The Stinking Pause Podcast

12 Angry Men (1957) – Sweat, Switchblades, and Reasonable Doubt Lock the door, turn off the fan, and pass the throat lozenges. This week on the Stinking Pause podcast, Scott and Antony are shutting themselves inside a sweltering New York jury room to deliberate over Sidney Lumet's 1957 masterpiece, 12 Angry Men. Join us as we explore the cinematic tension of twelve men in wool suits slowly losing their minds in the humidity, and try to figure out how Henry Fonda maintains his aura of unshakeable decency while Lee J. Cobb shouts at him from three inches away. Alongside our two-part review of the main film, we are also shining a spotlight on the life, career, and impossibly good posture of producer and star, Henry Fonda. And because we can never let things get too respectable around here, we follow up one of the greatest films ever made with a deep dive into our Celluloid Stinker: 1953's Robot Monster. It is a film that bravely asks the question: "Can we pass off a bloke in a borrowed gorilla suit and a diving helmet as an alien conqueror?" Grab a cold towel, double-check your switchblades, and join us for the cinematic chaos. Listen to this and all episodes available at: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/stinkingpause #StinkingPause #12AngryMen #HenryFonda #SidneyLumet #RobotMonster #ClassicCinema #FilmPodcast #MovieReview #BritishPodcast #CelluloidStinkers

The Sublime to the Bizarre – Cop Land, Ray Liotta, & The Conqueror Welcome to another packed episode of the Stinking Pause podcast! This week, Scott is serving up a cinematic double bill guaranteed to give you severe tonal whiplash, pairing a gritty '90s neo-noir triumph with one of the most notoriously misguided epics in Hollywood history. First up, Scott is joined by Antony to take a trip across the George Washington Bridge to Garrison, New Jersey, for James Mangold's stellar 1997 crime drama, Cop Land. While Sylvester Stallone rightfully earned acclaim for shedding his action-hero bravado (and packing on the pounds) to play a subdued, half-deaf sheriff, we are also shining a massive spotlight on the late, great Ray Liotta. As the twitchy, unpredictable Gary "Figgsy" Figgis, Liotta is an absolute live wire. He brings a chaotic, untethered energy—a frantic storm of paranoia, regret, and cocaine—that elevates the entire film. We'll break down his brilliant performance and why he remains one of the finest actors of his generation. Then, take all that grounded, gritty realism, throw it in a blender, and hit puree. For our second feature, we travel back to 1956 for The Conqueror. Yes, folks, this is the infamous film where the Duke himself, John Wayne, attempts to play 12th-century Mongolian emperor Genghis Khan. We dive deep into the spectacular miscasting, the clunky dialogue, and the bizarre, tragic legacy of a movie shot in the Utah desert directly downwind from an active nuclear testing site. It's a journey from the very best of tense, character-driven drama to radioactive Hollywood hubris. Grab a coffee and a doughnut, stick your headphones on, and join us for a truly wild ride. This and all previous episodes are available wherever you download your podcasts and at https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/stinkingpause   Follow us on Twitter/X: @stinkingpause   #StinkingPause #Podcast #MoviePodcast #CopLand #RayLiotta #JamesMangold #SylvesterStallone #90sCinema #CrimeDrama #NeoNoir #TheConqueror #JohnWayne #GenghisKhan #HollywoodHistory #ClassicHollywood #50sMovies #FilmReview #DoubleFeature #Cinephile

Murder, Manuscripts and Miniature Mayhem This time on Stinking Pause, we're entering the dangerous world of theatre, thrillers and people who really should know better than to keep decorative weapons around the house. Our main review is Deathtrap from 1982, Sidney Lumet's twisty, slippery adaptation of Ira Levin's hugely successful stage play. Michael Caine stars as Sidney Bruhl, a once-celebrated playwright whose career has gone a bit quiet — never a healthy condition in a thriller. Into his life comes Christopher Reeve as Clifford Anderson, a talented young writer with a manuscript that may be just a little too good for everyone's safety. Add Dyan Cannon, a house full of suspicious props, and enough double-crossing to make a theatre critic nervous, and you have a film that knows exactly how to pull the rug, then check whether there's another rug underneath. In the middle of the show, we spend some time with Ira Levin, the master plotter behind Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives, The Boys from Brazil and, of course, Deathtrap. Levin had a wonderful knack for taking ordinary homes, marriages, neighbours and polite conversations, then quietly making them feel deeply unsafe. And then, because we have standards and enjoy lowering them, Celluloid Stinkers takes us back to 1938 for The Terror of Tiny Town, the all-little-people musical western that remains one of Hollywood's strangest "somebody definitely approved this" moments. Thrills, twists, questionable judgement and a western that probably needed a second meeting — what more could you want?   This and all previous episodes are available wherever you download your podcasts and at https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/stinkingpause   Follow us on Twitter/X: @stinkingpause   #StinkingPause #Deathtrap #IraLevin #MichaelCaine #ChristopherReeve #SidneyLumet #TheTerrorOfTinyTown #CelluloidStinkers #FilmPodcast #CultCinema

Welcome to Bundanyabba. The beer is cold, the welcome is warm, and leaving may prove surprisingly difficult. This time on Stinking Pause, Scott, Paul and Charlie are joined by Maurice in Melbourne and Kerry in America for a trip into the heat, dust and rapidly collapsing good intentions of Ted Kotcheff's extraordinary 1971 drama Wake in Fright. Gary Bond stars as John Grant, a young schoolteacher who becomes stranded in the remote Australian mining town of Bundanyabba after missing his train. All he needs to do is survive one night and continue his journey the following morning. Unfortunately, this simple plan fails to account for gambling, endless glasses of beer and the local determination to ensure that no visitor remains sober enough to remember where the railway station is. What follows is a brutal and increasingly nightmarish descent into violence, humiliation and male camaraderie at its most aggressively hospitable. Bleak, unsettling and occasionally very funny in ways that leave you feeling slightly guilty, Wake in Fright remains one of Australian cinema's most powerful and unforgettable films. Between the two halves of our review, we celebrate the life and career of Donald Pleasence, the wonderfully distinctive British actor whose performance as the cheerfully dishevelled Doc Tydon gives the film much of its uneasy fascination. Pleasence could suggest menace, vulnerability and imminent psychological collapse with little more than a glance and a carefully raised eyebrow. Then, having spent quite enough time contemplating isolation, alcohol and the fragile veneer of civilisation, we move on to our latest Celluloid Stinker. The Thing with Two Heads stars Ray Milland and Roosevelt Grier as two men forced to share one body following a medical experiment that should probably have been stopped during the planning meeting. One great film, one remarkable actor, two heads and enough questionable decision-making to fill several hospital negligence forms. It can only be Stinking Pause.   This and previous episodes available at: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/stinkingpause as well as your podcatcher of choice.   You can follow us on Twitter @stinkingpause Send your thoughts and your feedback to [email protected]   #WakeInFright #DonaldPleasence #TheThingWithTwoHeads #AustralianCinema #CultCinema #ClassicFilm #BadMovies #FilmPodcast #MoviePodcast #StinkingPause   Coming soon....our next episode:  

Episode 207 - The Fisher King (1991), Terry Gilliam, Flesh Gordon (1974) A quest for redemption, a salute to cinematic stubbornness, and a Sex Ray pointed directly at good taste.   In this episode of Stinking Pause, Scott and Antony head into the gloriously strange, tender and occasionally unhinged world of The Fisher King, Terry Gilliam's 1991 tale of guilt, grief, romance, fantasy and Robin Williams doing the sort of work that reminds you he could break your heart as easily as make you laugh. Jeff Bridges is on beautifully rumpled form too, as a man trying to crawl back from the wreckage of his own ego, which is always good podcast territory, especially when medieval visions start wandering through modern New York.     The episode also takes a lovingly chaotic wander through the career of Terry Gilliam, from the cut-out lunacy of Monty Python to the battle-scarred brilliance of Brazil, Time Bandits, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Twelve Monkeys and the almost biblically cursed journey of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Floods, studio rows, injuries, lost productions, legal wrangles, and still he kept tilting at windmills.     And then, because this is Stinking Pause and standards must be lowered before the credits roll, the Celluloid Stinker is Flesh Gordon, the 1974 adult sci-fi parody that somehow combines a Sex Ray, planet Porno, deeply questionable character names and genuinely impressive special effects.    A heartfelt, funny and slightly filthy episode about imagination, obsession, redemption and the noble art of watching things you probably should not admit to watching.   This and previous episodes available at: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/stinkingpause as well as your podcatcher of choice.   You can follow us on Twitter @stinkingpause Send your thoughts and your feedback to [email protected]   #StinkingPause #TheFisherKing #TerryGilliam #RobinWilliams #JeffBridges #FilmPodcast #CultCinema #FleshGordon #MoviePodcast #CelluloidStinkers   Coming soon - our next episode:

"They're saying Sonny Hayes isn't a has-been. He's a never-was." The Stinking Pause Podcast - reviewing movies since 2013. Some good...some not so good.   In the latest episode of The Stinking Pause Podcast, we buckle up for a slightly unhinged trip through speed, spectacle and sheer cinematic nonsense. First up, we dive into F1: The Movie, a modern racing picture built on big-screen gloss, high-stakes drama and the sort of intense thousand-yard stares that suggest the next corner may decide the fate of civilisation. Joining the conversation is Paul, a man whose taste in films remains as selective and unpredictable as ever, though this time we may just have found a subject close enough to his heart to keep the grumbling to a manageable level. From there, we take a wider look at Hollywood's long love affair with motor racing movies, from the swagger and danger of the classic era to the polished pressure-cooker world of more modern racing dramas. It's a lively run through the films that turned fast cars, fragile egos and split-second decisions into some of cinema's most reliable crowd-pleasers. And then, because no episode of The Stinking Pause Podcast would be complete without a sharp turn into deeply questionable territory, we head into Celluloid Stinkers country with The Wild Women of Wongo. It's bizarre, baffling and exactly the sort of film that leaves you wondering who thought any of it was a good idea. Fast cars, old Hollywood, Paul being Paul, and one gloriously ropey slice of nonsense. In other words, business as usual.   This and previous episodes available at: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/stinkingpause as well as your podcatcher of choice.   You can follow us on Twitter @stinkingpause Send your thoughts and your feedback to [email protected]   Coming soon - our next episode: The Fisher King (1991)

"What you say, Paper Champion? I'm gonna beat you like a dog, a dog, you hear me!"   The Stinking Pause Podcast - reviewing movies since 2013. Some good...some not so good.   We are back with a bit of a revamp for this episode. Rocky III - Scott is joined by Antony from the Film Gold podcast to chat aboout Stallone, Hulk Hogan and Clubber Lang The Balboa Legacy - in which Scott takes a look at the history of the greatest sporting movie franchise in history 1982 - One of the finest years in Hollywood. Not only Rocky III, but The Thing, Blade Runner, Poltergeist, Tron, The Wrath of Khan, Tootsie and many more. Celluloid Stinkers - a new series looking at some of the best worst movies of all time. And what better place to start than the legendary Plan Nine from Outer Space? Reel Britannia Recommends - Scott is joined by his friends and co hosts of the Reel Britannia podcast with their pick of the best movies coming up on Talking Pictures TV - the nation's favourite archive TV and movie channel. All this, plus a few words from Mr David Niven!   This and previous episodes available at: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/stinkingpause as well as your podcatcher of choice.   You can follow us on Twitter @stinkingpause Send your thoughts and your feedback to [email protected]   Coming soon - our next episode: F1 - The Movie (2025)  

Episode 204 - Southern Comfort (1981) "I got news for you. He's nuts. I mean really fuckin' nuts." Join Scott and Antony as as they take a deep dive into Walter Hill's 1981 atmospheric survival thriller, Southern Comfort. Often hailed as a gripping allegory for the Vietnam War set against the claustrophobic backdrop of the Louisiana bayou, this gritty masterpiece remains a masterclass in escalating tension and primal paranoia. Set in the winter of 1973, the film follows a squad of Louisiana Army National Guardsmen embarking on a routine weekend training exercise in the deep swamp. Armed mostly with blanks and an overwhelming sense of unearned arrogance, these part-time soldiers view the treacherous environment as little more than a playground. However, their weekend excursion quickly spirals into a nightmare when they "borrow" a few canoes belonging to the local Cajun trappers. A foolish decision by one guardsman to fire blank rounds at the returning locals triggers a deadly misunderstanding. The Cajuns return fire with live ammunition, instantly killing the squad leader and plunging the remaining men into a desperate fight for survival. Lost, disorganized, and surrounded by an environment they do not understand, the guardsmen find themselves hunted by a phantom enemy. The swamp itself becomes a character—an inescapable, misty labyrinth that strips away their military discipline and civilized facades. As the men are picked off one by one, internal fractures, paranoia, and sheer terror tear the squad apart from the inside out. Join us as we dissect every muddy, tension-soaked layer of Southern Comfort. From Ry Cooder's haunting slide-guitar score to the stellar performances of Keith Carradine and Powers Boothe, we explore the film's themes of American hubris, the horrors of guerrilla warfare, and the dark instinct to survive.

Episode 203 - U Turn (1997) "You like Patsy Cline? I just love her. I wonder how come she don't put out no more new records." Get ready for a sun-drenched, fast-paced adventure in Oliver Stone's "U-Turn," a story that proves even the worst luck can lead to the opportunity of a lifetime! The film introduces us to Bobby (Sean Penn), a man on a mission, cruising through the spectacular Arizona desert in his classic red Mustang. When his car decides it's time for an unscheduled pit stop, Bobby finds himself in the charming, one-of-a-kind town of Superior. Far from a boring delay, this "breakdown" is actually the start of an exciting new chapter, plunging him headfirst into a world of colourful characters and high-stakes opportunities. Superior isn't just any town; it's a vibrant hub of unique personalities! Bobby quickly meets the town's most dynamic and passionate couple: the captivating and resourceful Grace (Jennifer Lopez) and her powerful, take-charge husband, Jake (Nick Nolte). This exciting pair immediately sees something special in Bobby, a go-getter who can make things happen. In fact, Bobby is so impressive that he's immediately flooded with life-changing job offers! First, the enterprising Jake pulls him aside and offers him a very lucrative "contract" to help solve a major problem in his life: his wife, Grace. Then, in a thrilling twist, the equally ambitious Grace makes Bobby an even better offer to help her solve her biggest problem: her husband, Jake! Bobby, a man with a knack for negotiation, suddenly finds himself the most in-demand problem-solver in town, perfectly positioned to play the field and secure the best possible deal. His adventure is a high-energy romp through this quirky oasis. He has memorable encounters with a hilariously eccentric and passionate local mechanic (Billy Bob Thornton), who is dedicated to taking his time and doing the job right. He also meets a spirited young couple, Jenny (Claire Danes) and TNT (Joaquin Phoenix), who are just bursting with youthful energy and jealousy, adding even more fun to the mix! "U-Turn" is a brilliantly twisty ride where alliances shift like the desert sands. Bobby masterfully navigates this exciting game of wits, weighing his options and making bold, decisive moves. The film races toward a truly definitive climax where all the complicated storylines are tied up in a neat, conclusive bow. In a final, thrilling showdown, Bobby, Grace, and Jake all find permanent solutions to their problems. "U-Turn" is a dazzling, action-packed story that will leave you breathless, proving that sometimes, a wrong turn is the best way to get exactly where you need to go!   This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts   Follow us on Twitter @StinkingPause   email: [email protected]   Thanks for listening!

Episode 202 - California Split (1974) "Goddamnit, lady, you don't throw oranges on an escalator!" Get ready for one of the most zesty, freewheeling, and flat-out entertaining buddy films ever made! Robert Altman's 1974 gem, California Split, isn't just a movie; it's an experience. Forget a tight, pre-planned plot. Instead, imagine you're a fly on the wall, dropped right into the hazy, electrifying, and slightly chaotic world of two compulsive gamblers who are in it for the sheer, unadulterated thrill of the action. The film kicks off when two men, Bill (George Segal) and Charlie (Elliott Gould), meet by chance at a smoky, low-stakes California poker room. Bill is a magazine writer, a seemingly "straight" guy who just can't resist the siren call of a bet. Charlie, on the other hand, is a force of nature—a fast-talking, charming, and goofy whirlwind of a man who seems to live entirely in the moment, surviving on his wits and an unshakeable belief in the next hot tip. Their meeting is pure 70s gold. After being (falsely) accused of colluding at the table, they get roughed up and robbed in the parking lot. But instead of being a downer, this bizarre, hilarious incident bonds them instantly. Charlie, brushing off the mugging, just grins and tells Bill, "You're a winner!" And with that, one of cinema's most magnetic and chaotic friendships is born. What follows is a brilliant, meandering tour of the Golden State's gambling underbelly. These two are inseparable, a perfect odd couple plunging headfirst into every bet they can find. They hit the racetrack, shouting at the horses with infectious glee. They shoot pool, they play more poker, they'll even bet on an exhibition basketball game—it doesn't matter what the game is, only that there's action. Charlie is the ultimate enabler, a guy who can turn a simple trip to the bar into a high-stakes adventure, and Bill is all too happy to be pulled along for the ride. The film captures the feeling of gambling better than almost any other. It's not about the grim consequences; it's about the buzz, the camaraderie, the secret language shared between those who "get it." It's about the high of the chase and the electric-shock feeling of pure, unadulterated possibility. Of course, living on the edge eventually raises the stakes. Bill finds himself in a deep hole with his hard-nosed bookie. But in the world of California Split, this isn't a moment for despair—it's a call to action! It's the catalyst for the ultimate "go-for-broke" plan. Bill decides to cash in his straight life, selling his car and possessions to build one giant bankroll. The plan? To leave the small-time L.A. scene behind and head to the mecca: Reno. The final act in Reno is what it's all been building toward. Bill and Charlie, now with a serious pile of cash, hit the casino floors ready for the big time. Bill, powered by a mix of desperation and adrenaline, enters a high-stakes poker game, sitting down with real-life legends (including the iconic Amarillo Slim, playing himself). This is Bill's moment. He's in the zone, playing with a focus and fire we haven't seen before. And Charlie is right there with him, the ultimate hype man, beaming from the sidelines and betting on his new best friend. The tension is incredible, the chips are flying, and Bill starts to go on an unstoppable hot streak. The piles in front of him grow higher and higher as he takes down pot after pot. It's the kind of run every gambler dreams of... What happens when a man who can't stop finally starts to win? You'll have to watch to find out. California Split isn't really about the final score; it's about the intoxicating journey, the magic of a perfect, crazy friendship, and the absolute joy of riding the wave. This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts   Follow us on Twitter @StinkingPause   email: [email protected]   Thanks for listening!