Cinepunked

The second of two CinePunked Christmas specials for 2021 sees the team revisit a childhood of cartoons and toys via the spectacle of 1980s favourite The Transformers: The Movie (1986).

It's the CinePunked annual Christmas special - and for 2021 the gang delve into the Richard Donner-directed adaptation of A Christmas Carol - Scrooged, starring Bill Murray

On July 21 2021 actor Robin Williams would have turned 70. To mark the occasion, CinePunked take a look at one of his more unusual roles - that of Sy the photo guy in One Hour Photo (2002).

CinePunked mark the 86th birthday of Elvis Presley with a discussion of his screen career, iconic status, and arguably his most acclaimed film - King Creole (1958).

CinePunked mark the holiday season with an appraisal of one of the most iconic family film franchises of the 1990s - Home Alone. Is Kevin McCallister the luckiest or unluckiest boy in the world? What is the bond between mother and son? And where does one draw the line with slapstick? All this and more as we explore Home Alone 2: Lost In New York. © 2020 CinePunked Ltd.

Exploring the groundbreaking 1992 BBCtv drama mockumentary Ghostwatch. With Robert JE Simpson, Ben Simpson and David L Rattigan.

Who is to say what we should and shouldn't read? Should we ban books? Which books would you like to eradicate? Inspired by Ray Bradbury's novel and the François Truffaut film adaptation of Fahrenheit 451, CinePunked explores issues of censorship on screen and in literature. With Robert JE Simpson, Dr Rachael Kelly, Neil Sedgewick and Steven Rainey.

Todd Phillips' 2019 film Joker is a comic book superhero film without a superhero. A dark portrayal of mental illness that divided critics. CinePunked's Robert, Rachael and Ben explore its dark recesses, the evolution of the Joker in the Batman films, issues of gatekeeping, and other problems.

CinePunked presents a special live recording of the touring show A Comedy of Madness - an exploration of comedy, and mental illness, with an emphasis on male mental health. Devised and presented by acclaimed comedy historian Robert Ross and film historian Robert JE Simpson with special guest, comedian and actor Tony Slattery. The heritage of comedy is a troubled one - littered with the shells of those whose genius is inextricably linked with mental health struggles. From Spike Milligan to Marty Feldman, Tony Hancock to Stephen Fry, Kenneth Williams to Robin Williams, their comedy pushed boundaries while they struggled in their private life. From sectioning to suicide, debasement to depression, this show explores the genius and instability of some of our comedy legends. Of changing attitudes to mental health language and treatment and the challenges of owning conditions of the mind in the public gaze.

Comedian and actor Tony Slattery rose to fame in the 1980s as a star of the comedy improv scene, and part of the phenomenally successful Whose Line Is It Anyway on Channel 4. With appearances on the big and small screen including Just A Gigolo, Kingdom, The Crying Game, How to Get Ahead in Advertising and Peter's Friends, Slattery was ubiquitous. In the early 2000s Slattery had a very public mental breakdown, which has threatened to overshadow him since. In this exclusive interview, Tony Slattery is in conversation with Robert JE Simpson, exploring his career and his mental health experiences. Recorded in front of a live audience.

CinePunked have just walked out of the cinema in 1967 after watching Casino Royale and have woken up in 1997 and watched Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery... Thirty years may have passed between films, but what else? Robert, Rachael and Ben explore the sexual and cultural representations of Austin Powers and its links to Casino Royale.

Not all James Bond films are equal - CinePunked explores the psychedelic cinema of the original Casino Royale from 1967 and its lasting influence on popular culture.

CinePunked celebrates Easter with Monty Python's Life of Brian - exploring the controversial film, its connections to the historical epic, and what it means to be Pythonesque.

CinePunked delve into the origins of 'gaslighting' via Patrick Hamilton's play and subsequent film adaptations, and its modern day useage in politics and domestic abuse situations. Recorded in front of a live audience.

CinePunked explores the 1947 Orson Welles noir The Lady From Shanghai, the screen image of Rita Hayworth and the mythology of Welles.

Marking the centenary of Charlie Chaplin's first directorial feature film, the CinePunked squad discuss the production of The Kid, and the joys of silent cinema.

Robert, Rachael and Ben take a cinematic trip to 1990s San Francisco, a world of coffee houses and poets - it can only be the Mike Myers classic So I Married an Axe Murderer!

Join Robert JE Simpson, Dr Rachael Kelly, Dr Aaron Hunter and Conor Smyth for a discussion on cult classic Harold and Maude - the genius of Hal Ashby, representations of May to December romances, and the counter-cultural clashes with the film. Recorded in front of a live audience!

Comedy historian Robert Ross joins CinePunked's Robert JE Simpson backstage at the Slapstick Festival, Bristol, for a personal reminiscence about writer, actor, director and member of Monty Python - Terry Jones, following his death in January 2020.

The CinePunked crew get obsessive over Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Vertigo... Robert, Rachael and Ben debate its merits as the best film ever made (according to the BFI), and the chilling appeal of San Francisco. © 2020 Avalard / CinePunked