Watch The Film With Us

Send us Fan Mail Why is Pirates of the Caribbean so fun? How does Pirates play with the adventure genre? In this episode, Cheryl and Lara chat about how genre bending made Pirates of the Caribbean so enjoyable. We then chat about how genre bending creates interesting stories and bring up some of our favourite genre bending films. Much like the music industry, genre bending broadens the reach of th...

Send us Fan Mail Cheryl and Lara find out that Hans Zimmer did not in fact score Pirates of the Caribbean, which leads to a conversation about film scores. In this episode, we chat about what film music is and how it has changed in the past few decades. We also talk about how Hans Zimmer’s primary method of film scoring (mixing and layering with electronic instrumental libraries rather than writin...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Pirates of the Caribbean - one of the most enjoyable Disney franchises! Yet, Pirates isn’t often the series that comes to mind when we think of Disney. In this episode, Cheryl and Lara chat about all things franchises, when they often fail and what can help them succeed. We also chat about how our expectations change with every installment, and how those expectations af...

Send us Fan Mail As a bit of a detour, Cheryl and Lara chat about Shrek, which (we know) is not Disney, but (rumour has it) is very intertwined with Disney because of the drama that happened behind the scenes. This episode is all about how Shrek compares with Disney and how it pokes fun at the fairytale trope and its competitor. We also chat about how the competition between Disney and Dreamworks...

Send us Fan Mail What did we think of the music in The Lion King remake? In this episode, Cheryl and Lara chat about music in Disney films. From how the music compares to the original film to what we thought about the new original songs (including one from Beyonce!), we discuss our feelings about the new soundtrack and how successful it was compared to other Disney remakes. We also chat about Beyo...

Send us Fan Mail ...or otherwise titled “did we need a new Lion King?” After watching the 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King, Cheryl and Lara delve into their thoughts on the new Disney remakes. We chat about whether the remake was successful from both a storytelling and business perspective. And, more importantly, whether the CGI Lion King was doomed from the start. We end our conversation...

Send us Fan Mail What are themes that often occur in Disney animated films and why are they suitable for families? In this episode, Cheryl and Lara talk about what we noticed watching The Lion King as an adult compared with what we noticed when we were a kid. This conversation leads us to a chat about how Disney teaches kids life lessons in an entertaining yet educational format. And, how Disney s...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Lion King! We’re so excited to watch this Disney classic - in fact, it was one of the first films we wanted to watch since starting the podcast. In this episode, we are wrapping up our discussion within the musical genre with an animated musical! Is there such a thing as “suspending too much disbelief” in animated musicals? We also chat about what the animated genre...

Send us Fan Mail What are some musicals that don’t exist but totally could? In this week’s episode, Cheryl and Lara chat about why their parents introduced them to The Sound of Music. Their conversation leads them to a discussion about how music in musicals affects our enjoyment of a musical, leading them to chat about artists, like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, with discographies that could be...

Send us Fan Mail What are movies that your parents watched as a kid that they watched with you when you were younger? And, what are movies that we’ll pass down to the next generation of kids? In this episode, Cheryl and Lara chat about the old musicals that they haven’t heard of and marvel at how The Sound of Music has lasted through two generations. We also chat about the transatlantic accent and...

Send us Fan Mail The Sound of Music is the oldest film that Cheryl and Lara have watched thus far on #WTFWithUS, but how do we feel about watching old films? What is our experience with older movies? We also talk about the perception of early cinema across the different generations.  Listen in on our conversation about the oldest films we've seen, why we watched them and how we felt about the...

Send us Fan Mail “Do” a deer a female deer… that’s right folks, we’re watching The Sound of Music! It’s been well over a decade since Cheryl and Lara have watched the film - how does watching The Sound of Music as a kid compare to watching it as an adult? What are things we noticed this time around that we hadn’t as children? Our discussion also leads us to reminisce about childhood films we’ve re...

Send us Fan Mail In this final episode of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Cheryl and Lara talk about the ending of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and how it was satisfyingly unexpected. This discussion leads us into a conversation about the Bollywood genre: whether Bollywood films follow a specific formula and if there are specific characteristics found across all films in the genre. We chat about whether Bol...

Send us Fan Mail Does Bollywood really represent the reality of India? In this episode, Cheryl and Lara talk about how film influences society and why that matters. Film can introduce us to different perspectives and cultures, but it can also perpetuate existing stereotypes. Is that a good or bad thing? Lastly, we also chat about the double meaning of YOLO: make the most out of life and do really...

Send us Fan Mail Why do we classify non-English language films as their own genre? What are the pitfalls of discussing foreign language films in one category? In this episode, Cheryl and Lara continue watching Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and chat about the competitive landscape of non-English language films. More specifically, we talk about how filmmakers within this category face challenges getting...

Send us Fan Mail We’re starting 2021 with a non-English language film: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a Bollywood film, which translates to YOLO! The film is about a bachelor party set in Spain, where the three main characters (Kabir, Arjun and Imran) engage in thrill-seeking adventures. This week, we talk about our experience with the Bollywood genre and our first impressions of the film. We also chat...

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year! What films made it to our top 5 list this year? And, what are some films that Cheryl and Lara are looking forward to in 2021? Countdown to 2021 with us and get to know more about the kinds of films we like. Tell us what films you liked in 2020 and what you’re looking forward to in 2021 on Twitter @WTF_withus - we would love to hear from you! Theme Music Credit: Ult...

Send us Fan Mail After watching High School Musical, we were inspired to watch some Glee to continue the teen musical theme. It was also perfect timing to watch one of the Glee Christmas specials. After all, the Glee Christmas songs are some of the most enjoyable renditions of festive classics - and some of the most popular Glee cover! We also talk about how Glee may or may not have stood the test...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever thought about why SO many movies take place in high school, despite high school being such a small amount of a person’s lifespan? And how, somehow, all the characters’ problems seem to get resolved by the time they graduate? In this episode we dive into teen movies and why we find coming-of-age films so satisfying. We also talk about some films that are set in high s...

Send us Fan Mail Few Disney Channel original films have gained the same amount of status and fan following as High School Musical had. So why is it that HSM did so much better than the other Disney originals? At this point, almost fifteen years after it came out, can High School Musical be considered a classic or cult classic? This week, Cheryl and Lara talk about HSM’s current stature and how it...

Send us Fan Mail If you were a tween in 2006 and you hadn’t seen High School Musical, you weren’t considered cool. And now, flash forward to 2020, High School Musical continues to be remixed into contemporary pop culture. In this week’s episode, we discuss the popularity of HSM and its (surprising) lasting relevance. We also chat about how nostalgia plays a part in our current perception of HSM. P...

Send us Fan Mail What musical is the polar opposite of Sweeney Todd? If you guess the original HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, you are correct - what a perfect follow-up to the horror musical. In this episode, we discuss whether it’s ‘cool’ to do music in high school or if what is considered cool has changed, and if HSM paved the way for the boon of the movie musical (including shows like Glee). But most imp...

Send us Fan Mail What are Cheryl and Lara’s favourite musicals? Cheryl’s answer leads us to the inevitable discussion about Sondheim vs Andrew Lloyd Webber - very fitting for this episode as we watch the final bit of Sweeney Todd. Which musical composer do we prefer, and why? Listen in on our conversation and find out more about our musical tastes! Reference: Corridor Crew “VFX Artists React to Ba...

Send us Fan Mail Why are most horror musicals comedic? And what is 'scary' music and why is it such an important element in scary movies? Spooky season extends into November in this episode, where Cheryl and Lara continue watching Sweeney Todd while chatting about music in horror movies. We note the importance of music in horror films and how music can subvert what is familiar to us and...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean to root for the bad guy in a film? How do stories with bad guy protagonists usually end? Cheryl and Lara talk about how we feel about rooting for the bad guy and how the audience might still root for Sweeney Todd despite his terrible actions. Join us as we continue with Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd, where we chat about storytelling from the bad guy’s perspective. Mo...