September 24th, 2018
Ed and Emily catch-up on some of the news stories that broke over the last two weeks, including the Emmys, the controversy surrounding The Predator, and the strange saga of Fan Bingbing. Then they talk about indispensable performances; those times when an actor's work takes a movie from good to great, or where their ineffable qualities take something otherwise unremarkable and make it special. They also offer definitive proof that Columbo is antifa.
00:00:00 - 00:32:11 - Intro & News
00:32:12 - 01:20:48 - Ed & Emily talk about indispensable performances
01:20:49 - 01:30:42 - SRS Recommends & Outro
- Here is the obituary of Denis Norden that Emily Recommends
- If you would like to donate to those affected by Hurricane Florence, The Weather Channel has a list of organizations who are providing aid and assistance to the victims
September 17th, 2018
It's another pre-recorded episode while Ed is on holiday, so there's no news this week but there is a lot of discussion about Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, The Lonely Island's mockumentary which was criminally ignored on its release in 2016 despite it being one of the best American comedies of the last 20 years. Ed and Emily talk about the many great jokes, how well the film mimics the films that inspired it, and how its story plays out as a nightmare version of The Lonely Island's own story. Get Donkey rolling everyone because the cult starts here!
September 10th, 2018
Ed's going on holiday for a couple of weeks, so he and Emily pre-recorded some non-topical episodes in which they talk about movies they love. First up, they discuss the bleakly funny and endlessly quotable high school satire Heathers, featuring early career-shaping performances from Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. They discuss the film's prescient examination of alienation, toxic masculinity and performative living, the long afterlife and legacy of the show as a home video staple, and why it's been so difficult to replicate its brilliance in other media.
September 3rd, 2018
As film festival season heats up and studios start gunning for that number one spot at the Oscars, it can be a little bewildering trying to figure out what movies to look out for. You're in luck, though, because Ed and Emily are here to tell you which films coming out between now and the end of the year you should get excited about. This preview has everything: Predators, plaintive Japanese dramas, yelling about Nicole Kidman.
00:00:00 - 00:24:20 - Intro & News
00:24:21 - 01:21:17 - Ed & Emily preview the next four months of movies
01:21:18 - 01:26:03 - SRS Recommends & Outro
Here is the Maureen Ryan column about Louis C.K.'s attempt to return to the spotlight that Ed references during the news
August 27th, 2018
This week, Ed and Emily discuss the ways in which seeing a movie with an audience can affect their experience of the film itself, in ways both good and bad, as well as the ways in which certain fanbases (i.e. Star Wars and Rick and Morty fans) negatively impact the reputations of the shows and movies they like, and how that complicates the experience of watching those works. They also discuss Danny Boyle's departure from Bond 25, and pleasant TV shows they've seen recently.
00:00:00 - 00:15:56 - Intro & News
00:15:57 - 00:52:33 - Ed & Emily discuss how audiences affect art
00:52:34 - 00:57:16 - SRS Recommends & Outro
August 19th, 2018
On this week's episode, Ed and Emily talk about Play for Today, the BBC's long-running anthology series which provided a platform for some of the best British actors, writers and directors of the '70s and '80s to create exciting, innovative works. They discuss some of the most (in)famous instalments (including Ken Loach's The Price of Coal, Mike Leigh's Nuts in May and Abigail's Party, Alan Clarke's Scum, and Dennis Potter's Brimstone and Treacle) and whether the series left a lasting legacy beyond the careers of the people (but mostly men) who worked on it.
00:00:00 - 00:16:29 - Intro & News
00:16:30 - 00:54:21 - Ed & Emily talk about Play for Today
00:54:22 - 00:59:15 - SRS Recommends & Outro
Here is the Play for Today archive at British Television Drama that Emily references
Here is the Washington Post profile of Jimmy Carter that Ed recommends
August 13th, 2018
Inspired by the news that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is recasting a major character for thematic and artistic reasons - rather than because the original actor was a nightmare, as is so often the case - Ed and guest host Emily Benita discuss other examples of TV shows taking big risks, and whether the current glut of content has encouraged or lessened experimentation. They also try to make sense of the logic behind the forthcoming changes to the Oscars, and whether the idea of an Oscar for popular movies is self-defeating.
00:00:00 - 00:17:46 - Intro & News
00:17:47 - 01:04:13 - Ed & Emily talk about TV shows taking risks
01:04:14 - 01:10:46 - SRS Recommends & Outro
August 6th, 2018
Ed and guest-host Emily Benita talk about rewatching movies (and TV shows) in this week's episode. Which movies do they return to for comfort and/or catharsis? How have their rewatching habits changed over the years? What do they get out of watching a movie multiple times? They discuss all of these questions, as well as the death of Barry Chuckle, the return of Jean-Luc Picard, and YouTube mistakes.
00:00:00 - 00:16:03 - Intro & News
00:16:04 - 00:46:23 - Ed & Emily talk about rewatching movies and TV shows
00:46:24 - 00:56:18 - SRS Recommends & Outro
July 30th, 2018
Ed is joined by returning guest Emily Benita to talk about horror movies in the 21st century, with a specific focus on movies released during the last four or five years, and whether the genre is currently going through a golden age. They also talk about the latest developments in the Chris Hardwick scandal, the potential damage that could be caused by the Disney/Fox merger, and the Buffy reboot.
00:00:00 - 00:27:17 - Intro & News
00:27:18 - 00:59:22 - Ed & Emily talk about 21st century horror movies
00:59:23 - 01:05:28 - SRS Recommends & Outro
July 22nd, 2018
It's been ten years since the release of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, a film which achieved tremendous commercial and critical success, and for many seemed to legitimise the superhero story as a cinematic genre. It also inspired a lot of people to act terribly on the Internet. Matt and Ed look back at the movie and try to decide how well it holds up, and to make sense of its complicated legacy. They also discuss some of the news coming out of Comic-Con, and try to untangle the messy situation surrounding James Gunn's firing by Disney.
00:00:00 - 00:24:25 - Intro & News
00:24:26 - 00:56:59 - Matt & Ed discuss The Dark Knight
00:57:00 - 01:02:32 - SRS Recommends & Outro
July 15th, 2018
Inspired by the upcoming MLB All-Star game, Matt and Ed talk about baseball in movies and TV (though through a mixture of tiredness and lack of time they didn't get to A League of Their Own, which is unforgivable since it's the best), with digressions about Soundcloud rappers, the Toronto Raptors, and The Wine Show.
00:00:00 - 00:35:54 - Intro & News
00:35:55 - 01:07:56 - Matt & Ed discuss baseball in movies and TV
01:07:57 - 01:12:48 - SRS Recommends & Outro
July 8th, 2018
Inspired by a tweet from Mark Kermode, this episode is all about the changing face of cinema, and how we experience films in an age where the traditional cinematic experience is being replaced with something very different. Matt speaks to Jaq Chell and Abi Standish from Cinema for All, an organization which helps communities set up their own cinematic experiences outside of traditional theatrical exhibition. Ed and Matt also talk about the ways in which digital filming and distribution shape film culture, Scarlett Johansson's decision to play a trans character in an upcoming movie, and, of course, WORLD CUP FEVER.
00:00:00 - 00:30:08 - Intro & News
00:30:09 - 00:52:10 - Matt interviews Jaq Chell and Abi Standish
00:52:11 - 01:09:31 - Matt and Ed discuss Cinema in 2018
01:09:32 - 01:17:52 - SRS Recommends & Outro
July 1st, 2018
Inspired by the release of another lackluster Jurassic Park/World movie, Matt and Ed talk about film series that ran too long, wearing out their welcomes with audiences and critics. They also talk about the abuse accusations against Chris Hardwick and the notable silence coming from the comedy and podcast communities, the weird, dumb saga of David Lynch's weird, dumb comments about Donald Trump, and WORLD CUP FEVER.
00:00:00 - 00:10:16 - Intro & World Cup chatter
00:10:17 - 00:23:49 - News
00:23:50 - 00:43:05 - Matt & Ed discuss Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and the Jurassic franchise in general
00:43:06 - 01:14:03 - Matt & Ed discuss other franchises overstayed their welcome
01:14:04 - 01:22:51 - SRS Recommends & Outro
June 24th, 2018
With Matt out due to hay fever-related illness, Ed is joined by returning guest Emily Benita to talk about long movies. Why does it feel like movies are getting longer? Is there a certain kind of story that best suits a longer runtime, or is it all in the way a story is told? Which of the two movies about Abraham Lincoln released in 2012 is better? There's only way to find out: LISTEN TO THE EPISODE.
00:00:00 - 00:06:15 - Intro
00:06:16 - 01:00:31 - Ed & Emily discuss long movies
01:00:32 - 01:06:15 - SRS Recommends & Outro
June 11th, 2018
In one of the loopier episodes in recent memory, Matt and Ed discuss heist movies by way of World War II propaganda films, Birch/Hird confusion, and ill-fated BBC sitcoms of the '90s. They also talk about missing out on Doc/Fest, memories of bad Q&As, and toxic Star Wars fans.
00:00:00 - 00:13:40 - Intro
00:13:41 - 00:41:41 - News
00:41:42 - 01:24:30 - Matt & Ed discuss heist movies
01:24:31 - 01:31:12 - SRS Recommends & Outro
June 3rd, 2018
Matt and Ed check in on the Bluth family and the goings in - get this - Beverly Hills in the fifth season of Arrested Development, the first half of which debuted on Netflix this week. Has the shift back to a more traditional format after the more experimental fourth season helped the show regain some of its pizazz? How does splitting the season in half affect the dense storytelling for which the series has always been known? Did the now-infamous New York Times interview cast a pall over the new season? They tackle all of these questions, and also find time to discuss the only slightly surprising cancellation of Roseanne.
00:00:00 - 00:27:04 - Intro & News
00:27:05 - 01:18:46 - Matt & Ed discuss Arrested Development Season 5
01:18:47 - 01:25:28 - SRS Recommends & Outro
May 27th, 2018
A Star Wars movie? In May? It's more likely than you think.
Matt and Ed check in on the LucasFilm saga, a whole five months after the last time, to discuss the totally fine Solo: A Star Wars Story. Which actors rise to the occasion and who lets the side down? What's up with those dice? How could it have been more like MacGruber? These are just some of the questions they address in their comprehensive, spoiler-filled rundown of the perfectly coherent product of a chaotic production.
00:00:00 - 00:16:34 - Intro & News
00:16:35 - 01:22:17 - Matt & Ed talk about Solo: A Star Wars Story
01:22:18 - 01:28:30 - SRS Recommends & Outro
May 20th, 2018
Inspired by the recently released remixed version of Arrested Development's fourth season, Matt and Ed discuss instances where creators re-edited their own work, and the at times noble, at times crassly commercial, reasons behind them. They also talk about the brief, terrible cancellation of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and sift through some of the news stories that came out of Cannes over the past two weeks.
00:00:00 - 00:22:41 - Intro & News
00:22:42 - 01:00:20 - Matt & Ed discuss Directors Cuts and Arrested Development: Fateful Consequences
01:00:21 - 01:06:26 - SRS Recommends & Outro
May 14th, 2018
Returning guest Jack Rhoden joins Ed this week to talk about The League of Gentlemen, the much beloved and macabre comedy group who recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of their Perrier award win with three Christmas specials. Those episodes saw the cast return to the horrible, yet charming, then even more horrible town of Royston Vasey in order to reprise their vast array of terrifying and funny characters. Jack and Ed discuss their respective histories with the show, the work that the team has produced in the years since, and which elements of the series feel problematic in 2018 and which feel oddly timely.
May 6th, 2018
Matt and Ed discuss Netflix's Love, the romantic comedy-drama starring Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust. In addition to praising the show's command of tone and its sprawling, surprising cast, they explore how it compares to co-creator Judd Apatow's other work, highlight the ways in which it manages to capture the feel of modern dating and Los Angeles, and its abundant supply of funny theme songs for movies that don't actually have theme songs. They also wax poetic about Childish Gambino's "This is America".
00:00:00 - 00:10:13 - Intro & News
00:10:14 - 01:03:16 - Matt & Ed discuss Love
01:03:17 - 01:11:33 - SRS Recommends & Outro
