The Countdown

Countdown #468   In the first Ep of the podcast equivalent of a John Farnham goodbye tour, the boys run through all the television they've been watching of late - ranking it from meh to great - recommending a number of shows for you all to check out to keep your entertainment on.   From Billions to Three Body Problem, everything you need to know about "The Box" is right here!   Do you listeners ge...

The fifth film in the Monsterverse hits cinema this week, and of course, Paul and Wayne are front and centre to report to you on whether you should see every punch, hit, bellow and roar on the biggest cinema screen you can.   Will Wayne recognise this is the fifth film in the franchise that also incorporates the recent Apple TV series - that he liked! - Monarch: Legacy of Monsters? Can Paul get pa...

Countdown #467   How can you tell Wayne chose this week's topic?   Well he did, and Paul was fool enough to allow it to happen, so now we all must pay the price - as the lads reveal far too much about themselves and their views on dating as they name the movie characters they'd most like to marry.   And stick around for the last 10 minutes of this Episode, as there's a big announcement about the f...

The nostalgia is back as the Ghostbusters return to the cinema for the third time in the life of The Countdown, and Wayne, at least, is all kinds of excited.   Can a film based so heavily on nostalgia for a time long forgotten succeed? Will audiences care about streams crossing the OG Ghostbusters with the new Spengler clan? And will Wayne become this franchise's most unlikely champion?   Learn th...

Countdown #466   Music is a pretty important part of films, so Paul has been chafing at the bit for about 466 episodes now to do a Countdown on the very best film scores of all time. Wayme, however, balked at that idea and decided that individual tracks from a film's score would be an easier list to make.   So here we be. How many tracks will Wayne choose that represent his lavender soft interior?...

What is a podcast to do when there are two significant things to review, but not enough time to watch them both? Well, how about divide and conquer, as Paul takes his daughter to see the latest film in the Kung Fu Panda series, while Wayne gets a bespoke suit on to watch Guy Ritchie's spin-off series to his own film of the same name, The Gentlemen.   Will Po out geezer a cockney gangster? And can...

Countdown #465   It's Top 10 Last 10 time as the boys review ten of their most recent watches, ranking them from worst to best to aid you in choosing what next to watch!   In this Ep they review everything from Oscar contenders to low budget Danish horrors, via misguided musical remakes and wrestling biographies.   How many non-feature films will Wayne have on his list? And who has made better lif...

Two reviews of brand new films this week - neither of which have made a positive impact in terms critics and audiences alike ...   But what will Wayne think of the latest Amazon Prime Video comedy, Rocky Stanicky? And how will Paul respond to Jeff Wadlow's latest Blumhouse produced effort after he infamously defecated all over the bed with his last two films, Truth or Dare and Fantasy Island?   Le...

Countdown #464   The boys this week return to determining who is the superior actor/star/and all round person when they pit Matt Damon's filmography against Ben Affleck's.   Though reportedly best friends through most of their lives, such sentiments mean nothing when the chance to be crowned the superior Hollywood star crops up on The Countdown. So expect nothing short of a bloodbath as Wayne gets...

After infamously and unpredictably "Negatroning" the first part of the Dune saga, Wayne is back to double down on his criticisms of all things Arrakis ... or is he? Has his Waynus seen the light? Will he apologise and retract his previous criticisms while acknowledging how amazing Dune: Part 2 is?   And what about Paul? Is he as high on the second part of Paul Atreides' story? Or has his passion f...

Countdown #463   Way back in Episode 19* of the show - sometime during the winter months of 2015 - the boys did their first ever countdown focused on an a single actor. That actor has affectionately become known as T to the C among the Countdown Listener Community, but is otherwise referred to as one Tom Cruise.   It felt only natural then that if there was any actor that the show would re-do a co...

Hey! It's a new Coen Brother comedy road film. Co-written with his queer wife, Tricia Cooke, and all about a couple of lesbian friends who are not at all angsty about their sexual orientation going on a hilarious road trip and unknowingly pursued by shady criminals. How could this not rock?   Well, as it turns out: it does not. Join the lads as they chart just where Drive Away Dolls left the Good...

Countdown #462   Everyone likes to laugh, right? Well, Wayne and Paul certainly do and so they each put their minds to the task of collating the very best comedies of the last 24 years into a Top 10 list for you.   How many times does Judd Apatow get a mention? Is Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill or McLovin the most featured actor in these films? And can Paul find it in his apparently cold, dead heart to...

Paul and Wayne have heard the siren call of the nuclear box office disaster that is Madame Web, and if you're not going to see it, they have courageously decided to will this one for the team!   So join the lads as they try to narrow down where it all went wrong for Sony and the creative team behind "Spidey-Tingle: The Movie". Just don't expect this turd to be polished gold, as The Countdown conti...

Countdown #461   It's Wayne's favourite genre, but he can't remember what films he chose for the first ever Countdown back in 2015, so hopefully no-one else will either ...   Join the lads as they countdown the top 10 Spy Films of all time, updating their lists from that long ago day when The Countdown was little more than a glint in Paul's eye.   How will things have changed? Will there be any fi...

The first big-budget, major release of 2024 is here in the form of Argylle, and no-one is more excited for its release than Wayne - he who had it as his most anticipated film of 2024.   So with a poor box office return and fairly savage reviews from numerous critics, what will Wayne make of it? Does Paul find more here to enjoy than one might expect? And can it be that Matthew Vaughn has De-Palmae...

Countdown #460   Rock and the 1980s. How much more iconic does music get?   Big hair, big drum sets and big personalities. To say nothing of the classic songs.   So join Paul and Wayne as they attempt the impossible: To distill an entire decade's worth of amazing music into just ten songs as they countdown their Top 10 Rock Songs of the '80s.   Will Wayne tear himself away ballads, soft and yacht...

Way back in May of 2023, many of our fine Patrons tuned in to watch or listen to our climatic guest spot on the Livestream for the Cure, as hosted by Nick, Dan and Gerald. During that spot, to raise money for the fight against cancer, we pledged to watch horrendous films that you chose for us. And being the wonderfully, generous people you are, you supported the cause.   Those films that we pledge...

Countdown #459   The review of 2023 is over and it's time to look ahead at what's to come in 2024 as the boys lay out their most anticipated films of the coming year.   Just what is getting the guys excited in terms of the release calendar? Will Paul again be sucked into the vortex that is the Alien franchise fandom? Can Wayne even make a list when there are so few superhero films being released i...

The boys got along to their first advanced screening of the year and it was the big sequel to the massive Australian hit, The Dry, starring Eric Bana.   In this one, Detective Aaron Falk returns to help with a disappearance of someone he has a connection with, while an event from his past will help him solve the case. It's better than that synopsis sounds, but does it hold a candle to the original...

Countdown #458   What were the guys' thinking? Doing another episode about the dumbest moments of 2023, might end up being one of the dumbest moments of 2024.   After all, did they really expect to avoid courting any controversy while mentioning anything about US politics to international conflicts by way of terrible behaviour from studios, celebrities and companies that brew beer along the way?  ...

January is here and with it, the films that studios like to dump into theatres, hoping against hope that they might make some dollars.   One such film is the new Jason Statham film as directed by David "Don't Blame Me for Suicide Squad" Ayer and, well, it's making money. As such, the boys considered it their civic duty to see this one and report back on it to you, dear listener ...   Have the lads...

Countdown #457   Here it is. The biggest Ep of the year detailing the very best films of the previous year requires an incredible guest. And that incredible guest is Jason from the Binge Movies Podcast . It also requires a lengthy discussion about the merits (or perhaps, lack thereof) of these films, making for one of the longest Eps in The Countdown's history.   (Julio would be proud; Gerald, les...

The boys finally get along to see a film which has been hitting all the Top 10 lists of 2023, just in time for their own episode of the same.   But is this the shot in the arm Kaiju films needed? Or is it more of the same ol' , same ol' when it comes to Godzilla and its decision to chow down on most anything Tokyo-shaped?   One of the lads has this as the greatest thing since sliced-bread, while t...

Countdown #456   Bravely flying in the face of those who say doing "Worst Of" lists are tacky and inappropriate, Paul and Wayne this week deliver to you their annual PSA in relation to the poorest films of the preceding year.   Yes, it's time to name and shame those films which completely fumbled the ball, that defecated in the bed, that thieved us of our hard-earned, and then, in some cases, trie...