCT, their chat includes Doug's highlights from the recent Terror-Fi film festival, including the best time-travel film Johnny's seen in a long time, they take a trip from classic Westerns, to psychedelic horror, to the urban jungle of New York City in the 1970s, and they discuss the link between Margaret Qualley and the Imperial Starfleet from Star Wars.  This conversation was recorded face to face in early November of 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 33, Johnny talks to New Zealand genre-movie fan and podcaster Steve Skeet, one third of the ⁠Ludicrously Specific⁠ podcast. You may remember one of Skeet's co-hosts Darren Waugh visited My Movie DNA all the way back in episode 18. Johnny's chat with Skeets covers a hush-hush talk about the Hollywood Avondale's 24-Hour Movie Marathon - now in its 25th year - which they both attended recently, they discuss the lasting impact of directors like John Carpenter, James Cameron and George Miller on genre cinema, and they talk about the holy trinity of bad movies, bad directors…and bad accents. This conversation was recorded face to face in late October of 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 32, Johnny talks to New Zealand composer and acoustician Reuben Jelleyman.
 Reuben popped up on Johnny's radar a couple of months back at a screening of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner at the Hollywood Avondale, and before the film, Reuben provided a musical performance up on stage that just blew everyone away.  Not surprisingly their chat covers Reuben's rendition of selections from the iconic Vangelis soundtrack score, they discuss the New Zealand International Film Festival, which took place recently in Auckland, and they talk about the pressures of being a composer and a cinephile in 2024 when you're not really a fan of either Christopher Nolan or Hans Zimmer. This conversation was recorded face to face in late August of 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.
 You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 31, Johnny talks to New Zealand director Michael Duignan.
 Michael's debut feature - The Paragon - premiered last year at the New Zealand International Film Festival, and blew audiences away.  Made for a budget of just $25,000 NZD - the dictionary definition of making something ‘off the smell of an oily rag' - The Paragon is a sci-fi-comedy that punches well above its weight. You can see the film in theatres in five American cities - L.A., New York, Austin, Chicago and Portland - from the 6th of September 2024, or online from Music Box films, and AroVision in New Zealand.  Not surprisingly Johnny and Michael's talk covers the trials and tribulations of making a low-budget psychedelic fantasy film in New Zealand, they discuss the work of Michael Mann - always a favourite subject - and his lasting impact on cinema, and they take a spoiler-filled look at the latest Alien film, Alien Romulus.  This conversation was recorded face to face in late August of 2024. We recorded in the garden of Michael's house - AKA the Paragon house - and so there's a lovely soundtrack of birds, ducks and the occasional car driving past. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.
 You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 30, Johnny talks to Academy Award-winning art director and production designer Grant Major.
Described by Vanity Fair as ‘the architect of New Zealand's greatest cinematic achievements', Grant has an impressive body of work. 
His work in the early 1990s on Jane Campion's An Angel At My Table led him to work with Peter Jackson on Heavenly Creatures. He remained in the Peter Jackson fold on The Frighteners, followed by the Lord Of The Rings trilogy and King Kong. He also worked on Niki Caro's Whale Rider in the early 2000s, and recently reprised his collaboration with Jane Campion on the Oscar-nominated The Power Of The Dog. 
Grant has been nominated for five Academy Awards, winning the Oscar in 2003 for his work on The Return Of The King.
Their talk covers Grant's career from working in New Zealand television in the 1970s and the BBC in the 1980s, to conquering Hollywood with Jane Campion and Peter Jackson throughout the 1990s and beyond. They discuss Grant's influences from filmmakers like David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick and Ray Harryhausen, and Grant shares what it's like to witness the first and only take of a devastatingly emotional Oscar-nominated acting performance! 
This conversation was recorded online in mid-July 2024.
Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.
You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 29, Johnny talks to Dave Wain, one of the last bastions of the video rental industry. Dave runs Snips Movies, one of the UK's last video stores. The shop, situated in the Wirral near Liverpool, boasts an impressive selection of over 15,000 movies, all available to rent for the great price of 3 for £5. The depth of the range available is eye-watering and is just the tonic against the dull, predictable and limited selections available on the popular streaming services. Johnny's talk with Dave covers the trials and tribulations of running a video rental store in the 21st century, an enterprise that's going from strength to strength with an ever-changing profile of appreciative customers. They also discuss the directors Joe Dante, Quentin Tarantino and William Friedkin, and they lift the lid on Orson Welles editing lesbian shower sequences for porn films in his spare time... This conversation was recorded online in mid-July 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 28, Johnny talks to Stevee Taylor, a fellow Kiwi cinephile and a member of the Letterboxd crew here in New Zealand. A couple of years ago, Stevee interviewed Johnny as part of her Masters thesis exploring how movie-watching had changed during the COVID pandemic, and it felt like the right time to return the favour and get Stevee on the show. Johnny's talk with Stevee covers Luca Guadagnino's Challengers and its banging soundtrack score, they discuss the cinema of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s - three powerhouse decades that sometimes get forgotten about almost 100 years on - and like addicts enabling one another, they talk at great length about David Fincher and his long-time musical collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. An absolute Fincher-fest! In fact, there's a parallel universe where they're still talking about this subject right now! This conversation was recorded online in late-May 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.   You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 27, Johnny talks to Michele Kaufman, one half of the team behind Enjoy The Ride Records. Michele works alongside label founder Ross Shotland at Enjoy The Ride in Long Island, New York. The label specialises in releases in a variety of genres and formats - movie soundtracks, TV soundtracks, video game soundtracks, and stand-up comedy, all on Vinyl, CD, cassettes, Blu-Ray, and a range of other associated merch.  Johnny's talk with Michele covers Ron Howard, Sofia Coppola, Robin Williams and Pierce Brosnan, they talk about Michele's recent trip to Hawaii to see Michael Giacchino conducting the 20th anniversary concert for the TV show Lost, and we hear yet another example of somebody finding their career through a strange set of circumstances (the third or fourth such example we've heard on this very show this year)... This conversation was recorded online in mid-May 2024. You can find the Songs, Bond Songs release we spoke about here on the Enjoy The Ride website. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.   You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 26, Johnny talks to Mutant Records co-founder Mo Shafeek. Mo started Mutant Records earlier this year with fellow founding members of Mondo's poster and vinyl divisions. They really are the hot new label in town, and it's been great to see them hit the ground running with some big name releases already.  Johnny's talk with Mo covers the Wachowskis, Josie & The Pussycats, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' awesome music to Luca Guadagnino's Challengers. They talk about Mo's recent trip to Hawaii to see Michael Giacchino conducting the 20th anniversary concert for the TV show Lost, and they discuss the process of getting artwork approved by the great Tom Cruise... This conversation was recorded online in early May 2024. A huge thank you to Brad and Ryan at Mutant for helping facilitate Mo's time for the interview. Thanks also to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.   You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 25, Johnny talks to music A&R man Martyn James. Martyn works for Universal Music in London and is one of the lucky few who gets to dig into the vaults of bands and solo artists to find things to put out on reissues and box sets.  He was also part of the team that put together the Oasis documentary Supersonic back in 2016, directed by Mat Whitecross.   Johnny's talk with Martyn covers Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve and Hans Zimmer, they talk about how you can get into the music business through teaching pilates, and they discuss having to lie for a whole year about seeing Terminator 2 as an 11-year-old when you really went to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze.  This conversation was recorded online in mid-March 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.   You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 24, Johnny talks to music supervisor Ron Payne. Ron started his Hollywood career as a Production Assistant for John Hughes in 1984.  He went on to be a set P.A. on Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Pretty In Pink, and then a music supervisor / music co-ordinator on Some Kind Of Wonderful, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, She's Having A Baby, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and a post-production supervisor on Home Alone.  Johnny's talk with Ron covers the Marx Brothers, the Beatles, and John Ford, accidentally slipping a Monty Python quote into a John Hughes film, and they discuss whether you should ‘Yes' when Molly Ringwald wants to swap sunglasses with you seconds before she's due to do a take on Pretty In Pink.  This conversation was recorded online at the beginning of March 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.   You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 23, Johnny talks to returning My Movie DNA alumnus Daíbhid MacCann.  In what is becoming an annual tradition, this episode is Johnny and Daíbhid's round-up of the Academy Awards nominees for films released in 2023. They go through the major categories to declare what they think will win, but also what they think should win, on the night. Their talk covers boogying out of a window to 50 Cent's P.I.M.P., blowing Einstein's hat off his head, and they discuss what might have won this year's Academy Award for Best Ensemble Thirst Trap.  This conversation was recorded online at the beginning of March 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.   You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter/X @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 22, Johnny talks to music supervisor, movie producer and music manager Tarquin Gotch. Tarquin's career saw him rise to Head of A&R at Arista Records in the 1980s - overseeing acts like The Thompson Twins, Simple Minds, The Stray Cats, and The Beat. He then moved to Warners, transitioning Prince, Madonna and many other American acts into the UK. Moving into music management he oversaw The Beat, Stephen Duffy, The Dream Academy, Hugh Harris, General Public, XTC, Roger McGuinn from the Byrds and Jon Lord from Deep Purple. In a chance encounter in 1984, through his actress and model friend Kelly LeBrock, Tarquin met writer-director John Hughes on the set of Weird Science. He went on to become music supervisor on the John Hughes films Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Some Kind of Wonderful, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, She's Having A Baby, The Great Outdoors and Uncle Buck.  Running John Hughes' film company in the 1990s, Tarquin executive produced the films Curly Sue, Dutch, Only The Lonely, and Home Alone.  He has since produced both film and TV including the 1998 film Still Crazy, the TV series Crocodile Shoes with Jimmy Nail, the documentary series Cars That Rock with Brian Johnson, and the return of prison sitcom Porridge for the BBC. Tarquin currently manages Brian Johnson of AC/DC, and founding members of the Police, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland.  Johnny's talk with Tarquin covers his work curating Life Moves Pretty Fast, a boxset celebrating the music of John Hughes soundtracks, released on Demon Records in 2022.  They discuss Tarquin's time working alongside John Hughes and John Candy, his process of putting songs in front of John Hughes for consideration, and which composer he believes revolutionised the art of film scoring. This conversation was recorded online at the beginning of February 2024. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.   You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter/X @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

Following East Auckland DJ Phil Taylor's appearance on ⁠episode 19 of My Movie DNA⁠, Phil returned the favour and invited Johnny to be a guest on his She'll Be Right radio show on ⁠East FM⁠ in late November 2023.  This was a four-hour show, full of soundtrack picks, good chat, and Johnny even tackles a couple of songs on the guitar.  Thanks to Phil Taylor for the invitation and many thanks to station manager Michael Rowse for supplying the recordings. Thanks also to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.   You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter/X @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

Following East Auckland DJ Phil Taylor's appearance on episode 19 of My Movie DNA, Phil returned the favour and invited Johnny to be a guest on his She'll Be Right radio show on East FM in late November 2023. This was a four-hour show, full of soundtrack picks, good chat, and Johnny even tackles a couple of songs on the guitar. Thanks to Phil Taylor for the invitation and many thanks to station manager Michael Rowse for supplying the recordings. Thanks also to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.   You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter/X @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 21, Johnny talks to arthouse cinema programmer Gorjan Markovski.  Gorjan can be found curating Auckland's Academy Cinema, a subterranean theatre that caters for arthouse / festival movies and retro / classic screenings.  Johnny's talk with Goran covers Tarantino, Polanski and Godard, the absence of Kiera Knightley in movies made in the last decade, and they discuss whether it's appropriate to shush Quentin Tarantino if he's talking at a screening in the cinema he owns… This conversation was recorded face to face at the beginning of December 2023. Find out more about the link between Italian dubbing and Mussolini here and you can watch Gorjan's short films Therese and The Prince on his Vimeo channel. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.   You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter/X @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 20, Johnny talks to London rapper Jelani Blackman.⁠  An accomplished vocalist, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Jelani has just released his fantastic debut album The Heart Of It. This comes after a busy few years in the industry that saw him collaborating with - among others - Damon Albarn and Gorillaz, and with producers Fred Again and Brian Eno.  Johnny's talk with Jelani covers Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese, Christian Bale and Leonardo DiCaprio, and they discuss the power that Scampi and Chips and Prosecco has on a movie...when you're suffering with a hangover.  This conversation was recorded online at the end of November 2023. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.   You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter/X @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 19, Johnny talks to Phil Taylor, East Auckland Radio DJ, quizmaster, journalist and all-round community champion.⁠ You can find Phil - or PJ - presenting the She'll Be Right show on Saturday afternoons on East FM, broadcast locally in Auckland, but also online and on I Heart Radio.  They talk about comedy from Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton all the way up to John Candy and Bill Murray, and because Phil's a big music guy, the discussion also covers what feels like every music movie under the sun.  This conversation was recorded face to face at the end September 2023.  Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music, (check out James' ⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.  You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 18, Johnny talks to Darren Waugh, a fellow Auckland film nerd, and co-host of the labyrinthine movie podcast Ludicrously Specific.⁠ Darren has been co-hosting Ludicrously Specific since 2020 alongside his friends Doug Dillaman and Steve Skeet.  I urge you to check it out if you like falling down cinematic rabbit holes, and hearing about films with ludicrously specific connections.  Our discussion covers the Coen Brothers, John Frankenheimer, and Guillermo del Toro.  There's also lots of horror chat, just in time for Halloween…. …and in a first for My Movie DNA, we're joined halfway through the episode by a very special guest, who adds nothing to the conversation but immediately sits on my head.  This conversation was recorded face to face in late September of 2023. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music, (check out James' ⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.  You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 17, Johnny talks to Jasher and Mykah Drake, hosts of the world's leading Godzilla podcast, Podzilla. Brothers Jasher and Mykah love all things Godzilla, and their enthusiasm for monster movies and all of cinema in general, is infectious. We cover Edgar Wright, John Carpenter, and the current state of the MCU and blockbusters in 2023 - and we're left to wonder whether Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone should be digitally recast as some of the potatoes in Ridley Scott's The Martian. You can also check out Jasher's other podcast - ⁠1978: A New Zealand Film Podcast⁠ - where he delves into Kiwi cinema alongside co-hosts Larissa Kate Gray and Chris Wetere. This conversation was recorded face to face in early September of 2023. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music, (check out James' ⁠Loco Looper⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 16, Johnny talks to Stuart Buchanan, an award-winning artist born and raised in Glasgow.  Today, Stuart lives in Catterline, an old fishing village in the North East of Scotland, where he paints from his studio overlooking the North Sea.  Stuart's work is quite well known in the British art scene, so a quick Google search will show you some great examples of his style - lots of peaceful, solitary figures standing in serene and bewitching landscapes. Go and have a look! This conversation was recorded online in late August of 2023. We cover Star Wars, Quentin Tarantino and the Rocky films, we talk at length about two gems of British film history - Local Hero and Withnail And I - and we discuss the excitement of putting on an impromptu arts festival in the former Soviet state of Georgia with Vanessa Redgrave. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music, (check out James' Loco Looper game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 15, Johnny talks to Ross Williams, director and founder of The Daily Jaws.  If you're a big Jaws fan, you might already follow one of the Daily Jaws social media accounts, where Ross and his colleague Dean Newman provide daily updates to their loyal fan base of hundreds of thousands of Jaws heads.  This conversation was recorded online in early July 2023.  We talk about Alien and Aliens, the holy trinity of Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and David Fincher, and not surprisingly there's plenty of Jaws chat… Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music, (check out James' Loco Looper game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 14, Johnny talks to New Zealand filmmaker Fraser Grut. Fraser has just completed work as a director on 'Hot Potato', an upcoming film about Australian supergroup the Wiggles, which will be releasing on Amazon later in the year.  And over on Fraser's Instagram you can find all the latest instalments of his 10,000 Dreams project - something that is almost too crazy to even imagine (but Fraser is absolutely killing it). This conversation was recorded online in early July 2023.  We talk about the latest Indiana Jones film, the living legend that is Tom Cruise, and we debate the merit of arthouse films when all you want to watch is a good old chick-flick. Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music, and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 13, Johnny talks to British stand-up comedian, writer and filmmaker Matthew Highton. Matt is the first My Movie DNA recommendation from a previous guest, after the fantastic Bec Hill mentioned him back in episode 8. Johnny then discovered he and Matt share the same hometown of Oldham in the North West of England, so he was the perfect person to trade war stories with and talk about movies. The BBC Archive video from Oldham in 1976 we discuss can be found on YouTube here. This conversation was recorded online in early June 2023. We talk about the thrill of Ghostbusters II, the multiverse of missed opportunities of Alien 3, and the danger of recasting major Hollywood blockbusters with the lord of chaos that is Mr. Blobby. Many thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' brilliant Loco Looper game), and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. If you like the podcast, please drop me a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts as that helps other people find the show. You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 12, Johnny talks to Visual Effects artist Sofia Diaz. Born and raised in Mexico, but now living in New Zealand, Sofia has worked on several successful films and TV shows including Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, Moon Knight, and the Netflix shows Wednesday and Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet Of Curiosities.  This conversation was recorded face to face towards the end of April 2023.  We talk about VFX and animation, interesting ways to eat popcorn, and we discuss the holy trinity of Mexican directors: Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu. Many thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' brilliant Loco Looper game), and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. If you like the podcast, please drop me a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts as that helps other people find the show. You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 11, Johnny talks to skateboarding library archivist and fellow Auckland cinephile Jacob Powell. When he's not archiving materials at the University of Auckland Library, or skateboarding around Auckland's skate parks, Jacob can be found watching and writing about movies. In fact, Jacob was an OG user of Letterboxd from day one - and his interview on that journey can be found in the article Turning Ten: A Decade On Letterboxd.  This conversation was recorded face to face in mid-March of 2023. We talk about the films of Kelly Reichardt, Andrei Tarkovsky and Shane Meadows, and we get visited by the ghost of Mercedes McCambridge. Many thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' brilliant Loco Looper game), and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. If you like the podcast, please drop me a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts as that helps other people find the show. You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode 10 of the My Movie DNA podcast, Johnny welcomes his first returning guest - Daíbhid MacCann from episode 7 - for a round-up of the Oscars. We're about a week away from the 95th Academy Awards so we thought we'd get together and discuss what we think will win, what should win, etc. This conversation was recorded online in early March of 2023, and comes complete with a fair bit of New Zealand birdsong in the background. We talk about the ten Best Picture nominees, together with the other main categories, and we discuss what we think will win big on the night. Many thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music, and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. Please like and subscribe to the show. You can contact the show on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode nine, Johnny talks to the British composer, producer, DJ and violinist Tomm Matthews. For his soundtrack work, Tomm is a three-time Golden Bell nominee for Best Score/Best Sound Design. He's written music for TV dramas, feature films & trailers as well as the theme music for a number of popular TV shows. This conversation was recorded in person in mid-January of 2023. We talk about the films of the Coen Brothers and Stanley Kubrick, discuss the cinematic crossover between Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare adaptations with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and we trade tips on the best ways to trick your wife into watching horror movies. Many thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' brilliant Loco Looper game), and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. If you can, please drop a review on Apple Podcasts as that helps other people find the show. You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode eight, Johnny talks to the brilliant award-winning writer and comedian Bec Hill. Australian-born and London-based, you might know Bec from her hilarious Flipchart videos - that she calls Paper Puppetry - which have been featured on shows such as 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown and the Jonathan Ross show. Bec's approach to comedy can be best summed up by this review of her 2017 Edinburgh Fringe show: “Bec Hill is a multi-coloured ray of eternal sunshine. In a world of pain and darkness, her total lack of cynicism is refreshing.” In fact, if you haven't seen one of her Flipchart videos, I urge you to go and watch one right now! There's a pinned tweet on her Twitter which presents dozens of her videos and standup routines. This conversation was recorded online in mid-January of 2023. We cover the films of Rob Reiner and Edgar Wright, discuss Daft Punk's greatest contribution to cinema, and we try and figure out if 1997's Batman & Robin is……….Well, we just try and figure it out……. Many thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' brilliant Loco Looper game), and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. If you can, please drop a review on Apple Podcasts as that helps other people find the show. You can contact My Movie DNA on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode seven, Johnny talks to Daíbhid MacCann, one of his oldest friends from Manchester. Johnny and Daíbhid used to work together in the late-2000s but despite living a world away have remained friends ever since due to their shared love of films. This bumper Christmas episode was recorded online in mid-November of 2022, and ends up up being the longest My Movie DNA episode yet. The conversation covers the films of Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan and Meryl Streep, and we go some way to solving Trans-Tasman relations with Mark Cousins and Jane Campion. Many thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music, and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. Please like and subscribe to the show. You can contact the show on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode six, Johnny talks to Dominic Corry, one of New Zealand's leading film journalists. Dom is the film critic for the New Zealand Herald, editor-at-large for Letterboxd and regularly contributes to Flicks and Radio New Zealand, among other places. This conversation was recorded face-to-face in early November of 2022. We talk about the experience of growing up as a film nerd in New Zealand, discuss the works of Hitchcock, Verhoeven, and De Palma, and we ask the question of where comic book movies might go to from here. A collection of Dom's thoughts on film - a Corry omnibus, if you will - can be found on his website thegoodinmovies.com, and you can give him a follow on Twitter @DominicCorry. Many thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music, and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. Please like and subscribe to the show. You can contact the show on Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode five, Johnny talks to David Lowbridge-Ellis, editor and commander-in-chief of LicenceToQueer.com, a fantastic online community that looks at the James Bond universe from an LGBTQ perspective. As well as being a James Bond obsessive, David is also an avid film fan and his background as a secondary school teacher and headmaster turns this into possibly the most eloquent and articulate My Movie DNA discussion so far. And, not surprisingly, we touch on the Bond universe despite every intention not to... This conversation was recorded online in late October of 2022 and covers topics such as Buster Keaton, Steven Spielberg and the Wachowskis, and we fan the flames of the ongoing Scorsese / Marvel debate. Many thanks to James Van As, who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' superb iPhone game Loco Looper), and Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. Please like and subscribe to the show. You can contact the show on Twitter @MyMovieDNA, or on email at MyMovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode four, Johnny talks to Cameo England. One of New Zealand's last working cinema projectionists, Cameo is the Film & Technical Manager at the glorious Hollywood Avondale, where she regularly projects 35mm prints of movie classics. Cameo has worked in cinemas since the mid-2000s, where she learnt to project film in the pre-digital era, and now shares that skill with cinema audiences in Auckland. Our horror-heavy conversation was recorded in October 2022 - just in time for Halloween - and covers topics such as the films of Dario Argento, Wong Kar-wai and Robert Eggers, and the challenge of recreating the end of INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS with Putin instead of Hitler. The short film THERESE, produced by Cameo and directed by Gorjan Markovski, can be viewed on Vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/713092169. The episode of the SOMETHING WICKED podcast mentioned in the outro, where hosts Lee and Dave discuss the turbulent relationship between Roger Waters and David Gilmour in Pink Floyd, can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-something-wicked-podcast/id1443949532?i=1000582050417. Many thanks to James Van As, who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' superb iPhone game Loco Looper), and Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. Please like and subscribe to the show. You can contact the show on Twitter @MyMovieDNA, or on email at MyMovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode three, Johnny talks to Karen O'Leary. One of New Zealand's national treasures, Karen stars opposite Mike Minogue in Wellington Paranormal, one of several offshoots of Taika Waititi's What We Do In The Shadows universe. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, Karen is also an educator and a musician. In addition to What We Do In The Shadows, her acting credits include the films The Breaker Upperers and the recently released Nude Tuesday. Our conversation was recorded at the end of August 2022 and covers topics such as '80s movies and rom-coms, swearing at Spielberg films, conspiracy theories and the eternal challenge of sourcing a child's skeleton. Many thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' superb iPhone game Loco Looper), and Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. Please like and subscribe to the show. You can contact the show on Twitter @MyMovieDNA, or on email at MyMovieDNA@gmail.com.

In episode two, Johnny talks to Karl Lock. A former record company insider for EMI and Universal, Karl is currently a movie buyer for JB Hi-Fi, the largest Entertainment retailer in Australia and New Zealand. Karl has an encyclopaedic knowledge of both music and movies, and is a constant treasure trove of information. Our conversation was recorded in early July of 2022 and includes mild spoilers for the film Top Gun: Maverick. We also cover topics such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, James Caan, Bruce Willis, Kevin Smith and the 24-hour Movie Marathon at the glorious Hollywood Avondale. Many thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' superb iPhone game Loco Looper), and Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. Please like and subscribe to the show. You can contact the show on Twitter @MyMovieDNA, or on email at MyMovieDNA@gmail.com.

In the first episode, Johnny talks to Billie Rogers. A bit of a local legend, as the kick-ass bass player in the New Zealand band Street Chant, Billie is one of a select few who has won the prestigious Taite Music Prize. This was awarded to the band in 2017 for their second album, Hauora. These days, Billie can be found at Auckland's glorious Hollywood Avondale, where she is the venue manager, dealing with all their many film screenings and also their music concerts. Our conversation was recorded at the Hollywood, in early August of 2022, and covers many subjects including Baz Luhrmann, Tom Cruise, Michael Keaton, Quentin Tarantino, John Hughes films, and of course I asked her about her band Street Chant, and opening for the Lemonheads among other things. Many thanks to Dave and Lee from the Something Wicked podcast, who were very helpful in getting me to this point, James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant music (check out James' superb iPhone game Loco Looper), and Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support. Please like and subscribe to the show. You can contact the show on Twitter @MyMovieDNA, or on email at MyMovieDNA@gmail.com.

The movies we watch are part of the building blocks of who we are. You could say it's in our DNA. Welcome to the MY MOVIE DNA podcast. My name is Johnny Andrews and I'm a movie-loving Englishman living in New Zealand. I'm on a mission to speak to New Zealand's biggest movie-lovers to find out what makes them tick. So if you want to hear indecipherable Kiwi accents talking about their love of movies, this is the podcast for you. Search for MY MOVIE DNA wherever you get your podcasts.