Episodes

  • Episode 102: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice & Candyman

    Episode 102: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice & Candyman
    Sep 28 2024
    Say their name multiple times. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Candyman (1992) and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), as well as Beetlejuice (1988). We start by sharing our experiences and reactions to watching Candyman, including the key imagery and ideas that stand out. We praise the score from Phillip Glass, the writing work of Clive Barker, the direction and vision from Bernard Rose, and the commendable acting work and charisma of Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd. We then discuss Beetlejuice (1988), with Sarah watching it for the first time for this episode, which then moves into our reactions and experiences to watching Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024). We talk about the connections between the two films and how we seem to connect films in more surprising ways than we initially realise. We discuss the wider state of "Legacy-quels" and the repeated trope of the grown-up lead as a sad parent. We talk about the urban and suburban exploration in both films and how it mines the fears of modern-day audiences.
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    52 mins
  • Episode 101: Alien: Romulus & Alien

    Episode 101: Alien: Romulus & Alien
    Aug 25 2024
    The Alien franchise. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Alien (1979) and Alien: Romulus (2024), as well as Aliens (1986), Alien³ (1992), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017). Our conversation dips in and out of all these films, praising and critiquing the work of directors Ridley Scott, Fede Alvarez, James Cameron, David Fincher and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. We praise the performances of Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Winona Ryder, Michael Fassbender, Cailee Spaeny, David Johnson and Spike Fearn. We consider the human-android-alien-company relationships throughout all the films, with Ripley, Ash, Bishop, Call, David, Walter, Andy and Rook. We celebrate the production design of the original and new film, and how the latest entry into the franchise harks back to its predecessors. We discuss the lore of the Alien franchise, considering the stages of the titular monster through the queen, egg, face-hugger, chest-burster, xenomorph, "The Newborn" alien hybrid, black goo and now cocoon and "The Offspring". We discuss our predictions of where the Alien franchise might go from here.
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    59 mins
  • 100 Episodes of Cinema in Context

    100 Episodes of Cinema in Context
    Jul 29 2024
    Looking back at 100 months. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the last 100 months of Cinema in Context. We reminisce on the beginnings of the podcast, referencing the many people who have contributed along the way. We discuss our top films of the 'new' films we've focused on since 2016. The films we discuss include Thor: Ragnarok (2017) from Episode 20, Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) from Episode 29, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) from Episode 74, The Salesman (2016) from Episode 13, Parasite (2019) from Episode 42, Turning Red (2022) from Episode 73, Upgrade (2018) from Episode 33, Cats (2019) from Episode 48 and 57, Encanto (2021) from Episode 70, A Quiet Place (2018) from Episode 25, A Star is Born (2018) from Episode 31 and Tenet (2020) from Episode 54. We wrap up our discussion by looking back at the discoveries we have made in our back catalogue selections over the past eight years, our favourite pairings for different episodes and reflecting on the overall positiveness of the experience we have making this podcast.
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    1 hr and 27 mins
  • Minisode: Extra Content - Avatar 2 & Titanic

    Minisode: Extra Content - Avatar 2 & Titanic
    Jul 6 2024
    Originally from January 2023, Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Titanic (1997). This additional content covers three key questions: each person's favourite moment from the films, one thing they would change and a third film they would group with these movies.
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    22 mins
  • Episode 99: Furiosa & Babe: Pig in the City (feat. Sophie Ricketts)

    Episode 99: Furiosa & Babe: Pig in the City (feat. Sophie Ricketts)
    Jun 28 2024
    George Miller sequels. Special guest Sophie Ricketts joins Jeremy Downing and William Chen to discuss Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) and Babe: Pig in the City (1998). We begin by discussing our reactions to Babe: Pig in the City, by first considering its predecessor Babe (1995) and then reminiscing the circumstances in which we watched its 1998 sequel. We talk about the darkness in Babe: Pig in the City and whether this film is appropriate for children. We then move on to a discussion about Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) and immediately discuss it in comparison to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). We finish by discussing why we think Furiosa is bombing at the box office and our final thoughts on Babe 2, with some last-minute comparisons to Poor Things (2023), La cité des enfants perdus | The City of Lost Children (1995) and Batman Returns (1992).
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Episode 98: Civil War & Apocalypse Now

    Episode 98: Civil War & Apocalypse Now
    May 29 2024
    War-torn "road trips". Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Civil War (2024) and Apocalypse Now (1979). We begin by discussing the different versions of Apocalypse Now and our reaction to the different elements in each film. We shift to talk about Civil War and how the film evokes a visceral response and gets the audience thinking. We talk about the connection to Heart of Darkness, the work of Marlon Brando and the ideas present in Apocalypse Now. We commend the work of Kirsten Dunst and Jessie Plemmons in Civil War and their wider careers. We discuss the music in both films, individually and the similarities between the two. We commend the work of Martin Sheen, Robert DuVall and Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now. We finish with a conversation about the politics of both films, what they are trying to achieve and how it has been received by the public.
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    1 hr
  • Episode 97: Dune: Part Two & The Empire Strikes Back

    Episode 97: Dune: Part Two & The Empire Strikes Back
    Apr 6 2024
    Space Opera Sequels. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen begin by discussing our reactions to Dune: Part Two, how it compares our perspectives of Part One and how the films connect to the source text. We talk about our opinions and connections to The Empire Strikes Back (aka Star Wars Episode V), and our experiences watching it growing up. We praise the performances in the films, especially Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill in The Empire Strikes Back, and Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson and Florence Pugh. We discuss the prowess of George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Denis Villeneuve, Hans Zimmer and John Williams.
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    53 mins
  • Episode 96: Oscars Debrief 2024

    Episode 96: Oscars Debrief 2024
    Mar 23 2024
    Unpacking the Academy Awards. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the 96th Academy Awards ceremony. We begin by talking about the presentation of the ceremony itself. Our conversation moves to the Best Picture category and we consider Oppenheimer, Zone of Interest, American Fiction and The Holdovers. We discuss the Sound category and the skill of how The Zone of Interest was put together. We move into a conversation about Poor Things, including the performance of Emma Stone, the design elements in the film and the politics of the script. We talk through a range of smaller categories and touch on Maestro, Godzilla Minus One, The Creator, and the performances of Lily Gladstone, Carey Mulligan and Sandra Hüller. We talk about the Screenplay categories, the performances of "I'm Just Ken" and "What Was I Made For", reminisce about previous ceremonies and winners, and finish by discussing the animated and documentary categories.
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    51 mins