Entertainment of Excellence Podcast

For our 21st episode, we watch and review the 1988 surrealist musical It Couldn't Happen Here, with music by and starring the Pet Shop Boys. Directed by Jack Bond, the film is based on music from the band's first two albums Please and Actually, and instead of focusing on a coherent narrative structure it instead opts for a collection of surreal scenes and bizzare dialogue that doesn't make much se...

Welcome to "Entertainment of Excellence", the podcast where we review: Film. TV. All of it. No fuss, no nonsense, exactly what it says on the tin. We focus on films and TV shows for our main segment, but also discuss anything ranging from music to art to poetry in our recommendations section. In our Submissions Spotlight section, fans can send us in their work to be reviewed live on air. We don't...

We're finally on our twentieth episode, and to commemorate this achievement we suffer through one of the worst movies we have ever seen. Watching and reviewing the 2003 comedy Kangaroo Jack was not just painful, it made us question what comedy really is. The script follows the misadventures of two stupid Americans, Louis (Anthony Anderson) and Charlie (Jerry O'Connell) as they chase an animated Ka...

Our nineteenth episode in which we watch and review the 1998 psychological drama The Interview, directed by Craig Monahan. Starring Hugo Weaving as Fleming and Tony Martin as Detective Steele, the film centres around a lengthy interrogation regarding a stolen car and a missing person, but the tables quickly turn and it becomes less obvious who is really being hunted. We give our analysis of the th...

Our eighteenth episode in which we watch and review the Coen Brothers movie No Country for Old Men, based on the book of the same name. The plot centres around Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a hunter from Texas in 1980 who stumbles across a drug deal gone wrong and takes two million dollars worth of money, and becomes hunted by hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) as Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee J...

Our seventeenth episode in which we watch and review the award-winning 2019 Netflix Original film Marriage Story, directed by Noah Baumbach and starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. The script follows the grueling divorce between a director and his actress wife, detailing the legal process and the many arguments. We give our analysis and opinions. For our Submissions Spotlight section, we r...

Our sixteenth episode in which we watch and review the notoriously terrible 1953 B-Movie, Robot Monster, directed by Phil Tucker. In this attempt at sci-fi horror from the 50s, a family of five are the only humans left on planet earth, with the rest having been destroyed by Ro-Man - an alien monster whose only goal is to wipe out the human race. We discuss the film's laughable dialogue, struggle t...

Our fifteenth episode in which we watch and review the biographical film The Social Network, directed by David Fincher, which documents the life of Mark Zuckerberg, the founding of Facebook and some of the lawsuits that followed. It stars Jesse Eisenberg as a young Mark Zuckerberg, who creates a website called Facemash that rates photos of female students at Harvard, which leads to the founding of...

Our fourteenth episode in which we watch and review the Russian cult classic Stalker, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and based on the novel Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers. The premise is simple - the film takes place in the "Zone"; in the distant future, society as we know it has been destroyed, and the protagonist, known as the "Stalker" is leading a professor and a writer to the "Room"...

Our thirteenth episode in which we watch and review the psychological thriller You Were Never Really Here, based on the Johnathan Ames book of the same name. The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix and Ekatarina Samsonov, and was directed by Lynne Ramsay. The plot follows a mercenary called Joe who suffers from PTSD, who rescues trafficked young girls. He is hired by a State senator to rescue his daughter...

Our twelfth episode in which we watch and review the Peter Berg directed espionage thriller Mile 22. Staring Mark Wahlberg, Iko Uwais and John Malkovich. The plot follows a CIA taskforce attempting to cease caesium from Russian FSB agents. An Indonesian cop offers to turn in information about it in return for asylum in the US, otherwise it will self destruct in 24 hours but a group of Russian agen...

Our eleventh episode in which we watch and review the 1999 film Being John Malkovich, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze. The movie, starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz Catherine Keener and John Malkovich, follows Craig Schwartz, a redundant puppeteer, who tries to find a job but accidentally finds a tunnel that is a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. Craig then sells...

Our tenth episode in which we watch and review the 1998 film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro, and directed by Terry Gilliam, the movie is a satirical film based on the 1971 book of the same name written by Hunter S. Thompson, based on his own experiences. The loose plot follows journalist Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo’s trip to Vegas to cover the M...

Our ninth episode in which we watch and review the 2017 film Good Time. Starring Robert Pattison, the movie’s plot centres around Connie, a bank robber, attempting to make enough money to pay for his mentally handicapped brother Nick, whom he is the guardian of. After both try and to rob a bank, Nick gets kidnapped and becomes hospitalised after a fight, and Connie tries to break him out, but find...

Our eighth episode in which we review the 2020 Netflix series Hollywood. The show follows the story of a group of characters who are trying to make it big in Hollywood in post war America. Based loosely on the real life of ex-marine Scott Bowers and including true characters such as Rock Hudson, the season is the story of a group of actors, writers and directors trying against all odds to produce...

Our seventh episode. This episode we review Heavy Metal, an anthology of sci-fi cartoons from 1981 based on a magazine of the same name. Then as always we recommend multiple forms of entertainment. WATCH HEAVY METAL: https://www.netflix.com/watch/22006357 BUY HEAVY METAL DVD/BLU-RAY: https://amzn.to/3bWbygO Music by Tom & Ben.

Our sixth episode. This time, we discuss the infamously terrible film, Birdemic: Shock and Terror. Notorious for its weak plot, unnrealistic acting and extremely cheap VFX, it nonetheless entertained us. Then as always we recommend multiple forms of entertainment.  WATCH BIRDEMIC: https://justwatch.com/uk/movie/birdemic-shock-and-terror BUY BIRDEMIC DVD/BLU-RAY: https://amzn.to/3cvyJ2E Music...

Our fifth episode. We're back after being dead for two years, with a new format and Tom on as a permanent guest. We're more informal this time, spend some time reviewing the John Krasinski film "A Quiet Place" then recommend multiple forms of entertainment.  WATCH A QUIET PLACE: https://www.netflix.com/watch/80213226 BUY A QUIET PLACE DVD/BLU-RAY: https://amzn.to/3chjbiS   Music by Tom.

Our fourth episode. We discuss the TV show 'Psychoville' and quickly move on to our annual award show, 'Entertainment Worthy of Excellence'. We discuss our choices for the 2017 awards but with a catch - it has to be within 30 seconds! We forgo watching trailers but do recommend things for you! PSYCHOVILLE SERIES 1+2 BOXSET: http://amzn.eu/0aczR2N RECOMMENDED BLACK MIRROR: http://amzn.eu/bAoafZh ht...

Our third episode. This time we have a sort of Marvel special, as we focus primarily on reviewing "Black Panther" (which takes up most of the episode) before we discuss the impending release of "Infinity War" and watch the teaser for "Venom". We don't have time to recommend things, but we do take a personality quiz as always! PRE ORDER BLACK PANTHER: http://amzn.eu/951fUNP Recorded by Ben, edited...

Our second episode, in which we have our friend Tom on as a guest. We review "Blade Runner", fail at more quizzes, watch the trailers for "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (as promised last episode) and the Superb Owl teaser for "Solo". We also recommend some good films and TV shows. BLADE RUNNER (DIRECTOR'S CUT): http://amzn.eu/0h88miA RECOMMENDED BABY DRIVER: http://amzn.eu/4UxT1kF SHERLOCK SEASONS 1-4 & A...

Our first episode, in which we review "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency", fail at some quizzes, discuss the impending release of "Earlyman" and "Black Panther" and recommend some good films and TV shows. More episodes coming soon! Recorded by Ben, edited by Ben & Ollie.