132. The Best of 2023

This week, we discuss two films from American director Samuel Fuller. The first is White Dog (1982), a drama/horror film based on Romain Gary's 1970 novel of the same name. The film depicts the struggle of a dog trainer named Keys (Paul Winfield), who is black, trying to retrain a stray dog found by a young actress (Kristy McNichol), that is a "white dog"—a dog trained to make vicious attacks upon, and to kill, any black person. The second is The Big Red One (1980), an epic war film starring Lee Marvin alongside an ensemble supporting cast, including Mark Hamill. Based on Fuller's own experiences as a soldier in World War II, it was produced independently on a low budget, and shot on location in Israel as a cost-saving measure.   Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:05) – Curb Your Enthusiasm season twelve, Baby Reindeer, Blood Diamond, Paddington 1 & 2, The Gilded Age season two White Dog (00:22:00) The Big Red One (00:51:40) Coin toss (01:16:15)   Links Instagram - @callitfriendopodcast @munnywales @andyjayritchie   Letterboxd – @andycifpod @fat-tits mcmahon   Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.com  

This week, we discuss two films which competed for the Palme d’Or in 2021. The first is A Hero (2021), an Iranian-French drama film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi and starring Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh and Sahar Goldoost. The film was screened at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, ultimately winning the Grand Prix. The second is Annette (2021), a musical romantic drama film directed by Leos Carax in his English-language directorial debut. The film's story and music were co-written by Carax and the band Sparks. The film follows a stand-up comedian (Adam Driver) and his opera singer wife (Marion Cotillard), and how their lives are changed when they have their first child. At the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Carax received the Best Director award.   Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:10) – Civil War, The Beach, Spider-Man, Mr Inbetween season one, Tesis A Hero (00:28:45) Annette (01:00:45) Coin toss (01:30:15)   Links Instagram - @callitfriendopodcast @munnywales @andyjayritchie   Letterboxd – @andycifpod @fat-tits mcmahon   Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.com

This week, we discuss two highly acclaimed films from the 90s.   The first is Before the Rain (1994), a Macedonian war film written and directed by Milcho Manchevski and starring Katrin Cartlidge and Rade Šerbedžija. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 67th Academy Awards.   The second is Farewell My Concubine (1993), a Chinese-Hong Kong epic historical drama film directed by Chen Kaige and starring Leslie Cheung, Gong Li and Zhang Fengyi. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1993 and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars the following year. In 2005, the film was selected as one of the "100 Best Films in Global History" by Time magazine.   Timestamps   What we’ve been watching (00:01:40) – Slow Horses season three, The Zone of Interest, The King, The Three-Body Problem, Beethoven, Beethoven’s 2nd, Crime season one, Die Hard with a Vengeance, The Silence, Shaun of the Dead, De Palma, Went the Day Well?, The Man in Grey, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire   Before the Rain (00:41:30)   Farewell My Concubine (00:57:30)   Coin toss (01:27:40)     Links   Instagram -   @callitfriendopodcast   @munnywales   @andyjayritchie       Letterboxd –   @andycifpod   @fat-tits mcmahon     Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.com

This week, we discuss two films from the 1970s starring Elliott Gould.   The first is The Silent Partner (1978), a 1978 Canadian thriller film directed by Daryl Duke and starring Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer, and Susannah York.   The second is Capricorn One (1977), a 1977 British-produced American thriller film in which a reporter discovers that a supposed Mars landing by a crewed mission to the planet has been faked via a conspiracy involving the government and—under duress—the crew themselves.   Timestamps   What we’ve been watching (00:01:05) – American Fiction, The Jinx, Drive-Away Dolls, JFK   The Silent Partner (00:28:10)   Capricorn One (01:05:20)   Coin toss (01:45:50)     Links   Instagram -   @callitfriendopodcast   @munnywales   @andyjayritchie       Letterboxd –   @andycifpod   @fat-tits mcmahon     Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.com  

This week, we discuss two films from legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.   The first is Throne of Blood (1957), which is based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The film stars Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada in the lead roles. With a budget of $350,000, the film was one of the most expensive films ever made in Japan at the time of its release.   The second is Ikiru (1952). The film examines the struggles of a terminally ill Tokyo bureaucrat (played by Takashi Shimura) and his final quest for meaning. The screenplay was partly inspired by Leo Tolstoy's 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich.   Timestamps   What we’ve been watching (00:01:02)   Throne of Blood (00:35:45)   Ikiru (00:51:55)   Coin toss (01:15:55)     Links   Instagram -   @callitfriendopodcast   @munnywales   @andyjayritchie       Letterboxd –   @andycifpod   @fat-tits mcmahon     Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.com

In this week’s episode we run through our best of 2023, starting with our top 5 toss pick films. We also delve into our favourite (and least favourite) media released last year.    Links Instagram - @callitfriendopodcast @munnywales @andyjayritchie   Letterboxd – @andycifpod @donnchadh   Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.com

This week, we discuss two films connected to Sherlock Holmes. The first is Zero Effect (1998), a mystery comedy film written and directed by Jake Kasdan in his feature directional debut. Starring Bill Pullman as "the world's most private detective", Daryl Zero, and Ben Stiller as his assistant Steve Arlo, the film's plot is loosely based on the Arthur Conan Doyle short story "A Scandal in Bohemia". The second is The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), written and produced by Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond, and directed by Wilder. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the creators and writers of the BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning series Sherlock, credited the film as a source of inspiration for their show.   Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:00:55) – Vigil Season 2, Frozen, The Remains of the Day Zero Effect (00:19:55) The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (00:54:50) Coin toss (01:34:30)   Links Instagram - @callitfriendopodcast @munnywales @andyjayritchie   Letterboxd – @andycifpod @donnchadh   Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.com Christopher Lee's Life Is Way Cooler Than Yours - https://youtu.be/5yPsa4PGVhc?feature=shared

This week, we discuss two films about the Japanese mafia. The first is The Yakuza (1974), a neo-noir crime drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura and Brian Keith. The screenplay by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne is from a story by Schrader's brother, Leonard Schrader. The second is Sonatine (1993), directed, written and edited by Takeshi Kitano, who also stars in the film. It won numerous awards and became one of Kitano's most successful and praised films, garnering him a sizable international fan base.   Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:00:57) – The Andromeda Strain, Bottoms, Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything, May December The Yakuza (00:23:00) Sonatine (00:54:00) Coin toss (01:15:15)   Links Instagram - @callitfriendopodcast @munnywales @andyjayritchie   Letterboxd – @andycifpod @donnchadh   Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.com The Two Beats Manzai Act - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9sdmaES6Zs

This week, we discuss two American horror films. The first is Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971), an independent film co-written and directed by John Hancock. The film depicts the nightmarish experiences of a psychologically fragile woman who comes to believe that another strange, mysterious young woman she has let into her home may actually be a vampire. The second is The Boogeyman (2023), an adaptation of the 1973 Stephen King short story, directed by British indie director Rob Savage. The film stars Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina and David Dastmalchian. In it, a family reeling from the death of a wife and mother is haunted by a monster that feasts on pain and fear.   Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:00) – No Hard Feelings, Home Alone, Bottoms, X Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (00:35:00) The Boogeyman (01:02:55) Coin toss (01:30:30)   Links Instagram - @callitfriendopodcast @munnywales @andyjayritchie   Letterboxd – @andycifpod   Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.com  

This week, we discuss two films featuring one actor playing two identical characters. The first is The Double (2013), an adaptation of the Fyodor Dostoyevsky novella of the same name. The film, directed by comedian Richard Ayoade, stars Jesse Eisenberg as colleagues Simon James and James Simon. The second is Double Impact (1991), starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as identical twins Chad and Alex. The film made around $30 million and was filmed mostly on location in Hong Kong.   Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:00) – The Big Short, Blackberry The Double (00:12:35) Double Impact (00:41:50) Coin toss (01:02:06)   Links Instagram - @callitfriendopodcast @munnywales @andyjayritchie   Letterboxd – @andycifpod   Justwatch.com – streaming and rental links - https://www.justwatch.com