A show covering all things film - new and old, classics, obscurities and genre trash, from Citizen Kane to Salo.
It's the week of Valentine's Day and we're old romantics here at Creaky Chair, so we decided to spend our 69th episode discussing some of our very favourite romance movies. Bill chooses the Rob Reiner/Nora Ephron rom-com classic 'When Harry Met Sally', the decidedly steamy 'The Big Easy' by Jim McBride, and guilty pleasure 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. Sam opts for another Nora Ephron/Meg Ryan rom-com, 'Sleepless in Seattle', the chaste British masterpiece from David Lean 'Brief Encounter', Céline Sciamma's French historical romance 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire', and 'A Cinderella Story' starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray. Michael talks about the minimalist romance of 'Before Sunrise' starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, the heartbreakingly real French film 'Blue is the Warmest Colour', the Bill Forsyth coming-of-age story 'Gregory's Girl', and the bizarre dark comedy 'Harold and Maude'. In our Make Believe Moviehouse segment we talk to David Jenkins, editor of the wonderful film magazine Little White Lies.
On this episode we bring you a review double-header of films that are polar opposites from one another. Michael reviews 'Enys Men', the low-budget Cornish folk horror from Mark Jenkin, while Bill and Sam review the mega-blockbuster 'Avatar 2: The Way of Water' from James Cameron. We also chat about Bela Tarr's 1994 masterpiece of slow cinema 'Satantango', the new Darren Aronofsky film 'The Whale' which is heralding the comeback of Brendan Fraser, and Scott Cooper's new mystery/thriller 'The Pale Blue Eye' starring Christian Bale. Also, in our Make Believe Moviehouse segment, we chat with Gareth Humphreys and Josh Lawson, co-founders and directors of Dead Northern horror film festival.
We are back with our first proper episode of 2023. We review the film everyone was talking about over Christmas, Rian Johnson's 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' starring Daniel Craig and another ensemble cast. We talk about the films we are most looking forward to over the year ahead. In addition, Michael rhapsodises over Charlotte Wells' debut film 'Aftersun' starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio, Bill talks about the Mark Mylod black comedy 'The Menu' starring Ralph Fiennes, and Sam has nothing but praise for the Sara Dosa documentary 'Fire of Love'. If that were not all, we pilot a new segment for the podcast - Make-believe Moviehouse. Our first guest is Sean McGeady, a freelance writer/sub-editor who has written for the likes of Empire, Fangoria, Little White Lies and TimeOut. He tells us about what films he would programme in his fantasy film festival and his passion for the little-known sub-genre of 'melt movies'.
Join us for this special episode as we look back over 2022 and pick out some of our favourite films that we've covered on the podcast. We also select the film the three of us unanimously agree was the worst of the year, as well as the very best of the year. Thanks for listening, do stick with us for our third year of talking all things film.
Join us for our final episode of 2022 as we discuss three of our favourite films that we associate with, and tend to rewatch, over the festive period. First up, Bill talks about John McTiernan's 1988 Christmas action classic 'Die Hard' starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman. Second up, Sam discusses Billy Wilder's 1960 film 'The Apartment' starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. Lastly, Michael reminisces about first watching Robin Hardy's 1973 seminal folk horror 'The Wicker Man' on New Year's Eve and how it's become indelibly linked to the end of year celebrations.
Join us for this episode where we discuss the Australian crime/thriller 'The Stranger' from director Thomas M. Wright, starring Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris. Two men of fine beard mumbling in a bleak Australian landscape... News-wise, we discuss the reported attempts by a 'consortium' of interests to resurrect 60s counterculture classic 'Easy Rider' for the 21st century, and the newly released trailer for Indy 5. We also discuss the new seasonal comedy/action 'Violent Night' from Tommy Wirkola; the latest Gasper Noe film, the experimental 'Vortex', and one of Steven Spielberg's oft-overlooked films, 1997's slave epic 'Amistad' starring Anthony Hopkins and Morgan Freeman.
On this episode, join us as we discuss the controversial new film from Andrew Dominik - 'Blonde' starring Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in a 'fictional reimagining' of the Hollywood superstar's life and death. We also discuss the new Martin McDonagh black comedy 'The Banshees of Inisherin' starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, the 2015 gambling comedy/drama 'Mississippi Grind' starring Ryan Reynolds, and the latest Olivia Wilde film 'Don't Worry Darling' starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles.
We're a little late for Halloween, but nevertheless, we bring you a spooky special - our Creaky Chair guide to the vampire movie. We explore the quintessential horror trope and the innumerable different guises it has taken over the decades. We begin with Year Zero for the vampire film - F. W. Murnau's seminal 'Nosferatu', marking its centenary this year. We then proceed to discuss our favourite examples of the sub-genre. Michael opts for the Hammer classic 'Dracula - Prince of Darkness' (1966) and Werner Herzog's masterful remake 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' (1979). Sam talks about the New Zealand mockumentary 'What We Do in the Shadows' (2014) and the black comedy/horror with the tour de force Nic Cage performance, 'Vampire's Kiss' (1988). While Bill chooses Guillermo del Toro's 'Cronos' (1993) and Neil Jordan's glamorous and gory 'Interview with the Vampire' (1994). We also highlight some other quirky examples of the vampire film, from 'Blacula' to 'From Dusk till Dawn' to 'Blade', and more.
On this episode, we discuss the much-talked-about Indian historical/action epic 'RRR' from director S. S. Rajamouli. Set in the time of the British Raj, and based on two real-life revolutionaries, this was the most expensive Indian film ever made. FInd out whether we thought that budget, and the social media hype, translates into a good film. Bill reviews a handful of short horror films from this year's Dead Northern Film Festival - 'Woodland Cemetery' (Niels Bourgonje), 'The Baby Monitor' (Frank Appio), and 'Sucker' (Alix Austin). Continuing with horror, Sam climbs aboard the 'Horror Express' (1972), a creepy overlooked film from Eugenio Martin starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Michael rounds off the episode by revisiting Richard Fleischer's 1973 sci-fi 'Soylent Green' starring Charlton Heston - a dystopian vision of a world in 2022.
Join us for this special bonus episode as Bill and Sam report back from their time at Dead Northern Film Festival 2022 - a cracking horror film festival based in the city of York. They review the world premiere of horror/comedy/mockumentary 'Searching for Veslomy', and the world premiere of horror/comedy anthology 'Calling Nurse Meow'. The world premieres continue with British horror/drama 'The Stranger', and last but definitely not least - the "absolutely batshit" British horror/comedy 'Eating Miss Campbell'.
Join us for this episode in which Michael and Sam discuss Jordan Peele's third film, the sci-fi/horror 'Nope' starring Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer. Meanwhile, Bill reviews Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film 'Jackie Brown' on its 25th anniversary re-release. We discuss why Michael Bay's action blockbuster 'Armageddon' has been in the news recently, and how two budding directors managed to land the job for the sixth instalment of the 'Final Destination' franchise in what was described as "the Zoom call to end all Zoom calls". Also, Sam gives us his views on new horror film from Parker Finn, 'Smile'; Michael marks the 40th anniversary of Godfrey Reggio's seminal art film 'Koyaanisqatsi'; and Bill shares his thoughts on the latest Adam Sandler film, the sports drama 'Hustle'.
Join us for this episode where we discuss the new Baz Luhrmann musical biopic 'Elvis' starring Austin Butler as the King of Rock n' Roll, and Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker. We discuss the news about the release of a new spy thriller 'Blackbird', financed, directed, written by and starring Michael 'Lord of the Dance' Flatley. And news about a forthcoming Winnie the Pooh horror film. We also talk about another Elvis biopic by John Carpenter starring Kurt Russell - 'Elvis' (1979), the documentary series 'Five Came Back' (2017) by Laurent Bouzereau, and Ron Howard's new disaster film 'Thirteen Lives' based on the true story of the Tham Luang cave rescue.
On this extra-long episode we present our Creaky Chair guide to the historical epic. We decided that 'historical' meant anything pre-20th century and had to have some basis in historical fact. Sam went for Abel Gance's 1927 silent classic 'Napoléon' (which, clocking in at some 5 hours, is the most epic of our choices in terms of length), as well as 'Ran' (1985), Akira Kurosawa's loose adaptation of 'King Lear' set in the time of warring Japanese feudal dynasties. Bill opted for sword-and-sandals Roman epics 'Ben-Hur' (1959) starring Charlton Heston, and Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator' (2000) starring Russell Crowe and Oliver Reed. Michael chose Andrei Tarkovsky's 1966 masterpiece 'Andrei Rublev' about the Russian icon painter, and Mel Gibson's divisive 'Braveheart' (1995) about the Scottish folk hero William Wallace. Before all the historical epics chat, we also find time to discuss the shock recent news about Warner Bros' decision to scrap 'Batgirl' entirely, and ponder what the implications for the film industry might be.
Join us for this episode as we delve into the multiverse and discuss Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's genre-defying 'Everything Everywhere All At Once', starring Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis. It's a thoroughly mad film and we've got lots to say about it. We discuss the sad recent departures of several Hollywood legends such as James Caan and David Warner, as well as Martin Scorsese's new project 'The Wager'. Continuing the multiverse theme, Bill reviews the latest MCU blockbuster 'Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' from director Sam Raimi. Michael revisits an American dystopia double-bill of Peter Watkins' 1971 pseudo-documentary 'Punishment Park' and the 1982 grindhouse documentary 'The Killing of America'. Sam talks about the 1979 musical/drama 'All That Jazz' from director Bob Fosse, starring Roy Scheider.
We are back after a brief hiatus! Join us this week as we discuss the eagerly-awaited summer blockbuster 'Top Gun: Maverick' with Tom Cruise reprising his iconic role as Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. As well as discussing recent movie news, we also chat about Orson Welles' 1942 masterpiece 'The Magnificent Ambersons', the life-affirming 2014 film about gays and lesbians supporting the striking miners 'Pride', the very much not life-affirming 2019 real-life drama 'Dark Waters' from director Todd Haynes, and Rob Savage's new found-footage movie 'Dashcam'.
Join us for this episode as we discuss Tom Gormican's meta action/comedy 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent', starring Nicolas Cage as... Nick Cage. We chat about the rumoured fourth Austin Powers movie, and Justin Lin's shock departure as director of 'Fast X'. In addition, we chat about the 2021 Palme d'Or winner, Julia Ducournau's body horror 'Titane', the 1984 period drama 'Amadeus' from Milos Forman, and the 1982 proto-3D slasher 'Friday the 13th Part 3'.
On this podcast, we are big fans of Robert Eggers, so join us as we review his third and biggest film to date, the Viking action/drama 'The Northman' starring Alexander SkarsgĂĄrd, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicole Kidman. In film news, we discuss the woes of Netflix as they announce projected subscriber losses for the year ahead, and the (apparently) unfounded rumours of a new David Lynch film appearing at the Cannes Film Festival. We also chat about Randall Miller's 2008 comedy/drama about wine 'Bottle Shock' starring Alan Rickman, the new comedy/action 'The Lost City' starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum and Brad Pitt, and Lars von Trier's controversial 2009 experimental horror film 'Antichrist' starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
In this episode, Michael and Sam discuss the new Japanese drama/road movie 'Drive my Car' from Ryusuke Hamaguchi. The film was the recipient of three awards at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and the winner of the Best International Feature Film award at this year's Oscars. As well as discussing all the fall-out from the Oscars, we discuss Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 surfing action/crime classic 'Point Break' starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, the 2019 Scott Z. Burns true-life political drama 'The Report' starring Adam Driver, Kelly Reichardt's 2006 minimalist friendship drama 'Old Joy', and the 2001 cult classic teen comedy 'Ghost World' from Terry Zwigoff starring Thora Birch, Scarlett Johannson and Steve Buscemi.
In this episode, to mark the release of the new incarnation of the Caped Crusader - Matt Reeves' 'The Batman' starring Robert Pattinson, we are dedicating an episode to exploring the twists and turns, the highs and lows of one of the most iconic superhero characters in cinema. Before reviewing the new film, we share views on the cinematic legacy - from Adam West in the camp classic 'Batman: The Movie' (1966), to Tim Burton's dark reinvention 'Batman' (1989) with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, to the Joel Schumacher mid-90s films, to the triumphant Christopher Nolan 'Dark Knight' trilogy. If that's not enough, we give our predictions ahead of this year's Oscars, and Michael deviates from the BatChat to share his thoughts having rewatched Paul Verhoeven's 1997 sci-fi/action 'Starship Troopers' which is now thought of as being one of the most misunderstood films of recent times.
We are delighted to reached our 50th episode! To mark this occasion, we are talking all about our favourite films that are celebrating their half-centenary this year - so our pick from an amazing year of cinema, 1972. From the hard science-fiction of Andrei Tarkovsky's 'Solaris' and Douglas Trumbull's 'Silent Running', to the epic majesty of Werner Herzog's 'Aguirre - Wrath of God' and the metaphor-rich sequel 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'. We cover Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris and their spectacular battle in 'The Way of the Dragon', Luis Bunuel's surrealist classic 'The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie', one of Alfred Hitchcock's better late-career efforts 'Frenzy', a hidden gem of a western 'The Culpepper Cattle Co'., and the gloriously depraved 'Pink Flamingos' from Divine and John Waters. Join us for over an hour packed with chat about films to revisit and watch for the first time on this, their 50th anniversary.
On this episode, Bill and Michael review Guillermo del Toro's neo-noir remake of 'Nightmare Alley', starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. Meanwhile, Sam reviews Ruben Fleischer's action-adventure game adaptation 'Uncharted' starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg. We also chat about what Robert Pattinson was told he had to stop doing on the set of 'The Batman', and news of a possible third 'Blade Runner' instalment. Other films we discuss include Jeff Tremaine's 2019 comedy-drama 'The Dirt' about the exploits of Mötley Crüe, the classic low-budget horror 'Carnival of Souls' (1962), the notorious 1936 propaganda film about the evils of marijuana 'Reefer Madness', and the new comedy/slapstick 'Jackass Forever'.
In this episode, Michael, Bill and Sam discuss the new World War 2 drama 'Munich: The Edge of War' from director Christian Schwochow. It stars Jeremy Irons as Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain who is charged with the task of meeting Adolf Hitler in 1938 to try and avert war, while in the background, George McKay and Jannis Niewöhner are old friends trying to conspire to avoid catastrophe. We also chat about the BAFTA nominations news and the Chinese version of 'Fight Club' with a sanitised ending. In addition, we discuss Kelly Reichardt's devastating drama 'Wendy and Lucy' starring Michelle Williams, Lynne Ramsey's disturbing psychological drama 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' (2011) starring Tilda Swinton, and the 2005 action film 'Submerged' starring Steven Seagal and Vinnie Jones which caused Bill actual physical pain.
In this episode, we discuss the Lana Wachowski's sci-fi/action franchise reboot - 'The Matrix Resurrections' starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. Did we think this film flew or fell..? Join us to find out. We discuss why the latest James Bond film 'No Time to Die' has been entered into the Guinness Book of World Records. We also share our views on the 1971 cult classic road movie 'Vanishing Point', the 2013 psychological thriller 'Stoker', and the short films and documentaries of legendary avant garde filmmaker Agnes Varda.
On our first episode of 2022, we discuss the new Adam McKay political/sci-fi satire 'Don't Look Up', starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as two astronomers who discover an asteroid is on a collision cause with the earth and their struggle to try and get the message out. As well as chatting about some of the films we are most excited about over the year ahead, Bill talks about the new Jane Campion film 'The Power of the Dog' starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Sam gives his views on Joel Coen's new film 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, and Michael shares thoughts on Mark Jenkin's 2019 experimental drama about tensions in a picturesque Cornish fishing village 'Bait'.
Join us for this special episode as we look back over 2021 and pick out some of our favourite films that we've covered on the podcast. We also select the film the three of us unanimously agree was the worst of the year, as well as the very best of the year. Thanks for listening, stick with us for our second year of talking all things film.
Join us for this special episode in which we alternative Three Kings discuss some of our favourite Christmas films. Bill brings to the table the 1992 Chris Columbus comedy 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' which he presents the case for being superior to the original, as well as the 1992 musical/comedy 'The Muppet Christmas Carol' featuring one of Michael Caine's very finest performances. Sam offers up Jon Favreau's 2003 comedy 'Elf' starring Will Ferrell and James Caan, as well as Frank Capra's 1946 classic 'It's a Wonderful Life' starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. Michael presents Bob Clark's 1974 yuletide horror 'Black Christmas' which stakes a strong claim as being one of the prototype slasher films, as well as Joe Dante's anarchic 1984 horror/comedy 'Gremlins'. Happy Christmas to all our listeners!
On this episode, we have one of our strongest disagreements in a while, as we discuss the Pablo Larrain psychological drama 'Spencer', starring Kristen Stewart as Diana, Princess of Wales as she tries to fortify herself through a Christmas weekend with the in-laws. We also chat about Monte Hellman's cult classic road movie 'Two-Lane Blacktop' (1971), Greta Gerwig's 2019 version of 'Little Women' starring Saoirse Ronan and Emma Watson, and James Gray's 2019 sci-fi/thriller 'Ad Astra' starring Brad Pitt.
We have a bonus episode for you - a recording from our annual Creaky Chair Film Festival, a prestigious occasion which involves the three of us getting together in person, having some drinks and watching a few films. This recording captures our immediate hot takes on the carefully-curated film programme. We began by watching Ben Wheatley's latest folk-horror 'In the Earth' which was released earlier in the year, followed by Michael Mann's notorious failure - the war/supernatural horror with Nazis, 'The Keep' (1983). After that, we decided to lighten the mood with Buster Keaton's silent comedy classic 'Sherlock Jr.' (1924). Last but not least we waded into the sodden bayou with 'Southern Comfort' (1981), Walter Hill's war games thriller. Disclaimer: Alcohol had been consumed by the time this episode was recorded, so please forgive the uncharacteristic looseness and occasional dip in audio quality, hopefully you will still find it as engaging and entertaining a discussion as always!
Join us as we discuss two new releases. First up, Michael and Sam discuss Edgar Wright's psychological horror 'Last Night in Soho' starring Thomasin McKenzie as a 60s obsessed fashion student haunted by dreams of a dark secret lurking in Soho's past. Second up, Bill tells us about the directorial debut from Jeymes Samuel, 'The Harder They Fall' - a revisionist western starring Jonathan Majors and Idris Elda. We also discuss the ill-fated Polish sci-fi epic from Andrzej Żuławski, 'On the Silver Globe'; the new Wes Anderson film 'The French Dispatch', and revisiting Sam Raimi's 2002 'Spiderman'. Listeners get access to a 30-day free trial at Cinema Paradiso.
On this episode, join us as we explore all things 'Dune'. We discuss the spectacular new Denis Villeneuve adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic science-fiction saga, starring Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin and Zendaya. We pit it up against the 'epic failure' that is David Lynch's 1984 version to see how they both compare, and navigate our way through talking about Alejandro Jodorowsky's 'lost masterpiece'. We also talk about the 1976 Spanish horror film 'Who Can Kill A Child?', Mike Myers' Bond spoof 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery' (1997) and the 1933 disaster movie 'Deluge' - the first film to show the destruction of Manhattan. Listeners get access to a 30-day free trial at Cinema Paradiso.
Join us this week as we discuss David Lowery's Arthurian medieval/fantasy adventure 'The Green Knight' starring Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, and Joel Edgerton. We also chat about Woody Allen's 2005 London-based philosophical thriller 'Match Point', the new crime thriller from Antoine Fuqua - 'The Guilty' starring Jake Gyllenhaal, and a new French supernatural horror film 'The Deep House' from directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo. Listeners can get access to a 30-day free trial for Cinema Paradiso.
In our latest episode, we finally get to discuss the long-awaited 25th James Bond film 'No Time To Die'. Has it lived up to the hype? Is it a worthy swansong for Daniel Craig? Where does the franchise go from here? We discuss all this and much more. We also chat about Bong Joon-ho's 2017 fantasy 'Okja', the new experimental musical 'Annette' starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, the new action/thriller 'Nobody', the 2011 psychological thriller 'One Hour Photo' starring Robin Williams playing fantastically against-type, and the new documentary film about the extraordinary life of former military psyops officer Colin Wallace - 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'. Listeners can get access to a 30-day free trial for Cinema Paradiso.
For our latest special episode we have an extra-long one for you. As Daniel Craig bows out with 'No Time To Die', we decided to discuss all things James Bond. We each picked our favourite Bond film - Sam chose the gold-standard 'Goldfinger', Michael opted for the black sheep of the series 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', and Bill chose to rep for Craig's first outing 'Casino Royale'. We also discussed honourable mentions, as well as our picks for the worst Bond films, the best gadgets, villains, action scenes, theme songs, and of course, who is the best Bond. We also sparred over the legacy of the cultural phenomenon and where the franchise can possibly go from here... Listeners to the podcast can get access to an exclusive code for a 30-day free trial of Cinema Paradiso.
Oink! Join Michael and Bill this week as, in Sam's absence, they discuss the new Nicolas Cage drama 'Pig' from first-time director Michael Sarnoski. Cage stars as Robin Feld, a reclusive truffle hunter who is hell-bent on recovering his companion, a truffle pig, after it's stolen by unknown assailants. Michael and Bill discuss the mooted return of Francis Ford Coppola with his long-lost 'Megalopolis' project, and the possible clues to something game-changing behind 'The Matrix Resurrections' trailer. They also chat about the 2020 real-life drama about 9/11 victims compensation lawsuits 'Worth' starring Michael Keaton and Stanley Tucci, the 1973 proto-feminist dystopian thriller 'Terminal Island', and the 1957 horror/sci-fi that has gone down in cinema folklore as 'the worst ever made' - 'Plan 9 from Outer Space'. Listeners to the podcast can get access to an exclusive code for a 30-day free trial of Cinema Paradiso.
Join us this week as we discuss the new British horror film 'Censor' from first-time director Prano Bailey-Bond. Set during the 1980s 'video nasties' era, it stars Niamh Algar as a fastidious censor whose disturbed childhood starts to influence how she sees the films she is monitoring. As well as chatting about Tom Cruise having his car stolen during filming in Birmingham, we discuss the latest Marvel blockbuster 'The Suicide Squad' from James Gunn, Vittorio De Sica's classic neorealist drama 'Umberto D.' (1952), Geoff Murphy's post-apocalyptic sci-fi film 'The Quiet Earth' (1985), and the new comedy sequel 'People Just Do Nothing: Big in Japan'. Listeners to the podcast can get access to an exclusive code for a 30-day free trial of Cinema Paradiso.
Get in the vehicle and buckle up as we examine the road movie. We each pick 3 films that we deem particularly noteworthy or enjoyable examples of this sub-genre. Michael picks the 1966 Roger Corman biker movie 'The Wild Angels', the 1979 British arthouse film 'Radio On', and Walter Salles' 2004 classic biopic 'The Motorcycle Diaries'. Sam picks Steven Spielberg's 1971 debut 'Duel', David Lynch's sweet portrait of an old man travelling to see his long-lost brother on a lawnmower in 'The Straight Story', and Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1953 classic thriller 'The Wages of Fear'. Bill picks Martin Brest's 1988 buddy-comedy movie 'Midnight Run', Steven Knight's 2013 all-in-one-car thriller 'Locke' starring Tom Hardy, and 'Sorcerer' - William Friedkin's 1977 excruciatingly tense remake of 'The Wages of Fear'. Listeners to the podcast can get access to an exclusive code for a 30-day free trial of Cinema Paradiso.
Join us this week as we split off to cover two new films. Bill and Sam share their views on the new Netflix thriller 'Beckett' from director Ferdinando Cito Filomarino and starring John David Washington. Michael shares his views on the much-anticipated black comedy road movie 'Zola' from director Janicza Bravo based on a viral Twitter thread about two strippers and their chaotic road trip to Florida. As well as this, we also discuss Robert Altman's 2001 period comedy/drama 'Gosford Park', the Studio Ghibli historical animation 'The Wind Rises' (2013), the notorious witch-hunt horror 'Mark of the Devil' (1970), and the 2019 coming-of-age high-school comedy 'Booksmart'. Listeners to the podcast can get access to an exclusive code for a 30-day free trial of Cinema Paradiso.
This week, back recording remotely, join us as we discuss the new M. Night Shyamalan thriller 'Old' about a group of people trapped on a beach that appears to be mysteriously ageing them all at a rapid rate. As well as chatting about James Gunn slamming Martin Scorsese for his comments about Marvel films, Sam shares his thoughts on revisiting some old Disney classics including 'The Lion King' (1994), Michael tells us about the 1998 Danish black comedy/drama about a majorly dysfunctional family 'Festen' by Thomas Vinterberg, and Bill explains how he identifies with the main characters in Cary Fukunaga's 2011 film adaptation of 'Jane Eyre'. Listeners to the podcast can get access to an exclusive code for a 30-day free trial of Cinema Paradiso.
This week, the Creakers are live in the same room together for the first time since starting the podcast. (Please excuse some technical issues with Bill's mic this week.) We are talking about Kelly Reichardt's minimalist western/drama 'First Cow', a film about friendship and baking. As well as discussing the shock news about Scarlett Johansson suing Disney, we talk about the wonderful Argentine dystopian crime film 'InvasiĂłn' (1969), the behind-the-scenes Netflix TV show 'The Movies That Made Us', and the 1933 Universal horror classic 'The Invisible Man' starring Claude Rains. Creaky Chair Film Podcast is supported by Cinema Paradiso.
Join us as, inspired by Thomas Vinterberg's 'Another Round', we delve into alcohol in movies. We begin by exploring the films that best capture the yearning for a drink such as the classic 1958 war film 'Ice Cold in Alex', and the films that made iconic a certain drink (e.g. 'The Big Lebowski' and White Russians). We then move on to examine films that best capture the giddy highs of complete inebriation such as the 1978 Jackie Chan kung fu classic 'Drunken Master' and 'Withnail & I'. We end by discussing films that tackle the lows of alcohol, the crushing hangovers, and the horrors of alcoholism, such as the 1971 psychological thriller 'Wake in Fright' and the seminal 1945 film 'The Lost Weekend'. So, pour yourself a drink, and settle in for an hour of booze and movies chat.
SkĂĄl! Join us this week as we discuss the Danish comedy-drama film about the highs and lows of alcohol, 'Another Round'. Directed by legendary Dogme 95 director Thomas Vinterberg and starring Mads Mikkelson, the film won the Best International Feature at the Oscars earlier in the year. As well as chatting about Spike Lee's embarrassing moment at the Cannes Film Festival, we share our thoughts on Rob Bowman's 2002 action/adventure film 'Reign of Fire', William Friedkin's 1980 sweaty leather-clad crime/thriller starring Al Pacino 'Cruising', and the 1978 supernatural thriller 'The Medusa Touch' starring Richard Burton as a novelist with a destructive telekinetic mind.
This week, join us as we talk all about the latest in the 'Fast & Furious' blockbuster franchise - 'F9: The Fast Saga', starring Vin Diesel, John Cena, Michelle Rodriguez, Charlize Theron, et al. For Michael and Sam, it's the first of the franchise they've seen, while Bill is a big long-term fan - listen to find out whether this influenced our experiences of the film. As well as discussing the passing of legendary director Richard Donner, we chat about the 1996 sports comedy film 'Happy Gilmore' starring Adam Sandler, the essential David Koff documentary 'Blacks Britannica' (1978) which was banned in the UK for being too 'incendiary', and the 2015 dinner party thriller 'The Invitation' from director Karyn Kusama.
This week, we discuss the new Liam Neeson action/thriller 'The Ice Road' from director Jonathan Hensleigh. 18-wheelers racing over a frozen ocean to get to an exploded mine... what could be bad about that?! We also discuss Ben Wheatley's 2013 hallucinatory folk-horror 'A Field in England', the 1992 cyberpunk sci-fi 'Freejack' starring Anthony Hopkins and Mick Jagger, and 'Bo Burnham: Inside' - a new one-man project completed during last year's lockdown. Follow us on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/creakychair Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/creakychair/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/creakychairpod/
The second of our two-part monthly special exploring some of our favourite films of the last decade. In Part 2, we will be discussing Michel Hazanavicius' comedy/drama revival of the silent film 'The Artist' (2011), Joshua Oppenheimer's revelatory and disturbing documentary 'The Act of Killing' (2012), the sublime and inventive comedy/crime film 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' by Wes Anderson (2014), Paul King's joyous 'Paddington 2' (2017) - possibly the best sequel of the decade, Panos Cosmatos' deranged hallucinogenic horror film 'Mandy' (2018) starring Nicolas Cage at his batshit best, and Bong Joon-ho's genius social comedy/thriller 'Parasite' (2019). Follow us on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/creakychair Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/creakychair/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/creakychairpod/
This week, we have our first of a two-part monthly special exploring some of our favourite films of the last decade. In Part 1, we will be discussing Nicolas Winding Refn's stylish cult classic 'Drive' (2011), Lars von Trier's apocalyptic fantasy / study of depression 'Melancholia' (2011), Ben Wheatley's grisly horror/hit man film 'Kill List' (2011), the Coen Brothers' black comedy/drama 'Inside Llewyn Davis' (2013), Richard Linklater's epic coming-of-age film 'Boyhood' (2014), and Jonathan Glazer's weird and unsettling alien film 'Under the Skin' (2013). Follow us on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/creakychair Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/creakychair/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/creakychairpod/
This week, join us as we dive into Aneesh Chaganty's psychological thriller 'Run' starring Kiera Allen as a homeschooled teenager in a wheelchair with Sarah Paulson as her mother who might possibly be harbouring sinister secrets. We also chat about Sam's first trip back to a cinema to see 'A Quiet Place Part 2', the meta black comedy from Robert Altman 'The Player' (1992), and the newly-discovered George A. Romero film 'The Amusement Park' (1973) - a nightmarish comment on elder abuse. Follow us on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/creakychair Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/creakychair/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/creakychairpod/
This week, we discuss the urban western/drama 'Concrete Cowboy' starring Idris Elba as the leader of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club of Philadelphia. Other films we discuss include 'Viy' (1967), a wild and wacky Soviet-produced folk-horror, 'I Care a Lot' (2021), the new black comedy/thriller starring Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage, and two strangely forgotten film representations of the Titanic disaster - the American 'Titanic' (1953) and 'Titanic' (1943) produced as a propaganda film by Nazi Germany. Follow us on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/creakychair Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/creakychair/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/creakychairpod/
This week, we discuss the new zombie action/heist movie 'Army of the Dead' by Zack Snyder, streaming now on Netflix. Were we charmed by Dave Bautista and his gang as they blast their way through a zombie-infested Las Vegas or did it leave us cold..?? Listen and find out. We also discuss the Guillermo del Toro gothic fantasy 'Crimson Peak' (2015), Richard Linklater's comedy classic 'School of Rock' (2003) starring Jack Black (and tragically the late Kevin Clark), the Hammer Horror-meets-Egypt film 'The Mummy' (1959), and the hallucinogenic joyride through Cape Town that is 'Fried Barry' (2021), the debut feature film from Ryan Kruger.
Join us this week as we mark the reopening of British cinemas by discussing the Best Picture Oscar-winning drama/road movie 'Nomadland' starring Frances McDormand as a woman adjusting to her new transient life moving from place to place and job to job. We also discuss the 1985 ramen western 'Tampopo' by Juzo Itami, the classic Clive Barker supernatural horror 'Hellraiser' (1987), and Tony Scott's nuclear submarine action thriller 'Crimson Tide' (1995) starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman.
Join us this week as we discuss the new Alexandre Aja sci-fi/thriller 'Oxygen', starring Melanie Laurent as a woman who wakes up in a cryogenic unit with slowly depleting oxygen levels. But who is she, and how did she get there? We also talk about the controversial 1982 racism drama 'White Dog', the classic Nick Park animation 'The Wrong Trousers', and the New Zealand mockumentary comedy series 'Wellington Paranormal'.
On Sunday 9 May 2021, three podcasters mysteriously disappeared while recording an episode about found footage films. Now, in unedited form, listen to that recording in full to hear what happened to them. They discuss the history of the found footage sub-genre, from its grim origins in 'Cannibal Holocaust' (1980) to mainstream success with 'The Blair Witch Project' (1999) and saturation point with the likes of 'Paranormal Activity' (2008). They offer some of their favourite found footage films, the worst examples they've seen, how it often crosses over into the pseudo-documentary style, and debate whether its actually a sub-genre at all or merely a gimmick...