Hey Ho Finnito Podcast

07/03/2023

Weirdest trilogy we’ve watched recently.

24/01/2023

The Butterfly Effect. (2004) Dir. Eric Bress & J. Mackey Gruber.

Released on this day 19 years ago, this movie was largely overlooked, with its stars Aston Kutcher and Amy Smart it appeared to be another slasher/ popcorn horror that was common place at the time.

But with rare character building opening and decent twist & turns, it delivers an entertaining take on time travel and chaos theory. The film delivers some hard hitting scenes that maybe uncomfortable for some but Combine this with supporting roles from Eric Stoltz and Elden Henson you have an interesting early naughties tale of terror.

Just make sure you watch the directors cut with the ‘true ending’ and not the one the studios forced into the theatrical version.

Now where is my copy of “A sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury.

14/01/2023

Director Stephen Sommers would later go on to have succes with Brendan Fraser and the mummy, but for me his earlier take on action and mythology was a cheesy yet enjoyable ride.

Deep Rising stars Treat Williams as Finnegan (cool name) a jewel thief who finds himself boarding a luxury liner to rob them of their jewels but little does he know sea monsters lurk and chaos ensues.

Famke Janssen, Kevin O’Connor and Djimion Hounsou help buff up the cast with quirky characters and one-liners a plenty. The sfx may be dated but this adds to its charm and makes for a great viewing with a few friends and maybe some beers. Seen it?

Now what?

14/01/2023

There have been myths about sea monsters since mankind first saw crawled out of it and over the years there have been some fantastic sea monsters on the big screen.

We’ll be posting some of our favourite sea monster based movies, let us know your favourite.

But to start things, let looks at the slightly ignored 2020 film Underwater directed by William Eubank. Starring Kristen Stewart this Deep sea station set movie builds its claustrophobia with tight tunnels and mysterious bangs and bumps. Eventually revealing a giant sea beast or maybe something more powerful. An enjoyable yet sometimes predictable film but perfect for sea monster fans everywhere.

let’s us know what you thought about the movie on the comments below.

28/12/2022

What is a movie (Myth/fantasy) you feel doesn’t get enough credit?

21/12/2022

It’s been a while since we’ve done an episode but check out our Christmas episode from a few Years back for some festive banter.

Amy & Henry discuss 6 Myths of Christmas and the Movies and tv shows they've inspired. Hosts: Amy & Henry Finnegan Facebook | Instagram Intro & Outro Music: Bob Knarwhal Transitional Music: John Brace

21/12/2022

What’s the best alternative Xmas movie?
Our pick?

2010 Rare Exports for some good mythical merry monsters.

Prove us wrong in the comments below!
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09/10/2022

22/09/2022

Which movie, that has multiple people playing the same character, had the younger version outshine their old counter parts?

We’ll go first. Mackenzie Foy killed it as Murph in Interstellar Movie leaving the other actors in the shadow of her performance.

22/07/2022

With the new Dungeon & Dragons trailer having just dropped why not check out our review of the last Dungeon & Dragons movie and see how high or low the bar has been set.

21/03/2022

While most people think of sweet little winged ladies, when the tooth fairy is mentioned, my mind always goes to the ravenous, multi legged winged monsters in Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) Dir. Guillermo del Toro

Feeding on calcium (teeth) instead of collecting them, they attack and consume their prey to get as much calcium as possible.

Used as a weapon by Prince Nuada, who releases them into an auction house killing 70 people, they ultimately end up being incinerated by Liz Sherman (played by Selma Blair) and her pyrokinesis.

So the next time you or a loved one loses a tooth, remember it might be a good thing, you’ve never seen the tooth fairy in the flesh, or they might just want to eat yours.

25/12/2021

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Merry Christmas to all our followers.

Check out our previous festive episode on the 6 Myths of Christmas and the movies and tv shows they’ve inspired.

https://anchor.fm/hey-ho-finnito-podcast/episodes/Finnito---Episode-25---6-Myths-of-Christmas-entv63

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31/10/2021

Happy Halloween and a blessed Samhain. Check out all of our spooky episodes in the link in the bio and be sure to let us know what your most frightening episode is.
https://anchor.fm/hey-ho-finnito-podcast

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19/10/2021

As we approach Halloween 🎃 why not check out our previous Halloween episodes to get you into that spooky mood

Amy & Henry discuss the myth and legend behind the internet created Slender man and the movies it's inspired. If you're feeling in crisis now, please speak to a trusted friend or loved one or contact services like mind or Samaritans or a helpline in your current location. Hosts: Amy & Henry Finnegan...

17/08/2021

Oscar winning actors. Check.
A large pre-existing fan base with decades of material and content. Check.
One of the biggest box office flops of 2000 with a budget $36 million
And a global taking of only $33. Check.

Yes of course it’s 2000’s Dungeon & Dragons and welcome as we induct it into the Finnito’s Hall of Shame.

Directed by Courtney Solomon this monumental waste of potential was a depressing viewing back in the day. Back in 2000, I travelled to the cinema with hope and excitement In seeing a D&D movie, being only a lad, I had peaked my interest in D&D with board games like HeroQuest and had a love for fighting fantasy, so this was right up my street and with actors like Jeremy Irons, known for his sophistication and gravitas and riding high from his Oscar in Reversal of Fortune, the respected performance as scar in the Lion king and as the devious Simon says in Die hard with a vengeance. What could go wrong?

Everything.

Trite scripts,bad sets, horrid cgi
and snails, SNAILS! What is Marlon Wayans doing here?

This came out the same year as Requiem for a Dream, a cinematic masterpiece and here he’s reduced to sinking into a foam carpet. Yes that happened. And of course the source material, spanning over 3 decades when this film was released, Inspired by global mythology, pulp fiction and contemporary fantasy authors and drawing heavily from the world of Tolkien with halflings, elves, orcs and dwarves and a myriad of stories to draw from but alas we get some weak plot of Thora Birch trying to get a magical staff that controls dragons while Jeremy Irons chews every scene he’s in. At least he looked like he had fun, which sadly the audience wasn’t and to round off this hideous collection of bad jokes and misguided character choices, is the final dragon show down which looks like video game from the early 00’s. Luckily Jeremy Irons didn’t go on to star in another failed franchise starting Dragon based movie.

Ohh What’s this. Eragon,2006…

&dragons &dragonsmovie

17/08/2021

Another movie inducted into the Hey Ho Finnito Podcast Hall of shame!

03/08/2021

D-war (2007) Dir. Hyung-rae Shim

Flashbacks within flashbacks, confusing pre title backstory and bizarre appearances by otherwise respected actors. Yes D-War (Dragon Wars) is the first entry to our Finnito Hall of shame. While there have been many shocking on screen mythological based movies over the years, D-war takes the crown for the most nonsensical plot.

Based on Korean mythology, the movie actually only features one actual dragon despite it’s title, and in fact predominantly features ‘Imugis’ or lesser dragons. Basically giant snake like serpents. The film tries to explain all this in long drawn out exposition, mainly voiced by Robert Forster, in flashback scenes while Jason Behr looks confused.

A love plot between Jason Behr and Amanda Brooks is a loose thread throughout the whole 107 minutes, and the badly explained mythology is shunted to the side for a 10-15 minute cgi fest, featuring some random Lord of the Rings inspired armies and badly animated helicopters. Sadly this is arguably the best part of the movie, so if you were going to check it out, just youtube that bit.

Considering the budget the Dragons/Imugis don’t look too bad but there’s not much else to keep your attention here.

03/08/2021

03/08/2021

Check out this mini episode -
Finnito Hall of Shame, first up D-War (2007)

Finnito Hall of Shame. A mini-episode where we induct movies into the Finnito hall of shame for their dreadful onscreen depictions of myths and legends. This episode: D-War (2007)

22/07/2021

Bonnito Finnito - Legend (1985)

Directed by Ridley Scott and featuring the fresh young faces of Mia Sara, Tom Cruise and the wonderful make up on the devilish Darkness played by Tim Curry, Legend isn’t talked about as much as it should be.

Unicorns, princesses and a young man trying to stop a big evil, we may have heard the story a million times before but its delivered with style and a great cast, especially Tim Curry.

But it’s the ending we wanted to focus on, in the theatrical release. Jack and Lili watch the unicorns reunite and they literally run off into the sunsetting. Beautifully cliché, but beautiful nonetheless.

But in the director’s cut, the film is much more thought provoking, delving into the characters development more and ultimately leaves Jack in the forest while Lili returns home, their relationship returns to being purely friends. It was in fact this ending that Tom preferred and was so annoyed at the American release changing the ending, that he refused to talk about it for many year after.

Which is your favourite ending?

16/06/2021

Dragonheart (1996) Rob Cohen

Yes it’s corny, yes the cgi has dated horribly and yes why does Denis Quaid and Dina Myer have American accents when everyone else has a British one but underneath all that Dragonheart (1996) had a simplistic yet enjoyable fable of Dragons and men betraying each other and learning forgiveness and compassion in the process.

Tying in loosely with the Draco myth, and constellation that features in the end. Sean Connerys Draco is a gruff but lovable dragon along side Quaids Bowen.

With great over the top supporting performances by David Thewlis and the Pete Postlethwaite, the film is an enjoyable piece of mythical nonsense that pulls you in past its failings.

And if you don’t have a tear in your eye when Connery utters the final “to the stars” line as the score pumps up, then your heart must be as cold as Einons.

11/05/2021

Movie Myth Monster - Moder

While not named in the cruelly underrated The Ritual (2017) directed by David Bruckner the book the film was based on gives it the name Moder.

Heavily influenced by Norse mythology, this paranormal deity is described as Jötunn, one of Loki’s bastard offspring and makes for an impressive on screen mythical monster.

Curiously, concept artist Keith Thompson settled on an eerie elk-like incarnation which has 8 legs, which also hints at other Norse myth Jötunn ‘Slepnir’.

If you haven’t seen the film, it’s currently available on several streaming services so go and check it out.

Seen it? Let us know what you thought about it in the comments below!

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20/04/2021

Check out this snippet of our latest episode Horus and for the full episode see the link in our bio.

19/04/2021

We’re back! This week Henry and Amy discuss the myth and legend behind Horus the Egyptian Deity and the movies he’s inspired. Check it out!

Amy & Henry return to discuss the myth and legend behind the Egyptian deity HORUS and the movies he inspired. Hosts: Amy & Henry Finnegan Facebook | Instagram Intro & Outro Music: Bob Knarwhal Transitional Music: John Brace

19/04/2021

Episode 27
Horus

Amy and Henry discuss the myth and legend behind the Egyptian deity Horus and the movies he’s inspired. Check it out!


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16/04/2021

Bonnito Finnito - Hercules (1997)

“People do crazy things when they’re in love”

While considered a disappointment among Disney Shareholders its lower box office numbers were attributed to being released around MIB and Batman & Robin but if you’re old enough to get the pop culture references, enjoy its fast-paced action and throw out any books you might have on Greek mythology, you might enjoy the ending where Hercules gets what he wants but chooses what he needs.

A live-action remake is in the works with the Russo brothers attached. Let’s hope they keep that ending!

11/03/2021

Movie Myth Monsters -

The result of King Minos wife Pasiphae being tricked into mating with a bull, the Minotaur is usually described as having the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man.

Contained inside the labyrinth created by Daedalus and icarus and kept at bay by being offered a sacrifice every 7 years and Eventually slain by Theseus.

One of the more interesting depictions of the Minotaur was in Tom Harry’s first leading role Minotaur (2005) while the film itself may not be that memorable, the creature effects were fun.

02/03/2021

Depending on your interpretation of the last scene, Pan’s Labyrinth ending is either a happy or crushingly sad one.

Filled with tons of mythical elements set against the backdrop of 1944 Francoist Spain. The film follows 10 year old Ofelia as she journeys into a labyrinth meeting Fauns, giant frogs and the haunting Pale Man (played by Doug Jones) but the final frames shows a happy homecoming and a death at the same time.

We’re ever the optimists so we know which we’d choose to believe but we’re also a sucker for ambiguity.

What do you think was the real ending?

01/03/2021

However you spell it, Griffin, Griffon or Gryphon, these legendary creatures are always found somewhere in the pages of fantasy. They have the body and backend of a Lion and the wings & head of an Eagle.

Originally seen as a symbol of divine power in medieval heraldry it has now become a staple creature in mythical based literature, from The Chronicles of Narnia to Warcraft (2016) and their movie adaptations. These creatures are often shown to be fierce and a perfect solider to have by your side on the battlefield.

19/02/2021

MOVIE MYTH MONSTERS
-Sirens

In Greek mythology sirens lured people to their deaths with their enchanting voices and songs. Most famously, Homer manages to escape them in Homer’s Odyssey which has been noted to be the inspiration O Brother Where Art Thou (2000) directed by the Coen Brothers.

In the movie Ulysses and his companions are lured by three singing women they come across in a river.

Did you know O Brother Where Art Thou? Was based on homers odyssey and classic myths?

18/02/2021

Labyrinth (1986) directed by Jim Henson is the much loved classic with memorable songs and an even more memorable performance by David Bowie.

At the end we see Jennifer Connelly’s Sarah back in her room only to be magically joined by her friends from the Goblin city. It’s played out as a happy ending, but is it?

Has Sarah truly returned? Or is it one of Jareths illusions or has Sarah merely been dreaming all this time and her imagination has made her stuffed toys and posters come to life.

What do you believe?

17/02/2021

Movie Myth Monsters

While usually unicorns are seen as symbols of freedom, magic and healing, some legends say that the sudden appearance of a unicorn means imminent death for those that see it and in the 2011 movie Cabin in the Woods (actually filmed in 2009) it meant exact that for several of the facility workers.

In the movie the unicorn is a monster kept inside a faculty and later escapes. It seeks its revenge by impaling a faculty workers with its single horn.

Not so cute now aye?

What was you favourite mythical monster from this movie?

11/02/2021

Movie Myth Monsters

Cyclops or round eye from Greek mythology are one-eyed giants that range from cannibals, lazy Shepard’s to legendary wall builders.

One of our first memories of cyclops was from the 1958 movie The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. As in most of the tales, the cyclops is defeated by being blinded and tricked to fall to its death.

Sinbad also features a second cyclops who fights another legendary creature, the Dragon Taro.

What’s your favourite on screen cyclops?

09/02/2021

Cerberus was the guardian of the gates of the Underworld, stopping the dead from leaving. The child of Typhon and Echidna, he was part of a fierce family of monsters including Chimaera.

Tricked several times into letting visitors into the underworld, one of which was Orpheus and his music.

His musical weakness is used on Fluffy, a Cerberus in the 2001 movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone to allow Harry and his friends to pass by him.

What’s you favourite on screen Cerberus?

09/02/2021

George Lucas apparently wrote Willow for Warwick Davis after working with him on Return of the Jedi.

Directed by Ron Howard and released in 1988 it wasn’t the success that George had hoped as it went up against Big, Crocodile Dundee II and was considered too similar to The Princess Bride from the year earlier.

But just like The Princess Bride, the filmed garnered a cult following and is now being developed into a tv show for Disney+

08/02/2021

“Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. The End.” The Princess Bride (1987) – Grandpa (Peter Falk)”

The Princess Bride wasn’t a box office success but since it’s release in 1987 it has earned its cult status. An extremely quotable balance of swashbuckling, romance and comedy that has entertained fans across the decades.

It’s rumoured that there’s a remake in production but to us that’s inconceivable!

08/02/2021

Movie Myth Monsters:

Talos - A giant bronze man who was the guard of the island of Crete. He would throw stones at the ships of those uninvited. Created by Hephaestus and gifted to Minos.

In the 1963 film Jason and the Argonauts Talos is shown to be over 200 feet tall but in the original mythology he is 8 foot.

His weakness is shown to be a bronze peg in his ankle which if removed causes the life-giving ichor to pour out.

Talos is one of our favourite movie myth monsters, what’s yours?

04/02/2021

Find out who Henry & Amy are talking about in the full episode of Jack & the beanstalk!

https://anchor.fm/hey-ho-finnito-podcast

02/02/2021

There are some shocking Jack and the beanstalk posters out there, just look at what they have Matthew Modine doing in that first one, but which would you agree is the worst?

02/02/2021

Hey Ho everyone! This week Amy & Henry look at the myth and legend behind Jack & the beanstalk and the movies it’s inspired. 🧔🏻👩🏻‍🦰

Amy & Henry discuss the myth and legend behind Jack and the beanstalk and the movies it's inspired. Hosts: Amy & Henry Finnegan Facebook | Instagram Intro & Outro Music: Bob Knarwhal Transitional Music: John Brace