Episodes
Fiona speaks to Brandon Cronenberg, the writer/director of new sci fi horror flick 'Possessor' starring Andrea Riseborough and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ben takes a look at the new season of The Crown with Olivia Colman and Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher, as Prince Charles finds his Princess and lives happily ever after (maybe?), and in a very special wedding edition of What Have You Been Watching, Fiona and Ben compare notes on their favourite wedding movies.
Published 11/27/20
Fiona speaks to Brandon Cronenberg, the writer/director of new sci fi horror flick 'Possessor' starring Andrea Riseborough and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ben takes a look at the new season of The Crown with Olivia Colman and Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher, as Prince Charles finds his Princess and lives happily ever after (maybe?), and in a very special wedding edition of What Have You Been Watching, Fiona and Ben compare notes on their favourite wedding movies.
Published 11/27/20
Fiona speaks to the stars of Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino’s ('Call Me By Your Name') first foray into television 'We Are Who We Are', we chat about political coverage in the media including the ABC’s flagship current affairs program '4 Corners' which made waves with its recent report "Inside the Canberra Bubble", Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant tell one another big little lies in new drama 'The Undoing' and we offer some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content picks for what to watch...
Published 11/12/20
Fiona speaks to the stars of Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino’s ('Call Me By Your Name') first foray into television 'We Are Who We Are', we chat about political coverage in the media including the ABC’s flagship current affairs program '4 Corners' which made waves with its recent report "Inside the Canberra Bubble", Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant tell one another big little lies in new drama 'The Undoing' and we offer some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content picks for what to watch...
Published 11/12/20
Fiona speaks to director Jeremy Sims about his new Aussie flick 'Rams' with Sam Neill and Michael Caton, a remake of the Icelandic hit, we catch up on 'Leap of Faith', a documentary going behind the making of William Friedkin’s 'The Exorcist', and check out Anya Taylor-Joy as a woman making waves in the male-dominated 1960s chess world in 'The Queen’s Gambit'.
Published 10/30/20
Fiona speaks to director Jeremy Sims about his new Aussie flick 'Rams' with Sam Neill and Michael Caton, a remake of the Icelandic hit, we catch up on 'Leap of Faith', a documentary going behind the making of William Friedkin’s 'The Exorcist', and check out Anya Taylor-Joy as a woman making waves in the male-dominated 1960s chess world in 'The Queen’s Gambit'.
Published 10/30/20
Sacha Baron Cohen and Eddie Redmayne fight for their right to protest in Aaron Sorkin's film of the 1960s true story 'The Trial of the Chicago 7', we get Fiona's reaction to 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm' and discuss upcoming documentary 'AKA Jane Roe' and give the lowdown on the latest season of the Coen Brothers television adaptation 'Fargo'.
Published 10/22/20
Sacha Baron Cohen and Eddie Redmayne fight for their right to protest in Aaron Sorkin's film of the 1960s true story 'The Trial of the Chicago 7', we get Fiona's reaction to 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm' and discuss upcoming documentary 'AKA Jane Roe' and give the lowdown on the latest season of the Coen Brothers television adaptation 'Fargo'.
Published 10/22/20
For a second year running, Ben is joined (remotely) by John Beohm, to re-enact the spectacle of the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards complete with hazmat suits, hotel phones ringing, Jennifer Aniston putting out garbage fires, Canadian bubbles, and an alpaca.
Published 09/22/20
For a second year running, Ben is joined (remotely) by John Beohm, to re-enact the spectacle of the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards complete with hazmat suits, hotel phones ringing, Jennifer Aniston putting out garbage fires, Canadian bubbles, and an alpaca.
Published 09/22/20
Our minds are very much on U.S. politics this week, given that Americans will head to the polls for the 2020 presidential election in less than 50 days. We're joined by documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein, who talks to Fiona about making a landmark biography of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Nothing was off limits during the 35-hours spent interviewing Hillary about her life as a feminist trailblazer and polarising figure in US political life - or when Nanette asked Bill Clinton to open up about...
Published 09/18/20
Our minds are very much on U.S. politics this week, given that Americans will head to the polls for the 2020 presidential election in less than 50 days. We're joined by documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein, who talks to Fiona about making a landmark biography of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Nothing was off limits during the 35-hours spent interviewing Hillary about her life as a feminist trailblazer and polarising figure in US political life - or when Nanette asked Bill Clinton to open up about...
Published 09/18/20
With 'Hungry Ghosts' now streaming at SBS On Demand, we take a deep dive into the show, with a special guest who offers exclusive insight into the writing process. Vietnamese-Australian writer Jeremy Nguyen joins us from his lockdown abode in Melbourne, to talk us through the experience of drawing upon his own family's experiences, to inform the story.
Published 09/10/20
With 'Hungry Ghosts' now streaming at SBS On Demand, we take a deep dive into the show, with a special guest who offers exclusive insight into the writing process. Vietnamese-Australian writer Jeremy Nguyen joins us from his lockdown abode in Melbourne, to talk us through the experience of drawing upon his own family's experiences, to inform the story. 
Published 09/10/20
The horrors of 1950s America become all too real in the new HBO series 'Lovecraft Country', prompting a deep dive into recent HBO dramas 'Perry Mason' and 'Watchmen'; a tribute to Chadwick Boseman in 'Get On Up'; and a look at Netflix health and wellness exposé '(Un)Well' and SBS On Demand's 'Sydney Super Tunnel'.
Published 09/09/20
The horrors of 1950s America become all too real in the new HBO series 'Lovecraft Country', prompting a deep dive into recent HBO dramas 'Perry Mason' and 'Watchmen'; a tribute to Chadwick Boseman in 'Get On Up'; and a look at Netflix health and wellness exposé '(Un)Well' and SBS On Demand's 'Sydney Super Tunnel'.
Published 09/09/20
Fiona gives us the highlights of this year’s curfewed Melbourne International Film Festival - MIFF 68 1/2 - and talks with Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn, the creators of the real life drama 'The Salisbury Poisonings', we talk Netflix's 'Indian Matchmaking' and click play on 'Guerrilla' and 'Burning' on SBS On Demand.
Published 08/19/20
A first time filmmaker spooks Emily Mortimer, Robin Nevin and Bella Heathcote in new Australian horror flick 'Relic', Fiona pays tribute to Olivia de Havilland's starring role in 'The Heiress', a community is threatened by an invisible contagion in 'The Salisbury Poisonings', and we press play on '102 Minutes That Changed America' and 'Cold War' on SBS On Demand.
Published 08/11/20
This week, Fiona speaks with Rove McManus about his passion for art and hosting Australian first 'Life Drawing Live', Fiona and Ben take a look at two very different films on Vietnam - Spike Lee's 'Da 5 Bloods' and Jakeb Anhvu's 'One Hundred Years of Happiness' - as well as offering some SBS On Demand picks.
Published 07/26/20
This week, SBS Viceland Channel Manager John Beohm takes us to task with the launch of UK comedy hit 'Taskmaster', Paul Hogan gets meta in 'The Very Excellent Mr Dundee', Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti follow the groundhog in 'Palm Springs', Alexander Hamilton has a cameo in 'John Adams', and we press play on our SBS On Demand picks.
Published 07/26/20
In a very musical episode, Lin-Manuel Miranda breaks with history in the Disney Plus release of his broadway hit 'Hamilton', and Fiona pays tribute to the extraordinary scores of Ennio Morricone (and the flicks you can hear them on SBS On Demand). Fiona and Ben also review brand new sci fi drama series 'War of the Worlds' and give their take on streaming titles 'Disclosure' and 'America to Me'.
Published 07/12/20
This week on The Playlist, Fiona and Ben ask if Australia is really ready for another round of 'Big Brother', we finally make it to a film festival - albeit virtual - with the Sydney Film Festival, we look back at 'Gladiator' and 'Westworld' in What Have We Been Watching and offer up SBS On Demand picks from the 'Sydney Film Festival Selects' collection and preview a new season of 'Filthy Rich and Homeless'.
Published 06/12/20
This week Fiona and Ben recall the documentaries about racial inequality that have had the most impact upon them (13th, Burn Motherfucker, Burn!, I Am Not Your Negro, LA 92). Elsewhere in the episode, they review new releases The Great and Love Life, and they each recommend something form eh SBS On Demand catalogue, for everyone still spending extended periods at home.    
Published 06/08/20
This week Fiona and Ben uncover series using humour to approach the difficult subject of death and grief including the new Amazon Prime series 'Upload' and returning series 'After Life' and 'Dead to Me', take a look at new releases 'Bad Education' and 'Trying' in What We’ve Been Watching, offer a tribute to Fred Willard and Lynn Shelton and offer up iso-picks 'Election' and 'ZeroZeroZero' on SBS On Demand.
Published 05/27/20
This week on The Playlist, the hit 2018 Irish novel turned iso-phenomenon 'Normal People', Fiona gets physical (from a distance) with 'PE with Kids' online sensation the ‘Body Coach’ himself Joe Wicks, we give 'Alien', 'The Shining' and 'Unorthodox' a spin in What We’ve Been Watching and offer up our iso-picks for SBS On Demand.
Published 05/15/20