Shot/Reverse Shot

168. "True" Crime (with Kat Chirnside and Ryan Finnigan)

Ed is joined by Kat Chirnside and Ryan Finnigan, the co-founders of Rare Giants to talk about their work screening films that have beneifted from restoration and preservation. In addition to talking about their debut screening - which will be of In Cold Blood at Sheffield Hallam's The Void on March 6th - they discuss films which blur the line between truth and fiction, as well as the passing of John Hurt.

Follow Rare Giants on Twitter - @raregiants

Shot/Reverse Shot Presents: The First Annual Anna Faris Memorial Award for Making the Best of a Bad Situation

It's Awards Season, and with a gap in the schedule between the Golden Globes and the Oscars, Ed decided to leap into the fray with Shot/Reverse Shot's first ever awards ceremony: The First Annual Anna Faris Memorial Award for Making the Best of a Bad Situation, in which praise is showered on the actors who did good work in bad movies, or who at the very least made shrewd choices when deciding to sign on to be in bad movies. Mainly, it's an opportunity for Ed to talk about how much he enjoys Billy on the Street.

- Here is Dan Olson's video on the editing in Suicide Squad, which Ed mentions at one point and is well worth half an hour of your time.

- There's no clip for The Angry Birds Movie because that film is poison even in audio form.

167. 2017 Preview (with John Hunter)

Happy New Year, listeners! As is customary, we start a new year and a new season with a look ahead at what the world of film has to offer. To help in that endeavour, Ed is joined by this episode's guest, writer John Hunter. As they go through each month up to and including August, they wonder if xXx: The Return of Xander Cage will be Vin Diesel's Unforgiven, try to divine which films will enjoy a healthy afterlife of being endlessly repeated on BBC2, and attempt to maintain their cool when talking about the Twin Peaks revival.

00:00:00 - 00:03:11 - Intro

00:03:12 - 01:37:59 - Ed and John preview the year in film

01:38:00 - 01:49:54 - Ed and John discuss non-film art they are anticipating in 2017

01:49:55 - 01:52:34 - Outro

166. 2016 Round-Up

Happy Holidays, listeners! As is customary, the final show of the year (and Matt's final show until Winter of 2017) is a round-up of 2016. The boys talk about the Golden Globe nominations and what they auger for awards season, the hits and misses at the box office, and some of the many wonderful artists who passed away this year. They see out this annus horribilis by counting down the official SRS Top Ten of 2016.

Have a happy New Year and we'll see you in 2017!

Here is a link to David Ehrlich's Top 25 Films of 2016 countdown, which Ed mentions during the show.

00:00:00 - 00:04:52 - Intro & News

00:04:53 - 00:23:57 - 2016's Box Office Hits and Misses

00:23:58 - 00:26:52 - The Year in Celebrity Deaths

00:26:53 - 00:42:56 - Worst Film of the Year, Disappointments, Honorable Mentions

00:42:57 - 01:38:40 - Top Ten Films of 2016

01:38:41 - 01:40:42 - Outro

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

After the somewhat successful performance of Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year, Disney have decided to take a punt on another Star Wars movie. As two people somewhat familiar with and amenable to the series, Matt and Ed watched Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and decided to talk about the first so-called "standalone" Star Wars movie - what works, what doesn't, and how it stacks up against the other installments. They also reveal the real reason for the much-discussed reshoots, wonder why Darth Vader chose to live in the worst place imaginable, and paint Ben Mendelsohn as the Willy Wonka of the Star Wars universe.

Needless to say, there are spoilers. (Also some audio issues due to a faulty mic. We sincerely apologise for that.)

165. Goodbyes

As some listeners may know, because we've been casually referencing it for months, Matt will be taking a sabbatical from the show starting in January so that he can go traveling around the Americas for much of next year. Since this is the last regular episode of the year, and we just passed the five-year anniversary of the first recording sessions for Shot/Reverse Shot, this week's episode is all about goodbyes in film and TV. Matt and Ed cover noble goodbyes, angry goodbyes, hopeful goodbyes, and a bunch of different flavours of farewell. They also wonder if they like Moulin Rouge!, consider the similar paths taken by the Fast and Furious and Mission: Impossible franchises, and co-create a sitcom about forgotten characters from other TV shows.

00:00:00 - 00:09:32 - Intro & News

00:09:33 - 00:28:15 - Matt & Ed say what they've learned from five years of podcasting

00:28:16 - 01:04:17 - Matt & Ed discuss Goodbyes in film and TV

01:04:18 - 01:11:23 - SRS Recommends

164. Playing Against Type

Sometimes actors and directors get stuck making one type of movie and, through their own choice or external circumstances, they try something completely new and unexpected. In this episode, Matt and Ed discuss successful reinventions, the ones that failed, and the times when whole careers were sent off in a new direction by one fateful film. They also discuss The Hamilton Mixtape, how many good films came out in 1999, and the controversy surrounding the production of Last Tango in Paris and the broader problems of how it has been reported.

00:00:00 - 00:18:45 - Intro & News

00:18:46 - 01:00:35 - Matt & Ed discuss Playing Against Type

01:00:36 - 01:06:12 - SRS Recommends & Outro

Note: We sincerely apologise for the brief, scattered audio issues in the first half of the episode. There was some static on the recording and while almost all of has been edited out, there were a few moments where it couldn't be removed.

163. Loving Imperfect Art

Matt and Ed are both battling illness this week, but they persevered in order to talk about loving imperfect art - those films and TV series that are close to their hearts despite having clear and glaring flaws. At the same time, Matt introduces the world to a new Star Wars character, and Ed reminisces about a wildly unsuccessful supernatural sitcom from the late '90s.

Also, this is the terrible Ruben Blades song that Ed sings terribly at one point in the episode.

 

00:00:00 - 00:16:00 - Intro & News

00:16:01 - 01:03:07 - Matt & Ed discuss loving Imperfect Art

01:03:08 - 01:09:58 - SRS Recommends & Outro

162. Matt's Birthday, 2016

It's Matt's birthday! In keeping with recent (i.e. a year old) tradition, that means he gets to decide the topic for this week's show, but instead of discussing a single subject, Matt and Ed rattle through a series of them, including nostalgia, great buddy movies, and when it's appropriate to introduce kids to violent movies. They also pitch an idea for what the second season of HBO's Westworld will be about, and it is an ironclad, irrefutable fan theory, primed for that sweet, sweet SEO bump.

00:00:00 - 00:18:11 - Intro & News

00:18:12 - 00:52:33 - Matt & Ed discuss a bunch of stuff

00:52:34 - 00:59:16 - SRS Recommends & Outro

161. SRS Film Studies 101

Inspired by Matt's nephew, who recently started studying film at A-Level, this week's episode finds the boys trying to develop their own syllabus of essential or gateway movies for newcomers to film, or those simply looking for starting points to expand their horizons. There's also a little bit of election talk at the start, so if you're sick of hearing about that then feel free to skip to the time code below.

Here is the essay about Leonard Cohen written by Sean O'Neal that Ed mentions towards the end of the episode.

00:00:00 - 00:04:20 - Intro; Matt & Ed discuss the US elect result

00:04:21 - 01:03:55 - Matt & Ed plot out the SRS Film Studies syllabus

01:03:56 - 01:08:19 - SRS Recommends & Outro

160. Politics in Film and TV

Apparently there's an election coming up. To celebrate(?), Matt and Ed talk about films and television shows that tackle the world of politics, examples of overtly "political" filmmakers, and their favourite insults from The Thick of It.

00:00:00 - 00:09:24 - Intro & News

00:09:25 - 01:00:10 - Matt & Ed talk about politics in film and television

01:00:11 - 01:06:39 - SRS Recommends & Outro

159. Universal Monsters

As a spooky Halloween treat, Matt and Ed are talking about the iconic monsters that formed the core of Universal's stable of creature features in the 1930s and 40s (including Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolf Man), and the influence they continue to exert over the subgenres that they helped to define. They also talk about the cinematic peak(?) of Dana Carvey's cinematic career, the end of Vine, and why you (yes, you!) should be watching The Good Place.

00:00:00 - 00:20:21 - Intro & News

00:20:22 - 00:59:10 - Matt & Ed discuss the legacy of the Universal Monsters

00:59:11 - 01:07:07 - SRS Recommends & Outro

158. Bad Films by Great Directors

After a few weeks working on episodes separately, Matt and Ed are reunited this week to talk about Ed's trip to New York, the week's news, and the many instances where great directors have delivered absolute stinkers.

Here is The Ringer article that end mentions during the News section.

157. You Won't Remember This: Gladiator 2

With Ed off gallivanting around Broadway like some cosmopolitan dandy, the reigns for this week's episode are in sole possession of Matt, who decides to get a little weird.

As a tribute to one of their favourite podcasts You Must Remember This, Matt presents his own version of the show, forgoing an engaging history of bygone Hollywood, for the unusual tale of Tinseltown's failed attempt to make a sequel to 2000's smash hit Gladiator.

Without giving too much away, it's an incredibly strange tale and Matt goes through the looking glass in the search of answers. Most pertinently: whats with the monkey?

156. London Podcast Festival (with Zoë Jeyes)

Last month, Ed made a flying visit back to England in order to attend the first annual London Podcast Festival at King's Place in London. He's joined by Zoë Jeyes, the Comedy Programmer for King's Place and producer of the festival, to discuss how the festival came together, the great shows they saw (including, but not limited to, Bullseye, Judge John Hodgman, The Moth and Little Atoms), and to extol the virtues of Hollywood Handbook, in a segment that will make almost no sense to anyone who hasn't listened to that show.

00:00:00 - 00:01:33 - Intro

00:01:34 - 00:49:16 - Ed & Zoë discuss the shows they saw at the festival
00:49:17 - 01:01:40 - SRS Recommends & Outro

155. Autumn/Winter Preview 2016

After a short break caused by a) Ed being on holiday and b) Matt accidentally sleeping through a scheduled recording session, the boys are back with a vengeance in this extra long, extra punchy episode, during which they discuss the films they are most looking forward to between now and the end of the year. They also catch up on some recent news, ponder the falls from grace of Johnny Depp and Mel Gibson, and come up with possibly the best band name of all time.

00:00:00 - 00:25:07 - Intro & SRS

00:25:08 - 01:45:22 - Matt & Ed run through the upcoming slate of films

01:45:23 - 01:51:13 - SRS Recommends & Outro

154. Pan's Labyrinth at 10

It's been ten years since the release of Guillermo del Toro's haunting fairytale Pan's Labyrinth, a film which was hailed as a masterpiece almost as soon as it debuted and whose reputation has only grown over time. To mark the occasion, Matt and Ed discuss the film's many good qualities, debate its legacy, and what impact it had on del Toro's career. They also get excited about the films debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, Ed reminisces about the time he got to meet del Toro and almost cried, and Matt reveals how deceased Irish comedian Frank Carson shattered his chances of becoming a professional footballer.

00:00:00 - 00:18:22 - Intro & News

00:18:23 - 00:55:27 - Matt & Ed discuss Pan's Labyrinth

00:55:28 - 00:59:19 - SRS Recommends & Outro

153. Suicide Squad - Part 2

In a direct sequel to last week's discussion of how bad Suicide Squad is as a film in its own right, but also a spiritual sequel to our episode on the state of the modern blockbuster, this episode finds Matt and Ed using Suicide Squad as a prism through which to explore the worst tendencies of modern blockbuster culture, and how it is emblematic of a moribund summer movie season. They detail how hard it is for a film to turn a profit these days, why foreign box office is so rarely a saving grace, and the increasing toxicity of online discussion around blockbusters. They also pay tribute to Gene Wilder and Jon Polito, two actors they loved who passed away this week, and wax poetic about Jackie Chan and Patrick Ness.

Here is the article by Todd Vanderwerff that Matt references during the main discussion.

00:00:00 - 00:12:31 - Intro & News

00:12:32 - 00:48:56 - Matt & Ed discuss Suicide Squad as it relates to modern blockbuster culture

00:48:57 - 00:54:46 - SRS Recommends & Outro

152. Suicide Squad - Part 1

Matt's back from his holidays and the boys are a little punchy, as evidenced by the way that they turn what was meant to be a brief preamble about Suicide Squad into the focus of the entire episode. In between detailing why Captain Boomerang is the most useless character ever and trying to parse the murk of David Ayer's vision, they find time to discuss the BBC's list of the 100 best films of the 21st century so far, rekindle Ed's fear of rhinoceroses, and forget that Spectre exists. 

00:00:00 - 00:20:01 - Intro & News

00:20:02 - 01:04:48 - Matt & Ed discuss Suicide Squad 

01:04:49 - 01:09:42 - SRS Recommends & Outro

Next week: Matt and Ed place Suicide Squad in a broader context and have the conversation they meant to have this week.

151. Star Trek (with John Hunter)

It's been 50 years since Star Trek first entered the public consciousness, and five decades later, Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future is in surprisingly rude health. With the recent cinematic release of Justin Lin's Star Trek Beyond and slow drip of news about the forthcoming TV show Star Trek: Discovery, Ed sits down to discuss the series' various incarnations with writer and playwright John Hunter. In addition to discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the franchises and the reason for its longevity, they reminisce about drunken conversations about The West Wing, John's work with Slung Low Theatre, and Ed's paralysing fear of being challenged to a rap battle.

00:00:00 - 00:01:57 - Intro

00:01:58 - 00:05:14 - Ed & John talk about Slung Low Theatre

00:05:15 - 00:44:55 - Ed & John discuss Star Trek

00:44:56 - 00:49:29 - SRS Recommends & Outro