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In this podcast, filmmaker and academic James Edward Newton discusses topics (mostly) related to cinema, television, and culture. His guests include filmmakers, artists, historians, and writers, and the podcast takes the form of unscripted discussions.

James Edward Newton is the director of the feature films When the Sun Stands Still (2025), KATERNICA (2023), and Black Lizard Tales (2020). As James Newton, he is the author of The Mad Max Effect (Bloomsbury, 2021) and The Anarchist Cinema (Intellect, 2019). 

YouTube: @JamesNewtonCinema


**All opinions expressed in this podcast are the opinions of James Newton and guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Kent.






www.youtube.com/channel/UCZlSrc2u2IG6...

Newton Talks

Newton Talks
TV & Film
47 episodes / 5.76K listens
47: R.M. Francis - Writing, Poetry, and Faith
In this episode, I talk to prolific novelist and poet R.M. Francis about his new collection, Palmer, which you can buy here: https://vpresspoetry.blogspot.com/2025/09/launching-palmer.html
1hr 2m • Oct 09
1hr 2m
46: Newton Talks #36 Tom Lee Rutter and The Pocket Film of Superstitions
In this episode the acclaimed West Midlands based filmmaker Tom Lee Rutter joins me to talk about his new feature The Pocket Film of Superstitions.
53m • Jun 26, 2024
53m
45: Newton Talks #35 Death Lines: Walking London's Horror History with author Lauren Jane Barnett
In this episode, author Lauren Jane Barnett joins me to talk about her new book, Death Lines: Walking London's Horror History - a walking guide to horror movie locations in the capital city. The book is now available here: https://strangeattractor.greedbag.com/buy/death-lines-walking-londons-horr/
49m • Apr 09, 2024
49m
44: Newton Talks #34 Nigel Kneale's Beasts, with author Andrew Screen.
In this episode, I talk to Andrew Screen about his new publication, The Book of Beasts  (Headpress, 2023), which is an in-depth study of the Nigel Kneale anthology horror series called Beasts from 1976. You can buy the book here: https://headpress.com/product/the-book-of-beasts/
41m • Feb 12, 2024
41m
43: Newton Talks #33 American Shot-on-Video Horror with Vincent A. Albarano.
My guest in this episode is Vincent A. Albarano, who joins me to talk about his new book, Aesthetic Deviations: A Critical View of American Shot-on-Video Horror, 1984-1994. You can buy the book here: https://headpress.com/product/aesthetic-deviations/ and go to the Headpress website to for more fantastic books on cult film and media: https://headpress.com
51m • Nov 02, 2023
51m
42: Newton Talks #32 Namsploitation with Neil Jackson
In this episode, I talk to Neil Jackson, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Lincoln about his upcoming book, Combat Shocks: Exploitation Cinema and the Vietnam War (Bloomsbury, Forthcoming), which deals with exploitation films about the Vietnam war from the mid 1960s up until the late 1980s. We talk about the conventions and iconography of the cycle, as well as individual films such as Forc...
54m • Mar 16, 2023
54m
41: Newton Talks #31 Jackie Brown
On the 25th anniversary since Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown had its UK release (the US release was Christmas Day 1997), Dr Chris Deacy joins me to discuss the casting and performances, the soundtrack and use of music, and the tone and mood of the film.
40m • Feb 24, 2023
40m
40: Newton Talks #30 Director Lizzie Borden and Born in Flames
In this episode I am joined by filmmaker Lizzie Borden to talk about her renowned 1983 feminist sci-fi movie Born in Flames. We also talk about her follow up feature film, Working Girls (1986). Lizzie's latest book, Whorephobia: Strippers on Art, Work, and Life (2022), is now available from Seven Stories Press. You can order the book here: https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4430-whorephobia
43m • Feb 10, 2023
43m
39: Newton Talks #29 Horror Films for Children with Cat Lester
In this episode I talk to Dr Cat Lester about her book Horror Films for Children: Fear and Pleasure in American Cinema (Bloomsbury, 2021), which looks at horror movies aimed at young audiences, including Gremlins, Coraline, and Paranorman, among others.
44m • Oct 26, 2022
44m
38: Newton Talks #28 Filmmaker Interview: Raya Films
In this episode I am joined by the writer/director team of Caroline Spence and James Smith, who together make up Raya films. Their movies Do Something, Jake (2018), Cyberlante (2020), Agent Kelly (2020), and Surveilled (2021) are available now, and they are currently casting for their new project entitled Best Geezer. Go to their website for more information: https://rayafilms.com
56m • Jun 19, 2022
56m
37: Newton Talks #27 The Vigilante Thriller, with Dr Cary Edwards
In this episode, Dr Cary Edwards joins me to discuss his new book The Vigilante Thriller: Violence, Spectatorship, and Identification in American Cinema from 1970-1976 (Bloomsbury, 2022). We discuss films such as Death Wish, Joe, Dirty Harry, and Taxi Driver, among many others, and the cinematic and social context that created the revenge and vigilante motif in 70s film. 
56m • May 31, 2022
56m
36: Newton Talks #26 Best Films of the 2000s
In this follow up episode to my best of the 1990s podcast I work through the Newton Talks top twenty films of the years 2000-2009, and I am joined by Dr Jennifer Wallis and Dr Chris Deacy, who give me nominations for their favourite movie of the decade.
43m • Mar 17, 2022
43m
35: Newton Talks #25 Director Interview: Andrew Elias and Tales from the Great War
In the latest of my filmmaker interviews I talk to Andrew Elias, writer and director of the upcoming Tales from the Great War (2022), a horror movie set in World War One. We discuss the making of the film, the inspirations for the stories it contains, and how Andrew approaches working with actors and crew. You can see the trailer here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P39nh8IzF8
44m • Feb 02, 2022
44m
34: Newton Talks Cult Film Microcast #10 Showgirls
In the tenth episode of my Cult Film microcast, I examine Paul Verhoeven's notorious Showgirls (1995), which failed with both critics and audiences on release, but which has since become a noteworthy cult movie. 
6m • Jan 26, 2022
6m
33: Newton Talks #24 No Time To Die in-depth discussion with Lee Kenny
This episode is the second of two on the 25th EON produced James Bond film, No Time To Die. In this one, I am joined by New Zealand based journalist and Bond fan Lee Kenny. We discuss the plot and characterisation in detail, and also get into where the series can go next.
1hr 25m • Dec 02, 2021
1hr 25m
32: Newton Talks #23 No Time To Die reactions
In this first of two episodes on the 25th EON produced James Bond film, No Time To Die, I am joined by journalist Lee Kenny, Dr Chris Deacy, who is a Reader in Theology and Religious Studies, and media lecturer Will Hill, to talk through our initial reactions to the film. 
45m • Dec 02, 2021
45m
31: Newton Talks #22 Director Interview: Charlie Steeds and Making Low Budget Horror
In this episode Charlie Steeds, who has directed more than ten horror feature films since 2016, joins me to discuss his career and the challenges of low budget filmmaking.  Charlie's films include Escape from Cannibal Farm (2017), An English Haunting (2020), and Death Ranch (2020), which has recently been released on DVD and VOD. You can visit his production company website here: https://www.da...
1hr 3m • Nov 08, 2021
1hr 3m
30: Newton Talks #21 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Watergate, with author Martin Harris
In this episode author Martin Harris of the University of North Carolina, discusses his new book, Leatherface Vs Tricky Dick: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as Political Satire, which provides an in-depth commentary on the links between Tobe Hooper's film and the Watergate scandal involving Richard Nixon. You can buy the book here: Headpress, 2021 - https://headpress.com/product/leatherface-vs-tr...
52m • Oct 21, 2021
52m
29: Newton Talks #20 Author R.M. Francis and The Wrenna
I am joined in this twentieth episode of Newton Talks by Black Country author and lecturer R.M. Francis to discuss his new novella called The Wrenna, set on the Wren's Nest Estate in Dudley. We discuss the book's influences in both social realism and horror, its fractured structure, and its relationship to sex, violence, and the abject. We also talk about working class representation, culture, ...
49m • Aug 02, 2021
49m
28: Newton Talks #19 The Asylum in Cinema, with Dr Jennifer Wallis
In this episode, historian of medicine and psychiatry Dr Jennifer Wallis joins me to discuss the relationship between the Victorian asylum and cinema, particularly the representation of the asylum in the horror film. We discuss 70s Amicus productions, Session 9 (2001), the reality of asylum life, and how cinema was used as entertainment in the West Riding Asylum in the 1920s. Jennifer is author...
43m • Jun 24, 2021
43m
27: Newton Talks #18 No Budget Filmmaking in the Midlands, with director Tom Lee Rutter.
In this episode, my guest is Tom Lee Rutter, director of the western Day of the Stranger, the folk horror Bella in the Wych Elm, and the forthcoming 'almanac' The Pocket Film of Superstitions. We discuss no budget and guerrilla filmmaking, what it's like to make films in the Black Country and the Midlands, and Tom's own approach to making creative horror features. You can see some of Tom's work...
49m • Jun 09, 2021
49m
26: Newton Talks #17 Best Movies of the 1990s.
In this episode I rundown my favourite films of cinema's best decade, the 1990s. I am joined by Chris Deacy of the Nostalgia Interviews podcast, and Amanda Reyes of the Made for TV Mayhem podcast, who contribute their top picks from the decade alongside my own. 
37m • Apr 13, 2021
37m
25: Newton Talks Cult Film Microcast #9 Never Say Never Again
In this microcast, I look at the unofficial Bond movie, Never Say Never Again (Irvin Kershner), that came off second best at the box office against the EON produced Octopussy (John Glen), when they were both released in 1983. Despite it's generally low ranking reputation, I look at some of the elements I enjoy, including Bond's fashion, the shark scenes, and the witty and playful script by Lore...
8m • Mar 10, 2021
8m
24: Newton Talks #16 Blood in the Streets - Italian Crime Films of the 70s with Austin Fisher
Author Austin Fisher join me to talks about his book, Blood in the Streets, which looks at Italian crime films cycles of the 1970s, such as the police thriller, vigilante movies, mafia narratives, and the giallo, and how they responded to the violent political turmoil happening in Italian cities at the time. 
47m • Feb 16, 2021
47m
23: Newton Talks Cult Film Microcast #8 The Supergrass
This microcast analyses the Comic Strip Presents feature film, The Supergrass (1985), directed by Peter Richardson, and starring Ade Edmonson, Jennifer Saunders, Robbie Coltrane, Nigel Planer, Keith Allen, Alexei Sayle, Dawn French, and Richardson himself. 
6m • Feb 01, 2021
6m
22: Newton Talks #15 British Television Spy Series and Serials with Dr Joseph Oldham
In this episode Dr Joseph Oldham joins me to discuss British TV spy dramas such as Callan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Night Manager, and Spooks among others. Joseph is the author of Paranoid Visions: Spies, Conspiracies and the Secret State in British Television Drama, published by Manchester University Press.  
46m • Jan 03, 2021
46m
21: Newton Talks Cult Film Microcast #7 Repo Man
In this microcast, I talk about one of the definitive cult films of the 1980s, Alex Cox's debut feature, Repo Man (1984). As well as being a filmmaker, Cox was also presenter of the BBC series Moviedrome, which has an important place in the perception of cult cinema.
5m • Nov 23, 2020
5m
20: Newton Talks #14 Britain and The Video Rental Boom with Dr Johnny Walker
In this episode, Dr Johnny Walker joins me to talk about the video rental boom of the 1970s and 1980s in Britain, and how it impacted the film industry in terms of new market opportunities, influencing future filmmakers, and also its effect on Britain's working class and South Asian communities. 
53m • Oct 29, 2020
53m
19: Newton Talks #13 James Bond Radio Play Adaptations
In this episode, journalist and James Bond aficionado Lee Kenny joins me to discuss the BBC radio play adaptations of Ian Fleming's 007 novels. The first was broadcast in 2008, the most recent in 2020, and they all feature Toby Stephens as Bond, as well as other recurring cast. We talk about how they capture the overall strangeness of atmosphere present in Fleming's stories, and how they provid...
34m • Aug 12, 2020
34m
18: Newton Talks Cult Film Microcast #6 Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe Cycle
Between 1960 and 1964 cult director Roger Corman made eight horror films loosely adapted from poems and stories by Edgar Allan Poe. In this microcast, I present an overview of the cycle and a brief assessment of each movie. 
9m • Jul 26, 2020
9m
17: Newton Talks Cult Film Microcast #5 Deadbeat at Dawn
In this one I talk about Jim Van Bebber's no budget, underground street gang action movie, Deadbeat at Dawn (1988).
5m • Jun 24, 2020
5m
16: Newton Talks Cult Film Microcast #4 The Wicker Man
What more is there to say about Robin Hardy's folk horror masterpiece  The Wicker Man (1973)? Not too much. But nevertheless, in this short microcast, I share a few thoughts. 
6m • Jun 11, 2020
6m
15: Newton Talks #12: The American TV movie with Amanda Reyes
Television historian Amanda Reyes joins me to talk about the American TV movie of the 1960s-1990s, its relationship to cinematic genres, and how their narratives dealt with topical subjects often on meagre shooting schedules and budgets. Amanda's book on the subject, Are You in the House Alone, is published by Headpress, and her Made for TV Mayhem podcast is available here: https://tvmayhempodc...
57m • May 29, 2020
57m
14: Newton Talks Cult Film Microcast #3 The Harder They Come
In this episode of my microcast series I talk about Perry Henzell's The Harder They Come (1972), starring Jimmy Cliff. Possibly more famous for its soundtrack album, I consider Cliff's performance and the visual style employed by Henzell.
7m • Apr 21, 2020
7m
13: Newton Talks Cult Film Microcast #2 The Exterminator
In this short microcast I consider the much maligned vigilante movie The Exterminator (1980), directed by James Glickenhaus. 
6m • Mar 21, 2020
6m
12: Newton Talks Cult Film Microcast #1 The Warriors
In the first of a new series of microcasts I talk about Walter Hill's The Warriors (1979), and consider some of the reasons for its reputation and following among fans of cult cinema.
9m • Feb 17, 2020
9m
11: Newton Talks #11: Queer Spaces in the New York Grindhouse with Adam Herron
My guest in this episode is Adam Herron, a researcher studying a PhD entitled Queering the Porn Theatre: Sexual Spaces in New York City 1967-1980. His project looks at histories of grindhouse cinemas in New York, how they operated as gay social places, and how this was reflected in the pornography shown in 42nd Street porn theatres.
35m • Jan 27, 2020
35m
10: Newton Talks #10: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
In this episode I welcome back media lecturer Will Hill to discuss Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker (J.J. Abrams, 2019). We analyse the latest film, the sequel trilogy more generally, and the franchise as a whole. 
1hr 6m • Jan 08, 2020
1hr 6m
9: Newton Talks #9: The Best Films of 2019
In this latest episode I run down my favourite movies of the year, and also bring in some informed guests to tell me about the films they enjoyed most in 2019. 
34m • Dec 18, 2019
34m
8: Newton Talks #8: Director Interview: Trash Arts
In this episode I talk to filmmakers Sam Mason Bell and Jackson Batchelor, the creative directors of Trash Arts in Portsmouth. Trash Arts have collectively produced numerous features, shorts, and web series, including Lonely Hearts, Conspiracy X, Trash Arts Killers Vol. 1 and 2, and the forthcoming Millennial Killer, along with many others. We discuss their filmmaking ethos, how to make feature...
53m • Nov 13, 2019
53m
7: Newton Talks #7: Director Interview: Andrew Jones and micro-budget filmmaking
This episode features prolific Welsh horror and exploitation filmmaker Andrew Jones. Andrew, through his company North Bank Entertainment, has directed nearly thirty profitable movies, including The Curse of Halloween Jack, Robert the Doll, Werewolves of the Third Reich, Bundy and the Green River Killer, The Manson Family Massacre, and many more. I talk to him in this podcast about his career i...
57m • Oct 16, 2019
57m
6: Newton Talks #6: Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood
In this podcast I take an in-depth look at Quentin Tarantino's new movie Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood. I discuss my thoughts, and also bring in guests Lee Kenny, Chris Deacy, and Nigel Mather, to talk about their reactions to the film.
1hr • Aug 30, 2019
1hr
5: Newton Talks #5: Superhero films with Will Hill
Here, myself and Will Hill discuss superhero and comic book blockbusters, including Spiderman: Far From Home, Batman Vs Superman, MCU, X-Men, and DC. Will Hill is a Lecturer in Media and Communications at Canterbury Christ Church University, and is currently completing a Masters project on the comic book industry.
58m • Aug 14, 2019
58m
4: Newton Talks #4: Dieter Declercq - Satire and The Simpsons
Here, I talk with Dr Dieter Declercq, and discuss his research on satire, and how his interest in the topic began by watching The Simpsons whilst growing up in Belgium. We discuss satire's limitations and paradoxes, as well as the distinctions between satire and mockery. We also talk about Dieter's new research on satire and mental health.  Dieter is a Lecturer in Media and Film at the Universi...
42m • Jul 22, 2019
42m
3: Newton Talks #3: Lee Kenny and The West Midlands on Screen, and Shaft (2019)
In this episode I talk to journalist Lee Kenny about representations of the West Midlands on screen, including in Man Like Mobeen and Peaky Blinders. We also discuss the recent Netflix release, Shaft. And also move onto talking about the trajectory of 80s action franchises like The Terminator, Predator, and Die Hard. Lee Kenny is a journalist brought up in the Midlands, who currently works in N...
47m • Jul 16, 2019
47m
2: Newton Talks #2: Dr Chris Deacy - Religion and Film
In this episode I talk with Dr Chris Deacy, Reader in Theology and Religious Studies, about his research on religion and film - touching on cinema-going as a quasi-religious practice, redemption in film, and movies about Jesus such as Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Chris also discusses how films such as The Exorcist and Taxi Driver might tell us...
56m • May 08, 2019
56m
1: Newton Talks #1: Dr Nigel Mather and British Comedy Drama
In this episode I chat to Dr Nigel Mather about his upcoming book on British comedy drama since the turn of the century, and also discuss Stephen Merchant's new film, Fighting with My Family (2019).
1hr 1m • Apr 17, 2019
1hr 1m

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