The HD Movie Podcast

Episode 117: Merry Podmas 2023 #1 - Miracle On 34th Street (1994)

Episode 117 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell head up into the HDMP loft to get the tree out because it's once again time to wish you all a Merry Podmas! From now until the end of the year the podcast will be focusing on seasonal fare.
The first film unwrapped is the 1994 version of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, which has John Hughes on writing and producing duties and features Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle, who may or may not be the real Santa and it's gonna take a court case to find out!
Hayley watched this movie as kid, so did it generate the same magic for her as an adult? Darren watched this movie as an adult, so did it generate the same magic for him as a more cranky adult? Your hosts also talk about the potency of Dylan McDermott, the point at which child performers cross the line from precocious into just plain annoying, Santa's somewhat unnerving chuckle and much, much more including a whistle stop comparison of the 1947, 1973 and 1994 versions of this classic tale.
Another of our presents to you is the impressive tuneage of Mitch Bain, who writes and performs the music you hear within. You can find him on social media: @whoelsebutmitch on Twitter, evertheoptimitch on Instagram.
You can follow and contact the Podcast on X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on Twitter and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on Twitter, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on Twitter, darren_gaskell on Instagram
Is that Daphne from Frasier?

Episode 116: Spouse’s Request #2 - The Calcium Kid

Episode 116 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell return to talk about movies of any year, any genre and any quality.
Before the podcast celebrates another Merry Podmas, it's time for the second of our Spouse's Request episodes! Darren's wife Alison previously tortured your hosts with Tom Cruise crapfest Cocktail and now it's the turn of Hayley's husband Phil to pick the movie. His choice? 2004's sports mockumentary THE CALCIUM KID starring Orlando Bloom!
It's a rare first time watch for both of your hosts, so how much did they enjoy this Brit spoof featuring not only the piping hot (at the time) Bloom but also a certain Billie Piper? There's discussion of the film's view of its female characters, a couple of highly questionable subplots and just how long you should thrash a joke that's not working. Does it all lead to a Cocktail-style rant? Only one way to find out (other than asking Hayley or Darren)!
Always boxing clever, floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee is none other than Mitch Bain, who writes and performs the music you hear within. You can find him on social media: @whoelsebutmitch on Twitter, evertheoptimitch on Instagram.
You can follow and contact the Podcast on X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on Twitter and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on Twitter, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on Twitter, darren_gaskell on Instagram
Hayley and Darren's antics do not reflect the Health and Safety procedures of Express Dairies.

Episode 115: Teen Wolf

Episode 115 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell are back once more, continuing to talk movies of any year, any genre and any quality.
Our miniseries on werewolf movies comes to a close with 1985'S TEEN WOLF, directed by Rod Daniel and starring a certain Michael J. Fox, who has thoughts about this one, as do your hosts. This was made just before Back To The Future but released afterwards. Can you guess why?
Hayley and Darren talk about some very 80s attitudes on display, one of the oddest freeze frames out there, terrible basketball moves, unsatisfying subplots aplenty and just how suitable Teen Wolf is for that Parental Guidance rating. And that's not all by a long chalk, but we don't like to write essays describing our episodes.
For the final time this year, you'll be hearing our fabulously eerie Halloween theme which is, of course, composed and performed by the spooktacular Mitch Bain. You can find him on social media: @whoelsebutmitch on Twitter, evertheoptimitch on Instagram.
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Twitter and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on Twitter and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on Twitter, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on Twitter, darren_gaskell on Instagram
Make sure your flies are zipped up, folks!

Episode 114: Ginger Snaps

Episode 114 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell are still looking at movies of any year, any genre and any quality and are unlikely to change any time soon.
Our penultimate mini-venture into the world of the werewolf movie takes us to Canada in the year 2000, but there's a definite 90s high school movie flavour as we take a look at John Fawcett's GINGER SNAPS! Starring Katherine Isabelle, Emily Perkins and Mimi Rogers, this is generally well regarded but there's a big question that has to be posed: IS IT BETTER THAN CURSED?
Hayley and Darren talk about their very different introductions to this film, their experiences of meeting the aforementioned Katherine Isabelle, the allegorical trappings of this movie and how the shadow of David Cronenberg hangs over Canadian cinema in general. They also confront a specific genre trope they don't particularly like (it's the one about pets), talk about its ban from certain UK cinemas and decide whether or not it's better than Cursed.
Once again, you'll be hearing our excellent, spooky Halloween theme which is composed and performed by Mitch Bain, as is all of the other music on the podcast. You can find him on social media: @whoelsebutmitch on Twitter, evertheoptimitch on Instagram.
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Twitter and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on Twitter and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on Twitter, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on Twitter, darren_gaskell on Instagram
BUT IS IT BETTER THAN CURSED?

Episode 113: Cursed

Episode 113 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Your hosts Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell don't set boundaries when it comes to talking movies - any year, any genre, any quality is always on the cards.
Spooky Season is in full swing and our run of episodes on werewolf movies continues with a 2005 film which was set to revitalise the subgenre. With the Scream dream team of Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven back on writing and directing duties respectively, and with a killer cast, how could CURSED fail? Well...
Hayley and Darren delve into a nightmarish project where rewrites, recasting and reshoots were the order of the day, resulting in a finished product that can be politely described as a mess. Your hosts, however, are far less polite when it comes to describing the finished product. Opinions are voiced strongly, so it does get a bit sweary on occasion.
One thing that is reliably excellent is our spooky Halloween theme which is composed and performed by Mitch Bain. He's also responsible for the rest of the bespoke tunery on our podcast. You can find him on social media: @whoelsebutmitch on Twitter, evertheoptimitch on Instagram.
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Twitter and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on Twitter and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on Twitter, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on Twitter, darren_gaskell on Instagram
Remember - ninety to a hundred million dollars spent. On this movie.

Episode 112: An American Werewolf In London

Episode 112 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Any movie, any year, any quality - Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell are probably going to be taking a look at it.
It's Spooky Season once more, much to the delight of your hosts. After last year's run of witch-related movies, it's the turn of werewolves this time round, beginning with what is possibly the alpha wolf of the subgenre - it's 1981's AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON!
It's always been one of Hayley's favourite films and Darren's history with the flick goes all the way back to the VHS era, so does John Landis' horror comedy still hold up for them? There's also discussion of fake British smut, Yorkshire stereotypes, the time Hayley met star David Naughton, just how many TV channels were available in 1981 and much, much more. Darren also tries to stay on topic rather than blather on about Jenny Agutter for the entire episode.
Our spooky Halloween theme (and all of the other music you hear on the podcast) is composed and performed by, of course, Mitch Bain. You can find him on social media: @whoelsebutmitch on Twitter, evertheoptimitch on Instagram.
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Twitter and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on Twitter and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on Twitter, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on Twitter, darren_gaskell on Instagram
We know Rik Mayall's in the movie for a few seconds, he's just not mentioned in the episode.

Episode 111: Mrs. Doubtfire

Episode 111 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell take another look into the world of movies and those movies can be of any year, any genre and any quality.
After last episode's plunge into Bad Timing's frightening view of obsessive love, we take a look at obsessive love of a different kind in 1993's MRS. DOUBTFIRE, directed by Chris Columbus and starring the one, the only Robin Williams.
Your hosts talk about revisiting the movie over the years, discussing some of the more problematic aspects of the film in addition to Mr. Williams' typically improv-laden performance. There's also a spin through the rather convoluted certification history of the film in the UK, as the classification board and local councils went back and forth over whether or not the film was suitable for kids. Speaking of film classification, how does this film link with a Video Nasty?
There's also talk of the soundtrack, the spin-off musical and the planned sequel, which spent a long time in that area of the movie industry called Development Hell. And if all of that wasn't enough, Hayley and Darren chat about deleted scenes, those 90s tropes that are bound to give modern audience an opportunity to cringe and there's even a chance to revisit that infamous "movie" Shazam with a new Mandela effect!
Needing no disguise is our resident composer Mitch Bain, who writes and performs the music you hear on the podcast. You can find him on social media: @whoelsebutmitch on Twitter, evertheoptimitch on Instagram.
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Twitter and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on Twitter and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on Twitter, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on Twitter, darren_gaskell on Instagram
You know what this podcast could do with? Tim Allen.

Episode 110: Bad Timing

*** WARNNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS DISCUSSION OF CONTENT WHICH SOME LISTENERS MAY FIND UPSETTING ***
Episode 110 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell are your hosts.
Our third Summer Of Sharks is over and we head into autumn with something far chillier than our coverage of the final offering from the Sharknado franchise. Brace yourselves for Nicolas Roeg's 1980 psychodrama BAD TIMING, starring Theresa Russell, Art Garfunkel and Harvey Keitel.
Setting the scene with Hayley's quest to track down the movie, the discussion then moves on to a film that was described by its own distributor as "a sick movie, made by sick people for sick people". Were they right? Did your hosts end up corrupted by this tale of obsessive love?
Someone we have a healthy relationship with is the one and only Mitch Bain, who writes and performs the music your hear on the podcast. You can find him on social media: @whoelsebutmitch on Twitter, evertheoptimitch on Instagram.
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Twitter and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on Twitter and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on Twitter, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on Twitter, darren_gaskell on Instagram
You may never listen to the song "Bright Eyes" in the same way again.

Episode 109: SUMMER OF SHARKS 3 #8 - Sharknado 6: It’s About Time

Episode 109 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell have decided to just watch Oscar-winning period dramas from now on. Nah, only kidding, they'll continue to cover films of any year, any genre and any quality.
It's the final week of Summer Of Sharks Season 3 and what a movie we have to round off our third extended trip into those dangerous waters. We visit the Sharknado franchise for the final time (at least we think it's the final time) with THE LAST SHARKNADO: IT'S ABOUT TIME!
As two folks who embrace the 'Nado, does this last chapter in the series close on a satisfying note for your hosts? Hayley and Darren discuss the time-hopping plot, dodgy accents, dodgier CGI, callbacks to previous movies, a future that is Tara Reid and yes! It's about time those Sharknado movies were ranked from best to worst!
For the last time this summer, you can hear the excellent Summer Of Sharks theme, which is written and performed by Mitch Bain! You can find him on social media: @whoelsebutmitch on Twitter, evertheoptimitch on Instagram.
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Twitter and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on Twitter and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on Twitter, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on Twitter, darren_gaskell on Instagram
Oh, bloimey!

Episode 108: SUMMER OF SHARKS 3 #7 - Cruel Jaws (Guest: Cait Orton)

Episode 108 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell continue to watch movies of any year, any genre and any quality and show few signs of stopping.
Some people don't talk about Bruno, but this podcast certainly does! Our penultimate episode of Summer Of Sharks Season 3 takes a look at Bruno Mattei's CRUEL JAWS from 1995, when shark movies were not exactly in their heyday. This one also takes more than a few liberties as to where it gets its footage from.
Summer Of Sharks stalwart Cait Orton joins us to discuss this must be seen to be believed item from our Italian exploitation cousins. In between the bits where we can't stop laughing, we ask the big questions. Should bad news always be delivered with circus music in the background? What is the actual surname of the character of Dag? Just how many different types on Jaws are there? Did we just hear the Star Wars theme? Did Darren pay 40 quid for the Blu Ray of this movie? All will be revealed in an episode which was immense fun to record.
One piece of music that the late Signore Mattei couldn't swipe for his movie is our Summer Of Sharks theme, which is written and performed by Mitch Bain! You can find him on social media: @whoelsebutmitch on Twitter, evertheoptimitch on Instagram.
You can follow and contact the Podcast on Twitter and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.
You can find the hosts on Twitter and Instagram too!
Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on Twitter, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram
Darren: @darren_gaskell on Twitter, darren_gaskell on Instagram
IT'S HERE!