There are movies you enjoy, movies you love, and then there are Life Changing Movies, the ones that hit you at the exact right moment and quietly shape how you see the world. In this special Born to Watch episode, Whitey and Gow sit down on the couch for a rare daytime recording to unpack the films that genuinely changed them, not just as movie fans, but as people.

Originally planned as a solo episode, Whitey quickly realised this topic needed conversation, reflection, and a bit of friendly back-and-forth. What follows is a deeply personal walk through cinema history, from classic black and white films through to modern blockbusters, with each movie tied to a specific time, place, and feeling. These are not rankings, not reviews, and not necessarily the “greatest films of all time”. These are the films that left a permanent mark.

The rules were simple. The films had to be movies Born to Watch has never reviewed before, and they had to be experienced in the order Whitey first saw them. What unfolds is a cinematic timeline that mirrors growing up, discovering new genres, and realising that movies can be far more than mere entertainment. They can be confronting, comforting, terrifying, inspiring, and sometimes completely overwhelming.

The episode kicks off with The African Queen, a film Whitey first watched as a kid with his Nan, and a gateway into old cinema that opened the door to classics like Casablanca and Captain's Courageous. From there, the conversation moves into The Great Escape, a film both hosts hold in incredibly high regard, not just for its iconic moments, but for its storytelling, tension, and emotional weight that still holds up decades later.

As the timeline moves forward, the episode touches on cultural moments that defined entire generations. Seeing Batman (1989) in a packed cinema, complete with Prince's soundtrack and Jack Nicholson's Joker, becomes more than just a movie memory. It becomes a snapshot of adolescence, crushes, embarrassment, and the shared chaos of opening night at the local cinema.

The conversation does not shy away from darker territory. Films like Deliverance, The Evil Dead, Psycho, and Schindler's List are discussed not for shock value, but for the way they challenged expectations and forced viewers to confront uncomfortable truths. These are films that stay with you long after the credits roll, sometimes in ways you do not fully understand until years later.

Blockbusters also have their place. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is remembered as a near-perfect cinematic experience, combining groundbreaking visual effects with emotional storytelling and characters that audiences genuinely cared about. It is a reminder that big movies can still have heart and depth when done correctly.
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The episode closes by reflecting on films driven by dialogue and ideas, particularly JFK, a movie that became comfort viewing for Whitey despite its heavy subject matter. It represents how movies can evolve with us, revealing new layers each time we revisit them.

This is an episode about memory, growth, and the quiet power of cinema. Whether you agree with every pick or not, these Life Changing Movies will almost certainly spark memories of your own.

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On this week's Born to Watch, the boys dive headfirst into one of the great underappreciated modern buddy cop films with their "The Nice Guys" (2016) Review. Every so often, a newer movie sneaks into the sacred eighties and nineties space, demanding a full BTW breakdown, and this Shane Black masterpiece absolutely earns its spot.
With Russell Crowe as the grizzled enforcer Jackson Healy and Ryan Gosling delivering one of the funniest performances of his career as hopeless private eye Holland March, this film feels like it could have been made in 1987 and left on a dusty VHS shelf for us to rediscover.

Set in a grimy, neon-soaked 1977 Los Angeles, The Nice Guys blends noir, slapstick, mystery, porn conspiracies, corruption, and one of the great chemistry pairings of the last decade. As Whitey says, this flick is a chuckle fest. Not belly laughs all the way through, but constant, rolling moments of Gosling brilliance. From falling off balconies while holding a drink, to screaming in a toilet cubicle mid-assassination attempt, to the endless stream of quotable lines, Gosling proves he might be one of the most underrated comedic actors working today.

The episode kicks off with the BTW boys returning to their familiar chaos, discussing missed recording sessions, RSI from too much… research, yacht rock, power ballads, and the Black Sorrows ruining Gow's weekend. Once the dust settles, the team dives deep into first watches, overs and unders, cinema memories, and how this movie became a cult favourite despite its disappointing box-office returns. Whitey even reveals he attended one of those old radio promo premieres and laughed himself stupid the entire time.

Gow delivers a huge research effort, running through the Shane Black universe, returning stars Kim Basinger and Russell Crowe (who he argues could literally be Bud White 20 years later), and a brilliant breakdown of Gosling's Mickey Mouse Club origins, career breakout roles, and upcoming work in the new Star Wars project, Star Fighter. The boys also praise the incredible Angourie Rice, who holds her own with two Hollywood heavyweights and often steals the film.

They unpack the bad reviews (including one from a critic who somehow thinks Crowe and Gosling have no chemistry), explode with joy over the bowling alley toilet scene, analyse the poor neighbour shot by Blueface, and debate how on earth police didn’t arrive after John Boy unleashed the loudest gunfight in seventies LA history.

There is the usual dose of Snorbs Report chaos, including an award-winning muff dive scene from "Below Her Mouth", some questionable memories from Morgz in London, references to Buck Rogers, pool tugging, and a Rick's Leash callback that nearly kills the room again. The Spotify Wrapped thanks, the voicemail from the foreign correspondent, and the pure BTW banter make this episode an all-timer.

If you love this movie, you’ll love this episode. If you’ve never seen The Nice Guys, this will send you straight to your couch to fix that mistake.

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Slide into our socials and tell us your favourite quote. And if you haven't watched it yet, pause this episode, fix that, and then come back for the full Born to Watch treatment.

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Strap in and charge up the Mr Fusion, because this week on Born To Watch, the boys head back, forward and sideways through time with our full Back to the Future Part 2 (1989) Review. Whitey, G Man and Will settle into the DeLorean for one of the most ambitious sequels of the 1980s, breaking down timelines, hoverboards, self-lacing Nikes and all the glorious 80s optimism jammed into Robert Zemeckis' wild ride.

The episode kicks off with the crew riffing on 1989 as a powerhouse movie year, then quickly dives into how Back to the Future Part 2 faced enormous expectations. With a to be continued tease at the end of the original, fans were primed, and the pressure was real. As the boys say, sequels rarely outshine their predecessors, but every now and then you get an Empire Strikes Back or a T2. So where does this one land?

Whitey shares how the film was a childhood favourite, the one he rewatched the most, and how time has shifted his appreciation back to the original. Gow reveals he saw it at the cinema on release and has clocked well over 15 viewings since, instantly transported by Alan Silvestri’s iconic score. Will talks about how the franchise has simply always been there, one of those movies that defined growing up.

From there, the episode fires through the good, the bad and the very strange. There's deep love for the hoverboard, the power-lace Nikes, and that brilliant rooftop confrontation where Marty lures Biff over the edge before swooping up in the DeLorean. The crew gives full credit to the groundbreaking split-screen effects, the energy of Michael J. Fox juggling multiple characters, and the perfect dual performance from Fox and Christopher Lloyd, who are operating at peak one-two punch level.

They also dig into the weird bits the film never fully explains. Could Old Biff actually operate the DeLorean? Why does he get sick travelling through time when no one else ever has? Why do Jennifer and Jennifer faint from seeing each other, but Biff does not? How does Marty not realise Hill Valley 1985 has turned into a dystopian biker slum the moment he steps out of the car?

From Jaws 19 to the brilliant Jaws VHS window cameo, from Indiana Jones nods to manure trucks, the boys unpack every Easter egg this film throws at you. And of course, there’s a big chat about whether Biff Tannen’s alternate 1985 persona is really just 80s Donald Trump in a green tracksuit. (Spoiler, yes.)

The episode also dives into box office numbers, casting trivia, Elizabeth Shue stepping in as Jennifer, and some cracking tangents, including Huey Lewis, yacht rock, Stranger Things, The Little Mermaid, and even John Farnham fronting LRB.

By the time the boys reach question time, they've covered everything from the butterfly effect through to whether a single rich bloke can really break the fabric of time. It's pure Born To Watch chaos, big laughs and deep nostalgia for one of the great sequels of our generation.

If you love time travel, manure trucks and three blokes talking absolute cinematic nonsense, make sure you follow Born To Watch on Spotify and Apple. Drop us a five-star review, send us a voicemail at borntowatch.com.au and buckle up for the next kickass credit song from the House Band. Great Scott, get on board!

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