My Movie DNA

In episode 48, Johnny talks to Auckland-based singer-songwriter Erny Belle, AKA Aimee Renata.
Aimee is signed to New Zealand’s infamous Flying Nun record label, and is looking ahead to the release of her third studio album later this year.
Johnny and Aimee's chat includes a discussion about the dark comedy and gothic horror films that inspire her music, they look at the films of Tim Burton, David Lynch and Peter Jackson, and they reminisce about seeing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Child’s Play as a horror-obsessed ten-year-old
This conversation was recorded face to face in early April of 2026.
Please be warned that there is a light spoiler for the new Zendaya / Robert Pattinson film The Drama quite early on in this episode, so if you haven’t seen that film please go away and do so…and you should see it - it’s the best film of 2026 so far.
Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.
You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email [email protected].
Check out Johnny's new podcast series, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠500 Films: A Journey Through Genre Cinema⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, available wherever you get your podcasts.

In episode 47, Johnny talks to animator, writer and art director Matt Haworth.
Matt is one of the key players at Auckland’s Mukpuddy Animation Studios, which you may be familiar with through their animated shows Bad Jelly, Night Eyes and The Barefoot Bandits. 
Johnny and Matt's chat includes a discussion around the history and future of animated films, they take a deep dive into the works of John Carpenter, Guillermo del Toro, and the Wachowskis, they trade tales of horrific moviegoing experiences - some far more threatening than others - and they try and understand what went horrifically wrong with Edgar Wright’s The Running Man. 
This conversation was recorded face to face in late-February of 2026.
Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.
You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email [email protected].
Check out Johnny's new podcast series, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠500 Films: A Journey Through Genre Cinema⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, available wherever you get your podcasts.

In episode 46, Johnny talks to musician and podcaster Oscar Davies-Kay.
You may know Oscar from his many Auckland-based indie bands, such as Rackets and Water, or from his weekly podcast Fear, Guilt & Agriculture where he interviews movers and shakers from Auckland’s vibrant cultural scene.
Johnny and Oscar's chat includes a spoiler-filled look at Marty Supreme and the films of the Safdie Brothers, they take a deep dive into the Venn diagram of disc golf, indie rock and craft beer, and they take a look at Sarah Connor’s sex face and wonder what she really thinks the future smells like.
This conversation was recorded face to face in mid-February of 2026.
You can listen to Peter Serafinowicz's brilliant A Full Day In The Life here: https://m.soundcloud.com/bren-murphy/a-full-day-in-the-life-by-peter-serafinowicz (it might require you to download the Soundcloud app, but it's worth it).
Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.
You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email [email protected].
Check out Johnny's new podcast series, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠500 Films: A Journey Through Genre Cinema⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, available wherever you get your podcasts.

In episode 45, Johnny talks to Auckland-based Radio New Zealand journalist Nik Dirga.
Nik moved to New Zealand from the USA in 2006. He has more than 30 years of journalism experience, for publications in California, New York, Mississippi and Oregon and has won multiple awards for his reporting and essays. On this side of the world, his work has been published by Radio New Zealand, the New Zealand Listener, the New Zealand Herald, the Australian Associated Press, the Spinoff and much, much more.
Their chat includes a look at a slew of this year’s Oscar-nominated films, they discuss the work of David Cronenberg, Billy Wilder and Charlie Chaplin, they take a deep dive into the messy, uneven films of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, and Nik shares his experiences two years ago watching the actual filming of one of 2025’s movie masterpieces……
This conversation was recorded face to face in late-January of 2026.
Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.
You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email [email protected].
Check out Johnny's new podcast series, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠500 Films: A Journey Through Genre Cinema⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, available wherever you get your podcasts.

In episode 44, Johnny talks to Auckland film and book lover Kelly Gordon.
As well as working at Auckland’s Academy Cinemas - alongside previous guests Cameo England (episode #4), Gorjan Markovski (episode #21), and Stefan Moon (episode #43) - Kelly’s currently a key member of the team at Unity Books, New Zealand’s leading independent book store. 
Their chat includes lots of insider tips from Auckland’s book and rep cinema landscape, they discuss Jim Jarmusch, Alan Clarke, Danny Boyle and the majesty of Wim Wenders’ 1984 film Paris, Texas, and they talk about running into one of the stars of Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, when all they want to do is get out onto a New Zealand road trip…
This conversation was recorded face to face in mid-October of 2025.
Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Loco Looper⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.
You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email [email protected].
Check out Johnny's new podcast series, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠500 Films: A Journey Through Genre Cinema⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, available wherever you get your podcasts.