Welcome to 072 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Get ready for a book reading princess, a talking candlestick, a roaring beast, sprinkled with a little bit of Stockholm syndrome, as Nicola and Gary are joined by filmmaker Sarah Grant to discuss Beauty & The Beast. Synopsis Belle, a beautiful young woman, agrees to live with the Beast in exchange for the return of her abducted father. Soon, Belle discovers that her hideous captor is actually an enchanted prince. Links In...

Welcome to 072 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. We're going through ch, ch, ch changes. We welcome our new Co-Host, Nicola Docherty... Say our goodbyes to Rebecca and discuss the 12 years in the making 'Boyhood', directed by Richard Linklater SYNOPSIS The joys and pitfalls of growing up are seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (Ellar Coltrane), his parents (Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke) and his sister (Lorelei Linklater). Vignettes, filmed with the same cast over the...

Rebecca's Farewell After a lot of thought, I have sadly decided to leave the podcast. It was not an easy choice to make, but I know it is the right decision. I have loved being a part of Choose Film and have been a fan of the podcast from the very beginning and still am to this day. It has introduced me to and connected me with some wonderful people, some that I have even met in the flesh - even Gary! Choose Film was born in a lonely and isolated time, and it is still there for those that...

Brush your fangs, hop on a boat and take a trip to 18th century London as we discuss Francis Ford Coppola - Bram Stoker's Dracula SYNOPSIS Count Dracula, a 15th-century prince, is condemned to live off the blood of the living for eternity. Young lawyer Jonathan Harker is sent to Dracula's castle to finalise a land deal, but when the Count sees a photo of Harker's fiancée, Mina, the spitting image of his dead wife, he imprisons him and sets off for London to track her down.

Welcome to 069 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. It's time to enter the fashion world, plan a heist and not kill any puppies -- YET. We are discussing 2021's Cruella with  Actor Cole Stewart. Synopsis Estella is a young and clever grifter who's determined to make a name for herself in the fashion world. She soon meets a pair of thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they build a life for themselves on the streets of London. However, when Estella befriends...

Welcome to 068 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. It's time to suit up! We are off to the opera. Rebecca & Gary are joined by theatre director Lauren Mitchell to discuss the 3hr long epic -- Amadeus. Synopsis Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a remarkably talented young Viennese composer who unwittingly finds a fierce rival in the disciplined and determined Antonio Salieri. Resenting Mozart for both his hedonistic lifestyle and his undeniable talent, the highly religious Salieri is...

Welcome to 067 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Grab your marmalade sandwich, plan a prison break and get home before your Aunt’s 100th birthday. We are discussing the pretty perfect Paddington 2 with Actor and Filmmaker Paul Longley.  Synopsis Settled in with the Brown family, Paddington the bear is a popular member of the community who spreads joy and marmalade wherever he goes. One fine day, he spots a pop-up book in an antique shop -- the perfect present for his beloved...

Welcome to 066 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Grab your broomstick, get lost in the woods and find yourself talking to a demonic goat as we discuss Robert Eggers' folk horror debut The VVitch. Synopsis In 1630 New England, panic and despair envelops a farmer, his wife and their children when youngest son Samuel suddenly vanishes. The family blames Thomasin, the oldest daughter who was watching the boy at the time of his disappearance. With suspicion and paranoia mounting,...

Welcome to 065 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Grab your mic, sing your heart out and try to block out those subliminal messages as we discuss 'Josie & The Pussycats'  with playwright and theatremaker Rachel O’Regan. Synopsis Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook), Melody (Tara Reid) and Val (Rosario Dawson) are three small-town girl musicians determined to take their rock band out of their garage and straight to the top, while remaining true to their look, style and sound. They get a...

Welcome to 064 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. It’s time to cross the border, listen to some political jargon, and avoid getting your head blown off as we discuss 'Sicario". Rebecca and Gary are joined by Cinephile & Film Critic Jim Ross to breakdown the best bits of Denis Villeneuve's tense, gritty and violent film Synopsis After rising through the ranks of her male-dominated profession, idealistic FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) receives a top assignment. Recruited...

Welcome to episode 063 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Join Rebecca and Gary as they wrap up the 'DATE NIGHT' season and discuss their perfect date nightmovie choices, followed by  the listeners reel. 

Welcome to 062 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. It’s time to hold up your local bookstore, steal some petty cash and try a life on the run as we discuss Wes Anderson’s debut feature Bottle Rocket with writer & director Paul Morris. Synopsis Three friends plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run. Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony joins his friend Dignan, who seems far less sane than the former. Links...

Welcome to 061 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Find a cupboard, clench your fists and travel back in time as we discuss Richard Cutis' heartwarming classic 'About Time. Gary and Rebecca are joined by actor Gwilym Roberts to discuss this lovable time-travelling classic.  Synopsis  When Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) is 21, his father (Bill Nighy) tells him a secret: The men in their family can travel through time. Although he can't change history, Tim resolves to improve his life...

Welcome to 060 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Stage a breakout, stick it to the man and fall in love with an aquatic creature as we discuss  Guillermo del Toro's bizarrely, beautiful 'The Shape Of Water' with editor, writer and fellow podcaster Mary Palmer. Synopsis Elisa is a mute, isolated woman who works as a cleaning lady in a hidden, high-security government laboratory in 1962 Baltimore. Her life changes forever when she discovers the lab's classified secret -- a...

Welcome to 059 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Get yourself a single vodka cranberry, get back on the dating scene and wait for Ryan Gosling to chat you up,  as we discuss  2011's Crazy, Stupid, Love with Scottish Actor and Writer Jamie Thorburn. SYNOPSIS Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is living the American dream. He has a good job, a beautiful house, great children and a beautiful wife, named Emily (Julianne Moore). Cal's seemingly perfect life unravels, however, when he learns...

Welcome to 058 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Grab your watermelon,  pull on your dancing shoes and practice your lift as we discuss DIRTY DANCING. Gary and Rebecca are joined by Actor Sky Sinclair to discuss this feel-good classic romcom. Synopsis Baby (Jennifer Grey) is one listless summer away from the Peace Corps. Hoping to enjoy her youth while it lasts, she's disappointed when her summer plans deposit her at a sleepy resort in the Catskills with her parents. Her luck...

Welcome to 057 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Dust out the old typewriter, grab your axe and take a trip to the Overlook Hotel as we discuss The Shining. Gary and Rebecca are joined by Actor and Voice Over Artist Vivien Taylor to discuss Stanley Kubrick's horrifying classic. Synopsis Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall),...

Welcome to episode 056 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. We are just a duo of podcasters.... recording an episode....  asking you to listen" We are onto a new season "DATE NIGHT"!!!! Rebecca and Gary are joined by Filmbusters Film Critic Ben Murray to discuss the delightfully heartwarming Notting Hill. Synopsis William Thacker (Hugh Grant) is a London bookstore owner whose humdrum existence is thrown into romantic turmoil when famous American actress Anna Scott (Julia...

Welcome to episode 055 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Join Rebecca and Gary as they wrap up the 'MAGIC' season and discuss their magic movie choices, followed by  the listeners reel. The Change-Up (Director: David Dobkin) Once inseparable pals, Dave (Jason Bateman) and Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) have drifted apart over the years. Dave is an overworked lawyer and family man, while Mitch has thus far avoided most of the normal responsibilities of adulthood. Each is envious of the...

Welcome to episode 54 of Choose Film Podcast. Gary and Rebecca are joined by Actor  Shannon Davidson to discuss the contemporary Christmas classic ELF. Synopsis Buddy (Will Ferrell) was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa's elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn't fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical...

It's time to unearth a classic board game, roll some dice and pray for a 5 or an 8 as we discuss 1995 Jumanji. Gary and Rebecca are joined by Actor and fellow Podcaster Craig Andrew Mooney to discuss this Robin Williams, comedy adventure. Synopsis A magical board game unleashes a world of adventure on siblings Peter (Bradley Pierce) and Judy Shepherd (Kirsten Dunst). While exploring an old mansion, the youngsters find a curious, jungle-themed game called Jumanji in the attic. When they...

Welcome to episode 051 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Knock up some Pancakes, check your glass for any Newts and don't get sent to the Chokey. This week Gary and Rebecca are joined by fellow creative Emma Ruse to discuss the wonderful Matilda.  Synopsis This film adaptation of a Roald Dahl work tells the story of Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson), a gifted girl forced to put up with a crude, distant father (Danny DeVito) and mother (Rhea Perlman). Worse, Agatha Trunchbull (Pam...

Welcome to episode 051 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Find an audience, learn the 3 stages of a magic trick and shout abracadabra as we discuss  Christopher Nolan's The Prestige with Film Critic Alex Gilston. Synopsis Period thriller set in Edwardian London where two rival magicians, partners until the tragic death of an assistant during a show, feud bitterly after one of them performs the ultimate magic trick - teleportation. His rival tries desperately to uncover the...

We have hit a milestone. Welcome to our 50th episode. How did we get here so soon? Find a golden ticket, take a trip to the chocolate factory and hold on to your snozberry. We are joined by past Choose Film Host - Ashley Sutherland to discuss Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (which turned 50 this year) Synopsis A sweet boy from a poor family dreams of finding one of five golden tickets hidden inside chocolate bar wrappers which will admit him to the eccentric and reclusive Willy...

Welcome to episode 049 of Choose Film: A Reel Retrospective podcast. Take a trip to Hollywood, dribble out some coffee and tell yourself it's all a dream. We are reviewing Mulholland Drive. Rebecca and Gary are joined by filmmaker Robbie Duncan to discuss the mind boggling David Lynch movie. SYNOPSIS A dark-haired woman (Laura Elena Harring) is left amnesiac after a car crash. She wanders the streets of Los Angeles in a daze before taking refuge in an apartment. There she is discovered by...