Evolution of Horror podcast – SECONDS

I had a rip-snorter of a gasbag with Mike Muncer, host of the incredible Evolution of Horror podcast and all-round upstanding gent. We went deep on SECONDS – a film that I wrote a book about a few years ago with Jez Conolly – and it was such a pleasure to revisit what continues to be one of my favourite films of all time.

We had a lot to say. Listen directly here:


Or you can listen to MAN-MADE MONSTERS #13: Seconds (1966) on the EoH website. I suggest you stick around and pore through some other episodes of his various podcasts because they’re really, really good.

Presentation recording: SECONDS

I was the first presenter for Cinemaniacs when they moved to The Astor Theatre, Melbourne, at the beginning of 2024, 3rd Feb to be exact.

Here’s the photo evidence: Of itty-bitty me in front of the mammoth Astor screen, setting the context for a rare screening of SECONDS (about which I’ve co-authored a book), standing in front of John Frankenheimer and RFK OG while giving off major political rally vibes.

It was a night fraught with technical difficulties, but I feel it still came together well, despite being left without a couple of planned video inclusions.

Upon launching a Patreon page, the Cinemaniacs team cut together presentations from the last few years, including a mercifully edited version of this SECONDS presentation. It’s audio only, accompanied by slides, but hopefully you’ll get something out of it.

Just hit play…

Screening: SECONDS

Saturday 3rd February is the day when you lucky folks get the chance to see one of the most misunderstood films of the 20th century, SECONDS (1966), on the gigantic Astor Theatre screen to kick-off Cinemaniacs‘ 2024 program.

IT WILL BE AND LOOK AMAZING!

Watch the trailer below for a taste of this forthcoming spectacle, then click on the link for tickets. I’m doing the intro and I’m proud to say I literally wrote the book on the film with my writing partner-in-crime, Jez Conolly.

The Projection Booth’s Special Report: SECONDS

Both Jez and I have been involved in Mike White’s The Projection Booth podcast in the past (and I have an appearance slated for next year – to be announced!) so we were thrilled when he approached us to record a Special Report on our book, SECONDS.

Mike gave us the opportunity to talk through the inception of our project, the process of co-writing and the appeal of writing about a generally maligned film in an interview that inches towards an hour in duration. It’s a deep-dive interview into our deep-dive book.

We hope you like it…

Touched by an angel: Miss Salome Jens

Jez and I have been doing the media rounds for our book on SECONDS. The fruits of our labour include this piece that we wrote for the excellent publication, Diabolique Magazine, featuring an interview with the divine Miss Salome Jens that was conducted specifically for the SECONDS book.

She also talks about her noteworthy screen debut in ANGEL BABY (1961, additionally Burt Reynolds’ debut), which is quite the film, if you’re not familiar with it.

I encourage you to read on, and appreciate the mastery of an actor who has never really been appreciated for the full extent of her talents.

Buy the book on SECONDS

Want to know more about John Frankenheimer’s criminally overlooked monolith of paranoia, SECONDS (1966)?

SECONDS by Jez Conolly and Emma Westwood, part of the Constellations series of sci-fi cinema books, is available from your favourite book pusher but you can also buy direct from the publisher, Liverpool University Press.

It may be the best film you’ve never seen. So watch now then digest this tasty monograph.

Pre-order SECONDS book

This book has been brewing for a while now, so I couldn’t think of a better way to end 2020 than to announce SECONDS is now available for pre-order (with a proposed release date of 21st April 2021).

It’s been such an amazing experience co-authoring with Jez Conolly and following his creative lead with this project. Hopefully, we can introduce SECONDS to a new audience and give the film at least some of the acclaim it deserves.

Viva Rock Hudson!

The Locust Files podcast

It’s always a privilege to talk about cinema, and never more of a privilege than to speak about it with my incredible friend, Lee Gambin, who knows more about cinema than ANYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD (it’s a bold statement but one that I feel is fairly close to being accurate).

Lee asked me to join him for an episode of his new podcast series for Diabolique MagazineThe Locust Files – where he has already interviewed Craig Martin, Jarret Gahan, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, Sally Christie, Bryan Norton, Jenni Olson and John Harrison. I step up to talk about THE FLY (of course), as well as my newer projects (SECONDS and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN), and a whole lot of other nonsense.

As it tends to happen with Lee, the conversation went off in a number of weird and wonderful directions. You can listen to it right here

I’ve co-written a new book: SECONDS

FINALLY, I can share the news that Jez Conolly and I are in the final stages of a book for Auteur Publishing’s Constellations science fiction imprint on John Frankenheimer’s much-underrated masterpiece, SECONDS, from 1966.

We’ve been at it across the past 12 months, working away quietly under wraps. But, the manuscript has now been sent to our publisher, John Atkinson. This thing is real!

I can’t thank Jez enough for (a) asking me to be his co-author and (b) providing such beautiful writing to encourage me (hopefully) to be better. I would dare to even call the experience ‘transformative’.

I’m so looking forward to giving SECONDS the attention this magnificent film deserves. It is really something very, very special, which our book is attempting to fully capture for the first time in long-form print.

Thank you, too, to Salome Jens, who is resplendent in the role of Nora Marcus, and who kindly agreed to be interviewed as part of our research.

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