We’re heading to Tijuana this episode, as we watch two films set in Mexico made nearly seventy years apart. Emilia Pérez, the new Netflix transgender narco-gangster musical, has thirteen Oscar nominations and a whole lot of bad press. But does it deserve the controversy and the opprobrium, or were audiences just expecting something different? We’re…

We’re mourning one of the most unique voices in modern cinema at the Popcorn Counter this week, as we discuss the career of David Lynch and his impact both on the world in general and on our own lives in particular. What happens when you pitch a film as ‘Lynchian’? What does Ronald Reagan have to do with his emergence? Was he the true originator of…

Hit the road with us this week, as we get stuck at temporary traffic lights in Surbiton on the way to the Popcorn Counter and use the time to recall some of our favourite road movies. But what IS a road movie? Can it be set on a boat? Or a plane? Or a sidewalk? Or in space? Plus we watch a very young Sting, stroll along the yellow brick road, drink…

Come with us on a couple of trips to Europe this week at the Two Reel Cinema Club, as we join Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin on a tour of Poland in the new Oscar nominated comedy drama A Real Pain, and then catch up with Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders in Roberto Rossellini’s 1954 masterpiece, Journey to Italy. These two films both explore dee…

Welcome to our quarterly celebration of dead air and reflective silence: it’s the TRCC Popcorn Counter Quiz! This time around, we have thirty films released between 1957 and 2024, all starring pop stars. Can you guess the title and the star from the clues? Who is mostly made of oil and lotion? Who was the inventor of off-white paint? And when did J…

The mystique of Bob Dylan wafts through the Two Reel Cinema Club this week, as we watch the thoroughly enjoyable new biopic A Complete Unknown, and compare it to the actual Bob Dylan as he appears in the 1967 rock documentary Don’t Look Back. Two portraits of the Nobel Prize winning bard of the 20th century, but which reveals more of the real man? …

It’s that time again, our annual favourite episode, the Two Reel Cinema Club Film of the Year Show. Seven categories, including best film, best actor, best script, biggest clunker, and weirdest moment of the year. As usual, we’ve kept our nominations secret from each other, so expect some dramatic revelations, some laughter, some tears and some las…

It’s yet another episode about four legged mammals this week, as we watch the riotous black and white physical comedy indie hit Hundreds of Beavers and compare it with the clever, witty and mind bending 2014 Chilean documentary Beaverland. These films offer two very different views of the industrious, furry dam-builders, while at the same time tell…

There’s a shocking and perplexing development at the Popcorn Counter this week, as we tell the tale of how Google recently censored and deleted one of our podcasts. What was the objectionable material? Racism? Sexism? Incitement to violence? Or… a Sanskrit quotation from Oppenheimer? We discuss the history of censorship in the UK, the curious rules…

It’s our annual Christmas episode at the Two Reel Cinema Club, and in keeping with the festive season, this year we’re watching two films about sex workers. Wait, what? Join us as we talk about the new, Sean Baker-directed, heavily award-tipped drama Anora, and compare it to the dream-like 1967 Luis Buñuel classic Belle de Jour. Two different takes…

Did we ever tell you about the time we met Al Gore? Join us at the Popcorn Counter to hear how we encountered the man who was almost the President of the United States, and what it had to do with the film industry. Plus, once we’re on the subject of An Inconvenient Truth, we ask why there aren’t more environmental films, given the size of the probl…

We’re watching new Latvian animated film Flow this episode, a beautiful and distinctive looking parable about cooperation and environmental collapse, and we’re comparing it to the 1997 Studio Ghibli classic Princess Mononoke. These two movies offer two very different perspectives on the effects of humans on the lives of animals: Flow seems simple a…

This year is the first time in the history of cinema that every film in the top ten is a sequel or a prequel. Join us at the popcorn counter to talk about what’s wrong with the industry, how we’ve ended up here and what we might do to get ourselves out of this particular creative ditch. Who has the star power to open a non-franchise film these days…

We have watched the new Sebastian Stan movie A Different Man this week, a low budget, independent, off kilter comedy drama about an actor with neurofibromatosis who transforms his appearance and alters his identity. But do things change for the better or the worse? We’re comparing it to the classic tale of stolen identity, 1982’s The Return of Mart…

We’re in conversation with probably the world’s number one sound recordist this week, friend of the pod Mike Primmer, who was the man holding the boom in last week’s film A Prairie Home Companion. Join us for not only the best recorded Popcorn Counter ever, but also for some incredible insights into the making of this 2006 classic. How many takes d…

Stop singing that Whigfield hit from 1994 and instead join us for a look at Saturday Night, the brand new feature film comedy from Jason Reitman about the first broadcast of US television institution Saturday Night Live. With its fairly soft plot, character based comedy, constantly moving camera and huge ensemble cast it looks a lot like a Robert A…

It’s quiz night once again at the Popcorn Counter this week, in what we’re going to call ‘Pop Quiz’ from now on. This time: detective movies. Can you name forty detective movies given our cryptic, random and rambling clues? Score over 28 to earn our undying respect. In between the questions, we wonder about Orson Welles’ shooting style, recall some…

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour is our new film at the Two Reel Cinema Club this week, a true life serial killer thriller that mixes perky humour and dreadful violence to powerful effect. We’re comparing it to one of the granddaddies of serial killer movies, 1971’s Dirty Harry. Which film is stacked to the rafters with Christian…

It’s not an episode for those with claustrophobia this week, as we get stuck in the elevator on the way to the Popcorn Counter for the second time. At least we have our microphones, so we take the opportunity to practice our best elevator pitches. With Joker: Folie à Deux fresh in our minds, are there any other well known properties that would bene…

When Joker made nearly $1.1bn at the box office, a sequel was more or less assured. But who expected a musical? Join us this week as we watch Joaquim Phoenix and Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux and ask: is it possible to turn a comic book movie into anything? What does the film say about the state of the world? Is society a civilising force or a t…

Join us at the Popcorn Counter this episode, where we ask: where now for the film industry? You, like us, may have read recently about the current contraction of Hollywood and the collapse of streaming. Is cinema’s obituary mere alarmism or an uncomfortable truth? What will happen to the small and mid sized movies? Where are the opportunities for n…

We’re not entirely sure which of us is which this episode, as we stagger out of the new queasy feminist body-swap horror epic The Substance, and into John Woo’s classic body-swap action adventure Face/Off. These two have plenty in common, with actors chewing the scenery and flesh and blood everywhere. But which film is the most joyful? Which film h…

Everyone loves a ghost story … but gather around in the darkest, quietest corner of the popcorn counter this episode as we tell you a strange and chilling story about how EVERY film is really a ghost story. Well, kind of. We try our theory out on not just The Sixth Sense and Ghost, but The Shining, It Follows, Oculus, Ring, and even Vertigo and Cit…

This episode we’re descending into hell and watching Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, confirming that ‘belated sequels to hits from the 80s’ looks like it’s going to be a thing… Most of the cast is back, as are a number of the same gags. But instead of comparing it to the 1988 original movie, Beetlejuice, we’ve spread our net a little wider to draw paralle…

You may think you’ve heard some nerdy podcasts in the past, but we’re going to ask you to buckle up your space suits and accelerate away from the Earth with us into the nerdiest possible sector of the whole galaxy this episode. We’ve seen a few films set in the deepest reaches of space recently - but out of the whole cinematic canon, which film is …

It’s all scary monsters and super creeps at the Popcorn Counter this episode. Join us as we shelter from a storm and count down our 13 favourite scary movies. (Please note, however, that ‘scary’ doesn’t always mean ‘good’.) Including a French film we wish we’d never seen, a Richard Burton film we probably didn’t see, or at least don’t remember very…

If there’s one thing we know about the xenomorphs in the Alien films, it’s that they’re very, very good at reproducing themselves… Join us this episode as we watch the new sci-fi horror picture Alien: Romulus and its 1979 sci-fi horror granddaddy, Alien, and ask ourselves: is it possible we might have watched the same film twice? Romulus may be fil…

Going to the cinema is like experiencing a shared dream. (Especially when the film is so bad we fall asleep in it - and that’s happened to us more than a few times.) But who is the finest auteur of films as dreams? Is it Federico Fellini, or David Lynch, or is it Arnold Schwarzenegger in a blockbuster from 1990? Join us at the Popcorn Counter this …

We’re processing trauma and fighting a mighty wind at the Two Reel Cinema Club this episode, as we go to see the new weather-based action sequel Twisters, and compare it to the 1939 family classic The Wizard of Oz. Twisters can’t stop quoting from Oz, but the parallels don’t end there: both films centre around powerful women and both films are abou…

(*Turns to camera*) You may remember that back in the 1980s and 90s they used to name a lot of films after songs. Seriously. A LOT. It was like an actual thing. So come and join us at the Popcorn Counter this week, where we’ve turned those Song-Named-Movie-Tune-Films into a Song-Named-Movie-Tune-Film-QUIZ. (*Cut to title card with music*) Forty mov…

With films like Capricorn One, Three Days of the Condor and The Parallax View, the Watergate scandal meant the 1970s was the golden age of Hollywood conspiracy thrillers. OR WAS IT?! Join us at the Popcorn Counter this episode as we keep our heads down and ask in quiet voices if conspiracy cinema is not as simple as it first appears. Klute and The …

We’re lost in the desert, deep in conspiracy country this episode, as we enjoy the new Scarlett Johansson / Channing Tatum ‘how they could have faked the moon landings’ rom com Fly Me To The Moon, and compare it to its direct antecedent, the 1977 Elliot Gould ‘how they might fake the Mars landings’ thriller Capricorn One. The parallels are obvious,…

We’re wiping away the tears of a clown at the Popcorn Counter this episode, as we spend a happy twenty minutes asking: how come so many well known actors got their start as stand up comedians, and yet there seem to be so few films about comedians? We draw parallels between comedians and writers, wonder if the best comedy reveals too much about its …

It’s comedy night at the Two Reel Cinema Club this episode, as we watch the new Canadian dramedy I Used To Be Funny and compare it to an early Tom Hanks picture, Punchline, from 1988. Both films are set in and around stand-up comedy venues, and it’s fascinating to see what’s changed and what’s not in 36 years. But does either film have much more to…

Everyone loves a quiz. Well, we do. Well, one of us does. This week at the Popcorn Counter, Maurice has inspired us to make a note of just how many eponymous films there are on the IMDb. So join us for an eponymous movie quiz, where we’ll give you a trickle of clues to help you guess forty movies each with a forename as their title. Play along at h…

Everyone’s coming out this week at the Two Reel Cinema Club, as we watch the new-ish Tig Notaro comedy Am I Ok? and compare it to 1987’s Merchant Ivory heritage picture Maurice. When stood next to each other these two films have a lot to say about the experience of coming out as LGBTQ a century apart. But what bit of 1980s UK legislation is Maurice…

After watching two robot pictures back to back last week, we’ve cleared some space at the Popcorn Counter this episode for a Robot Rumble: eight cinematic robots in a knockout contest with mystery challenges. We have electronic wrestlers from sci-fi classics, post-humans from TV that moved to the big screen, and children’s characters with depth and…

(You may hear the sound of cats in the studio this episode, but just think of it as atmospheric background sound effects…) This week, we watch the new, Oscar-nominated animated feature Robot Dreams, which stars anthropomorphic animals living in a stylised 1980s New York and a beautiful, unconventional love story. We’re comparing it to the film that…

We have a theory… Do long series of films only hit their stride after their first three instalments? Join us at the Popcorn Counter this week after our Mad Max marathon as we try to prove or disprove our thesis, using a hefty list of examples. Surely if you rummage around in the IMDB for long enough it’s possible to ‘prove’ anything, isn’t it? We t…

Join us in the post apocalyptic wasteland for one of our longest episodes ever this week, as we watch the new ‘Mad Max Saga’ Furiosa, and compare it with its direct antecedent, 2015’s action masterpiece Mad Max Fury Road. These two high octane, gas guzzling thrillers are more or less anagrams of each other, but can Furiosa drive away with Fury Road…

We have a bit of a disaster this week as we get stuck in the elevator on the way to the popcorn counter, but at least it gives us a chance to practise our elevator pitches. And after watching The Fall Guy last week we’re basing all our pitches on pre-existing 1970s and 80s properties. Three pitches each, which one would we commission? Including a r…

We’re watching stunt performers smash up cars, leap from helicopters and ride horses across the desert in this week’s movies as we compare the new Ryan-Gosling-Emily-Blunt 80s throwback The Fall Guy to 2006’s surreal and sumptuous The Fall. They’re both films about stuntmen, but aside from sharing most of a title they could hardly be more different…

Apparently there’s some kind of election in the US soon? We’re not sure of the details, but if we had the opportunity to write the name of a movie president on the ballot, who would get our cross? Join us as we hash out the possibilities at the Popcorn Counter this episode. And while we’re at it, we ask what’s the difference between Bill Pullman an…

Neighbours fight neighbours in this week’s pod, as we watch Alex Garland’s new, maybe-too-close-to-real-life, dystopian thriller Civil War and compare it with Ken Loach’s 1995 Spanish Civil War picture Land and Freedom. Both of these films are certainly thought-provoking, with action, bloodshed, tragedy and tension. But which one makes the best use…

You’re welcome to join us at the Popcorn Counter this episode, but speak up because we’ve got our noise cancelling headphones on. (You know, the ones for dogs, remember?) We’ve been listening to a few rival pods while we wait for the popcorn machine to warm up, but which would we sincerely recommend? What are the podcasts that make it into our subs…

Is it term time already? It must be, because we’re heading back to school again, this time comparing the new, Oscar-nominated German drama The Teachers’ Lounge with 1967’s scholastic classic, To Sir With Love. There are so many elements in common here that you have to ask if someone’s been copying their homework: outsider teachers, rebellious pupil…

Please be seated, the Court of the Popcorn Counter is now in session. We’re hosting a constitutional controversy of our own this episode, as we accuse Legal Dramas of the crime of being a bit boring and fundamentally uncinematic. And in true legal tradition, we flipped a coin beforehand to decide which one of us was going to prosecute and which def…

It’s double anatomy at the Two Reel Cinema Club this episode, as we catch up on the last of the Oscar nominees with Anatomy of a Fall, the French courtroom drama that ended up with the Best Screenplay Academy Award this year. It’s a bloody and nuanced multilingual piece with a couple of dynamite performances, but is it possible that not quite enoug…

Join us at the Popcorn Counter this episode for some late-to-the-party Oscars chat. Which nominated film was hit with plagiarism claims? Which film was like getting struck by a steamroller? What exactly is Barbie ‘adapted’ from? When is sound crucial? What are short films actually for? And how much controversy can we generate over the pronunciation…

Again? Seriously? Yes, welcome to our third podcast in a row to feature Nazis. These guys will just not go away. This episode we have watched the new Ava DuVernay docudrama Origin, and read the book it’s based on - Isabel Wilkerson’s non-fiction best seller Caste. We’re comparing it to what may be the first ever cinematic epic, 1915’s silent KKK mo…