The Movie Newbie - A Film Review Podcast

Last but certainly not least, The Movie Newbie gang travels to Berlin to talk about an experience that will take place over one night, one city and one very long take.  To conclude Raph’s “Keep Rollin” theme, Victoria showcases the true meaning of a long take sequence with director Sebastian Schipper meticulously crafting a film that simply does not cut, from its quiet and casual beginning to...

In this episode, The Movie Newbie gang welcomes filmmaker, director, writer, and all-around sublime human being Kyle Campbell-Pope as they travel through the dystopian world of Children Of Men. The team of four dissects this spectacularly bleak masterpiece, challenging its quality over time and reassessing how good it really is whilst others stand firm as a quintessential modern classic. All, howe...

For the first film of Raph's "Keep Rolling" theme, we take a look at Alfred Hitchcock's 1948 film, Rope. Based on the Patrick Hamilton play, the film tells the story of two men who murder for philosophical reasons, then host a party in the apartment where the body is hidden. Starring John Dall, James Stewart, Farley Granger and Constance Collier, this psychological thriller is littered with great...

In this episode, we have a (surprisingly) upbeat conversation about Ke Huy Quan's Oscar-winning speech on following your dreams. Is it really worth it to follow your dreams? Can you pursue your dreams and be financially safe? Do you have to work towards your dream? We then have a chat about everyone's favourite TV star, Pedro Pascal. We talk about the amazing success of HBO's The Last of Us, how a...

For the final instalment of our Boxing theme, we explore the raw and powerful film, A Prayer Before Dawn. Directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, the movie follows the true story of Billy Moore, a young British boxer who finds himself incarcerated in one of Thailand's most notorious prisons. Starring Joe Cole in a tour-de-force performance as Moore, the film immerses us in the brutal reality of prison...

In the second episode of our Boxing theme, we explore Clint Eastwood's 2004 Academy Award-winning film, Million Dollar Baby. The movie stars Eastwood himself as a grizzled boxing trainer named Frankie, who reluctantly takes on an ambitious female fighter named Maggie, played by Hilary Swank. Alongside them are the legendary Morgan Freeman as Scrap, Frankie's friend and assistant, Anthony Mackie an...

In the first episode of our Boxing theme, we delve into Martin Scorsese's 1980 masterpiece, Raging Bull. Starring a young and up-and-coming Joe Pesci, alongside an Oscar-winning performance from Robert De Niro, this film takes a deep dive into the turbulent life of Jake LaMotta, a middleweight boxer whose self-destructive tendencies threaten to ruin his career and personal relationships. On this o...

AND WE ARE BACK FOR ANOTHER SEASON! On this episode, we kick it off with what's been going on in our lives (as per usual), we talk about the upcoming Academy Awards/Oscars and our predictions on who (should) win an award, and finally we introduce the first theme of Season 4: Boxing Films Also here's the links to some of the stuff we were talking about on the episode: The Lamb Disagrees (VAULT Fest...

JABRIEL ALSUHAIMI is a multi-disciplinary creative, working on a multitude of various projects in the audiovisual sphere. Hailing from Saudi Arabia and Singapore, Jabriel brings his international perspective and varying influences into his work, which includes podcasts like Curious Humans, Founders For Good & The Movie Newbie, music under the alias Rei.do. Nada, video content for YouTube and s...

"Here lies poor Antoine Doinel, unjustly punished by Sourpuss for a pinup fallen from the sky..." For the final episode of our “Teenage Riot” theme, The Movie Newbie is revisiting one of the defining texts in 20th century cinema… Francois Truffaut’s timeless coming-of-age tale THE 400 BLOWS. Studied in every Intro to Film Class, this 1959 masterpiece of the French New Wave distils the excitement a...

“What’s your damage, Heather?” For the second instalment of Oliver's "Teenage Riot" theme, the Movie Newbies are diving into Michael Lehmann's 1989 cult classic HEATHERS. Starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater as the Bonnie and Clyde for the MTV Generation, Heathers is an ultra-dark, subversive, outrageous and delightfully weird teen comedy about teen suicide and the dog-eat-dog nature of high...

Alright, alright, alright… For the first episode in Oliver’s Teenage Riot theme, we’re taking a slow ride back to 1976 with Richard Linklater’s ode to L-I-V-I-N. That’s right, we’re talking about the one and only Dazed & Confused! Featuring iconic performances from a who's who of rising stars, Dazed & Confused was a cult classic lauded in its time for an instantly quotable script and one o...

It's time to lighten your load... with another Bonus-Sode! The Movie Newbie gang takes a short breather in between themes to sit back, relax and shoot the breeze. In this episode, we welcome long-time listener, first-time guest Zayn Qureshi into our warm studio to share some embarrassing anecdotes about Oliver's misadventures in university and tell us all about what he's been watching. We also dis...

For this episode, The Movie Newbie dives into the world of Martin McDonagh's dark comedy Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri. A spit-fire screenplay, almost written to perfection by McDonagh, Three Billboards offers incredible performances from across the board, including a scene-stealing Sam Rockwell.  Frances shines in what can be her finest performance to date, giving us her raw power a...

“I am a Golden God!” Listen to your favourite old school record with a candle burning and you will see your entire future… That’s right. For the second episode in Raphael’s masterclass theme on Frances McDormand, we’re turning the clocks back and revisiting the nostalgic, smoky, rock ‘n’ roll remembrances of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 magnum opus Almost Famous. Featuring one of Miss McDormand’s most mem...

It's time for a new theme! Raph takes the reins and presents another masterclass special. For this theme, he will be covering the works of one of his all-time favorite actors, Frances McDormand. A true legend of both stage and screen with a career spanning over four decades, Frances McDormand has captivated audiences with her unadorned yet magnetic performances, giving us indelible roles such as A...

In this episode, we discuss the streaming services that have conquered our world and corrupted our attention span. We also talk about Look At Me directed by Ken Kwek with an exceptional ensemble of actors (including Raphy’s LaSalle buddies Yao and Shu Yi) and how Singapore bans this local film. But that's not all! Raphy also reveals his masterclass Frances McDormand theme, selecting three of his f...

YO WHAT IS UP! We are back again with the third and final film of our Saudi Arabian Cinema theme, The Book of Sun. On this one, we meet a group of Saudi teenagers with dreams of being filmmakers like "the greats" Wes Anderson and Quentin Tarantino. Joined by one of their teachers at school, the group embark on a comedic, yet touching journey to create their first film. Starring Sohayb Godus, Baraa...

YO WHAT IS UP! We are back again the second instalment of our Saudi Arabian Cinema theme, Barakah Meets Barakh. On this one, we take a trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where we meet Barakah and Bibi (also Barakah) a civil servant and influencer questioning their place while navigating a forbidden romance. Starring the amazing Fatima AlBanawi and Hisham Fageeh, this film was Saudi Arabia's second-ever...

YO WHAT IS UP! We are back again with a new season, a new theme, a new film to explore AND a new format (yeah omg I know). On this one, we travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where we meet Wadjda, a young girl desperate to own a bicycle of her own. Starring the amazing Waad Mohamed, Abdulrahman AlGohani, Reem Abdullah and Ahd Hassan Kamel, this marked the first time a film was entirely shot in Saudi A...

Yo what is up my lovely people, and we are back with more Movie Newbie content for Season 3 (kind of). On this episode we catch up and give a little update on what's been going on in our lives and what we did over the summer. We then get down to business and have a lovely chat about some of the movies and TV shows we've been watching recently. We also have a little format change for the podcast. W...

JABRIEL ALSUHAIMI is a multi-disciplinary creative, working on a multitude of various projects in the audiovisual sphere. Hailing from Saudi Arabia and Singapore, Jabriel brings his international perspective and varying influences into his work, which includes podcasts like Curious Humans and The Movie Newbie, music under the alias Rei.do. Nada, video content for YouTube and a newsletter/blog. Twi...

“It’s like our time together is just ours. It’s our own creation…” The summer season is over (metaphorically)! To close out our second volume of the That Summer Feeling theme, we’re taking a midnight stroll along the Wien River with our favourite couple from the 90s… Jesse and Celine! Joined by the podcaster extraordinaire Matt Brothers (from Is Paul Dano Ok? ), we dive into Before Sunrise — the f...

The Movie Newbie returns to the old Pixar well to discuss the sun-soaked fairytale Luca. Set in the Italian Riviera, Luca is an enchanting story about a young sea monster who discovers a new life for himself above the surface of the water. In this surprisingly combative episode, we debate the current state of the Pixar studio, the Miyazaki influence on this film, and how shoes are overrated. So gr...

We are delighted to welcome Hainsley to the Movie Newbie Wagon to talk about the wacky, off-off-beat, and quite uniquely hilarious Wet Hot American Summer. In this episode, our heads tilt from left to right as we try to unravel the enigma of this unorthodox comedy whilst simultaneously laughing at the unconventional gags, Paul Rudd's mesmerizing performance and a talking can? *** JABRIEL ALSUHAIMI...