This week, we discuss two films from American director Samuel Fuller. The first is White Dog (1982), a drama/horror film based on Romain Gary's 1970 novel of the same name. The film depicts the struggle of a dog trainer named Keys (Paul Winfield), who is black, trying to retrain a stray dog found by a young actress (Kristy McNichol), that is a "white dog"—a dog trained to make vicious attacks upon, and to kill, any black person. The second is The Big Red One (1980), an epic war film starring...

This week, we discuss two films which competed for the Palme d’Or in 2021. The first is A Hero (2021), an Iranian-French drama film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi and starring Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh and Sahar Goldoost. The film was screened at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, ultimately winning the Grand Prix. The second is Annette (2021), a musical romantic drama film directed by Leos Carax in his English-language directorial debut. The film's story and music were co-written by...

This week, we discuss two highly acclaimed films from the 90s.   The first is Before the Rain (1994), a Macedonian war film written and directed by Milcho Manchevski and starring Katrin Cartlidge and Rade Šerbedžija. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 67th Academy Awards.   The second is Farewell My Concubine (1993), a Chinese-Hong Kong epic historical drama film directed by Chen Kaige and starring Leslie Cheung, Gong Li and Zhang Fengyi. The film won the Palme d’Or...

This week, we discuss two films from the 1970s starring Elliott Gould.   The first is The Silent Partner (1978), a 1978 Canadian thriller film directed by Daryl Duke and starring Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer, and Susannah York.   The second is Capricorn One (1977), a 1977 British-produced American thriller film in which a reporter discovers that a supposed Mars landing by a crewed mission to the planet has been faked via a conspiracy involving the government and—under duress—the crew...

This week, we discuss two films from legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.   The first is Throne of Blood (1957), which is based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The film stars Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada in the lead roles. With a budget of $350,000, the film was one of the most expensive films ever made in Japan at the time of its release.   The second is Ikiru (1952). The film examines the struggles of a terminally ill Tokyo bureaucrat (played by Takashi Shimura) and his final quest for...

In this week’s episode we run through our best of 2023, starting with our top 5 toss pick films. We also delve into our favourite (and least favourite) media released last year.    Links Instagram - @callitfriendopodcast @munnywales @andyjayritchie   Letterboxd – @andycifpod @donnchadh   Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.com

This week, we discuss two films connected to Sherlock Holmes. The first is Zero Effect (1998), a mystery comedy film written and directed by Jake Kasdan in his feature directional debut. Starring Bill Pullman as "the world's most private detective", Daryl Zero, and Ben Stiller as his assistant Steve Arlo, the film's plot is loosely based on the Arthur Conan Doyle short story "A Scandal in Bohemia". The second is The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), written and produced by Billy Wilder...

This week, we discuss two films about the Japanese mafia. The first is The Yakuza (1974), a neo-noir crime drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura and Brian Keith. The screenplay by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne is from a story by Schrader's brother, Leonard Schrader. The second is Sonatine (1993), directed, written and edited by Takeshi Kitano, who also stars in the film. It won numerous awards and became one of Kitano's most successful and praised...

This week, we discuss two American horror films. The first is Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971), an independent film co-written and directed by John Hancock. The film depicts the nightmarish experiences of a psychologically fragile woman who comes to believe that another strange, mysterious young woman she has let into her home may actually be a vampire. The second is The Boogeyman (2023), an adaptation of the 1973 Stephen King short story, directed by British indie director Rob Savage. The...

This week, we discuss two films featuring one actor playing two identical characters. The first is The Double (2013), an adaptation of the Fyodor Dostoyevsky novella of the same name. The film, directed by comedian Richard Ayoade, stars Jesse Eisenberg as colleagues Simon James and James Simon. The second is Double Impact (1991), starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as identical twins Chad and Alex. The film made around $30 million and was filmed mostly on location in Hong Kong.   Timestamps What...

This week, we discuss two crime films from the 1970s. The first is Mikey and Nicky (1976), written and directed by Elaine May. It stars John Cassavetes as a desperate small-time mobster and Peter Falk as his longtime, childhood friend. The second is The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), starring Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle and directed by Peter Yates. The screenplay was adapted from the 1970 novel by George V. Higgins, who also wrote Cogan’s Trade, the novel which later became the 2012 Andrew...

This week, we discuss two films starring actor Russell Crowe. The first is The Water Diviner (2014), a fictional story set during and after the ANZAC Gallipoli campaign in WW1. The film marked Crowe’s first outing as a director. The second is Les Misérables (2012), an adaptation of the world-famous musical. Alongside Crowe, the film version stars Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne and Anne Hathaway, who won an Academy Award for her role as Fantine.   Timestamps What we’ve been reading/watching...

This week, we discuss two films about the media. The first is Broadcast News (1987), a romantic comedy starring Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks and William Hurt. The film, written and directed by James L. Brooks, was nominated for seven Academy Awards. The second is Network (1976), written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet. The film, a scathing satire of the American media landscape, was nominated for ten Oscars, ultimately winning four.   Timestamps What we’ve been reading/watching...

This week, we discuss two horror/thrillers made in Australia. The first is Roadgames (1981), starring Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film, directed by Hitchcock protégé Richard Franklin, is a reimagining of Rear Window from the cab of a truck. The second is Triangle (2009), directed by British genre director Christopher Smith. It tells the story of a group of people stranded on a mysterious derelict ocean liner.   Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:00) – South Park: Joining the...

This week, we discuss two classic cult horror films. The first is Psycho 2 (1983), a psychological slasher directed by Richard Franklin. It is the first sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho and the second film in the Psycho franchise. The second is The People Under the Stairs (1991), a horror comedy written and directed by Wes Craven. The film has been described as “Home Alone for adults”.   Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:00:55) – Killers of the Flower Moon Psycho 2...

This week, we discuss two neo-noir films about the world of organised crime. The first is The Outfit (1973), starring Robert Duvall as a version of Donald E. Westlake’s “Parker” character, first played by Lee Marvin in Point Blank (1967). The second is Killing Them Softly (2012), a film written and directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Brad Pitt. It is based on George V. Higgins' 1974 novel Cogan's Trade.   Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:00:47) – The Fall of the House of Usher,...

This week, we discuss two films featuring cross-cultural relationships involving Arab immigrants. The first is The Visitor (2007), starring Richard Jenkins as a lonely middle-aged man who befriends a younger Palestinian-Syrian djembe drum player. Jenkins received a Best Actor nomination at the 81st Academy Awards. The second is Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974), a drama from New German Cinema director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The film, often considered his greatest work, was critically...

This week, we discuss two films directed by Robert Altman in the 1970s. The first is California Split (1974), starring Elliott Gould and George Segal as a pair of sleazy gamblers who head to Reno to try to win big. The second is Nashville (1975), a huge ensemble piece focused on the American country music capital. The film is often considered to be Altman’s best work and received 5 Academy Award nominations. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:00:52) – The Bear season two, The Creator,...

This week, we discuss two classic Hollywood films from the 1960s starring Jack Lemmon. The first is The Odd Couple (1968), a comedy film directed by Gene Saks, produced by Howard W. Koch and written by Neil Simon, based on his 1965 play. It stars Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau as two divorced men – neurotic neat-freak Felix Ungar and fun-loving slob Oscar Madison – who decide to live together. The second is The Apartment (1960), a romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy...

This week, we discuss two classic Japanese films from the 1950s. The first is Tokyo Story (1953), a drama directed by Yasujirō Ozu, about an aging couple who travel to Tokyo to visit their adult children. Tokyo Story is widely regarded as Ozu's masterpiece and one of the greatest films in the history of cinema. It was voted the 3rd greatest film of all time in the 2012 edition of a poll of film directors by Sight and Sound magazine. The second is Sansho the Bailiff (1954), a period film...

In this week’s episode, we discuss the 4 big films of the summer: Barbie, Oppenheimer, Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Links Instagram -@callitfriendopodcast@munnywales@andyjayritchie  Justwatch.com – streaming and rental linkshttps://www.justwatch.com

This week, we discuss two films based on novels by English novelist Robert Harris. The first is An Officer and a Spy (2019), a historical drama film directed by Roman Polanski about the Dreyfus affair, with a screenplay by Polanski and Robert Harris based on Harris's 2013 novel of the same name. It received twelve nominations for the 45th César Awards, the most nominations of any eligible film, and eventually won the awards for Best Adaptation, Best Costume Design and Best Director. The...

This week, we discuss two films connected to American author Dennis Lehane. The first is Live by Night (2016), an American crime drama set in the 1920s. The film, an adaptation of Lehane’s novel, stars Ben Affleck, who also served as screenwriter and director on the project. It was a huge flop upon release, netting a meagre $22.7 million from a $90 million budget. The second is Mona Lisa (1986), a British crime drama co-written and directed by Neil Jordan. The film stars Bob Hoskins, who...

In this week’s episode, we talk about what we’ve been watching before heading into a discussion of the 32nd film in the MCU, James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).   What We’ve Been Watching   Donnchadh –  Deliverance, Evil Dead Rise, Beef Andy – Calibre, Hustle, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania   Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Links Instagram -@callitfriendopodcast@munnywales@andyjayritchie  Justwatch.com – streaming and rental linkshttps://www.justwatch.com