Nerdfest

The wonderful Ian McLaughlin is back with us this week, so of course he has us all doing all sorts of impressions and accent attempts, and generally taking the show off the rails. We do though manage to get some new recommendations out for you. Ian enthuses about paus.tv - a new streaming service that aims to support new filmmakers. Ian’s recommendation is to watch “Paul is dead”, a short film inspired by the conspiracy theory of Paul McCartney being replaced by a lookalike. Hazel reviews “Severance”, Apple TV’s offbeat thriller series about a man who takes drastic steps to forget about his job. Peter has been watching “Peacemaker”, James Gunn’s spin off series with the character from The Suicide Squad. And, as it’s now available for digital download, Jon takes us on a rollercoaster of a review with “Spider-Man No Way Home.” This way spoilers be…

It's "Women's History Month", so our nerds discuss some of the wonderful women that have inspired us so much in film. We also have another round of Buff or Bluffs, in which Jon loses control over some implausible Game Controllers, Hazel admires some groundbreaking female comedians, Peter takes the Mr. Men on a European tour , and Andy gets wood about some trees.

We travel back to the 90s for this recommendations episode, as Peter reviews the new miniseries “Pam and Tommy”. We discuss the greater implications of the show, before veering back to low brow by chatting about *that* talking penis scene. Dan ups the cultural ante with his glorious review of “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, whilst Hazel takes a trip to Belfast for Kenneth Branagh’s semi autobiographical (and wonderful) drama. Finally Jon puts us through another Chronology lesson, as he sat through the latest attempt to revive the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. Then it’s our favourite time of the year - Hazel’s needlessly complicated Oscars sweepstake! And this year’s draw has an added twist…

Love is on the podcast feed in the latest instalment of Nerdfest, as Dan has prepared a nerdy Valentine’s Day themed quiz to test Jon, Kerris and Peter. How many nerdy Valentine’s will you guess? ‘Buff or Bluff’ is also back: Kerris has some facts about Groundhog Day, Dan wants to talk about Bruno with Encanto-inspired Disney song trivia, Kerris has some facts about Groundhog Day, Jon and Peter take us from Siegfried and Roy to Die Hard, and Kerris has some facts about Groundhog Day!

Our nerds excitedly preview the movies we’re looking forward to in 2022. It’s safe to say the one we’re most anticipating is MOOOOONFAAALLLL. There’s no doubt in our minds that this will be the greatest action movie ever made. What greater jeopardy is there than the moon falling on your head? (We also preview some less-important films.) But that’s not all, as we also have our recommendations for the latest and greatest things you can watch right now. Ian Mac explores the life of stand up comedian Lenny Bruce in “Lenny.” (We know it’s not new, but it’s so worth a watch if you haven’t seen it). Then Louise semi-enthusiastically reviews Sex and the City reboot “And Just Like That.” Peter ventures into the wilderness with new drama “Yellowjackets”. And Jon experiences the supernatural in Netflix’s mini series “Midnight Mass”. Finally Hazel discusses one of the most interesting TV series she’s ever seen: "Landscapers" with Olivia Colman and David Thewlis. MOOOOONNNNNFAAAALLLL (Please don’t be crap)

A slightly belated, but huge milestone Nerdfest episode! Due to circumstances beyond our control, we couldn’t properly celebrate recording 100 episodes together until now - in episode 101. But boy do we make up for it. Hazel has concocted a feature that ensures we reflect fondly on some of our favourite recording moments, including how many times Jon has had to apologise for something he’s said. And Dan has come up with a top 100 quiz - which…well, let’s just say it’s not what you might be expecting. And since it is technically episode 101, we join with Andy and Peter to create the Nerdfest Room 101. Each nerd chooses an aspect of the filmmaking process that they find irksome, and encourage their fellow nerds to send it into the abyss. Have we made the movie world a better place? Let us know! What a joy it has been to reach this point. We love recording together, and hope you have a great time listening to us. Thank you for all your support.

We feel "Pretty, oh so pretty"… and not just because Ian Mac and Kerris are back with us for an episode full of recommendations! Peter and Dan have been filling up on the best new shows on Disney+, with 'Dopesick' and 'The Beatles: Get Back'. Kerris scares herself with the latest 'American Horror Story', and Jon scares us all with a trademark non-recommendation of 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage'. Then Ian dance-fights his way through “America!” for Steven Spielberg’s musical masterpiece 'West Side Story' (don’t start a rumble with us, but we really enjoyed it.) Finally, all our nerds reveal their favourite movie of 2021- we’d love to hear yours on Twitter @nerdfestuk. Now, to paraphrase John Lennon, “We’d like to thank you on behalf of the podcast, and we hope we’ve passed the audition…"

Things get festive at Nerdfest HQ, as Louise returns with tidings of comfort and joy … and the Netflix Christmas Cinematic Universe- It’s a thing! Our ‘Film Buff or Film Bluff’ quiz includes eclectic puzzlers about horror villains, Les Miserables, whether Gromit and K-9 are related, and Wilson ‘Kingpin’ Fisk (for no reason, no reason at all). All that, and we tackle a listener question about the best fourth film in a series. Settle down with some mince pies and a selection box, travel with us to a non-specific fictional European country, and enjoy!

Its a bumper recommendations special this episode, as we talk about legacy sequel "Ghostbusters AfterlIfe", Apple's Tom-Hanks-with-a-robot movie "Finch", magical dark nostalgia treat "Last Night In Soho", the new TV incarnation of "Chucky" and the "Hawkeye" comics which the new Disney+ series draws heavily from. And Jon takes it upon himself to personally rate Tom Hanks' career. Sorry, Tom.

Is anything real? Should we accept this reality? These are the questions on Hazel’s mind as she faces up to her umpteenth Shameful Gap: The Truman Show. Before that, there’s more reality twisting in our Buff or Bluff quiz. Andy gets creative by dreaming up a plot for a Mubi-worthy movie, whilst Kerris gets her teeth into some trivia about ‘The Lost Boys’. Peter offers 3 creepy and kooky facts about ‘The Addams Family’, and Hazel celebrates the return of live improv by inventing an improvised scene. And finally, Jon stays on brand by coming up with some monstrous facts about Frankenstein-related movies.

Spooky greetings! Join the Nerdfest gang as we celebrate Halloween with our unique bag of tricks and treats. Have you played 'Squid Game' yet? Peter has, and lives to tell the tale with his review of the Netflix sleeper hit. Hazel navigates the desert to bring you her review of sci fantasy epic 'Dune'. It’s not what she was expecting at all… Andy enthuses about one of the highlights of the BFI film festival, with a review of Celine Sciamma’s beautiful new drama, 'Petite Maman' And finally Jon bucks the recommendations format, yet again, by describing his issues with the latest in the Halloween franchise, 'Halloween Kills.' But not before an impressive rundown of where each Halloween movie since 1978 falls in the timeline. Honestly, it’s worth listening to the episode just for that….

Kerris returns to the podcast to tell us all about her membership of a most excellent Keanu Reeves movie club, and jumps her shameful gap in his back catalogue. We play Film Buff or Film Bluff, fighting over the "Tekken" series, some films you won’t believe exist and the Muppets (You’ll never look at Big Bird the same way again!) And finally, Dan has a quiz about movie teenagers and the much older actors who played them! We hope you enjoy our latest episode - just make sure not to exceed 55mph while you’re listening…

Join Jon, Ian, Dan and Peter this week as the nerds discuss the return of Russell T Davies to 'Doctor Who', and delve into some great new recommendations. Peter levels up with Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer when we talk about ‘Free Guy’, now streaming on Disney+. Dan goes to stay at the ‘White Lotus’, while Ian compares classic comic ‘Y: The Last Man’ to its new TV adaptation. And Jon? Well, Jon goes nuts and has a ball as he explores the latest Nic Cage opus, ‘Prisoners of the Ghostland’, (a.k.a “the one where his testicle explodes”) There’s something for everyone on this episode of Nerdfest!

After discussing the contents of some exciting trailers for new movie releases, we get down to business with our Film Buff or Film Bluff quiz. This week we discuss cinematic firsts, and the original titles of movies that have been renamed. Plus Jon causes a stir with his blend of ‘animal magic’ facts. Andy has some unusual methods of creating sound FX for us, and Ian has what can be best described as a “random facts explosion” including how a Mandarin dictionary inspired a “Choose your own adventure” series (or did it?), and we learn all about what an “Iron Chef” really is. (Not a robot, apparently) That’s not all - we also have Round 2 of “Answer Smash” where our nerds have to smash two movie answers together from Hazel’s cryptic clues.

After a small hiatus for a nerd wedding, we are back with aplomb! And we have an entire feast of TV and film recommendations for you. Ian Mac drums home the merits of “Count me In”, a new Netflix documentary featuring rock n roll’s greatest ever drummers. Kerris takes a sip of “Brand New Cherry Flavor”, a mind bending limited series set in early 90s Hollywood. Peter ponders the question, “What If?” And purely coincidentally, he reviews Marvel’s latest TV offering of the same name. Andy enthuses about the Ray Harryhausen exhibition he and Hazel visited on their honeymoon. Which leads the nerds down an animated memory lane of one of the industry’s most influential creators. And Hazel heads back to the Cold War to review “The Courier”, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch’s salesman turned MI6 spy. But that’s not all! Andy has a brilliant cryptic film quiz that gets all the nerds thinking outside of the box. Enjoy!

We welcome Ian and Kerris back on the pod for an episode overflowing with quizziness. The nerds test each other with Buff or Bluffs about "On-Set Pranks", "Movie World Records", "Horror Icons", "Sony Tech" and a quite astonishing alternative take on the X-Men, and Dan has a bonus quiz about some of the strangest ever ‘notes from the studio’. If that wasn’t enough, Ian’s been watching great documentaries on pioneering hip hop improvisers "Freestyle Love Supreme" and the darker side of child stardom. All of that in just one episode, we hope you enjoy it (just don’t Google for Vin Diesel movies!)

We got in a bit of trouble from Mary Whitehouse’s ghost after last week’s episode, so this week we have a completely clean show that’s not rude at all* In fact, Jon takes things so far as to review the film “Censor” which is all about how we can best oppose modernism, and build more vernacular architecture. It’s DEFINITELY not about 1980s video nasties. In other recommendations, Dan presents genre bending, time twisting, alternative history novel “The Kingdoms”. and sings the praises of documentary “1971: The Year that Music Changed Everything”. Peter treads a very fine line by explaining “Why Women Kill”, the second season of which is coming soon to Alibi. Andy generously gets “Another Round” in, a brilliant Oscar winning Danish drama made by Thomas Vinterburg and starring Mads Mikkelsen. And Hazel reviews the action-packed “Black Widow”, Marvel’s first cinematic release in two years. *not actually true, I mean not even close!

Dan returns to join Jon, Andy and Peter as our nerds test each other's knowledge in an all-quiz special. Inspired by Marvel's "Loki", Dan's got some stories about what our favourite Variant got up to as a Norse god. Can you tell the myths from the mythstakes? And Peter goes all TVA too, with a timey-wimey quiz about memory in movies. And, of course, Film Buff or Film Bluff returns with facts covering everything from Crispin Glover's song about a 'Clowny clown clown' to Mary Whitehouse's attempts to ban all filth from the airwaves. Good thing she never heard our Podcast - we wouldn't stand a chance!"

It’s a bumper round of reviews and recommendations this week. First up, we find out why Kerris cant stop hatewatching the horror detective series “Slasher”, which borrows more than its plot from Se7en. Then Andy intrigues us all with his review of Icelandic volcano drama “Katla”, and tries to invent a new catchphrase at the same time. Hazel whispers her affection for “A Quiet Place Part 2” whilst Jon delves into a bit of quarantine art with Bo Burnham’s Netflix special “Inside”. And finally Peter brings on the zombie apocalypse with his review of The Asylum’s “Black Summer.” There’s all that and more - you can also play along to Andy’s movie quotes quiz and let us know how much better you did than our nerds. And, settle a debate for us: "is that not what heroes do…?"

It’s twice the movie quizzes, twice the smut in this episode, and it’s no coincidence that it sees the very welcome return of our beloved Ian McLaughlin. Ian has been away for some time looking after his "daughter" Treacle, who is…well, you’ll find out… As penance for his lengthy absence, Ian has a movie factoid quiz for us at the beginning of the show. If you ever wanted to know how many balloons you’d need to lift your own house, you need wonder no more. Then it’s time for our regular round of Buff or Bluff. This week, Andy’s topic is oversized monster movies, Peter reveals some interesting film casting choices, and Hazel has facts about two of Hollywood’s most revered names: Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. Plus Jon has some utterly outlandish stories of how certain films obtained their funding, involving the Catholic Church and the Mafia. And Ian rounds things off with a medley of movie tidbits.