Episode 136: The Abrupt Apology [Blackhat; Cake; Predestination]
It’s Episode 136 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.
Despite Pete’s efforts toward the contrary, this week’s episode is our longest yet, as we dig into our year-end awards, disclosing more than a little about our favourite films and performances. We also react to this past Sunday’s Academy Awards, measuring “Birdman” up against the Best Picture winners of the past and speculating about how its leading man couldn’t also sail to victory. The week’s reviews include time travel thriller “Predestination,” starring podcast favourite Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Aniston’s failed Oscar bid, “Cake,” and Michael Mann’s latest procedural drama “Blackhat,” which one of us walked out on. Meanwhile, Anna Kendrick is – quite literally – a vision, there’s an appearance from Gloria Gaynor, and Pete has an abrupt apology for one of last week’s performers after omitting her from The Pootsition.
- Kristin Stewart makes history with Cesar win
- Birdman wins the Best Picture Oscar (+ other reaction)
[4:00 – 20:53]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- Blackhat 28:10 – 38:48
- Predestination 38:49 – 46:55
- Cake 46:56 – 1:00:26
Closing Segment: Revealing our top ten films of 2014, and discussing our favourite performances (in quite a bit of depth)!
[1:00:27 – 1:4]
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Pootsition
The Garrett Gauge
Episode 130: Jardiner du Jour [Foxcatcher; Into the Woods; Predicting the Oscar Noms]
Episode 130: Jardiner du Jour
It’s Episode 130 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 only have two films this week, but the episode is jam-packed, thanks to Sunday’s Golden Globe awards and the impending Oscar nominations. We discuss the highlights from the ceremony, and the impact of recent events on all of the major Oscar races, speculating whether Jennifer Aniston can really seal the deal, and if there’s any room for manoeuvre in that seemingly locked Supporting Actress lineup. Elsewhere, negative preconceptions concerning Steve Carell are tested when we review Bennett Miller’s “Foxcatcher,” and Pete’s far-from-impressed verdict on “Into the Woods” sees Cal and Irini scrambling to defend the Disney musical. The return of the Red Light District sees us chat about the days when Leos Carax was joyful, the banality of Adolf Eichmann, and Jean-Luc Godard’s contempt for iPhones, while Pete has his own bridges to burn with social media, and none of us are quite sure how to pronounce Isabel Coixet’s name.
- The death of Anita Ekberg
- The death of Francesco Rosi
- The death of Samuel Goldwyn Jr
- Isabel Coixet’s new film to open Berlin Film Festival
Opening Segment: Our review of Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, featuring reaction to the winners, the speeches, and of course the fashion!
[7:20 – 27:35]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- Foxcatcher
- Into the Woods
[33:50 – 57:10]
Red Light District: Pimping the best films we’ve seen lately, featuring discussion of “Alice in the Cities,” “Beginners,” “Cleo from 5 to 7,” “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” “Force Majeure,” “Goodbye to Language,” “Hannah Arendt,” “Haute Cuisine,” “The Night Is Young,” and “Trial”!
[57:20 – 1:10:50]
Closing Segment: Predicting the upcoming Oscar nominations! Will “Foxcatcher” go the way of “The Master”? Will Amy Adams make it six nominations in nine years? Will Cal have to see “The Judge”?
[1:10:55 – 1:27:15]
The Isaac Range
Outro Music: Beck, “Devil’s Haircut”
Episode 128: ‘Tis the Season to be Juli [Still Alice; Big Eyes; Exodus; Unbroken]
Episode 128: ‘Tis the Season to be Juli
It’s Episode 128 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.
It’s our last episode of 2014 so we take the opportunity to celebrate the best films we’ve reviewed on the podcast this year, and our favourite performances, which includes a surprising Supporting Actress win from Pete. This week’s reviews include the Biblical epic “Exodus: Gods and Kings” and Angelina Jolie’s audacious survival tale “Unbroken,” while Pete caught Jimi Hendrix biopic “Jimi: All Is By My Side.” We discuss fradulent artist drama “Big Eyes,” starring Amy Adams, while we assess Julianne Moore’s bid for a long overdue Oscar in heavy-going Alzheimer’s tale “Still Alice.” Elsewhere, the death of the last remaining acting Oscar winner from the 1930s resurrects a common complaint, we scrutinize this year’s Foreign Language Oscar race some more, there’s a Razzie-level performance in one of this week’s films, and the podcast is interrupted by the children and dogs in Cal’s packed household.
- The death of Luise Rainer
- Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter split up
- Foreign Language Oscar Shortlist is revealed
[2:35 – 16:40]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- Big Eyes
- Exodus: Gods and Kings
- Unbroken
- Jimi: All Is By My Side
- Still Alice
[24:25 – 1:11:40]
Closing Segment: Discussing our favourite films and performances reviewed on the podcast in 2014!
[1:11:45 – 1:17:55]
The Isaac Range
Outro Music: Baha Men, “Who Let the Dogs Out?”
Episode 123: The Folly of Ambition [Interstellar; Leviathan; Human Capital]
It’s Episode 123 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’re joined once again by Irini M., who brings us news from her home country’s Thessaloniki Film Festival in a notably more concise fashion than September’s Venice round-up. She also joins in our discussion of some interesting recent events, which includes some rare exciting news involving David O. Russell, and the bizarre spectrum of films vying for this year’s Animated Feature Oscar. We discuss two Foreign Language Oscar contenders, as Paolo Virzi’s “Human Capital” enlivens the middle-class misery of bourgeois Italy and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Leviathan” documents the coastal conflicts of rural Russia, before giving ambition a dressing down, as Christopher Nolan’s epic “Interstellar” comes to town. We reveal whether the cinematic influences used in the film are a blessing or curse, and whether Nolan’s scope and logic holds up under scrutiny. Elsewhere, we recount a horror show from Venice which saw Pete become a gay advocate, a mistaken text briefly convinced Cal that his niece was a child genius, while Keira Knightley’s recent quest to boost female self-image has us rather baffled.
- Darren Aronofsky to head the jury at next year’s Berlin Film Festival
- David O. Russell’s long-delayed “Nailed” re-titled as “Love in Politics” and scheduled for release in the UK
- Animated Feature Oscar qualifying list is announced
- European Film Award nominations are announced
[3:05 – 20:55]
[21:00 – 34:45]
Reviews of:
- Leviathan
- Human Capital
[43:25 – 1:01:30]
Closing Segment: Our take on Christopher Nolan’s space-set epic “Interstellar,” and discussing cine-literate films, with comment on “Allegro,” “Kill Bill,” and “Once Upon a Time in the West”!
[1:01:35 – 1:28:40]
The Isaac Range
Outro Music: Adam and the Ants, “Prince Charming”
Episode 119: The Joys of Denim [’71; The Rewrite; London Film Festival]
Episode 119: The Joys of Denim
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It’s Episode 119 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.
To donate to Pete’s half-marathon run, on behalf of the Midlands Arts Centre, follow this link
We’re a little late this week, but we hope it’s worth the wait, as Cal has been to the London Film Festival, bringing news of films by Christian Petzold, Andrei Zvyagintsev, Francois Ozon, and a doozy of a performance by Reese Witherspoon. The week’s reviews consist of IRA thriller “’71,” starring everyone’s favourite young actor, Jack O’Connell, and scriptwriting comedy “The Rewrite,” which was somewhat overshadowed by Marisa Tomei’s jeans. Cal saw Susan Sarandon play Sheriff in religious serial killer drama “The Calling,” which just about escaped the dreaded “F” grade, while we also had time to discuss Stephen Frears’ BFI Fellowship, Lindsay Lohan’s theatre stint, and Michelle Pfeiffer’s history at the Oscars. Elsewhere, we argue about the main concerns of Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard,” pimp an underseen German exorcist drama, and chat about the eclectic cast of Judd Apatow’s upcoming film, the title of which greatly amuses Pete.
The Week’s News:
- Stephen Frears receives a BFI Fellowship
[5:40 – 14:30]
Opening Segment: Coverage from the London Film Festival, featuring discussion of “Leviathan,” “The New Girlfriend,” “Phoenix,” and “Wild”
[14:35 – 26:45]
Preconception Corner
- ’71
- The Calling
- The Rewrite
[34:50 – 1:04:30]
Shag, Marry or Kill?
The Olsen Factor
The Isaac Range
Episode 117: The Ballad of Pitt & Brit [Maps to the Stars; I Origins; Ida]
Episode 117: The Ballad of Pitt & Brit
It’s Episode 117 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 distinctly non-sober affair, as birthday drinks crippled Cal’s ability to function (he wants you to know that he is fully aware that Joanne Woodward is American), but we managed to get through this week’s busy line-up of films in under ninety minutes. Pete caught Denzel Washington thriller “The Equalizer” and Mike Cahill’s treatise on faith vs. science, “I Origins,” while Cal was in the queue for horror flick “Honeymoon” and had time to rewatch Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Ida.” After that, both of us weigh in on David Cronenberg’s Hollywood satire “Maps to the Stars,” featuring Cannes Best Actress winner Julianne Moore, which leads us into a discussion of women from the past who have received that honour. Elsewhere, banter about pop music shifts from Taylor Swift onto Cheryl Cole, we ponder how long George Clooney’s marriage will last, a Christie Clanger from last week is addressed, and preconceptions for David Fincher’s “Gone Girl” (reviewed next week) get laid bare.
- George Clooney marries in Venice
- Foreign Language Oscar submissions: Russia submit “Leviathan”; Argentina submit “Wild Tales”
- Al Pacino receives a BAFTA Fellowship
[5:10 – 19:15]
- Ida
- The Equalizer
- Honeymoon
- I Origins
[25:00 – 1:00:05]
Closing Segment: Our take on David Cronenberg’s “Maps to the Stars,” and discussing the history of Best Actress winners at the Cannes Film Festival!
[1:00:10 – 1:21:15]
The Isaac Range
Outro Music: Cheryl Cole, “Crazy Stupid Love”
Episode 100: Don’t Fear the Reaper [100 Films to See Before You Die]
Episode 100: Don’t Fear the Reaper
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It’s Episode 100 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 we close in on a century of episodes, our 100th is our longest yet, as we take a week off from new releases at the cinema to bring you our one hundred films you must see before you die. We take a moment to consider the people who have departed us since the podcast began, we discuss the recent winners from the Cannes Film Festival, plus the positivity continues with the latest installment of the Red Light District! Listen for discussion of films from France, Russia, Hong Kong, Greece, and more, digressions concerning Greta Garbo and Bryan Forbes, and find out which auteur Pete shockingly left out of his personal canon.
The Week’s News:
- Cannes Film Festival prize winners
Red Light District: featuring discussion of “Once,” “The Passion of Anna,” “Skyfall,” “Sorcerer,” “The Spirit of the Beehive,” “To Paint, or Make Love” and “The Wrong Box”
[6:10 – 20:20]
Our 100 Films to See Before You Die: featuring discussion of tons of classics, ranging from “M,” to “Onibaba,” to “Titanic.”
[20:25 – 1:48:30]
Outro Music: Blue Oyster Cult, “Don’t Fear the Reaper”
Episode 79: The Ribcage Incident [The Desolation of Smaug; Jeune et Jolie; Fill the Void]
Episode 79: The Ribcage Incident
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There’s a healthy bout of nostalgia on this week’s podcast, as we look back on the careers of some passing filmic legends and address a 52 year-old re-release. We dive further into the awards season, with reaction to the Golden Globe nominations and discussion of the politics behind Oscar’s Makeup category. The latest Hobbit film doesn’t get the gangster treatment this time around, but it all sounds like gibberish to Pete, while fishing documentary “Leviathan” threatens to instigate a life-changing decision for Cal. We all know what happened the last time Pete ventured to see a racy French film, but will Jeune et Jolie receive the same treatment? Jewish domestic drama “Fill the Void” encourages a fruitful discussion, despite the fact that Cal saw it over a year ago, while a listener question leads to a lengthy lament about Hollywood’s current 3D fad. Tune in to see which Golden Globe snub outright shocked us, which denouncement of Amy Adams was the bombshell of the week, and some rare kind words from Pete about Christopher Nolan. The pork is in the trees.
The Week’s News:
- Oscar announces its shortlist for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Golden Globe nominations
[3:15 – 17:45]
Opening Segment: Discussing the careers of the late Joan Fontaine, Peter O’Toole, and Eleanor Parker
[17:50 – 25:00]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug [plus Listener Question from Connor!]
- Jeune et Jolie
- Leviathan
- The Innocents (re-release)
- Fill the Void
[29:40 – 1:11:40]
The Poupaud Range
Outro Music: Lana Del Rey, “Young and Beautiful”
In the Mood for Podcast 
