Best Film Ever

Cleared For Takeoff? - Ted Lasso

Your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew continue to try their hands at a little TV Pilot Analysis with the Apple TV Emmy Award Winner, Ted Lasso. Ethan is at the wheel whilst Ian is trying to learn the route.  We're trying to grab some sleep on the flight (not while piloting the plane, mind you) but we're still gonna discuss:

• Our feelings towards F.A. Premiership Football and how we chose our respective teams
• Some UK/US confusions
• We go back over the soda stream experience 
• We wonder if Ted Lasso is just a likeable Michael Scott
• We try to explain to the international audience what Lucozade is
• Ian gushes a little over Mumford & Sons
• Would we ground the Ted Lasso pilot or is it Cleared for Takeoff?

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 16) - The Angels Take Manhattan

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "geronimo!"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week Ethan and Ian are travelling to see the big Apple as they bid farewell to Team Pond in the Series 7A episode “The Angels Take Manhattan” as they discuss:

• Some Who’s News about casting rumours and…fortnite…
• Does this episode fall flat until it’s finale?
• The legacy of the Ponds' death after this episode
• The Tragedy of Rory Williams’ send off

Episode 114 - Back To The Future Part III (and BFE Birthday Party: Raw & Unedited)

That's two years on the clocks folks!  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan and Georgia as we're heading to 1955, then 1885 before going back to the future, which was 1985 which is now our past in 1990s conclusion to the Marty McFly trilogy, Back To The Future Part III. We're joined by some friends of the podcast as we record live for our patrons in our 114th episode as we discuss:

• How this film shifts the focus from Marty to Doc Brown
• How Clint Eastwood reacted to his name being used in the film
• The gruelling schedule Robert Zemeckis was under during this film
• Our feelings on the westernisation of the familiar BTTF theme
• We share snippets from our first episode and our first birthday
• Georgia tries to articulate what exactly her face blindness is
• We have 13 peeps that have sent in birthday messages to help us out
• At various points, Friends of the Podcast, Juleen, Yeet, and Ian Davies join us to engage in real-time
• Ian tries to find an exit line in real time
• The difficulties of wrapping up a trilogy
• Who almost had a cameo in this film as the town's mayor
• Why ZZ Top would've made a great Cantina band
• We find a few massive plot holes in the film
• Whether or not Back To The Future Part III is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ensign Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen 
• Katie McRae
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• The Yeetmeister

Catch more from Hermes in his pod "The Scuttlebutt Podcast" at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-scuttlebutt-podcast/id1503504933

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  10:30 - Shoutouts
  23:55 - Deep Dive
  2:06:25 - Endgame

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 15) - Asylum of the Daleks

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "geronimo!" Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week we come with a surprise episode as Ethan and Ian cover the Series 7A Episode "Asylum of the Daleks as they discuss:

• Ian's history with the episode as his first Doctor Who episode
• Our introduction to Clara "Oswin" Oswald
• How does Oswin's human voice work
• Is Amy and Rory's sudden divorce just an audience grabber?

 

 

See It Or Skip It? - tick, tick...BOOM!

FIRST 28:00 are a spoiler-free review with our See It/Skip It verdict

AFTER 28:00 it's a full spoiler review

This week we're headed to New York City with Ian and Georgia are chatting all things Jonathan Larson as we make our way through his rock monologue with the following questions: How great is Bradley Whitford? What else have I seen this Andrew Garfield fella in? Does the movie give Alexandra Shipp's character enough time? Does real life stop for tragedy? We answer all these questions and more in our "See It or Skip It" review of Uncharted and then we tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Episode 113 - The Departed (with BFF of the BFE: Hermes)

We don't want to be a product of our environment. We want our environment to be a product of us. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Ethan and Georgia (Liam's undercover) as we're heading to Frank Costello's side of the tracks in The Departed. brought to us by BFF of the BFE, Hermes. We're shipping up to Boston in our 113th episode as we discuss:

• What a great cast this is and how Jack was the 2nd choice for Frank Costello
• Which Hollywood A-Lister procured the production rights for this film and then passed on acting in it to do a different picture.
• We admit this is hypermasculine. Is it toxically masculine though?
• We have results on polls that discuss Disco and if Ethan was right that Lethal Weapon was worse than Murder on the Orient Express
• Georgia tries to articulate what exactly her face blindness is
• We discuss the many creative contributions of Jack Nicholson to the role
• We're joined by Hermes who shares his thoughts on the film, the movie industry at large, and Canadian Mist
• Ian and Hermes share their backstories with The Departed
• Hermes flexes his knowledge of the BFE by making some deep cuts
• Whether or not The Departed is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ensign Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen 
• Katie McRae
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• The Yeetmeister

Catch more from Hermes in his pod "The Scuttlebutt Podcast" at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-scuttlebutt-podcast/id1503504933

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  4:55 - Shoutouts
  14:15 - Deep Dive
  1:11:10 - We're joined by Hermes
  1:47:25 - Endgame

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 14) - The Doctor’s Wife

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "geronimo!"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022.

This week Ethan and Ian are finally back after being trapped in a bubble universe to cover the Series 6 Episode 4 episode “The Doctor’s Wife” as they discuss: The beauty of what a single episode can do Compliment Suranne Jones in her performance as Sexy Ethan and Ian have some Michael and Martin Sheen confusion Ethan gets in a mood about the Ood

Fun Sized Films - Designated Rider (with creators Ilana Gordon & Jaime Lyn Beatty)

We're back with our fun siziest concept here at the BFE. We're reviewing short films as we bring you 'Fun Sized Films'.  This week we bring you Ilana Gordon & Jaime Lyn Beatty's short, "Designated Rider" (available on YouTube).  

We're also beyond fortunate to welcome the film's creators Ilana Gordon & Jaime Lyn Beatty on in the 2nd half to discuss how they made the film, the impact of Covid on the exhibition of the film, and how they see the film looking back at it.

https://youtu.be/GBn5mc5z-d4

Not only do we review the film but we compare the film at the end to a chocolate bar that captures the same essence. Do you agree with our review?  Do you agree with our chocolate bars?  Let us know on Twitter @bestfilmeverpod

Episode 112 - Lethal Weapon

Over one hundred episodes in and we're not too old for anything, especially not THE 1980s buddy cop archetype in Lethal Weapon.  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan, and Georiga as we're heading to Los Angeles in search of a roof to jump off.  We're noticing Christmas trees everywhere in our 112th episode as we discuss:

• Whether Lethal Weapon is a Christmas movie
• Some of the literal stunt work that was done in this
• We discuss when a murder isn't really a murder
• Liam shares stories of a mis-spent youth
• Ethan shares a brave story
• The trifecta of beverages that were Canadian Mist, Clearly Canadian, and Orbitz
• How important is intent alone when discussing a crime
• We discuss the difference between UK & US fire hydrants
• Liam's not allowed honourable mentions ever again
• We find out who the Fledgling Fandom thought had the best Batman voice
• We share how you can be involved in our 2nd birthday celebration
• Whether or not Lethal Weapon is the Best Film Ever

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes from The Scuttlebutt Podcast
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ensign Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen
• Katie McRae
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• The Yeetmeister 

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

0:00 - Opening Banter
16:00 - Shoutouts
32:10 - Deep Dive
2:08:25 - Endgame

See It Or Skip It? - The Batman

FIRST 27:25 are a spoiler-free review with our See It/Skip It verdict

AFTER 27:25 it's a full spoiler review

This week we're headed to Gotham City for the 3rd time in a week with The Batman. Ian and Georgia are chatting all things caped crusader as we make our way through the following questions: How does face blindness match with star appeal in a film? Should this film have been titled "The Bat and the Cat"? Did anyone recognise Colin Farrell in this miovie? Did Michael Giacchino rip off John Williams? We answer all these questions and more in our "See It or Skip It" review of Uncharted and then we tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

WatchAlong #4 - Batman & Robin

What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age.  What killed the original Batman Franchise? George Clooney. Come join us as the BFE tackles one of the worst scripts committed to film in "Batman & Robin"  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian and Georgia - and push play in unison with us on your own DVD, Blu-Ray or streaming service and listen to us discuss a film that runs out of ice puns halfway through but still just enters the words 'ice', 'freeze' and 'chill' throughout the film without reason as we discuss:

• How good Uma Thurman and Arnold Scharzenegger are despite the terrible script
• Whatever happened to Chris O'Donnell
• Why is there a street race in the middle of this film?
• Why doesn't Clooney try to change his voice as Batman?
• Kenneth Branagh called and said to ease it with the dutch angles

Ep 111 - Batman

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? Before we rush out to check out Robert Pattinson in The Batman we're going to party like it's 1989 with Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger in the original, Batman. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan, and Georiga as we're heading to Gotham in a Batmobile without any doors.  We're definitely not sharing dart scores in our 111th episode as we discuss:

• The list of other actors linked to the titular role and the fallout from Michael Keaton's casting
• How the Gotham skyline was created 
• Where Tim Burton met soundtrack star, Prince
• Georgia weighs this film against her hatred for "The Dark Knight"
• Liam shares his favourite Kim Basinger film - it's along the lines you're probably thinking
• Which actor got screwed by Warner Brothers for the first time on a Batman film by being used as leverage for Jack Nicholson
• Speaking of which, what weird quirk did Nicholson have about this film and why did he love it so much?
• Who's the best option here?
• We reveal what the next in our Reel Roundtable is going to be on
• We share how you can be involved in our 2nd birthday celebration
• Whether or not Batman is the Best Film Ever

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes from The Scuttlebutt Podcast
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ensign Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen
• Katie McRae
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• The Yeetmeister 

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

0:00 - Opening Banter
15:30 - Shoutouts
26:10 - Deep Dive
2:04:10 - Endgame

See It Or Skip It? - Uncharted (feat. BFF of the BFE: Juleen)

FIRST 34:45 are a spoiler-free review with our See It/Skip It verdict

AFTER 34:45 it's a full spoiler review

This week we're bringing you a review of a film brought to you by Papa John's in Playstation Studios' Uncharted and we've got Juleen from It Goes Down in the PM joining Ian as we make our way through the following questions: Do we want a faithful adaptation of the video game or does the film need big stars to bring in the casuals?  What's the deal with putting cheese in your coffee?  Did Magellan's sailors stop and help build Barcelona from the ground up?  As much as we enjoy National Treasure, was this what we really wanted from this film? We answer all these questions and more in our "See It or Skip It" review of Uncharted and then we tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

 

You can find more with Juleen on her podcast, It Goes Down in the PM at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/it-goes-down-in-the-pm/id1533055739

You can also find Juleen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChRCGiE6vcWjlVKN7WMc0nw

 

 

Reel Roundtable #21 - Top Films Under 100 Minutes

Grab the popcorn and the big soda, we'll be out of this one before anyone has to go to the bathroom. The BFE brings another bonus episode as we bring you another Reel Roundtable discussion for your listening enjoyment.  Ethan, Georgia, and Ian are here to discuss which movies have the most out of the least by being great watches in only double digits.  Comments, banter, and an appreciation for bannermen can be found as we discuss:

• Do we consider excessive run times value for money when we go to the cinema
• What genres naturally lend themselves well to shorter runtimes
• Ethan tries to defend The Blair Witch Project
• We're fighting power outages during the episode
• Georgia might want to add number blindness to her list of shortcomings
• We reveal the Audience Top Ten and the BFE (including our Patrons) Top Ten

If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you.  Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

Episode 110 - Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

A priest, a rabbi and an iman are all suspects at the wailing wall...  Before there was Death on the Nile there was a Murder on the Orient Express. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Ethan (Georgia might be locked in her bunk) as we're departing from Istanbul all aboard the Orient Express.  We're dodging power cuts in our 110th episode as we discuss:

• How we simultaneously love once actor/actress' performance for half the film and hate their performance for the other half
• The terrible CGI and studio interference in manufacturing interesting events every 20 minutes
• Which actor/actress was dressed down by director Kenneth Brannagh in front of the whole crew?
• Georgia actually is much better with her face blindness this time although a few still get by her
• There's a call line for Michelle Pfeiffer you have to hear to believe
  We question Olaf's morality just a little bit
• Which technical element did we struggle between determining if it was amazing or just self-indulgent
• How did Branagh manage to convince his co-stars to let him focus on himself so much on the screen
• Ethan continues to struggle with some pod responsibilities on fact check corner
• Whether or not Murder on the Orient Express is the Best Film Ever

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes from The Scuttlebutt Podcast
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ensign Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen
• Katie McRae
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• The Yeetmeister 

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

0:00 - Opening Banter
20:27 - Shoutouts
31:52 - Deep Dive
2:04:10 - Endgame

BFE Quiz Night VI - Return of the Quiz Night

It's episode 6 of Quiz Nights under the BFE banner, as we assemble for the season of love with BFE Quiz Night 6: Return of the Quiz Night.  Quizmaster Ian is joined by defending champion Danny Two Belts from It's A Musical Podcast as he tries to defend his title against Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM, Hermes from The Scuttlebutt Podcast, Carlo from The Movie Loot, and the enigma only known as The Yeetmeister. Join us for 5 rounds of quizzing fun on all films romantic.  This month's categories are:

• Casting Calls: We give 3 actors, you tell us which film it is
• Date Night: We give you the dates they went on in the film, you tell us which film they're from
• Taglines: We give you the movie tagline, you try and identify the movie
• It's Our Song: Can you link the iconic song to the film it came from
• The Eliminator - Kind to many, savage to some, the game is never over with THE ELIMINATOR still to come

If you want to join us on a future quiz night, please get a hold of us on our Twitter account (@bestfilmeverpod) and let us know that you'd like to be on our waiting list.

Episode 109 - The Prestige

Are you listening closely?

Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Ethan (We made Georgia disappear in the Turn) as we're heading to London and Colorado Springs in the industrial era magic rivalry, The Prestige, brought to us by Ethan.  We're saying abracadabra in our 109th episode as we discuss:

• The labour of love that the script for this film was
• We discuss our general feelings towards Christopher Nolan
• We decide to review while avoiding the big idea of the film until the end
• Which actor claimed they changed their voice and posture in order to play this part
• What are our own histories with magic?
• A member of the panel reflects the pod has changed the way they emotionally engage with films these days
• Which piece of stunt casting may have felt surprisingly underwhelming
• We're interrupted by a little bit of a tease for future content
• Whether or not The Prestige is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ensign Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen 
• Katie McRae
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• The Yeetmeister

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  15:50 - Shoutouts
  21:45 - Deep Dive
  2:04:10 - Endgame

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 13) - The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "geronimo!"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022.

This week Ethan and Ian are dealing with a packed episode as Ethan gives a brief review on his experience at Doctor Who Time Fracture before Team Tardis cover the Series 5 two-part finale “The Pandorica Opens” and “The Big Bang” as they discuss: Our first episode with River Song The culmination of all of Series 5 Ian rants about Plastic Man Rory Ethan reveals an unfortunate reason for Moffat naming an episode

Episode 108 - Django Unchained (with Juleen)

Where is our beautiful episode? Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan and Georgia as we're heading to Quentin Tarantino's Pre-Civil War American South in Django Unchained brought to us by BFF of the BFE, (D)JULEEN . We're positive (that means we're sure) that a good time is to be had in our 108th episode as we discuss:

• The many different films and characters that Georgia was reminded of in this film
• We discuss our general feelings towards Quentin Tarantino
• What is the appeal of a revisionist history film?
• Which actor turned down the role of Django and which one wanted it so badly that it still haunts him
• What precisely makes someone a Cambridge student?
• Who was originally supposed to be Indiana Jones?
• We're joined by Juleen who defends her rating of 1 for Crimson Tide
• Whether or not Django Unchained is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ensign Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen 
• Katie McRae
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• The Yeetmeister

Catch more from Juleen in her pod "It Goes Down In The PM" at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/it-goes-down-in-the-pm/id1533055739 

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  9:58 - Shoutouts
  22:00 - Deep Dive
  1:48:30 - We're joined by Juleen
  2:23:15 - Endgame

Cleared For Takeoff? - How I Met Your Father

Your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew continue to try their hands at a little TV Pilot Analysis with the spiritual sister to the popular sitcom in How I Met Your Mother, with How I Met Your Father. Ian and Georgia are both learning the route as the show was less than 9 days old at time of recording.  We're trying to charge our phones this episode as we discuss:

• Our feelings towards How I Met Your Mother and if this series can stand on its own feet
• The adaptation of an all-time classic tv theme tune and if it holds its own
• How the series pulls a reverse Bob Saget by heavily featuring Kim Cattrell on screen
• If this show is missing a Barney-type character
• If Sophie is asking for trouble 
• Ian loves that there's a character named after him until he ends up being rather inconsiderate
• Ian and Georgia both give their first impressions of the series, having never seen it before
• Would we ground the How I Met Your Father pilot or is it Cleared for Takeoff?

Episode 107 - Crimson Tide

We're here to preserve democracy, not to practice it.  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Georgia as we're heading to the North China sea, prepared to set off some nukes in Ian's pick, Crimson Tide. We're contemplating who really is the enemy in our 107th episode as we discuss:

• Lots of Poetry this week and not from Duane Smith
• We give some explanation regarding Ethan's absence
• Ian shows off his knowledge of time zones
• Georgia and Liam play their own go at Washington and Hackman
• Ian shares a guilty moment where he was a bad guest
• Ian provides some backup on the Cuban trading embargo
• How should we be pronouncing Ryan Phillipe's name?
• Why do Americans pronounce 'buoy' the way Jeff Probst does?
• Whether or not Crimson Tide is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen 
• Katie McRae
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Katie McRae

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  12:30 - Shoutouts
  22:53 - Deep Dive
  2:12:25 - Endgame

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 12) - Vincent and the Doctor

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "geronimo!"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week Ethan and Ian are travelling to the Musè Dorsè to cover the Series 5 episode “Vincent and the Doctor” as they discuss: Richard Curtis’ history with Doctor Who, how a sci-fi show can be educational, the cruel fate of Rory Williams and just how perfect this VanGogh is.

 

 

Fun Sized Films - Septem

We're back with our newest concept here at the BFE. We're reviewing short films as we bring you 'Fun Sized Films'.  This week we bring you Sammy Paul & Hazel Hayes 2015 short, "Septem" (available on YouTube).  

https://youtu.be/4NY-VaemQ7Y

Not only do we review the film but we compare the film at the end to a chocolate bar that captures the same essence. Do you agree with our review?  Do you agree with our chocolate bars?  Let us know on Twitter @bestfilmeverpod

Episode 106 - Chariots of Fire (with our BFF: Reverend Bruce)

It's time to go for a run on the beach - we're just checking our calendars to ensure its not the sabbath.  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Ethan and Georgia as we're joined by REVEREND BRUCE (Hallelujah!) and review Bruce's pick of Chariots of Fire. We're hoping to feel God's pleasure in our 106th episode as we discuss:

• Our own skills at running and why Britain is so obsessed with foot speed
• Why we seem to follow 2.5 runners
• We briefly discuss Meat Loaf
• We talk if the world can still deal with a film that's overwhelmingly Christian in its message
• We find some of Britain's tv and film royalty who have bit roles in this before their rise to fame
• Who was the first pirater of music?
• We spend over an hour with Reverend Bruce and discuss a plethora of topics.  This is one you don't want to miss
• Whether or not Chariots of Fire is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen 
• Randal Silva
• Katie McRae

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  14:50 - Shoutouts
  27:00 - Deep Dive
  1:32:20 - We're joined by Reverend Bruce
  2:05:50 - Endgame

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 11) - The Eleventh Hour

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "geronimo!"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week Ethan and Ian are back after an ironic time rupture to say hello to a new Doctor, companion, show runner and more as they cover the Series 5 opener “The Eleventh Hour” as they discuss: the massive boots Matt Smith has to fill, how a crack created an interesting story hook and whether the new titles are a downgrade or not

Reel Roundtable #20 - The Resties (2021)

Happy New Year!  Another bonus episode for your listening enjoyment as we bring you another Reel Roundtable discussion.  Ethan, Georgia, Ian, and Liam look back on the films they've reviewed in 2021

Ethan Georgia, Ian, and Liam look back on the films they've reviewed in 2021 and have some less prestigious awards to hand out this week in the form of The Resties.  We all try to stay friends as we debate the worst that we saw in the year that was.  Just because the films are rated highly doesn't mean they're everyone's cup of tea.  (A full list of award categories and eligible films are located at the bottom of these notes)

Plus, there's a plethora of BFE bloopers from 2021 as we point out some of our own 'Worst of' moments from the past calendar year. 

If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you.  Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

This year we're thrilled to have ballots from four of our patrons (Rev. Bruce, Juleen, Chris Pedersen and Ensign Ian) to help determine the winners.

If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you.  Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

• Worst Screenplay
• Worst Special Effects
• Worst Score
• Worst Song
• Worst Musical
• Worst Costume Design
• Worst Set Design
• Worst Villain
• Worst Plothole
• Worst Cinematography
• Worst Duo
• Most Unlikeable (of a character we’re supposed to like)
• Worst Child
• Worst Context Corner
• Worst First Watch
• Worst Fall From Grace
• Worst Doctor Who Episode
• Worst Marvel Series
• Most Unnecessarily Sexualised Moment
• Worst Aged Moment
• Most Overhyped
• Second Opinion (Down)
• Biggest BFE Blunder
• Worst Supporting Actor
• Worst Supporting Actress
• Biggest Therapy Session
• Worst Actor
• Worst Actress
• Worst Film

Eligible Films:

• Wonder Woman
• Angels With Dirty Faces
• Catch Me If You Can
• Almost Famous
• Groundhog Day
• Jurassic Park
• 10 Things I Hate About You
• Wall-E
• Trainspotting
• Knives Out
• Silence of the Lambs
• Fargo
• Back To The Future Part II
• Coming To America
• Paddington
• Fighting With My Family
• Titanic
• Parasite
• Howl's Moving Castle
• The Empire Strikes Back
• Twister
• Shrek
• Mission Impossible
• Citizen Kane
• The Rock
• Mank
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Grease
• Terminator II: Judgment Day
• Independence Day
• Point Break
• To Sir, With Love
• Northwood Pie
• The Notebook
• Monty Python & The Holy Grail
• Steel Magnolias
• Before Sunrise
• Kingsman: The Secret Service
• LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring
• Four Weddings & A Funeral
• Forrest Gump
• Heat
• Casino Royale
• Mean Girls
• That Thing You Do
• Cool Hand Luke
• Beetlejuice
• Romeo + Juliet
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Little Miss Sunshine
• Beauty & The Beast (1991)
• Ocean's Eleven
• Jerry Maguire
• The Matrix
• Love Actually
• Die Hard

Episode 105 - Encanto

We're going to talk about Encanto this week but is it possible to do that without talking about Bruno? Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan and Georgia as we review Georgia's pick and our newest film we've ever reviewed. We're waiting for our gift in our 105th episode as we discuss:

• The future and economics of cinema
• Are we ready to go back in mass crowds
• We share a bit about Bob Saget
• Ian gushes about Pop Tarts
• We question what exactly is magically alive in this film and what isn't
• Somehow we link this film to Extreme Makeover
• Why is the house such a jerk in this film?  Why is the family?
• Who gets forgiven FAR too easily in this film
• Does this film borrow from a lot of other films?  Is it too much?
• Does this movie get the ending wrong?
• Why do we cry at movies? We analyse the possibilities
• Whether or not Encanto is the Best Film Ever
• We also find out Reverend Bruce's pick for next week as he prepares to join us for The Endgame

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Andrew Olszewski
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen 
• Randal Silva

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  11:10 - Shoutouts
  28:30 - Deep Dive
  1:35:45 - Endgame

Reel Roundtable #19 - The Besties (2021)

Happy New Year!  Another bonus episode for your listening enjoyment as we bring you another Reel Roundtable discussion.  Ethan, Georgia, Ian, and Liam look back on the films they've reviewed in 2021 and have some awards to hand out in the form of The Besties.  Comments, banter, and flat out arguments can be found as we debate the best that we saw in 2021 (A full list of award categories and eligible films are located at the bottom of these notes)

This year we're thrilled to have ballots from three of our patrons (Rev. Bruce, Juleen, and Ensign Ian) to help determine the winners.

If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you.  Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

• Best Script
• Best Special Effects
• Best Costume Design
• Best Set Design
• Best Cinematography
• Best Context Corner Highlight
• Best Duo
• Best Villain
• Best Plot Twist (no spoilers)
• Best Animated Film
• Best Musical
• Best Score
• Best Song
• Best Soundtrack
• Best Doctor Who Episode
• Best Marvel Original Series
• Best Tearjerker
• Funniest Movie
• Best BFE Moment
• Best Representation of Women
• Nicole Kidman Memorial Award
• Ryan Reynolds Memorial Award
• Episode of the Year
• Best First Watch
• Most Improved Viewing Experience
• Best Supporting Actor
• Best Supporting Actress
• Best Child Actor
• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Film

 

Eligible Films:

• Wonder Woman
• Angels With Dirty Faces
• Catch Me If You Can
• Almost Famous
• Groundhog Day
• Jurassic Park
• 10 Things I Hate About You
• Wall-E
• Trainspotting
• Knives Out
• Silence of the Lambs
• Fargo
• Back To The Future Part II
• Coming To America
• Paddington
• Fighting With My Family
• Titanic
• Parasite
• Howl's Moving Castle
• The Empire Strikes Back
• Twister
• Shrek
• Mission Impossible
• Citizen Kane
• The Rock
• Mank
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Grease
• Terminator II: Judgment Day
• Independence Day
• Point Break
• To Sir, With Love
• Northwood Pie
• The Notebook
• Monty Python & The Holy Grail
• Steel Magnolias
• Before Sunrise
• Kingsman: The Secret Service
• LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring
• Four Weddings & A Funeral
• Forrest Gump
• Heat
• Casino Royale
• Mean Girls
• That Thing You Do
• Cool Hand Luke
• Beetlejuice
• Romeo + Juliet
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Little Miss Sunshine
• Beauty & The Beast (1991)
• Ocean's Eleven
• Jerry Maguire
• The Matrix
• Love Actually
• Die Hard

Episode 104 - Rebel Without A Cause

We're leaving the Peanut Butter behind and headed to the Chickie-Run this week. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan and Georgia as we review Liam's pick in 1955's Rebel Without A Cause. We're contemplating the end of the universe in our 104th episode as we discuss

• Sidney Poitier & Betty White
• The differences between growing up in the 90s vs now
• How many other films borrowed from the legacy of this one
• Whether Nicholas Ray gave James Dean too much leeway
• Why we Mandela effected a leather jacket onto James Dean
• Some of the behind-the-scenes romances in play
• Some structural issues with the film's composition
• Why no-one cares about Buzz
• We reach out to some American listeners for support
• Whether or not Rebel Without A Cause is the Best Film Ever

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Andrew Olszewski
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen 
• Randal Silva

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  11:25 - Shoutouts
  22:05 - Deep Dive
  1:43:30 - Endgame

WatchAlong #3 - The Proposal

Come join us as the BFE honours the life of Betty White with a Watch-Along of what was arguably her biggest film of the modern era in the romantic comedy "The Proposal"  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian and Georgia - and push play in unison with us on your own DVD, Blu-Ray or streaming service and listen to us discuss a RomCom that is far better than it has any right to be. Ian's seen it before but Georgia hasn't. Join us as we discuss:

• At what point does Ryan Reynolds become "Ryan Reynolds" in his career
• We totally miss CM Punk's "Cult of Personality" on the soundtrack somewhere
• Which member of The Office popped us throughout
• Which Betty White line cut a little too close to the bone for us in this film
• Why is the cinematography in this film so good
• Which parts of this film have aged terribly and which parts had as laughing out loud legitimately

Episode 103 - Fantastic Mr. Fox

We've got more hits this month than a game of Whack-Bat. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian and Georgia - Liam and Ethan are hiding out in the sewers as we review Andrew O's reward for being first in the Patreon Pool in Fantastic Mr. Fox. We're avoiding Chinese food in our 103rd episode as we discuss:

• Our respective New Year's resolutions
• Who almost played the part of Felicity Fox
• What made the voice recording in this film different from most others
• The sheer volume of photographs needed to be taken for a stop motion picture
• Ian plays 'guess which Wes Anderson friend plays which part'
• We unpack the deeper meanings present in the film
• Georgia and Ian debate whether this is a film made for children or not
• The origin text for this film
• Ethan leaves notes and rants about the tropes that always seem to appear in a Wes Anderson film
• Whether or not Fantastic Mr Fox is the Best Film Ever

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their support:

• Rev Bruce
• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Andrew Olszewski
• Lina Oberholzer
• Ian Davies
• Chris Pedersen 
• Randal Silva

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  15:16 - Shoutouts
  33:25 - Deep Dive
  1:38:20 - Endgame

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 10) - The End of Time

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "allons-y"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week Ethan and Ian bring in the new year by giving their final allons-y to David Tennant as they cover the Tenth Doctor’s regeneration in “The End of Time Part 1 & 2” as they discuss Tennant and RTD’s tenure on the show, praise the talent of Bernard Cribbins and contemplate what makes this episode the epic it is regaled as.

The Cinematic Council of Podcasts - Looking Ahead to 2022

It's time to call the council to assemble.  Join some of the very best in independent film podcasting as we look ahead to the year ahead with a cursory glance back at 2021.  We discuss a variety of topics in our fellowship of the film. Sitting around the table this month include Kevin from "The Podcast That Wouldn't Die", Ed from "The Film Effect Podcast", Agent Scott from "Spyhards", Carlo from "The Movie Loot", and Danny from "It's A Musical Podcast." Topics this month include: 

• The impact of Covid in our regions and how safe we feel at the cinema
• Whether the success of Spider-Man signifies that cinema is back to normal or if its just an outlier
• If any of us are getting Marvel fatigue due to the oversaturation of the market
• Will J.K. Rowling's controversial opinions spell doom for the Fantastic Beasts franchise
• What will be the more successful film:  "Thor: Love & Thunder" or "Black Panther II: Wakanda Forever"
• We make our predictions for the box office champ of 2022
• Our New Year's Wishes for cinema in 2022

 

Find more of Kevin & The Podcast That Wouldn't Die at https://linktr.ee/TPodcastTWDie

Hear more from Ed & The Film Effect Podcast at https://www.podpage.com/the-film-effect-podcast/

Catch Agent Scott & Spyhards at https://linktr.ee/SpyHards

Listen to Carlo & The Movie Loot at https://tmml.buzzsprout.com/

Tune your ears to Danny & It's a Musical Podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/it-s-a-musical-podcast/id1513922608

HawkGuys (Ep 6) - So This Is Christmas?

Ready your bow and refill your quiver for the final time as the Best Film Ever team come round the table this Christmas to discuss Episode 6 the final episode of Disney+’s “Hawkeye”, “So This is Christmas”. HawkGuys is designed as a companion podcast for the casual fan (but not hardcore comic spoiler types). Join Ethan and Ian as they wrap this entire series up, go over Ian’s first impressions of the Kingpin, the results are in for a Kraft Dinner/Mac and Cheese debate and reflect on the MCU shows of 2021

Reel Roundtable #18 - Best Movie Musicals (w/ Danny & Drew from It’s A Musical Podast)

Overture! Cut the lights. This is it, the night of nights. No more rehearsing or nursing a part, you know every part by heart - well some of us.  The BFE brings another bonus episode as we bring you another Reel Roundtable discussion for your listening enjoyment.  Ethan, Georgia, Ian and Liam are in the back row and led by our visiting leads, Danny and Drew from "It's A Musical Podcast"  We discuss the best of musical films, from the classics of Hollywood's golden age to the Julie Andrews era in the 60s right up to the present-day release of West Side Story.  Comments, banter, and an appreciation for bannermen can be found as we discuss:

• Our own personal history in musicals
• If musicals are bankable today
• Can a film reference other films in reverence or is it always a rip off?
• What made us have to push record a 2nd time?
• We get into a debate whether Mary Poppins is an animated film
• A couple of modern favourites get some hate from Drew

Catch Danny & Drew every week on It's A Musical Podcast. Available here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/it-s-a-musical-podcast/id1513922608

If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you.  Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

Episode 102 - Die Hard (and BFE Xmas Party)

Yipee-Kai-Yay and Merry Christmas. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Georgia (Ethan is watching 60 Minutes) as we review the most contentious Christmas movie ever in Die Hard.  We're Moonlighting with a 2nd full review in 4 days as we look at the film that made Bruce Willis a movie star.  We're walking on broken glass in our 102nd episode as we discuss:

• The laundry list of names that turned down the role of John McLane and what surprising name had contractual first right of refusal
• Some of the television dubs for the trademark Yippee-Kai-Yay line to avoid profanity
• Why did the security guard even bother making John look up who he was there to visit
• Are there one too many idiot supervisors as obstacles on the police force
• We discuss some Christmas traditions
• We hear from several friends of the podcast wishing the BFE and its listenership the best of holiday seasons
• Whether or not Die Hard is the Best Film Ever

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  8:00 - Deep Dive
  1:30:00 - Endgame

HawkGuys (Ep 5) - Ronin

Ready your bow and refill your quiver as the Best Film Ever team come round the table this Christmas to discuss Episode 5 of Disney+’s “Hawkeye”, “Ronin”. Hawkguys is designed as a companion podcast for the casual fan (but not hardcore comic spoiler types). Join Ethan and Ian as they discuss if this is a filler episode, a heated debate on box Mac and cheese, Ethan gives Ian a quick recap on Kingpin

Episode 101 - Love Actually

What could be worse than the total agony of being in love? Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan, and Georgia as we review what Working Title told us was The Ultimate Romantic Comedy in Love Actually. We're going to give this film our absolute truth because at Christmas you tell the truth.  Love actually is all around in our 101st episode as we discuss:

• The mash-up that inspired this story
• Some of the personal circumstances that inspired one actor's performance in the film
• Which two actors/actresses are only 1 day apart in age
• Which actors from this film are second cousins
• What is the genius of the comedy in this film
• Who is eating all the garlic that Jamie is bringing home
• What's with all the fat shaming in this movie
• We get into a debate about Mark's ethics in this film
• Whether or not Love Actually is the Best Film Ever

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  9:58 - Shoutouts
  18:00 - Deep Dive
  2:07:40 - Endgame

See It Or Skip It? - Spider-Man: No Way Home

FIRST 28:15 are a spoiler-free review with our See It/Skip It verdict

AFTER 28:15 it's a full spoiler review

It's an edition of See It Or Skip It 19 years in the making. because this time we're talking aout the pop-culture event that is Spider-Man: No Way Home.  Join Ethan, Georgia, Ian, and Liam as we make our way through the following questions: Was this a good film or just a collection of fan-service and easter eggs?  Do you have to have seen all the Spider-Men films to appreciate the returning villains?  Is there anything fun beyond the nostalgia and callbacks in this thing to cling onto?  Has Spider-Man figured out its post-Tony Stark surrogate dad problem for Peter Parker? We answer all these questions and more in our "See It or Skip It" review of Spider-Man: No Way Home and then we tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

BFE Quiz Night V - Our Nightmare Before Christmas

We're now up to a quuintolgy of quizdom under the BFE banner, as we assemble for the Festive Season with BFE Quiz Night 5: Our Nightmare Before Christmas.  Ian is joined by defending champion Kevin from The Podcast That Wouldn't Die as he tries to defend his title against Stew from SWO Productions, Ed from The Film Effect Podcast, Griff from the Paul & Griff Show, and former champion, Danny from It's A Musical Podcast. Join us for 5 rounds of quizzing fun on:

• Casting Calls: We give 3 actors, you tell us which film it is
• Christmas Shopping: We give you the gift they wanted, you say what film it's from.
• Who's That Santa: We give you the film, you tell us who played Santa in it
• Christmas Pot Pourri: Any sort of Christmassy quizzing goodness could show up here.
• The Eliminator - Kind to many, savage to some, the game is never over with THE ELIMINATOR still to come

If you want to join us on a future quiz night, please get a hold of us on our Twitter account (@bestfilmeverpod) and let us know that you'd like to be on our waiting list.

 

 

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 9) - The Waters of Mars

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "allons-y"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week Ethan and Ian are about to change time as they cover the second special of 2009 “The Waters of Mars” as they discuss: the villain that is water, one of the Doctor's single-episode companions and the culmination of the Time Lord Victorious.

BFE Mail Bag 4 - Do We Know It‘s Christmas?

We're back with another round of our Mail Call episode.  Russell the Postie has dropped off a special delivery just in time for Christmas and Ethan's working the mail room to deliver the questions from the Fledgling Fandom to your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting team.  Hear Ian, Georgia, Liam, and Ethan answer some of your questions in our 3rd edition.  Key questions this time include:

• What foods do we associate with Christmas, based on our respective homelands?
• At what age did we learn 'the truth about Christmas?'
• What do we have planned to buy for our pets for Christmas?
• What movie props would we want to have?
• What are the best (and worst) gifts we've received?
• Do teachers hang onto the gifts that students give them?
• What films are we looking forward to reviewing in the future?

If you have a question for the next time the mailbag is open.  Catch us on Twitter at @bestfilmeverpod and use the hashtag #AskBFE or #BFEMailCalld

Episode 100 - The Matrix

Is it the Red Pill or the Blue Pill? Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan, and Georgia as we review the DVD classic that had us all convinced that we might just be a Duracell battery in The Matrix.  There is no spoon in our 100th episode as we discuss:

• The inspiration for this story
• The personal journeys by the Wachowskis in the years since this film
• Where was the film shot, why was that the case, and what's the one dead giveaway?
• What is real and how do we ever know?
• Ian rants about weddings for a bit
• Georgia just can't get past that the Matrix shouldn't work
• We count down our top 100 films
• We have a special musical performance by Ethan and Georgia
• Whether or not The Matrix is the Best Film Ever

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  6:38 - Shoutouts
  24:00 - Deep Dive
  2:20:00 - Endgame

HawkGuys (Ep 4) - Partners, Am I Right?

Ready your bow and refill your quiver as the Best Film Ever team come round the table this Christmas to discuss Episode 4 of Disney+’s “Hawkeye”, “Partners, Am I Right?”. Hawkguys is designed as a companion podcast for the casual fan (but not hardcore comic spoiler types). Join Ethan, Ian and Georgia as they discuss Spider-Man booking issues, is Clint and Kate’s dynamic becoming boring?, Who is Pugh? and do we have time for this?

HawkGuys (Ep 3) - Echoes

Ready your bow and refill your quiver as the Best Film Ever team come round the table this Christmas to discuss Episode 3 of Disney+’s “Hawkeye”, “Echoes”. Hawkguys is designed as a companion podcast for the casual fan (but not hardcore comic spoiler types). Join Ethan, Ian and Georgia as they discuss spin-offs of spin-offs, detour for some pizza talk, is Maya’s uncle over the hill?

Watch Along 02 - Father Christmas Is Back (Fixed Audio)

THE GREMLINS HAVE BEEN DEFEATED WITH THIS RE-UPLOAD.  THANKS RUSSELL & HULK HOGAN.

Come join us as the BFE tries to get in the Christmas Spirt with a Watch-Along of the Netflix Original Film, "Father Christmas Is Back."  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian and Georgia - and push play in unison with us on your own Netflix and listen to us extol the virtues (there aren't very many), and slam the criticisms.  Join us as we discuss:

• The legacy of Kelsey Grammar and if he's actually good in it
• Ian ages during the viewing as he realises where he knows a couple of the actors from
• We discuss the tradition of the British nativity play
• How big does a manor have to be
• Georgia namedrops a film she wished she'd watched instead
• What were our feelings on John Cleese and his performance in this

Episode 99 - Jerry Maguire

Are we all heart or no heart? Is it 'you complete me' or 'show me the money?' Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Ethan - Georgia's on a scouting trip - as we review the redemption story of sports' number one agent in Jerry Maguire.  You had us at hello in our 99th episode as we discuss:

• The inspiration for this story
• Two guys named Woody who were considered for the titular role
• We wax poetic big time over the entire cast in this one
• How much of this film became soundbytes in the mainstream consciousness
• Why Rod Tidwell should never have been going through a contract dispute
• We discuss the worst British accents ever put on screen
• Liam has some fond words about Kelly Preston
• Ethan has some fond words about Regina King
• We reveal what will be our 100th full review
• Whether or not Jerry Maguire is the Best Film Ever

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  17:55 - Shoutouts
  32:30 - Deep Dive
  1:52:45 - Endgame

HawkGuys (Ep 2) - Hide and Seek

Ready your bow and refill your quiver as the Best Film Ever team come round the table this Christmas to discuss Episode 2 of Disney+’s “Hawkeye”, “Hide and Seek”. Hawkguys is designed as a companion podcast for the casual fan (but not hardcore comic spoiler types). Join Ethan, Ian and Georgia as they discuss the youth of the MCU, LARPing while a superhero, a weird knowledge of Olympics Controversies and talk a little bit about Hawkeye

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 9) - The Stolen Earth/Journey‘s End

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "allons-y" 

Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022.

This week Ethan and Ian are stranded as the Earth has vanished as they discuss the Series 4 finale two parter “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End” as we discuss: Does this finale get too namey-wamey? What do we think about the three quickly resolved cliffhangers? Bugbears of Sarah Jane and her sonic lipstick Can Ethan get Ian to love Donna or is he bovvered?

See It Or Skip It? - Ghostbusters: Afterlife

FIRST 25:00 are a spoiler-free review with our See It/Skip It verdict

AFTER 25:00 it's a full spoiler review

It's a nostalgia fuelled edition of See It Or Skip It and this time we're talking about the latest reboot/sequel (don't talk about 2016), in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.  Liam and Ian are kicking it old-school to discuss a new-school approach to an 80s classic. Was this a good film?  Should you have to be a fan of the original to access or enjoy the new film?  Is there anything fun beyond the nostalgia and callbacks in this thing to cling onto?  Why is the kid from Stranger Things here?  Would we want another film in the series? We answer all these questions and more in our "See It or Skip It" review of Ghostbusters: Afterlife and then we tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Episode 98 - Ocean‘s Eleven

The house always wins. Play long enough, you never change the stakes. The house takes you. Unless, when that perfect hand comes along, you bet big, then you take the house. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Ethan - Georgia's been flagged by Terry Benedict - as we review a 21st century remake of the classic Rat Pack crime caper.  It's like playing with loaded dice in our 98th episode as we discuss:

• The original choice to play Danny Ocean
• Just how many shrimp Brad Pitt ate while filming one scene in particular
• Why "A Little Less Conversation" was chosen over more typical Elvis Vegas tune, "Viva Las Vegas"
• How much George Clooney paid Julia Roberts to meet her going rate
• Can we overlook the Stockholm Syndrome of the film
• We go through a plethora of plot holes
• Ian tries to explain the appeal of Bernie Mac to a British audience that never saw his sitcom
• Were there any side effects to Lennox Lewis' participation in the film?
• Whether or not Ocean's Eleven is the Best Film Ever

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  9:33 - Shoutouts
  29:50 - Deep Dive
  2:00:00 - Endgame

 

 

HawkGuys (Ep 1) - Never Meet Your Heroes

Ready your bow and refill your quiver as the Best Film Ever team come round the table this Christmas to discuss Episode 1 of Disney+’s “Hawkeye”, “Never Meet Your Heroes”. Hawkguys is designed as a companion podcast for the casual fan (but not hardcore comic spoiler types). Join Ethan, Ian and Georgia as they discuss opinions on Hawkeye the character, Disney’s credit controversy, get off-topic one too many times and celebrate an appearance of friend of the podcast Simon Callow back on our screens.

See It Or Skip It? - Eternals

FIRST 27:50 are a spoiler-free review with our See It/Skip It verdict

AFTER 27:50 it's a full spoiler review

It's another Sunday edition of See It Or Skip It and this time we're talking about Marvel's Eternals.  Liam, Georgia and Ian discuss the latest in Kevin Feige's masterplan. Was this a good film?  Are there too many new characters to keep track of?  Are we ready for a less comedic Marvel film? Are there too many Game of Thrones references in this film? Did Eternals bear a striking resemblance to a popular computer game? How much realism do we want in our superhero films?  We answer all these questions and more in our "See It or Skip It" review of Eternals and then we tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Reel Roundtable #17 - Best War Films

Do you love the smell of napalm in the morning?  How about a glass of milk?  We can offer another bonus episode as we bring you another Reel Roundtable discussion for your listening enjoyment.  Ian and Liam dial back the clock and have a 2 person conversation with Georgia on fact-check corner and Ethan stuck behind enemy lines.  W discuss the best of war films, from life in the trenches to the war at home and everything in between.  Comments, banter, and an appreciation for bannermen can be found as we discuss:

• Just how broad this topic is
• What is the appeal of war films
• Should films about great men at home (Darkest Hour, Imitation Game) be considered eligible
• How do we feel about fictionalised history war films
• Do we need distance between ourselves and a war film?
• We present the audience and BFE Top 10 lists for the best war films ever

If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you.  Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

Episode 97 - Beauty & The Beast (1991)

It's a tale as old as time and a tune as old as song, but what happens when you get both the tale and the tune wrong?  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Georgia - Ethan's stuck in an enchanted wardrobe - as we review the first animated movie to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, Beauty and the Beast as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.  We're hoping to find something there that wasn't there before in our 97th episode as we discuss:

• Just how early it was when Walt Disney wanted to try his hand at Beauty & The Beast
• A member of the BFE makes a link between Rocky & this film that you're going to have to hear to believe
• Do we glamourise Gaston and only remember the version of him from the song, and ignore the rest?
• What trend does this film begin that still occurs to this day
• Can we overlook the Stockholm Syndrome of the film
• We suggest some gruesome alternative endings
• Who exactly is Mrs Potts singing to in Be Our Guest?
• Is there a better first song than 'Belle'?
• There's a great back story about the title song (yes, it is the title song)
• Whether or not Beauty & The Beast is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  12:48 - Shoutouts
  27:25 - Deep Dive
  2:07:00 - Endgame

Who Do You Think You Are (Ep 8) - Voyage of the Damned

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "allons-y"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week we're headed on board the Titanic just in time for Christmas and saying hello to Kylie Minogue's Astrid.  Join us as we discuss:

• The internal logic of a debuting Wilf remembering the past two Christmases
• The number of ways the plan to crash the Titanic could have happened so much easier
• Why did the Titanic commit to early 20th century weaponry
• What's the difference between fraud and space fraud?
• How does an intergalatic time travelling ship get an official exchange of currency?
• We compare Kylie Minogue's Astrid to the other 'shoulda been' companions

BFE Quiz Night 4: A New Hope

We're now up to a quadrology of quizdom under the BFE banner, it's BFE Quiz Night 4: A New Hope.  Ian is joined by defending champion Kevin from The Podcast That Wouldn't Die as he tries to defend his title against Vern from Cinema Recall, Brandon from Namely 90s, Debbie from just down the street and a random member of the BFE crew. Join us for 5 rounds of quizzing fun on:

• Casting Calls: We give 3 actors, you tell us which film it is
• Movie Golf: We give you a film, you say which year it came out. Least combined years off wins the round
• Macguffin' It - We name the MacGuffin from a film and you name that movie
• Here's My Resume: We give you 3 films an actor has been in and you tell us which actor is the common link
• The Eliminator - Kind to some, savage to others, the game is never over with THE ELIMINATOR still to come

If you want to join us on a future quiz night, please get a hold of us on our Twitter account (@bestfilmeverpod) and let us know that you'd like to be on our waiting list.

Episode 96 - Little Miss Sunshine

There's two types of people in this world: winners and losers. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan and Georgia - as we review the most warmest dark comedy you'll ever lay eyes on in the 2006 indie darling, Little Miss Sunshine.  We're somewhere on the road between Albuquerque and Redondo Beach in our 96th episode as we discuss:

• The development hell this film was subjected to and why you couldn't have shot it in Canada, as a studio had previously wanted
• The amazing story of screenwriter Michael Arndt
• Who did the studio have cold feet about initially
• Which member of the cast joined film musicians Devotchka on a future project
• How the film plants seeds 20 minutes in advance and banks on you forgetting them to draw the biggest laughs
• We break bad about a couple of cameo parts
• If anything of us understand the appeal behind child pageants
• We go to some real places and share some stuff
• We discuss the fallout from Nightmare Before Christmas
• Whether or not Little Miss Sunshine is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  10:10 - Shoutouts
  32:05 - Deep Dive
  2:20:07 - Endgame

Episode 95 - The Nightmare Before Christmas

What's This? What's This? There's powder everywhere. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan and Georgia - as we review the most popular film that intersects the Venn Diagram of Christmas and Halloween in The Nightmare Before Christmas.  We're taking 12 photographs a second in this episode as we discuss:

• The sheer amount of work this film was to make
• Why the first screenwriter had to be replaced
• Why Disney switched this to the Touchstone brand
• Why this film is remembered so fondly
• Exactly how long the love story is in this film
• Ian suggests an alternate title for this movie
• Georgia talks more about Jim Cavaziel and his ordeal in The Passion of the Christ
• Who should take the credit for this film? The producer (Burton) or the director (Henry Selick)
• We try and discuss the difference between fate and free will
• Which actor steals a key scene by not saying a word
• We reveal Tier 2 of the BFE Patreon
• Whether or not The Nightmare Before Christmas is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  13:55 - Shoutouts
  25:20 - Deep Dive
  1:24:25 - Endgame

Who Do You Think You Are (Ep 7) - Blink

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "allons-y"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week we're with briefly with Ten and Martha but mainly with Sally Sparrow for the iconic introduction to the Weeping Angels with “Blink” as we discuss:

• Steven Moffat’s original story for the Angels
• Lamenting over the era of DVD extras
• The convolution of a bootstrap paradox
• The quality of a doctor-lite episode
• How badly the series ripped off Martha Jones
• How unfortunate Billy Shipton really was

Cleared For Takeoff - Will & Grace

Your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew continue to try their hands at a little TV Pilot Analysis by playing The $25,000 Pyramid with lifelong friends, Will & Grace.  Ian is in the captain's chair and Georgia's in the jumpseat as she's never seen the show.  We're waiting for a flight in the late 1990s as we discuss:

• The real-life inspiration for the show
• What other programme had the executives at NBC concerned
• We talk about the power of television to bring about positive changes
• Charles Burrows and the legacy he has as a television director
• We ask which show had the better pilot script, Will & Grace or Cheers
• Ian makes some commentary on physical acting - not usually his go-to
• We remark about how much plot they're able to cover in 22 minutes and why that is
• Georgia gives us an update on if she's still watching Cheers or Spin City
• Would we ground the Will & Grace pilot or is it Cleared for Takeoff?

 

 

Episode 94 - Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Never was there a tale of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan and Georgia - as we review arguably the most popular Shakespeare adaptation of all time in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.  We're all applying to be co-writers in our 94th episode as we discuss:

• Our feelings towards Romeo and Juliet as a play
• How easy it is to get a co-writing credit
• How do each of us feel about Luhrmann's hyperreal style of filmmaking
• If this is anyone's favourite Luhrmann film?
• We all lose our minds trying to say the name of a specific actor
• Ian goes mega-English-teacher on this one
• We try and discuss the difference between fate and free will
• Which actor steals a key scene by not saying a word
• Just how far does Georgia's face blindness go
• Ian proposes contextual reasons to justify Lord Capulet's freakout in the 2nd act of the film
• Whether or not Beetlejuice is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  15:00 - Shoutouts
  28:50 - Deep Dive
  2:14:45 - Endgame

Reel Roundtable #16 - Masters of Disguise

Another bonus episode as we bring you another Reel Roundtable discussion for your listening enjoyment.  Ethan, Georgia, Ian, and Liam discuss the films that revolve around the protagonist hiding their true identity from other characters. Comments, banter, and an appreciation of reading, writing, and arithmetic can be found as we discuss:

• Just how broad this topic is
• Why do we enjoy this topic so much
• Whether body swap movies count as being a literal 'disguise'
• What is it about Mrs Doubtfire that rings so true with the populace?
• The disguises that we can't talk about without ruining the film
• What is it about a gender disguise that seems so funny so often
• We present the audience and BFE Top 10 lists for the best back disguise films ever

If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you.  Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

Episode 93 - Beetlejuice

It's Showtime! Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan and Georgia - as we review the winner of the Fledgling Fandom Halloween Episode Poll, the 1988 Tim Burton classic, Beetlejuice.  We're firing up the Harry Bellafonte in our 93rd episode as we discuss:

• Our feelings towards Tim Burton films on the whole
• Some of the darker elements of early drafts and how thankful they didn't get into the final cut
• A theory about who works for the civil service in the afterlife in this film
• Which actor didn't think they were very good in this film (and we agree with them)
• Whether or not people give Danny Elfman enough credit
• How long did it take Georgia to realise that Geena Davis was Dottie from A League of Their Own 
• Ethan continues to reveal that he knows absolutely nothing about geography
• What one of our regular listeners has done to draw the ire of Georgia this week
• We discuss the tragic events of the past week on the set of Alec Baldwin's current film, Rust
• Whether or not Beetlejuice is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  11:55 - Shoutouts
  30:00 - Deep Dive
  39:35 - The Tragic Events of 'Rust'
  1:46:45 - Endgame

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 6) - Army of Ghosts / Doomsday

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "allons-y"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week we're with Ten and Rose for the last time together in the Series 2 finale two parter “Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday” as we discuss:

• Is Jackie Tyler too perverted?
• Russel T Davis’ return to Who
• The toy box dream that is the battle of Canary Wharf
• Billie Piper really did choose to break our hearts with her final performance

Fun Sized Films - High Maintenance

We're back with our newest concept here at the BFE. We're reviewing short films as we bring you 'Fun Sized Films'.  This week we bring you Philip Van's 2006 short, "High Maintenance" (available on YouTube).  

Not only do we review the film but we also review our favourite fun-sized chocolate bars.  Do you agree with our review?  Do you agree with our chocolate bars?  Let us know on Twitter @bestfilmeverpod

Episode 92 - Cool Hand Luke

What we've got here, is failure to communicate. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Ethan - Georgia got put in the box - as we review the 1967 Paul Newman classic, Cool Hand Luke.  We're looking to eat 50 eggs in our 92nd episode as we discuss:

• The original format of the story and how it presented itself here.
• Ethan's got a theory about the chain gang that made Ian and Liam do a literal double-take
• Georgia passes on her thoughts on the film in a 3 minute manifesto that has us rolling in the aisles
• What happens to the brain when you eat too much sushi
• How much Cool Hand Luke made in the international market
• How we even begin to consider the role of women in this film
• Ian pitches a sequel to Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut"
• We reveal what film we're reviewing for our Halloween week episode
• Whether or not Cool Hand Luke is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  9:15 - Shoutouts
  20:35 - Deep Dive
  1:21:50 - Endgame

BFE Mail Bag 3 - Mail Bag With A Vengeance

We're back with another round of our Mail Call episode.  Russell the Postie has dropped off a special summer delivery and Ethan's working the mail room to deliver the questions from the Fledgling Fandom to your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting team.  Hear Ian, Liam, and Ethan answer some of your questions in our 3rd edition.  Key questions this time include:

• What do we do with movies that might be too triggering to enjoy?
• What food do we hate?
• If we had a time machine, where and when would we choose to visit
• What do we feel each member of the podcast does really well?
• What line in a movie makes us laugh every time
  • What are our comfort flicks?
• What are our go-to television recommendations

If you have a question for the next time the mailbag is open.  Catch us on Twitter at @bestfilmeverpod and use the hashtag #AskBFE or #BFEMailCall

Episode 91 - That Thing You Do

How did we get here? I led you here for I am Spartacus.  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Ethan - Georgia got held back by security - as we review the 1996 Tom Hanks penned film as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.  We're still wondering what happened to the Oneders it our 91st episode as we discuss:

• When Tom Hanks found the time to write That Thing You Do
• The plethora of Beatles references present here
• What George Harrison did for Ringo Starr after the Beatles' drummer was away for a bit and how Oasis paid reference to it
• Are Guy and Tina a believeable couple?
• Why did the film cut so much material and how does it hurt the film
• If Rita Wilson is the most attractive woman in this film
• We've got an exciting announcement for the new year
• Whether or not That Thing You Do is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  10:30 - Shoutouts
  24:40 - Deep Dive
  1:36:45 - Endgame

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 5) -The Christmas Invasion

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "allons-y"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week we're with Ten for the first time with Rose to tackle the series two Christmas Special “The Christmas Invasion” as we discuss:

• Our history with David Tennant
• How good is a doctorless doctor who episode?
• Has Rose become unlikeable?
• The powerhouse that is Harriet Jones
• Is this a good regeneration episode?

Fun Sized Films - The Gunfighter

We're back with our newest concept here at the BFE. We're reviewing short films as we bring you 'Fun Sized Films'.  This week we bring you Eric Kissack's 2014 short, "The Gunfighter" (available on YouTube).  

Not only do we review the film but we also review our favourite fun-sized chocolate bars.  Do you agree with our review?  Do you agree with our chocolate bars?  Let us know on Twitter @bestfilmeverpod

Episode 90 - Mean Girls

On Wednesdays we wear pink but on Tuesdays we release new content.  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ellie and Georgia as we review the 2004 teen comedy that made Fetch happen in Mean Girls.  It's not Robin Sparkles but we're still headed to the mall in Canada in our 90th episode as we discuss:

• Some alternate castings that would've changed the entire tone of the film
• Which actor Tina Fey had to go to war in order to cast
• Who came up with 'Fetch' anyways
• What rewrites were necessary in order to ensure a PG-13 rating
• Ellie has an announcement to share with the group
• Is Janis Ian actually the worst character in the film and why do we laugh off Damian refusing to leave the ladies room?
• We've got an exciting announcement for the new year
• Whether or not Mean Girls is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  12:05 - Shoutouts
  29:30 - Deep Dive
  1:53:50 - Endgame

See It Or Skip It? - No Time To DIe

FIRST 26:00 are a spoiler-free review with our See It/Skip It verdict

AFTER 26:00 it's a full spoiler review

We started the week off with Daniel Craig's first and we're giving you a special Sunday edition of See It Or Skip It to talk through Daniel Craig's last go as James Bond. Ethan Georgia, and Ian are once again joined by our resident Bond expert, Richard as we tackle our thoughts on No Time To Die less than an hour after seeing it. Was this a good film?  What is the legacy of Daniel Craig as James Bond?  If this is a good movie is it still a fun movie? With the end of Daniel Craig is it the end of all the other actors in the current Bond universe? Did they just out a character in this film?  Where does the theme song fit in the grand scheme of Bond songs?  Is Rami Malek a good Bond villain? Is this the best Daniel Craig Bond film?  How severe is Georgia's face blindness? We answer all these questions and more in our "See It or Skip It" review of No Time To Die and then we tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Fun Sized Films - One Minute Time Machine

We're back with a new concept here at the BFE. We're reviewing short films as we bring you 'Fun Sized Films'.  This week we bring you Devon Avery's 2014 short, "One Minute Time Machine" (available on YouTube).  

Not only do we review the film but we also review our favourite fun-sized chocolate bars.  Do you agree with our review?  Do you agree with our chocolate bars?  Let us know on Twitter @bestfilmeverpod

Episode 89 - Casino Royale (with Richard)

That last episode nearly killed us but we're back at it.  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Georgia - Ellie's still working on her 2nd kill - as we joined by Friend & Neighbour of the Podcast, Richard to discuss all things Bond in Casino Royale. We've got an itch we could use a little help scratching in our 89th episode as we discuss:

• Where Daniel Craig was when we learned he was going to be James Bond
• Which director offered to do the film and how manic it would have been
• Ian does a little poker-for-dummies explanations and rants about how unrealistic the Texas Hold' Em is in this film
• Where does Le Chiffre fit in with the great Bond villains?
• We all get nostalgic about something very odd
• We debate whether it's possible that sucking someone's fingers is NOT a sexual act
• Georgia sums up all Bond films in about 30 seconds
• Where do we all rank Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" as a Bond theme
• Whether it's possible for a film to feel bloated and rushed simultaneously
• We all share the first album we ever bought
• Whether or not Heat is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  10:25 - Shoutouts
  24:15 - Deep Dive
  2:10:00 - Endgame

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 4) - Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "allons-y"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week we're with Nine for the final time with Rose to tackle the series one finale double episode “Bad Wolf” and “The Parting of the Ways” as we discuss:

 

• Should the first part have been a mid series episode?
• How much we appreciated Lynda with a Y
• The workings of previous episodes that led to the finale
• Does Rose being Bad Wolf make sense?
• A complete reflection on our time with the Ninth Doctor

Reel Roundtable #15 - Back To School

Another bonus episode as we bring you another Reel Roundtable discussion for your listening enjoyment.  Ethan, Georgia, Ian, and Liam discuss the films that revolve around education. Comments, banter, and an appreciation of reading, writing, and arithmetic can be found as we discuss:

• The most inspirational of the inspirational teacher movies
• The glossy teen comedies that were often based on timeless literary classics
• The movies we grew up with and if a film we enjoy is necessarily a great film
• Georgia reveals she forgot about half of the films on our lists
• The raunchy Judd Apatow-esque school films
• If it's more effective to have wacky kids against a straight teacher or straight kids against a wacky teacher
• We present the audience and BFE Top 10 lists for the best back to school films ever

If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you.  Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

Episode 88 - Heat

It's like Point Break grew up and bought some really stylish suits.  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan and Georgia - Ellie's headed to New Zealand - as we review the audience pick for #HotFilmSummer, Heat  We're headed to Los Angeles to pursue graphic design in our 88th episode as we discuss:

• Whether the opening set piece made us think this was going to be more of an action film
• Some classic Al Pacino adlibs
• Georgia has a face-blindness story that puts the rest to shame
• We ask if this is the most macho film ever made
• Liam has a regrettable idea for next week's episode
• Whether the conclusion is underwhelming
• If the film bloated at 2 hours and 45 minutes
• Whether or not Heat is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  10:05 - Shoutouts
  28:18 - Deep Dive
  1:53:36 - Endgame

Quiz Night #3 - Quiz Night With A Vengeance

We're now up to a trilogy of quizdom under the BFE banner, it's BFE Quiz Night 3 Quiz Night With A Vengeance.  Ian is joined by Carlo from The Movie Loot, Stew from SWO Productions, Kevin from The Podcast That Wouldn't Die, Sister of the Podcast: Kirsti and our two-time defending champion, Danny from It's A Musical Pod.  Join us for 5 rounds of Quizzing Fun including rounds on:

• Casting Calls: We give 3 actors, you tell us which film it is
• The Oscar Losers Round - We name the losing nominees in the category, you tell us who won
• The Sports Round - We name the movie, you say which sport it was about
• Sequences - We give you 2 films in a sequence, you tell us what the 3rd is 
• The Eliminator - Kind to some, savage to others, the game is never over with THE ELIMINATOR

If you want to join us on a future quiz night, please get a hold of us on our Twitter account (@bestfilmeverpod) and let us know that you'd like to be on our waiting list.

Episode 87 - Forrest Gump (with Northwood Pie‘s Jay Salahi)

Our name is Best Film Ever. People call us Best Film Ever.  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Georgia as we're joined by Friend of the Podcast and Director of Northwood Pie, Jay Salahi as we review the 1994 classic, Forrest Gump.  We're headed to Greenbo, Alabama; Vietnam, New York City, and running long in our 87th episode as we discuss:

• The financial compensation received by the book's author, Winston Groom
• Some outstanding alternate castings that we definitely want to see
• We wax poetic on the beauty of the score
• Georgia has a confession to speak
• Jay shares invaluable insight from a director's perspective on editing and cinematography
• We hotly debate if Jenny is cruel to Forrest by leading him on throughout the film
• We question whether the film's magic requires contextual knowledge of late 20th century American history and what it means if you don't know these facts
• We discuss which is the most magical scene in a film full of them
• We find out what the audience selection for Hot Film Summer will be
• Whether or not Forrest Gump is the Best Film Ever.

Watch Northwood Pie on Amazon Prime at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Northwood-Pie-Todd-Knack/dp/B08F3ZYPM3

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  10:40 - Shoutouts
  18:55 - Deep Dive
  2:19:30 - Endgame

BFE Special - Fantasy Football Draft Night (The Podcasts League)

Are you ready for some (fantasy) football?  We've gone from 8 to 12 teams this year and invited them to draft live with us on the air.  We've got your BFE favourites - Ian, Liam, Ellie, and Georgia alongside Amanda from "The Sip List", Shawn from "Cheap Seat Reviews" and our defending champion Alex from "Main St. Finance"

It's a peak behind the curtain as you catch the BFE group just kicking it as we pretend we know what we're doing with Fantasy Football.  Ethan is also along for the ride as we provide commentary on the picks by the teams drafting over distance - Ed from 'The Film Effect Podcast', 'Dude Loft Mountain', 'The F'n Nerds' and 'Defining Disney'

There's pizza, banter, and a behind-the-scenes perspective that might help you know your BFE peeps a little bit better.

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 3) - The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "allons-y"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week we're with Nine and Rose to tackle the double parter “The Empty Child” and “The Doctor Dances” as we discuss: - The quality of Stephen Moffat’s writing for a first episode - The introduction to Captain Jack Harkness - How well does this episode do horror? - Is there a satisfying payoff to a cliffhanger?

 

 

 

 

 

 

See It Or Skip It? - The Suicide Squad

FIRST 24:15 are a spoiler-free review with our See It/Skip It verdict

AFTER 24:15 it's a full spoiler review

Let's be honest, The Suicide Squad is James Gunn's middle finger to the Walt Disney Corporation.  Ian and Liam are here to run through their first feelings on the kinda sequel, kinda reboot that is The Suicide Squad.  Was Idris Elba better than Will Smith?  How good was John Cena?  Does James Gunn start to get predictable? If this loses its shirt at the box office, will WB order a 3rd? Is Harley Quinn's characterisation comparable to Birds of Prey?  What's the only sequel to this film we'd want to see? We answer all these questions and more in our "See It or Skip It" review of The Suicide Squad and then we tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

See It Or Skip It? - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

FIRST 27:30 are a spoiler-free review with our See It/Skip It verdict

AFTER 27:30 it's a full spoiler review

Three members of the BFE went to see Shang-Chi (that all rhymed) - 1 was excited, 1 was pessimistic, and 1 was ambivalent.  How did we come out though? Georgia, Liam and Ian are here to run through their first feelings on Marvel's first film to feature an overwhelmingly Asian cast in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. How did all that kung fu measure up when put inside a Marvel movie? How did this compare to another family-based Marvel film in Black Widow? Was the villain a step too far in believability? Which Marvel cameos were here and how did we feel about them? What is Disney's next marketing tool fresh out of this film? We answer all these questions and more in our "See It or Skip It" review of Shang-Chi and then we tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Episode 86 - Four Weddings and a Funeral (feat. Interview with Simon Callow)

Let us all say in our dotage that we were adored once too.  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ellie, and Georgia for a TransAtlantic Romantic Comedy that is nearly 30 years old but remains timeless. We've got Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and the film's 'Gareth', Simon Callow joining us for 30 minutes at the end of our review and it is a MUST LISTEN. Be prepared to say 'I do' to our 86th episode as we discuss:

• What was the inspiration for the film itself
• What mega-franchise film did director Mike Newell direct years after this
• Which actor did Richard Curtis want in the role of Charles
• Who was originally cast as Carrie, and who turned the role down after the initial actress had to leave the production
• Ian shares a story about his own worst wedding attended
• Simon Callow shares 30 minutes with us and floors us with a thimbleful of stories from his extended career
• We hotly debate whether some of the characters deserved the ending of the movie they received.
• There's a pair of stories about awkward funerals
• We find out who is the Poet Laureate of the BFE
• Whether or not Four Weddings and a Funeral is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• 0:00 - Opening Banter
  9:30 - Shoutouts
  25:36 - Deep Dive
  2:02:10 - Interview with Simon Callow
  2:37:20 - Endgame

See It Or Skip It? - Free Guy

FIRST 21:40 are a spoiler-free review with our See It/Skip It verdict

AFTER 21:40 it's a full spoiler review

Imagine WestWorld, Truman Show, Deadpool, and Red Dead Redemption put into a blender and you've probably got a good idea what Free Guy might be around.  Georgia and Ian are here to run through their first feelings on the 20th Century Films' production, "Free Guy"  Should we expect Ryan Reynolds to try and do something different? How good is Jodie Cromer at playing essentially 2 roles? Did all the plots fee, organic? Does Taika Waititi try and hide his Kiwi accent? How great is Disney's ability to put their hands into their chest of intellectual property? What is the point of Rabbit's character? We answer all these questions and more in our "See It or Skip It" review of Black Widow and then we tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Episode 85 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

If it's one ring to rule them all; one ring to find them; one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, Is it the same for Podcasts? 

Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ellie, Ethan and Georgia as we form our own fellowship to march towards Mount Doom while reviewing The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.  It's a eagle's flight (without the plotholes) in our 85th episode as we discuss:

• The extensive backstory to this film and an unfortunate name that must be mentioned repeatedly
• Some staggering names on early producer wishlists for the iconic roles. 
• You won't believe who New Line Cinema thought the movie star of the final cast was.
• We cast ourselves as members of the Fellowship
• We discuss which cast members barely met the others.
• Which cast member was so afraid of flying that he would walk a 2 hour hike up the mountain to avoid the helicopter
• Ellie has a new dreamboat to pine over and makes an apology
• What drastic cost cutting measure did Miramax suggest early in pre-production?
• Which cast member joined the group after filming had already begun
• How much does this film miss the presence of Gollum?
• We have the first ever BFE Poetry Slam. Who will be the BFE's first Poet Laureat?
• Whether or not Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the Best Film Ever.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• Welcome & Banter - 0:00
  Reflections & Corrections - 6:30
  Shoutouts & The Fledgling Fandom - 10:25
  BFE Poetry Slam - 19:25
  Deep Dive - 27:45
  Endgame - 2:00:22

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 2) - Dalek

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "allons-y"  Ethan and Ian are here to bring you "Who Do You Think You Are"; a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week we're with Nine and Rose to tackle “Dalek” as we discuss:

• Whether or not the title ruins the reveal
• Was Van Statten’s inspiration accurate at all?
• The history of changes made to modernise the Daleks
• How much we love Ecclestone’s performance this episode
• Rose having a morning jog fleeing from a Dalek

Reel Roundtable #14 - Hanks For The Memories

Another bonus episode as we bring you another Reel Roundtable discussion for your listening enjoyment.  Ellie, Ethan, Georgia, Ian, and Liam revisit the career of Tom Hanks.  Comments, banter, and an appreciation of set pieces can be found as we discuss:

• Whether Tom Hanks is a great actor or if he's a movie star
• Is it possible to see what Tom Hanks would become in some rather nothing roles in the 1980s
• Does Tom Hanks elevate those around him
• Which of the Meg Ryan trilogy do we most prefer
• Whether Hanks robbed of a 3rd Oscar when he acts opposite nobody else but a volleyball for over an hour and we're all just enthralled
• Which role led to Ian comparing Hanks as 'Cosplaying as Colonel Sanders'
• We present the audience and BFE Top 10 lists for the best Tom Hanks Performances ever

If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you.  Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

Norman Kent: A BFE Interview

We were delighted to bring you an abridged version of our interview with aerial cinematographer Norman Kent in our review of Kingsman: The Secret Service but we're thrilled to make the full interview available here today.  Catch Ian, Liam, Ellie, and Georgia as we were lucky enough to sit down with an extremely talented filmmaker  and inspirational human being whose professional credits range from Kingsman to Get Smart, from Star Trek: Generations to Cliffhanger, and from world records to multiple Olympic Games. Revelations from the interview include:

• Hearing how Norman got his start in both photography/videography and skydiving
• Audibly walking us through what he experiences when he jumps and when he knows it's time to pull the chute.
• If he had to choose one between photography and skydiving, which would he choose
• How much freefall time do you get when you jump out of a car
• Some specifics on Kingsman: The Secret Service and how quickly things can change 'on the fly'
• Just how fast do you fall when you chuck your body out of an airplane
• An amazing story about how Norman chose to celebrate his 60th birrthday
• Whether he's concerned about green screen technology replacing the organic act of skydiving

Check out many of Norman's jumps and professional work on his YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NORMANKENTdotCOM/videos

Norman Kent Productions - "Never Give Up" - https://youtu.be/ltsF1fA5k5Y

Norman Kent Productions - "Moments Lived" - https://youtu.be/pDznSXzm9RM

 

 

 

Episode 84 - Kingsman: The Secret Service (feat. Interview with Aerial Cinematographer, Norman Kent)

Manners Maketh Man - and nothing proved that as much as our very special guest this week.  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ellie, and Georgia as we venture to qualify from Harry's plucky underdog (more on that later), to full fledged agent in Kingsman: The Secret Service.  We are beyond privileged to welcome the aerial cinematographer for this motion picture, Norman Kent (see links below), as he shares stories of his own start in cinematography and skydiving as well as his involvement with Kingsman and what the day of shooting ended up feeling like.   It's Oxfords before Brogues in our 84th episode as we discuss:

• The pacing of the film and how an A and B plot can be manoeuvred successfully 
• Why it was so important to set this film in the UK and not in the US
• We each reveal our respective go-to McDonalds order
• One of the panel has a real issue with the scene regarding the order to harm a dog
• Should Harry and the Kingsman have done more to protect Eggsy and his mum in the wake of his father's death while training
• We have a debate about which scene is iconic
• Norman Kent joins us and discusses his own start in photography & videography which should be a film in its own right
• Norman Kent further discusses the logistics of jumping out of an airplane and how the creative process behind a skydiving scene can change on-the-fly if you pardon our pun
• We ask if Kingsman suffers on repeated viewings due to its reliance on expectation subversion
• Whether or not Kingsman: The Secret Service is the Best Film Ever

You can catch a large sample of Norman's work on his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/NORMANKENTdotCOM 

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

• Welcome & Banter - 0:00
  Reflections & Corrections - 5:10
  Shoutouts & The Fledgling Fandom - 8:05
  Deep Dive - 22:00
  Interview - 2:05:50
  Endgame - 2:19:50

See It Or Skip It? - Black Widow

FIRST 29:00 are a spoiler-free review with our See It/Skip It verdict

AFTER 29:00 it's a full spoiler review

For a film that was delayed on 3 separate occasions, it’s only fitting that we had to record this episode twice. Liam and Ian went and saw Black Widow (one in the Cinema, one on Disney Plus) .What is it like to have a first viewing of a Marvel film on the small screen?  Was it worth the wait? Is it necessary as a Marvel film? Did the knowledge that Natasha survives everything ruin the ability to build tension in this film? How did the supporting cast handle the film? And what percentage of the time is Ray Winstone actually trying a Russian Accent? We answer all these questions and more in our "See It or Skip It" review of Black Widow and then we tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Episode 83 - Before Sunrise

Can the perfect relationship begin and end in one night? How about the perfect podcast episode? Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, and Ellie (Georgia got pulled into passport control) - while they traverse the streets of moonlit Vienna as Hot Film Summer continues with Liam's 2nd pick of the summertime in Before Sunrise.  It's a mix between romanticism and cynicism in our 83rd episode as we discuss:

• The inspiration behind the film, including a melancholic footnote
• How much adlibbing were the actors allowed in this film
• Which member of the BFE crew is afraid of flying?
• Why is Jesse so cynical when he's having the most magical night of his life?
• How important is career to us in the face of love?
• Ian waxes nostalgic about the fashion and overall aesthetic of the 90s again
• Liam chooses a random word that will go do in infamy
• We push the button mid-pod on someone who makes a mistake in the middle of the review
• What does it mean to be a good feminist?  Can you still be a feminist and fall head-over-heels in love with a man?
• Ian discusses how this film lines up with other Linklater films
• We pitch ideas for a 4th film in the series 
• Whether or not Before Sunrise is the Best Film Ever

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Who Do You Think You Are? (Ep 1) - Rose

It's Sonic Saturday which means it's about to get all wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey up in here and we think that's fantastic. So grab your fez, your sonic sunglasses and "allons-y"  Ethan and Ian are "Who Do You Think You Are" is a retrospective look at Doctor Who's best moments in preparation for Jodie Whittaker's departure and inevitable successor in Autumn 2022. This week we're starting at the very beginning of the saga with "Rose."  It's a heck of a 1st journey into the Tardis as we discuss:

• Our respective Doctor Who fandoms
• We discuss the production values the Russell T. Davies era had (especially in Eccleston's season) versus those that would follow him
• Ian wants to know what makes Billie Piper all that special
• Ian doesn't really care for Mickey or Jacqui 
• We would've preferred Clive to also show some still photos of previous doctors
• We debate whether the Doctor's low-key entrance makes him feel anti-climactic
• Ian argues this series doesn't really know what it wants to be or even who it wants its audience to be at this point.

Cleared For Takeoff? - Spin City

Your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew continue to try their hands at a little TV Pilot Analysis by working at the New York mayor's office alongside Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty in Spin City.  Ian is in the captain's chair and Georgia's in the jumpseat as she's never seen the show.  We're waiting for a flight amid strike fears as we discuss:

• What was the inspiration for the show
• Georgia has her mind blown by 2 different castings on the show
• We ask if a TV series can both be a relationship sitcom and a workplace sitcom if the characters don't work together?
• We discuss some early symptoms of MJF's Parkinson's disease
• Which member of the cast pitched his own role?
• Does the series stray too far with the plot suggesting a character falsely come out to help with a scandal?
• How important is the character of Carter Heywood?
• Georgia gives us an update on if she's still watching Cheers and we compare Spin City's pilot to Cheers' and Friends' respective pilots.
• Would we ground the Spin City pilot or is it Cleared for Takeoff?

Episode 82 - Steel Magnolias (w/ Kirsti)

Shelby would rather have 30 minutes of something wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special. Well, she's in luck because we've got over 2 hours of wonderful headed your way. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ellie, and Georgia - as we're joined by Ian's sister, Kirsti, as we're heading to small-town Louisiana for the holidays. Which holidays? All the holidays!  There are so many things we'll have you know in our 82nd episode as we discuss:

• The history of Steel Magnolias as a play before it was a film
• The real life inspiration for the writing of the story
• The clashes between the director and his leading ladies during filming
• Whether we should judge Jackson more harshly than the film tells us too?
• The tradition of the groom's cake in North America
• We discuss our favourite Weezer songs
• We ask why M'Lynn & Drum don't have any scenes where they speak to each other and who came up with these names anyway?
• We discuss some casting of minor roles that were done in the name of tonal authenticity
• Who got nominated for awards and who was robbed on that front
• What should we make of the fact that the writer and director of such a female-driven story were both male?
• Ian shares his reason for picking this film and Kirsti joins him in some backstories on the subject
• Whether or not Steel Magnolias is the Best Film Ever

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

BFE Mail Call #2 - Mail Call Boogaloo

We're back with another round of our Mail Call episode.  Russell the Postie has dropped off a special summer delivery and Ethan's working the mail room to deliver the questions from the Fledgling Fandom to your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting team.  Hear Ian, Liam, Ellie, Georgia (and Ethan) answer some of your questions in our follow-up edition.  Key questions this time include:

• Which movie snack do we think should be banned?
• Which movie that we used to love have we since soured on?
• If each person could appear on screen in a film, which role would they like to play?
• Which movie would we recast a character with a WWE wrestler?
• Have we met any celebrities in our lives?
• Which overused movie trope cause our respective blood to boil?
• If we were in Hamilton, which characters would we be?
• Who in our actual lives know that we host a film podcast?
• What are our respective favourite meals?
• What's our favourite Samuel L Jackson film that's NOT a Tarantino film?
• Do we have any favourite video games?

If you have a question for the next time the mailbag is open.  Catch us on Twitter at @bestfilmeverpod and use the hashtag #AskBFE or #BFEMailCall

Episode 81 - Monty Python & The Holy Grail

Ni!  We demand a sacrifice of.... a shrubbery!  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ellie, and Georgia as we're up for facing a little bit of peril in search of Camelot in Monty Python & The Holy Grail.  We question your parentage using accusations of hamsters and elderberries in our 81st episode as we discuss: 

• How the Python crew decided to divide the parts up between themselves
• Just how much adlibbing occurred on set
• Who some of the surprising financiers of the film were
• What can happen if you just rock up to the film set
• The benefits and drawbacks to shooting outside
• Which Python member played the most parts?
• Which Python member died on screen the most
• Ian talks about Postmodernism and how this film is one of the earliest champions of it in film
• We share our own participation in the stage musical, Spamalot
• We recite far too many lines after promising we wouldn't do that exact thing
• What one line could Ian not make out as a young man due to the accent and foreign expression
• How did the disruption of expectations - which the Pythons were famous for - work in this film, given it's a long-form version of storytelling?
• Whether or not Monty Python & The Holy Grail is the Best Film Ever
• Now go away or we shall taunt you a second time!

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Reel Roundtable #13 - Best Sports Films

Another bonus episode as we bring you our latest Reel Roundtable discussion for your listening enjoyment.  Ellie, Georgia, Ian, and Liam are feeling sporting thanks to the Olympic games and turn our attention towards the best of Sports Movies. Comments and banter can be found in equal measure as we discuss:

• Our own sporting aptitudes, in both participatory and spectating capacities
• Which sports tend to lend themselves better to the silver screen
• The difference between comedies and biopics
• Why the sporting field of battle is a great storytelling device
• A very surprising formula that's repeated in two films released 3 decades apart (although set simultaneously)
• A truly bizarre casting choice for a sports film given the lead's country of birth
• We present the audience and BFE Top 10 lists for the best sports films ever

If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you.  Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

Episode 80 - The Notebook

What do you want?  We hope it’s a film podcast because that’s what we’ve got for you.  Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ellie, and Georgia as Ellie’s pick sends us to South Carolina 6 decades apart with The Notebook.  I’ve got more notes in my notebook than Duke does in our 80^th episode as we discuss:

• Who was lined up to play the parts of Noah and Duke in earlier treatments
• The early chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams (or lack thereof)
• We discuss the role of Allie’s mother and if she’s just a one-dimensional villain or if there’s more there
• Just exactly how much story is there in this film
• Is this the best Nicholas Sparks adaptation
• Georgia uses her fake-doctor credentials to ask some questions about the film’s finish
• Is it still nepotism if it totally pays off?
• We discuss the costumes to some degree and someone was not a fan
• Do we prefer Britney Spears or Christian Aguleira (trust me, this is relevant)
• Whether or not The Notebook is the Best Film Ever

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/