Culture Wars

Culture Wars returns for 2017 with one of the Australian movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars – Lion, the extraordinary story of five-year-old Saroo Brierley's adventures after getting separated from his brother on a train platform. It's an incredible premise, but do the filmmakers make the most of it?

The feelgood Aussie family flick Red Dog has its inevitable sequel – or prequel, in fact. It's the story of Mick, sent to live in the remote Pilbara with his stern grandfather, where he discovers a certain red puppy... but can that outback lightning strike twice? Giles and Dom, along with miscellaneous small relatives, travelled back to 1960s WA to find out.

It's an early Oscar favourite, but is Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone's musical love letter to the City of Angels genuinely something to sing about? As ever, Giles and Dom disagree based on the toss of a coin, and then reveal what they really think...

Giles and Dom went to see the new Star Wars spin-off/midquel/stand-alone story at midnight on release day, and then sat in a car and reviewed it just for you. Well, their own nerdiness may have played a part in them being there too. Are we talking Episode VII, Episode I, or somewhere in between? They'll tell you. (Note - there are no major spoilers, but we give a broad-brushstrokes general reaction before analysing it in more detail.)

In this year's least imaginatively-named film, Jason Bateman and TJ Miller love office Christmas parties. Whereas Jennifer Aniston most certainly does not. But what of Office Christmas Party itself? Giles and Dom take a side each based on the toss of a coin, as usual, to reveal whether this Yuletide romp is a cracker or a squib.

It's the fifth instalment in the Underworld series, once again starring Kate Beckinsale as the 'Death Dealer' vampire enforcer, Selene. Like her, there's every chance that the series will never die, given the huge box office figures it's had so far – but should a stake be driven firmly through the heart of this supernatural franchise? Giles and Dom doused themselves repeatedly with holy water and headed to the multiplex to find out...

Billy Bob Thornton is the last person you'd want to don a Santa Claus suit... again! Yes, for those who wanted more after the first Bad Santa drooled all over Christmas 13 years ago, your holiday wish has been granted. But even though the star now has appropriately snow-white hair, was this nihilistic Yuletide offering worthy of a second instalment? Giles Hardie and Dom Knight found out...

It's another Harry Potter movie at last! Albeit very loosely. This one's set in 1920s New York, where future Hogwarts textbook author Newt Scamander has travelled with a suitcase of magical beasts... which inevitably get loose. A combination of The Untouchables and Men In Black, it'll undoubtedly accio fans' galleons, but did it leave Giles and Dom in a state of petrificus totalus?

CULTURE WARS is a new podcast where Giles Hardie and Dom Knight butt heads over films, TV and more - and if they don't disagree, they'll toss a coin to guarantee that they do. In this first episode, they review THE ACCOUNTANT, a thriller where Ben Affleck plays a genius bookkeeper slash world-class assassin. Yes, both of those things, in the same character. Is it just the result of a dare to make a suspenseful film about an accountant? Let's find out!