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 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 127: Size Matters [Winter Sleep; The Hobbit 3; Get Santa]
Episode 127: Size Matters
It’s Episode 127 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 the week of the epics, as Peter Jackson finally ends his Middle Earth fascination (we hope, anyway) with the last instalment of The Hobbit, and Nuri Bilge Ceylan has made his longest film yet, with the solemn Palme d’Or winning “Winter Sleep.” We had an awful lot to say about Ceylan’s 196-minute effort, which leads to a discussion of films about actors and an all-out celebration of Ava Gardner, while we managed to get around to festive favourite “Get Santa” and Cal caught the middle-class melodrama “The Face Of Love.” Elsewhere, we discuss the impact of the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations, whether Jennifer Aniston can get that Oscar nod, and the early announcements for the Berlin Film Festival brings encouraging news of new films by Terrence Malick, Andrew Haigh, and Kenneth Branagh. We reveal our tentative plans for the festive period, a Turkish delight creates a dilemma for Pete in the Olsen Factor, and a dodgy looking sci-fi effort looks to bring awards favourite Eddie Redmayne crashing back to Earth.
- Berlin Film Festival reveals it will premiere Terrence Malick’s “Knight Of Cups”
- Screen Actors Guild Award nominations
- Golden Globe nominations
[4:10 – 23:35]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- Get Santa
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- The Face Of Love
[29:50 – 1:00:25]
Closing Segment: Our take on Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Palme d’Or winning “Winter Sleep,” and discussing films about actors!
[1:00:30 – 1:21:20]
The Isaac Range
Outro Music: Nancy Sinatra, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'”
Episode 67: Advanced Iconography [Diana; 42; The Call]
Episode 67: Advanced Iconography
(Right click… save as)
It’s Episode 67 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 asking ourselves whether this is the real life or just fantasy, as biographical dramas about two very different people hit cinema screens in the UK. As self-confessed baseball fans, the Jackie Robinson movie “42” was very high on our agenda, while Olivier Hirschbiegel’s heavily derided “Diana” gave us uneasy preconceptions. From there, Cal tackles serial-killer thriller “The Call,” and Pete caught coming-of-age tale “The Way Way Back” and Arabian drama “Winter of Discontent.” A modest news segment turns into a lengthy discussion about Foreign Language Oscar nominees of the past (like that’s never happened before) and we launch into digressions involving the measure of Marcello Mastrioianni’s Oscar nominations, the patriotism of the French, and some huge concerns about next week’s releases.
The Week’s News:
- Foreign Language Oscar submissions: Hong Kong submit “The Grandmaster,” France submit “Renoir,” and the UK submit “Metro Manila”
- “Grace of Monaco” and “Wolf of Wall Street” pushed to 2014
- Terrence Malick is counter-suiting the people suing him for the “Voyage of Time” debacle
- Quentin Tarantino to star as Roger Corman in a biopic directed by Joe Dante
- Sofia Coppola directing the next Phoenix video
- Abdellatif Kechiche hits back at criticism
[2:15 – 20:15]
Reviews of:
- 42
- The Way, Way Back
- The Call
- Winter Of Discontent
[29:30 – 1:02:10]
Closing Segment: Our take on Olivier Hirschbiegel’s “Diana,” and assessing just how much of a disaster it is for those involved! [1:02:15 – 1:17:55]
The Watson Factor
The Poupaud Range
Outro Music: D:Ream, “Things Can Only Get Better”
Episode 56: Unoriginal Sin [Despicable Me 2; The East; Hummingbird]
Episode 56: Unoriginal Sin
[1:24:33]
You can Listen online or
Download MP3
(Right click… save as)
It’s (again, finally!) Episode 56 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.
Cal’s out on the lash, so Pete has been forced/allowed to upload a podcast so if this doesn’t work … blame Cal. Or Andy Murray. This week Shep braves an onset of tiredness during his thoughts on “Despicable Me 2” (as well as an inability to remember the previous film), Cal braves masturbation jokes in “This is the End”, a severe lack of Ellen Page (and her voiceover) in “The East”, both ponder the ridiculousness of Jason Statham’s headwear in “Hummingbird”, and find out our choices for our half-year awards including why Pete was able to dictate to Cal what Mr. Reed’s favourite film of 2013 so far actually was.
Opening Segment: Shep bragging about his £1 tennis bets, and the rest of the week’s film news [0:30 – 5:50]
*Preconception Corner*
Reviews of:
- Hummingbird
- This is the End
- Despicable Me 2
- The East
[13:37 – 53:20]
Closing Segment: Our top 5s of the year so far, along with our favourite acting performances. [54:20 – 1:17:40]
*Shag, Marry or Kill?*
*The Watson Factor*
*The Poupaud Range*
Outro Music: Azealia Banks, “212”
Episode 41: Beyond the Surface [Burt Wonderstone; The Paperboy; Welcome to the Punch]
EPISODE 41: Beyond the Surface
[1:20:23]
You can Listen online or
Download MP3
(Right click… save as)
It’s Episode 41 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.
The highlight of a quiet week at the cinema is Lee Daniels’ “The Paperboy,” but will he finally impress us “Precious” skeptics with his Florida-set thriller? We discuss the controversy of that jellyfish scene, as well as other films that kicked up a fuss, for one reason or another. The rest of the releases include showbiz comedy “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” and British thriller “Welcome to the Punch.” We’re looking ahead to the next few episodes by dishing our thoughts on trailers for films out in the next month or so, including Seth Gordon’s “Identity Thief,” which one of us has already vetoed. Cal promotes a re-release of Joseph Losey’s “The Servant,” while his unflattering review of “Beyond the Hills” is hijacked by Pete’s desire to turn it into a Catholic-style remake of “Wreck-It Ralph.” Just another week, then…
Opening Segment: A trailer round-up, featuring upcoming releases “Trance,” “Spring Breakers,” “The Host,” “Identity Thief,” “Jack the Giant Slayer,” “Dark Skies,” and “Look of Love” [4:55 – 19:55]
*Preconception Corner*
Reviews of:
- “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”
- “Welcome to the Punch”
- “Beyond the Hills”
- “The Servant” (50th anniversary re-release)
[24:30 – 53:45]
Closing Segment: Our take on Lee Daniels’ controversial “The Paperboy,” and discussing past controversies in cinema [53:50 – 1:10:35]
*Shag, Marry or Kill?*
*The Watson Factor*
*The Poupaud Range*
Outro Music: Heart, “Crazy On You”
In the Mood for Podcast 
