Are You Movie Mad? Is the podcast that asks the most difficult question one man has ever faced. Cinephile Andrew Jones is perpetually flabbergasted that Johnny Ellis uses the online moniker 'Movie_Mad' yet at any given moment seems not to understand any movie references. Join Andrew as he journeys through a collection of films to educate Johnny and ask if Johnny is Mad about the movie he watched or remains Movie Mad.
VIN DIESEL, BABY!
Andrew has watched this a bunch of times in lockdown because it’s the most recent Vin flick, Johnny never saw it. Will Guy Pearce’s ever-changing accents add to the experience, or the action scene definitely meant to be in London that looks nothing like anything ever? Will cinema ever matter again? What is pandemic brain cinema anyway?
On the time of FrightFest’s Halloween spooktacular, Johnny pays homage with another of 2019’s festival favourites, an indie Scottish found-footage-cum-shockumentary (shocking mockumentary) about a vlogger, a ghost, and a series of scares. Andrew spirals deeper into his own madness and commences naming HBO shows for 15 minutes, he’s doing fine, he’s doing fine, he’s...doing……….fiiiiiiiine.
Johnny lost the internet for a bit, but still he found the scares of FrightFest Day 3, including a whole pack of shorts.
We’re talking Clapboard Jungle, Hall, Aquaslash, Two Heads Creek and short films Bark, Jeff Drives You, Ouzo And The Blackcurrant, Breakfast, A Bit Of Fun, FLESH Control, Subject 3, Tarrare, Guest and The Beholder.
Johnny catches Andrew and the audience up with FrightFest 2020’s digital event, including talk of pre-fest movie Sky Sharks, and Day One films I Am Lisa and 12 Hour Shift. Expect haunts and guffaws from two folk making it through a very bad time together. But… apart, socially.
It’s Frightfest weekend and Johnny wants to relive the glory of a former year, by choosing a film he himself gave 2 stars to on Letterboxd. Johnny insists The Drone is a good silly fun time, but will it warm the cold, broken heart of horror-un-liking Andrew?
It’s back to reality, oop there goes gravity, as Andrew and Johnny square up to Isolation August with a spin around 2000’s Julia Roberts Oscar winning performance as Erin Brockovich. Nobody’s going insane or depressed at home, so why wouldn’t a fun romp around big corporations killing and hiding the facts of killing innocent working class people be the kind of film we all enjoy? I’m rambling, one second, I’ll continue, it’s a podcast episode, go listen. End communication.
It’s episode 200, 200! And since we cannot celebrate in person with friends, Johnny and Andrew bring folk in to talk Hamilton and their lockdown fun. Set in for a lot of Cats conversations with Al Pacino expert Mark Searby, VoDZilla editor Ivan Radford, filmmaker Bradley Porter, Empire Podcast and Magazine’s Chris Hewitt, Variety’s Jazz Tangcay, Movies On Weekends’ Sarah Cook, Film journalist Nathanael Smith, Forbes and E!’s Simon Thompson, Comedian and film aficionado Richard Sandling, Activist and Host Sarah O’Connell and super-duper film fans Jan Thomas and Dave Thomas.
So settle in for a super expressive celebration of joy, love and the power of community, in the time when we are most alone. 200 Episodes in, this is our shot, we’re not throwing it away.
Johnny’s love of Quentin Tarantino returns as he makes Andrew watch a doc about the director’s films (besides Hollywood) and sheds new light on the whole Weinstein situation. This is a light entertainment podcast recording during a lockdown heatwave.
Johnny loves this 150 minute frontier horror, and insists Andrew saddle up for a ride into hell and back, promising that Retribution Is Coming. Andrew, meanwhile, breaks down and contemplates what a serial killer horse could get away with back in olden times. Yep. That’s how the lockdown’s going, folks.
The quarantine has adjusted everything somewhat, but no worry, there’s always a Brendan Fraser film to fall back on, and plenty of memories of Ian McKellen’s days feline up London with this Frankenstein of an episode where puns are always at play.
Johnny takes the stage in an impromptu schedule shift, as The Tenderloins’ hit TV show reaches the big screen (A digital release because there are no ‘big screens’ anymore, up is down, cats and dogs are marrying my mother!), and insists we watch Impractical Jokers - The Movie just after its worldwide April Fool’s Day release. Andrew finds understanding in quality TV-To-Film adaptations and reality-meets-sketch hybrid creations, whilst Johnny hurts himself laughing.
We’re all isolated across the globe, but for this week it’s a trip to the desolate Mojave, as Gore Verbinski’s Oscar-winning western animated adventure comes into view. Talking family movies, quarantine life and the career of the Pirates Of The Caribbean director, maybe some sanity will be found here.
As Covid-19 has put us all in self-isolation, the usual episode feeling of being together, feeding off one-another’s energy is out the window. Testing out online recording for future use, Andrew and Johnny talk Better Call Saul (SPOILERS), Disney+, hint at next week’s episode and Johnny Cash of course comes up once again.