My Movie DNA

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.

In episode 43, Johnny talks to Stefan Moon, the General Manager and Programmer at Auckland’s Academy Cinemas.
Their chat covers a long, lengthy (and mostly spoiler-free) discussion on Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which they put into context with PTA’s other films, they tiptoe around the Woody Allen situation and whether it’ll ever be a good time to sing the praises of the 1998 animated film Antz, and after 43 episodes, Johnny finally gets to reveal his connection to George Clooney’s Ocean’s 11.
This conversation was recorded face to face in early 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.

In episode 42, Johnny talks to actress Helena Murphy-Reid, a recent guest star on the Lucy Lawless detective series My Life Is Murder.
Helena has also starred in the 2024 short film Gun Powder, and appeared in New Zealand's longest-running TV drama, Shortland Street.
Their chat covers the trials and tribulations of being an up-and-coming actress in the 21st century, Helena bravely swaps out one of the standard questions - the first My Movie DNA guest to do so - and they talk about gritty coming-of-age dramas like Larry Clark’s Kids and...The Spice Girls Movie.
This conversation was recorded face to face in early July 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.

In episode 41, Johnny talks to Mahi Maïmou, one of the leading lights of the live comedy scene in Darwin, Australia.
Mahi is the movie-hype gal on ABC Radio and is currently programming this year's Darwin International Film Festival.
Their chat covers the gamut of Hollywood from Mae West and Bette Davis to Adam Sandler and Kermit the Frog, Mahi gives us a whistlestop tour of every glorious independent cinema in New Zealand, and they talk about whether Pinhead and the Cenobites would make good babysitters for a five-year-old….
This conversation was recorded online in late-June 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.