films

TMHE – Episode #38: 28 Days Later (2002 film)

Mark Hastings films, Podcast , , , , , , , , ,
In this episode Mark talks about one of his favourite films: the 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror drama film “28 Days Later’ directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. The film stars Cillian Murphy as Jim, who wakes up in hospital after being in a coma for a month following an accident – who discovers that society has broken down following the accidental release of a highly contagious virus. The plot of the film revolves around Jim struggling to survive along with other uninfected survivors and evade those infected with the “Rage” virus – which instantly turns people into violent, mindless, zombie-like killing-machines. The film also stars Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns and Brendan Gleeson.

TMHE – Episode #36: “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006 film)

Mark Hastings films, Podcast , , , , , , , , ,
In this episode Mark talks about one of his favourite films: the 2006 dark fantasy film “Pan’s Labyrinth” written, directed, and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. Set during the summer of 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War, the story of the film centres upon a 10 year-old girl called Ofelia (played by Ivana Baquero) who encounters a faun (played by Doug Jones) within an abandoned stone labyrinth and discovers that she is the reincarnated princess of a mythical world. However, to prove that she really is who she believed to be, the faun sets Ofelia three tests for her to complete – but Ofelia also has to contend with her psychopathic stepfather Captain Vidal (played by Sergi López) and she also has to attend to her pregnant mother Carmen (played by Ariadna Gil). The film also stars Maribel Verdú ad Mercedes, Vidal’s housekeeper and a secret member of the Spanish Marquis.

Episode #34: “Beetlejuice” (1988 film)

Mark Hastings films, Podcast , , , , , , , , , , ,
In this episode Mark talks about one of his favourite films: the 1988 American fantasy comedy film “Beetlejuice”, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as Adam and Barbara Maitland, a recently deceased couple who become ghosts that haunt their former home, who attempt to scare away the new residents of their house, the Deetz family – consisting of Charles, Delia, and Lydia (played by Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O’Hara, and Winona Ryder). But when the Maitland’s seek some assistance in scaring away the Deetzes they ask for help from an obnoxious and devious poltergeist named Betelgeuse/Beetlejuice (played by Michael Keaton), but unfortunately turns out to be more than both families can cope with.

Episode #33: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (2013 film)

Mark Hastings books, films , , , , , , , ,
In this episode Mark talks about one of his favourite films: the 2013 American adventure comedy-drama film “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” directed, co-produced by, and starring Ben Stiller. The second film adaptation of James Thurber’s 1939 short story of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, the story revolves around Walter Mitty, a negative assets manager at Life magazine who regularly daydreams adventures and who has a crush on a coworker named Cheryl Melhoff (played by Kristen Wiig), who gets sets off on a real life adventure around the world, walking in the footsteps of legendary photojournalist Sean O’Connell (played by Sean Penn) and in search his negative #25 which he describes as being the “quintessence of Life” and the most perfect photograph for the final issue of the print version of Life magazine.

Episode #31: “Free Guy” (2021 film)

Mark Hastings films, Podcast , , , , , , , ,
In this episode Mark talks about the 2021 American science fiction action comedy film “Free Guy” directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as a bank teller, named Guy, who discovers that he is actually a non-player character in a open-world video game and becomes the hero of the story. The film also stars Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Taika Waititi.

Episode #30: “The Mark The Poet Experience” – Recent Poetry

Mark Hastings films, Podcast, Poetry , , , , , , , , , ,
In this episode Mark recites four of the most recent poems that he has written and he talks about what inspired him to write them, including his poem “Forté”, “The Best of Us”, “The Mark of New York”, and “Back to the Theatre”. You can read more of Mark’s poetry on his website @ http://MarkThePoet.Me

Episode #29: “Constantine” (2005 film)

Mark Hastings books, films, Podcast , , , , , , , , , , , ,
In this episode Mark talks about one of his favourite films: the 2005 American superhero horror film “Constantine” directed by Francis Lawrence. Based on the DC Comics’ ‘Hellblazer’ comic book, the film stars Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, a cynical exorcist with the ability to perceive and communicate with half-angels and half-demons in their true form, who finds himself being drawn into the investigation of the death of a Los Angeles Police detective’s sister and while doing so uncovers a conspiracy to unleash hell on Earth. The films also stars Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, Gavin Rossdale, and Peter Stormare.

Episode #28: “Brightburn” (2019 film)

Mark Hastings films, Podcast , , , , , , , , ,
In this episode Mark talks about one of his favourite films: the 2019 American superhero horror film “Brightburn” directed by David Yarovesky, written by Mark Gunn and Brian Gunn, and produced by Jamed Gunn and Kenneth Huang. The film stars Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones and Meredith Hagner, and the plot follows Brandon Breyer, a young boy of extraterrestrial origin who grows up on Earth but comes to realize that he has superpowers.

My Poem “Back to the Theatre”

Mark Hastings films, Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , 
Finally, I am back in the seat
of a cinema, sitting in the dim light,
and waiting patiently for the room
to go dark and the film that I am
here to see to start.

It's been a long time since
I was able to embrace my cinephile side
and get back to where I always looked
forward to returning to every so often...
it's been a long time since
anybody who loves the magic
and the experience of seeing a film
on the biggest screen there is
has been able to go to the movies,
to perhaps get some popcorn and a cold drink,
sit in a comfortable seat,
and switch off from the world
at the same time that they are
transported away to a place of
fiction and fantasy,
and embrace the gift and the opportunity
of pure, unadulterated, escapism.

I am a dreamer, I am an artist,
and I am also someone
who loves enjoying the labor
of other people's imagination and creativity...
since I was a child, I have always been
someone who loves going to the cinema -
because I have always understood
the language and the power
of visual and audiotory storytelling,
and the way that subtleties
in colour and sound can feed the mind,
as well as revitalize and influence
the thoughts, the feelings, and the emotions
of people young and old far into the future.

I don't see every film at the cinema,
but when I see the trailer for an
upcoming film that immediately
grabs my attention,
I try to make the time,
when the film is finally released,
to see it in a place where I can
make the most of every moment
of movie making poetry -
which is why I am so happy,
which is why I am so energized,
and which is why I am so in awe
to once again be back enjoying a movie
projected upon the screen of a theatre.

Episode #27: “The Many Saints of Newark” (2021 film) *Spoilers*

Mark Hastings films, Podcast, TV , , , , , , , , , , ,
In this episode Mark talks about the 2021 American crime film “The Many Saints of Newark” directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner. A prequel to David Chase’s HBO crime drama TV series “The Sopranos”, the film stars Michael Gandolfini, Alessandro Nivola, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Michela De Rossi, John Magaro, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga. Set in the 1960s and 1970s in Newark, New Jersey, using the 1967 riots in the city as a backdrop for tensions between the Italian-American and African-American communities, the film follows the teenage years of Tony Soprano in the midst of a violent gang war his uncle and family are involved in.