Thanks to support from All The Right Movies.
Meet John, Luke, Westy and Matt — four film-obsessed friends, creatives and the hosts behind All The Right Movies. Each extensive episode dives into a single classic film with highly-researched and entertaining discussion exploring how it was made, whether it works, and why it matters. We spoke to them about their 20-year friendship, their shared love of films, the podcast journey and plans for the future.
What exactly sparked your passion for film?
John: My earliest memories involve being glued to whatever was on TV, rewinding VHS tapes until they wore out, and driving my family mad asking "but how did they make that?" They didn’t usually know, so I was the kid who stayed for the credits while everyone else left the cinema. The passion was always there - I just eventually found a way to make it useful.
Luke: Mine started in the early ‘80s. My earliest memory is of watching the likes of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, Dumbo and Mary Poppins. The VHS boom was in full swing and we had these titles at home. Then things quickly changed with the introduction of Back To The Future, Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom. A new world had opened.
Westy: It was initially the feeling of being transported somewhere else, somewhere more exciting, and romantic and fun or even terrifying. Earliest memories are always of the likes at Star Wars and Back To The Future and of course Raiders of The Lost Ark. My dad would always include older classics too, Zulu, The Towering Inferno, Jason and the Argonauts and The Great Escape all had their place.
Matt: I grew up in a house full of films recorded on VHS, and encyclopaedias of horror and sci-fi films, packed full of pictures. It just felt like a whole universe out there to be explored.
What was the first film that left an impact on you?
John: Star Wars. I was about five, and like many others it basically consumed me. Not just the film but the whole universe. I wanted to know how they made the lightsabers, how the Millennium Falcon flew, how the crawling text worked. I think it was the first time I understood that films were made by people, that there was craft behind what we see on the screen. I've been chasing that kind of thing ever since, really, and Star Wars is one of the pieces of work responsible for me becoming borderline obsessed with any kind of creativity. I just now have (slightly) more sophisticated questions than "why does Chewbacca not wear pants?"
Luke: I can vividly remember watching Aliens at a young age and being mesmerised at what I was watching. I didn't know such a thing was possible. The world, the creatures, the nail biting tension. I was far too young to be watching it, but I was hooked from that moment, and movies became my life.
Westy: The first film that had a real impact on me and the way a film could change and determine how you could feel was Se7en, I would have been around 15 at the time and thought it was just a complete masterpiece (I still do). I was forever changed by that experience. The cinema years of 1999-2000 were also hugely transformative for me, Fight Club, The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, Magnolia, Eyes Wide Shut, The Blair Witch Project in ‘99 then Memento, American Psycho, Unbreakable, Amores Perros in 2000… I could go on.
Matt: Clash Of The Titans. I was terrified of Medusa, and went to bed that night convinced she was hiding in my wardrobe.
We wanted to know more about the podcast journey… What made you decide a podcast would be the best format for these discussions?
John: A bit of frustration, to be honest. I’d spent years looking for a film podcast that matched what I wanted: research and analysis going beyond "I liked it" or "I didn't", telling the stories behind the films, and how they were made, as well as being entertaining. I couldn't find it so we made it ourselves. Podcasting felt natural because film discussions work well when given time and depth. You can't rush a conversation about The Godfather. Well, you can. But why would you?
Who is the podcast for? What does someone who’d love All The Right Movies look like?
All: Someone who finishes watching a film and immediately wants to know how it was made. Someone who appreciates creativity and wants to be entertained while people discuss it. Someone who wants depth without pretension - who can engage with Kubrick's cinematography choices and still laugh at a joke about his insane attention to detail. If you've ever fallen down a Wikipedia rabbit hole after watching something and wished someone would tell you the good stuff, we're for you.
Many podcasts are wrapped up in under an hour. What is the secret to keeping your audience's attention for well over two hours episode after episode?
All: Storytelling. We don't just discuss films - we tell the story of how they were made, weaving in analysis and our opinions along the way. Every episode has a narrative arc. There's a beginning, middle, and end. We structure the scripts so there's always something coming - like a revelation, or connection to other films or episodes we’ve covered. And chemistry helps. Twenty years of friendship means we know how to keep things moving without it feeling like a lecture.
What has been your proudest moment since starting the podcast?
John: Our book deal. Seeing years of work translate into a publishing deal with a major publisher felt like proof of concept for the whole business, really.
Luke: There have been a number of them. Interviewing one of my favourite musicians, Jesse Malin, was a complete joy. But I generally get proud moments every month, when we get positive feedback from our community. There have been countless times when people have been in touch saying that our podcast has helped them through hard times or personal trauma. That makes the difference to me. That makes it all worthwhile.
Westy: Getting where we are and it still feels like the first time we are recording when I sit down with the guys. Just the same as it’s always been and I think the thing I’m most proud of after all these years is that we have a genuine respect for the medium and also a genuine respect for each other, especially our individuality and tastes in film, we aren’t trying to be something we are not. We started in the same mindset we have now, we all bring something to the table and we all have time for that, and that’s a proud thing for me.
Matt: My proudest moment was probably when we realised Edgar Wright was fact-checking our Hot Fuzz social media thread, agreed with “95%” of what we'd said and said it was an honour for us to make a thread about it.
You’ve got a strong and loyal following of paying members on Patreon. Does this help to build a feeling of community between yourselves and your listeners?
All: Absolutely - community is something we’ve actively tried to create and is one of the main reasons we do this. Our patrons aren't just passive subscribers; they vote on which films we cover, submit questions that we answer in episodes, and their reviews get read out on air. We respond to their comments, feature a "Patron of the Month" in our newsletter, and treat them as stakeholders in what we're building, because they are. It changes the relationship from "content creator and consumer" into something more collaborative. They're a big part of the story we're telling. And we’d love for more good people to join us.
Many podcasts have been shifting to video in the past few years. Is this something you imagine for the future, similar to what you do with the Cutting Room?
All: We've actually been recording in video for a while now - we've got a substantial archive ready to deploy. The challenge has been resources: editing 4 hour recordings down to 2.5 hours of video to our standards requires a capacity we don’t have at the minute. It's definitely on the roadmap. As we grow, video becomes increasingly important - both full episodes and shorter clips for platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. We see it as essential to our future growth, not optional, so watch this space!
On to the episodes themselves… Given the wealth of content you cover in each episode, how do you go about researching each film you cover?
All: We’re big on operations and have developed what we call the "8 Rs Method" - a process that takes each episode from the first stage of choosing the film all the way through to the podcast release. The research phase alone involves reading everything available online, watching all accessible documentaries and behind-the-scenes content, purchasing specialist "making of" books, and compiling it all into a comprehensive document. We have a strict verification standard: every factual claim must either come directly from someone who worked on the production or be corroborated by at least three credible sources. It typically takes around 100 hours of total team effort to produce a single 2.5-hour episode. Most podcasts do a few hours of work. We do 100.
What are the criteria for the films you pick?
All: Every film must satisfy what we call the "Three Pillars": there needs to be a compelling story about how it was made, we need to be able to meaningfully analyse whether it works as a piece of filmmaking, and we must explain why it matters to Hollywood's broader story - whether that's impact, innovation, significance, or influence. A host simply saying "I quite like it" isn't enough. The film has to justify its place in our ongoing narrative of cinema. (Except Masters of the Universe. Might make an exception for that).
What is your favourite genre to discuss?
John: Is Arnold Schwarzenegger a genre? If not, it’s science fiction. The combination of technical ambition, world-building, and thematic depth gives a lot to explore. Films like Blade Runner, Alien, or The Terminator offer incredible making-of stories alongside artistic brilliance. Plus there's something special about discussing films that pushed the boundaries of what was technically possible at the time they were made. And by their very nature, science fiction films often have some bonkers things going on, so we always have a laugh.
Luke: It has to be horror for me. Ever since I saw A Nightmare On Elm Street as a kid, I've been a horror movie addict, and I'll watch any film in the genre.
Westy: I always love to talk more about the films I love, and I guess that spans many genres, and also the processes behind them, it seems no matter what film or genre we dive into we seem to get some laughs, so I definitely look forward to the individual film over a specific genre.
What makes a successful episode?
All: A successful episode delivers insight into how the film was made - stories listeners couldn't have found themselves without significant digging about. It offers thoughtful analysis that respects the craft and the viewer's intelligence. And crucially, it entertains. If we're not making people laugh alongside making them think, the episode won’t go out. The perfect episode leaves someone feeling like they understand and appreciate the film on a deeper level than before - and had fun getting there.
What was your personal favourite episode to make?
John: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. It was the most ambitious research undertaking we've attempted - the sheer volume of material on the production was pretty overwhelming at first, but I like to think we did it justice. There were moments during the research phase where I thought it was never going to end. But that's what made the final product so satisfying. When you've waded through hundreds of hours of behind-the-scenes content, books, countless interviews, and come out with an episode that tells what is a staggering story of Peter Jackson’s creative ambition and logistical madness... that's the good stuff. Not always fun in the moment, but creatively it’s hugely satisfying. And for some reason, we’ve committed to doing the next two LOTR films already. Gluttons for punishment.
Luke: This is a tricky one, because all episodes uncover incredible behind the scenes stories. Episodes on The Great Escape, All The President's Men and The Blair Witch Project really stand out. But if pushed, I'd have to stay true to myself and say A Nightmare On Elm Street. It's the only film I'm still scared of, and giving it the full podcast treatment was like exorcising demons. I even get scared listening back to the podcast on that film!
Westy: There’s a few that stand out but personal favourites would include The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Shining, The Social Network and a bonus for getting to discuss Highlander on one of our patron-exclusive Double Feature episodes, that was a lot of fun.
How do you balance humour with storytelling? And why is humour so important for the pod?
All: The humour usually emerges naturally from the dynamic between hosts - we've been friends for two decades. The storytelling carries the episode forward, and the humour provides relief, punctuation, and hopefully a lot of humanity. It's important because it makes the content more accessible. We're asking people to invest 2.5 hours with us so the least we can do is make it enjoyable for them. The humour also reflects how we talk about films in real life. We're not performing chimps (some listeners may disagree); we're being ourselves.
How important is disagreement between hosts to the show?
All: Conflict drives a narrative so it's pretty essential - as long as it’s authentic. We see films differently sometimes. One of us might love a performance another finds flat. Westy often finds joy where others just see desolate misery. John sometimes rewrites the endings of films (which rarely goes down well with the others). We think these moments work as they are good faith disagreement: you can respect the craft, respect each other, and still reach different conclusions. It shows listeners that film appreciation isn't about finding the "correct" opinion - it can be about engaging thoughtfully and developing a new understanding.
And finally, what do you want listeners to finish each episode feeling?
All: Entertained and educated. Like they've just had the best film conversation of their lives - the kind you have leaving the cinema with friends who know their stuff. We want them to feel more connected to the film than before, armed with stories and insights that'll enhance every future viewing. We want them engaged, informed, and satisfied. And of course we want them immediately looking queuing up the next episode and signing up as an ATRM Patron.
You can find All The Right Movies wherever you get your podcasts and join the community on Patreon.
