Ep # 71 - Avatar: The Way of Water [REVIEW]

By the pricking of their thumbs...something wicked this way comes: James and Imo are back! After a long, long hiatus, the co-hosts decide to cast their eyes over the long-awaited adaptation of 'Wicked' (2024), directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum.The two pod-witches get nostalgic over their experiences with the famous Broadway musical and its Hollywood inspiration (and podcasting after so long). Nevertheless, they still find time to peek behind the curtain of the film's choices, themes and performances, while also reading G(a)linda for filth.Do they think that Chu's film is set to be popular or will no one mourn this cinematic rendering of the beloved stage show?

Lagging way behind the wormhole technology of other film reviewers (we're late...), Imo and James review the second part of science-fiction epic 'Dune: Part Two', directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Léa Seydoux, Javier Bardem, Charlotte Rampling, and Christopher Walken. Several years on from 2021's 'Dune' (though taking place about ten minutes after that instalment), what do our spicy film critics make of this audacious adaptation of the second half? Is it still a triumphant vision of Frank Herbert's expansive 'unfilmmable' novel, or does it sink under its weight? Our critics have no fear when reviewing this one.

Coming in just before the half-year mark for 2024, James and Imo look back at 2023. It was a year that featured fewer eyes on the past for the podcast but reviewed a whole lot of new releases. In this special year-in-review round-up, they discuss the best and the worst from 2023, alongside which podcast episodes they enjoyed the most. Films mentioned include: 'Barbie' 'The Boy and the Heron' 'Broker' 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves' 'Fast X' 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' 'The Little Mermaid' 'Napoleon' 'Oppenheimer' 'Return to Seoul' 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' '65' Click on the links above for trailers. For full podcast review episodes, check out: 'Barbenheimer', 'The Boy and the Heron', 'Broker', 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves', 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny', 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'. For a more extensive coverage of the year, see James' '4 Eyes' review of 2023. Thank you again to all our listeners and supporters. We'll be back very soon with more nostalgia and reviews for the rest of 2024! Keep tuned.

After their very recent retrospective of the Studio Ghibli canon, James and Imo apply their critical binoculars to Hayao Miyazaki's latest award-winning animation 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023), starring the voices of Robert Pattison, Christian Bale, Gemma Chan, Karen Fukuhara, Florence Pugh, Willem Dafoe and Mark Hamill (for the English dub). Spirited away by previous Miyazaki movies, what do they think of his newest feature? They discuss everything from the stunningly detailed animation to its thematic connections with the filmmaker's wider work. Is it a fevered dream of Ghibli wonders, or just a bit bird-brained?

Just as visionary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki wins awards for his latest feature animation 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023), Imo and James decide to conduct a curated retrospective of the Studio Ghibli canon.  Picking their favourites from the director's oeuvre and the wider Ghibli canon (and yes, it's their own subjective choices!), the anime addicts discuss their first steps into the magical world(s) of Miyazaki. They explore the now classic Ghibli themes of childhood, environmentalism, metaphysics, and love in a film from each of the last four decades: 'My Neighbour Totoro' (1988), 'Princess Mononoke' (1997), 'Spirited Away' (2001), and 'Arrietty' (2010). What is the spirit of Miyazaki? And do they think will it be conjured up again in his next animated movie?

Just before year's end, James and Imo review Aardman/Netflix's 'Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget' (2023), directed by Sam Fell and starring the voice talents of Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Imelda Staunton, Jane Horrocks, Lynn Ferguson, David Bradley, and Miranda Richardson. Does the twenty-three (!) year wait for a sequel leave the critics feeling sunny-side up or is it rather over-egged? Alongside reflecting on the changes to the voice cast and politics of the movies, the two critics explore whether the original changed their eating habits... They'll be back in 2024 with even more overanalysis!

With 'Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget' (2023) newly hatched on Netflix last week, Imo and James dedicate their first (and last) 'Nostalgia Hits Differently' of the year to Aardman Animation's first and favoured feature film. What do our two movie critics make of this very British take on 'The Great Escape' after so many years? They discuss the movie's surprising satire, sensational voice-acting, and its unexpected socialism. Is it still as egg-cellent as they remember or is it rather scrambled on reflection? And do they think Netflix's sequel will live up to this plucky original?

Joining in with this summer's cinema sensation, James and Imo combine forces once again to review 'Barbenheimer' (2023) - an unlikely double-bill of campy satirical fun and heavy historical reflection. First up is 'Barbie' (2023), a proudly feminist exploration of the iconic doll. Directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the famous toy couple, do the critics find this 'controversial' movie an unexpected, insightful delight or just brightly inanimate? Following on from all that singing and dancing is director Christopher Nolan's latest film: 'Oppenheimer' (2023). This propulsive, dense three-hour epic, starring Cillian Murphy as the eponymous physicist, delves into the mindset of the man who helped unleashed the nuclear age. The two critics discuss the peaks and pitfalls in this Promethean morality tale of ambition and regret. Which of these two films is a victory, and which just bombs? Listen to this SPOILER-FILLED special for their reviews and discussion on the whole 'Barbenheimer' experience.

In the middle of a summer of sizzling heat and rising tides (climate change, anyone?), James and Imo find time to review Disney-Pixar's latest feature film 'Elemental' (2023), directed by Peter Sohn and starring the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen, Shila Omni, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Catherine O'Hara. Do the two Pixar fans think this rather under-publicised entry continues to ride the wave of the studio's most accomplished work, or is the spark long gone? They deep dive into the animation's themes and design choices, while discovering why the film's antagonist is Disney-Pixar's most interesting. Join their discussion on the fundamentals of 'Elemental' now!

Having taken a biplane back from their nearest picture house, Imo and James review the latest swan-song of yet another 20th Century IP: 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' (2023), directed by James Mangold and starring Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, John Rhys Davies, Antonio Banderas, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Boyd Holdbrook, Ethann Isidore and Mads Mikkelsen. With distant memories of the last-last Indy outing (2008's 'The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' ), what do the two critics think of this first instalment without creator Steven Spielberg at the helm? They dig down into the film's resurrection of 80's Harrison Ford, post-World War 2 Nazism in America, and whether this film excavates some deeper truth in the iconic action hero. A thrillingly final crack of the whip, or a franchise well past it's prime? Turn your volume Dial up on this latest episode!