Aussie and the Scotsman - Unfiltered Movie Podcast

This week we review the 1997 American epic romantic disaster film directed and written by James Cameron. It is based on the account of the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912 and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love during the ship's maiden voyage. Finally, some class comes to the podcast with our friend Emma joining us to help us review this...

This week we review the 1985 American indie teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film The Breakfast Club written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The film tells the story of five teenagers from different high school cliques who serve a Saturday detention overseen by their authoritarian vice...

This week we review the 2004 American sports drama film Million Dollar Baby directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. Winner of 4 Oscars - best picture, best director, best actress (Hilary Swank) and best supporting actor (for Morgan Freeman), the film follows Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald (Swank), an underdog amateur boxer who is helped by a grumpy cantankerous boxing trainer (Eastwood) to achieve...

This week we review the 2013 American thriller film Prisoners directed by Denis Villeneuve. The movie stars Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhall, Viola Davis, Paul Dano and Terrence Howard. It's a simple premise. You child is kidnapped. What would you do to get them back? This is a vigorous podcast. The boys are feisty. Tensions are at an all time high. We are recording in a new location for a week - may...

This  week we review the 2017 American psychological horror film Get Out written, co-produced, and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. It stars Daniel Kaluuya as a young black man who uncovers shocking secrets when he meets the family of his white girlfriend. We are delighted to have the Scotsman's eldest son Max making his debut on the podcast today. And what a star he is.  Bringin...

This week we review the 2019 American biographical film Richard Jewell directed by Clint Eastwood. We promise you - this is the movie you didn't know you had to see. If you have time try and watch before you listen to this podcast. It is one of our favourite movies and reviews of all time - an incredible injustice story. It had us angry, it has us sad, it brought the tough emotionless Scotsman to...

This week we review a 1975 American psychological drama film One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a new patient at a mental institution, alongside Louise Fletcher as a sadistic nurse with a great supporting cast.  Winner of all 5 Academy Awards it was nominated for including Oscars for Nicholson and Fletcher this is an all time classic.  We do discuss how "insane" Jack...

This week we review the 2023 fantasy comedy film Barbie directed by Greta Gerwig. It is the first live-action Barbie film and it stars Margot Robbie as the title character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, the film follows them on a journey of self-discovery through Barbieland and the real world following an existential crisis. It is also a commentary regarding patriarchy and the effects of feminism and th...

This week we discuss the 2013 American biographical black comedy film The Wolf of Wall Street directed by Martin Scorsese. The story is based on Jordan Belfort's 2007 memoir of the same name. It recounts Belfort's career as a stockbroker in New York City and how his firm, Stratton Oakmont, engaged in rampant corruption and fraud on Wall Street, leading to his downfall. The film stars Leonardo DiCa...

This week we review the 2019 American drama film Marriage Story written and directed by Noah Baumbach. It stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a couple going through a bi-coastal divorce complicated by custody issues surrounding their son. Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty, and Merritt Wever appear in supporting roles. Neither boys had seen this one. The Scotsman has been avo...

This week we review and compare the original 1989 Patrick Swayze, American action film Roadhouse directed by Joel Silver and the 2024 remake with Jake Gyllenhaall and Conor McGregor. The Aussie had not seen either of them and the Scotsman interrupts his intro and accuses him of chat GPT-ing his words. It's an up and down ride from there - lots of back and forth and not always agreeing. Very mixed...

This week we discuss the 2008 movie Taken starring Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace. Rohan had not seen this one but both boys love it. So much so they recreate the famous "I don't know who you are" monologue. Who does it better? Let's be honest The Aussie butchers it- the Scotsman is mildly better. We discuss parenting along the way - and ask how old is old enough before you let you kids travel alone...

This week we review the 2012 French action-thriller film Taken 2  starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen and Rade Šerbedžija. It follows retired CIA officer Bryan Mills as he takes his family to Istanbul, where he is kidnapped, along with his ex-wife, by the father of one of the men he killed while saving his daughter two years earlier. It is the sequel to the 2008 film Taken and the se...

This week we review the 2014 English-language action-thriller film Taken 3 directed by Olivier Megaton and written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. It is the third and final installment in the Taken film series. A co-production between France, Spain and the United States, the film stars Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen. It grossed $326 million worldwide and received...

This week we review the 1982 American action film Rambo directed by Ted Kotcheff and co-written by and starring Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. It co-stars Richard Crenna as Rambo's mentor Sam Trautman and Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle. Rambo is a troubled and misunderstood Vietnam veteran who must rely on his combat and survival skills when a series of brutal events r...

This week we discuss the 2005 American biographical sports drama film Coach Carter starring Samuel L Jackson and Channing Tatum (in his film debut). This is a 98.5% accurate representation of basketball coach Ken Carter who made deadlines in 1999 for suspending his undefeated high school basketball team due to poor academic results. This is not a predictable film - it's a great story and all the b...

This week we review the 2000 American biographical legal drama film Erin Brockovich directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film is a dramatisation of the true story of Erin Brockovich, portrayed by Julia Roberts, who initiated a legal case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company over its culpability for the Hinkley groundwater contamination incident.  We are honoured to have in the studio with us...

This week we discuss the 1995 epic historical movie Braveheart directed by Mel Gibson. It stars Mel Gibson as William Wallace with a great supporting cast. As you can imagine the Scotsman is in his element. He is fired up. Riffing monologues. Telling stories about Glasgow and how he ended up in Australia. There's goosebumps and tingles galore as the boys (well the Scotsman) abuses the English and...

This week we discuss the 2013 biographical drama film 12 Years a Slave directed by Steve McQueen and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giammatti, Lupita Nyongó and many others. With 9 Oscar nominations this is a must watch true story. An incredibly important story about inhumanity, injustice, survival, hope and the human spirit. No stories. We get...

This week we are reviewing the 2014 epic science fiction drama film Interstellar directed and written by Christopher Nolan. It stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Matt Damon, and Michael Caine. Set in a dystopian future where Earth is suffering from catastrophic blight and famine, the film follows a group of astronauts who travel through a wormhole near Saturn in search of...

This week we discuss the 1978 American epic war drama film The Deer Hunter directed by Michael Cimino. Nominated for 9 awards and winner of 5 - best picture, best director, best sound, best film editing and best supporting actor for Walken. This is a must see for all movie aficionados.  This movie is about a trio of Slavic-American steelworkers whose lives are upended after fighting in the Vietnam...

This week we review the 2022 American psychological drama film The Whale directed by Darren Aronofsky. The film stars (Oscar winner) Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, (Oscar nominated) Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton. The plot follows a reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher who tries to restore his relationship with his teenage daughter, whom he had abandoned eight years earlier. Althoug...

This week we discuss the 1996 British American fantasy action adventure film Highlander  starring Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown and one of the Scotsman's favourites , Sean Connery. The film chronicles the climax of an age-old war between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and present-day storylines. It is the first film in the Highlander franchise. And if you haven't seen it.....

This week we have one of our specials "the best sequels of all time". Now there are lots of great movies that have sequels - but are the sequels better than the original? That is the question we question on a few of our choices. There are sequels on superheroes, Lethal Weapon, 48 hours, Mission Impossible, Austin Powers, Terminator, Indiana Jones, Rocky, Rambo, Airplane, Batman, Predator and many...

This week we review the 1985 American science fiction film Back to the Future directed by Robert Zemeckis. Set in 1985, it follows Marty McFly (Michael J Fox), a teenager accidentally sent back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean built by his eccentric scientist friend Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd), where he inadvertently prevents his future parents from falling in love – threatening his...