For Screen and Country

This week, it's Brendan's turn to present a Brit Pick... and he brings it in the form of the Joe Cornish film Attack the Block. The guys discuss various aspects like the authentic acting style of the leads and how the film humanizes them, the film's commentary on race and "bad neighbourhoods," John Boyega's stoic, raw star-making performance, the details of the creature special effects and their o...

To start off Brit Picks, Jason presents the 2014 comic book/action flick Kingsman: The Secret Service starring Taron Egerton and Colin Firth. They dive into this problematic hit head-first by discussing Samuel L. Jackson's reasoning for his character's unique speech pattern, the controversial church scene and how it relates to the previous presidential administration, they debate the strength of t...

This week, the guys take a look at a movie that was almost our pilot episode! Yes, it's The Man in the White Suit from director Alexander Mackendrick and starring Alec Guinness. The guys talk about how the movie covers every side of the issue in equal measures, the guys compare the debate in this movie to the Keystone pipeline, they discover that maybe Mackendrick used this film to take shots at h...

Time to let our hair down for a good old-fashioned family dramedy! Brendan and Jason take a look at Lionel Jeffries' 1970 film "The Railway Children" (#66 on the list) and discuss the vignette-style narrative of the film, Jason questions the poverty of the titular family, they take a comprehensive look at 1905-era Russia, they talk about the Beverly Hillbillies-style ending and much more.   The gu...

After talking about some smaller films lately, the guys talk about what may be the most popular film on the entire list - Monty Python's Life of Brian. Along with the endless quotable dialogue, the guys also discuss the beautiful production design that elevates said comedy, a dicey scene in regards to trans representation, the left-wing political satire that compares to modern-day American governm...

Continuing on with the BFI Top 100 list this week, Brendan and Jason examine the 82nd best British film The Draughtsman's Contract, which is a film focused on power dynamics and also one that surprised them on every level. They get into the discussion on who the true masterminds are in the film, go through a few of their own theories about Statue Man, they talk about the way this film looks like a...

Nearing the bottom of the barrel of the list but is #98 a deserving place for this week's film, the low-budget alternative to Trainspotting - Gillies MacKinnon's Small Faces. The guys discuss the film in great detail including discussion of the chilling performance by Kevin McKidd, getting drunk at adult parties, the saddest nightclub in Glasgow, skating rink assassinations and much more. Plus: Ja...

On the list this week is #38 with a bullet! The guys break down the 1991 Irish hit The Commitments about a fictional all-white soul band out of Dublin! They discuss Alan Parker's very unique and un-Hollywoodlike casting process, the strength of the musical performances, the bittersweet ending, they debate how much truth is contained in Joey the Lips' stories and much more!   The guys also roll the...

The second Merchant-Ivory film on this list is next on the podcast as Brendan and Jason discuss A Room with a View. They discuss Daniel Day-Lewis making something human out of a seemingly cartoonish character, Charlotte perfecting the art of martyrdom, the homoerotic bathing scene and much more. Plus: they debate how much of the film is winking at the audience just a bit.   The guys also roll the...

Join the boys for another heist as Brendan and Jason dive into another Ealing Studios comedy with Charles Crichton's The Lavender Hill Mob. They talk all about Alec Guinness playing against type and his fascinating physical acting, the US market forcing a rewrite of the original ending, Audrey Hepburn making a very early appearance, the shots that may have inspired Vertigo and much, much more!   T...

Bond. Not James Bond. Is it already time for more Michael Caine!? You bet your bottom dollar! Your hosts talk about The Ipcress File, a spy film that has often been described as the anti-James Bond. They talk about the new concept of grocery stores, the sloppy but geniune fight scenes, how the finale brings movies like The Manchurian Candidate and A Clockwork Orange to mind, how Caine's look in th...

Back to the list we go! This week, the guys discuss a popular genre on this list: the kitchen sink drama. Yes, it's the gritty more realistic version of Chariots of Fire as directed by Tony Richardson - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. The guys talk about the unreliable narrator and point of view muddying other characters, they debate if the Governor has any good intentions, they discus...

Back to the list we go! This week, Brendan and Jason discuss the mad-cap romp that is Peter Collinson's original classic The Italian Job. They discuss Noel Coward's controversial Mr. Bridger character (at least for some critics), they break down the amazing stunt driving in the finale, they debate if this movie really set the format in stone for a typical heist movie and much more.   The guys also...

Stopping by this week is the ghost of Jimmy Stewart, who stops by to discuss the weird Republican-heavy politics in Heaven and then read one of his incomplete poems. Next week: The guys go back to regular episodes with a discussion of The Italian Job (#36 on the BFI Top 100).   Full List: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BFI_Top_100_British_films Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forscreenandcountry...

It's an off-week... kinda. This week, Brendan and Jason receive a visit from southern Santa Claus, who stops by very briefly to spread some holiday cheer. Next week: Another guest will likely stop by for a bite-sized episode.   The guys will return on January 4th with a discussion of The Italian Job (#36 on the BFI Top 100).   Full List: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BFI_Top_100_British_films Face...

Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Joyous Kwanzaa/Happy Festivus to the rest of us! To bridge the gap between And Now for Something Completely Similar and going back to the list, Brendan and Jason get all festive and talk about the musical adaptation of Charles Dickens with Ronald Neame's 1970 film Scrooge. They talk about Albert Finney's dual performances as young and old Ebeneezer, you'll hear Jason...

And Now For Something Completely Similar... In quite possibly one of the worst examples of how to remake an international film on American soil, Bruce Willis and Richard Gere star in The Jackal, which Brendan and Jason attempt to make sense of and keep their sanity. They discuss Richard Gere's Irish accent, the addition of unnecessary characters to the script, the disastrous test screening reactio...

And Now For Something Completely Similar... It's another case of a great director (or directors) with a weird oddity in their filmography as Brendan and Jason discuss the Coen Brothers' remake of the Ealing comedy classic The Ladykillers. During this discussion, your hosts talk about how they appreciate the unique spin on the original story and also discuss whitesplaining, the real-life pundit tha...

And Now For Something Completely Similar... Great directors can often have humble beginnings as Brendan and Jason examine the third film by Alfonso Cuaron and a modern re-telling of Great Expectations (#5 on the BFI Top 100) starring Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. They talk about Cuaron regretting having made the film, the relentless voiceover, several characters that were excised from the sourc...

And Now For Something Completely Similar... The long-awaited sequel has arrived! In a follow-up to Hope and Glory, John Boorman wrote/directed Queen and Country, a film about his teenage/young adult life. The guys discuss the film and talk about several things like David Thewlis' surprising character turn late in the film, the questionable choices for some of the female characters, comparisons to...

And Now For Something Completely Similar... The guys revisit your favourite aging lothario as they tackle the 2004 remake of Alfie starring Jude Law. They talk about the 'softening' of the title character, changing the setting to Manhattan, Sienna Miller's mesmerizing performance, the "abortion" scene, Cher's new recording of the theme song and much more. Plus: there are way too many Shellys, guys...

Jason is away so please enjoy an episode of Brendan's other podcast What Were They Thinking? featuring Jason guest-starring to talk about the classic film Hackers. Nathan and Brendan welcome back Jason to talk about a seminal guilty pleasure film - Hackers. The guys talk about the "iconic" internet movie from the chain smoking Baby Bradford to Lorraine Bracco's confusion regarding computer lingo....

It's time to get spooky just days away from Halloween as Brendan and Jason welcome back Steve and Izzy of Everything I Learned from Movies to discuss Peeping Tom (#78 on the list). Many things are discussed like the similarities between this film and Psycho (released two months later), the sexual imagery surrounding the murders, the controversy of the film essentially killing off Michael Powell's...

It's time to go to war and blow things the hell up... again. Weirdly enough, the guys tackle another war movie this week with the David Lean/Noel Coward co-production In Which We Serve. A lot is discussed including Celia Johnson bringing the house down with one iconic scene-stealing performance, the controversial real-life figure that inspired the main character, Noel Coward's colourful past and e...

It's time to go to war and blow things the hell up! The guys talk about Michael Anderson's influential war drama The Dam Busters (#68 on the list). The guys talk about this film's massive influence on the climactic scene in Star Wars, some of the historical inaccuracies on display (surprisingly very few) and more interestingly - why they were intentionally changed, the controversy surrounding the...