Uncut Gems Podcast

In this episode of the show, we are transported into the 1970s to discuss one of the most underrated masterpieces of its era, William Friedkin's Sorcerer . Joined by a special guest Sarah Buddery who also happens to be the world's foremost Roy Scheider fan, we embark on a journey to talk about the perils of carrying dynamite through a jungle and battling fate both within the narrative and outside...

We have the immense pleasure to announce that we launched our brand new Patreon channel where you will get access to extra podcasts from us, such as retrospective, marathons and one-of tie-ins like this one.  In anticipation of our new show on William Friedkin's Sorcerer , which will be released this Friday (14/01/2022), we have recorded a tie-in show where we talked about Henri-Georges Clouz...

In this episode of the show, we are drenching ourselves in the combination of a sticky atmosphere of the Deep South, the gloom of the occult and unsavoury amounts of chicken blood as we talk about Alan Parker's Angel Heart . Over the course of our crazy conversation you will hear us talk about Alan Parker's approach to adapting a novel, Mickey Rourke as the star of the 80s, the dreadfully sublimin...

In this episode of the show, we are leaving 2021 behind by battling Satan to the death in a 1999 Arnie vehicle titled End of Days . Over the course of our discussion you'll hear us nit-pick the logic of this movie, talk about the disappearance of the movie star phenomenon, discuss Arnold's turn as a thematic epilogue to an entire era of the action hero supremacy, mention a few things about inspira...

In this episode of the show, we are marking Christmas by talking about a Christmas movie nobody remembers, Abel Ferrara's R X Mas . As we delve into this forgotten gem, we dissect Ferrara's style and his tactile and obsessive look at New York, gush over Drea De Matteo's performance and make a few choice connections between this movie and other Holiday classics, like Jingle All The Way ! Merry Chri...

In this episode of the show, we finally become one with the source and finish our Circling The Matrix marathon by talking about the two movies that followed the iconic The Matrix, namely Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. As we battled over our respective stances towards these two very unique features, we did not leave a stone unturned. We gushed over the Wachowskis' vision and scope for acti...

In this episode of the show, we are getting closer to The Source in our Circling The Matrix marathon as we train our sights on The Wachowskis' follow-up to The Matrix trilogy, their 2008 adaptation of Speed Racer . Over the course of our typically long and sprawling discussion (which may or may not have become heated at a few places), we talk about the legacy of this movie, wonder if it is actuall...

In this episode of the show, we are circling The Matrix and so we discuss Equilibrium , a movie that definitely happened thanks to the overwhelming success of The Matrix and maybe borrowed a thing or two (or twenty) from it as well. Over the course of our conversation we dig into the stew of literary inspirations lifted and repackaged to form the narrative of this film, talk about the lasting infl...

In this episode of the show, we are discussing the 1995 cult classic Johnny Mnemonic . Over the course of our conversation we dig deep into William Gibson's source material and how it relates to what's on the screen, the film's eerie prescience which may or may not include references to the ongoing pandemic, we share a few laughs at the expense of Ice-T, Dolph Lundgren and Udo Kier and - naturally...

In this episode of the show, we are doing our level best to hack the planet together with the scruffy (or maybe somewhat futuristically over-dressed) protagonists of the 1995 cult classic Hackers . Over the course of our wild and sprawling discussion we comment on the film's production design, its overall aesthetic and the aforementioned spandex-heavy fashion, talk about the idea of visualizing th...

In this episode of the show, we are diving deep into our new "Circling The Matrix" series by discussing one of the more recent outings directed by the Wachowskis, namely Jupiter Ascending . Over the course of our conversation, we attempt to figure out why this movie was received negatively upon its initial release, argue over whether its world-building and exposition-heavy writing is an acquired t...

In this episode of the show, we are moving on from the spooky season vibes and slowly begin are new episode series casually titled "Circling The Matrix" where - in anticipation of Matrix Resurrections hitting the cinemas this Christmas - we will devote a handful of episodes to movies one way or another connected to The Matrix . Thus, we gently dipping our toes in the world of hackers by discussing...

In this episode of the show, to somehow mark the 31st of October, we take aim at Rob Zombie's Halloween and Halloween 2 , most likely two of the most controversial entries in the long-running Halloween film franchise. As we sank our teeth into these movies, which in and of themselves are unsettling to watch, we came to a realization that the conversation surrounding these movies ain't easy either....

In this episode of the show we are revisiting one of the most overlooked movies written and directed by John Carpenter, namely Prince of Darkness . Over the course of our discussion we gush over the craftsmanship of the film, its inventiveness, the overall mood and tone that sets it apart from not only movies of its time but even cinema as a whole and - naturally - delve deep into the thematics un...

In this episode of the show we are travelling to the edges of the solar system together with Brad Pitt as we are discussing the James Gray-directed science-fiction epic Ad Astra . Over the course of our discussion we are commenting on the film's troubled production, wonder if it was marketed to the right audience upon its release, argue over the gravity and meaning of its central themes and locked...

In this episode of the show we are taking a look at Francis Ford Coppola's conclusion to The Godfather trilogy. Over the course of our discussion we examine the historical context of how this movie came about, we wonder what the recently re-edited Coda adds to the legacy of the series, we comment on the criticisms levelled at the film at the time of its release and - most of all - do our absolute...

In this episode of the show we are looking at Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping , a 2016 comedy that failed to launch theatrically but has since grew a potent cult following. Over the course of our discussion, which mostly consisted of us recounting the funniest moments from the film (and there were plenty), we try to understand why this movie didn't succeed theatrically, deconstruct the legacy i...

In this episode of the show we are taking a long hard look at two films by Nicolas Winding Refn, Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon . Over the course of our long-winded and sprawling discussion we peek behind the curtain of style to find out what drives (lol) this filmmaker and what his movies are actually about. We slobber over their aesthetics and take apart their thematic aspirations one by o...

In this episode of the show we are discussing a duo of stylized takes on the vampire archetype, Tony Scott's debut The Hunger and Abel Ferrara's The Addiction . Over the course of our chat we touch on Tony Scott's developing directorial style and inspiration taken from his brother Ridley, the music video aesthetic and the unusual take on the vampire lore. In addition, we also praise Abel Ferrara's...

In this episode of the show we are taking a look at Free Fire , a Ben Wheatley-directed foray into action cinema starring Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Sharlto Copley and Armie Hammer. Over the course of our discussion we attempt to deconstruct where the movie succeeds and where it fails with its implementation of the central gimmick of a single-location shootout, have a few jabs at the expense of...

In this episode of the show we are discussing Ridley Scott's A Good Year , arguably a standout feature in the illustrious catalogue of this iconic filmmaker... but not necessarily in the conventional way. Over the course of our conversation we argue profusely whether this film is successful in what it is attempting to do. In fact, we also try to figure out what it is that it's attempting to do in...

In this episode of the show we are talking about Mission: Impossible 2 , perhaps the most maligned and underappreciated entry in this multibillion dollar franchise. Even though it became the biggest financial hit of its year, the John Woo-directed opus is looked down upon by fans the world over and in our discussion we are attempting to find out of there is any credence to this phenomenon. We talk...

In this episode of the show we are observing the ninth anniversary of Tony Scott's untimely passing by talking about perhaps one of his most mature, layered and complete films, Man on Fire . Over the course of our discussion, we delve deep into the fabric of the story, examine Scott's new-found stylized aesthetic, marvel over the amazing chemistry between Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning, and...

In this episode of the show we are discussing Peter Jackson's first official Hollywood movie, The Frighteners . Over the course of this long-winded and meandering conversation we touched on Jackson's roots in splatter horror, where his career went later and what we think he could do in the future. In addition, we identified the multitude of references found in The Frighteners , opined on the film'...

In this episode of the show we are going on a mission to save The Sun from dying together with the crew of Icarus II in Sunshine . Over the course of this discussion we talk at length about the film's divisive third act, the idea of using a star as a villain or a god, the multiple pop-cultural connections tethering Sunshine to the canon of the genre, the wonderful chemistry between the cast and mu...