For Screen and Country

This week, Brendan and Jason start off a new batch of 20 movies with their discussion of Lewis Gilbert's Educating Rita. They discuss Julie Walters' iconic film debut, how the movie plays with audience expectations, the weird synthesizer musical score, the way in which the film criticizes the educational system, the difficulties with writing the original play and much more. Plus: listen to Bowser...

As the next batch of 20 movies has been logged into the annals of our brains, Brendan and Jason rank 'em and give out some awards to the lucky few that were grand enough to receive the greatest honour ever received from a New Brunswick-based podcast that covers British films. Enjoy and yell at your phone with all of your disagreements!   The guys also roll the dice to find out what they'll be watc...

This week, Brendan and Jason round off 60 movies on the BFI Top 100 by talking about the 1981 inspirational film Chariots of Fire. They debate if the iconic theme song can truly be taken seriously anymore and also listen to the song that ALMOST took its place in the film, they debate which runner has the most compelling character arc, they talk about the themes of faith and standing one's ground a...

It's a HUGE jam-packed episode this week as Brendan and Jason discuss A Hard Day's Night and get into a lot of topics like the realistic rapid-fire rapport between the lads from Liverpool, Paul's grandfather as a representation for vice and/or sin, the film acting as a template for the modern-day music video, a discussion of why people love something only to tear it down so quickly and much more. ...

The guys get to discuss their third Powell & Pressburger offering and... could it be the best one thus far? Many things are debated and discussed in this episode including the use of a camera obscura, whether the film's plot is real or meant to be the visions of a dying man, the absolutely amazing special effects, sets and cinematography and one controversial religious figure that almost made a ca...

Vroom! Vroom! Honk! Honk! Get out of our way! Brendan and Jason talk all about the 1953 road movie Genevieve - a perfect example of a quaint film with today's modern lens that certainly would have been somewhat scandalous when it was released. The guys talk all about the heavily-coded sexual innuendo, the realistic portrayal of relationship arguments, the simplistic premise working to the film's a...

This week, the guys talk about Gregory's Girl and much like the previous film, they are delighted to find some real strong female characters in this one. They discuss the arc of Gregory and compare him to title characters in Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds, they analyze the football coach based on everyone else's reaction to him, they talk about the wonderfully surprising final act of the fi...

This week, the guys return to the list with a very different type of film: Humphrey Jennings' docudrama about firefighters during the Blitz in WWII - Fires Were Started. The guys appreciate the way in which the film shifts its focus evenly between the firefighters and the operators in the office, they talk about the many ways in which the film subverts the 'propaganda' genre, they discuss the use...

For the final Brit Pick, the guys go back to an older request on Twitter and cover Guy Ritchie's surprise hit from earlier this year, The Gentlemen. Is it a return to form? Is Ritchie clinging too much to his old style or does he impart some wisdom he's learned as a filmmaker over the years? Are parts of this movie shockingly racist or can it be explained away by the characters themselves? All of...

This week, Jason presents his Brit Pick in the form of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and all its quotable silliness. The guys debate which Monty Python film should go on the list, they sing the praises of the unheralded Carol Cleveland, discuss the reason why huge rock stars like Elton John were attracted to the project, talk about the brilliant way in which the film utilizes its relatively smal...

For the first episode in our three-part Brit Picks series, Brendan brings forth the most critically-acclaimed sequel in recent memory (or possibly ever) known as Paddington 2. The guys talk about the beautiful colour palette in the movie, Hugh Grant's criminally underrated performance as the villain, the multiple visual references to silent films and Charlie Chaplin in particular, the movie feelin...

This week, Brendan and Jason watch a tale about a butler who is... much different from Anthony Hopkins in The Remains of the Day. The year is 1963 and Dirk Bogarde is a sinister man with a plan up his sleeve in The Servant. The guys discuss some of the most dense and symbolic cinematography, they debate the way in which the film views the class system, they talk about the clever ways in which the...

What's it all about? That's the question about life that Brendan and Jason attempt to answer as they roll through the swingin' sixties with the 1966 hit Alfie. The guys debate about how the film plays through the view of a modern lens, they examine each of Alfie's 'conquests' and which one turns out the worst for wear, they wonder if this film contains one of the more harrowing depictions of abort...

Time to drink your socks off, kids! Brendan and Jason travel to the island of Todday to discover a bunch of very sad alcoholics that have run out of whisky! But it's an Ealing Comedy so it's funny! You'll chuckle at the ineptitude of Captain Waggett and his crusade against the islanders, have a good larf at all the behind-the-scenes drama and why the director hated his own film and of course - you...

This week, your hosts get in the bunker and brace themselves for John Boorman's tale of childhood wonder whilst living through the horrors of WWII in London with Hope and Glory. They discuss how the film takes a wholly refreshing spin on the typical 'war movie' and how it emulates Stand By Me (among other coming-of-age flicks), they talk about the greatest on-screen curmudgeon of all-time and terr...

Take aim as Brendan and Jason talk all about the meticulous attempted assassination of Charles de Gaulle in the sniper thriller The Day of the Jackal. Could this film have influenced All the President's Men in some way as a procedural thriller? What difficulties did the production experience shooting the massive parade finale? Could Fred Zinnemann have had a more haunting and traumatizing childhoo...

Let us serve you up with another episode as Brendan and Jason delve into the Merchant Ivory classic The Remains of the Day about a loyal-to-a-fault butler and his staff. The guys wonder if Mr. Stevens truly has an opinion or if it's just repressed, they talk about the representation of Lord Darlington as a sympathizer, they praise Christopher Reeve's acting and debate the ending and we also find o...

Hey guys. Thanks for continuing to listen to and supporting this show and we'll get back to our regularly scheduled episodes next week but we thought it would be important to show some solidarity and join in on the #PodcastBlackout. Please stay safe and make your voices heard. We can't pretend to understand a fraction of what you are going through but we are here for you and support you. Black Liv...

Put on your dancing shoes as Brendan and Jason tappity-tap into your hearts with their second Powell and Pressburger film - The Red Shoes (#9 on the list). This discussion includes a breakdown of the highly controversial 15-minute ballet sequence, the guys question the strength of the relationship between Victoria and Julian, they praise the film's use of real dancers, the real on-set friction bet...

Is this one of the most realistic portrayals of romance in film history? Brendan and Jason debate that this week during their discussion of David Lean's "Brief Encounter" (#2 on the list). They also talk about the subplot that nicely mirrors the main love story, a musical cue that inspired a very popular ballad about loneliness, Lean taking shots at melodrama of the time and much more. Plus: The g...

To cap off this exciting excursion off the list, Brendan and Jason examine a film that may be a cautionary tale for our current world situation. Okay... maybe that is a BIT exaggerated but the movie looked intriguing and we needed a reason to watch it, alright?   Anyway.   The guys discussed the film The Girl with All the Gifts, a film that focuses on a small band of survivors in the midst of a zo...

Brendan and Jason go back to films somewhat related to movies on the BFI Top 100 with And Now for Something Completely Similar.   After the first film which focused on a raucous all-girls school, what's the next logical step? Yes, that's correct: pirates and demon possessions. Brendan and Jason talk about the very strange sequel that references another weird sequel - St. Trinian's II: The Legend o...

Brendan and Jason go back to films somewhat related to movies on the BFI Top 100 with And Now for Something Completely Similar.   This week, the guys breathe a sigh of relief as they discuss Blow Out, Brian De Palma's answer to Antonioni's 60s counter-culture classic Blow Up (#60 on the list). The guys take a look at the amazing sound design throughout the film, they talk about John Lithgow's tran...

Brendan and Jason go back to films somewhat related to movies on the BFI Top 100 with And Now for Something Completely Similar.   This week, Brendan and Jason don their uniforms for the wild and wacky antics of the girls at one of the worst schools in the world. Yes, it's the 2007 reboot of The Belles of St. Trinian's simply shortened to St. Trinian's. The guys talk about everything including the...

Brendan and Jason go back to films somewhat related to movies on the BFI Top 100 with And Now for Something Completely Similar.   This week, the guys discuss the sequel to the 1998 hit Elizabeth (#71 on the BFI Top 100) aptly titled Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Much is discussed from the lack of interest in any of the romantic elements, Cate Blanchett continuing to be magnetic in the title role, the...