Episode 164: Awakenings [The Revenant; The Force Awakens; Spotlight; Carol]
It’s Episode 164 of In the Mood for Podcast, a British-based film podcast hosted by Calum Reed of Ultimate Addict and Pete Sheppard of In the Mood for Blog.
We’re back from a two-month absence with a jam-packed podcast, focusing on the big juggernauts of this year’s awards season, as well as the seventh instalment of a certain sci-fi franchise. We tackle Steven Spielberg’s latest moody historical drama “Bridge of Spies,” claustrophobic double-hander “Room,” and Todd Haynes’ lesbian tale “Carol,” which had to hurdle prickly preconceptions from Pete about one of its main stars. We give our verdict on Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s forest-set revenge tale “The Revenant,” Thomas McCarthy’s journalism drama “Spotlight,” and the biggest film of 2015, “The Force Awakens,” while we may have had a few choice words to say about the use of Margot Robbie in fancied finance crisis comedy “The Big Short.” Elsewhere, we predict this year’s Academy Award nominations (happening tomorrow!), we mourn the death of the great David Bowie, there’s a digression on the films of 1988, and a listener question prompts an upheaval of The Pootsition.
Opening Segment: Discussing the film career of musician, actor, and all-around legend David Bowie, who sadly passed away this week
[1:40 – 9:30]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens 27:40 – 37:24
- Bridge of Spies 37:25 – 45:36
- Carol 45:37 – 51:53
- The Revenant 51:54 – 1:04:14
- Room 1:08:10 – 1:16:41
- The Big Short 1:16:42 – 1:24:12
- Spotlight 1:24:13 – 1:31:46
Closing Segment: Previewing this week’s Academy Award nominations!
[1:31:47 – 1:46:45]
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Pootsition
The Garrett Gauge
Outro Music: David Bowie, “Five Years”
Episode 135: The Shame of Seamus [Fifty Shades of Grey; Kingsman; Love Is Strange; Oscar Predictions]
It’s Episode 135 of In the Mood for Podcast, a British-based film podcast hosted by Calum Reed of Ultimate Addict and Pete Sheppard of In the Mood for Blog.
This week, we discuss the upcoming Oscars, casting our predictions for 20 of the 24 categories, and mulling over the scenarios that could befall presumed leaders “Birdman” and “Boyhood,” plus there’s big news from Berlin, as Charlotte Rampling stakes a claim for a place at next year’s Oscars. We get physical, as Pete was the podcast representative for Matthew Vaughn’s violent spy thriller “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” while Sam Taylor-Johnson’s hotly-anticipated “Fifty Shades of Grey” had its own share of weaponry. It’s fair to say that the erotic mega-hit wasn’t really going to be up either of our alleys, but the assembled crew generated cause for excitement. Pete snubbed Marisa Tomei but Cal managed to catch Ira Sachs’ latest gay-themed drama “Love is Strange,” while a seven-film haul in the Red Light District leads to discussion of the Best Actor Oscar race of 1998, Tyrone Power’s limited acting ability, and the allure of Dylan McDermott. Elsewhere, this week’s Joe Wright rant concerns a lesser-known Scottish actor, we’re once again reminded of the original Huston Problem, and there’s an unexpected nod to Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
- The death of Louis Jordan
- Berlin Film Festival winners
[2:35 – 10:04]
Red Light District: Pimping the best films we’ve seen from yesteryear, featuring discussion of “The Flight of the Phoenix,” “Gods and Monsters,” “In the Line of Fire,” “Inside Moves,” “The Luck of the Irish,” “The Prowler,” and “Reuben, Reuben”!
[10:05 – 26:53]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- Kingsman: The Secret Service 36:13 – 45:33
- Love Is Strange 45:34 – 56:03
- Fifty Shades of Grey 56:04 – 1:13:07
Closing Segment: Predicting this year’s Oscar winners, featuring discussion of everything from the big “Boyhood” vs. “Birdman” tussle, to the closely fought Best Editing race, to the likelihood of an upset in the Best Foreign Language Film category!
[1:13:08 – 1:29:30]
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Pootsition
The Garrett Gauge
Episode 134: The Muttley Snigger [Selma; Jupiter Ascending; Miss Julie; Shaun the Sheep]
It’s Episode 134 of In the Mood for Podcast, a British-based film podcast hosted by Calum Reed of Ultimate Addict and Pete Sheppard of In the Mood for Blog.
This week we discuss the various Oscar races in the wake of the BAFTA winners, touching upon Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s amusingly reduced moniker at the ceremony, the best of the speeches, and the closeness of the Boyhood vs. Birdman Best Picture tussle. It’s a week of mixed expectations on the podcast, as we review the ethereal Jessica Chastain’s latest passion project “Miss Julie,” helmed by Pete’s favourite actress and female director Liv Ullmann, while buzz was in the gutter for the Wachowski siblings’ “Jupiter Ascending,” which Cal managed to catch this past weekend. Meanwhile, Pete’s decision to venture out for the “Shaun the Sheep Movie” was the talk of the workplace, and we finally get around to digging into the controversies surrounding Ava DuVernay’s “Selma,” starring an Oscar-snubbed David Oyelowo. It’s fair to say that the plot rundown of the week’s sole Science-fiction effort didn’t exactly go smoothly, while Pete underwent a Punjabi plight at one of this week’s screenings, and Ernest Borgnine’s infamous Brokeback bigotry gets dragged up for another airing.
- Ziyi Zhang receives a grandiose marriage proposal
- Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu wins the DGA
- BAFTA winners
[2:45 – 20:35]
Reviews of:
- Jupiter Ascending 32:40 – 44:33
- Shaun the Sheep Movie 44:34 – 54:32
- Miss Julie 54:33 – 1:06:10
- Selma 1:06:11 – 1:22:00
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Pootsition
The Garrett Gauge
Episode 114: The Paris Clanger [Before I Go To Sleep; Life of Crime; They Came Together]
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It’s Episode 114 of In the Mood for Podcast, a British-based film podcast hosted by Calum Reed of Ultimate Addict and Pete Sheppard of In the Mood for Blog.
This week’s episode is a tale of two halves, as Irini M. joins us once again, having spent the past week or so trawling across the lido of Venice. She brings us extensive coverage of the film festival, reviewing most of the competition line-up, and dishing her verdict on (among other things) why Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman” left Italy empty-handed, and why Kim Ki-Duk’s filmmaking style is getting rather insufferable. Eventually we get to reviewing new releases, with Nicole Kidman’s new amnesiac thriller “Before I Go To Sleep” leaving us with head-scratching thoughts on the film’s title, and even more perplexing notions about its logic. We’re also on board for the sequel to Nicholas McCarthy’s promising “The Pact,” worryingly left in the hands of new directors, while Cal reviews David Wain’s romantic comedy pastiche “We Came Together,” and we tackle Elmore Leonard adaptation “Life of Crime. Listen for our theories on why Kirsten Dunst won Best Actress at Cannes, which former feline-loving Oscar winner Al Pacino may be slyly mocking, which British singer forces Pete to recoil in horror, and what this week’s Christie clanger has to do with Paris Hilton’s wardrobe.
The Week’s News
Opening Segment: Discussing the prizes awarded at this year’s Venice Film Festival, plus guest Irini M. provides coverage of many other films which played at the festival, including “Birdman,” “3 Hearts,” “Manglehorn,” “Red Amnesia,” and “She’s Funny That Way”
[4:35 – 40:40]
Preconception Corner
- The Pact II
- Life of Crime
- They Came Together
- Before I Go To Sleep
[47:20 – 1:23:50]
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Olsen Factor
The Isaac Range
In the Mood for Podcast 
