Flixwatcher: A Netflix Film Review Podcast

Chris Johnston (Easy Riders Raging Podcast) and Em (Verbal Diorama: A Film History Podcast) join Flixwatcher to review Chris’ choice Parasite. Parasite (2019) is a South Korean black comedy thriller directed by Bong (Snowpiercer)Joon-ho. It tells the story of the working class Kim family who infiltrate the wealthy Park household. The Kim family live in a basement flat, steal their neighbours WiFi and make money doing low paid jobs, like folding pizza boxes. When Ki-woo is given an in teaching English by his university friend in the Park house the Kim family work together to find jobs for all the family members. In this pursuit they force out the Park’s long serving maid who is hiding a secret in a hidden basement under the Park house. Parasite became the first South Korean film to win the Palme d'Or. It also became the first non-English language film in Academy Awards history to win Best Picture and it ended up winning four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Inte

Jack Chambers-Ward, Matthew Stogdon and Tim Maytom (Sequelisers podcast) join Flixwatcher to review Jack’s choice Dune: Part One. Dune: Part One (2021) is directed by Denis (Blade Runner 2049) Villeneuve and based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert. Set in there future where the most valuable resource is spice, found only on the desert planet Arrakis. House Harkonnen, rival to Houses Atreides, are ordered to hand over control of Arrakis to Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), with his son and heir, Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), the Duke’s longterm concubine and member of the Bene Gesserit. Leto is suspicious of the stewardship but looks to form an alliance with the Fremen, the desert natives. Dune was the 10th highest grossing film of 2021 and won six Oscars. It received praise for its score by Hans Zimmer, cinematography, special effects and its faithfulness to the source material. Recommendability scores for Dune were very high, especially high from fans of the origin

Laila Khan and Barney Boom from Sonic Boom Six join Flixwatcher to review Laila’s choice Society of the Snow.   Society of the Snow (2023) is based on the non-fiction book La Sociedad de la Nieve by Pablo Vierci and directed by J. A. (The Impossible) Bayona. It tells the incredible true story of the Uruguayan rugby team, who were travelling to Chile when their plane crashed in the Andes in 1972. The film was nominated for Best International Film at the 2024 Oscars. On October 13, 1972, the Uruguayan rugby team and their family and friends board Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. Their destination is Santiago, Chile, but due to pilot error the plane descends too early and the plane stuck a mountain ridge. The impact splits the plane into two - the front fuselage sliding down a glacier. Of the 45 passengers on board, 29 survive the initial crash. The survivors are faced with unbelievable conditions as they struggle to stay alive. This is not the first time the incredible true story has been portrayed on film. The

Andy Williams and Sean Wilson from Frame to Frame podcast return to Flixwatcher to review Andy’s choice Studio 666. Studio 666 (2022) is based on a story by Dave Grohl and directed by BJ McDonnell. It is the first non-documentary film to feature the Foo Fighters. In this entirely fictional film, the Foo Fighters are suffering from a creative block. To get the new album made, studio execs send the Foos to a haunted mansion where Dave Grohl unleashes a demon and the rest of the band are dispatched in gruesome ways. Studio 666 is an ill advised vanity project and could have been a 10 minute short and saved everyone from the embarrassment of being in a horror comedy that is neither particularly scary nor funny. To say it is for hardcore fans only comes with an advisory that it is quite slog. Unsurprisingly, Studio 666 didn’t score very highly for recommendability - or any of the other Flixwatcher categories. It doesn’t even feature a new song from the Foo Fighters! Helped by some generous scoring by Andy, Studio

Alice Oliver and Josh Hallam (Just Films & That podcast) join Flixwatcher to review Alice’s choice The Big Short. The Big Short (2015) is based on the true story of the 2007-2008 financial crash. Based on the book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis and directed by Adam (Step Brothers) McKay. The Big Short tells the story of the financial crash from three separate experiences. Michael (Christian Bale) Burry, a hedge fund manager with a love of drumming and Metallica, discovers that the housing market is extremely unstable and he makes a bet against the market. Jared (Ryan Gosling) Vennett, a Deutsche Bank salesman, finds out about Burry’s analysis and uses this information to profit off the crash. An accidental phone call brings in Mark (Steve Carell) Baum and his team who expose that mortgage brokers are selling bad mortgages and use this to their advantage and profit as well. Watching The Big Short may leave you with more questions that answers, like why do they all have bad wigs, w

Matthew Turner and Amelie Thomas (Fatal Attractions podcast) join Flixwatcher to review Matthew’s choice Paprika. Paprika (2006) is an adult animated Japanese sci-fi fantasy film directed by Satoshi (Tokyo Godfathers) Kon. It is based on the novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui and it is claimed to have been a significant influence on Christopher Nolan’s Inception, although Nolan has never confirmed this. Dr Atsuko Chiba is a scientist by day and a dream detective at night, working under the code name Paprika. When a device called at DC Mini, a device to the help psychiatric patients, is stolen Paprika and Detective Toshimi Konakawa’s dreams and reality begin to merge as they try to recover the device. Recommendability for Paprika was mixed, although we all agreed the animation style was incredible and detailed. The complicated plot and surrealism isn’t going to be for everyone. Scores across the remaining categories give Paprika an overall rating of 3.54. [supsystic-tables id=351]     Episode #337 Crew

Petros Patsilivas and Darryl Edge (Getting Dafoe You - A Willem Dafoe Podcast) join Flixwatcher to review Red Rocket. Red Rocket (2021) is a comedy drama from writer and director Sean (Florida Project) Baker. It stars Simon Rex as Mikey "Saber" Davies, an adult film actor, who returns to his hometown in Texas after a 17 year absence. The exact reasons for his sudden return are unknown but it is clear from the outset that trouble is always close by to Mikey. He manages to convince his estranged wife and porn film co-star Lexi (Bree Elrod) to let him back into her house and life. While visiting the local doughnut place he sets his sights on 17-year-old Raylee (Suzanna Son), who also goes by Strawberry. With whom he enters into a sexual relationship with and grooms her to move with him back to LA so he can get back into the porn industry. Despite its dark themes, Red Rocket is pretty funny and at no point glamourises the life that Mikey is leading. As with Baker’s other films, his characters exist on the edges

Catrin Lowe and Rich Nelson (Don’t You Want Me? podcast) return to Flixwatcher to review Rich’s choice Spencer. Spencer (2021) is directed by Pablo (Jackie) Larraín and written by Steven (Peaky Blinders) Knight and stars Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana experiencing an existential crisis (nightmare) during Christmas 1991 when she spends the holidays at Sandringham with the British royal family. The supporting cast includes Sean Harris as Darren McGrady, head chef to the royal for 15 years, Sally Hawkins as royal dresser Maggie (possibly inspired by Fay Appleby, Diana’s real-life dresser and loyal friend) and Timothy Spall as Equerry Major Alistair Gregory (an amalgamation of royal staff). It is important to note that while the film is inspired by a real-life moment in Diana’s life, it is based longtime rumours and real events, and is very much a work of fiction. Recommendability scores for Spencer reflected the ambiguous nature of some of themes and the absence of a traditional narrative. Engagement scores w

Marshall Shaffer (Slant Magazine, Decider, /Film, Marshall and the Movie Substack) and Rafa Sales Ross (Sight & Sound, i_D, BFI, Total Film, Little White Lies) return to Flixwatcher to review Marshall’s choice Widows. Widows (2018) is a heist thriller from director Steve (12 Years A Slave) McQueen and screenplay by Gillian (Gone Girl) Flynn, based on a Lynda La Plante TV series. The ‘widows’ are Veronica Rawlings (Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Alice (Elizabeth Debicki). Left to deal with the $2,000,000 debt left by a heist gone wrong, led by Veronica’s husband, Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson), the group decide to carry out a elaborate heist themselves to pay back Jamal and Jatemme Manning (Brian Tyree Henry and Daniel Kaluuya). Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, Jon Bernthal, Garret Dillahunt and Lukas Haas also star. Recommendability scores for Widows were very high, not only does it deliver on plot twists and heist tension but it is also a commentary on gent

Emma Kathryn and Paul Costello from The Yearbook Committee Podcast join Flixwatcher to review Emma’s choice Spirited Away. Spirited Away (2001) is an animated Japanese fantasy adventure from Studio Ghibli written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Spirited Away tells the story of 10-year-old Chihiro who enters an enormous bathhouse for Japanese spirits (kami) after taking a short cut on her way to her new house. Her parents also take the short cut but are turned into pigs when they feast on the food left out for the spirits. While in the bathhouse Chihiro meets many different spirits, including a polluted river spirit and No-Face, who ends up eating one of the bathhouse workers. There are also lots of other weird and wonderful spirits too complicated to explain here, it is best to just watch and enjoy. Recommendability for Spirited Away was very, very high, it was the also the first Studio Ghibli watch for many UK fans. High scores for the other Flixwatcher categories gives Spirited Away an overall rating of 4.3

Natalie Jamieson (Bestsellers podcast, BBC Radio 1 & 2) and Genevieve Hassan (Celebrity Catch Up: Life After That Thing I Did podcast) return to to Flixwatcher to review Natalie’s choice In the Heights. In the Heights (2021) is a musical directed by Jon (Crazy Rich Asians) M. Chu and is based on the stage musical of the same name written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel (Hamilton) Miranda. In the Heights tells the story of a community of Dominican residents of a corner of Washington Heights in New York as they follow their dreams for a better life. Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) owns a bodega and is in love with Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), who dreams of being a fashion designer but can’t get an apartment as she doesn’t have credit. Kevin who owns the local taxi firm is selling off his business to fund his daughter Nina’s (Leslie Grace) University education. But Nina has dropped out due to the racism she has experienced and doesn’t want to go back. With a run time of 2 hours and 23 minutes In the Heights is a lon

Becky Darke (The Evolution of Horror, Don’t Point That Horror At Me and Return to Eerie, Indiana podcasts) and Joshua Tonks (actor and screenwriter, The Latent Image (2022)) join Flixwatcher to review Becky’s choice Cam. Cam (2018) is a psychological horror thriller directed by Daniel (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) Goldhaber. It stars Madeline Brewer as Alice, AKA Lola, a cam girl with ambitions of being the number one ranked girl on the website FreeGirlsLive. One day Alice finds herself locked out of her account and discovers a doppelgänger Lola active and performing on livestreams. Unable to access her account, Alice determined to get it back blurs the lines between Alice and Lola to find out who or what is has taken her identity. Cam might start as a standard slasher film but it doesn’t go down the usual route. While the set up doesn’t quite match the ending it is still an interesting and chilling film that looks at identity, isolation and the role technology has on our lives. Recommendability scores for Cam

George Wood and Charlotte Sometimes (freelance film writers) return to Flixwatcher to review Georges’s choice Pom Poko. Pom Poko (1994) is a Studio Ghibli animation written and directed by Isao (Grave of the Fireflies) Takahata. Pom Poko is the story of tanuki, which in Japanese folk lore are magical shape shifting creatures, also referred to as Japanese raccoon dogs which has led to the incorrect translation of ‘raccoons’ to the English version. The film opens in late 1960s Japan, a group of tanuki (raccoon dogs) find their natural habitat threatened by rampant suburban development. Fast forward to the 1990s and the tanuki are facing reduced resources and space and resorting to fighting with each other for survival. A group of elders come up with a strategy to take back their land that involves killing of humans and learning the art of shapeshifting. Testicles are also a prominent feature in tanuki traditions and they feature frequently in Pom Poko, if referred to incorrectly as ‘pouches’ in the English dub

Neel Bhatt (Empire Podcast) and Lizzie Swindells return to Flixwatcher to review Neel’s choice Crazy Stupid Love. Crazy Stupid Love (2011) is a romantic comedy drama written by Dan (This is Us) Fogelman and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. It stars Steve Carell as Cal Weaver. A middle-aged man who suddenly finds himself single after his wife Emily, played by Julianne Moore, says she has had an affair (with Kevin Bacon’s David Lindhagen) and wants a divorce. On one of his nights out he meets serial womaniser Jacob, played by Ryan Gosling in photoshopped perfection. Jacob teaches Cal how to dress and speak to women to up his romantic game. Law school graduate Hannah, (the effervescent Emma Stone) is having her own romantic troubles with her wet drip boyfriend. Crazy Stupid Love succeeds where so many romantic comedies fall in being both romantic and genuinely funny, in this case actually laugh out loud. It also gave us the ‘laughing Ryan Gosling’ GIF. Riffing on popular culture and referencing both Dir

Rafa Sales Ross (Sight & Sound, i_D, BFI, Total Film, Little White Lies) and Marshall Shaffer (Slant Magazine, Decider, /Film, Marshall at the Movies Substack) join Flixwatcher to review Rafa’s choice Nine Days. Nine Days (2020) is a fantasy drama written and directed by Edson Oda. It explores themes of the meaning of life, existentialism, morality and spirituality. It stars Winston Duke as Will, a sombre analyst who interviews souls to see if they pass a test to go and become humans. The period of testing lasts nine days, if they are not selected they will cease to exist. Among the souls being interviewed for selection are Zazie Beetz as Emma, Tony Hale as Alexander and Bill Skarsgård as Kane. Will is frequently visited by Benedict Wong’s Kyo, a supervisor but also friend who has never been human. Nine Days was unfortunately a victim of the pandemic, it was partially released in the US and it’s themes of life, death and suicide was a hard sell for the post-pandemic viewing appetites. The character of Will wa

Sarah Collier and Meg Waters (Glamour, Stylist and Little White Lies) return to Flixwatcher to review Sarah’s choice Human Traffic. Human Traffic (1999) is a British-Irish coming of age comedy drama set in Cardiff. It revolves around the lives and specifically one big night out for a group of five twenty-somethings. It launched the careers of John Simm and Danny Dyer and was written and directed by Justin Kerrigan. It also featured cameos from DJ Carl Cox, Howard Marks and Andrew (Egg) Lincoln. Jip, Lulu, Koop, Moff and Nina are in need of an escape from the monotony and misery of their jobs and the weekend is here. They are all dealing with their individual insecurities and personal issues but are united by their love of 90s rave music and drugs - including MDMA and weed. As we follow them from the club to the after party to the morning after we experience the hedonistic fun of the 1990s counter-culture. Human Traffic is a unique and funny snapshot into 1990s club culture. Recommendability reflected that

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It’s Episode 105! Sam and Louise from the Picturehouse and 90 Minutes or Less Film Fest podcasts return for Sam’s choice The Holiday. The Holiday is a 2006 Nancy Meyers (What Women Want, Something’s Gotta Give) romantic drama/comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as pre-Airbnb home swappers and Jude Law and Jack Black as their respective if not wholly convincing love interests. Set at Christmas is it a guaranteed feature on TV over Christmas despite not being particularly Christmassy other than continuing to give an illusion of picturesque snow in a (fake) English village, rather than the slush fest it is in reality. Diaz swaps her massive LA home for Winslet’s tiny village cottage and encounters a drunk and charming Law. Winslet is depressingly obsessed with a complete slimeball at work and trying to wean herself off him meets an old man and for no romantic reasons ends up with Black. If you can buy Jack Black as a romantic lead and that Winslet would ever be rejected by anyone ever you’ll probably e

Stephen Carty (BBC Radio Scotland, Radio Times, Empire Magazine) and Simon Williams (You’re Going to Need a Bigger Boat film quiz) return to Flixwatcher to review Stephen’s choice Extraction 2. ​ Extraction 2 (2023) is the sequel to the Netflix 2020 film Extraction. Directed by Sam (Extraction) Hargrave and based on the graphic novel Ciudad by Ande Parks, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Fernando León González and Eric Skillman. Spoiler, after surviving (just) a previous mission, Tyler (Chris Hemswoth) Rake retires to Austria but his retirement is short-lived. A mysterious stranger (Idris Elba) arrives with a rescue mission involving Tyler’s ex-wife’s Mia’s (Olga Kurylenko) sister Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili) and her children. Her husband,Davit Radiani, just happens to be one of the co-leaders of the largest crime syndicate of Georgia and much violence and destruction follows the rescue. Chances are if you enjoyed Extraction, you’ll enjoy Extraction 2. Unlikely to make the top ten list of films of the year but it

Genevieve Hassan (Celebrity Catch Up: Life After That Thing I Did podcast) and Natalie Jamieson (Bestsellers podcast, BBC Radio 1 & 2) join Flixwatcher to review Genevieve’s choice Bros: After the Screaming Stops. Bros: After the Screaming Stops (2018) documents the rehearsals for their 2017 reunion shows, 28 years after their last performance. It also gives an insight into their relationship and lives after their success in the 1980s. Forget what you know about documentaries and Bros, some of the one liners could have come straight from Christopher Guest. There are also moments where they reflect on the pressures of finding fame at a very early age. Despite no one experiencing fanny flutter levels of Bros fandom, the recommendability scores for Bros: After the Screaming Stops were very high. That will high scores across small screen and engagement gives an overall rating of 4.04.   [supsystic-tables id=338]   Episode #325 Crew Links Thanks to the Episode #325 Crew of Genevieve Hassan (@JournoGenevieve) and N