Betty & Rita's She-Watchables Podcast

AH-AH! No, we've not been watching Alan Partridge, but Mike Hodges' masterclass in campery Flash Gordon! The 1980 film and its epic Queen soundtrack are firm favourites of ours and we explain why we love it so much in this month's podcast. And if you think the film's a bit far-fetched, just look at the weather we've been having...

The protagonists in this month’s She-watchable film spend lots of time eating and running, so they’re our kind of people! The 2016 Japanese body swap/time travel animation has been on our hit list for a while, and we’ve managed to get around to it before the Hollywood remake inevitably spoils it for everyone. What would you get up to if you woke up as someone else tomorrow? (Keep it clean please...

After spending a delightful two months she-watching one of our very favourite films we decided we had built up enough resilience to put on our big girl pants and finish the Cornetto Trilogy. Not that The World’s End is an entirely bad film in our opinions, just 66% of one. Will we make it to the end, or will we bale partway through and go for some chips and a kebab? Only one way to find out…

We’re glad you’re with us podlisteners, here, at the end of all things. All the feels going on here at She-watchables HQ as we once again experience the many endings of Peter Jackson’s/Tolkien’s timeless trilogy. We find out about optional orcs, what the Fellowship did next and who is the hardest working hobbit in Hollywood. For Frodo!

We come to it at last...the final part of Peter Jackson's mighty LOTR trilogy! Celebrating 20 years of the magnificent The Return of the King, we chat about long films, Gandalf the action hero and, erm, tomatoes. Saddle up and ride with us into battle, but make sure you save enough lembas bread for the way home...

After a false start last year when watching the Richard Curtis "classic" resulted in Rita getting the flu and being unable to record for posterity her thoughts on said film, we finally got round to it in 2023. We're celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of Love Actually with, well if not love, actually, then a certain amount of affection for those parts of the film which ar...

Like last month, November's film features a formidable female character who is not to be trifled with, but this month we're going back even further in time to the 1950s to she-watch classic Ealing comedy The Ladykillers. Warning - the film contains scenes of violence, armed robbery, murder and bad singing (but you can still watch it with your mum!).

October has come around so it's time for us to put our big girl pants on and She-watch a horror film. Last Night in Soho is the second Edgar Wright horror we've covered but there are far fewer laughs here than in Shaun of the Dead. Come for the banging 60's soundtrack, fashion and vibe, stay for the seedy underbelly of Soho, the exploitation and murder, and join us in starting the camp...

To "celebrate" the release of Neil Blomkamp's film Gran Turismo this month, we're looking back at his first and arguably (not really) best feature film District 9. It's an accomplished debut with some cracking visual effects that comes with a warning not to mess with any weird alien technology you might come across, or it may totally ruin your birthday.

This month we’re celebrating women’s football by She-watching the 2002 film Bend it like Beckham. It’s a throwback to a time when women were considered to be “not as good as men” at football. Go Lionesses! 🦁🦁🦁

After our harrowing (but entertaining) Trainspotting double bill we needed something to cleanse the palate...or rather, to cover it in marmalade. The 2014 film incarnation of Michael Bond's beloved Paddington may well be the most British film we have she-watched to date and it's a hoot. Our podcast is almost as long as the film so you might want to bring along a marmalade sandwich under yo...

A deadly cybernetic organism is charged with protecting John Connor, the future leader of the...wait, no, it's not that T2, but the long-awaited sequel to the 1996 film Trainspotting (which we she-watched last month). Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie are back, albeit with grown-up names and grown-up grudges. Hot take - could this be that rarest of beasts - a sequel that is better than the ori...

Inevitably, any podcast concerning itself with mostly British films has to get to one considered by many the best Scottish film ever made. No, not Braveheart. Trainspotting is an occasionally joyful, sometimes devastating but often truthful film about heroin culture in Edinburgh in the 1990s, with a banging soundtrack. With a thousand apologies to its under-appreciated screenwriter Mike Hodge (who...

Feeling inspired by all those athletes running the London Marathon last weekend? No need to put your Asics on (other trainers are available), just sit back and watch someone else do all the running for you whilst you scoff some popcorn. Run Lola Run is a highly influential German film, but most importantly, it's short, it's fun, and makes an excellent argument for subtitles with arguably t...

Think working from home is tough? Try a three-year stint working by yourself on the surface of the moon. This month we take a fresh look at Duncan Jones' 2009 sci-fi film Moon starring - SPOILER - not one, but two Sam Rockwells (that's a good way to spend your limited budget). Blast off with us as we answer the all-important questions "what would annoy you about you?", "are...

So it begins. Or rather, ends. Well, the second part of the second part anyway, it's all very complicated. In this month's podcast we discuss the cold, wet, muddy and lengthy battle of Helm's Deep from the comfort of our armchairs with a nice brew. Will we last the night? Tune in and find out if The Two Towers is actually the highest rated "number two" film on IMDB, or if that accolade is indeed t...

And we're back! Following up on our promise to continue the LOTR saga in 2023, this month we're taking a fresh look at The Two Towers. It's the second in the trilogy, which can be seen as a hindrance - no start and no end - but Toy Story 2 and Godfather 2 make good arguments for middle films. Trek with us through the horror of the Dead Marshes and the endless beauty of New Zealand, but don't forge...

It's been a sport-filled month and there's no signs of it letting up, so we're celebrating football by rewatching a beautiful film about the beautiful game. Tom Hooper's 2009 film The Damned United gives facts the red card but, Michael Sheen gives it 110% and we were over the moon about going back to the 1970s when curly perms and ashtrays in the dressing rooms were de rigeur. Throw your chips in...

It's the time of year for us to put our big girl pants on and watch a horror film - although in this case the scariest thing in the film is a VERY dirty sink. Polymath Taika Waititi's 2014 mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows spawned an Emmy-bothering series but we're going back to the beginning and she-watching the film featuring the four OG vampires from Wellington NZ. Don't worry, there's no...

This month we're paying tribute to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by she-watching a "crime thriller" about her finest intelligence agents, starring many of her finest subjects. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a criminally underrated (by award ceremonies) film adaptation of the John le Carre novel which rewards re-watching both for the fabulous performances and for the impeccable 1970s decor and haird...

As if British politics wasn't funny enough at the moment, we've spent some time this month studying how it should be done under the tutelage of Malcolm Tucker. In the Thick of It spin-off film (of sorts) In The Loop he travels to the USA to inflict his particular brand of post-truth communication on the Senate. Prepare to climb the mountain of conflict and discover that seemingly it IS all fair in...

We've journeyed into the wonderful world of Ghibli this month to She-watch the groundbreaking Japanese animation Spirited Away. Come with us into a magical world of spirits, herbal baths and erm...radishes but be careful - don't eat the food or you may never leave!  

We're off for a mini-break this month In Bruges, a top destination for all self-respecting hitmen (going by ferry, not risking any pesky Easyjet cancellations). Martin McDonough's black comedy starring Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell is a witty, sweary tale of atonement, justice and existential angst, against a fairytale backdrop of medieval buildings and nice beer. Come along with us on a sight...

In honour of the 50th anniversary of the creation of Aardman Animations, we hatched a plan to she-watch their first full length feature film, Chicken Run. It's one for all the family, so you can even (om)let the kids watch it, and even better, it's currently on Netflix so you don't have to "shell" out any money. If you're in the mood for more terrible puns, shake a tail feather and download this m...

Do you want to know a secret? We're taking you on a Magical Mystery Tour back to the Swinging Sixties this month. With a little help from her friend Betty, lovely Rita has been watching Beatles classic A Hard Day's Night and here's the resulting podcast full of Things We Said Today (I'll stop that now). Whether you've fond memories of watching it (but possibly not hearing it) in the cinema or is y...