PODCAST · tv
Tom Hanks Defence Force
by Tom Hanks Defence Force
A film and TV podcast discussing the past, present and future of the film and TV world. Tom Hanks worshipers Alex and Jack have survived Death Star superlasers and asteroids the size of Texas to tackle its most pressing questions. Discussing everything from writing and audience influence, to technology and the studio system; the pair are joined by an exciting diversity of fellow fans and industry insiders, bringing fresh insight to the films and shows we love, hate and know surprisingly little about.
Episodes
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Mystery Pitch - Creating New TV Shows About Films
Over a million films are listed on IMDB, and over 800,000 TV shows are available for your viewing pleasure. However, we at THDF had an epiphany, because do you know what there truly isn’t enough of? TV shows about films. So, we put our heads together and came up with some delightful and…
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What if The Lord of the Rings was a Horror?
“Every film has the potential to be the most terrifying thing you’ve ever seen.” Jack and Alex, at some point, probably. In this episode, Jack and Alex imagine what if our favourite franchises had the likes of Blumhouse, Del Toro, Carpenter, or King at the helm. What if, instead of fantastical,...
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How Will The Simpsons End?
Ay Caramba! The Simpsons is now in its astonishing 36th season. It’s the longest-running primetime scripted show in American history, second only to WWE Raw in the highest number of episodes. So this begs the question: When and how will The Simpsons actually end? For our stupid, sexy final…
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Horror Remakes: What could and should be reimagined?
The Ring, The Fly and Vanilla Sky - often considered the scariest remakes of all time. But what if there were more, frightful and fantastic, lurking in the depths of possibility? In today’s horror feature, Jack, Alex and an unexpected guest pay tribute to the art of reimagining. Delving into...
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Mystery Pitch: Wedding Season
What’s the most famous line from the entire Pirates franchise? “I love weddings! Drinks all around.” But what Captain Jack Sparrow didn’t realise was that in the wacky world of Tom Hanks Defence Force, weddings are far from conventional, especially when the reception is a Mystery Pitch. To...
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Franchise Overkill? Not All Who Makes Sequels Are Lost
First there was France. Then there was Frank Sinatra. Now, there is Franchise. And they’re everywhere! Those dinosaurs didn’t just escape from their pens. Harry Potter spends seven years at Hogwarts. There’s more than one Hunger Game. But even for the world’s most diehard fans of palaeontology,...
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Back to the Future - Is Nostalgia the Saviour We've Not Been Waiting For?
Nobel laureate William Faulkner once wrote: “The past is never dead. It isn’t even past.” Can this explain why you, a 32-year-old, skipped your uncle’s birthday to binge Dawson’s Creek? Why the older you get, the more you see yourself as Citizen Kane? And does the key to an industry competing to...
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What is the Future of BAFTA?
BAFTA, commonly mistaken for British After-Fart Trapped Air, has awarded the finest craftspeople in cinema since 1947. But does it still hold sway over the films we watch? Does the accomplishment of Best Film draw you in to click play? And how could the most prestigious of awards evolve in an age...
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Ad-Myersable: The Mad World Of What Halloween Almost Was
Why has the Halloween franchise, and in particular Michael Myers, withstood such a stirring test of time? Is it a fascination with ‘why’ he came home? Is it because he inspired Slipknot’s fashion? (Well, hopefully). Is it because we’re all secretly afraid of William Shatner? Let’s find out. And...
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Amazon Spooky: The Treat Before Halloween
Everyone loves birthdays - especially your parents’, partner’s and friends’ debit cards. So on Jack’s birthday, we decided to treat him with a very special gift - a Mystery Pitch so random and chaotic, it makes The Joker’s brainstorming session look like Winston Wolf’s Netflix cleaning special....
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MergersBowl: The Tom Hanks Defence Force Take
There’s a lot of things merging in the 4 billionth, 545 millionth year of our great wet rock. The virtues of stoicism with your 12-year-old neighbour creating their TikTok account. The cost of living with the feeling of touching mould down the back of your sofa. The mixing of emotions when Mr...
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T-Hanks For The Memories
Great things come in 50s. Jack Daniels’ alcohol percentage. Fines issued to the Conservative government under PartyGate. And shades of grey. But perhaps most importantly, Tom Hanks Defence Force episodes. In our 50th episode special, Jack and Alex finally ask a question that Oxford and Cambridge...
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Mystery Pitch: Alfred Hitchcock's Lawnmower Massacre & I Know What You Did in 2005
Its 2022 and Netflix has just revved up two investments: Another addition to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, and nostalgic content. As Leatherface began slicing his way through cornfields (and in our nostalgia-crazed minds: Korn-fields), Jack and Alex couldn’t help but wonder two things:...
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Horror - What Influences Us And Why We Keep Coming Back
It’s no secret that we at Tom Hanks Defence Force can talk horror – probably until Jason Blum “remembers” he left a light on in the original Paranormal Activity house and needs to an excuse to leave. So, we doubled down on this obsession with demonic possession and invited two devilishly special...
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Batman Reimagined - What Nolan Brought to the Knight
Batman Begins is over 15 years old. Would you believe it? We can’t! That’s why in this episode, Alex, Jack and special guest Kathleen delve deep into Christopher Nolan’s masterful trilogy. Together, they discuss their strengths, weaknesses and how the trilogy transformed public perceptions of…
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An Industry Reborn: What will cinema look like after Covid?
It’s no secret that Covid-19’s impact on the film and TV industry has been nothing short of colossal. Productions have halted, often starting up again with completely transformed models. Across the globe, cinemas have closed down, their chains struggling to survive. But with a vaccine now being...
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Mystery Pitch: Bob Iger
Only a handful of names have become synonymous with Hollywood. Spielberg, Scorsese, Lucas, and perhaps in recent years, Iger. Few executives have had as much impact on an industry as the current Chairman and former CEO of Disney. Alongside bringing Pixar, Marvel, LucasFilm and 21st Century Fox...
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Would Joker have worked before 2019?
Last year, Todd Phillips’ Joker took not only Gotham, but the world, by storm. The film rapidly became the highest grossing R-rated film of all time, and was lauded as a mesmerising cinematic conversation about austerity, mental health disorders, and 21st century social cohesion. But would it…
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Mystery Pitch: Film Industry
Ryan Murphy’s ‘Hollywood’ may be Netflix’s hottest new release, but whack on your 3D glasses and hold onto your fruit loops because this is Jack and Alex’s Hollywood! In this Mystery Pitch, Tom Hanks’ fighting Uruk Hai Alex and Jack ask such intellectual questions as “What happens after The Room…
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Into The Hanksverse: What the Defence Force thought of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
In 2018, the Spider-Man film we didn’t know we wanted hit the silver screen. The lovechild of Sony Pictures Imageworks, hand-drawn comic art and the mind-boggling Lord-Miller imagination, the film is a masterclass in animation, voice acting, character development and humour. To help analyse the...
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Late Night With Warhammer
Other than Nanny McPhee, the thing that stole the hearts, minds and free time of adolescent teenagers in the late 00s, was Warhammer. From Space Marines to Tyranids, Skaven to Lizardmen, Games Workshop was as immersive as it was educational (at least for us ex-collectors). But apart from 2010s...
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How We'd Make Our Perfect Star Wars Film
We now have to accept the insane and amazing reality that there are now more Star Wars films than there are planets in the solar system. But regardless of whether you hate sand, find your lack of faith disturbing, or you love democracy, chances are you’ve already dreamt up your perfect Star Wars...
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Mystery Pitch: Special Guest
The first two months of 2020 have left us with some very serious questions. What new opportunities will Parasite’s extraordinary Oscar success bring to non-English films? What does Rosemary’s Baby look like now? Ed Balls? But most importantly, why are Mystery Pitches such prime real estate? Well,...
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A Jazzier Age: What can we expect in the 20s?
In the 1720s, Blenheim Palace was gifted to the Duke of Marlborough for his role in the Battle of Blenheim. In the 1820s, Beethoven gifted us his glorious ninth symphony. In the 1920s, Disney gifted us the marvellous Mickey Mouse. So, in the 2020s, we decided our gift to you would be more…
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Film in the 10s: How did we rate it?
So what will the 2010s be known for? From Occupy Wall Street to Black Lives Matter, it changed the way we talk about power. From Serial to Disney+, did it convince us that too much choice can be problematic? And we’re pretty sure everyone considered deleting their Facebook account at least once....
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So what movies changed our brains in 2019?
2019 was one hell of a year. Climate change awareness grew rapidly, David Attenborough came to Netflix, and bucket hats made a comeback. But it was also an extraordinary year for film. From Joker to Star Wars, and Endgame to Ad Astra, we discuss the films that made 2019 the magnificent year it…
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Christmas With The (Cr)Hanks
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all over the house, everyone was watching films, especially Mickey Mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Tom Hanks soon would be there. Jack and Alex were nestled, all snug in their beds, while visions of Henry Cavill’s…
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Mystery Pitch: Pot Luck
From genres to newspaper headlines, and beginnings to endings, Mystery Pitch has become a several-headed hydra, where no concept is safe from Alex and Jack taking ridiculous synopses and turning them into the most absurd films ever pitched. Now, it’s time for the lads to turn the concept on its...
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Mystery Pitch Meets Spooky Season
It’s almost Halloween - the fourth scariest time of the year after April Fool’s Day, Black Friday, and the day when everyone forgets it’s their mum’s birthday next week. And, surprise surprise, it’s the time when a surge of new horror films hit the big screen. With the likes of Doctor Sleep, The...
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It-Cast: The Return of Pennywise and the Infinite Power of Human Fear
In 2017, Pennywise – a name synonymous with fear, clowns, and fiscal responsibility – returned to the big screen for the first time since 1990. Earning over $700 million at the box office, it quickly became the highest-grossing horror film of all time. In 2019, the terror returns, as director…
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Mystery Pitch Hits The News
Newspaper headlines are designed to make your eyeballs bulge. Their one and only goal - suck you in and make you want to read more. So in this episode of mystery pitch, Alex and Jack decided to task each other with pitching films based entirely on two of the craziest headlines out there. How will...
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Amazon's Lord of the Rings: What our Elf Eyes Would Like to See
Before the announcement that Amazon's Lord of the Rings series will be set in the 2nd Age, Jack and Alex sat down to chat about the history of the show’s development, the franchise itself and what they want from the series, as well as what time period they'd like it to be set in, which characters...
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The Fandom Menaced: 20 Years of The Phantom Menace in the UK
20 years ago, a ground-breaking sci-fi movie starring Keanu Reeves came out that changed cinema forever. That film was The Matrix. But that's not the film we're talking about today. That;s right, also celebrating its 20th anniversary is Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. To celebrate the…
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Bank Robbers and Boo-Boos: A Mystery Pitch Episode
The most important part of the film is the beginning (arguably). If the opening doesn’t make your audience sound like the aliens from Toy Story, they’ll immediately lose interest and switch over to something delicious, like The Office. In this episode of Mystery Pitch, Jack and Alex ask the...
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Slash of the Titans: An examination of the Slasher genre
When you think of horror films, a masked knife-wielding serial killer is probably one of the first images that comes to mind. But despite being one of the most iconic sub-genres in the horror pantheon, the slasher has experienced success as high as the kill count in John Wick, and failures as low...
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Bird Box Unleashed & Jamie Vardy's Party: A Mystery Pitch Episode
To make a film memorable, filmmakers must go all out for their endings. That's why in this episode of mystery pitch, Alex and Jack give each other endings - endings which they then have to build the rest of their film around. Jack gives Alex a film that results in US Vice President Mike Pence…
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Breaking the Wheel: Game of Thrones and Life Afterwards
Game of Thrones is arguably the biggest and most important TV show of our time. Since its humble beginnings, it has grown to become the most anticipated show on the planet. But what does the future hold once the final episode airs? What will happen to the cast and crew? What will be the next...
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Four Hobbits & The Lord of the Rings: A Freestyle Episode
Freestyle is a new show from Tom Hanks Defence Force. We take one topic and let the conversation lead us anywhere. In our debut, we discuss the Lord of the Rings trilogy with special guests Euan Brook and Freddie Brown. The boys start with Gothmog and finish with The Invisible Man. Together…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A film and TV podcast discussing the past, present and future of the film and TV world. Tom Hanks worshipers Alex and Jack have survived Death Star superlasers and asteroids the size of Texas to tackle its most pressing questions. Discussing everything from writing and audience influence, to technology and the studio system; the pair are joined by an exciting diversity of fellow fans and industry insiders, bringing fresh insight to the films and shows we love, hate and know surprisingly little about.
HOSTED BY
Tom Hanks Defence Force
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Tom Hanks Defence Force have?
Tom Hanks Defence Force currently has 38 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Tom Hanks Defence Force about?
A film and TV podcast discussing the past, present and future of the film and TV world. Tom Hanks worshipers Alex and Jack have survived Death Star superlasers and asteroids the size of Texas to tackle its most pressing questions. Discussing everything from writing and audience influence, to...
How often does Tom Hanks Defence Force release new episodes?
Tom Hanks Defence Force has 38 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Tom Hanks Defence Force?
You can listen to Tom Hanks Defence Force on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Tom Hanks Defence Force?
Tom Hanks Defence Force is created and hosted by Tom Hanks Defence Force.
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