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 78: The Nose of the Poots [Nebraska; Frozen; Kill Your Darlings]
Episode 78: The Nose of the Poots
[Or How Everyone Should Join Us in Loving Zack Snyder Being Owned]
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Our latest episode was recorded in two parts due to a technical hitch, but hopefully you won’t be able to tell. The break allowed us to return post-Screen Actors Guild Awards announcement to give a brief run-down of our thoughts, but are we happy with the nominees? Cal had some worrying preconceptions about awards player “Nebraska,” after the (among other things) criminal voice-over in the first fifteen minutes of “The Descendants,” but did its monochrome mumblecore ways win us over? The big questions of the week are where Ethan Hawke’s 73rd film of 2013, “Getaway,” ranks on the dreaded Cage Scale, and whether Selena Gomez can manage to keep her clothes on, while some unexpected female casting in “Kill Your Darlings” threatens to shake up this week’s edition of The Watson Factor. We discuss the virtues of Disney’s “Frozen,” which has us both rapturous about one thing or another, and we take time out to consider the fragility of the Supporting Actor Oscar race, the allure of Imogen Poots’ nose, and revel in Zack Snyder being dealt a body blow by AMPAS.
The Week’s News:
- Woody Allen will not accept his Cecil B. DeMille award
- “Man of Steel” not on Oscar’s Visual Effects shortlist
- European Film Award winners
- British Independent Film Award winners
- L.A Film Critics winners
- Boston Film Critics winners
[3:10 – 17:15]
Listener Question [Alex], plus some anticipation for this week’s Golden Globe nominations
[17:20 – 24:45]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- Nebraska
- Kill Your Darlings
- Getaway
[32:00 – 59:20]
Closing Segment: Our review of Disney’s “Frozen,” and discussing yesterday’s Screen Actors Guild nominees!
[59:25 – 1:18:20]
The Poupaud Range
Outro Music: Madonna, “Frozen”
Episode 44: Mere Mortals [Spring Breakers; Dark Skies; A Late Quartet]
EPISODE 44: Mere Mortals
[1:25:35]
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It’s Episode 44 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 starts off in morbid fashion as we acknowledge the deaths of some important people, both in the film industry and outside of it, before we look ahead to Kimberly Peirce’s remake of “Carrie,” which triggers guilt in Pete over his lack of appreciation of Julianne Moore on the podcast. Things get more cheerful when we get to the reviews, which include the leafy family offering “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” and Harmony Korine’s colourful “Spring Breakers.” We get gritty with the Aaron Eckhart-led “The Expatriate” while Pete goes it alone for British drama “All Things To All Men,” before the toil of “A Late Quartet” strikes too many chords for one of us. And then we round everything off with a discussion of supernatural thriller “Dark Skies,” where once again actor Josh Hamilton gets mistaken for somebody else. He must have one of those faces…
Opening Segment: Talking about the week’s news: the deaths of Margaret Thatcher, Roger Ebert, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and Richard Griffiths, and the premiere of the new “Carrie” trailer [2:10 – 14:05]
*Preconception Corner*
Reviews of:
- “Spring Breakers”
- “The Odd Life of Timothy Green”
- “All Things To All Men”
- “The Expatriate” (aka “Erased”)
- “A Late Quartet”
[22:05 – 1:03:15]
Closing Segment: Our take on Scott Stewart’s “Dark Skies,” and our top one-scene cameos, as inspired by J.K. Simmons [1:03:20 – 1:16:25]
*Shag, Marry or Kill?*
*The Watson Factor*
*The Poupaud Range*
Outro Music: Lloyd Cole & the Commotions, “Cut Me Down”
In the Mood for Podcast 
