'It's bad but I didn't have a bad time' - Andrew

Tonight, we spend more time than warranted on this wildly fun disaster movie.

40 mins

The Hobbit _ The Desolation of Smaug

(Andrew doesn't like the lip flaps!)

It's time for our regular christmas special! Continuing from last years first Hobbit film, we are facing the uphill struggle which is the second of the trilogy. Come listen to Daniel and Andrew ruin the christmas spirit by compaining for 30 minutes!

And we're back! After a short break of....too many months we are returning with a late 'Christmas' film. Continuing from completing the Lord of the Rings trilogy last year we are now staring The Hobbit. 42 mins

On this week's episode, we cast our gaze back to the twilight years of the studio system and one of the most pleasant and enjoyable westerns ever made. We both found ourselves entirely in love with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in particular its iconic pairing of Paul Newman and Robert Redford. 28 mins

Another episode, another attempt from Andrew to win Daniel over to the cult of John Carpenter! This week, we're looking at his surprisingly warm and humane sci-fi romance "Starman" from 1984, a film that met with success in the post-Star Wars sci-fi boom with its Spielbergian echoes of E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 35mins

There are exceptionally few times when a random movie pick will leave you in tears of laughter. This is one such time. Andrew and I have never really encountered a movie like this before.It's main premise is to take a serious old martial arts film (Tiger and Crane fist), and use ridiculous dubbing and green screened characters to create a hilarious parody of old Hong Kong Martial arts films. Words sort of fail us as we try to convey the sort of odd but brilliant humour this movie is full of. 35 mins

After the larky Disney animated comedy version of Mesoamerican civilisation last week, we decided it was time on this week's episode to have the pendulum swing as far as possible in the opposite direction, with our discussion of Mel Gibson's unflinchingly brutal Mayan pursuit movie Apocalypto. We found a problematic and flawed film that nevertheless has a lot to admire about it. 36 mins

In the last decade or two 2D animation has really died out. Disney was the leader in this style  but on the back of Frozen's HUGE success I suspect they too have moved on.

One of their final films in 2D animation, The Emperor's New Groove, is one hell of a film to end on. Fantastic characters, cast, and story come together to make this a film that both of us would recommend to everyone. A must see even if you aren't a big fan of animation. 38 mins

This week's episode brings with it a spot of conflict! Andrew discovers to his horror and dismay, that his beloved goofy 80's action-fantasy-comedy Big Trouble in Little China left Daniel utterly cold. We spend half an hour trying to arrive at some sort of a reconciliation. 33min

If you go to pretty much any popular list like "100 greatest movies" or "Movies to watch before you die", you are fairly likely to find this movie in the top 10.

This film is incredibly popular and for good reason too. An entrancing story, wonderful characters, and brilliant cast is topped of by narration by Morgan Freeman himself. What more can you really need in a film? 44 mins

100th EPISODE SPECIAL! Yes folks, we've actually made 100 of these now. Where does the time go? To celebrate, we wanted to do a show that encapsulated everything we love about Two Friends Watch - which, for starters, would have to involve Star Wars. Unfortunately, we seem to have run out of Star Wars movies, so instead we thought we'd tackle Mel Brooks' inspired 1987 parody of the franchise, spaceballs. And of course, we roped Donald into it again, because we wouldn't do anything Star Wars related without him around. Come and join us for our 100th episode celebrations. 42 mins

We often give "found footage" movie a hard time. Most times they come off as cheap, rushed and lazy. The biggest criticism being "why is the bloody camera still running during all of this!?".

Troll Hunter is a rare gem. It uses the shaky-cam effect to further the films atmosphere; detract you from the less than perfect special effects; and lull you in to a sense of realism. All of this is topped of with wonderful locations and enjoyable characters. 34 mins

On this week's episode, we take a look at one of the all-time great remakes. The 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers does justice to, and arguably improves upon, the original Don Siegel classic, featuring stellar performances from a top notch cast and some of the creepiest ever sound design. 39 mins

A real conflicting film today. Andrew absolutely loved it; while Daniel started the episode kind of liking it, but by the end clearly hated it. 45min

(In hindsight, it was a good film but far to 'Artistic' for my liking - Daniel)

Two young people once read a book called They Saw It Happen. One was the director Ole Christian Madsen and the other was the writer Lars K. Andersen. After they met and realised they shared a passion for the story of Flame and Citron, they spent years researching these WW2 resistance heroes to create this wonderful film.

In this weeks episode Andrew and I look at another lesser known film and wonder why people don't make more movies on subjects they are passion about. 37 mins

On this week's episode, we take a look at the movie that bucked the traditional distribution system for movies and emerged all the more noteworthy for it, but it's a remarkable film no matter how you come to watch it. Cary Joji Fukunaga's Beasts of No Nation is a sobering look at the plight of African child soldiers, made all the more powerful by the unsentimental direction and top-shelf performances. 39 mins

I remember waiting eagerly for this movie to be released. What I watched was concentrated disappointment. There were some good moments in this film but as a whole I really didn't care for it. 39 mins

So an important point to note, THIS PODCAST HAS A SPOILER SECTION. It is well marked and you are well warned when we will move into it. It occurs around the 25:30 mark.

Merry Christmas everybody! As our present to you all, we've made good on the promise we've been making all year and done a special, all-singing, all-dancing bumper episode on the film one everyone's mind right now - Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens! We're joined once again by our good friend Donald Carrick adding his thoughts to the mix. 1.5 hrs long

There's a new Star Wars movie just now hitting theatres, and everyone's terribly excited about it. Well, we watched the seventh Star Wars feature film, and we all agreed it's garbage - deplorably crass, mercenary bullshit that plumbs depths of pointlessness even the prequel trilogy never fathomed. We dare you to disagree. 52 mins

A farce is something that I would consider difficult to get perfect. Comedy is such a diverse and varied taste that it would be nearly impossible to suit everyone. This film is a bad farce. Missed jokes, slow punchlines, and a very weak story has resulted in a movie that very few people would like. 31 mins

Taking a break from the testosterone-fuelled insanity of The Warriors last week, we change things up with a rather earnest and sentimental comedy, albeit one livened up by Kevin Smith's trademark flair for vulgarity. We enjoyed Chasing Amy a lot, although some of its treatment of LGBT issues, which were perhaps more transgressive in 1997, now seem rather dated. 49 mins

A classic of its time, The Warriors had to contend with real gang violence during filming. Gang problems pursued the movie into the cinema with many gang going to watch the movie upon release and fighting other gangs inside the cinema.

Although this movie really hasn't aged well in certain aspects, it has stood the test of time to remain an action classic that can still be enjoyed today. 35 mins

On this week's Two Friends Watch, we take a gander at the oldest film we've covered on the show to date: 1951's George Pal-produced "When Worlds Collide." Although very much a relic of its time and somewhat unreceptive to modern standards of criticism, we found there was some considerable entertainment value to be had. 46 mins

I stumbled upon this movie many years ago and although it has a few redeeming features overall it's a bad movie. It centres around a group of three friends who go of on a wacky adventure to find some lost treasure. One can't get a girlfriend, one can't keep a girlfriend, and one can't let go of his youth. Watch as only two out of the three character arcs actually get resolved throughout this rubbish film. 25 mins

Dungeons and Dragons : Honour Among Thieves

(Warning: Spoilers throughout with no forewarning)

This week we enjoy a surprisingly new film. Although made for Daniel in its entirety, Andrew also enjoyed it. As it stands, it is unlikely to be kicking off a franchise any time soon unfortunately. 43 mins

On this week's episode, we take a look at one on the best action thrillers ever to feature almost no action: 1990's "The Hunt for Red October," which may actually be the last time Sean Connery was cool. 38 mins

A fairly good horror film with a few minor let downs but overall fantastic. The film is full of little shout-outs to Stephen King and some great terror and fear throughout. 42 mins

INTRO AND OUTRO

"Pop Goes the Weasel" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Dance of Deception" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

SPOILER BREAK

"Seven March" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

SCREAMS AND SOUND EFFECTS FROM: http://www.freesfx.co.uk

In an attempt to bring a dash of high culture to Two Friends Watch, Andrew elects to watch Bernardo Bertolucci's famous anti-fascist classic The Conformist. It turns out we're in over our head and neither of us have any idea what we're on about - and we flail around for a while looking for something insightful to say. 38 mins

A disaster of a film for everyone from the cast and crew to the directors and investors. Waterworld has long been considered a terrible movie for many reasons but Andrew and I work hard in this week's episode to find the enjoyment and brilliance hidden deep within this movie. 42 mins

This week's episode of Two Friends Watch: we tackle the 2011 drama from Iran that swept up accolades left and right, affording Iranian cinema a previously unprecedented level of exposure in the west. We both agree that although it begins slowly, it eventually reveals a compelling scenario of moral complexity and ambiguity, beautifully acted and directed. 48 mins

A fairly straight forward film about a manic ex-hockey-player-wannabe who intimidates people at golf until he has enough money to save a house. 33mins

With The Martian due out this week and winning plaudits from left and right, we thought we'd take the time to revisit Ridley Scott's debut feature from 1977. We found The Duellists to stand high in the famous director's body of work, a must for anyone with an appreciation for period pieces. 39 mins

Good morning everyone. This week we are looking at the 2013 movie Oblivion, an interesting end-of-the-world alien-apocalypse story. Although this movie isn't great I think that the poor reception during it's initial release was mainly based on general public opinion of Tom Cruise at the time. Which is a shame really as a movie should be based on its own merits rather than that of a single individual within it. 36 mins

This podcast was born from the short time Andrew and I worked together on a radio show at uni. One thing we had in the radio show which is slightly diminished in the podcast is the amount of general chat we had. Thoughts, opinions about the world, nonsense, that sort of thing. To make up to this we are dedicating this whole episode to just chatting about the movie industry in general. No review this week just our thoughts and opinions about where the movie industry is heading. 38 mins

And so our hexalogy of Star Wars retrospective reviews draws to a close with Andrew and Donald's thoughts on the end of the original series, 1983's "Return of the Jedi." The finale isn't generally regarded with the kind of unanimous, rapturous acclaim as its predecessors, but we make the case for its being worthy of consideration alongside either of them. 40 mins

Come listen to Daniel and Andrew discuss the many merits and detriments to today's film. With a star-studded cast, is Daniel a little too harsh? 43 mins

Released before either of us were born, this movie is still one of our most memorable childhood movies. That being said this movie is seriously intense for an infants film and if Don Bluth had his way it would have been even more horrific in places. 30 mins

The second of this wonderful trilogy (trilogy at time of writing because the prequals suck and the new movie isn't out yet).

We return once again to the welcoming busom of Star Wars, this time to talk about the inimitable The Empire Strikes Back - whether you consider there to be six or only three true Star Wars films, it matters not - this one is the best, and we'll brook no argument. Here's why

36 mins

Don't get me wrong, this movie isn't very good but from it came one very good outcome, The Science and Entertainment Exchange. This is a board designed to foster collaborations between scientists and the entertainment industry and although the core wasn't solely responsible for it's creation, it is one the main culprits.

Other than that this movie wasn't too bad. It's your basic disaster/end-of-the-world movie but underground instead of space. 31mins

Months back, we delved the darkest depths of the prequel trilogy - now we see fit to reward ourselves with another trio of podcasts on the original, good Star Wars trilogy in anticipation of Episode VII, beginning today with A New Hope! Donald rejoins us, muscling through the influence of heavy painkillers to add his voice to our enthusiasm. 45 mins

In the year and a half that Andrew and I have been running this show I believe that this film is one of the worst things we have ever had to watch. It is boring, offensive, uninteresting and complete garbage. This movie has so much wrong with it that we honestly didn't even know where to start tearing this movie apart. The bar for worst movie has been lower so far by this movie that I believe it will be a long time before another film even comes close to it. 40 mins

NINJAS! NINJAS EVERYWHERE! There's one behind you right now! In all seriousness, fans of highly choreographed martial arts action owe it to themselves to catch this collaboration between director Isaac Florentine and B-movie legend Scott Adkins - we both loved it in spite of - perhaps even partly because of - its paucity of plot.

Andrew and I are fair fans of zany and mind bending films but this may have been a bit much for both of us. A very peculiar movie with strong influences from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I think with a larger budget and a bit more work on the script this movies would have been a real gem. 33 mins

Best known for its iconic score, this story has been retold in so many different styles and genres. It's a fairly sad film in many ways but it has an intensity that many modern films can only imitate. 39mins

With all the recent chatter about Batman vs Superman we thought we would look at Batman's début movie. A truly fun-filled and wonderful movie full of daft physical comedy and ridiculous word play. It's nothing like the more modern takes on Batman but it's not trying to be. It's light hearted and enjoyable throughout.

The maker's of the movie even state at the start:

"To them [Enemies of Crime], And to the lovers of adventure, Lovers of pure Escapism, Lovers of unadulterated entertainment, Lovers of the ridiculous and bizarre--

To funlovers everywhere--

This picture is respectfully dedicated!"

We couldn't say it better ourselves. 37 mins

On this week's episode, we're discussing Into The Wild, a feature based on a true story that won a lot of acclaim from critics and audiences alike back in 2007. Based on a couple of years in the life of Christopher McCandless, a young man who, in the early 90s, left behind a comfortable and plush lifestyle to wander the highways and byways of America. We found it intriguing, although maybe not as insightful into its subject as it sets out to be.

40 mins.

Come listen to an extended episode from Andrew, myself, and our guest host Dan; as we tackle the surprisingly deep 1995 “A Goofy Movie”.

Dan is the proprietor of “The Goods Reviews” where you can find many wonderful insights into films old and new. He also hosts a podcast there too with his co-host Brian. 

https://thegoodsreviews.com/

https://thegoodsreviews.com/podcast/

There are many movies starring Nic Cage that are bad, this isn't a new thing. The suprise of this movie is that it's bad bad. Other than casting there is nothing to like about this movie. Which is a shame really because a team-up between Ghost Rider (Nic Cage) and Hellboy (Ron Perlman) should really be amazing. 35 mins

Against his better judgement, Andrew decided that he wanted to talk (on the Internet, no less) about the superhero movie responsible for perhaps the most flame wars in recent memory. Accordingly, our discussion of 2013's Man of Steel was decidedly conflicted. 46 mins

In 1990 Kevin Bacon stared in a movie which he believed at the time to be his career low. Tremors turned out to be a fantastic cult classic which is still loved to this day. 37 mins