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 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 87: The Myth of Socrates [Top Tens of 2013; Monuments Men; BAFTA winners]
Episode 87: The Myth of Socrates
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It’s Episode 87 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 the return of previous podcast guest Irini M, who helps us discuss George Clooney’s World War II caper “Monuments Men” and ponder some latest film news, featuring a death, a coming-out, and a Supporting Actress tragedy. And then we all reveal our top tens of 2013 (which takes a while), but it proves difficult for some to bite their tongues about each others’ picks. Listener questions instigate a Greek history lesson, but our guest remains coy throughout the interrogation, meanwhile we discuss one of Gregory Peck’s more bizarre performances, which films should have replaced “Before Sunset” and/or “Before Midnight” in the romantic trilogy, why one of Cal’s top ten was lucky to have seen the light of day, and which of Irini’s inclusions she had to apologise to Pete about. We have some audio issues in the early part of the podcast, but the last hour recorded well, and we end with Jennifer Lawrence’s karaoke favourite.
The Week’s News:
- The death of Shirley Temple
- Ellen Page comes out
- BAFTA winners
[2:40 – 15:05]
Preconception Corner
- Monuments Men
[25:35 – 32:55]
Closing Segment: Our top tens of 2013, featuring discussion of “The Grandmaster,” “Her,” and much more, plus our favourite performances of the year!
[33:00 – 1:25:00]
The Poupaud Range
Outro Music: Wings, “Live and Let Die”
Episode 63: Puzzling Downfalls [Elysium; Lovelace; We’re the Millers]
Episode 63: Puzzling Downfalls
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It’s Episode 63 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.
Peroni comes out to play in this week’s episode, as Pete prepares for his impending flight to Venice by cracking open a bottle or two and lays into some usual suspects, including Nicolas Winding Refn and Kate Hudson. Cal saw Jennifer Aniston bare all in “We’re the Millers” and Amanda Seyfried get it all out in “Lovelace,” and reveals a risqué podcast game to test Pete’s knowledge of steamy film scenes. We review Nell Blonkamp’s sci-fi spectacle “Elysium,” which features some remarkable performances, and welcome Julianne Moore’s return to the podcast in “What Maisie Knew.” All that, plus an epic news segment, some banter about Glenn vs. Sigourney in 1988, and discussing how nobody can quite remember what Ruby Dee’s two lines were in “American Gangster.”
The Week’s News, featuring discussion of Miley Cyrus’ performance at the VMAs, the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, and the death of Julie Harris, among other things! [1:55 – 15:10]
Reviews of:
- Lovelace (plus a game!)
- What Maisie Knew
- We’re the Millers
[21:40 – 1:03:00]
Closing Segment: Our take on Nell Blonkamp’s “Elysium,” starring Matt Damon, and summarising this past Summer in film! [1:03:05 – 1:19:50]
The Watson Factor
The Poupaud Range
Outro Music: Alice Russell, “Drinking Song Interlude”
Episode 60: Sobriety Is a Virtue [The Conjuring; The Heat; Only God Forgives]
Episode 60: Sobriety Is a Virtue
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It’s Episode 60 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 peroni-less podcast sees Pete on his best behaviour when confronted with a listener question that dares to approach the subject of Keira Knightley (see, we will answer questions about literally anything!) and when forced to tackle “Paris-Manhattan,” a French love letter to Woody Allen. Cal shows less resistance when he reviews “Only God Forgives,” before we unite for reviews of the week’s Hollywood fare, buddy-cop comedy “The Heat,” star-studded action sequel “Red 2,” and spooky box-office smash “The Conjuring.” We’ve also got this week’s Red Light District, which handily ties into Joe Wright’s filmography, and part one of our 2009 Venice retrospective, featuring comment on “I Am Love” and “White Material,” among others. Tune in to find out which country Pete is jetting off to this week, which film’s marketing annoys Cal, and whether Kristin Scott-Thomas’s embodiment of a famous fashion personality bests Helen Mirren’s channeling of Bette Davis. It’s diva overload!
The Week’s News
Listener Question: Is Keira Knightley the Queen of period films? [Zed] [8:15 – 13:00]
Opening Segment: This month’s Red Light District (pimped films include “Letter Never Sent” and “Romancing in Thin Air”) and part one of our 2009 Venice Diaries! [13:05 – 32:30]
*Preconception Corner*
Reviews of:
- The Conjuring
- Red 2
- Paris-Manhattan
- Only God Forgives
[37:45 – 1:04:05]
Closing Segment: Our take on Paul Feig’s feminist comedy “The Heat,” and discussing memorable buddy/cop movies! [1:04:10 – 1:16:50]
The Watson Factor
The Poupaud Range
Outro Music: Holly Valance, “Down Boy”
Episode 53: Rolling Back the Years [After Earth; Behind the Candelabra; The Iceman]
EPISODE 53: Rolling Back the Years
[1:19:12]
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It’s Episode 53 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 some fairly interesting cosmetic changes, as Winona Ryder and Matt Damon roll back the years to star in 70s-set dramas, while the facial hair burdened upon the actors in “The Iceman” gets Cal’s dander up. We review the gangster drama, as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Liberace movie, “Behind the Candelabra,” of which only one of us is counting as movie eligible. Pete sat it alone (literally) for Viggo Mortensen showcase “Everybody Has a Plan,” but we both caught the Smith family outing “After Earth,” which gets us talking about famous film families, among other things. We also take time out to discuss Werner Herzog’s distinguished career, while pondering what prompts Sir Christopher Doyle’s outspoken nature, and whether Munich will take kindly to Abdelatif Kechiche’s Lesbian Palme d’Or winner. Cal struggles to control himself when divulging the plot of a recent Chloe Moretz movie, before we pledge to watch it for next week’s episode.
Opening Segment: The week’s film news, plus a discussion of Werner Herzog’s work, in the wake of the BFI’s two-month retrospective [2:35 – 16:40]
*Preconception Corner*
Reviews of:
- The Iceman
- Behind the Candelabra
- Everybody Has a Plan
[22:10 – 51:00]
Closing Segment: Our take on M. Night Shyamalan’s “After Earth,” starring Will and Jaden Smith, and discussing on-screen partnerships between famous parents and their offspring [51:05 – 1:05:25]
*Shag, Marry or Kill?*
*The Watson Factor*
*The Poupaud Range*
Outro Music: The Orb, “Little Fluffy Clouds”
Episode 45: Greek Tragedies [Oblivion; Place Beyond the Pines; Promised Land]
EPISODE 45: Greek Tragedies
[1:24:32]
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Download MP3
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[Our host’s server will be down for a couple of hours today and tomorrow, so if you can’t download or listen to the podcast, try again later!]
It’s Episode 45 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 sees a reprise of our infamous Divide & Conquer week, as we go it alone for six of the seven films showcased. Cal was forced to abandon Derek Cianfrance’s “The Place Beyond the Pines” due to illness, so Pete handles the Ryan Gosling vehicle himself, as well as dishing the dirt on Greek themed Brit film “Papadopoulos & Sons.” After Cal highlights the dated politics in Gus Van Sant’s “Promised Land,” he has to stem a tirade of abuse for Paul Dano with some kind words about the actor’s performance in “For Ellen,” while Pete represents for world cinema with takedowns of the Olivier Assayas-directed “Something in the Air” and Polish drama “Closed Circuit.” We finally unite for a discussion of Tom Cruise sci-fi flick “Oblivion,” in which Andrea Riseborough is besmirched, Melissa Leo’s southern drawl is mimicked, and The Huston Problem rears its ugly head. Why Olga? Why?!
Opening Segment: Discussing what constitutes an “acclaimed” film, the issue with Rotten Tomatoes, and the importance of critics [2:25 – 14:05]
*Preconception Corner*
Reviews of:
- “The Place Beyond the Pines”
- “Promised Land”
- “Papadopoulos & Sons”
- “For Ellen”
- “Something in the Air”
- “Closed Circuit”
[20:20 – 1:01:40]
Closing Segment: Our take on Joseph Kosinki’s “Oblivion,” starring Tom Cruise, and discussing age-gap relationships on film [1:01:45 – 1:17:05]
*Shag, Marry or Kill?*
*The Watson Factor*
*The Poupaud Range*
Outro Music: Whitesnake, “Still of the Night”
In the Mood for Podcast 
