Top 5: Film Podcasts and Shows

As busy students, tuning into live radio can sometimes be problematic with all the ‘hard studying’ we do. Yet, whether it is in the morning whilst eating your Weetabix, or in the evening winding down after a busy day, these film podcasts are the perfect antidote to boredom and stress. From the likes of Mark Kermode to Kirsty Young, the array of vernacular articulation on offer is too splendid to bypass. Listen, enjoy, and remember: Hello to Jason Isaacs.

5.

The HOME Film Podcast:

With HOME’s senior visiting curator, Andy Willis and their Artistic Director, Jason Wood, each month the two deliver an in-depth look into the calendar of films ahead in the coming month. What makes this podcast a necessity is the shows academic edge. Both presenters constantly show an encyclopedic knowledge of film and a deep understanding of the preferences of HOME’s audience. Whether it is a feature debut, an auteurs latest release, or a piece of film from world cinema, their picks are always reflective of a constant change in the cinematic landscape. With honesty and sound filmic articulation, the podcast is short, sweet, and looks confidently ahead to arthouses must see films.

4.

Sight and Sound’s The Mixing Room: Conversations about Cinema:

As well as being a magazine, the nation’s best film magazine also verbalises itself in podcast form. Similar in academic style to the formerly mentioned HOME Podcast, Sight and Sound’s The Mixing Room is a round-table discussion between the S&S film critics, who explore new films and trends in the industry. Like the magazine itself, what is produced by the discussions is thoughtful and at the pinnacle of film analysis and discussion.

3.

Desert Island Discs:

Although not specifically a film podcast, the BBC’s Desert Island Discs comes in on this list. If you are like myself and can only spare a few hours a week to listen to shows, then the shorter podcast version is for you. With previous guests such as Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Steve McQueen, and Dustin Hoffman, the show makes guests discuss eight songs which they would take to a hypothetical desert island. Varying from on the bone intimate discussions on the person’s life, or recalling their childhood, Kirsty Young constantly pushes the envelope of what it is to be a radio presenter. Regardless of prestige, the show is authentic in its discussion of life, stardom, and the artist in society.

2:

The Next Picture Show:

Drawing away from the shores of the UK, one finds the American The Next Picture Show to be well worth your time. As a biweekly discussion from the former editorial team of The Dissolve, they inspect how classical films have influenced and shaped modern releases. Scheduled into an hourly discussion on one classic text to a follow up show in a compare and contrast episode, the selection of films is impeccable. With previously discussed films like The Neon Demon and Suspiria, L.A Confidential and The Nice Guys, and also Barton Fink and Hail, Caesar! one simply cannot criticise their spectacular selections.

1.

Kermode and Mayo’ Film Review:

The daddy, the godfather — the pièce de résistance as some would call it — Kermode and Mayo’s 5 Live show, aka Wittertainment, simply cannot be beaten. Aside from its detailed reviews, the cultist aurora that orientates the show places it in a league of its own. With its own Wikipedia in Witterpedia and even its own app, iWittr, there is something magical about the show’s appeal. With extra discussions bookended in the podcast, Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo ramblings on music, film, and life itself are a welcomed sound on long commutes or during essay writing season. How do you listen to the show? You just listen to it.