Cinema Effect

It’s pretty unbelievable that we’ve reached the 300th episode of Cinema Effect, so what better way to celebrate than with the grand finale to one of our favourite franchises, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, after spending the last eight months revisiting the entire saga. The film brings Harry’s journey to its explosive conclusion as the Battle of Hogwarts erupts and the fate of the w...

We have unintentionally ended up reviewing every Steven Spielberg alien film on the podcast (yes, we’re counting War of the Worlds, whether he does or not), and now we bring that journey home with Disclosure Day. Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colman Domingo, and Colin Firth (who sports an exceptional beard), Spielberg’s latest blockbuster surprised us in more ways than one, blending a m...

There’s only one way to tackle Oldboy, Park Chan-wook’s revered South Korean masterpiece (not the Hollywood remake!), and that’s to dive in head first. The film follows a man who is mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years before being suddenly released and given the chance to uncover who ruined his life and why. Needless to say, this is a dark, twisted, and often confronting cinematic experience that...

Continuing our trend of reviewing films with "Mortal" in the title, we arrive at Mortal Engines (2018), Peter Jackson’s attempt to launch a new fantasy blockbuster franchise on the scale of The Lord of the Rings. Starring Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, and Jihae, the film is set in a post-apocalyptic world where moving cities roam the Earth and consume smaller settlements for...

We’re very excited to finally reach the point in the Harry Potter saga where we can celebrate the often overlooked Deathly Hallows Part 1, a film that deserves far more love than it gets. While some viewers dismiss it as the "boring one" because they are impatiently waiting for the action packed spectacle of Part 2, we think they are missing some of the strongest character writing in the...

Yeah baby, yeah! Liam has successfully bullied the Austin Powers franchise onto the show through our Instagram poll, which means it is time to revisit Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Starring Mike Myers in the dual roles of Austin Powers and Dr Evil alongside Elizabeth Hurley, the film follows a groovy British spy thawed out in the 1990s to stop his old nemesis from taking over the wo...

Wind River is a film we’ve talked about reviewing behind the scenes for a very long time, so now that the moment has finally arrived, it had self-imposed high expectations to live up to. Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, this modern western thriller serves as the final chapter in his frontier trilogy, transporting the genre to the frozen landscapes of Wyoming in a setting that feels both ha...

Our familiarity with The Mortal Instruments as a young adult franchise varied wildly between us, which made the film adaptation The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones both a fresh discovery and a revisit more than a decade later. Starring Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Lena Headey, and Jared Harris, the film follows Clary Fray as she uncovers a hidden world of Shadowhunters (which is annoyingl...

We may have unfortunately lost a good chunk of the opening of this episode to technical issues, but that was not going to stop us from diving into Is This Thing On? (2025), the latest film from master auteur Bradley Cooper. The big question going in, can he make a movie that isn't awards bait? Following a struggling New York couple at a crossroads, the story centres on Will Arnett’s character...

We have peaked. Our journey through the franchise has led us not only to peak Harry Potter, but peak cinema with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, a thoroughly engaging entry that perfectly balances the series’ biggest dramatic moments with some of its funniest, immersing us in the Hogwarts school year better than ever. Directed once again by David Yates, the film shines through its richly d...

A gritty and undeniably cool WW2 film, Fury (2014) sees director David Ayer (pronounced Air) at a point before he “lost the sauce,” delivering a brutal story set in the final days of Nazi Germany. Starring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, and Michael Peña, the film follows a tight knit tank crew navigating the horrors of war from inside their claustrophobic steel machine. The c...

A well regarded dystopian sci-fi thriller from the 90s, 12 Monkeys marks our first time covering the work of Terry Gilliam, giving us the perfect excuse to dive into his unique filmmaking sensibilities and the stylistic quirks that define his movies. Starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt, the film follows a time travelling prisoner sent back to uncover the origins of a devastating...

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has long stood as one of our favourite entries in the Harry Potter saga, but the big question is whether it still holds up under scrutiny on our millionth rewatch. Directed by David Yates, who ushers in a new era for the franchise, the film balances the whimsical and nostalgic elements we still get a kick out of with a darker tone. Most importantly, it bui...

It’s time for us to tackle Project Hail Mary, one of the highest rated sci-fi films since Dune Part Two, and we’re even joined by a very special guest, literally Ryland Grace himself. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and starring Ryan Gosling, the film follows a lone astronaut on a desperate, high risk mission to save the Sun and humanity. Gosling delivers what might (debatably) be his...

Starship Troopers might look like a standard 90s sci fi action movie on the surface, but beneath it lies a sharp layer of satire that makes the film far more interesting than expected. Following Johnny Rico and his fellow soldiers as they battle alien bugs, the movie balances its parodic tone with a genuinely entertaining story and characters, helped in no small part by a cast that is almost absur...

Mike Newell returns to the show for the second time in a fortnight with Donnie Brasco (1997). Following the gripping true story of FBI agent Joe Pistone, played by Johnny Depp, who infiltrates the New York Mafia under the alias Donnie Brasco and forms a dangerous bond with aging mobster Lefty Ruggiero, portrayed by Al Pacino. The chemistry between Depp and Pacino is fantastic, making every scene t...

Romper Stomper is a confronting Australian drama set in 1990s Melbourne that follows a violent gang of neo Nazi skinheads whose hatred and reckless behaviour slowly tear apart their own unstable world. Starring Russell Crowe in one of the role's which launched his career, the film throws viewers directly into the ugly mindset of its characters, forcing us to experience the story through their...

The arrival of the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts injects Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with adrenaline, spectacle, and such outrageous peril for students that you have to question how it was ever approved in the first place. Directed by Mike Newell and starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Brendan Gleeson, and introducing Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort, this fourth chapte...

Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin (2013) is a haunting and hypnotic sci-fi drama starring Scarlett Johansson as a mysterious woman who roams Scotland, luring unsuspecting men into her orbit. With minimal dialogue and an abstract narrative, the film is less about straightforward plot and more about atmosphere and interpretation. Glazer’s mesmerising use of sound design and otherworldly visuals creat...

In our first delve into the concert film genre, Jayden and Liam discuss Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads' seminal 1984 film, Stop Making Sense. We discuss our relationship with the band, our concert experiences, and how the film captures the concert spectacle. Join a crew of wannabe film critics review a different movie every week, and discuss other nonsense. Listen to new episodes every Monday. R...

Godzilla Minus One roars back to basics with a powerful reimagining of the iconic kaiju, set in post war Japan as a nation already devastated by World War II is pushed even further into despair by the arrival of Godzilla (hence the 'Minus One'. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the film blends human drama with large scale destruction, following survivors struggling with guilt and responsibilit...

Josh Safdie may have gone solo without brother Benny, but Marty Supreme brings back the same nervous energy and relentless momentum that defined Uncut Gems, this time set against the world of competitive table tennis in the 1950s. Timothée Chalamet stars as Marty Mauser, a man singularly obsessed with becoming a professional ping pong champion, scraping together money, burning bridges, and moving...

After an extended holiday break, Cinema Effect is back for our seventh season in 2026, picking things up exactly where we left off with the Harry Potter franchise and Alfonso Cuarón’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The story follows Harry as he returns to Hogwarts for his third year while the escape of Sirius Black sets off a darker, more mysterious chapter involving the super scary Dem...

You know we had to get dressed up for the occasion, because this is indeed the most prestigious night in podcasting,. The sixth annual Cinema Effect Awards! We roll out a full awards ceremony, firstly celebrating the standout film and TV releases of 2025, highlighting the very best titles from the year that was. But that is just the beginning. Once those formalities are out of the way, we dive hea...

Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly is a fast moving character driven comedy that follows the unravelling midlife detour of Jay Kelly (George Clooney), a world famous actor whose life begins to crack under the weight of regret. Including sharp dialogue and memorable supporting players, with Adam Sandler providing a great vulnerability. Baumbach’s signature humour is front and centre with an easy rhythm that...