Weekend At Crombie‘s

The real Santa was totally different. The Coca-Cola Santa is just a hoax. 

I'm old enough to know when life is coming at me with its pants down. 

Show me the 'Elf Face'.

I wished for a purple elephant, but now I want a pink elephant! 

Just when you think it can't get any worse, you run out of cigarettes. 

It'll take me at least a week to dig up all my dolls in the cemetery.

It's 1986, and the way you can tell is because it produced this college comedy about a white law student who pretends to be black in order to qualify for a scholarship. Starring C. Thomas Howell and Rae Dawn Chong, who appeared to crash their careers on this one, but at least met each other and got married.

It's 1993 and Steven Zaillian directs the tale of a young prodigy in a brave attempt to make chess cinematic. With a line-up that includes Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, Joan Allen, Joe Mantegna, Robert Stephens, William H. Macy, Dan Hedaya, Laura Linney and Tony Shalhoub, this cast goes deeper than a Sicilian Defense.

It's 1977, and Larisa Shepitko directs her final film about two partisans struggling for both life and soul in World War II Belarus. Naturally, hilarity ensues. A profoundly moving and beautiful film, it would nonetheless take a stronger spirit than either of our hosts possess to watch it more than once.

It's 1983, and this rotoscoped animation unites director Ralph Bakshi with legendary sword n' sorcery artist Frank Frazetta. The 80s were a prime time for low budget dark fantasy, and this reads like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Although, in this case, none of the protagonists ever chose to wear more clothes.

We close the series with the tale of another futuristic city in the form of Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis. The city of New Rome is torn between feuding oligarchs, and only one visionary can save us all. Coppola self-financed this film when the studios turned it down. So there's that. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films th...

Alfonso Cuarón's 2006 near-future dystopia tells of societal collapse and widespread intolerance following population crash. Breathtakingly shot and performed, just try not to think on how prescient it's become. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films that looked to the days ahead: the Future Is Now!

This 1988 behemoth of Japanese animation looked at a future metropolis in the wake of a devasting war, covering themes of youth, power, friendship, rebirth and some pretty impressive motorbike skills. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films that looked to the days ahead: the Future Is Now!

The future in 1976 was about post-apocalyptic population control, where the age of 30 was terminal and Michael York was its ruthless enforcer.  The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films that looked to the days ahead: the Future Is Now!

Another masterpiece of futurism, this time from Stanley Kubrick as his 1968 film explores human evolution, destiny, exploration, artificial intelligence and just how far a primate can throw a bone. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films that looked to the days ahead: the Future Is Now!

We start at the very beginning: Fritz Lang's 1927 expressionist masterpiece of a futuristic urban dystopia. They don't make 'em like this any more. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films that looked to the days ahead: the Future Is Now!

It's 2001 and this character piece of science fiction and mystery brings together Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges, along with Bono's sunglasses. With a big shout out to our listeners in the Lyra constellation, 1000 light years away.

It's 1981 and Everett McGill, Ron Perlman and Nameer El-Kadi play three cavemen (Ron Perlman was an easy casting, to be fair) who are searching the wilderness for that most precious resource: love (and also fire). A remarkable prehistoric fantasy adventure from director Jean-Jacques Annaud, and a mere 80,000 years later, we have the technology to podcast about it.

We return to our Very Special catalogue to look at arguably the best Tim Key folk music comedy set on a Pembrokeshire island.

It's 1988, and Sidney Poitier has returned from a decade-long absence to team up with Tom Berenger in an odd-couple, buddy-cop hunt through the mountains. Also featuring Kirstie Alley, Clancy Brown and a scene that was surely in contention for Best Supporting Duvet.

It's 2005 and before taking the lead in a modest superhero franchise, Robert Downey Jr. stars with Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan in this neo-noir romp by writer-director Shane Black. Our hosts don't always agree on the film of choice, and let's just hope it doesn't end badly. Or possibly bad. Adverbs are tricky.

It's 1965 and, from behind the Iron Curtain, a Czechoslovakian New Wave film stars Jozef Kroner and Ida Kamińska as they depict the Aryanization program in the Slovak Republic during World War II. Academy winner of Best Foreign Language Film, with Ida Kamińska also nominated for Best Actress, there's some powerful stuff here. And also a goose.

It's 1957 and this Stanley Baker vehicle tells the story of gravel haulage on the mean streets of Buckinghamshire. An absolute galaxy of supporting cast, including Patrick McGoohan, Sean Connery, Herbert Lom, Peggy Cummins, William Hartnell, Sid James, Jill Ireland, Gordon Jackson and David McCallum.

Phoebe Cates stars in this Regency-era true story of the mysterious Princess Caraboo. Supporting cast includes Jim Broadbent, Wendy Hughes, Kevin Kline, John Lithgow and Stephen Rea, so the real mystery is: how did this disappear without a trace?

Tim Curry leads a murderers' row of comedic talent in this 1985 mystery comedy based on the family board game. Spoiler: it was Dr Evans. In the kitchen. With the temperamental headset.