The HD Movie Podcast

Episode 172: Seduction And Psychos #6 - Basic Instinct

Episode 172 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Detective Nick Curran couldn't locate the podcast about movies of any year, any genre and any quality that's hosted by Hayley Alice Robertson and Darren Haskell so someone had to point out that it's actually hosted by Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell.
Our erotic thriller miniseries opened with Michael Douglas in Fatal Attraction and it closes with Michael Douglas in BASIC INSTINCT! He's a cop on the trail of a novelist who's suspected of murdering her lover. Said novelist is, of course, played by Sharon Stone and the movie's directed by Paul Verhoeven, who's no stranger to a controversy or two.
Your hosts revisit this one after a while away from it and there are some surprises in store for them on this latest watch. They talk about a clutch of fine performances, an expensive screenplay with a bunch of decidedly ropey plot twists and, yes, Hayley and Darren get into the whys and wherefores of *that* interrogation sequence. There's also discussion of the censorship issues the film had with the MPAA in the US in its quest to get an R rating, the original, short lived idea to embrace the NC-17 and much more besides.
One guy who's way better at his job than the police department in Basic Instinct is Mitch Bain. His fine tunes are featured on the podcast and you can find him on Instagram if you look for "evertheoptimitch".
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Facebook, X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on social media too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on X, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on X, darren_gaskell on Instagram, @darrengaskell.bsky.social on Bluesky and darren_gaskell on Threads
What, no DNA?

Episode 171: Seduction And Psychos #5 - Poison Ivy (Guest: Dr. Lauren McIntyre)

Episode 171 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! What's the voiceover you're hearing? It's the one telling you that Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren are here once again to talk about movies of any year, any genre and any quality.
The penultimate episode of our erotic thriller miniseries takes a look at 1992's POISON IVY, directed by Katt Shea Ruben and starring Drew Barrymore! Previous guest and friend of the podcast Dr. Lauren McIntyre is also here to give her thoughts on her rewatch of the film, which includes some unexpected trauma for her which is related to a certain actor's arse.
Elsewhere, your intrepid trio discuss the lack of sympathetic characters in the film (including one who's giving off Tucker Carlson vibes). there's an early moment of Does The Dog DIe? in the movie, digressions into Red Shoe Diaries and Coronation Street plus much, much more. Who's the most likely to kill on this panel? You'll find out!
One guy who only slays via his killer tunes is Mitch Bain. He writes and performs the music on the podcast and you can find him on Instagram if you look for "evertheoptimitch".
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Facebook, X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on social media too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on X, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on X, darren_gaskell on Instagram, @darrengaskell.bsky.social on Bluesky and darren_gaskell on Threads
"Ooh, Percy!"

Episode 170: Seduction And Psychos #4 - Malicious

Episode 170 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! The ballpark is movies of any year, any genre and any quality. Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell will discuss both the home runs and the strikeouts.
Our current miniseries' fourth foray into the world of the erotic thriller features a Brat Pack alumni moving into a more adult sphere as Molly Ringwald stars in MALICIOUS! Yes, that lass who destroyed Ally Sheedy's Goth look in The Breakfast Club is back as a woman who's out to ruin the life of a young baseball phenom destined for the Big Leagues!
Your hosts delve into the career choice of Ms Ringwald in terms of stepping into the "late Friday night on Channel 5" low key smut genre and a certain movie she is reputed to have turned down and which was a tiny bit more successful than this one. They also talk a lot about a hero who is not only an idiot but also seems to have a thing about sex in libraries.
In addition, there's chat about how this movie is supposedly used as a medical case study, how one particular sequence reminded our hosts of The Room and just why so many folks ended up being thrown through windows in 90s thrillers. Darren also reveals that he ended up watching two different versions of the movie - was the longer version an improvement? You'll find out!
One guy whose musical batting average always catches the eye is Mitch Bain. He is, as you should all know by now, the writer and performer of our tunes and you can find him on Instagram if you look for "evertheoptimitch".
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Facebook, X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on social media too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on X, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on X, darren_gaskell on Instagram, @darrengaskell.bsky.social on Bluesky and darren_gaskell on Threads
Oh, and we mention the movie "Ed" in this one if you want to relive those animatronic chimp nightmares.

Episode 169: Seduction And Psychos #3 - Body Of Influence

Episode 169 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Settle back on the couch because your film counsellors Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell are in and they're ready for your weekly session about movies of any year, any genre and any quality.
Our erotic thriller miniseries continues and, after Shannon Tweed's appearance in last week's Indecent Behaviour 4/Human Desires/whatever new title it might have now, we have another, very different Shannon featured in this episode - it's Shannon Whirry in BODY OF INFLUENCE!
Darren is a bit of a fan of Ms Whirry so it's a surprise it's taken a hundred and sixty-nine (stop giggling at the back) episodes to get here. Will Hayley understand his affection for a performer who made a number of movies with Greg Dark? Greg's gone undercover as "Gregory Hippolyte" here but it's the same Greg who made music movies and shot various, genuine adult movies. Here, the action is much softer but there's a definite darkness to it and your hosts discuss the seedier side of the plot.
Of course, there's plenty of chat about La Whirry (and Darren manages to stay measured throughout) and the contrast between the two Shannons - is Hayley on Team Whirry or Team Tweed? You'll get to find out. Also, there's a fairly glaring continuity error to be investigated, a sub plot about a serial killer which the movie doesn't really investigate, a psychiatrist's couch that probably needs a clean and how easy it can be to get away with murder (strictly in movieland, folks!).
The podcast prescribes the music therapy of Mitch Bain - he writes and performs our tunes and you can find him on Instagram if you look for "evertheoptimitch".
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Facebook, X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on X and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on X, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on X, darren_gaskell on Instagram
"...it's a weakness." And you'll have to listen to the episode to find out what the first bit of that sentence is because it's a bit rude to put in the episode description.

Episode 168: Seduction And Psychos #2 - Indecent Behaviour 4 (Guest: Chris Ellis)

Episode 168 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Time to join Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell at that pyjama party, where they'll be spreading the word about movies of any year, any genre and any quality.
Your hosts continue their delve into the world of the erotic thriller and their second choice is, obviously, the fourth film in a series? Or is it? The title says it's INDECENT BEHAVIOUR 4, but is it really? It's got Shannon Tweed in it but she's not the playing the same character she does the previous three movies. Anyway, whatever's going on, Chris Ellis from When The Streaming Starts is here to provide a third opinion alongside Hayley and Darren.
Your intrepid trio cover such diverse topics as pseudonyms, an unpleasant cop character, how not to shout "NO!" in response to discovering a dead body, one of the only situations you'd list the ingredients in a fire extinguisher, one of the worst payoff lines ever, what you can't do to Channel 5 TV in the UK these days which you could do previously and much, much more. Also, Darren spends a lot of the episode trying to stifle laughs and generally fails.
We wouldn't ever pretend our composer was someone else. Why would we? He's great! He's Mitch Bain and you can find him on Instagram if you look for "evertheoptimitch".
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Facebook, X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on X and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on X, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on X, darren_gaskell on Instagram
"It's the Alphabet Killer!"

Episode 167: Seduction And Psychos #1 - Fatal Attraction (Guest: Faye Ellis)

Episode 167 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Check that pot boiling on the stove because Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell are here to look at movies of any year, any genre and any quality.
It's time for another miniseries as your hosts venture into the world of erotic thrillers. Over the next six episodes they'll be taking a look at some very different entries into this field, some very well known, some not. To begin, it's arguably the most well known of the lot as Glenn Close pursues Michael Douglas in the Adrian Lyne-directed FATAL ATTRACTION!
We also have a guest this time out as Faye Ellis from When The Streaming Starts calls in at HDMP HQ to give her thoughts on the movie. Darren doesn't have a lot of time for the character of Dan, Hayley's concerned parent side comes out and Faye has an interesting theory about the most infamous moment in the film. There's also discussion of two fairly long lists detailing who could have possibly been the male and female lead with some very interesting - or downright bizarre - potential choices. 
There's only once choice for our tunes and that's Mitch Bain, who writes and performs the music you hear on the podcast. You can find him on Instagram if you look for "evertheoptimitch".
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Facebook, X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on X and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on X, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on X, darren_gaskell on Instagram
We're not gonna be ignored...

Episode 166: Death Becomes Her

Episode 166 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell take the potion marked "movies of any year, any genre and any quality".
We're taking a short break ahead of not one but two miniseries (including our Summer Of... films) but before we do, it's time to cover our first movie directed by Robert Zemeckis. Not that we have anything against him, we just haven't got around to his work until now. Back To The Future would have been a little too obvious so we decided to take a look at DEATH BECOMES HER!
Your hosts talk about the groundbreaking effects, the terrific casting, the movie's original PG rating in the UK and the satirical elements of the script, many of which are still relevant today. There's also discussion of how the movie divided the critics and, yes, the floating nuns are mentioned. To round off, Hayley and Darren unveil what the next run of episodes is going to focus on (it's something they've been looking to do since the early days of the podcast).
We think Mitch Bain's music will live forever. He is, of course, the writer and performer of the music you hear on the podcast. You can find him on Instagram if you look for "evertheoptimitch".
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Facebook, X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on X and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on X, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on X, darren_gaskell on Instagram
"The morgue? She'll be furious!"

Episode 165: Alice, Darling

*** WARNING: This episode contains discussion of topics which some people may find distressing ***
Episode 165 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell continue to discuss movies of any year, any genre and any quality.
After completing our Final Destination miniseries, there's horror of a very different, much more realistic type this week as we take a look at 2022's ALICE, DARLING. This drama/thriller from director Mary Nighy stars Anna Kendrick as a woman who takes a trip with her friends and slowly comes to realise that she needs to escape the controlling behaviour of her partner.
Yes, this is a more serious episode than you may be used to but it's both a film and subject which is well worth covering. Hayley and Darren talk about the unsensational nature of the film, the excellent writing and the terrific performances. There's also a comparison between the actual movie and the movie the audience may think they're getting and why swerving the obvious crowd pleasing moments may not be a bad thing. 
The HD Movie Podcast's music is written and performed by Mitch Bain. You can find him on Instagram if you look for "evertheoptimitch".
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Facebook, X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on X and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on X, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on X, darren_gaskell on Instagram
We thought the change of tack for this episode was worthwhile. Hope you do too.

Episode 164: Final Destination 5

Episode 164 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell once again cross the bridge to films of any year, any genre and any quality.
It's the final episode of our Final Destination miniseries! At some point we will be covering forthcoming new instalment Bloodlines but for now, there's only five movies to cover and we're rounding off with FINAL DESTINATION 5! This is the one with the impressive bridge collapse and *THAT* twist (which we do discuss, so spoiler alert).
Your hosts discuss some new ideas for the franchise, some of the most spectacular kills of the series, a bunch of CGI that isn't terrible and some horrible eye trauma. There's also the welcome return of Tony Todd, an unwelcome sex pest of a character and a load of references pointing to an end that neither Darren nor Hayley spotted. Darren also gets a bit misty eyed over a certain Jacqueline McInnes Wood and we finish the episode by ranking the Final Destination movies (so far) from worst to best!
There's no big twist when it comes to our podcast's tunes. As always, they're written and performed by Mitch Bain. You can find him on Instagram if you look for "evertheoptimitch".
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Facebook, X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on X and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on X, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on X, darren_gaskell on Instagram
If you want blood, you got it!

Episode 163: The Final Destination

Episode 163 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell are here to complete another lap in their ongoing drive to cover movies of any year, any genre and any quality.
In the penultimate episode of the current Final Destination miniseries, your hosts take a look at 2009's THE FINAL DESTINATION which, as we now know, wasn't the final one at all but was the one that initially looked to end the franchise with a 3-D bang. Hayley tries out the 3-D home version and that goes just about as well as can be expected.
In terms of what's in the actual movie itself, there's discussion of some dodgy CGI, unnecessary racism, gratuitous nudity and a lot of shade thrown on the character of Hunt. Also, there's a talk of how Mykelti Willamson can lift a movie, some director name referencing that's lacking in the prestige of the previous movies' namedrops (although gets to mention Andy Milligan) and the omission of a certain Mr Tony Todd. Hayley also confronts her fear of escalators and Darren confronts his fear of having to watch this movie again.
Want another thrill ride? Check out the music of Mitch Bain. Among his many projects, he's the writer and performer of our podcast's tunes and he's on Instagram if you look for "evertheoptimitch".
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Facebook, X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on X and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on X, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on X, darren_gaskell on Instagram
"It can't have been that bad..."