Film Fives

It's been a while but we are back and as it's the new year we've postponed our film scores by the decade episode until after we've had a look back at our favourite films from a busy last year of quality releases. And here they are, courtesy of your hosts Phil and Russ.Film Fives will return with…..Film Scores of the 1980s (we promise it's true this time!!).

“Have you ever picked your feet in Poughkeepsie?!” That''s what Gene Hackman wants to know but what about our top picks from the Hackman film canon? Make the Connections, join in The Conversation, decide which are Super and have a Royal old time, otherwise you'll be Unforgiven!Film Fives will be back with…..Film Scores of the 1980s

Russ and Phil sift through the films that made their fives (and some others that came close) from the episodes covering screwball comedies through to Studio Ghibli inclusive, bestowing their gold, silver and bronze standards to those seminal films deserving of the feted awards gradings, including some awards for music.Film Fives will be back with….the films of Gene Hackman @FilmFives1@FilmFivesPod

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Russ and Phil are back and this time they are going Latin to delve into the under-valued but richly served world of South American cinema. Gangsters, slum culture, imprisonment, shady politics and brutal military regimes all feature heavily in the cinema from this continent and the standard is high!So get on your samba shoes for our first venture into a national cinema theme.Film Fives will back with…..…..the films of Martin Scorsese

Yes it's time for Russ and Phil to run the rule over all that cinema (and streaming) had to offer us in 2023 and to reveal their favourite fives from a long and strong list of delights!Film Fives will be back with…..……South American Cinema@filmfives @filmfives1 

Ho ho ho! Yippee kayay Merry Festives!It's finally time to get our turkey-tearing teeth into the most distinctive of all sub genres, the Christmas film.What exactly IS a Christmas flick and which deserves to sit atop our respective Christmas trees. So turn on the fairy lights, heat up the mulled wine (but do NOT try that horrendous eggnog nonsense!) and listen in to our hymns to festive cinema treats.Film Fives will be back with…….Films of 2023@filmfives @filmfives1

John Williams, Nino Rota, Jerry Goldsmith. Some of the greats of film music amongst those under the spotlight and under discussion in Russ and Phil's latest Film Fives countdown.Galaxies far, far away, gangster dynasties, disco dancing devils, eavesdroppers, duke box boy racers, cut-nosed private eyes, bridges too far and ticking-time-bomb Vietnam vets!?!Film Fives will be back with………..Christmas films@filmfives1@FilmFives

“Whadya hear, whadya say!?! Don't be a sucker, big an' good lookin'!” Have a listen to this our latest FF episode, focusing on the acting colossus  that was the late, great James Cagney…he of the great gangster flicks, but also entertaining screwball comedies and musical stories. Find out which films and in which order Russ and Phil have selected as their fives for the man the great Orson Welles described at one time as “the best actor alive”. Film Fives will return with….…Scores of the 1970s@filmfives @filmfives1

So here we are! The countdown to Russ and Phil's top Kubrick flicks continues. Which of the great man's masterpieces will top their lists? Whether you use the password ‘fidelio', axe your way through the door or simply call up Mandrake in The War Room to find a solution, enter within!Film Fives will be back with….…..James Cagney@FilmFives1@FilmFivesPod

Russ and Phil are back to tackle one of cinema's true titans: Stanley Kubrick. A technical and creative master, a perfectionist and a true auteur, Kubrick produced an incredible body of technically proficient and brilliantly realised work across a number of genres and rightly takes his place amongst the true greats of the visual arts!So how did your intrepid film pod pair eventually settle on their fives? Film Fives will be back with….…..James Cagney@FilmFives1@FilmFivesPod

Russ and Phil have watched scores of films released in the UK in 2022 (according to IMDB) and here's what they reckon to it all! They count down their top fives and give honourable mention to those that just missed the mark. Film Fives will be back with….Stanley Kubrick

Phil and Russ are rejoined by guest Robin Woolley to turn their collective slapstick gaze towards the longer of Stan and Ollie's classic pictures - the feature film.More japes, collapsing props and long stares abound, this time complemented by cases of mistaken identity, escape to the French Foreign Legion and scrapes with gangsters, amongst other shenanigans. Film Fives will be back with…Films Of 2022@FilmFivesPod @filmfives1 

“Well that's another nice mess you've got me into!”. Yes it's time for collapsing beds, cars, roofs, hats and boats plus eye-poking, butt-kicking, nose-twisting, face-caking and water-drenching antics galore as we welcome first rate slapstick comedy duo Stan and Ollie to our attentions in the first of two episodes focusing on the enduring legends of early Hollywood comedy. In this 18th countdown of their respective top fives in a given category messrs Russ and Phil are, for the first time, joined by a comedy sidekick in the shape of friend and huge L&H fan Robin Woolley, the pod's very first guest contributor, so you get 3 for the price of 2! So sit back, relax and recall (or discover) details of some of the finest frolics ever committed to black and white film stock. This episode focuses solely on the pair's abundant array of short film offerings. Film Fives will, however, be back soon with Laurel & Hardy - The Features

Doeful-eyed young protagonists, high adventure, aviation-based shenanigans, craggy-faced crones of various motivations, Bogartian pigs, airborne pirates, giant mechanical bagpipe-shaped walking castles, mysterious creatures of various descriptions and an array of princesses. Yes it's the wonderful world of Ghibli! Thanks largely to chief animators Miyazaki and Takahata, audiences / viewers have for a generation been able to enjoy all of the above and more, set to some of the most beautiful animation and first rate scores. Film Fives will be back with, subject to timings, either Laurel & Hardy films or films of 2022

Phil and Russ are back after a bit of a break to pick up on the Film Scores of the Decade theme, this time focusing on the 1960s. Spaghetti westerns, Bond films, biblical or desert-based epics, war films, thrillers, Italian cinema or a bit of Henry Mancini! Who knows what's made the Top 5s? One way to find out! @filmfives1 @FilmFivesPod Film Fives will be back with…. ….Studio Ghibli films

We have a plan, we've assembled a crew, we are ready for the double crosses and snags, now let's do the job! Yes it's time for our 15th podcast outing (pouting?) and time to turn our attentions to our latest ‘mark'…the heist movie. Russ and Phil talk through their top 5s amidst furious debate on the finer details of the stipulated defining criteria. Which pics will crack the safes and get away with the cash or gold bullion?! Find out by following the blueprint within! Film Fives will be back with….. Film Scores of the 1960s

Phil and Russ are back with another director focus, counting down their favourite fives from the works of legendary classical Hollywood auteur Billy Wilder, the maker of some of the studio system era's greatest ever productions.There's 4 nailed on masterpieces but in which order will they fall and which other quality picture(s) will make the cut?! Lights, microphones….action!Film Fives will be back with….….classic heist moviesTell us your top choices for the next topic @filmfives

This time around it's time to focus on the career of American actor Frances McDormand. “Yaaa? Yaaa!”. So as soon as you've passed those three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, park up your vee-hicle and settle back for a couple of hours in the company of your regular film nomads Russ and Phil as they count down their top 5s, in the usual style. “You alright, Marge?” “Nope, think I'm gonna barf!” Film Fives will be back with…. ❓

It's time for our second soirée into the films of a calendar year with our look back to the best of UK releases in 2021. Amidst the return to widespread blockbuster releases post pandemic lockdowns, such as Dune and Bond, there were many more lesser profiled titles which made their way onto cinema screens and streaming services that thrilled, delighted, engrossed and enthralled film viewers and here we countdown our own favourite fives from that rich array. Film Fives will be back with….. …..The Films of Frances McDormand

After an enforced break due to a madly busy period across the turn of the year, the boys are back Zooming and quaffing as they work their way through their respective top 5s on the theme of, well, themes (and scores). Yes it's Film Scores of the 1950s and what a densely rich feast of tunesmanship there is to peruse. It hasn't been easy but Russ and Phil have fine-TUNED their fives after much deliberation and settled on their favourites. From the big, brash epics, to the creatively alternative and from the jazz scores to the musicals of which Phil adores (

Innuendos, quips, gadgets, beautiful ladies, iconic title sequences and songs, a great theme tune, great scores, stunts, padded double doors in MI6 interiors, vodka martinis (shaken, not stirred), classic opening scenes, closing scenes, throwing hats on coat hooks, flirting with secretaries, card tables, arch villains and henchmen and then there's those stunning Ken Adams sets for good measure. Yes it's time for Phil's favourite film subject of all. Bond, James Bond! It's a bumper episode, so enjoy this as one epic listen or episodically at your leisure as we take you through the history of Bond, from its roots in Ian Fleming's 50s novels through to the end of latest Bond Daniel Craig's era. Contact us on Twitter: @FilmFives1 @FilmFivesPod or on Facebook Film Fives will be back with….. …..Original Film Music Of The 1950s

Get ready to be knocked into a cocked hat by the chaos of a Katherine Hepburn character and overwhelmed by rocket speed repartee as we delve this time into the sub genre world of the magnificent classic screwballs of the 30s and 40s. Cary Grant, Frank Capra, Preston Sturges, William Powell, Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, Howard Hawks and leopards. It's all here and more! Film Fives will be back with… “Bond, James Bond!”

It's time for an awards interlude as Phil and Russ review their picks so far and consign to immortality the best of the films discussed to date in their inaugural awards episode. Focusing mainly on ‘Best Film', sit back for a catalogue of classics fully worthy of their new accolades! Film Fives will be back with…. ….”Top Five Screwball Comedies”

Family meal times, gravity defying antics, ice storms, gay cowboys, comedies of manners and ocean-going tigers. Yes, it's time for Phil and Russ to turn their attentions to the solidly excellent work of Taiwanese director Ang Lee as they select their favourite fives. Will Phil be able to resist putting a quality martial arts film at number one?! Find out in this our seventh edition of Film Fives. We will be back with…. “The Golden Seagulls Awards Special, Part 1”

This month Russ and Phil are getting on their tracksuits, shin guards, boxing gloves, football boots etc as they delve into the world of the sports film (fiction non comedy sports films to be precise) and there's plenty to choose from. It seems our intrepid duo are forming bigger differences as these pods go on, with hardly any crossover choices* So get warmed up, do your stretches and fire up your racing cars for this 6th film ramble! *….and some horrific omissions on Phil's part! [Russ] Find us on Facebook or tweet @FilmFives1 We will be back with….. “Top Five Ang Lee films”

Russ and Phil are getting animated when discussing the subject under the spotlight this month: Pixar feature films. From the studio's original release, Toy Story, to new work such as Soul, Pixar has delighted audiences young and old with its consistently high standards of groundbreaking animation and multi layered narratives, but which picture(s) will sit atop the boys' lists? @FilmFives1 We will be back with…. “Top Five Sports Fiction Films”

“Tom Hanks is like a box of chocolates...there's a varied assortment of confections and you DO know what yer gonna get!” Good acting, star appeal / box office gold and that boy next door charm graduating in later years to an all-American film dad!”. Phil and Russ are back with the 4th instalment of their casual convo on the wide and wonderful world of cinema. This time the theme is best films featuring a particular actor (in live action roles) and the honour goes to the man who's made a Big Splash everywhere from Philadelphia to The ‘Burbs! It's that Terminal Castaway who's in A League Of His Own, Captain Phillips! So join the chaps as they pick out their choices and give respectful nods to others besides! So Euston, we don't have a problem! We will be back with... “Top 5 Pixar Studio Films” Contact us on Twitter @FilmFives1 or look us up on The Social Network that is Facebook!

Welcome back, pardners! Gather round the campfire, kick off your spurred boots, tilt your cowboy hat down at a cool angle Steve McQueen style, spoon-shovel yerself some beans and pass the whiskey[sic] as Russ and Phil stand face to face with their fingers twitching at their hips, poised for the big shoot out in the town of Film 5s Creek, population: 2! Yes it's time for our first genre episode and under the spotlight is that pioneering of genres: the western. Along with jazz, blues, pick-up trucks and comedy presidents, the western is an indelible imprint in America's culture dating back to the earliest years of the silver screen and from its vast back catalogue of classics, through to modern incarnations in its more recent revival years we cast our eyes across the prairie (checking for ‘injuns' and rustlers) and set to figuring and fixing on our Top 5s.

What!! You came back for more?!l All well and good but might this not turn out to be a badly advised sequel? Well you've asked for it, so here goes... Welcome back to our 2nd sortie into the world of film and our respective 5 picks for best in category. This time we cast our cinephile's eyes over the best of 2020 (as defined by their official UK release date according to IMDB). So pour yourself a drink, sit back & relax and listen to Russ and Phil's takes on the best of the year, amidst plenty of pub style chit chat! Pass the pretzels. We will be back in... “Top 5 Westerns Of All Time”

Welcome to the very first episode of our brand new film podcast, where we (Russ and Phil) take you on a cinematic ride through our favourite films, genres, scenes, actors, soundtracks and much more besides. In each episode we'll pluck a topic out of the air and select our top 5s from that theme. The concept is two English blokes down the pub chatting film....with the twist that we aren't, thanks to Covid lockdowns and geographical constraints! Maybe one day we'll be able to do that for real! But for now, settle back in your armchair (or get running, commuting, walking, driving, sewing or whatever else you normally do when listening to pods and be ready to be mind-numbed by our incessant chatter, musings and alleged film-geekery as we take you in this first instance into the dark recesses of the mind of The Master Of Suspense, the man on The Dark Side Of Genius, probably England's finest ever export, Mr.Alfred Hitchcock, the greengrocer's son turned film director of first rate distinction! We will be back in... “Top 5s Of 2020”