Writers on Film

DANIEL KRAUS is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film. His latest novel, Angel Down, was a New York Times Top 10 Book of 2025. His novel Whalefall won the Alex Award, was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist, and was named a Best Book of 2023 by NPR, The New York Times, Amazon, Chicago Tribune, and more. With Guillermo del Toro, he cowrote The Shape of Water, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film. Buy Here Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“Most dyed-in-the-wool film buffs nurture their own private lists of movie directors they feel have been underappreciated, neglected, and/or underrated,” Joe Dante writes in this book’s Foreword. “But very few of us are moved to write an entire book about them.” Beyond mere appreciation, however, author Daniel Kremer presents a philosophy and a guiding principle for venerating the undervalued or forgotten. Buy the book here. Buy John Bleasdale's Connery here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The World of Black Film is an entertaining, informed, and thought-provoking survey of important and influential Black films from around the globe. Available here. The recommended book is African Cinema: Politics & Culture by Manthia Diawara. Meanwhile my novel Connery is available here.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As a film critic and disabled person, Kristen Lopez speaks with particular authority on how disability is represented-and too often misrepresented-in movies. Popcorn Disabilities is her impassioned but nonetheless fun and engaging survey of how Hollywood has dealt with disability over the last century. Buy Kristen's book Here. Connery: a Novel by John Bleasdale is available here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Featuring nearly 400 original interviews with close friends, family members, and colleagues, The Life of Singleton is the definitive account of prolific filmmaker John Singleton’s life and times. Get it here. Also Connery: a Novel by John Bleasdale is available here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For over 50 years, Martin Scorsese has been one of cinema’s most celebrated directors. From a Catholic kid in Manhattan to a legendary filmmaker, he’s shaped Hollywood with masterpieces such as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and The Irishman. But what makes a Scorsese film unique? His stories explore power, morality, and human nature, blending raw emotion with intellectual depth. Whether reinventing noir, musicals or crime dramas, his work captures the pulse of America and the Italian-American experience. This book dives into all 26 of his films, breaking down his signature themes, iconic collaborations with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, and his place in film history. A true movie fanatic and preservationist, Scorsese continues to push boundaries – proving that cinema isn’t just entertainment, it’s an art form. Buy Ian's book Here. My new novel CONNERY is also available for pre-order HERE. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ever since the dawn of the sound era, Hollywood and friends have made a series of elaborate feature films about the lives of the great artists: the cast of colorful characters includes Fredric March as Cellini, Charles Laughton as Rembrandt, George Sanders as Gauguin, José Ferrer as Toulouse-Lautrec, Kirk Douglas as Van Gogh, Charlton Heston as Michelangelo, Mel Ferrer as El Greco—and, more recently, Jeffrey Wright as Jean-Michel Basquiat Derek Jacobi as Francis Bacon, Ed Harris as Jackson Pollock, Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo, and many others. The book can be bought here. John Bleasdale's novel CONNERY can be pre-ordered HERE. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Icons of Cinema: Greta Gerwig explores the career of one of the world's most celebrated movie directors and is available here. john Bleasdale's novel Connery is available for pre-order here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here are links to the books we talk about Hurricane Billy: https://www.amazon.com/Hurricane-Billy-Stormy-William-Friedkin/dp/B0G13YSCVB/ref=sr_1_1?s=books Mosby Confidential: https://www.amazon.com/Moseby-Confidential-Arthur-Penns-Neo-Noir/dp/0986377082/ref=sr_1_1?s=books William Friedkin (Thomas Clagett): https://www.amazon.com/William-Friedkin-Aberration-Obsession-Reality-ebook/dp/B0F2S9WMVH/ref=sr_1_3?s=books Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Reflecting on Nicolas Roeg’s seminal film, Justin John Doherty's new book DON’T LOOK NOW AND THEN features hundreds of previously unpublished photographs and documents, offering a fresh glimpse into the making of a masterpiece. The ultimate love letter to “Don’t Look Now”, with contributions from those who made it and those who it changed forever. Buy your copy here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tom Shone author of The Greengrass Papers talks about his best films of 2025 and biggest disappointment as well as his unique insight into the new Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg films which await us in 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I talk about 2025. The books, the films, the festivals and the guests. I talk about writing Darkness Visible The Cinema of Jonathan Glazer and look forward to the publication of Connery the Novel as well as the writing of Connery the Biography. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I speak to Michelle E. Moore who along with Brian Brems has edited the first  collected volume of work on cult film director and icon John Waters, which offers a comprehensive study of his work as an important filmmaker and cultural force. Includes chapters covering important themes in Waters’s work, stylistic tendencies, his relationship to the art world, and interviews reflecting on the impact of Waters’s films on his collaborators and audience. Also features a new retrospective interview with Waters in which he reflects on his career and films. The book is available here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How are David Lynch's films as much in dialogue with literary and musical traditions as they are cinematic ones? By interrogating this question, David Lynch's American Dreamscape broadens the interpretive horizons of Lynch's filmography, calling for a new approach to Lynch's films that goes beyond cinema and visual art to explore how Lynch's work engages with literary and musical works that have shaped the American imagination. As much as Lynch stands as a singular artistic voice, his work arises from and taps into the cultural zeitgeist in a way that illuminates not only his approach to creativity but also the way works interact with each other in an age of mass media. From children's literature to teen tragedy ballads, Nathanael West and Cormac McCarthy to folk music and mixtapes, David Lynch's American Dreamscape investigates the cultural frequencies Lynch's films tune into and positions Lynch's work as a conduit for American popular culture, a medium or channel through which the subconscious of American life finds its way into full view. The book expands upon this approach by discussing how artists such as David Foster Wallace and Lana Del Rey graft Lynch's affiliative, cinematic sensibility onto their own projects. Reading their work as intertextual engagements with Lynch's films further illustrates the versatile interactions among creators and audiences to generate more works, readers, and readings. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joseph McBride has been a veteran critic, a teacher, the screenwriter of (among others) Rock n Roll High School. He's acted for Orson Welles and campaigned for John F Kennedy. A fearsome intellect and a great film scholar, this is a mammoth episode for a legendary man. His new memoir/interview book with Danny Peary I Loved Movies But... is available here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

YouTuber Thomas Flight has amassed over 1 Million subscribers to his YouTube Channel and offers in depth visual essays on everything cinematic. He is also a documentary filmmaker and writes for many publications including his own Substack Seeing Through Film is available here. His YouTube channel is here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The western in all its forms is the subject of Jem Duducu's new fascinating book. Even while the frontiers of the Wild West were being fought over, its myth was being forged. Sometimes this was in the form of incredibly popular pulp novels, on others the likes of the hugely successful Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show that even toured Europe and delighted monarchs. By the turn of the 20th Century, just as the era was being consigned to history, motion pictures began telling these stories in a new medium. Some of the early films were supervised by the very legends of the old west the movie was about. The era of the western was born. Some of the most important films of the 20th century were westerns. Many of Hollywood’s brightest stars regularly played cowboys and for decades, the simple western was a guaranteed way to make money and fill a movie theatre. Like every art form, over the years the western evolved. At times it was as wholesome as apple pie. There were times when it redefined cinema in terms of scope and storytelling. In other decades it created great anxiety about levels of violence and moral nihilism. The genre has been used to entertain, reveal the plight of indigenous peoples, explore racism, sexism and even homophobia. There have been westerns that have been analogies for the perils of McCarthyism. A few have been heaped with awards and critical acclaim, others were reviled by critics (and sometimes even their own studio) only to go on and be massive box office successes. Lines, images and scores from westerns have seeped into pop culture. Today the western no longer dominates cinemas as it once did but they are still hugely popular. Once again they have evolved with the times, becoming hit video games or massively popular shows on TV or streaming services. Buy here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Top author and friend of the podcast Tom Shone returns to talk about his new book The Greengrass Papers which gets up close and personal with one of the most influential film directors of our time Paul Greengrass. From The Murder of Stephen Lawrence through the Bourne films and Captain Phillips to his latest The Last Bus, we go through it all. The book is available here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Arthur Penn's neo-noir thriller Night Moves, starring the late Gene Hackman, Alan Sharp's novel based on his original screenplay – out of print since its first publication in 1975 – is presented here in a stunning new paperback edition, with exclusive cover art by the legendary Tony Stella, an introduction by Matthew Asprey Gear (author of Moseby Confidential) and an afterword by David Manderson (author of The Anti-hero's Journey: the Work and Life of Alan Sharp). Out of print for 50 years, this special edition is strictly limited to 1,000 copies, and exclusively available from Plumeria here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Another chance to hear the episode on the Kraszna- Krausz Moving Image Book Award Winning Screen Deep by Ellen E Jones. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.