ROGUE COMMENTARY Rogue Commentary

Hello! Welcome to another edition of the exclusive
audio commentary podcast hosted by David Hughes. 

For this episode, I’m delighted to be joined by director Alberto Corredor for a peek under the hood of his terrific 2023 horror movie BAGHEAD.

When I first saw the film, reviewing it for Time Out, it had a very late embargo, which normally means you can expect the worst. But even though I didn’t go in with low expectations – because I like to give every film a fair shot – I was still mightily impressed, not only by Freya Allen’s terrifically spiky performance, but also by the way Corredor understood what audiences wanted, and was determined to give it to them, without ever condescending to them with a knowing wink.

Now that I’ve seen the 2017 short on which Baghead was based, I’m also impressed by how far the screenwriters went to build on not only the idea at the heart of the short, but also deeper themes of grief, inherited trauma and determinism.

Massive thanks are due to Alberto for jumping on board, but also to Studio Canal, especially Mubanga Mweemba, for connecting us.

Comments? Feedback? Suggestions? Email David *at * Rogue-Commentary *dot* com or send us a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tweet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We have lots of exciting episodes in the works, so if you like what you hear – or just the idea – please subscribe, and remember to rate us wherever you hear this podcast – it'll really help us to keep going. Oh, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to stay up-to-date on our forthcoming releases.

Thanks for listening!

A ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Synchronicity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production, conceived and presented by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠David Hughes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Produced by Sam Ibrahim. Music by Olli Oja.

All content © 2024 Synchronicity II Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hello! Welcome to another edition of the exclusive audio commentary podcast hosted by me, David Hughes. 

For this episode, I’m thrilled to welcome Jen Johans, award-winning writer, film critics, essayist and historian, and host of the excellent Watch With Jen podcast. Now, that has really good guests, but Jen must be short for
Jenerous because she always gives her guests more of the floor than she uses herself, so I thought it’d be perfect to invite her to record a solo commentary, and choose any film she wanted, and I’m super excited she chose Norman Jewison's timeless 1987 romantic comedy-drama Moonstruck, starring Cher and Olympia Dukakis – both of whom won Oscars for their performances – Nicolas Cage and Danny Aiello, from an Oscar-winning original screenplay by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley.

I’m a huge fan of Moonstruck, and I’m really excited to bring you this exclusive audio commentary, which I’m sure you’re going to love. Even though, as we all know, "love don’t make things nice. It ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess.”

Comments? Feedback? Suggestions? Email David *at * Rogue-Commentary *dot* com or send us a ⁠⁠⁠⁠tweet⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We have lots of exciting episodes in the works, so if you like what you hear – or just the idea – please subscribe, and remember to rate us wherever you hear this podcast – it'll really help us to keep going. Oh, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ to stay up-to-date on our forthcoming releases.

Thanks for listening!

A ⁠⁠⁠⁠Synchronicity⁠⁠⁠⁠ production, conceived and presented by ⁠⁠⁠⁠David Hughes⁠⁠⁠⁠. Produced by Sam Ibrahim. Music by Olli Oja.

All content © 2024 Synchronicity II Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hello! Welcome to another edition of the exclusive audio commentary podcast hosted by me, ⁠⁠⁠David Hughes.⁠⁠⁠

For this episode, I’m delighted to welcome Gonzalo López-Gallego and José David Montero, director and cinematographer respectively of the terrific neo-noir American Star, in which Ian McShane plays an ex-soldier-turned-hitman who travels to Fuertaventura, one of the Canary Islands, to do a job, and finds
himself on a journey into his soul.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, we’re doing a second episode covering the splendid neo-noir American Star, in which Ian McShane plays an ex-soldier-turned-hitman who travels to Fuertaventura, one of the Canary Islands, to do a job, and finds himself on a journey into his soul.

This time, our guest is screenwriter Nacho Faerna, and not just because he wasn’t able to make the first recording we did for this film, but also because he really gave birth to the story, and I thought his insights into the development of the film could offer a broader inspiration for aspiring screenwriters.

Comments? Feedback? Suggestions? Email David *at * Rogue-Commentary *dot* com or send us a ⁠⁠⁠tweet⁠⁠⁠.

We have lots of exciting episodes in the works, so if you like what you hear – or just the idea – please subscribe, and remember to rate us wherever you hear this podcast – it'll really help us to keep going. Oh, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ to stay up-to-date on our forthcoming releases.

Thanks for listening!

A ⁠⁠⁠Synchronicity⁠⁠⁠ production. Conceived, written and presented by ⁠⁠⁠David Hughes⁠⁠⁠. Produced by Sam Ibrahim. Music by Olli Oja.

All content © 2024 Synchronicity II Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hello! Welcome to another edition of the exclusive audio commentary podcast hosted by me, ⁠⁠David Hughes.⁠⁠

For this episode, I’m delighted to welcome Gonzalo López-Gallego and José David Montero, director and cinematographer respectively of the terrific neo-noir American Star, in which Ian McShane plays an ex-soldier-turned-hitman who travels to Fuertaventura, one of the Canary Islands, to do a job, and finds
himself on a journey into his soul. It’s an elegiac, ruminative and surprisingly affecting film, with a captivating performance by McShane. He’s so good, in fact, so mesmerizing, that you almost miss the incredible work Nora Arnezeder is doing. For me, this was the film many critics thought they were watching when
they raved about David Fincher’s The Killer, another film that deals a hitman’s ennui. Can you imagine how diminished American Star would be if it was slathered in voiceover, or if Ian McShane’s character played The Smiths on an endless loop?

I really appreciate Gonzalo and José-David coming on to talk about one of my favourite films of the year so far, but I also have to thank screenwriter Nacho Faerna, who put us in touch. He wasn’t able to make the recording, but don’t worry – we’re going to record a separate Rogue Commentary with Nacho that will uncover all the screenwriting secrets of the film’s development, including how it was inspired by a conversation much like the one Wilson has with Max in American Star. Keep an eye out for that episode, which will be dropping soon.

Comments? Feedback? Suggestions? Email David *at * Rogue-Commentary *dot* com or send us a ⁠⁠tweet⁠⁠.

We have lots of exciting episodes in the works, so if you like what you hear – or just the idea – please subscribe, and remember to rate us wherever you hear this podcast – it'll really help us to keep going. Oh, and follow us on ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ to stay up-to-date on our forthcoming releases.

Thanks for listening!

A ⁠⁠Synchronicity⁠⁠ production. Conceived, written and presented by ⁠⁠David Hughes⁠⁠. Produced by Sam Ibrahim. Music by Olli Oja.

All content © 2024 Synchronicity II Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hello! Welcome to another edition of the exclusive audio commentary podcast hosted by me, ⁠David Hughes.⁠

For this episode, I’m delighted to welcome Lee Roy Kunz, co-writer, co-director and star of the impressive horror movie Deliver Us (2023), which – as you know, because you wouldn’t listen to an audio commentary without seeing the film first – concerns a priest sent to investigate a nun who believes that the immaculately-conceived twins she is carrying are destined to
be the messiah and the antichrist.

Filmed during the pandemic, mostly in Estonia, it’s an extraordinarily accomplished film, with a scope and production value that belies its low budget, and I particularly wanted to ask Lee Roy to give tips on how to stretch a budget as far as it can go.

Despite the fact that his ten-month-old son had kept him up most of the previous night, Lee Roy was generous with his time and gracious and open with his answers to my questions, and I’m really grateful for him for guesting on the pod.

Comments? Feedback? Suggestions? Email David *at * Rogue-Commentary *dot* com or send us a ⁠tweet⁠.

We have lots of exciting episodes in the works, so if you like what you hear – or just the idea – please subscribe, and remember to rate us wherever you hear this podcast – it'll really help us to keep going. Oh, and follow us on ⁠Twitter⁠ and/or ⁠Instagram⁠ to stay up-to-date on our forthcoming releases.

Thanks for listening!

A ⁠Synchronicity⁠ production. Conceived, written and presented by ⁠David Hughes⁠. Produced by Sam Ibrahim. Music by Olli Oja.

All content © 2024 Synchronicity II Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of the exclusive audio commentary podcast hosted by me, ⁠David Hughes.⁠ 

This is a bittersweet episode; basically an edited and extended version of the audio commentary I recorded with director David Leland eighteen months before his death on Christmas Eve at the age of 82.

The commentary was ostensibly for his 1990 drama The Big Man, starring Liam Neeson, Billy Connolly, Ian Bannen, Joanne Whalley – then Joanne Whalley-Kilmer – Hugh Grant and Peter Mullan, but David was so generous with his time we ended up talking about other films, including Mona Lisa, Personal Services, and Wish You Were Here, with sidebars about Harvey Weinstein, Ennio Morricone, Jeremy Irons, Pierce Brosnan and Tennesse Williams.

It doesn’t really cue up with the film, but if you haven’t seen The Big Man, I urge you to check out Plumeria Pictures’ extras-packed Blu-ray, available from PlumeriaPics.co.uk

I feel so privileged to have been able to meet David to discuss his incredible body of work, and hope you enjoy this look back at a brilliant career.

Comments? Feedback? Suggestions? Email David *at * Rogue-Commentary *dot* com or send us a ⁠tweet⁠.

We have lots of exciting episodes in the works, so if you like what you hear – or just the idea – please subscribe, and remember to rate us wherever you hear this podcast – it'll really help us to keep going. Oh, and follow us on ⁠Twitter⁠ and/or ⁠Instagram⁠ to stay up-to-date on our forthcoming releases.

Thanks for listening!

A ⁠Synchronicity⁠ production. Conceived, written and presented by ⁠David Hughes⁠. Produced by Sam Ibrahim. Music by Olli Oja.

All content © 2024 Synchronicity II Ltd. All rights reserved.