My Movie DNA

In episode 44, Johnny talks to Auckland film and book lover Kelly Gordon.

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.

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.

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.

In episode 40, Johnny talks to Cinema In Context co-host William Chen.

A science-teacher by day, and a pop culture vigilante by night, William has a deep love for animated films, Lego and a galaxy far, far away.

Their chat includes the biggest Star Wars nerd-out on My Movie DNA to date, they discuss Wes Anderson, Brad Bird and Jackie Chan, and they talk about whether Tom Cruise took inspiration from Steve Guttenberg for Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning’s centerpiece aerial stunt….

This conversation was recorded face to face in late-May of 2025.