The Empire Film Podcast

Another week, another episode of the Empire Podcast, another bumper crop of incredible guests. First, we bring you the enormously fun Richard Armitage interview that was recorded live at our recent London Podcast Festival show, where he talked to Chris Hewitt about becoming an author with his debut novel, Geneva (on sale now, fact fans). That runs from 23:21.00 - 45:51.00 (approx.) Then, Chris talks to the legendary documentarian, Errol Morris (1:03:32.00 - 1:20:20.00), about his John Le Carre documentary, The Pigeon Tunnel, and the art of interviewing, and finally Neel Bhatt has a natter with Garth Davis (1:43:58.00 - 1:57:36.00), director of the sci-fi drama, Foe. Then, in the podbooth, Chris comes dangerously close to infecting Helen O'Hara and James Dyer with the dreaded lurgy, but they brave it out and end up talking, and listing in order, the films of Martin Scorsese, discussing the week's movie news, and reviewing Scorsese's Killers Of The Flower Moon, plus The Burial, Foe, The Pigeon Tunnel, and Trolls Band Together. Oh, and they pay tribute to two of the MCU's fallen heroes in a conversation (4:10.00 - 7:58.00 approx) that might spoil Avengers Endgame, so be careful if you haven't seen it. Marty, we're talking to you. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast would have been a lot longer had we kept in all the bits where Chris Hewitt was coughing. Needless to say, we cut (most) of them out (probably), leaving instead another fine and fun episode in which Chris is joined in the studio by James Dyer and Helen O'Hara, thus putting them at risk of infection. Thankfully, none of them turn into mindless zombies (how could we tell?) as they discuss the week's news, including the sad passing of Terence Davies, Kevin Costner's big-screen comeback, and rumoured upheaval at both Marvel Studios and A24, review The Miracle Club, Shortcomings, BlackBerry and Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, and fail spectacularly to name all the Carry On movies. Oh, and James bangs on about Taylor Swift, which makes a change. Our guest this week is the wonderful actor Randall Park, who talks to Chris (50:56.00 - 1:07:01.00) about making the step up to directing with his excellent indie debut, Shortcomings, plus how he methodically built his acting career over the years. This is Good Audio Content, folks. Good. Audio. Content. Enjoy.

The London Film Festival — one of the greatest festivals in the world, and we're not just saying that because it's right on our doorstep and we can see a film and still be home in time for a combo of cocoa and Columbo — is back back back, folks, and to celebrate we are once again bringing you a special episode of the Empire Podcast. This one is a little different, in that it features two brief interviews with Michael Winterbottom and Randall Park, two directors who both have films at the festival (Shoshana and Shortcomings, respectively), in which they tell Chris Hewitt about their film festival experiences in general. If you want to hear more from both men, longer interviews will be gracing regular episodes of the Empire Podcast soon. Then, Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth by Beth Webb, Ben Travis, and Sophie Butcher, who talk about their LFF memories and then recommend the films that they are looking forward to most this year. Enjoy.

Another hat-trick of directors on this week's beautifully-designed, utterly symmetrical Empire Podcast, folks. First, Ben Travis says what a marvellous day for a chat with David Gordon Green, director of The Exorcist: Believer. Then, Beth Webb (yes, actual Beth Webb, back on the podcast!) chats with Chloe Domont, the writer/director of the savage relationship drama, Fair Play. And then John Nugent travels to Venice to have a chat with the one and only Wes Anderson — who was wearing pyjamas monogrammed with his own initials — about his Roald Dahl short films, currently streaming on Netflix. John didn't have any pod equipment with him, which is why his audio is slightly spotty in this one. Then, back in the virtual podbooth, Chris Hewitt hosts and is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for a fun episode in which they review The Exorcist: Believer, Fair Play, The Great Escaper and Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, come to grips with an almost total absence of movie news, and answer a listener question (well, more of a challenge, really) that leaves Amon, Helen and James in particular shaken AND stirred. Enjoy. RUNNING ORDER (all timings approx)Intro/Listeners QuestionDavid Gordon Green: 23:24.00 - 42.48.00Movie NewsChloe Domont: 54:21.00 - 1:12:51.00ReviewsWes Anderson: 1:36:29.00 - 1:56:09.00

Loki who's back! Yes, it's Tom Hiddleston's God Of Mischief, back for another season of melon-melting misadventures with the time-hopping TVA. And in this very special preview of Loki season 2, Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom with the show's executive producer, Kevin R. Wright, and Marvel visual effects legend-turned-director Dan DeLeeuw to talk about Loki's arc, the show's unique aesthetic, new characters, and more. This is a preview episode, and we're very mindful of spoilers, so this should be safe for you to listen to before the first episode drops on Disney+ on Friday October 6. However, DeLeeuw is the director of the season's second episode, and so much of that conversation is focused on that, so you might want to wait a week or so before you listen to all of that. Or ask the TVA to sort it out for you. They're good with time, we hear. Enjoy.

We love the London Podcast Festival — held every year at our spiritual home of Kings Place, London — so much that this year we did not one, but TWO podcasts there. The first, aka The Artist Also Known As Episode 581, is already up for your listening pleasure, but we're very excited and proud to bring you the second, which is the mash-up episode the Empire Podcast team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer — recorded with the brilliant ladies of the Drunk Women Solving Crime podcast. That's a pod, if you haven't guessed, in which a group of women — Taylor Glenn, Hannah George, and Catie Wilkins — solve crime. While drunk (mostly). So, naturally, we were the only choice to team up with them for the LPF, given that Chris and Helen are teetotal, and James only drinks to forget. Anyway, we had a simply lovely time with the Drunk Women gang, solving a true-life Hollywood crime, suggesting our own entries for Worst Movie Crime, and then helping to crack the case of an audience member or two. It was raucous, hilarious, and features the best Jennifer Coolidge impression this side of... well, of Jennifer Coolidge. Enjoy.

Three directors, John Carney, Gareth Edwards, and Craig Gillespie, join Chris Hewitt on the Empire Film Podcast. Carney talks about his new movie, Flora & Son, reflecting on his childhood and directing Eve Hewson. Edwards discusses his return to sci-fi with The Creator and finding the right creative path. Gillespie covers financial caps and Dumb Money. The virtual podbooth features movie news, reviews of Saw X and The Creator, and a hilarious war declared on a badger.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees comedian, actor, writer, director and future King of England, Mike Birbiglia, drop by the podbooth to have an extended, but very funny, natter with Chris Hewitt about Birbiglia's one-man show, The Old Man And The Pool, which is on now at the Wyndham's Theatre in London. They talk about that, about Mike's attempts to crack Ireland, about his movie Don't Think Twice (from 2016), and more. Then Chris is joined on Zoom by Brian Duffield, the writer/director of the very good alien/home invasion thriller, No One Will Save You, which hits Disney+ this week. And either side of those, Chris is joined in the studio by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode in which they further develop a plan to save cinema, try heroically to stretch the movie news section out to a decent length despite the absence of any movie news, and review Flora & Son, Dumb Money, Ballywalter, and The Expend4bles, which we regret to inform you appears to be the film's official title. Oh, and Chris has a few timestamps of interest for those asking. Bear in mind, these are approx, because of adverts and such, but Mike Birbiglia runs from 19:38 to 47:04 or thereabouts; Brian Duffield is 1:05:00 to 1:22:00, and there's a very special one for the guy who left us a glowing review on Apple's podcast store the other week, but nevertheless gave us two stars because we often forget to include timestamps. You, and he, can find that between 06:28 and 06:33. Enjoy!

They say you should never invite a vampire into your home, because then they can come and go as they please, without even stopping to do the dishes. But what if you invite the director of a vampire movie into your podcast? Well, frankly, Pablo Larrain, the brilliant Chilean director of Jackie, No, and Spencer is welcome to drop into the podbooth any time after this week's episode, in which Chris Hewitt invites him to sit down and natter all about his new movie, El Conde, in which the Chilean director, General Pinochet, is reimagined as a bloodsucking, power-hungry vampire. Either side of that chat (which starts at 41:36.00 approximately, and goes on to 1:00:52.00 approx.), Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer. Together, the trio chat about James' Indiana Jones-related mishap in a film quiz, they look at the week's movie news (such as it is; this was recorded before the Aquaman 2 trailer dropped); and review Kenneth Branagh's A Haunting In Venice, El Conde, Brother, Love Life, and Cassandro. Plus, they tackle a listener question about the impact of Covid and the current strikes on cinema chains, and come up with a revolutionary path forward for cinema. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is a little late, folks, for which we apologise. But we have an exceptionally good excuse — we didn't actually record it until Saturday night, when Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis took to the stage of Kings Place's Hall One, in front of a crowd of around 350 loyal listeners, as part of this year's London Podcast Festival. And this is that show, in which our intrepid quartet bravely tackle an almost comical lack of movie news, review Celine Song's Past Lives, Michael Chaves' The Nun II, and Nia Vardalos' My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, answer a bunch of audience questions, and — we cannot state this enough, for legal reasons — do not make plans to kidnap Ryan Reynolds. They were also joined on the night by ace composer Daniel Pemberton, who told Chris and Helen all about how he used a goose on the score for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, and there's a lovely pre-recorded chat between Celine Song, director of the sumptuous Past Lives, and Nick de Semlyen. FYI: Richard Armitage also popped in on the night to tell Chris all about his first novel, the thriller Geneva, but since that's not out until October 12 we're holding that interview back until around then. As ever with our live shows, it's pure chaos, but we had a whale of a time doing it, and hope you have likewise listening. Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS (approx.)CELINE SONG: 21:56.00 - 42:18.00DANIEL PEMBERTON: 1:03:55.00 - 1:22:40.00