Explore every episode of the podcast Boy Party

Tom Cruise Months continues, taking us into the early 2010s and Cruise's two-hander action comedy(?) with Cameron Diaz, his former Vanilla Sky co-star. This James Mangold-directed caper takes the pair from Wichita to Sevilla, and sets the template for the sort of mediocre streaming blockbuster Diaz is likely to star in today. But, it has a pretty good Black Eyes Peas end credits song! Tune in next week for Digger!

Tom Cruise Month continues as we discuss Rob Reiner and Aaron Sorkin's classic courtroom drama A Few Good Men, pitting Cruise against Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore. We dig into Sorkin's mixed bag filmography, casting Cruise as a tough lawyer, this film's influence on US network TV trends and Demi's long run as a leading woman and recent near-Oscar success.

Introducing a new limited series on the Boy Party feed... TWENTYTEENS!
The 2010s Young Adult craze saw Hollywood focus on producing big-budget genre films aimed at young woman more than ever before, or since. Join Lucien and Christina for a journey through the attempted YA franchises of their youth, from Twilight and The Hunger Games to their various imitators.

For our first episode, we're discussing the hit film that arguably started YA Fever: Catherine Hardwicke's 2008 adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, which catapulted Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson into the spotlight and spawned numerous vampiric copycat projects. It's a film we both adore, and we celebrate its legacy.

We're kicking off Tom Cruise Month, a four-part celebration of the greatest living American movie star, with a focus on Cruise's 80s and the crucial moment he co-starred with Paul Newman in Scorsese's The Color of Money, a sequel to classic sports drama The Hustler. The movie represented a baton-passing from Newman to Cruise, and we discuss how this impacted Cruise's career, what the equivalent project in 2026 would look like, and the other films in the 1980s that defined Cruise's persona going forward. Tune in next week for A Few Good Men!

Shane and Lucien celebrate the recently late Dolly Parton and her surprisingly strong film career, discussing 1989's female-centred melodrama Steel Magnolias starring Parton, Shirley Maclaine and Sally Field.

It's special episode this week, as Shane and Lucien draft the best actors with singing careers, and singers with acting careers! From Ariana Grande to Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand to Lady Gaga, Donald Glover to Hailee Steinfeld, we're digging into the intersection of film and music and establishing what stars have done the best job of balancing both.

Award-winning actor, filmmaker and photographer Hugh O'Conor joins us to discuss Alexander Mckendrick's iconic 1957 Sweet Smell of Success starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.

Hugh is the director of feature film Metal Heart and RTE's Showkids, and has starred in films including My Left Foot, Lamb, Chocolat, The Stag and Werner Herzog's upcoming Bucking Fastard which premieres at Venice Film Festival next month. His photography has been exhibited at National Gallery of Ireland and internationally. Find out more about his work at hughoconor.com

Anyone for tennis? This week, we're discussing Luca Guadagnino's 2024 sexy tennis drama Challengers starring trendy stars-of-the-moment Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist. We debate the film's frustrating lack of compelling characters, the narrative challenges faced by tennis films, the brilliant Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross score, and much more.

Shane and Lucien discuss Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 moody coming-of-age drama starring two bad boy heartthrobs of the era, Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke.

Lucien and Shane discuss Michael Bay's 2013 body building-themed caper starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson! We debate this movie's compelling pre-Trump Era depiction of Miami white trash, phenomenal Tony Shalhoub and Ed Harris supporting performances and the disappointing arc of Wahlberg's leading man career.

Niamh Mary returns to the show to discuss Alfred Hitchcock's seminal 1960 Psycho - the foundation of slasher cinema - starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh as the iconic Norman Bates and Marian Crane.

Full episode of Lucien and Hannah's City Sickos podcast. Subscribe to this podcast's own exclusive feed HERE.

This month, Hannah and Lucien discuss two sexually-charged inter-marital stories: Olivia Wilde's hit 2026 comedy The Invite starring Wilde herself, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton; and Mark O'Rowe's 2018 Irish film The Delinquent Season starring Cillian Murphy and Andrew Scott. Plus, we react in real time to Mayo winning the All Ireland Football Final and breaking their 75 year curse.

Shane and Lucien discuss the biggest movie of the summer: Christopher Nolan's epic The Odyssey starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Himesh Patel, Samantha Morton and an ensemble of faces. We're mixed on the movie but dive into Nolan's adaptation of the classic text, depiction of fantasy sequences and casting choices.

Happy Bastille Day! We're getting very French this week discussing (embarrassingly) our first ever foreign language film... the biggest French hit ever, 2008's Dany Boon/Kad Merad comedy Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis/Welcome to the Sticks, a culture clash sensation, with very special guest Pierce! We dig into this film's colossal box office, Dany Boon's career as auteur/star, the French's obsession with broad comedy and how this movie functions as a tourism ad for the Northern provinces.

Christina returns to the show as we close the loop on discussing variations of A Star is Born: this time tackling the 1976 Barbra Streisand/Kris Kristofferson iteration. We dig into Streisand's short but high quality filmography, the extent to which Bradley Cooper poached ideas from this movie for his 2018 edition, and debate the merits of songs including "Look Closely Now" and "The Woman in the Moon".

At the tail end of Pride Month, we're discussing an iconic leather-clad biker boy gang... yes it's the profoundly heterosexual Wild Hogs! Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H Macy teamed up for this 2007 comedy, the epitome of three-star 2000s comedy filmmaking. We talk Allen's success as a sitcom dad-turned-movie star, Lawrence existing in the shadow of Eddie Murphy and Macy's genuinely hilarious role in the film.

Music producer and No Encore sonic architect Adam Shanahan makes his first appearance on the show, discussing his true passion of motorsports and 2019's Ford v Ferrari starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale. We discuss the best films about fast cars going vrrrrroooom, Christian Bale's collaborations with Adam McKay and upcoming Heat 2 role, how Matt Damon is often willing to take a backseat to another star, James Mangold's history with biopics, this film's incredible use of Tracy Letts, and much more!

Football's coming home and we're celebrating the start of the FIFA World Cup, as we discuss 1981's football-on-a-POW camp romp Escape to Victory and its stars Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine and Brazilian legend Pelé!

Shane and Lucien discuss some early 90s bad boys: Rob Lowe and James Spader star in Curtis Hanson's erotic thriller Bad Influence. We go in-depth on the careers of these one-time leading men turned network TV mainstays, analyse the rise and fall of the male-oriented erotic thriller and ask 'exactly how bad was the influence?'.

We're all out of hotdogs! Shane and Lucien dig into Todd Haynes' 2023 psychological drama May December starring Oscar-winning duo Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore as actress and subject opposite Charles Melton in a breakout role. We discuss Haynes' eclectic filmography, the film's complex depiction of the aftermath of a sexually predatory relationship and the research of an actor, and Portman and Moore's great careers as leading women.

Shane and Lucien read between the lies to discuss Bill Condon's 2019 OAP thriller The Good Liar starring beloved British thespians Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen.

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Shane and Lucien are joined by Luke to discuss Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin in Martin Brest's 80s classic Midnight Run! We celebrate our third De Niro movie with a quiz about his career, discuss Grodin's leading man career and how this film set the template for the modern action comedy.

Follow Luke on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukeshanhowdyman/

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Shane and Lucien celebrate the huge number of great living Irish screen actors with a special draft episode. We're picking our respective teams of the best Irish actors across 8 categories. Who will get the best crew and be the ultimate victor?

So you're telling me... there's a chance? It's Dumb & Dumber week on the show, as we discuss Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels' comedy breakout in the Farrelly Brothers' 1994 slapstick sensation. We discuss Carrey's record-breaking 90s run, Daniels' short-lived movie star career and subsequent The Newsroom comeback, Peter Farrelly's pivot to Oscar-winning dramas with Green Book, and this film's disappointing 2014 sequel.

Lucien and Shane discuss Frank Darabont’s beloved Stephen King adaptation starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.

Shane and Lucien review the long-awaited sequel to 2006's The Devil Wears Prada, starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci.

Brendan returns to the show to discuss David Cronenberg's 2022 sci-fi Crimes of the Future and its stars Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart. We chat about Cronenberg's return to body horror, this film's low-budget futuristic aesthetic, Viggo Mortensen's support for Sinn Féin, Kristen Stewart's pivot from Twilight lead to indie icon, and much more.

The fifth episode of City Sicjos has arrived and it's a Cate Blanchett spectacular, as we discuss her 2003 Dublin crime biopic Veronica Guerin and Oscar-winning role in Woody Allen's San Francisco-set Blue Jasmine.

No Encore host and cultural journalist Dave Hanratty returns to the show to discuss David Fincher's 2011 adaptation of Men Who Hate Women - also known as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and the careers of its stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.

The screen rivalry so dramatic it spawned a whole miniseries... it's Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, this year's Boy Party March Madness bracket champion! We discuss Robert Aldrich's camp classic, the Hagsploitation subgenre it spawned, the on and off screen feuding of its two stars and Ryan Murphy's 2017 Feud: Bette & Joan, which captured the making of the film with two stellar performances by Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange.

Easter has just wrapped up, so we’re heading to the Vatican for Carol Reed’s Michelangelo/Pope Julius two-handed The Agony & The Ecstasy starring screen icons Charlton Heston and Rex Harrison!

This week we're discussing Gus Van Sant's 1991 gay classic My Own Private Idaho starring Keanu Reeves and the late River Phoenix as two young hustlers in a film loosely based on William Shakespeare's Henry IV.

We touch upon the ups and downs of Gus Van Sant's career, River Phoenix's tragically short-lived reign as a Hollywood leading man, and the varying faces of Keanu Reeves as romantic lead, action hero and respected theatre actor over the decades.

Cue the Roy Orbison because it's Pretty Woman week on Boy Party! We're discussing Gary Marshall's beloved 'hooker with a heart of gold' rom-com starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. We'll be discussing the film's parallels to Anora, Gere's Hollywood blacklisting since becoming an advocate for Tibet, and Julia's 90s run as the world's biggest female star.

It's our first ever Watch-along Commentary, and we're joined by Eoghan and Michael to talk you through Scott Derrickson's The Gorge, starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy!

It's the third annual Golden Boy Awards! Join Lucien and Shane as we celebrate the best films, performances and craft of the past year, handing out Golden Boys to all of our favourites. Plus, we present the Lifetime Achievement Award to the iconic Richard Jenkins.

00:02:45 - Supporting Actor

00:13:20 - Original Score

00:18:00 - Needle Drop

00:21:40 - Original Song

00:23:40 Supporting Actress

00:34:40 Cinematography

00:39:00 Editing

00:41:00 Casting

00:45:20 Scenes of the Year

00:52:00 Lifetime Achievement Award

00:55:40 Pills Performance

00:59:40 Adapted Screenplay

1:01:40 Original Screenplay

1:04:10 Lead Actress

1:12:00 Lead Actor

1:22:10 Young Performer

1:24:20 Best Picture

Katie returns to the show for her fourth appearance, discussing Greta Gerwig's beloved 2019 adaptation of Little Women and the careers of its stars: Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh and Emma Watson!

Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal star in Tom Ford's turgid, style-over-substance 2016 thriller Nocturnal Animals!

First-time guest Katherine joins us to discuss 2018 drug addiction melodrama Beautiful Boy starring this year's presumptive Best Actor winner, Timothée Chalamet, opposite Steve Carell.

Irish filmmaker Barra Convery joins us for a Galway classic, John Michael McDonagh’s The Guard starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle!

Film critic Alistair Ryder returns to the show, to chat about 2002 family comedy Big Fat Liar and its trio of stars: Frankie Muniz, Amanda Bynes and Paul Giamatti!

You will hear a shrill shrieking sound... as we discuss Sidney Lumet's nuclear masterpiece Fail Safe starring Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau!

En garde! Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are back on screens in Netflix's The Rip this week (reviewed briefly on this episode) but we're looking back at a better collaboration between the two Boston boys: Ridley Scott's 2021 historical drama The Last Duel starring Damon and Affleck alongside Adam Driver and Jodie Comer. Plus: as Damon joins our elite Three-Timers Club, Lucien quizzes Shane on his career.

We're Girl Crazy this month, as we discuss 2015's San Francisco-set coming-of-age drama Diary of a Teenage Girl starring Bel Powley and Alexanderd Skarsgard, and 1964's Dublin-set Edna O'Brien adaptation Girl with Green Eyes starring Rita Tushingham and Peter Finch.

We're kicking off the new year with what is technically our first ever horror movie... it's Robert Zemeckis' 2000 ghost story What Lies Beneath starring Michelle Pfeiffer and - finally being discussed for the first time on the show - Harrison Ford.

Lucien and Shane begin 2026 and conclude our 25 for '25 countdown by awarding the best films and performances of 2000-2025.

As 2025 draws to a close, we're looking back at some of our best moments and best guests of the year in Boy Party. Happy New Year and we'll see you all in 2026!

Jump to a clip:

00:35 - The Devil Wears Prada with Katie Brady

03:39 - Heat with Kevin McGahern

09:39 - Golden Boy Awards 2025

12:06 - The Morning Show with Fionnuala Jones

15:27 - The Roaring Twenties with Peter McGann

20:07 - Triple Frontier with Dave Hanratty

23:08 - No Country for Old Men with Ray Tintori and Jordan Fish

26:50 - Some Like It Hot with Niamh Mary Martin

29:27 - Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever with Alistair Ryder

32:33 - Mikey and Nicky with Luke Shanahan

35:56 - All The President's Men with Michael McAndrew

37:40 - The Quiet Man

40:00 - The Nice Guys with Eoghan D

43:00 - Notes on Scandal with Lauren C

45:35 - Funny Face with Christina A

47:00 - Burlesque with Brendan F

49:00 - Titanic - 100th Episode, Live from the Dot Theatre

To wrap up the year, Lucien and Shane discuss all the eligible 'Boy Party' new releases we didn't get around to discussing in 2025!

Films discussed on this episode:

• ​Den of Thieves 2: Pantera 
• ​Back in Action
• ​Together 
• ​You’re Cordially Invited 
• ​The Gorge
• ​In the Lost Lands
• ​Long Day’s Journey into Night
• ​Another Simple Favor 
• ​Hallow Road 
• ​Black Bag 
• ​Snow White 
• ​Hurry Up Tomorrow 
• ​Die My Love 
• ​Friendship
• ​Pillion
• ​Fountain of Youth
• ​Sentimental Value
• ​The History of Sound 
• ​Echo Valley
• ​Deep Cover
• ​Heads of State
• ​The Fantastic 4: First Steps
• ​The Pickup
• ​Freakier Friday
• ​The Roses
• ​The Thursday Murder Club
• ​Bugonia
• ​Hamnet
• ​Frankenstein
• ​Saipan
• ​Good Fortune
• ​Eternity
• ​Is This Thing On?
• ​Regretting You
• ​Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
• ​Wicked: For Good 

We've come to the end of Lucien's countdown of the 25 best films of the 21st century so far. Number 1 is The Coen Brothers' 2009 A Serious Man starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed and Aaron Wolff.

It's the Christmas episode! This year we're discussing Richard Curtis's deeply evil 2003 all-star romantic comedy Love Actually, and focusing on the careers of three of its leads: Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson.

Lucien discusses the second greatest film of the 21st century: David Lynch's 2001 surrealist masterpiece Mulholland Dr. starring Naomi Watts and Justin Theroux.