Episode 166: While the Cat’s Away [Venice and Toronto Round-Up; Foreign Language Oscar Race]
It’s Episode 166 of In the Mood for Podcast!
Irini and Cal return from Venice and Toronto respectively, worn out but nevertheless enthused about many of the films showing in this year’s festival season. Tune in for thoughts on the prizes from each festival, plus commentary on La La Land, Arrival, Toni Erdmann, Jackie, and much much more! We also dig a little into the entries for this year’s Foreign Language Oscar, and speculate on whether this can finally be the year of Amy Adams. Elsewhere, there’s a silent prayer for Brad and Angelina’s marital collapse, thunder threatens to halt the podcast, and nobody can seem to find Irini’s cat Chiara.
Intro Music: Lana Del Rey, “High By the Beach”
Outro Music: B*Witched, “Blame It On the Weatherman”
Episode 163: The Spirit of Fellini [Spectre; Youth; The Last Witch Hunter]
It’s Episode 163 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 return with a lively episode, featuring (sorry!) not a great deal of positivity, but we try and make the best of a bad situation regardless. There’s two helpings of Michael Caine, firstly in the supernatural Vin Diesel vehicle “The Last Witch Hunter,” and then in Paolo Sorrentino’s “Youth,” which had to ride some heavy preconceptions about its director’s historic use of music. Elsewhere, Cal reviews gambling affair “Missisippi Grind” and we turn our attention to “Spectre,” the latest film in a recent purple patch for the James Bond franchise. Other issues which emerge include Taylor Swift’s legal problems, the history of curses in the game of baseball, and laughable accents of Jude Law past. We assess the history of BIFA Best Actress winners, there’s speculation about Judi Dench’s fondness for Vin Diesel, and the writing’s on the wall for Sam Smith as we dig our claws into his latest assault on the eardrums.
The week’s news:
- Ricky Gervais to host the Golden Globes
- British Independent Film Award nominations
[3:48 – 17:15]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- The Last Witch Hunter 25:37 – 35:08
- Youth 35:09 – 46:50
- Mississippi Grind 46:51 – 54:08
- Spectre 54:09 – 1:16:22
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Pootsition
The Garrett Gauge
Outro Music: Neil Diamond, “Forever In Blue Jeans”
Episode 161: The Chinese Intervention [The Martian; Macbeth; The Intern]
It’s Episode 161 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.
A big congratulations to Pete, as this week he proposed to his other half Jane, prompting the women of the West Midlands to cross him out in their little black books, and the podcast to indulge in a Taylor Swift-inspired celebration. The week’s reviews include “The Intern,” Nancy Meyers’ latest frothy window into the life of a working woman, and “McFarland,” the latest of many sports movies in the lengthy filmography of Kevin Costner. Cal dares to take on William Shakespeare’s story structure in his review of the latest adaptation of “Macbeth,” while many of the plot developments in “The Martian” are up for scrutiny, particularly with regard to the Chinese. Elsewhere, two composers’ birthdays get us discussing their finest works, there’s a sizeable digression about the Best Actress crop of 2003, and Pete can’t help but veer into profanity while ranting about one of the week’s scripts.
The week’s news: The career of the late John Guillermin, plus the week’s birthdays!
[5:40 -13:40]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- Macbeth 19:55 – 32:25
- McFarland 32:26 – 43:19
- The Intern 43:20 – 50:54
- The Martian 50:55 – 1:05:40
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Pootsition
The Garrett Gauge
Outro Music: Britney Spears, “Oops, I Did it Again”
Episode 157: The French Horn [The Man From UNCLE; Love and Mercy; Gemma Bovery]
It’s Episode 157 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.
With the exception of Guy Ritchie’s “The Man from U.N.C.L.E,” this week’s selection of films is fairly highbrow, as we discuss the acclaimed story of Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson, “Love and Mercy,” and the elderly romance arthouse hit “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” while we seemed to spend an age discussing our various issues with Anne Fontaine’s “Gemma Bovery.” Elsewhere, Blythe Danner’s Pinot Grigio diet appeals to Cal, Universal’s domination of the marketplace gives us pause for thought, and there are titanic preconceptions for next week’s re-appearance of Charlotte Rampling.
The week’s news
[4:40 – 13:50]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- Love and Mercy 24:50 – 33:29
- The Man From U.N.C.L.E 33:30 – 40:45
- I’ll See You In My Dreams 40:46 – 51:59
- Gemma Bovery 52:00 – 1:08:05
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Pootsition
The Garrett Gauge
Outro Music: Boston, “More Than a Feeling”
Episode 155: Rachel, Rachel [Inside Out; Mission Impossible 5; Southpaw]
It’s Episode 155 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’ve spent the past two weeks topping up the tan, but now we’re back with an episode packed full of criticism, as we turn our attention to the most anticipated film of the year, Pixar’s “Inside Out”. We also assess whether Tom Cruise has still got it, in the latest instalment in the Mission Impossible franchise, “Rogue Nation,” while Cal reviews heavy-going boxing fable “Southpaw,” and Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara in ramshackle comedy “Hot Pursuit.” Meanwhile, we turn our attention to the start of the awards season by digging into the Venice and Toronto Film Festival line-ups, touching upon (among other things) Charlie Kaufman’s return to directing and Tom Hooper’s latest piece of Oscar bait. Plus there’s news of Mads Mikkelsen’s unlikely collaboration with a pop star, Alicia Vikander’s prolific year in film continues, and Xavier Dolan’s foray into the world of voice-over acting comes as somewhat of a surprise.
The week’s news
Opening Segment: Discussing the line-up for this year’s Venice Film Festival, featuring anticipation for films from Charlie Kaufman, Atom Egoyan, and Pablo Trapero, plus we discuss some of the awards hopefuls playing at this year’s film festival in Toronto!
[3:27 – 26:05]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- Southpaw 35:50 – 42:11
- Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation 42:12 – 53:42
- Hot Pursuit 53:43 – 1:00:47
- Inside Out 1:00:48 – 1:15:36
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Pootsition
The Garrett Gauge
Outro Music: Odyssey, “Inside Out”
Episode 151: Duty to Serve [She’s Funny That Way; Minions; The Longest Ride]
It’s Episode 151 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.
As 2015 races on, we’re joined this week by Irini M. to talk about our highlights from the year so far, plus she gives us a recap of her latest successful film viewings in a special edition of the Red Light District. Reviews this week include Roy Andersson’s quirky Golden Lion winner, “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence,” Mauritanian drama “Timbuktu,” while Cal dishes all on the latest Nicholas Sparks adaptation “The Longest Ride,” paying particular attention to Scott Eastwood. Elsewhere, we sat down for Peter Bogdanovich’s latest screwball emulation “She’s Funny That Way,” and Pete caught the Despicable Me spin-off “Minions,” which it’s fair to say tested his patience. Tune in for an unexpected tirade against Mickey Rooney’s longevity, some love dramas concerning the Stratten family, and the occasional jibe about Greece’s disastrous financial situation.
The week’s news
Red Light District: Irini “pimps” the many films she’s seen lately, featuring discussion of “Ana and the Wolves,” “Gett: The Trial of Vivian Amsalem,” “The Invisible Man,” “Lifeboat,” “Spring,” and much more!
[8:35 – 24:53]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- The Longest Ride 33:20 – 43:52
- Minions 44:53 – 49:44
- A Pigeon Sat… 49:45 – 58:15
- Timbuktu 58:16 – 1:02:07
- She’s Funny That Way 1:02:08 – 1:12:49
Halfway through 2015: Discussing our favourite films and performances from the year so far!
[1:12:50 – 1:26:58]
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Pootsition
The Garrett Gauge
Outro Music: Black Eyed Peas, “Meet Me Halfway”
Episode 141: The Sprinkler of Sadness [Cinderella; Get Hard; Seventh Son]
It’s Episode 141 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 reviews include medieval fantasy adventure “Seventh Son,” the latest incarnation of the fairy tale “Cinderella,” and Argentinian Oscar nominee “Wild Tales,” which is courting controversy in the wake of some bad release timing. Elsewhere, we discuss comedy caper “Get Hard,” which already had preconceptions reeling from Tim Robey’s assault on its homophobic tendencies, plus we chat about the horrendous title of Russell Crowe’s upcoming directorial debut feature, and the bizarre nature of Jeff Bridges’ vocal work. Meanwhile, the memory of Marlene Dietrich lives on the attire of one of this week’s performers, Ed Sheeran’s Australian exploits has Pete hoping he’ll stay there, and why is nobody mentioning the Grimm brothers’ glaring plot hole? Cal’s off to New York next week, so we’re taking a fortnight hiatus, but hopefully we’ll return with news of Pete’s first four-star film of the year.
The week’s news
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- Seventh Son 17:41 – 29:26
- Get Hard 29:27 – 40:50
- Wild Tales 40:51 – 48:22
- Cinderella 48:23 – 1:00:32
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Pootsition
The Garrett Gauge
Episode 132: The Virtues of Ed [A Most Violent Year; Citizenfour; Ex Machina]
It’s Episode 132 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 sees us catch up on last week’s excised news segment by discussing the line-up for the upcoming Berlin Film Festival, as well as the announcement that the Coen brothers will rule over this year’s Cannes jury. Elsewhere, we offer our thoughts on the shifting Oscar races in the wake of the PGA and SAG winners, before revealing our thoughts on the week’s releases which includes controversial nominated documentary “Citizenfour.” Cal was in the queue for Anna Karenina lovers Domnhall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander’s reunion in sci-fi flick “Ex Machina,” and he also had time to see Mark Wahlberg’s blackjack skills in Rupert Wyatt’s “The Gambler,” while we both settled down for the latest work from podcast favourites Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, in eighties-set drama “A Most Violent Year.” Elsewhere, some random digressions test our film geek credentials, an underappreciated child performance gets us discussing the 2001 Best Actor Oscar roster, and the unexpected cosmetic virtues of a certain whistleblower tickles Cal’s fancy.
- Joel and Ethan Coen to preside over this year’s Cannes Film Festival jury
- The full line-up is revealed for this year’s Berlin Film Festival
- Birdman wins the PGA
- Screen Actors Guild award winners
[1:50 – 23:05]
Reviews of:
- Ex Machina 27:55 – 36:19
- Citizenfour 36:20 – 46:16
- The Gambler 46:17 – 55:17
- A Most Violent Year 55:18 – 1:05:52
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Pootsition
The Garrett Gauge
Episode 131: The Oxford Issue [American Sniper; Whiplash; Wild]
It’s Episode 131 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 was so jam-packed that we had to cut the entire news segment, but don’t worry, we’ll get around to that in our next episode. Instead, we react to last week’s Oscar nominations with theories on everything from the race row, to the surprise Marion Cotillard inclusion, to the unexpected haul for “American Sniper”. We also review Clint Eastwood’s latest delight, as well as other nominated films, including musical drama “Whiplash,” and soul-searching adventure “Wild,” starring Cal’s favourite, Reese Witherspoon. We’re on board with a wine-quaffing Kevin Kline in Parisian jaunt “My Old Lady,” and Pete dishes all on Alicia Vikander’s received pronunciation in wartime romance “Testament of Youth,” which featured too much Oxford reverence for his liking. Elsewhere, Bradley Cooper’s fuller face is up for scrutiny, there’s an unexpected bit of advocacy from Jane Fonda, and Sienna Miller’s dark locks threaten to steal the gold in The Pootsition.
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- American Sniper 10:40 – 22:24
- Whiplash 22:25 – 37:21
- My Old Lady 37:22 – 45:50
- Testament of Youth 45:51 – 54:40
- Wild 54:41 – 1:07:23
Closing Segment: Our reaction to the Oscar nominations, featuring discussion of the snubs, the race row, and the quality of the nominees as a whole!
[1:07:24 – 1:27:12]
The Isaac Range
Outro Music: Kristina Train, “Dark Black”
In the Mood for Podcast 
