(Re) Encounters

For their third album review, Sam and Boris return to a simpler time when their biggest questions were regarding their school grades, weekend parties and university choices. This time, our hosting duo is taking a look at the fifth studio album of the Sheffield-based Arctic Monkeys, AM . The two hosts discuss the importance of this album and how it found such mainstream success, the history of the...

Oh boy, are we in for a ride this time! Continuing the superhero trend from the last episode, our hosts have this time subjected themselves to one of the most critically-panned films of all time: Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin from 1997. Why was George Clooney cast in the titular role and put in a costume with protruding nipples? In how many scenes were Chris O'Donnell and Arnold Schwarzenegge...

There are a lot of firsts this time around - the first Marvel film, the first superhero film and the first animated Spider-Man media for Sam and Boris to discuss! In this case - and also because of the theme of extra-dimensional assistance - they have enlisted the help of film and media connoisseur, James King! The trio talk about the origins of Spider-Man and the importance of Sam Raimi to the co...

A film that has been on the list ever since (Re)Encounters began, Sam is delighted to be introducing Boris to The Truman Show at last! First seen when studying Philosophy and Religious Studies at school, it's gone on to become a classic staple in Sam's mental film catalogue. For Boris, this is an eye-opening experience, to see a film that blends so many different genres and which inspires such a d...

Three is indeed the magic number - just ask those pesky kings/magi - and in line with festive traditions, the podcasting duo of Sam and Bobo have a third and final festive surprise for their listeners, both newcomers and faithfuls (we also accept traitors lol). For this retrospective feature, our hosts share never-before-released clips from the past season of (Re)Encounters - some hilarious, some...

For the second of their festive episodes, Sam and Boris have decided to look at that special genre of music, Christmas tunes! And who better to do it with than the Goddess of Pop, the eternal diva herself - Cher! In this album review, our hosts reminisce about Cher's impact on their lives - or rather, all our lives - as well as her iconic status within the LGBTQIA+ community before delving straigh...

What better way to start off the holiday season than with some festive skeletons, scary ghouls and a plot to take over the role of Santa Claus for the whole world? Today on his quest of educating Boris, Sam is helped by a lover of horror, theatre and all things alternative - the lovely Caitlin Powell, joining us all the way from Australia! Though the distance has slightly affected the usually cris...

After the brief switch-up from the last episode, our two hosts are back with another slight change to the usual format, albeit a familiar one. On this episode, Sam and Boris will be discussing a film - a relatively famous film at that - which Sam hadn't seen before, Easy A from 2010. The duo discuss the longevity of the American high school film and how Easy A expanded upon this established film t...

Well we're doing something a bit different again, but variety is the spice of life, and speaking of spicing things up few artists manage to be as relentlessly provocative, relevant and visionary whilst staying in the mainstream as Lady Gaga. To celebrate Pride (we know we're a little late), as well as some of the music that defined our early teenage years, we'll be covering Gaga's seminal 2011 alb...

Water, Earth, Fire, Air - all combined to create a disaster of a film, which could have been great! Well, at least we eventually got the Netflix live-action version to rewrite the past wrongs. But that still doesn't mean Boris can't suffer the pain Sam did when watching M. Night Shyamalan's 2010 film The Last Airbender when it originally came out . However, it ended up being too much for Boris as...

Here at (Re)Encounters we like to not only educate, but help tackle deeply rooted fears. While some people shake in their boots when watching gory horror and slasher flicks, Boris gets more than just the jitters when even considering watching anything made using claymation; the world famous stop-motion animation method which created those irrepressibly quirky and quintessentially British heroes of...

Ah the Western, a film genre so famous and full of conventions that it's always a synch to parody and poke fun at, but Boris had never seen one before, leaving a massive gap in his steadily growing catalogue of film knowledge. Before this episode that is... this time, Sam decided to show Boris one of the most celebrated of all Western films; The Searchers (1956). Almost 69 years ago, this classic...

You must be pretty used to disappointment by now when it comes to Boris and his lack of film knowledge - well, fear not, for this time Sam has called for some extra help! Joined by the lovely Nadja Bonk, our podcasting duo accompany Buttercup and Westley on their romantic adventures, as well as audience favourites Inigo Montoya, Vizzini and Fezzik amongst many, many notable characters. With an end...

After a lengthy hiatus, they're back! Sam and Boris prepare themselves for a new year full of excitement, new projects and energy by looking back at some of the moments which were originally left on the cutting room floor. Featuring brand-new segments, get ready to revisit a few of the films previously discussed on ( Re)Encounters and delve deeper into what makes our two hosts tick. Remember, we a...

For this episode of (Re)Encounters, Sam and Boris are hopping over to the picturesque village of Tulaigh Mhór (Tullymore) to discuss the 1998 sleeper hit Waking Ned , otherwise known as Waking Ned Devine. The podcasting duo discusses the significance of the film and its wide-reaching appeal both in the British Isles and in the United States, as well as the depictions of rural life in Ireland in th...

Wait, Boris hasn't seen this film?! Well, he has now - and, boy, does he have opinions! Join our two fabulous hosts as they discuss an equally fabulous movie of the 1960s - some might say the movie musical of its day - My Fair Lady . After sharing their expectations as well as some key information about the film and its continued success, Sam and Boris focus on some of the elements which make this...

Returning from their two-month long hiatus, Sam and Boris debut a new model for the (Re)Encounters podcast by discussing the 2004 hilarious CGI nightmare known as Van Helsing ! While the hosts couldn't help but laugh at and critique some of the stilted dialogue and dated special effects, they also acknowledge the cultural significance of the Gothic genre and classic monster movies on this film wit...

Aaah, the 1980s - a time of prosperity and developments in the field of Japanese animation. In the first episode of 2024, our duo of hosts is joined by an extra special guest to discuss 1988's Akira, a cornerstone of Japanese animation and its spread to a Western audience. On this journey further east, the trio of Sam, Boris and Emily discuss not just the music and animation that make this film a...

On this episode of (Re)Encounters, Boris and Sam tackle what is considered a classic example of Bulgarian cinema, namely 1964's The Peach Thief , starring the "First Lady of Bulgarian Cinema", Nevena Kokanova, as well as the famous (and dashing) Rade Markovic. Our hosts discuss Soviet montage film techniques as well as often used tropes in film and literature, all of which inform the significance...

After another long break, the podcasting duo of Sam and Boris is back - and what a treat they have prepared for you all this time! In a slight deviation from the previous episodes of this project, the hosts discuss not only the masterpiece that is the 2006 Guillermo Del Toro directed film Pan's Labyrinth , but also the movement of Magic Realism and how it relates to this film as well as the wider...

Another episode must mean another film that Boris hasn't seen, correct? Not this time! Get ready to hear Sam's thoughts and opinions on the previously unseen 2009 Sam Raimi horror classic (jury's still out on that) Drag Me to Hell . Maybe calling it a classic is a bit of a stretch, but it must be a bit popular if Boris has seen it before - or at least that is what he tries to convince Sam of. Foll...

If you thought the last film was a doozy, get ready to be gobsmacked! After Sam exposes Boris for not having seen another landmark film, the 2003 Oscar-winning Pixar animation Finding Nemo , the pair exchange expectations and views. After discussing how it's possible for someone to have avoided this great white beast of a film, our duo of hosts ruminate on alternative casts for some of the main ch...

For our hotly-anticipated premiere episode, we are taking a trip back to February 1993, to a film that helped to define not only a decade but the society we still live in today. Is it a comedy? A tragedy? Or a philosophy lecture disguised as a Bill Murray freak-out? Tune in to our review of Groundhog Day , directed by Harold Ramis with a screenplay by the director and Danny Rubin. You will hear ou...

A short episode where Sam and Boris touch on the background and format of this podcast. This also offers a small glimpse into their real-life relationship and their hopes for the podcast. Make sure you stay tuned for the first movie review coming out soon. What widely-acclaimed, popular film could Boris possibly not have seen?  As the figures change on the clock face and the same old tune sta...