Coming of Age season continues with Ginger Snaps (2000). It’s very important to note that we are discussing the film Ginger Snaps and not the snack Ginger Snaps. Mistakes were made. Our third Coming Of Age film finds us discussing director John Fawcett, writer Karen Walton and the development of the Ginger Snaps film. We touch briefly (but don’t spoil) the two sequels where Dan has an Earth-shattering realisation about the 3rd film. And obviously we chat Werewolves and how you spell...

Join us for our second week of Coming-of-Age films, as we discuss Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me (1986). The second episode also happens to be another Stephen King adaptation after covering Carrie last time. This week we talk about the horror writer/dreamweaver himself Stephen King and some of his adaptations (of which there are about 4 million). We also discuss Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell and how the actors’ characters informed their performances. At least in our...

We are back with a brand new season. The theme this time is of Sarah’s choosing and she’s gone for Coming of Age. What’s the first film we’re covering you ask? Well, it’s Brian De Palma’s classic teen coming of age horror, Carrie (1976). We talk about other interpretations of Stephen King’s original (and first) novel and some of the reasons behind the creative decisions. We also wonder if this was Nic Cage’s first movie? All that plus noting some of the key performances from Sissy Spacek to...

Last week we released our thoughts on Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis over on our Patreon feed. But as it’s time for our traditional between season bonus show, we thought we’d post it on the main feed too.  We do spoil this one (if you can) and recommend (but not really) seeing it before listening to the episode.  Would you like to see the full lineup for season 8? The only place we announce our schedule is over on Patreon and you don’t even need to be a paying member. Just sign up for a...

On October 21st we begin our brand new season with the theme, this time, being Sarah’s choice. The first film we’re talking is Carrie (1976) in Sarah’s season of Coming of Age films. As usual, we’ll be covering 8 movies that Sarah thinks fit into that theme.  Would you like to see the full lineup for season 8? The only place we announce our schedule is over on Patreon and you don’t even need to be a paying member. Just sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup. If you have...

We concluded Dan’s season of films about dreams with A Nightmare on Elm St 3. What did we think of the season? Was Dan happy with his selection? Was Sarah happy with Dan’s choices? Would we swap any? These are a few things we pondered on our season 7 wrap show, which is available in full over on our £3.00 a month Patreon tier.  We’ll be back on October 21st with a brand new theme. Look out for the season 8 trailer coming next week and at the same time, we’ll drop our season lineup for free...

We’re back for one last episode in our season of movies about dreams and what better way to cap the season than with an Elm St movie. This week we’re talking A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). We dig into the creatives behind the production and make connections with previous episodes (we’re looking at you Dreamscape). We also discuss Wes Craven, the effects, killer lines and why Sarah should form a support group with Rishi Sunak. If you enjoy this episode we recommend...

Welcome back to another episode of Shoot The Hostage! This week, we dive into the labyrinthine world of Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Join us as we dissect the dreamscape and the dream within a dream within a dream. We also talk story development, production, and why you should always listen to Ken Watanabe. Dan might also have some wild fan theories about how Inception could share a universe with other movies. Season 7 runs until 23rd September 2024. For the full season line-up head over...

This season we’re covering movies about dreams and has we had 2 movies on the bounce that had the word dream in the title, this week Dan’s choice is a little more tenuous. To divulge any other information on that would be to veer into spoiler territory, and we wouldn’t want that. This are our thoughts on The Thirteenth Floor. We talk a little about the source material and how that has influenced the ideas in The Thirteenth Floor. We speak a lot about reality and our perception of it in...

Welcome back to another episode in our season about films and dreams. Sometimes those two things have been loosely connected this season but there is no ambiguity this time. Today we’re discussing our 2nd David Patrick Kelly movie, Dreamscape from the glorious year of 1984. The year that bought us so many of our favourite films. Is Dreamscape one of them?! We discuss the production and development process, David Patrick Kelly, Nunchucks, sandwiches, Saxophones, hats and snakes. Season 7...

We’re back with another episode in our season of films about dreams. This week we’re turning once again to Nicolas Cage in the Kristoffer Borgli film, Dream Scenario. The last time we spoke about Cage was for our Con Air episode and his turn as Paul Matthews in Dream Scenario couldn’t be more different than Cameron Poe. Not a furry bunny in sight in Dream Scenario. We talk about our first impressions when watching it in 2023, our interpretation and why Paul Matthews is the way he is. If you...

For the third episode in our line-up of movies about dreaming, we take it back to the 1990’s with the Alex Proyas written and directed Dark City (1998).  Did we mean to cover two William Hurt movies in a row? Is Lost in Space next? How did he get that Accordion? What did we think of the performances? Does the Neo-noir element of Dark City still hold up? Did Richard O’Brien let Alex Proyas have 30 seconds in the dome? Come find out by pressing play.  Season 7 runs until 23rd September 2024....

Sticking with our season of films about dreams, we turn our head to Ken Russell for the 1980 Sci-Fi/Horror Altered States.  What do we think the visual elements of this film mean? Did John C. Lilly talk to Dolphins? Why did Paddy Chayefsky and Ken Russell fall out? How did a pair of Betty Boop socks convince the cast to be in the film? Why is this in a season of films about dreams? All will be revealed by simply kicking back and pressing play.  Season 7 runs until 23rd September 2024. For...

Come True (2020) is a Horror/Sci-Fi written and directed by Anthony Scott Burns and is the first movie in Dan’s season of movies about dreams.  Find out what we think it means, hear us gush about the sound and question if slippers are hard wearing enough for miles of walking on tarmac. Actually we don’t discuss footwear at all, that’s just one of the notes we didn’t talk about. To be fair, there are so many other things to dive into with this one.  Season 7 runs until 23rd September 2024....

It’s that time again. Yes, it’s just 1 week before we begin our brand new season so it must be time for a bonus show. This time we thought we would release our Twisters show on the main feed which we dropped over on our Patreon last week.  We go a little spoilery on this one although some would argue that there really isn’t that much to spoil. Find out what we thought of Twisters and what was under Glen Powell’s hat.  Next week we begin our seventh season which Dan has chosen and...

On August 5th we begin our brand new season with a theme chosen by Dan. This time he’s gone for dreams. There are a number of ways to interpret the theme and we have an eclectic mix of movies to talk about over the 8 weeks. We begin with Come True (2020) which drops 5th August.  Would you like to see the full lineup for season 7? The only place we announce our schedule is over on Patreon and you don’t even need to be a paying member. Just sign up for a free membership and get access to the...

Our Barbarian show marked the end of Sarah’s season of trapped films. But fear not, we still have our wrap show which is available in full over on our Patreon. We’ll be back on August 5th with a brand new theme. Look out for the season 7 trailer coming next week and at the same time, we’ll drop our season lineup for free members on our Patreon page. So make sure you sign up for that to stay up to date with our release schedule.  If you can’t wait until August 5th, check out our Patreon page...

This week we’re covering our most recent movie yet. We sit down to talk about Zach Cregger’s Barbarian (2020). We talk about the Writer/Director’s inspiration for Barbarian, the unusual changes in tone and how it all fits together.  Sadly, this is the last episode of the season but we’ll be back on the main feed with a brand new season on August 5th. If you can’t wait until then, check out our Patreon page for an end of season wrap show which drops next week. There you can also access all...

The Breakfast club is considered by many to be the peak of the John Hughes gold rush of the 80s. Everyone has a favorite John Hughes movie. But where does The Breakfast Club stand in our opinion? Come and find out. We also talk about why Andrew is taping buns together (Dan learns what buns are), Bender’s unacceptable behavior and the fan theory that suggests the entire movie takes place in Allison’s head. Season 6  runs until 8th July 2024. For the full season line-up head over to...

This week we’re talking Dogtooth (2009) from Writer/Director Yorgos Lanthimos. In an uncommon scheduling coincidence, this episode ties in with the release of his latest film, Kinds of Kindness, which we’ll no doubt cover on our Patreon feed.  But for now, come listen to us discuss what it all means. Why does Yorgos insist on making his audience feel uncomfortable? Is that the point? Why is Rex? Season 6  runs until 8th July 2024. For the full season line-up head over to our Patreon page...

This week we delve into Brandon Cronenberg's film Possessor (2020).  We discuss the complex themes, brilliant visual effects and motivations of the main characters.   Season 6  runs until 8th July 2024. For the full season line-up head over to our Patreon page and become a free member.  If you like what you hear, please rate and review us on your podcast player of choice. It can be as easy as rating 5 stars on Spotify and it really helps the podcast get found by like-minded folk. Or come find...

As we approach the halfway mark in our season of Trapped movies, we return to the glorious well of John Carpenter with Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). Join us as we discuss the performances from the central cast and how criminally cool Napoleon Wilson is. We also talk a little bit about ice cream.  Season 6  runs until 8th July 2024. For the full season line-up head over to our Patreon page and become a free member.  If you like what you hear, please rate and review us on your podcast...

We are taking a slightly darker turn this week with Bad Boy Bubby (1993). The film that search-engines describes as a Comedy/Crime film but we don’t think it’s quite that simple. It’s a film about abuse, growing up, religion and art and doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre. We discuss Rolf de Heer’s vision and the techniques he used to deliver this unusual piece of work to the world. We also talk about Nicholas Hope’s performance, character motivations, Bagpipes and what would happen if a...

It’s the 2nd episode in Sarah’s season of Trapped films. This time we’re talking Alex Garland’s 2014 Sci-fi/Thriller, Ex Machina. There is so much to cover in Ex Machina which is why it turned into a bumper episode. We get into Alex Garland’s career leading up to Ex Machina and beyond, the 2014 perspective of AI, Domhnall Gleeson’s pyjamas and why billionaires are lunatics. Season 6  runs until 8th July 2024. For the full season line-up head over to our Patreon page and become a free...