Flixwatcher: A Netflix Film Review Podcast

Al Horner (Script Apart podcast, Empire Magazine) and Sadia Azmat (stand-up comedian, writer and comedy producer) return to Flixwatcher to review Al’s choice The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games (2012) is based on the YA novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. Directed by Gary (Big) Ross and starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy, Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, Donald Sutherland as President Coriolanus Snow, Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane and Toby Jones as Claudius Templesmith. In this dystopian future, the post-apocalyptic nation of Panam is divided into 12 districts. As a punishment for a revolt and a reminder of their position in the social hierarchy, each district must submit two tributes who will take part in the annual Hunger Games. Aged between 12 and 18 the tributes must fight to the death until there is one survivor. When Katn

Mark and Elaine from The Honeymoon Period podcast join Flixwatcher to review Mark’s choice Once. Once is a 2007 Irish romantic musical drama written and directed by John (Sing Street, Begin Again) Carney. It stars Glen Hansard as ‘guy’ and Markéta Irglová (in her first acting role) as ‘girl’, who ended up as a couple after working together and later performed together as the Swell Season. Guy is busking on the streets in Dublin when he meets girl, a Czech flower seller who is attracted to his music and asks him about his songs. They go for a coffee and he tells her that he is also a vacuum repair man. The next day she returns with her hoover and reveals she is also a musician. They visit a piano store and she plays the piano for him. Despite trying it on with a desperate offer of “hanky panky” their relationship blossoms and they secure a loan to record his songs professionally. Shot in a hand held style, on a budget of $150,000, Once was a surprise huge success and took $23.3 million at the box office and wo

Paul Willson and Liam Dempsey from Spocklight: A Star Trek Podcast return to Flixwatcher to review Paul’s choice The Last Castle. The Last Castle is a 2001 military action film directed by Rod Lurie. It stars Robert Redford as Lieutenant General Eugene Irwin who is sentenced to 10 years at a maximum security military prison for violating orders that resulted in the deaths of eight soldiers. In charge of the prison is James Gandolfini’s Colonel Ed Winter, an admirer of Irwin. Who despite having never seen combat keeps a coveted collection of military artifacts and inflicts punishing behaviour on the prisoners. After a prisoner is killed by a rubber bullet the prisoners start regarding Irwin as their leader and a battle of control between Winter and Irwin intensifies. Mark Ruffalo and Delroy Linda co star. Although released in 2001 The Last Castle would feel at home in the 1990s action genre, all the effects are practical, not digital and how many 00s films feature Robert Redford shirtless carrying rocks in the

Neil Gregory and David Llong from We Needed Roads podcast return to Flixwatcher to review Neil’s choice Werewolves Within. ​Werewolves Within is a 2021 horror comedy mystery film based on a computer game of the same name. Forest ranger Finn (Sam Richardson) Wheeler is assigned to a small town called Beaverfield where there is division in the community over a planned pipeline. The other residents include postal officer Cecily (Milana Vayntrub) Moore, influencer couple Devon and Joaquim (Harvey Guillén), freaky outdoor guy Emerson Flint and environmentalist Dr. Jane Ellis. A snowstorm confines them to the local lodge where it becomes quickly apparent there is a werewolf on the run and it is targeting the residents. Falling firmly into more of the comedy genre than horror and silly rather than thrilling, Werewolves Within is a harmless and fairly entertaining 97 minutes. Recommendability scores were pretty decent, a short runtime gives engagement scores a boost to give an overall rating of 3.82.   [supsystic-tab

Rob and Ellie from KVIKMYNDAPOD join Flixwatcher to review Rob’s choice Crank. ​ Crank is a 2006 action film from directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor and starring Jason Statham as hitman Chev Chelios. While asleep Chelios is injected by Chinese synthetic drug by small-time criminal Ricky Verona, which inhibits the flow of adrenaline, slowing the heart and will eventually kill Chelios. Chelios learns of this via a DVD recording and calls his Mafia surgeon Doc Miles who advises him to keep his adrenaline up by engaging in risky behaviour. Cue 88 minutes of the Stath driving recklessly, fighting with the police, taking drugs - including epinephrine, and having sex in public with Eve (Amy Smart) his girlfriend. Crank is a wild, insanely silly, occasionally offensive and innovative action film. Filmed on digital it allowed the directors to adopt a Gonzo approach to filming which adds to its overall feeling of craziness. Recommendability for Crank were pretty good, repeat viewing and engagement ratings were b

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Dr. Nicola Millard and John Loftus (BT Young Scientist STEM Inspirations podcast, 8Radio Ireland) join Flixwatcher to review Nicola’s choice I'm Thinking of Ending Things. i'm thinking of ending things is the 2020 Charlie Kaufman adaptation of the novel of the same name by Iain Reid. It stars Jessie Buckley as the Young Woman, who could be called Lucy, Louisa, Lucia, and Ames and Jessie Plemmons as her boyfriend Jake. On a wintery car journey to meet Jake’s parents, Mother (Toni Collette) and Father (David Thewlis), the Young Woman is contemplating ending their relationship. After their arrival at Jake’s family home things become increasingly surreal and reality, memory and imagination all merge into one. It is fair to say the reaction for i’m thinking of ending things was mixed for Flixwatcher and guests, despite being huge fans of other Kaufman films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich. Scores for recommendability were quite low and only improved slightly for small screen an

Sadia Azmat (stand-up comedian, writer and comedy producer) and Al Horner (Script Apart podcast, Empire Magazine) join Flixwatcher remotely to review Sadia’s choice The Fighter. The Fighter is a 2010 biographical sports film directed by David O. Russell and based on professional boxers (and half-brothers) Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). The film was inspired by the 1995 HBO documentary High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell, that features the Eklund-Ward family. It also stars Amy Adams as Micky’s girlfriend Charlene and Melissa Leo as Alice Eklund-Ward (winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress). Bale’s incredible performance as the crack addict Dicky also won him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, managing to bring humanity and humour to the former boxer struggling with addiction. While The Fighter doesn’t necessarily follow the sports film formula it still packs a punch as a character focussed drama with Bale giving a standout performance. High recommendability and engageme

Happy 300th Flixwatcher! In this second special birthday episode Sam Pay and Martin Zaltz Austwick from Song by Song join Flixwatcher to review Kobi’s choice Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a 1991 action adventure film directed by Kevin ‘Waterworld’ Reynolds and starring the other Kevin, Kevin Costner as the eponymous Robin. In this retelling of the English folklore Robin of Locksley escapes a prison in Jerusalem with the help of a Moor named Azeem (Morgan Freeman). While Robin has been away the Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman acting with maximum ham) plots to seize the throne and make the lives of Nottingham miserable. Robin assembles a gang of outlaws to oppose the Sheriff and impress Marion (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was a huge hit in 1991, the second-highest-grossing film of the year (Terminator 2: Judgement Day was number one) and Bryan Adams’ ‘Everything I Do, I Do It For You spent 16 weeks in the UK number top spot and still holds the

Happy 300th Flixwatcher! In this special birthday episode Sam Pay and Martin Zaltz Austwick from Song by Song join Flixwatcher to review Helen’s choice The Irishman. The Irishman is a 2019 Martin Scorsese film, based on the non-fiction book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, it tells the story of Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran a truck driver who becomes a hitman for the mob. Robert De Niro stars as Frank Sheeran, Joe Pesci stars as Russell Bufalino, the crime boss of the Bufalino mafia and counsel to Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino. Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham and Harvey Keitel also star in supporting roles. The Irishman is notable for its 209 minute runtime - three hours and 29 minutes of mob violence and International Brotherhood of Teamsters - labour unions in the US. Recommendability for The Irishman was mixed, despite general consensus that is it a very interesting film, the three hour plus runtime goes against it. Unsurprisingly the repeat viewing scores very quite

Daisy and Clare from W - Rated podcast return to Flixwatcher remotely to review Daisy’s choice Memento. Memento is the 2000 mind bending neo-noir thriller breakthrough film from visionary director Christopher Nolan. It stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a man who is unable to store recent memories, he covers himself in tattoos to “remember” facts. He is trying to track down the man who raped and killed his wife with the help of undercover cop Teddy Gammell (Joe Pantoliano). He also becomes involved with Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) who may or may not be helping him to track down the killer. Memento combines a non-linear narrative structure with an unreliable narrator to create a mind bending 113 minutes of film. As the film unravels backwards the viewer is left wondering who are the good guys and who are the bad guys and what is fact and what is fiction. Everyone apart from Clare, who is a self proclaimed non-Nolan fan, loved Memento on release and it is still as mind blowing as it was when it confused the hel

Bethany and Mel from Movement is Life, a podcast series from Intelligent Health, return to Flixwatcher to review Bethany’s choice Bird Box. Bird Box is a 2018 post-apocalyptic thriller, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Josh Malerman and directed by Susanne (The Night Manager) Bier. Sandra Bullock stars as Malorie, who we meet at the start of the film blindfolding two young children as they get into a boat and telling them they will die if they remove the blindfolds. Cut to five years earlier and an unknown presence is causing people who have been exposed to it to commit suicide in horrific ways. A very pregnant Malorie takes refuge in a house with a group of disparate characters including a compassionate passer by Tom (Trevante Rhodes), a grumpy and bitter Douglas (John Malkovich), a unassuming elder woman Cheryl (Jacki Weaver) and another pregnant woman Olympia (Danielle Macdonald). The group try to stay alive but tensions run high as supplies dwindle and unpredictable strangers are let into the

Liam Dempsey and Paul Willson from Spocklight: A Star Trek Podcast join Flixwatcher to review Liam’s choice Boiling Point. Boiling Point is a 2021 British drama, directed by Philip Barantini it stars Stephen Graham as Andy, a head chef at an high profile restaurant in London. When we meet Andy he is not having a great day, his restaurant has been downgraded from five to three stars for hygiene, it has been overbooked for the evening and he is having problems in his personal life. Thrown into the mix is also a customer with a nut allergy, a racist diner and tensions in the kitchen all which create a pressure cooker environment. Shot in one take Boiling Point is a thrilling drama, Graham is excellent as the unfortunate Andy. Watching his situation deteriorate on what could end up being the worst night of his life is both stressful and compelling. Recommendability and engagement scores for Boiling Point were very high to give a very impressive overall rating of 4.01.   [supsystic-tables id=296 Episode #297 Crew

David Llong and Neil Gregory from We Needed Roads podcast join Flixwatcher to review David’s choice Scream. Scream is the first film in the Scream franchise, released in 1996 it was written by Kevin (Dawsons Creek) Williamson and directed by horror legend Wes (A Nightmare on Elm Street) Craven. It stars Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, a high school senior who receives threatening phone calls from Ghostface, a masked killer who taunts their victims before brutally stabbing them to death. It also stars as fellow high schoolers Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy and Drew Barrymore, and David Arquette as local sheriff Dewey Riley with Courteney Cox as reporter Gale Weathers. Scream completely rebooted horror back in 1996, its clever deconstruction of the genre and self reflective knowingness delighted horror kids and casual fans alike. Its longevity was given a boost in 2022 with Scream and Scream VI in 2023 but Scream (1996) still retains its freshness and shock first kill. Scores for

Rob Miller (Creative Industry Insight podcast) and Tom Salinsky (Best Pick podcast) return to Flixwatcher to review Rob’s choice The Stranger. The Stranger is a 2022 psychological crime thriller film, written and directed by Thomas M. Wright it is based on the non-fiction book The Sting: The Undercover Operation That Caught Daniel Morcombe's Killer by Kate Kyriacou. It stars Sean Harris as Henry Teague, the lead police suspect in the disappearance and murder of a young boy. Joel Edgerton is undercover police officer ‘Mark Frame’, who under the guise of being part of the criminal underworld gains the trust of Henry that will hopefully help them secure a confession. The Stranger is a text book example of a slow burn. It eschews a more traditional storytelling approach taken by undercover cop dramas and focusses on the internal conflict of those who go undercover and the complexities of male bonding. It’s slightly unconventional approach and intense viewing experience meant it was tricky to score highly on reco

Anna Smith (Girls on Film podcast) and Savina Petkova (MUBI Notebook, Little White Lies) join Flixwatcher remotely to review Anna’s choice The Swimmers. The Swimmers is a 2022 biographical film directed by Sally El Hosaini that tells the incredible true story of Syrian refugee sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini (played by real life sisters Nathalie and Manal Issa). The film begins in Damascus with both Yusra and Sarah as aspiring Olympic swimmers, against the backdrop of bombs their normal life is changed forever. With their cousin they leave Syria and take the perilous boat journey across the Aegean Sea in a dingy. When the boat is overloaded Yusra and Sarah swim alongside the boat to prevent it from sinking and saving the other refugees lives. Their journey to Germany continues overland and they eventually arrive Berlin where Yusra meets Sven who helps her to achieve her Olympic dream. The Swimmers is an unusual mix of incredible real-life story (the boat crossing) and underdog sports story (Yusra’s participa

Rob and Ellie from KVIKMYNDAPOD join Flixwatcher to review Rob’s choice Crank.​ Crank is a 2006 action film from directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor and starring Jason Statham as hitman Chev Chelios. While asleep Chelios is injected by Chinese synthetic drug by small-time criminal Ricky Verona, which inhibits the flow of adrenaline, slowing the heart and will eventually kill Chelios. Chelios learns of this via a DVD recording and calls his Mafia surgeon Doc Miles who advises him to keep his adrenaline up by engaging in risky behaviour. Cue 88 minutes of the Stath driving recklessly, fighting with the police, taking drugs - including epinephrine, and having sex in public with Eve (Amy Smart) his girlfriend. Crank is a wild, insanely silly, occasionally offensive and innovative action film. Filmed on digital it allowed the directors to adopt a Gonzo approach to filming which adds to its overall feeling of craziness. Recommendability for Crank were pretty good, repeat viewing and engagement ratings were bo

Michelle and Liz from Two Women Chatting podcast return to Flixwatcher remotely to review Michelle’s choice It's Complicated. ​ It's Complicated is a 2009 Nancy Meyers rom com. It stars Meryl Streep as Jane, a successful bakery owner and Alec Baldwin as Jake, Jane’s ex-husband who is now in a relationship with a much younger woman. While attending their son Luke’s graduation in New York they end up having drinks in the hotel bar and reminiscing about their time together. One thing leads to another and they end up having sex. Jake is thrilled and continues to pursue Jane when they return home. Jane is less thrilled and finds herself juggling the advances of her ex-husband and a new love interest in the form of Steve Martin’s, sensitive architect Adam. If you are familiar with Nancy Meyers films then you won’t be surprised to see luxurious interiors, glamorous empowered women relaxing with wine together and in this case of It's Complicated, older men and women having and enjoying sex. The overall vibes of It's

Mel and Bethany from Movement is Life, a podcast series from Intelligent Health, join Flixwatcher to review Mel’s choice Your Place or Mine. Your Place or Mine is a 2023 romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon as Debbie and Ashton Kutcher as Peter. The film starts in 2003 where Debbie and Peter hook up at a party and have a one night stand. 20 years later they are best of friends even though Debbie is now a single mum living in LA and Peter is a successful business man living in New York. On Peter’s birthday they arrange a house swap so Debbie can attend a course and Peter can look after Debbie’s son, Jack. Predictably, Debbie and Peter end up together but in a slightly complicated way. Your Place or Mine has shades of The Holiday with the house swap but the dodgy CGI ruins any romantic feelings for New York. There isn’t really a meet-cute and the realisation of their real romance is a bit icky. It was universally agreed by Flixwatcher and guests that Your Place or Mine is a tragic misfire, zero chemistry

Tom Salinsky (Best Pick podcast) and Rob Miller (Creative Industry Insight podcast) join Flixwatcher to review Tom’s choice Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is a 2022 stop-motion animated musical fantasy, directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson. Loosely based on the 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, this version reimagines the story of Pinocchio, set in fascist Italy between World War I and II. It won the 2023 Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Geppetto (David Bradley) is a woodcarver who tragically loses his beloved son Carlo, who is killed during a bombing raid. He carves a wooden boy which The Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton) brings to life and assigns Sebastian J. Cricket (Ewan McGregor) to teach and guide him. Geppetto is initially terrified by Pinocchio and then frustrated by his antics and is forced to send him to school. But on the way he is tricked by Count Volpe (Christoph Waltz) and his monkey Spazzatura (Cate Blanchett) and ends up i