 | The slightly shambolic weekly film podcast, where each week we review new theatrical releases, as well as revisit some classics (and not-so-classics), trawl through film news, and maybe even chat to the odd special guest. RSS: http://rss.acast.com/failedcritics |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Mugs, Tugs and Logan | |
| The year is 2029. The world is a horrible place where those who are different are deemed a threat. Those with special or otherwise exceptional talents, skills and abilities are segregated out from the rest of society. Shunned. In some cases, destroyed. Hunted. Fortunately this precludes Steve Norman, Owen Hughes, Andrew Brooker and Tony Black, who are allowed to just carry on as normal producing episodes of the Failed Critics Film Podcast for your delectation. Just in time for us to review the latest thriller in the X-Men movie franchise, Logan, starring Hugh Jackman as the titular mutant, aka Wolverine. On this weeks show, Steve wonders why anybody would ever want to watch anything like the Dave Courtney straight-to-DVD geezer movie Thugs, Mugs and Dogs. We also have our regular What We've Been Watching, where Tony begins plotting a trip to Derby after Brooker reviews the new Iko Uwais actioner, Headshot; Owen rewatches Kill Bill Volume 1 and decides he definitely won't be returning to Volume 2; Steve runs through the Netflix Original movie Tallulah; and Tony ponders the unfortunate situation where Friend Request is about as good a social-media influenced horror as we're likely to get. Join us again next week for blockbuster monster-movie, Kong: Skull Island. | Listen |
| Character Unlock: Viva La Vive | |
| Welcome to the thirteenth episode of Character Unlock, unlucky for some. With little going on in the world of video games at the moment, hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker have opted to spend just over an hour chatting about stuff that is about to happen with the imminent release of the Nintendo Switch and the recently announced Xbox Game Pass, an Access style rental service for Microsoft's console, before digging into an extended What We've Been Playing. Having definitely found his comfort zone recently, John continues the tales of his journeys with Mass Effect and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege; whilst Brooker waxes lyrical about his short-lived fun times with full price PlayStation VR demo VR Worlds and reviews the first couple of hours of Horizon: Zero Dawn. To top things off this week, John goes into detail about the time he spent with the HTC Vive, a Steam based Virtual Reality headset. Hear about the games he was playing and enjoying while Brooker grills him about the tech. Join us in a couple of weeks with first-time guest Jack Woodcock, who'll be giving us a detailed rundown on Nintendo's latest console and its games. Until then, find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (all @CharacterUnlock) to keep up with what we're up to. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: No Winners Here | |
| Hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes and special guests Paul Field and Andrew Brooker indulge in a bit of back-slapping over the Oscars in this week's episode. If you look directly underneath your seat, every listener to the podcast will find a spectacular, one-of-a-kind goody-bag filled with luxury items, such as one of 20 possible variations of a DVD with "Hooligan" in the title, a plastic receptacle measuring approximately 10 cubic centimetres, a mini-statuette of Dave Courtney with no trousers on, and a metaphorical token of our appreciation (redeemable once per lifetime and not for resale). We re-cap our picks for this year's Academy Awards from last week's episode and find out which of the team is going to be most happy and who will be the most disappointed with the final results. We also reminisce about Bill Paxton, who sadly passed away last week, before running through some of the films we've been watching lately. Steve finally found a cinema showing Fences after his rant about staggered releases on the previous podcast; Paul got his hands on a copy of the disappointing and perhaps inappropriately titled Bonded by Blood 2; Owen actually listened to Steve's recommendation at the end of last week's podcast and for some unfathomable reason watched Nazi Vengeance; and Brooker snuck a few new releases into the mix with Patriots Day and weird psychological thriller A Cure for Wellness. Join us again next week as the team take on Wolv | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Wick, Wall and 'wards | |
| Firstly, apologies for the admittedly rubbish hatchet job on the editing this week. Long story short, after spending ages editing out the ums, pauses, yeahs, anyways, clicks, clacks, mic noises, talking over each other and insufferably bad jokes (maybe not so many of the latter), the project crashed. So much for recovery files. That just leaves a very (very) rushed edit - on the plus side, you get to hear for the first time in years just how an unedited Failed Critics podcast sounds! Secondly, at least all the content that was worth listening to survived! Hooray? Hooray! That means this episode contains our full preview of this weekend's Academy Awards... of which you can also pick the films you think will win an Oscar in the 11 categories listen on our website to win super-cool prizes (alright, not necessarily super-cool). Just visit: http://failedcritics.com/2017/02/22/failed-critics-podcast-wick-wall-and-wards . There are also reviews of a bunch of new releases in this week's episode. The action-thriller John Wick: Chapter 2 has Owen and Brooker wondering if it really is the best film of the year. Steve most definitely did not wonder for very long whether he found the best film of the year with The Great Wall. Paul also thinks he may have found the most boring film of the year with The Founder. Join us again next week as we round-up the winners and losers from the Oscars 2017. | Listen |
| Character Unlock: A Bitter (Virtual) Reality | |
| It's Valentine's Day! OK, it was Valentine's day when we recorded... What better way to spend your time than with the consoles that you love so much and the games that make you feel good about yourself? How about spending a couple of hours talking about those things with your mates? Welcome to this week's Character Unlock podcast. Fresh off the back of the last jam packed episode, hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker spend a bit of time digging into the news from the last week or so. From Call of Duty going back to its roots and what that might mean for the series, to the insanity that is selling public access tickets for E3; the lads kill a bit of time wondering about the point of it all before heading to a marathon session talking about the games they've been playing. As John continues his mission to finish the Mass Effect series for the 132nd time in preparation for the new game, Brooker has to justify spending a small fortune on a PlayStation VR completely on a whim by playing almost everything made for the thing in a very short space of time. What was worth playing? What made him so sick that it completely ruined his day? All that and more as a featureless episode ends with the guys talking nonsense for more than may be healthy as the bitter pair let everything off their chest. Come back and join us for more of the same in the next episode in a couple of weeks. If you want more from us in the mean time, come find us on Twitter, on Facebo | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Episode 250 - The Human Cinematipede | |
| After quite literally years of podcasting, and uncountable hours of work going into it ? the Failed Critics Film Podcast has reached its 250th episode! We know it?s just three or four blokes who have gotten to know each other quite well over the past five years, talking about films, but we?re pretty proud of it and hope that you enjoy listening to our little show as much as we've enjoyed reaching this milestone. If you think we show any promise at all, please subscribe and spread the word. Yes, for this very special edition, we've gone all retro. Hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes managed to convince both founding members James Diamond and Gerry McAuley to come out of retirement for old times' sake. Our rather serendipitous main release review this week is The Lego Batman Movie; a convenient call back to our review on the 100th episode. In fact, most things here are call-backs to past episodes, as you may notice from the featured image and bumf above, taken from the very first podcast published way back on the 25 April 2012. However, some things never change. There's still a quiz to kick us off (with added questions and catch-ups that I'm sure you're all dying to hear about) and we end with the recommendations. One in particular which will no doubt crush you on this Valentine's Day. What We've Been Watching has as eclectic a mix as ever: Owen watches Hearts of Darkness, the "best film about a film"; James explains wh | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Resident Evil Unlocked | |
| Welcome to this week's episode of the Failed Critics Podcast as sister and brother merge in a horrific act of audio incest. By which I mean that (our sister gaming podcast) Character Unlock's hosts Andrew Brooker and John Miller join Steve Norman and Owen Hughes to review video game adaptation franchise series movie thing Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Naturally the chat descends into a general conversation about the games as well (although you really should listen to the latest Character Unlock Resident Evil VII special for that). Also on this edition of Failed Critics is a pointless quiz, a conflab about the relative merits of the Super Bowl trailers, and of course our regular What We've Been Watching. Steve is a double-hard bastard who ain't scared of no TV static after watching The Ring and The Ring 2; Brooker squeezes in his annual watch of Any Given Sunday; Owen incites the wrath of PETA after a review of Rats, Morgan Spurlock's documentary; and John gets all nostalgic over Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions. Join us again, er, soon, for "Failed Critics Unplugged: Live from the Old Contemptibles". | Listen |
| Failed Critics Unplugged: The Old Contemptibles | |
| Ow yow doin', ar kid? Y'am oroight, ay ya? Bostin'! This bonus triple bill episode has the dubious honour of being our first ever podcast recorded live in person without the aid of Skype. Owen Hughes, Tony Black and Andrew Brooker went all the way to a pub in Birmingham to record 70 minutes worth of bonus content just for the Hell of it. Alcohol was consumed and a quiet corner in a lovely little boozer was found. The fact that the Six Nations then kicked off and the Failed Critics were soon surrounded by a cacophony of noise, whilst being stared at by the barmaid for not ordering any drinks for an hour and a half, is by the by. A short opening 5 minutes or so of slightly-tipsy chatter aside, the format is much the same as usual. There's a What We've Been Watching segment, where Tony gives us his take on the first five Resident Evil films, Brooker rewatches Peter Berg's Deepwater Horizon in preparation for Patriots Day, and Owen categorically states that yes, Shallow Grave is indeed a film. The show is rounded off with a triple bill of our completely new ideas for films that would be guaranteed to win an Oscar. Paraplegics, Nazi Germany, political biopics, and, um, a touch of bestiality: the works! All of our ideas are of course copyright of Failed Critics - just in case you're reading this, Harvey Weinstein. We'll be back to normal (and much improved sound quality) for the 250th episode special, due out next we | Listen |
| Character Unlock: Residential Evil | |
| And so, as the first month of 2017 comes to a close, the first big video game of the year to make waves has finally arrived. But unlike Resident Evil VII's intrepid hero, Character Unlock is bringing back-up. Poached him from his regular seats on both Failed Critics and the Retro Gaming Discussion Show, hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker enlist the help of Matt Lambourne in their exploration of the Baker Family House. The gaming trio also wade through the swampy undergrowth of the last week's gaming news. There's plenty to talk about: Between theorising the possible ups and downs of a Marvel/Square Enix collaboration, there's a brief chat on the soon-to-be-released Prey remake, and a trip down memory lane reminiscing on old Namco games in honour of the company's recently departed founder. Brooker finds himself in Hell as John talks more on his Mass Effect series playthrough and Matt discusses the pitfalls of being a FIFA Ultimate Team player to the detriment of all other games. In this week's main feature the team discuss their history with the world renowned Resident Evil series. From its humble beginnings, through its bloated action phase, and finally on to the newest first-person frightener: is it a return to form for the series? Has Resident Evil lost its way entirely? Is it possible to finish the game without staining your trousers? We answer all the burning questions (and a few more) in episode 11 of Character Unlock. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: T2: Trainspotting | |
| Welcome to this week's podcast as we hold the metaphorical tourniquet and inject you with our audio-skag. No c**t listens to this till we find out what c**t made it. (That would be Steve Norman, Owen Hughes, Paul Field and Matt Lambourne.) This week's main review is T2: Trainspotting; Danny Boyle's eagerly awaited (loose) adaptation of Irvine Welsh's sequel to his classic 1996 movie, starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle. Before all of that is this week's quiz, which follows Owen's verbal tirade about last week's booby-prize, the nonsensical British comedy Essex Spacebin, destined to be this year's Mob Handed. There's also a chat about the SAG awards as well reviews of Sadako vs Kayako (aka The Ring vs The Grudge), Oscar contender Hidden Figures, Paul's film of the year, A Man Called Ove, and the resurgent Shin Godzilla. Join us again next week for what will hopefully be two brand new episodes. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: La La Late | |
| Well it seems we were a little hasty this week in recording the podcast. If only we'd have waited another 12 hours, we could have discussed the actual nominations for the Academy Awards and not just speculated. Although it doesn't seem to matter as we were broadly correct in our predictions and round-up our thoughts in a brief news section to open the show proper (after Steve Norman hosts the long-delayed quiz finale between Owen Hughes and Callum Petch). Speaking of delays - apologies to those of you who were expecting an episode last week. Fate conspired against us on a number of occasions when we wanted to record. But don't worry! Even though record-breaking La La Land was not released this weekend but seven days earlier, we still bung it in with both Manchester By The Sea and animated comedy Sing in the new release reviews. We also found time to run through some other movies that we've been watching of late as Steve gets creeped out by Robin Williams in One Hour Photo, Owen raves about sci-fi writer Nigel Kneale, and Callum regales us with his story of a trip to see Labyrinth for the first time. Join us again next week for our T2: Trainspotting review, plus our usual load of shambolic nonsense. | Listen |
| Character Unlock: The Great Switcheroo | |
| It's business as usual this week as Character Unlock forgets the specials... Forgets the films... And forgets to do any form of planning. In the latest episode of the video game-centric podcast, hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker thank their lucky stars that the big conference detailing Nintendo's latest console, the Switch, happened because otherwise they would have nothing to talk about. Shambolic as ever, the lads pick apart Nintendo's new machine, the games that are/aren't coming with it and the extra gubbins you need to buy just to make it worth owning. The guys wax lyrical on whether or not it's worth picking one up at launch and whether the possibility of a new Xbox this year (that totally isn't racist) is the better option when it comes to who gets their money. In other news, there's an attempt to tackle the cancellation of Platinum Games/Microsoft exclusive JRPG Scalebound's cancellation and the closing of a studio near and dear to Brooker's heart. Also this week: John finally gets his hands on Assassin's Creed: Syndicate; Brooker tries desperately to finish even one game from his pile of shame; and both prefer Madden to real life football at the moment. Such are the lives of these boring-ass gamers. Join us again in two weeks so the guys can share stories of acting like frightened children after the release of Resident Evil VII. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Silence is Golden (Globes) | |
| Bad episode titles, published at 3am, and two miserly gits moaning about the world? It can only be the return of Failed Critics Podcast in 2017! Hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are on their Todd for the first podcast of the new year to talk about Scorsese's latest drama, Silence, as well as supernatural hocus pocus shenanigans in The Invitation. The pair also end up chatting about the iconic Steven Spielberg after Steve's first ever watch of The Color Purple - and perhaps more surprisingly, Owen's first ever watch of Schindler's List. In the news, there's a chat about Carrie Fisher's passing, which leads to a discussion about the use of CGI to replace actors in movies. We also quickly skim through the winners and losers of the recent Golden Globes and the speeches that were worth paying attention to. | Listen |
| Character Unlock: The Assassin's Pod | |
| So begins 2017, the year that will almost certainly end with our hosts ruining the podcast completely because they refuse to stop talking about their big games once they come out. Wondering how much time the lads can actually spend talking about Mass Effect and Horizon: Zero Dawn? Stick with us this year and find out. But back to the present; with the Failed Critics guys having a well deserved week off (have you heard their stuff from the back end of the year? We're surprised Owen is still standing) we have decided to fill in the film flavoured hole that they've left this week. What better way to do that with rolling in an Assassin's Creed special that ends with us chatting about (and spoiling) the latest video-game adaptation? Fresh from their New Years Eve hangovers, hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker return to dissect the decade old stealth series and have invited Failed Critics regular and Assassin's Creed super fan Brian Plank into our dark and dingy gaming basement to help us talk about the franchise that has moulded Ubisoft's gaming model for nearly ten years. Come spend some time with us as the boys enlighten you about their history with the Creed. What's John's favourite game in the series? Who is Brooker's top Assassin? Is Brian a secret (American) psychopath? All this and more in our epic special. Join us in a fortnight when we will... well, we don't know. Join us in two weeks when there will be a podcast. About | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Awards 2016 - part 2 | |
| Fanfare, please! It's the final part of our Failed Critics Awards 2016 podcast. We've got the full list of all the films to make it onto our top 10 of the year, as voted for by you folks. Also in part 2, Steve Norman, Owen Hughes, Andrew Brooker and Callum Petch reveal which have been the best performances of 2016 from both male and female actors. Spoiler: Mob Handed star, Yvette Rowland, didn't make the shortlist - but did Mob Handed make it onto our worst 3 films of the year? Or even our top 10? You'll just have to listen to find out. If you missed the podcast yesterday, you can go back and listen to part 1 to find out what our best documentaries, British films, "foreign muck" and soundtracks are. We'll be back in the New Year, but until then, we'd just like to express our enormous gratitude to everybody who took the time to vote in this year's Failed Critics Awards. We're always surprised at just how many of you there are who are willing to give us any amount of your time, either to listen to the podcast, read our reviews or submit votes. Thanks and here's hoping you'll stick with us in 2017! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Awards 2016 - part 1 | |
| Welcome to the first part of this year's Failed Critics Awards! Rather than force you to sit through a two-hour podcast only days after our three-hour compilation episode came out, we've split this year's awards in half. In part one, hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by Andrew Brooker and Callum Petch to scowl, whoop and whine about the winners in: Best documentary; Best British film; Best film not in the English language; Best soundtrack. As well, of course, as our end of year quiz! We'll be back with the winners in our best male / female performances, worst films of the year and the big one, our top 10 movies of 2016 - as voted for by you, our listeners and readers. [APOLOGIES IF YOU RECEIVED A DUPLICATE OF THE 'BEST OF' EPISODE - PLEASE RE-DOWNLOAD TO GET THE PROPER AWARDS PODCAST] | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Christmas Compilation 2016 | |
| It's just gone midnight on Christmas Eve, which means those of you who have managed stay up past your bedtime and wait for Father Christmas can officially open one of your presents early! I've got the perfect one for you, right here... This brand new episode is a three and a half hour long 'best of' the Failed Critics Podcast from the past 12 months, all cobbled together into some kind of Christmas TV type compilation episode. There's all of our favourite bits, including Paul's famous quizzes, reviews of Mob Handed and Killer Bitch, every single booby-prize that Owen and Steve put each other through, all of our pre-titles and post-credit stingers, and loads more. It's not gift wrapped. It's not store-bought. There's no receipt so you can't go and exchange it for any other podcast during the Boxing Day sales. But hopefully it'll keep you company should you be enduring any agonisingly long car journeys over this festive period. Merry Christmas all and a happy new year from everyone here at Failed Critics! | Listen |
| Character Unlock: So Long, 2016 | |
| As the year draws to a close and everyone takes this opportunity to breathe a sigh of relief that the seemingly unending misery of the year of our Lord 2016 is finally over, it seems that we've actually had a pretty decent year for gaming. To celebrate, join hosts Andrew Brooker and John Miller as they rattle down their best games of the year; and scrape the barrel to name a couple of rubbish ones. The lads drag out some games that they've talked about before on previous episodes, refusing to stop beating those dead horses and instead opt to get as much life out of them as possible; as well as finally getting to talk about a couple of games that they've been holding on to for just this occasion. Tension and drama aplenty as John tries to big up one of his favourite games of the year but throws abuse at it instead, leaving Brooker to defend not only that, but the TWO Bethesda published games that John refuses to believe are good. Will this episode turn into a shouting match? Will either of them come out alive? Can you guess the one and only game the lads agreed on? All these answers and more in our final episode of 2016. Join us bright and early in 2017, hopefully before anything awful has happened, to welcome a couple of guests onto the show where we dissect the Assassin's Creed franchise. Merry Christmas everyone. Thanks for listening to us ramble on over the back end of this year and we look forward to prattling on for hours on end come the n | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Rogue Three - A Star Wars Podcast | |
| Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away... a bunch of humanoids (that rather suspiciously looked a lot like regular homo-sapiens) hatched a plan to steal some prized blueprints that will allow these feisty rebels to finally topple their evil authoritarian overlord once and for all. Unfortunately for them, the best they could manage was to kick this wretched git off their podcast for a week instead, as Steve Norman, Paul Field and "Crisp Packet" Dave Valentine return for another Star Wars special episode - sans Owen Hughes. With the arrival of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in cinemas this week - heralding Disney's monopoly over the Christmas blockbuster with their second attempt at reviving George Lucas's space-opera adventure series - we reunited last year's trio to dissect all things good and bad with the post-prequel-sequel-prequel... thing... There's a quiz (of course there's a quiz) that Quizcast host Paul takes charge of again, putting our Star Wars knowledge to the test, before a run through of the once-canon (but no longer so) spin-offs that arrived prior to 2015's The Force Awakens, including a very Ewoky Christmas and some surprisingly good animated shows. We won't be releasing a new podcast next week, but you can still check out last week's Christmas special if you're feeling festive! In the meantime, make sure you send in your votes for the Failed Critics Awards 2016 at failedcritics.com before midnight 27 D | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Secret Sandra Xmas Special | |
| We left some mince pies and a nip of sherry out in the nip of sherry in a vain attempt to attract someone jolly onto the Christmas special podcast this year but instead we ended up with Steve Norman, Owen Hughes, Brian Plank and Tony Black. Festive frivolities ensue on our very merry podcast with a Christmas-themed quiz to kick things off before a plug for our Failed Critics Awards 2016 (which you can vote for here before 27 December: https://failedcritics.com/2016/12/12/failed-critics-awards-voting-2016/) and a glimpse at what we might be picking for each category. You can thank Tony's autocorrect for the invention of our Secret Sandra section of the show. Anonymously exchanging movies amongst each other in a 'secret santa' format, we somehow only exchanged one lump of coal. Steve ended up watching quirky black comedy I Love You, Philip Morris, whilst Brian unwrapped The Internet's Own Boy (a documentary about Aaron Swartz) and Tony mulled over topical horror-comedy Krampus. Meanwhile, Owen sulked in the corner at being made to watch Kevin James's Netflix Original, True Memoirs of an International Assassin. We stuffed the Failed Critics Podcast Christmas turkey with a few new releases just for good measure (and to hide the taste of our giblets). There's a few choice words for Office Christmas Party (look out for Brooker's written review tomorrow - it's a doozy) and a word of warning for those hoping to catch Nat | Listen |
| Character Unlock: All The News Fit To Ignore | |
| As the year heads towards its end, it can only mean one thing: The annual splurge of awards shows and self-congratulatory press conferences continue and are going strong. In this last week, we've had the latest Geoff Keighley wank-a-thon award show. Whilst hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker are skipping out on the awards, "who won what" and "what missed out", it is one of the best places outside of the gaming conventions to get an announcement or two and a few new trailers. This is where the lads are spending their time today. Talking of gaming conventions, Sony's first party touch-fest, "The Playstation Experience" gave us an hour long list of trailers, announcements and general silliness that the boys get into as well. In what is likely to be a semi-regular occurrence, the guys have turned their video game podcast into a news broadcast. They get everything off their chests from the last few days, covering both shows and their opinions on just about everything. Is Brooker likely to play The Last Guardian? What's his issue with Duke Nukem? And does John really not like Japanese people? Join us next time for our end of year special (so our hosts can get their best and worst games of the year out in the open). | Listen |
| Failed Critics Quizcast: Walk Right In | |
| You may have noticed that no podcast was published last week. Well, consider this week's special Quizcast episode our apology. An episode was recorded, but there was no time to edit it between then and this week's episode - hence why it's just gone 4.09am and here I am trying to publish in time for people's commutes on Tuesday! In our second quizcast of the year, we're rejoined by the FUTstock podcast's (previously FUThead) Matt Aguilera and Matt Lambourne after April's triumph. Making their debuts on the quizcast special are Ben Challoner and Daryl Bar from Sudden Double Deep, the triple bill title podcast. In a strange turn of events, we actually let Paul Field onto an episode that's entirely a quiz, despite his wretched run.... But not to worry, we've made him host so that Owen Hughes and Steve Norman can compete together as a team - we presume Steve was not aware of Owen's dismal losing streak in our previous attempts to win this thing. We'll be back as normal next week. | Listen |
| Character Unlock: Ninjas, Hackers and Number Twos | |
| No sooner have hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker dusted themselves off from their mammoth Call of Duty special than they return for the third week in a row with a new episode. As Christmas approaches and everyone starts to do their "Best of 2016" lists - ours will be here in a few weeks - it must mean that the first game awards show of the season is upon us. As much as Brooker protests that he hates game awards, the pair manage to fumble their way through some of the more prominent awards from last week's Golden Joysticks. In an unusual turn, December's Games for Gold makes the news this week as the lads gush over the freebies we get over the festive season. John tries to convince Brooker of the virtues of Motorsport Manager this week, while Brooker confesses his undying love for left-to-die shooter, Titanfall 2 in this episodes What We've Been Playing. The guys also find time to chat about Watch Dogs 2, another sequel that surpasses its original. Rounding things off is a back and forth with the boys discussing stealth games, both good and bad, as John lets his inner pyromaniac out and Brooker makes a confession that ruins all his credibility as a gamer! Come join us in a fortnight for more shambolic nonsense as Character Unlock talks episodic gaming. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Unremarkable Gits and Where to Find Them | |
| The team have all got their wands out and they're not afraid to [---DM unsolicited pictures of them---] show them in the latest triple bill episode of the Failed Critics podcast in honour of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, starring Meddie Redbayne as Newt Scaramanger. Hosts Steve Norman, Owen Hughes and Tony Black pick three movies each from the back catalogue of various stars from the big new release that's reigniting the Harry Potter extended universe (ugh), with an accompanying review courtesy of Mr Black. That's not the only latest release on this week's episode to receive a review, as Owen explains why his Twitter went nuts after he watched the Ken Loach drama, I, Daniel Blake. Meanwhile Steve rounds up what's happened so far in The Walking Dead as we slowly lurch closer to the mid-season break. There's quizzing, a chat about video game adaptations with the news that another attempt at making a Mortal Kombat movie gets off the ground, and a futile rant about the lack of independent movies shown in Cineworld. | Listen |
| Character Unlock: Recipe for Good COD - Part 2 | |
| Our health is regenerated and our load outs reset - that must mean that your Character Unlock hosts are back and ready for more Call of Duty shenanigans. John and Brooker return to finish off their retrospective of the legendary shooter series that may, or may not, be on the downward spiral for this half of the franchise's history before digging into Infinite Warfare, the latest instalment to divide the community. The lads talk all things story, before touching on the game's multiplayer and, with the help of their audience, finally musing on what Call of a Duty need to do to keep its status as the granddaddy of all shooters going forward. Recommendations for the week and community shoutouts round of this marathon two-parter that all but killed its hosts. Join us next week for a quieter, more ninja Lila instalment as the boys talk stealth games in honour of the recently released Dishonoured 2. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Arrival | |
| Insert your own pun here about the main review on this week's podcast being Arrival and yet you're receiving another episode nearly three days late... Go on.. I know you want to. Get it out of your system. Well done. Now onto the other stuff in this week's show with hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes, and guests Andrew Brooker and Tony Black. It seems only fair that I issue a warning to anybody of any decent moral sensibility who will almost certainly find the use of a particular word in this episode outrageously offensive. It's not out of the ordinary for the Failed Critics to amuse themselves during recording by being as outrageously offensive to each other as they can. Consider this a sneak-peak behind the curtains of what almost always has to be edited out so that you can listen to the normally only mildly offensive language on the podcast. The fact that this episode is still heavily edited, and this isn't the worst of what had to be taken out of the show, should give you a flavour of how a recording session usually goes. You have been warned. Elsewhere on the episode: Owen spends ages trying to explain why Green Inferno is great and why you're all wrong; Tony gets grilled over The Danish Girl; Steve continues his lifelong quest to find a film about a dog that will make him cry more than Homeward Bound as he catches up on Max; and Brooker reveals the mystery booby-prize that was sent his way for losing last week's quiz. We also find time to tha | Listen |
| Character Unlock: Recipe for Good COD - Part 1 | |
| As the annual season of game release insanity comes to a head this week with the release of the latest instalment in Activision's behemoth shooter franchise, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, it seems only fitting to spend some time talking about the series that has revolutionised the gaming industry time and time again. Hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker dive into this almighty series, they are offered a momentary distraction as they find some time to talk about that one day a year that gets RPG fans salivating, November 7th, more affectionately called "N7 Day" in those parts of the Internet that only some dare enter. As John picks apart the news on the latest Mass Effect, Brooker's eyes glaze over, barely understanding a word and just nodding politely before the pair sink their teeth into the meat of this episode. Digging into the early games in the Call of Duty franchise and ploughing through to arguably the games that changed the world, the lads call it a day somewhere around game six and find cover to let their health recover. Join them for part two of this mammoth undertaking next week. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Magic Number | |
| Counting on all of his fingers and toes like a mildly autistic Ben Affleck in this week's main review, The Accountant, Steve Norman has discovered the magic number! Turns out that De La Soul weren't lying and it is three. Steve, Paul Field and Andrew Brooker, if you want to be precise, with Owen Hughes on a camping trip in Wales or something. As well as yet another 2016 thriller to barely register any thrills, there's also room on this week's bitesize episode to review two other new releases, as Brooker dissects Nocturnal Animals and Paul kicks off the section with a new horror film, Rupture, starring Noomi Rapace. We also have What We've Been Watching with competitive tickling documentary (no, really), Tickled, plus indie horror The Neighbour - and even a few softcore pornos make it on with the boss absent (sort of). Tsk tsk. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Doctor Strange | |
| Apologies for this week's podcast being so late. It took us a little while to master the art of manipulating time and space, unlike a certain Marvel wizard who can montage his way through ancient texts on the topic. Steve Norman was closely guarding the FC library which meant Owen Hughes, Brian Plank and Andrew Brooker had to use all their cunning to get past him. You know what, I'm just going to end that metaphor there. It's possibly the worst one I've ever come up with and I'll just tell you what's on the podcast this week. The big new release this week is - as you've probably ascertained - the new Marvel movie, Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Benedict Wong, Chiewetel Ejiofor amongst others. (Scott Adkins!) In What We've Been Watching, Steve stays quiet as Brian declares Hot Fuzz the best of the Cornetto trilogy, Brooker quenches his appetite for all things gruesome and grotesque with The Woman, and Owen doesn't watch anything at all, but reviews the BBC Radio4 horror The Stone Tape by Peter Strickland (of Berbarian Sound Studio fame). | Listen |
| Character Unlock: The Horror.. The Horror! | |
| As the nights draw in and the temperature drops, as the sweet cupboard fills up and the pumpkins are carved, it can only mean one thing... Halloween is just around the corner. What better way to celebrate than giving knocking on people doors and stealing lollipops from small children a miss for a night and spending a bit of time comparing our favourite (and least favourite) scary games? John "The Madman" Miller and Andrew "Axe Murderer" Brooker are joined by their first guest, The X-Cast host and podcast veteran "Spooky" Tony Black (who managed to leave the podcast this week with an enormous list of must-play games). Together, the trio take on the first week of decent news since Character Unlock began and dig into what they've been playing since we last heard from them. Our latest episode tackles the new Nintendo Switch announcement as the guys ponder the future of the console maker and try to decide whether or not their new console is worth spending money on. We talk about Red Dead Redemption 2, the game guaranteed to be the biggest release of whatever year it gets delayed to. And super fans Tony and Brooker forget they're not on a film podcast and dissect the latest Assassin's Creed movie trailer. A plethora of newer releases get the What We've Been Playing treatment as Battlefield 1, No Man's Sky and Gears of War 4 are all analysed within an inch of their lives as John falls in love with the World War 1 shooter, Tony gushes ov | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: 36th Cambridge Film Festival Special | |
| As the 36th Cambridge Film Festival nears its conclusion, we round-up and preview some of the best independent and international movies that you still have a chance to see! In this episode, Owen Hughes guides you through our pick of the bunch as he's joined by our world cinema experts Liam and Andy (who you may remember contributed to our World Cinema Special podcast back in January). From Romanian and Greek, to Ecuadorian and Colombian films. From docu-dramas to short film compilations. On topics as diverse as incest and the Russian avant-garde movement. If you're looking for a movie that's just off the beaten track from the usual mainstream cinema, then we've got you covered. In the podcast, we chat about: Cloudy Sunday - Showing Wednesday 26th October, 4pm (Arts Picturehouse); Next Generation Tiger Shorts 2016 - Wednesday 26th, 5.30pm (Cinemobile); Wonderland - Wednesday 26th, 5.30pm (Arts Picturehouse); Between Sea and Land - Wed 26th 8pm (Arts Picturehouse) & Thu 27th 12.45pm (cinemobile); Alba - Thursday 27th, 5.30pm (Arts Picturehouse); Illegitimate - Thursday 27th, 6.15pm (Arts Picturehouse). Plus the Dutch Scottish drama Bodkin Ras, high-brow documentary Revolution - New Art for a New World, and Andy's favourite from the festival, Austrian drama One of Us. All of which you're too late to catch at the festival, but are worth digging out if you can find them! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Halloween Necromancing Triple Bill | |
| Brushing the cobwebs out of the way through the passage right at the back of the Failed Critics library, where nobody has been for centuries or more, we've found an ancient book containing spells for raising the dead. Using our powers wisely, we let Steve Norman, Owen Hughes and Tony Black conjure up some deceased actors, putting them straight back to work in brand new movies pitched on this very episode of the Failed Critics Podcast Halloween special. Resurrecting the dead in a triple bill is about as creepy as it gets this year, with What We've Been Watching ditched in favour of reviewing the new release Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, and a quick chat about the brand new semi-biographical comedy The Comedian's Guide to Survival, starring James Buckley (The Inbetweeners). Comedian's Guide is co-written by and based on the life of our very own James Mullinger from Underground Nights - check out their latest episode for some great background information on the making of the hilarious film. Elsewhere on this podcast, the Failed Critics found time to bring back the quiz with Owen in the driving seat. News was trailer heavy, packed with discussion about the new Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Logan trailers. We'll be back as normal next week with a review of Doctor Strange, but in the meantime keep an eye out for a brand new episode of our sister gaming podcast Character Unlock - as well as a round-up from this year's Cambridge Film Festival, | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: London Film Festival 2016 Special | |
| Before writer Callum Petch had even got his foot through the door upon returning from Ben Wheatley's Free Fire last Sunday, he was answering a telephone call from Failed Critics to let us know exactly how it - and the rest of the BFI London Film Festival - had been this year. This special bonus podcast is the result of that call, as Callum kindly rounds up five of the best, and a few of the rest from the 60th LFF. If you've been following his posts on the site, you'll have a good idea of which movies came out top, as well as those that flattered to deceive. Did Paul Verhoeven's latest feature, Elle, make the cut? What about the new Denis Villeneuve sci-fi, Arrival? Was it as good as Sicario, Prisoners and Enemy? How was Oldboy director Park Chan-wook's The Handmaiden received? You'll just have to listen to the podcast to find out! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Trilogy Trashing Triple Bill | |
| The Earth still spins, the sun still shines and Hollywood still makes trilogies that nobody in their right mind wants, with Ron Howard's third Dan Brown adaptation, Inferno, hitting cinemas last weekend. Rather than expend any amount of energy reviewing the Tom Hanks led mystery thriller, the Failed Critics instead run through a triple bill of film franchises that should have ended before getting to the trilogy stage. Boy, were there plenty to choose from! With regular host Steve Norman off celebrating his birthday, we drafted in Matt Lambourne to swivel on the comfy high-backed armchair and guide Owen Hughes, Brian Plank and Tony Black through another podcast. There's no quiz this week, but a discussion about the new Star Wars: Rogue One trailer arose, as did a short summary of this year's London Film Festival. In What We've Been Watching, the team cover Netflix series Luke Cage and half of their newest feature-length comedy, Mascots. There's even time for a chat about HBO's latest smash hit, Westworld, up to episode three (spoiler free!) Join us again next week as we're back with a Halloween triple bill, resurrecting the dead... Spooky! | Listen |
| Character Unlock: Racer's Paradise Achievement Unlocked | |
| Welcome to our second episode of Failed Critics' basement lingering, video game-centric spin off, Character Unlock! Hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker have stolen the keys to some of the shiniest and fastest cars you can ever imagine getting your hands on and they plan to tear around the streets for an hour or so. Celebrating the beginning of Silly Season 2016 by completely avoiding new releases for a couple of weeks, the boys delve into this year's FIFA iteration and the disappointing sequel Homefront: The Revolution, before digging into futuristic follow-on Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and wondering what's next for the fan-favourite franchise. They pick apart newly released PlayStation VR and the games that were (and weren't) allowed out for review before the hardware came out, all whilst waxing lyrical about why that might be. The pair also kick the tyres on Forza Horizon 3, the latest in the free-roam racing series. Finally, stealing more of the Failed Critics patter, Brooker and John list out a triple bill on 'racing in games', picking their three favourites and checking them against listeners' suggestions. Join us again in a couple of weeks when the lads talk all things horror games - or maybe come join the conversation on Twitter (@CharacterUnlock) and Facebook (facebook.com/characterunlock). | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Guys On The Pod | |
| All aboard! Every week Owen Hughes rides the Failed Critics steam train from host Steve Norman's caravan park in Swanage all the way to guest Andrew Brooker's residence in Milton Keynes, stopping at the exact same point along the way to peer through the windows of the FC HQ in Oxford. Unfortunately there are no affairs or murders for him to observe and fantasise about, only a depressed version of himself wondering why the bloody hell he sits through these uninspiring movies that 2016 keeps on churning out. Specifically the latest to cross the team's path, The Girl on the Train, starring Emily Blunt. This week's journey also pulls in at the games and tech podcast Super Pixels Radio stop. Failed Critics debutant Elliot Beverley chats with Owen about the animated stop-motion family movie, Kubo and the Two Strings. We also have the buffet cart stocked with the latest trailers from the New York Comic Convention. It's got all of your favourites only slightly overpriced, including Power Rangers, John Wick 2, Iron Fist, and the new Resident Evil and War of the Planet of the Apes teasers. In What We've Been Watching, Brooker leaves the quiet carriage to shout about the Ghostbusters extended edition, while Steve shimmies out of the bog after feeling less than Supersonic to review the new Oasis documentary, as well as revisiting The Martian for the first time since its cinema release. Join us again next week for a triple bill of film franchises that | Listen |
| Character Unlock: You Have Earned The Episode One Trophy | |
| Ejecting the Blu-ray from our PS4 and using it for its intended purpose for a change, the Failed Critics have booted up a computer game or two and put the movies back on the shelf for the first ever episode of our brand new sister-podcast, Character Unlock. Andrew Brooker and John Miller host the pilot episode, kicking off with a run down from EGX 2016. It's not just top-down racing games that John got to play, as Battlfield 1, Forza Horizon 3, FIFA 17 and plenty of indie games went under his microscope at the event. Plus, this week Brooker chats with game reviewer-turned-game developer, Kevin Van Ord, about his career, what he thinks about early access for Original Sin 2, and sneaking Scottish euphemisms into Dwarven dialogue. They round off the podcast by answering your questions that you sent to us via our Facebook and Twitter feeds. Want to get to know Brooker and John? Listen to find out how they met, what their favourite games are, which games series' they would combine, and how many worms they think it takes to change a lightbulb. Hey, you asked. We answered. If you enjoy the episode, if you have any feedback or things you'd like to hear on future podcasts, please let us know either on Facebook or Twitter (both @CharacterUnlock) or email failedcritics@gmail.com. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Mr Peregrine's Podcast for Peculiar People | |
| Wahey look how quirky and gothic we are as hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes stumble around for far longer than they should on this week's podcast discussing Tim Burton's latest zany fantasy film, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Ooooh we're so weird. Steve's got a face full of wasps and Owen constantly props himself up with sticks else he sinks into the ground. It's fine though because of the randomness and wacky way we present ourselves so you'll have to love it. (Oh, by the way, I was being sarcastic.) In less annoying Burton-esque tropes, the pair struggle to get a handle on why Disney are bothering to remake The Lion King and end the show rather unusually by trying to figure out exactly what's wrong with the BBC's sitcoms lately. In What We've Been Watching, Steve also finally gets to see Don't Breathe after its glowing review on the podcast a few weeks back, whilst Owen revisits the remake of one of his favourite ever movies in 2008's Day of the Dead. Join us again next week for a slightly more on track podcast (presumably). | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Not-so-bad Four | |
| Yeehaw, listeners! It's a darn tootin' mighty fine show we've got for you this week. Hosts Steve 'the kid' Norman and Smilin' Owen Hughes are joined by pardners The Liam With No Surname and Django Brooker for a special westerns triple bill episode. Their pistols are cocked and ready to fire on each of their favourite three westerns in honour of this week's big new release, Antoine Fuqua's The Magnificent Seven, starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke and Lee Byung-hun amongst others. A 'west' inspired quiz opened the podcast with the score delicately poised at 2-2 between Owen and Steve, who was just one loss away from watching the abhorrent Killer Bitch. There was also time for a short chat about the furore over the latest images from the Jumanji sequel. Join us again next week for reviews of Deepwater Horizon and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Blair Witch or Killer B*tch | |
| Hello and welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast. Proving that they're not just a pair of losers with no friends, hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are back again but this time Paul Field and Tony Black join them. As ever the podcast kicks off with a quiz, this week hosted by Steve, that puts the Failed Critics' soap knowledge to the test, before they move on to What We've Been Watching. Paul makes a bold declaration that Park Chan-wook's Handmaiden is the Oldboy director's best film yet; Steve also takes a trip to Korean cinema with zombie-thriller Train to Busan; Tony reaches peak noughties teen melodrama as he continues his run-through of Smallville; and Owen laments ever letting Paul know his address after receiving a copy of British gangster-exploitation flick Killer Bitch in the post. The big new release this week for the team to chew over is Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard's eagerly anticipated Blair Witch, the sequel to the iconic cult classic, The Blair Witch Project in case you were wondering. It also leads to the second quiz of the week, with Paul surprising the other three with a game of 'Bitch' or 'Witch'! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Drunks on Film Triple Bill | |
| Welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast where hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes were left entirely to their own devices as both guests bailed on them faster than Gareth Bale operating an AB 43HS-series. (It's a waste-handling baler. It bales stuff.) Hastily rejigging the content of the show just hours before recording, the podcast this week features a triple bill about drunks on film, suggested to us by Underground Nights co-host, Paul Field. Presumably in honour of the fact he and Jonathan Sothcott got legless recently and professed their love for Failed Critics down the phone to us. Either way, it produced some interesting choices from both Owen and Steve, even if we do say so ourselves. Also on the podcast this week, the pair discuss the news that Dev Patel is absolutely unequivocally 100% not in a new Slumdog film (or is he??) plus Joe Manganiello being cast as the only villain in Ben Affleck's solo-Batman movie (or is he??). There's also time to squeeze in a couple of reviews. Steve discusses the unwanted and totally pointless Ben-Hur remake that makes a mockery of the original and flagrantly disregards the lack of audience for modern epics. Owen fares slightly better with the Fede Alvarez horror / thriller / home-invasion / psychological-drama / thing, Don't Breathe in all of its Sam Raimi produced glory. Join us again next week as Paul and Tony Black help us to review the latest Adam Wingard and Simo | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Going out on a High-atus | |
| No, your podcast player of choice has not gone insane. You are receiving two entirely different episodes of Front Row with Owen and Paul within the space of three days. To make up for the very late publishing of the previous episode, we're putting this one out early. It's also the final episode of Front Row for the foreseeable future. Series three has been a blast to record and produce. Both co-hosts Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland are hugely appreciative of all the input we've received from listeners during the live Bucks101 Radio broadcasts over the past seven weeks. It's meant a lot to us, but like most good things, it has to come to an end. At least temporarily. Owen and Paul explain the reason for the hiatus on this week's podcast edition of Monday's live show during the final roll-the-dice section. Elsewhere, Owen reviews adult-animated comedy Sausage Party, whilst Paul has a fully prepared sports round-up leading to a conversation about Sam Allardyce's first game in charge of the England football team. Thanks again for all your support over the past three series. Who knows, we may see the show reincarnated in some form or other. In the meantime, why not listen to the Failed Critics Podcast for more of Owen's film reviews, or read Paul's blog to keep up to date with his antics. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Sausage Party | |
| It's getting a bit musky in the FC HQ this week as Steve Norman, Owen Hughes and Callum Petch engage in their very own sausage party to review Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's latest collaboration. The foul-mouthed animated comedy pretty much divided the group down the middle, but you'll have to listen to find out who hated it, who thought it was fine, and who loved it. Elsewhere on the pod: hooked on an Ashton Kutcher-fix, Steve reviews time-travelling sci-fi The Butterfly Effect; Owen realises he should watch a film before coming on a film podcast so squeezes in a first viewing of Roger Corman's Piranha; and Callum revisits an old favourite in Scott Pilgrim vs the World to see if he still likes it in the same way as he used to. Plus there's quizzing, recommendations, chat about who is a chan of Jackie Fan (who isn't a Jackie Fan chan?) and Callum comprehensively guides us through this year's London Film Festival line-up. Join the same trio again as well as the returning Tony Black next week for (sigh) Ben Hur. | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: And You! | |
| Quite possibly the longest we've ever left it between the live Bucks101 Radio broadcast of Front Row with Owen and Paul, and the eventual podcast edit of the show. In fact, in the meantime, we've even broadcast an entire other show. Sorry about that. But this was a good one, we promise. Mainly, I suppose, because most of the content was decided by you, the listener, and not us! To tie into the fact that one or the other of Owen and Paul have been missing at least once this series, we thought the best thing to do would be to let you choose the music - and we had some crackers! Idgy Dean, I Start Counting, erm... AC/DC... It wasn't just music last week. We also talked a little about The Purge: Election Year, the (then) latest football results amongst the sports round-up and even managed to fit in enough time to roll the dice and rant about E4's new barrel-scraping bottom-feeder of a show, Celebs Go Dating. Urgh. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Rubber Faced Bottom Buckets | |
| Welcome to this week's episode of the Failed Critics Podcast where we're once again Steve Norman-less. But don't panic! Tony Black is here to spare you the agony of having to listen to Owen Hughes attempt to host the show. Tony and Owen were also joined by special guests and lovely chaps Daryl Bär and Ben Challoner from the Sudden Double Deep podcast, whose wit, intelligence and fantastic insults make them a more than welcome addition to Failed Critics. Together the team try to come to terms with the news of Gene Wilder's passing breaking just minutes before recording started, as well as perusing the BBC Culture poll of the top 100 films of the 21st century, plus a quick glance at the latest figures around who earns what in Hollywood. The main releases this week include: the latest Jason Statham action vehicle Mechanic: Resurrection; a barrel of laughs and a barrel-sized Jonah Hill in the "based on a true story" black comedy War Dogs; and dystopian thrills and not-much-bloody-spills with The Purge: Election Year. There was even a teensy bit of room for us to chat about all the films we've been watching lately. Found-footage horror As Above, So Below crossed Owen's path, whilst documentaries were the order of the day for the remaining trio. Daryl takes us through the insightful Glory Daze: The Life and Times of Michael Alig, Ben was lucky enough to catch Weiner, and Tony spreads the love about the unambiguous Doomed: The Unt | Listen |
| Front Row[en] | |
| Welcome to this week's episode of Front Row with Owen and Paul-- wait, let me start that sentence again. Welcome to this week's episode of Front Row with Owen. That's better. Unfortunately, Front Row co-host Paul Rutland couldn't make this week's broadcast of their Bucks101 Radio show (Monday, 2pm) and Owen Hughes left it too late to find a replacement so ended up running an entire episode on his own. Oops. Nevertheless, short though the runtime for this week's podcast may be, we still squeeze in a recap of Ricky Gervais' career thus far as well as a round-up of the previous week in sport - including the Olympics closing ceremony that nobody watched and one mind-boggling football statistic. Rather unusually, the entire broadcast of this week's episode of Front Row including the music is also available to listen back to via Owen's YouTube page until it is deemed to contravene some copyright law or other: https://youtu.be/ryj3RvfP8tM | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Fright Night Triple Bill | |
| Murdered in his sleep, chopped up into tiny pieces and stuffed down the back of Paul Field's sofa. That's what we presume is the reason behind the Underground Nights co-host taking over duties from the absent Steve Norman this week as he joins Owen Hughes and Andrew Brooker for this week's triple bill podcast. Each of the trio picks three films that have frightened them - not necessarily the scariest films they can think of, but rather, those that have at some point in their lives scared them beyond their senses. The theme for this triple bill was chosen with FrightFest in mind, which kicks off on Thursday this week and has a mini-preview of a couple of films that the team are keeping an eye out for. There's also room in the whopping 2 hour run-time for the Failed Critics to chat about more controversy over Sausage Party after last week's damning indictment of the way that film's producers have been treating the animators. This time, it's the Swedish age-rating system that feels the full force of the podcast. Take that, Sweden! New releases this week includes the return of Ricky Gervais's comedy character David Brent in feature film Life on the Road hitting cinemas this past Friday. Brooker also shines a light on the latest horror-by-numbers, Lights Out. | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: BadmintohmyGod | |
| Just like that time they tried to watch a football match at the same time as recording their Bucks101 Radio show (Monday's at 2pm!), Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland are at it again this week as they outro the podcast with a bit of live Olympics coverage. Specifically the mens badminton quarter-finals, which Paul gets a tad over-excited about! Also on this week's episode of Front Row, there's a little bit of music, a round-up of Team GB's impressive haul out in Rio and a movie review of shark-vs-woman thriller, The Shallows. Also, to be a good friend, Paul put himself through Suicide Squad, which turned out exactly as you expected it might've. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Pod Handed | |
| Awright, settle down you slags. The Failed Critics Podcast is here, keep your hair on you bunch of Berkley Hunt's. Influenced by the paedo-hunting vigilante killers in the expectedly awful geezer-movie Mob Handed, hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are up to no good with their partner in crime, Callum Petch. As well as a full-on dismantling of the aforementioned since-proclaimed "worst movie" that Owen and Steve have ever made each other watch (nudging out the likes of Kill Keith, United Passions and Spice World), we also cover the news this week that the animators on Sausage Party have been dicked on. Or.. weinered on? Anyway. We also have reviews of the first ever entry into the expanded DC universe* with Wes Craven's 1980's cult creature feature, Swamp Thing (*that's a joke), the bizarre / wonderful / strange / odd / quirky / surreal / [delete as applicable] film The Lobster, plus Callum deals a blow for nostalgia as it turns out that Highlander isn't actually all that good, really. Main releases covered this week also include four new films. The latest YA novel to be adapted into a movie sees Callum find a glimmer of hope in Nerve; Owen rips junks out of shark + girl film The Shallows; Pete's Dragon is just a one decade too late for this Failed Critic; and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is fine but find out why Hollywood really needs to just stop this now. Join Owen again next week sans Steve, w | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Evil 'kin Evil | |
| Better late than never? And only a day before the live broadcast of the next episode on Bucks101 Radio (1pm, tune in here), it's the Front Row podcast! This week hosts Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland discuss Olympics medalists and the start of the football season (which leads to another rant from Paul in roll the dice), whilst Owen reviews the latest comic-book action blockbuster, Suicide Squad, much to Paul's delight. All of this while being soundtracked by the sound of passing motorcyclists. The joy's of recording live radio in a tiny study with a window onto a busy road! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Suicide Pod | |
| Wearing skimpy clothes and carrying a baseball bat with a miserable face carved into it with a compass, Steve "Har-leaky Quim" Norman is not about to let your perception of his sexual promiscuity define him as he wanders in to lead this week's podcast, all about DC's latest entry to their extended movie universe: it's David Ayer's rogues-done-good ensemble actioner, Suicide Squad. Taking pot-shots at the film with his uber-cool Nerf missile launcher strapped to his bogey-covered sleeve, Andrew "Deadsnot" Brooker lends a slightly-crusty hand on this week's episode. As does Owen "The Inch-and-less" Hughes, possessed by the spirit of a stroppy old misanthropic witch, but you probably can't tell that there's anything different about him compared with any previous podcast appearance in fairness. Suicide Squad gets a once over from the ragtag bunch of misfits spoiler-free, before a post-credits review that delves more deeply into some of the finer points of the plot, should you wish to listen to us prattle on even longer. We also preview Hunter Johnson's upcoming indie-horror 2 Jennifer - the sequel to James Cullen Bressack's 2013 indie thriller To Jennifer - shot entirely on an iPhone, as well as Steve's rewatch of iconic American TV series Homeland, plus a first watch of this year's folk-horror The Witch. The Asylum doesn't escape criticism on the pod either after releasing yet another entry in the unbelievably popular f | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Return to Owz | |
| Welcome to the second episode of our third stab at this Front Row malarkey. Dan Morris has clicked his heels and returned to Kansas, or Wales, or Stoke, or wherever it was he was from, and it's led to a poorly received, slightly odder follow-up, as we Return to Owz. Owz... like, Oz, but with 'Owen', because he's back this week alongside co-host Paul Rutland. (Owen+z. Owenz... Owz... You know what? Never mind.) On last week's Bucks101 Radio show (broadcast Monday's at 2pm) both Owen and Paul delved into just why exactly it was that one of them walked out on a screening of Star Trek Beyond - an issue raised on the first episode of this series. We also have our regular sports round-up, replete with a preview of the Olympics in Rio - something you can watch Paul do again in a slightly more organised fashion for Buckingham News: https://youtu.be/8eQlBr36qEY?t=12m53s We also roll the dice and end up extolling the virtues of more Netflix shows as Owen gushes over both Stranger Things and the third season of BoJack Horseman. | Listen |
| Front Row with[out Owen, just] Paul and ... Dan? | |
| A new University term begins (yes, that's right, we don't get a summer break!) and it's also a new hour-long time-slot on Bucks101 Radio for the third series of Front Row with Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland, every Monday from 2pm. With it comes our weekly bitesize podcast edition of the show as the duo chat about films, sports and whatever else their topical dice lands on. Although the series kicks off in a slightly unconventional fashion as co-host Owen was unable to make the opening episode, so Dan Morris ably steps in to cover. With no specific movie review to speak of, Dan instead leads a conversation about the latest batch of trailers straight from San Diego Comic-Con, which in turns causes Paul to drag up a favourite debate on Front Row about comic book films in general. The sports round-up also takes a slightly different slant as Paul questions why Dan supports Wales in rugby and England in football - and why that's quite possibly the most unfortunate way around at the moment. Paul also lauds the achievements of Chris Froome after his Tour de France triumph. Unfortunately, Owen is still in possession of the only dice in the Bucks101 Radio studio, so instead our final section of the show allows Dan and Paul to chat about the phenomenon that is Pokemon Go. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Sports Triple Bill II | |
| Refusing to stay down on the mat and not allowing our coach to throw in the towel, the Failed Critics are steadily climbing to their feet for one final round of the sports triple bill. The first of which was concluded back in August 2012, in time for the London Olympics. This one, coincidentally, is being released just ahead of the Rio Olympics! Almost as if it were intentionally planned that way... Hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by Andrew Brooker and - fresh from his local Richer Sounds with a brand new microphone - Brian Plank. Each Failed Critic chose their three favourite sports movies. Did Owen try and shoehorn in Brewster's Millions again? Did Steve just list the three Mighty Ducks movies? Did Brooker choose a film featuring a sport that isn't American Football? Is there a single book about sports that Brian hasn't read? You'll have to listen to find out. Also this week, due to the quick turnaround in podcasts, with the last Star Trek Beyond episode only released a few days ago, not much has happened in the world of film that wasn't discussed previously, so the team forgo the news section for a slightly extended Olympics-themed movie quiz and a chat about the Bourne franchise - including a review of this weekend's big release, Jason Bourne. Join us again in just over a week's time as we get back to our regular recording schedule for a review of the hotly anticipated Suicide Squad. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast Beyond | |
| Welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast, boldly going where we've only been once before. That is to say, it's another episode without any guests! Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are left to their own devices, and yet still end up discussing two new releases. They review the latest sci-fi franchise to become a trilogy in Star Trek Beyond - well, one of them can review it as the other hasn't seen it (all) - as well as Spielberg's adaptation of everybody's favourite childhood author, Roald Dahl's classic, The BFG. Elsewhere on the show, the duo run through as many of the trailers from San Diego Comic Con as they could get their hands on, plus Steve's reaction to The Ouija Experiment, his booby-prize for losing last week's quiz. There's also enough time for some appreciation for The Purge films ahead of next month's release of Election Year, as well as a quick appreciation for Andy Samberg's latest comedy, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, which is also due out exactly one month from today. Join us again next week for a special triple-bill episode loosely connected to the forthcoming Olympics! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Ghostbusters | |
| Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, where the traditionally entirely-male line-up has been replaced, with hosts Stephanie Norman and Olivia Hughes, and their guests Andrea Brooker and Brianna Plank - and if anything, it's an improvement over the originals. The re-imagined, re-booted, re-failed foursome review the comedy film that seemingly hasn't been able to escape public opinion over the past fortnight (for both good and bad reasons) - that is Paul Feig's Ghostbusters, starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth. The Ghostbusters appreciation doesn't stop there for one of the guests, as prior to our main review, Brooker enthused over fan-doc Ghostheads, which is available on Netflix. As, coincidentally, is the latest Netflix Original, the sci-fi fantasy drama Stranger Things, which receives heaps of praise from both Steve and Owen. We're all about the praise on this episode apparently as Brian also lavishes some on Guy Ritchie's spy-comedy from last year, The Man From UNCLE. There was even room this week for the group to discuss the Emmy nominations and for Steve to not mess-up the quiz! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Luminous Critics | |
| Welcome to this week's edition of the Failed Critics Podcast, where hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by special guest Paul Field to tackle a few new releases (and one not-so-new release). One new release that isn't reviewed (despite what was suggested on last week's podcast), due to an administrative cock-up of gargantuan-Stay-Puft proportions, is Ghostbusters. Sorry about that. You'll just have to tune in again next week. However, instead, Owen and Steve strived to stay awake long enough during the slog that was The Legend of Tarzan in order to share their thoughts with you all, whilst Paul survived an 80-mile round-trip specifically to see Nicolas Winding Refn's latest divisive feature, The Neon Demon. Elsewhere this week: Steve takes a nostalgia trip all the way back to the mid-90's for The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down or Speed Up Fast Enough To Escape the Simpsons Meme (aka Speed); Paul digs out the best fan-fiction he can find after watching Slash at the Munich Film Festival (and by "best", he means "smuttiest"); and Owen endures the micro-budget Amish horror/thriller/mystery/psychological/thing, The Harvesting. Unfortunately for Steve and Paul, it didn't come with a salad bar and free refills. The quiz this week was utter chaos - this time thanks to Steve, not Owen! But topical chats were had about Sulu's sexuality in Star Trek Beyond and the process of delaying or renaming fi | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: TV to Film Triple Bill | |
| Influenced by this week's triple bill, getting ideas above their station and blowing a huge amount of money on an extravagant holiday because they didn't quite know what else to do with it, Steve Norman and Owen Hughes return in a feature-length edition of the Failed Critics Podcast. With the help of their good friend Liam, the trio ramp things up to 11 and have a great time doing it! I mean, that's what you do when you turn an otherwise weekly serialised show into a big-budget production, right? Send all your mates on holiday to piss about in the sun whilst blowing huge wads of cash on a subpar (albeit much, much longer) episode of what you normally do? Well, at least this episode isn't subpar, even if it is longer than usual, as the Failed Critics each choose their three favourite movie adaptations of TV shows and/or characters. Everything was up for grabs, from "much loved" family flicks like The Simpsons Movie (nobody chose it), PopEye (not a chance) and The Flintstones (you must be kidding), to big-budget Hollywood re-inventions like Mission:Impossible (not a sausage), The Man From UNCLE (close but no cigar) and The Equaliser (I hate to break it to you, but...). It really could have been anything. The Sweeney! (nope), Dad's Army (nuh-uh) or even The Last Airbender (absolutely not, no way, not a snowflake's chance in hell!) As mentioned, this was a pretty full-on epis | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Tale of Resurgence | |
| With temporary host Paul Field getting to the ballot box and voting in blind panic to leave the Failed Critics Podcast after two long successful weeks, we finally have our Steve Norman back! Luckily, Steve hasn't done a Roy Hodgson as his team of Owen Hughes and Andrew Brooker don't bottle it on the grandest stage of all. Assuming that you of course agree that the "grandest stage" is of course a free audio podcast. This week's episode features reviews of three brand new releases, with a main review of Roland Emmerich's sci-fi disaster feature (well, what other kind of film was he going to make?) Independence Day: Resurgence. Set 20 years after the original, the aliens have come to reap their revenge - only this time, they're... just... going to do the same thing again. Probably because they knew there would be no Will Smith this time. Owen and Brooker also find time to discuss a fantasy movie worth watching as the Italian-French-English Tale of Tales arrives in cinemas - and on VOD services such as Curzon and Google Play simultaneously - just in a touch too late to show how well the UK can work with our European brethren. Speaking of Italian productions, Brooker also talks up Suburra, the crime film of the year that you probably haven't heard of. Meanwhile Steve conjures up a review of The Conjuring (see what I did there?) and Owen continues the horror-film discussion by reminding everybody how great Hellraiser is. All of this p | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (Commentary) | |
| Uh-huh-huh-huh-uh. Uh-huh-huh-huh-uh. Cool. It's the second ever Failed Critics commentary! Think of this podcast as less like an insightful DVD commentary for 90's comedy Beavis & Butt-Head Do America, and more like a watch-along-with as the team talk over Mike Judge's cult classic. Speaking of the team, Steve Norman sits this one out so it's up to Owen Hughes to host on his lonesome. Thankfully Matt Lambourne returns from last year's Blair Witch Project commentary podcast, who is also joined by Mike Judge mega-fan Paul Field. Just like last time, the film was streamed via Netflix UK, so if you want to watch Beavis & Butt-Head Do America underneath our commentary (which is the advisable way to listen to this podcast!), then we?ll tell you exactly when to hit the play button. | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Freaky Front Row | |
| It's finally happened. Front Row has gone all Freaky Friday. Owen Hughes put on his flip flops and shorts despite the rain pouring down outside, whilst Paul Rutland stopped listening to Kate Bush songs for just long enough to record the final episode of their podcast for this series. It wasn't just their taste in music and attire that was switched in this Bizarro Front Row. Paul took over review duties to discuss BBC Storyville's documentary The Lance Armstrong Story - Stop at Nothing. This left Owen to handle sports - and by "sports", we mean "sport". Specifically, coverage of the first round of matches at Euro 2016, including England's draw with Russia, Payet's opener and definitely not the hooligans. Continuing the weird mix-up of roles, there's no dice being rolled this week, just a double-headed coin being flipped instead. And, would you believe it, it lands on heads, which means Owen and Paul get to discuss the Team Fire HOSE documentary that they've been working on for the past couple of months. You can view the full documentary via their YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL-t5RFL6A4JbJKroSP9BA Thanks to everybody who has downloaded, listened, liked, shared or in any way interacted with us over the course of the second series of Front Row. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Miserable Old Gits | |
| Welcome to this week's edition of the Failed Critics Podcast. With Steve Norman away on holiday, it was up to Underground Nights's host Paul Field to sit in the driver's seat and lead Owen and Liam through one hour and 45 minutes of film chat, reviews, discussions and old-man-misery. The show begins as it always does - with a quiz! - before moving on to the latest news including The Passion of the Christ 2 (yes, it's getting a sequel) and Kevin Smith's long-awaited sequel-turned-TV-show Mallbrats. In What We've Been Watching, Paul kicks-off with a review of Israeli director Vladi Antonevicz's exceptional and chilling documentary, Claim To Murder, as he tracks down members of Russia's notorious Neo-Nazi party N.S.O. who have claimed ownership of a brutal beheading video that appeared on YouTube in 2007. Meanwhile, our resident obscurist international-film fan Liam reviews the Shakespearean tribal-love story Tanna, filmed entirely on the remote South Pacific island of Tanna. Lastly, Owen has a few choice words for a documentary that popped up on Netflix recently, the Resurrection of Jake the Snake. Finally, we end the show with our usual round-up of the latest films to hit the cinema: Owen defends The Conjuring 2 as James Wan ruffles Paul's feathers; Liam just about finds some nice things to say about Learning to Drive; Paul has a new favourite Michael Moore documentary with Where to Invade Next?; and there's a very mi | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Nice Guys? | |
| It was a podcast that began just like any other podcast. Two guys, Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland, sat around a microphone, speaking into it. They opened the show with an intro. It recapped what was in the upcoming penultimate episode. Everything was there, as normal; a sports round-up, roll the dice, the latest film reviews. You name it. If you wanted it, they had it. It was then that I began to get suspicious. Where was the music? What happened to last week's roll-the-dice section? Why was I talking as if in the opening segment of a noir movie? And then it hit me. This was the week that Owen finally got to review the eagerly awaited Shane Black crime-noir comedy, The Nice Guys. And boy, did he love it! Paul, on the other hand, had no idea who Shane Black was or why Owen was so excited about it, so instead led the sports round-up, including: A short tribute to the late, great Muhammad Ali; Andy Murray's French Open failure; as well as a brief introduction to Friday's European Championship kick-off in France. In other news, with Bucks101 Radio over for the term and still experiencing technical issues, this week's podcast (and next week's final episode in the series) was not originally broadcast on the radio. Therefore, there's no playlist for this episode. Sorry. However, Owen and Paul now have a new email address that you can contact them on at OwenAndPaulProductions@gmail.com - and in more exciting news, | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Take-a-Break Hour | |
| Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast where hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes were joined by both Callum Petch and Andrew Brooker to review three new releases! Book-ending Callum's film-reviewing life in education with trips to Wonderland, he reveals that Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is the worst blockbuster of the 2010's - and why Alice Through The Looking Glass is no better. We also review Warcraft: The Beginning, confusing Steve no end as he can't tell the difference between it and Warhammer (direct your outrage to @FailedSteve). Finally, we collectively agree that Shane Black's noir-comedy The Nice Guys is nice, guys. Before all of that in What We've Been Watching: Owen puts on his shades and sees They Live for the first time (in years); Brooker peels himself away from the PCC in London after a big-screen showing of True Romance; Callum completes his own Tarantino collection with Inglorious Basterds; and Steve stops watching football documentaries for two minutes to take in Will Smith's portrayal of Muhammed Ali in the biopic of the legendary sportsman's life. The quiz this week was a little different to normal, as Steve, Callum and Brooker had the full length of the episode to work out the following 10 anagrams, all of which relate in some way to The Nice Guys: 1 - Teardrop, 2 - Anal Hole Wept, 3 - Usable Cyst Tooth, 4 - Screw Sue Roll, 5 - Inches Ye Tug, 6 - Gas Ring Only, 7 - Gamin Be | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Cover Issue | |
| Welcome to this week's episode of Front Row with Owen and Paul. Unfortunately, due to more technical issues, the live Bucks101 Radio show didn't go out again this week. Not to worry, you can still catch all the best bits from the programme on this very podcast! Well, all the best bits apart from the music. On the podcast, you still. Don't. Get. The Music! Which this week saw Owen and Paul choosing cover versions of songs that you might not necessarily have known were covers. However, you can listen to all the tunes on our YouTube playlist below. Before all of that, why not listen to Owen review the latest video game to be adapted into a feature film in Warcraft: The Beginning. Paul also brings his usual sports round-up including a look at those who made and didn't make the England squad. Playlist: The Arrows - I Love Rock n Roll (Paul); David Bowie - China Girl (Owen); Ednaswap - Torn (Paul); The Clash - I Fought The Law (Owen); Gloria Jones - Tainted Love (Paul); The Futureheads - Hounds of Love (Owen); Jeff Beck - Superstition (Paul); Beach Boys - Barbara Ann (Owen) | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The UK's 17th Best | |
| Your official (not "official" official) 17th best podcast, Failed Critics, as designated by New Media Europe's 'Best UK Podcast of 2016' award. Voting closed on Monday 30th May, with The Failed Critics Podcast ranked 17th out of 100 based on the number of Facebook votes we received. Thank you so much to anybody who helped us achieve this high a position by taking a few seconds to vote. On this week's episode, we draft in Underground Nights' very own Paul Field to help us run through a triple-bill of movie stars, where he and hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes each pick three actors whom they consider to be the very definition of the very subjective term 'film star'. Before all of that, Owen barely has chance to make himself comfortable before reviewing the new Michael Bay produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows after seeing it earlier that afternoon. Meanwhile, Paul introduces us to Victoria, a German film shot entirely in one take, and Steve catches up on some Shane Black with The Long Kiss Goodnight. The news this week has the trio mulling over Tom Hiddleston's imminent appointment as James Bond, as well as John Carpenter's fabled return to the Halloween franchise. This, following a shambolic quiz that hopefully won't sound as shambolic post-edit as it did pre-edit. Join us again next week where we'll be reviewing both Warcraft and The Nice Guys. | Listen |
| Field & Mullinger's Underground Nights: Cult Comedy | |
| The lads are back! After a brief hiatus whilst James Mullinger was busy doing actual paid stand-up comedy, rather than fannying around on the internet talking about films with Paul Field, our Underground Nights duo return with a cult comedy special. They tackle the outrageous Danish road trip movie Klown and try and look back on James childhood obsession with the little known Scorsese feature After Hours. There's news - lots of news - as we discover the outcome of James trying to flog more gig tickets than Jerry Seinfeld, they reminisce about over indulging in the 90's, tackle the Cannes film festival and go misty-eyed over the Carry On movies. They end by discussing some listener suggestions and deliver their own Top 5 personal favourite cult comedy movies - and as ever, they discover ever more things they have in common and parallels in their lives. | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Good Chat, Bad Curry | |
| We're bring you this week's episode of Front Row with hosts Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland a little early this week. Think of it as an apology for the technical issues that last week prevented us from releasing a podcast. What did you miss? In brief: Paul offended his own mother, Owen talked X-Men until Paul fell asleep and there was an excellent (but inaudible) quiz. Sorry about that. This week's not only makes up for this by coming out slightly earlier than normal, but also in terms of quality. Special guest and weird-band aficionado Tim Richards joined the duo in the studio to share his passion for music. Pere Ubu, Kate Bush and The Roches earned a spot on the playlist, leading to some exceptionally eloquent and fascinating conversations - on Tim's part at least - that put both Owen and Paul to shame. There's no movie review this week (it was going to be X-Men: Apocalypse, which was... alright) but sports round-up remains, where we forgot to mention the FA Cup final. Oops. Culinary tips were shared in roll-the-dice towards the end of the show, including Paul's (in)famous chicken-nugget curry recipe. Barf. The full radio show for this episode hasn't yet been broadcast live, but you can (usually) tune in to Bucks101 Radio at 5pm on Tuesday's to hear Front Row. Tim's show, Universal Vibration, can be heard on the same station at 6pm on Wednesday's and is well worth a listen. Playlist: Joy Division - Isolation ( | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: X-Men: Apocalypse | |
| Welcome to this week's episode of the Failed Critics Podcast, with your hosts ... erm ... Stan? Stuart? Stephen? Steve, Steve Norman, that's the fella, and Owen Hopkins-- I mean, Hughes. They're joined by Andrew Brooker to review, look at, discuss, scratch their heads and generally mull over the latest Fox-driven superhero movie, X-Men: Apocalypse. Before all of that, the trio run through the latest film news to cross their paths; namely the trailers for Ghostbusters (and why it might be OK to not like it), Star Trek Beyond, The Purge: Election Year and Independence Day: Resurgence. There's also room for a discussion about Nicholas Winding Refn's plans to remake Witchfinder General, as well as an astonished glance towards the impressive cast list of Thor: Ragnarok, boasting the likes of Cate Blanchett, Karl Urban and Jeff Goldblum. As ever, the ongoing, never ending quiz battle between Owen and Steve rages on, this week pitting the latter against Brooker as they try to work out which X-Men names are real and which Owen has simply made up. In What We've Been Watching: Steve revisits a the first and the most recent of the X-Men movies prior to his trip to see Apocalypse; Brooker MC's over Magic Mike XXL; and Owen gushes over cult zombie classic The Return of the Living Dead. Join us again next week for a special movie-star triple bill episode. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Nice Matte | |
| Hello listeners, what's your boggle? We wouldn't normally try to conjure up the image of a painted wall with the episode title, but we were somewhat shambolic this week, even by our own standards. With host Steve Norman suffering from agonising tooth ache during much of the recording, Owen Hughes and guests Andrew Brooker and Tony Black ran amok. A new round of the quiz kicked the show off, pitting Steve against Brooker and Tony, with Owen in the quizmaster's chair, before the group discussed the potential Fantastic Four sequel and latest Assassins Creed trailer. As ever, What We've Been Watching followed, as Owen revisited 90's classic Demolition Man, Brooker spread the love for recently cancelled sitcom Undateable, and Tony returned to Superman.. er... Returns. Only two new releases made their way onto the podcast. Brutal thriller Green Room was the main feature, but as penance for not seeing anything at all in the last seven days, Steve still attempted to review The Angry Birds Movie without having watched a single second of it. Luckily Brooker had seen it and was able to clarify a few minor points! Before we leave you, we have just one request. No, it isn't that you should review us on iTunes, especially not after this week's shambles! But instead, if you're on Facebook, sling us a quick vote in New Media Europe's Best UK Podcast Award 2016, for which we have been nominated. One click of a check-box is all that | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul - No Pips Apocalypse | |
| Better late than never, it's this week's episode of Front Row, with hosts Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland. Running slightly overtime on Tuesday's 5pm Bucks101 Radio broadcast, the podcast chunk of the show is also somewhat longer than usual - but still of the same quality. Whether that quality is "good" or "bad" is for you to decide. If you're leaning more towards the former than the latter, then we would really appreciate a quick vote in this years Best UK Podcast Award with New Media Europe over at facebook.com/newmediaeurope! A quick click is all it takes to help us get closer to our first proper award nomination. Thanks! On the show this week, Owen reviews the (soon-to-be-released but is-now-released) Green Room, whilst Paul runs through the week in sport including the top and the bottom of the Premier League, whether strikers should be judged on the goals they score or their performance, Andy Murray's coach troubles and the Sri Lanka test match. The dice roll this week gave the pair a chance to chat about what's been in news recently, specifically the London mayor election results. The theme for the music on the live radio show saw the duo choosing a song for each letter of their name, so either click the link through to the YouTube playlist to listen to their selected tracks, or click each individual song below if you fancy just picking and choosing yourself! Playlist: Ocean Colour Scene - The Day We Caught The Train | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Minimal Effort | |
| Somebody hit the emergency switch at FC HQ earlier today. Only, what they didn't realise, was that rather than stopping the machinery from whirring so that they could untangle their hair from the press, it instead sent all of the guests that we keep on stasis in their cryochambers shooting straight out of the vents and into a large pile of limbs, flesh and scrawled-on notepads near the FC skip.Bugger. Whilst we sort that mess out, the only two left undamaged were hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes who present this week's podcast without the aid of any guests whatsoever. A first for Failed Critics! Actually, all that stuff about cryochambers and a FC HQ is a load of bollocks. We just decided that for an experiment, given that we're in the post-Civil War lull, that Owen and Steve should try presenting the show on their own. Does it work? Well, it's not for us to say, but we still manage to squeeze over 100 minutes out of the pair of them. They look at the solo-Black Widow movie rumours, the Power Rangers reboot costume controversy, and gloss over last night's BAFTA TV results. Fresh from defeat last week, Owen explains why booby-prize Spice World is bad, but not the worst film he's seen as a result of losing the quiz. Steve reviews new release Bad Neighbours 2 in our What We've Been Watching section, whilst Owen also reviews 2016's indie thriller Hush. Returning for the first time in a long while on this week's episode is a tr | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Plugs And Gone | |
| As chaotic as ever, Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland stumble through another podcast edition of their Bucks101 Radio show, Front Row, replete with all the usual bumf. There's a very slight twist on the movie review, with Owen taking a leaf out of Paul's sports round-up (which this week focuses primarily on Leicester City's Premier League triumph) to live-review Marvel's latest blockbuster, Captain America: Civil War. Also, prepare yourself for a full-on rant from Paul as they 'roll the dice' in the final section of the show. Thanks to Andy Alcock for his suggestion for the musical theme on this week's show, as Owen and Paul tried to pick songs that mention famous people. The songs were as eclectic a mix as ever - but you still don't get the music on the podcast! You'll need to tune in to Bucks101 Radio every Tuesday at 5pm to hear their selections or alternatively, listen to all the tracks from the show on the YouTube playlist below. Playlist: Billy Joel - We Didn't Star the Fire (Paul); Ash - Kung Fu (Owen); Queen - Bicycle Race (Paul); Stump - Charlton Heston (Owen); Gregory Porter - Puttin' on the Ritz (Paul); Billy Bragg - Sexuality (Owen); Vance Joy -Riptide (Paul); John Grant - Sigourney Weaver (Owen) | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Civil War | |
| Battle lines have been drawn. Treaties are being drafted. The U.N. were informed. It's Steve 'Captain Anyway' Norman on one side, using his sense of justice and principles to determine what's right. Opposite is Owen 'Irony Man' Hughes, putting his logic and rational thinking to the test. Listeners, choose your side as Civil War erupts on this week's Failed Critics Podcast! Andrew Brooker and Brian Plank are caught in the crossfire, therefore rather than being referred to as "guests" this week, you can legitimately call them Failed Critics collateral damage. If you haven't guessed what the main review on the latest episode is yet, then go speak to your doctor. But just for clarification, it is indeed the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster, Captain America: Civil War - and boy do we talk, and talk, and talk about this one. We have our usual spoiler-free review later in the show, followed by a Spoiler Alert after the end credits, where the team go into more depth without worrying about ruining the plot, twists, characters... or anything else for that matter. It's not only Marvel on the pod this week, although the show does kick off with a chat about a potential Punisher solo-series on Netflix after a short hastily prepared quiz. Speaking of, Steve sinks his teeth into the latest Netflix movie Special Correspondents, starring Ricky Gervais. Owen and Brooker also review the latest James Cullen Bressack / Zack | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: The Scottish Radio Show | |
| The latest episode of Front Row with Owen and Paul is likely to cause offence - not due to swearing, at least, which we've found a new filter for. But like the two pretentious University students trying to sound intelligent by talking about Shakespeare that they are, only to sully themselves with cock jokes throughout, many people are sure to be rubbed up the wrong way (if you know what I mean). With the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death/birth celebrated this past weekend, Owen revisits last October's adaptation of Macbeth, starring Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender. In the sports round-up, Paul covers the infamous "deflate-gate", the poorly defined fines in sport, and the shock of the University of Buckingham FC's cup final victory. The tunes on this week's live Bucks101 Radio show (Tuesday's, 5pm!) were chosen to fit a theme: "build a body out of songs", as suggested on Twitter by Brian Plank. Limited to four tracks each, Owen and Paul had to find a song title or band name that made reference to a head, a body, legs and arms. Needless to say, playing Frankenstein is not as easy as it sounds with some very tenuous links being made by the pair. Finally in the show, the dice roll lands on TV for the first time this series. Just in time for Owen and Paul to discuss why they aren't watching Game of Thrones, what illegal downloading means to them, all before veering way off course to chat abo | Listen |
| Failed Critics Quizcast: Return of the Matt | |
| Hey listeners, it's our birthday. We're going to party like it's our birthday - because, as I mentioned, it is actually our birthday. Today, in fact! The Failed Critics Podcast has hit yet another milestone and reached our fourth birthday. Hip hip... Usually, it'd be up to the guests (i.e. you) to get the birthday-boys (i.e. us) presents, but it's cool. We know it's been a tough year for you and, you know, who really cares about presents at our age, right? I mean, we're not mad. Sure, a little disappointed but that's societies fault. No, really, don't feel bad. Forget I even mentioned it. Here, we've got you something instead. The first ever (and given the amount of time and effort, the only ever) issue of the Failed Critics Magazine - in a handy to download and read pdf format: https://thefailedcritic.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/failedcriticsmagissue0011.pdf There's articles on Brooker's favourite films of the year so far; Steve has finally put finger to keyboard on his oft heralded Die Hard concept; and Owen has written a fairly lengthy history on how Failed Critics came to be. It's only 10 pages long and hopefully will find somebody out there interested in reading it. We also celebrate on the podcast with a brand new Quizcast! Steve Norman retains his comfortable seat as quizmaster, meaning Carole Petts joins team Failed Critics alongside Owen Hughes. Both Tony Black and Matt La | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Bringing It All Back | |
| The second episode of the second series of Front Row kicks off with Owen and Paul talking about the music that inspired, influenced or otherwise impacted them when they were younger. From 70's punk to 90's pop, they try and share the tunes that remind them most of their youth. (Of course, as per usual, there's no full songs available on the podcast. For that, you need to tune into Bucks101 Radio via Facebook or download the TuneIn app for Android / iOS and listen live on Tuesday's at 5pm!) There was still room in the show for our regular segments with Owen quelling his S-Club-fuelled-anger long enough to review Disney's latest flick, The Jungle Book. Whereas Paul stopped dancing and singing along to S Club 7 long enough in the studio to mention the latest round of football results, the controversy around Alastair Cook's helmet debacle and snooker legend Steve Davis' retirement, all in the sports round-up. Playlist: Outkast - Hey Ya! (Paul); The Offspring - Gotta Get Away (Owen); Elbow - One Day Like This (Paul); UK Subs - I Live In A Car (Owen); S Club 7 - Bring It All Back (Paul); Blur - Beetlebum (Owen); Hoosiers - Goodbye Mr A (Paul); Nirvana - All Apologies (Owen) | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Swingers VIP | |
| Sorry, you won't find life's bare necessities on this page. Life's sort-of, not entirely annoying, mildly amusing leisure accompaniment? That sounds more like it. I suppose that means welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, featuring the saddest sentence you'll ever hear another human say, plus hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by Callum Petch as they attempt a review of Disney's latest adventure movie, The Jungle Book. As usual, we start the show off with a quiz, but unusually we don't conclude it until the very end of the show. I blame Steve. In between all that we also try to round up the week's film news, specifically looking at: the potential live-action Pokemon film series heading to our screens; our first reactions to the Ghost In The Shell remake that's in the pipeline; and whether or not it's fine to use your mobile phone in the cinema. We also squeeze into a packed show our regular 'What We've Been Watching' section, which sees Owen battle Batman Returns, Callum dances in step with Frances Ha and Steve goes all 30-year-old dismayed podcasting homo-sapien on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We'll be back next week with another edition of the Failed Critics Quizcast, with our chums from Black Hole Media and the Futhead Podcast! | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Good Radio or Not | |
| Series two of Front Row with Owen and Paul is off to a flyer as the Bucks101 Radio show returns in a new timeslot (Tuesday's at 5pm), but with just as much sport, movies and general shenanigans as ever. Our featured movie review, after a short hiatus, sees Owen Hughes taking on the violent, extreme and nauseating action film, Hardcore Henry. Meanwhile, Paul Rutland rounds-up both the good and the unfortunate from the past week in sport - clearly, neither Owen nor Paul are qualified doctors. Only one minor adjustment has been made to Front Row's format since last series, with the choice of music in the live radio show being centred around a unique theme. In this episode, the pair were tasked with choosing tracks that remind them of films. We're looking for suggestions from you, our loyal listeners, for different themes to adopt in future episodes. "Drop us a line" at failedcritics@gmail.com, or tweet to @ohughes86 or @p_rutland96 with your topics. You still won't find music in the podcast, but as always you can listen to the tunes from every episode of Front Row on our YouTube page. Playlist: Roachford - Cuddly Toy (Owen); Vangelis - Chariots of Fire (Paul); Talking Heads - This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) (Owen); Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son (Paul); Oscar Isaac & Marcus Mumford - Fare Thee Well (Owen); The Selector - James Bond (Paul); Rancid - I Wanna Rio | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: 3 Critics, 1 Bathtub | |
| Welcome to this week's episode of the Failed Critics Podcast. You know how we sometimes swear a lot and are rather crass? Yet, occasionally, we have to add an extra warning that the levels of explicit language and vulgar comments exceed our usually-already-fairly-high volume..? Well, this is one of those weeks. Just as he was last week, Paul Field is back on the podcast along with hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes, and was once again given license to take over the quiz. The theme he went for is very tangibly linked to the first-person extremely graphic violent action movie Hardcore Henry, our main review this week. We also have two other new releases to review this week as Owen looks at Jeff Nichols' latest offering, the foreboding sci-fi drama Midnight Special, whilst Paul reviews Danish-noir sequel The Absent One. Never heard of it? Fear not! Paul also reviews the previous film, Keeper of the Lost Causes, in 'What We've Been Watching', where Owen lavishes praise on the documentary Future Shock! The Story of 2000AD and Steve ponders the point of Pegg with Absolutely Anything. Join us again next week for presumably less potty-mouthed frivolities as we review The Jungle Book. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Successful Cretins | |
| Three clueless bellends gather for the latest Failed Critics Podcast with hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes joined by our long-suffering guest, Paul Field. So long suffering is he, in fact, that he's hosting this week's quiz and theming it on injuries, suffering and accidents in movies. Quite fitting then that this week's new releases take in: notorious YouTubers (we don't know what that really means) causing grief in Natural Born Pranksters; bone-breaking British feel-good comedy Eddie the Eagle; pointless gruesome horror remake Martyrs; and the independent horror film putting Martyrs to shame, with Anguish. There's also time on this episode for the team to cover a re-watch of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (where Owen gets all ranty about the poor level of criticism on offer for Zack Snyder's blockbuster), British crime drama Orthodox and sci-fi classic Alien. We even cover the Suicide Squad reshoots and Wolf Creek TV spin-off in our news section. Join us again next week as the same line-up tackle first-person action thriller Hardcore Henry. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Batman v Superman v Critics | |
| It might not be the podcast you wanted, but it's the podcast you deserve. It's the proper critics in one corner, the audience in another corner, and your hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes with special guests Brian Plank and Andrew Brooker in the other corner. The final corner is where Sad Ben Affleck is hanging his head in disappointment, next to Henry Cavill's pile of gold. That's right, this week we're reviewing DC's latest $250m mega-blockbuster, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Divisive amongst those who've watched it, as well as on this episode. We've a full spoiler-free review where the team discuss everything they liked (mainly Batfleck) and didn't like without giving away much, before Spoiler Alert Returns towards the end. Also on this episode: Owen reviews freshly released found-footage horror JeruZalem (that's with a capital 'Z' and no lower case 's'); Brian prepares for Zack Snyder's superhero movie in the only way he knew how... by watching Kramer vs Kramer...; Brooker revisits Failed Critics favourite Kill Your Friends; and Steve finally catches up with our third best film of last year, Disney Pixar's Inside Out. Join us again next week for any episode that's probably not going to be 50% comic book oriented. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Episode 202 - AND IT'S LIVE! | |
| Firstly, thanks to everyone who joined in on our live broadcast of episode 202 on our YouTube channel on Monday. We're considering it a success - whether it was or wasn't isn't really up to Steve Norman, Owen Hughes and Andrew Brooker to decide! But people chatted to us during the show, we received messages via Twitter, and the live stream didn't crash once. Huzzah! This week's podcast is pretty much a rip of the YouTube video edited into a more audio-friendly format. Jingles have been edited in, whilst the majority the references to stuff that happened visually that wouldn't have made sense on an audio only podcast have been edited out. What has been left in is our chat about this week's film news, including another new Netflix movie acquisition starring Will Smith, directed by David Ayer, plus a set-top box that could potentially change the way we view cinema releases forever. We've also got our round up of what we've been watching. Steve talks us through the generic but decent action film London Has Fallen; Owen discusses the first five episodes of the second season of Daredevil; and Brooker does his homework ahead of Batman v Superman by re-watching Nolan's trilogy plus Man of Steel. Our new release reviews saw the team take in the safe-for-work porcelain doll horror The Boy, Ben Wheatley's latest weird class-war narrative High Rise, and the thematic sequel to 2008's monster movie, 10 Cloverfield Lane. There's even r | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Eating Hats | |
| Welcome to the series finale of Front Row with Owen and Paul. Even though there wasn't a radio show this week, hosts Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland still got together to record a special podcast-only episode. As an extra special treat, they even dragged along another special guest in Helen Thain for a chat about BBC drama The Night Manager and binge-watching box-sets. As ever, we still included both a movie review and sports round-up. Owen tried to find the positives in the latest DreamWorks Animation, Kung Fu Panda 3, whilst Paul has a bone to pick with Owen over a comment from last week. The show will be back on Bucks101 Radio in some form or another within the next 3 weeks, but for now, thanks to everybody who listened to the radio show and downloaded any of our podcasts. If you'd like to leave us a review on iTunes, we would be hugely grateful. There was no actual music played on this week's podcast, but here's a playlist of the stuff we would have played anyway: Crackout - I Am The One (Owen); Keane - Somewhere Only We Know (Paul); Nada Surf - The Way You Wear Your Head (Owen); Mumford and Sons - Babel (Paul); Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster - Psychosis Safari (Owen); Alanis Morissete - You Oughta Know (Paul); Guitar Wolf - Invader Ace (Owen); The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger (Paul). Listen to the full playlist of every track we've had on Front Row via YouTube: https://www.youtube. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Zootopiatropolisplace | |
| This week's episode of the Failed Critics Podcast features Callum Petch, returning for the first time in 2016, to join both Steve Norman and Owen Hughes for four new-release reviews. With the latest entry in the Divergent Series franchise, it seemed almost impossible to record a show without Callum's input on Allegiant - particularly after his last appearance on the pod the week after the previous instalment, Insurgent, came out! Continuing to play to Callum's strengths this week, there are two new animated movies out. As if it wasn't already well set up for him with a new Dreamworks Animation out, Kung Fu Panda 3, there's also a new Disney film (Zootopia / Zootropolis / whichever it is wherever you're from) which has already set the standard by which to judge all other movies this year - or, at least, that's what Callum says. As well as this, Steve and Callum have a chat about 2008's monster-movie Cloverfield ahead of the upcoming 10 Cloverfield Lane, whilst Owen reminisces about the 90's and watching cult comedy Beavis & Butt-Head Do America. In the news this week, we also take a look at the Indiana Jones 5 announcement, Han Solo casting news and the furore over Spider-Man's cameo in the Civil War trailer. Join us again next week for our 202nd episode. Yep. We've recorded 201 of these things so far. It's as astonishing to us as I'm sure it is to you too. | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Bostin | |
| In the penultimate podcast episode of Front Row, Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland cover all of the usual stuff from what is their final radio broadcast of this academic term for Bucks101 Radio. The podcast has almost everything from the show, including Owen's review of the Coen Brothers comedy-drama Hail, Ceasar!, Paul's sports news (including more Russian doping antics) and even squeeze in a chat about the Sunday working hours law. It's a proper bostin' episode this week full of mad oi oi banter... ahem... We'll be back again next week for the final podcast episode, but there'll be no live broadcast on Bucks101. Below are the final tracks we've played in this series of Front Row! Check out the full playlist of all the songs played in the entire 7 episodes via YouTube. Playlist: Fat Boy Slim - Right Here, Right Now (Paul); Foo Fighters - Disenchanted Lullaby (Owen); Eliza & The Bear - Friends (Paul); Peter, Bjorn & John - It Don't Move Me (Owen); Hosier - Take Me To Church (Paul); The Vines - Outtathaway (Owen); Seasick Steve - You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks (Paul); REM - Fall On Me (Owen) | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Crossover Triple Bill | |
| In this week's Failed Critics Podcast, it's time for a crossover episode! Inspired by the news that 21 Jump Street and Men In Black will be merging for a new upcoming comedy, Steve Norman and Owen meet Paul Field and try to come up with some ideas for other movie characters and franchises that they would like to see crossover during the triple bill segment of the podcast. Meanwhile, they try not to cross the streams when talking about the latest Ghostbusters trailer after its release earlier this week. We also have a wide range of movies to review! Owen takes a look at Studiocanal's DVD release of the Stanley Milgram biopic, Experimenter, starring Peter Sarsgaard and Winona Ryder. Paul checks out Austrian horror Goodnight Mommy after the hype over the supposed "scariest trailer ever". Elsewhere, Steve rethinks his opinion on big-dumb-action-film Battleship, but has his opinion reaffirmed on the Men In Black series. It's also, like, our 200th episode, or something. Apparently. | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: RugBan | |
| Rugby ban... rugbyban.... rugban... Yeah, I agree, this week's title isn't very good but it does at least give you a clue as to what topic of conversation takes up the majority of the sixth episode of Front Row with Owen and Paul. We still have a movie review as ever. Owen talks us through the third ever Netflix Original movie, Yuen Woo-ping's sequel to the classic martial arts movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. However, the majority of this episode is dedicated to our sports round-up with a particularly lengthy discussion about the recent clamour to ban rugby in schools. There's still no music on the podcast. Face it. That's never going to change. If you want to hear the music from the original Bucks101 Radio broadcast (ahem, Thursdays at 6pm!) then you'll have to make do with the playlist below. Playlist: Echo and the Bunnymen - The Cutter; Wilson Pickett - Land of 1000 Dances; Happy Mondays - 24 Hour Party People; Ray Charles - Hit the Road Jack; Billy Bragg - A Lover Sings; Jackie Wilson - (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher; The Cure - Just Like Heaven; Little Richard - Good Golly, Miss Molly | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Oscars 2016 | |
| Welcome to this week's Oscars special Failed Critics Podcast. Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined once again by Paul Field and Andrew Brooker after their appearance on the preview episode released a couple of weeks back, returning to react to the eventual winners and losers at the 88th Academy Awards. The stage was set for us to get all glamorous and spread the word about some very important socio-political issues that were close to our hearts... Alas, we were self-sabotaging the whole night through instead. Rallying against the Oscars being used as one-upmanship for actors with the biggest and most important cause that they care about, we flipped 180 degrees and outdid ourselves in the crass, ignorant and often downright offensive stakes. At least the episode is relatively short this week - a sign of just how much more offensive we could be that those comments simply couldn't stay in the episode and had to be edited out - but we still managed to cover two new releases. The disappointingly tame horror The Forest almost put Brooker to sleep, but Sacha Baron Cohen's latest comedy, Grimsby, had at least one fan on the show. Join us again next week for slightly less in-jokes and more film chat. | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Widdle Rumpton | |
| Five episodes in and it's still plain sailing for Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland's show, Front Row, over at Bucks101 Radio. This week's podcast digest features the usual mix of japes and hijinks. Our main movie review is Bone Tomahawk, a horror-western genre mash-up that will plague Owen's nightmares for a good while. We also chat more generally about the Oscars and who we think will win in the "big four" categories. Meanwhile, Paul's sports round-up features reports on the latest developments in the Champions League, the cricket and with the ever-controversial Ronnie O'Sullivan. We also have something a little different towards the end of the show as we land on another new topic in Roll the Dice. Front Row will be back on the radio next Thursday at 6pm where you can catch the whole show - that's movie reviews, sports reports and another dice roll, on top of our selection of music that you miss out on in the podcast (but you already know that by now). Take a look at the playlist to see which tracks you missed out on this week. Playlist: The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition (Paul); Pearl Jam - Unemployable (Owen); Zac Brown Band - Toes (Paul); The Shins - Pariah King (Owen); Russell Morris - Wings of an Eagle (Paul); Satellite High - The Bus Is Late (Owen); Jack Johnson - Better Together (Paul); Lake - Remote Control Cars (Owen) | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Netflix Original Part 2 | |
| This week's Failed Critics Podcast is a two-part Netflix Original special as hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by guests Chris Haigh and Phil Sharman. Similar to our TV specials, this episode is all about the Netflix - with very little chill. Some chill. A bit of chill. But not a lot of chill. In part one, the team discuss the rise of Netflix Originals, from their conception to recent additions. With no movies to review, there's chat about the shows that we've been watching lately, plus a few of our other favourites. Part two is a triple bill where Steve, Owen, Chris and Phil each pick their favourite Netflix Original comedy, drama and feature, before recommending shows for listeners to try out themselves. Join us again next week as Steve and Owen return alongside Brooker and Paul to dissect the Oscars results. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Netflix Original Part 1 | |
| This week's Failed Critics Podcast is a two-part Netflix Original special as hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by guests Chris Haigh and Phil Sharman. Similar to our TV specials, this episode is all about the Netflix - with very little chill. Some chill. A bit of chill. But not a lot of chill. In part one, the team discuss the rise of Netflix Originals, from their conception to recent additions. With no movies to review, there's chat about the shows that we've been watching lately, plus a few of our other favourites. Part two is a triple bill where Steve, Owen, Chris and Phil each pick their favourite Netflix Original comedy, drama and feature, before recommending shows for listeners to try out themselves. Join us again next week as Steve and Owen return alongside Brooker and Paul to dissect the Oscars results. | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Spinning Pigeons | |
| Another week, another Bucks101 radio show complete and resultant podcast of said show...! On this fourth episode of Front Row, hosts Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland bond over Bond, review the R-rated box office smash Deadpool, and mull over some rather curious superstitions in the sports round-up. The rules of the 'roll the dice' section are broken, just four weeks in, as the topic of conversation chosen by the random roll lands on 'music' yet again - three weeks out of four! Nope. Re-roll, please. As always, Front Row will be back on Bucks101 Radio next Thursday at 6pm, where you can hear all of the lovely chat (...well, lovely-ish...) as well as that week's music. A playlist of all the tracks you missed out on this week: Nirvana - I Hate Myself and Want To Die (Owen); The Darkness - I Believe in a Thing Called Love (Paul); Pixies - I've Been Tired (Owen); Muse - Feeling Good (Paul); Weezer - Tired of Sex (Owen); Queen - Hammer To Fall (Paul); Plumtree - Go! (Owen); New Radicals - You Get What You Give (Paul) | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: What The S**t? Coolest Name Ever | |
| Welcome to the Failed Critics Podcast, where hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by both Andrew Brooker and Paul Field to put their collective expert (ha!) minds together to predict who will win what at this year's Academy Awards on Sunday 28th February. You too can take part! Simply leave a post in the comments box on our website (failedcritics.com) to tell us which films you think will pick up the award in each of the categories listed on this episode's page. The winner will pick up some DVD's and blu-rays! OOooohhhh exciting. Also in this episode, we feature a few new release reviews. Brooker, our residents American sports fan, finds Concussion is not all it's cracked up to be. Meanwhile, Paul calls Steve's heritage into question whilst reviewing British zom-rom-com Nina Forever. And then we all get together at the end to slightly gush over Deadpool's expletive-laden fourth wall-breaking comedy capers. Join us again next week as Owen and Steve take part in our first ever Netflix special episode. | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Superbown | |
| Having somehow survived three whole weeks of producing radio shows without being kicked out, Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland are back with the latest bitesize podcast edition of their Bucks101 Radio programme. Unfortunately, the rules haven't changed so we still can't bring you the music from the show. This is a huge shame anyway, of course, but especially so this week as our guest in the studio, Chris Armar, not only talks about his passion for NBA, the NFL and particularly the Super Bowl, but also plays some of his own music for us. Elsewhere on the show, Owen reviews Zoolander 2 briefly before descending into discussion about Spotlight with Paul, as promised last week. We've also got our regular sports round-up and general tom-foolery. Playlist: Saint Motel - My Type (Paul); Sultans of Ping FC - Where's Me Jumper (Owen); Gnarls Barkley - Run (Paul); Half Man Half Biscuit - If I Had Possession Over Pancake Day (Owen); The Heavy - What Makes A Good Man (Paul); The Pogues - Thousands Are Sailing (Owen); The Who - My Generation (Paul); Trebble? - Communist Manifesto (Chris Armar); Guru Josh - Infinity (Ultra Music) (Owen) | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Five Brookside's Out Of Five | |
| Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast. What're the names of our hosts and guests on this episode..? Shh! Don't tell 'em, Steve Norman, Owen Hughes, Brian Plank and Chris Wallace... D'oh! Yes, that was a tedious set-up to reveal that on this podcast we'll be discussing the Dad's Army movie in our new release section. We've also got reviews for you of: heist-thriller Triple 9; a comedy sequel 15 years in the making in Zoolander 2; and the Bryan Cranston starring Trumbo. In the news this week, the team sat down and watched every single film trailer shown at Super Bowl 50. From a Deadpool teaser to the latest look at Jungle Book, a new Bourne movie and even TMNT2. Yeah - don't get your hopes up for that last one is all we'll say right now. More importantly, perhaps, we also try to work out just what the hell is going on lately with Netflix stepping up their attempts to block users accessing multi-regions. In 'What We've Been Watching': Owen comes to a conclusion about Woody Harrelson; Brian gets somewhat uncomfortable whilst watching the 70's Paul Newman classic Slapshot; having only just now finished watching The Wire (for some unfathomable reason) Chris awards it five Brookside's out of five; and Steve undertakes a Nic Cage experiment to see if Left Behind is worse than Knowing. Join us again next week for our full review of Deadpool and our Oscar's Preview special! | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Get Paul Weller | |
| Just one day after broadcast on Bucks101 radio, Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland are back with the latest bitesize podcast edition of their show. This week, Paul is suffering from some serious, heavy studying over the weekend. After being all night drinking Lemsip and popping paracetamol like Smarties, he was just about able to crawl into the studio to play through some tracks and round-up the week in sport. Meanwhile, Owen reviews another documentary in the Movie Review section, albeit one that's slightly lighter in tone than last week's My Nazi Legacy. Following its screening through BBC's Storyville series, Owen discusses The Great Gangster Film Fraud - still available to watch the iPlayer - leading to a conversation about the merits of Storyville in general. The die is cast again at the end of the show, rolling on the number one, prompting a chat about the very broad topic of 'television'. Top Gear's new host and Jeremy Clarkson's obnoxiousness, as well as the ensuing battle between streaming and traditional TV, are all squeezed into the final section of the show. You can join Owen and Paul again for the live Bucks101 broadcast of Front Row on Thursdays at 6pm. Until then, enjoy the podcast! Playlist: The Velvet Underground - What Goes On? (Owen); Guns n' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine (Paul); Pere Ubu - Heart of Darkness (Owen); Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (Paul); The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner (Owen%2 | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast - COP: John Carpenter | |
| He's old, he's cranky, and he's got a legion of followers that adore everything he does. At least one of those comments should give you a clue that I am of course referring to John Carpenter and not our special guest, James Diamond. (When has James ever been known to be cranky?) One of the few well documented benefits of not being awarded an Oscar is that it allows a person the privilege of being received in our illustrious Corridor of Praise. And James was only too willing to help Owen Hughes and Steve Norman to induct the celebrated genre auteur. At least we assume it was James. It sounded like James. It looked like James('s Skype profile). He did spend the whole episode tied to his chair, just to be on the safe side, but was still able to run through Carpenter's career like the pro that he is. We look at where it all began with Dark Star and Halloween, through his triumphant 80's phase and the not-so-triumphant later movies. Also on this episode, we discuss the Academy Award nominated Spotlight, with Owen proclaiming it as one of the greatest films he's ever seen. Speaking of awards, there was room on the episode for a quick butchers at the Screen Actors Guild recipients and a short Carpenter themed quiz, with either Owen or Steve nudging ever closer to subjecting the other to yet more horrible movies. Join us again next week as Chris Wallace and Brian Plank return to review the latest British sitcom to get a movie adaptation, | Listen |
| Front Row with Owen and Paul: Episode 1 | |
| Welcome to the first ever episode of Front Row with Owen and Paul! The podcast is a bite-size edition of their radio show, originally produced for Bucks101 Radio on Thursdays at 6pm. If you miss the live stream of the show, then you'll be able to catch up on all of the movie reviews, sports round-up and general shenanigans that hosts Owen Hughes and Paul Rutland got up to. As Paul describes, it's not that we make it up as we go along, but as we go along, we make it up. Unfortunately, the podcasts will not feature the music that's played on the radio show - to hear that, you'll need to make sure you tune in live every Thursday. But we'll try to make up for that with a bit of extra chat on the podcast that you won't get on the radio show. Alternatively of course, you can use YouTube to listen to the songs at your own leisure! Playlist: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bad Moon Rising (Paul); Sleater-Kinney - A New Wave (Owen); Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out (Paul); James Yuill - Turn Yourself Around (Owen); Invictus Soundtrack - 9,000 Days by Overtone with Yollandi Nortjie (Paul); John Grant - Black Belt (Owen); Toseland - Renegade (Paul); The Clash - Stay Free (Owen) | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: World Cinema Special 2 | |
| From quirky Bulgarian movies to Jordan's Oscar nominations. From 1931 in Germany to 2013 in Hong Kong. From the poetic realism of France to the period dramas of Afghanistan. This week's Failed Critics Podcast is taking a truly global slant. We could think of no better guests for our second ever World Cinema Special than aficionados Monsieur Liam and Herr Andrew Alcock. Along with regular hosts Signore Steve Norman and Señor Owen Hughes, together the team take a look at films from all over the world in both What We've Been Watching and this week's triple bill. The caveat this time is that the Failed Critics had to pick three films each from three different countries, with some surprising - and some not so surprising - choices from our crew! Join us again next week as Steve and Owen are joined by Failed Critics founder, grandmaster, and all round spiritual leader, James Diamond, as we prepare to induct another great of cinema into our Corridor of Praise. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Your Toughest Opponent | |
| Inviting you to listen to this podcast may make you uncomfortable. Not because we're walking around naked, but as one of our longest episodes for a good while (at nearly one hour and three-quarters long), you may get something of a numb-bum if you listen to the whole thing in a single sitting! Unfortunately there are no ways to montage your way out of it either. Nevertheless, in this bumper episode, your hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by special guests Andrew Brooker and Tony Black to wag their fingers in the direction of the recent Oscar nominations, celebrate the life and work of Alan Rickman, and discuss a petition to actually lower the rated R status for the upcoming comicbook movie Deadpool. As well as this, there's room for Room, time for Creed, and for us to revel in The Revenant as we spend the latter part of the podcast discussing the three big new release reviews of this past weekend. We even take a look over what else we've watched in the past seven days. Brooker apologises to James Cullen Bressack for not getting on with White Crack Bastard; Steve, in tribute to Alan Rickman, revisits Kevin Smith's 90's classic Dogma; Owen reviews the recently released My Nazi Legacy documentary; and Tony is impressed with Ryan Reynolds after his surprising resurgence after seeing The Woman In Gold. And that's still not all as we start (as ever) with a quiz and Owen suffers through the first episode of Rob Schneider% | Listen |
| Field & Mullinger's Underground Nights: Episode Two - Top Docs | |
| Back by popular demand, it's the second episode Field & Mullinger's Underground Nights. Once again, your hosts Paul Field and James Mullinger are delving into the depths of cinema to dig out some of the best documentaries they can find. From the phenomenon of the Netflix series Making A Murderer, to the ground-breaking Paradise Lost, they've got it covered. Joining Paul and James to discuss the world of documentary film-making is Cleanflix co-director Joshua Ligairi. As well as sharing his thoughts on some of the crazy conspiracies behind Making A Murderer, Josh also talks about his own work past and present, including the upcoming Plan 241. There's also time for the trio to quickly run through the recent Oscar nominations and explain how Alan Rickman inadvertently funded one member of the team throughout his education! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Hateful Bolshoi Bowie Overdogs | |
| With the tragic passing of one of British music's most iconic people earlier this week, our latest episode features a touching tribute to the pioneer that was the Thin White Duke, Ziggy Stardust, Jareth the Goblin King or just simply 'David Bowie'. Failed Critics founder and Bowie super-fan, James Diamond, returns for a short emotional farewell to one of the most inspirational figures of this and last century. We even dug up a clip from an episode we recorded back in 2012 when James went to the inaugural Bowiefest in London and have edited into the post-credits of this week's podcast. Elsewhere, Steve Norman hosts with Owen Hughes, Andrew Brooker and Matt Lambourne back for reviews of Quentin Tarantino's new movie, The Hateful Eight, starring Kurt Russell, Samuel L Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and more. Loads more. More than eight others. Owen also reviews the fly-on-the-wall documentary Bolshoi Babylon, from the producer of Man On Wire and Searching for Sugarman, about the historic ballet theatre company in Moscow and all of its recent scandals. Meanwhile, Brooker indulges himself with the surfer-cop-classic Point Break in preparation for the imminent remake's release. We even took a few minutes to scratch our heads over the Golden Globe categories, never-mind the winners that were announced this past weekend. Join us again next week for reviews of Creed, Room and The Revenant. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: We Go Again | |
| Dawn breaks on a new day, ushering in the fresh optimism that another year on God's green Earth brings with it. New starts, new ideas and new opportunities to shambolically attempt to review movies, for Paul to use wildly-offensive non-PC terms, and for the rest of us to fall flat on our arses. As Steve Norman nurses a poorly rum-addled brain after two weeks of non-stop partying whilst not on the Failed Critics clock, he returns to the driving seat - probably still too inebriated to drive, but nobody could wrestle the keys from his clutches. Gripping the armrests, clinging on for dear life and hoping to make it out alive are Steve's passengers, Owen Hughes and Paul Field. Three new releases make their way onto on of our shortest podcasts in a long time, as awards season well and truly hits these shores. Paul begins this section by trying to comprehend the new Terrence Malick movie, Knight of Cups, before Owen joins in a verbal rant about the Oscar-baiting The Danish Girl. David O. Russell's latest feature to star Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, Joy, also can't avoid the onslaught as Steve gets agitated by it. Things are little more rosy in 'What We've Been Watching' before we even get to the new releases, beginning with Owen prepping for The Hateful Eight by checking out some other westerns; specifically The Homesman, Meek's Cutoff and Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. Steve gets on the band | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: End of Year Awards 2015 | |
| Votes have been counted, booze has been consumed and a resulting two hour long podcast has been produced, examining each of the winners (and some of the losers) in this year's Failed Critics Awards. With Steve Norman absent, it's up to Matt Lambourne to step in and host our final podcast of the year as Owen Hughes runs through who has won what in all eight of the different categories that our listeners have submitted votes in. Accompanying them both are special guests Callum Petch and Phil Sharman, who duke it out in the opening quiz, before laughing/lamenting the choices for: Best soundtrack of 2015 Best documentary Best film not in the English language Best British film Best male performance Best female performance Worst film of 2015 and of course the definitive Top 10 films of the year. Thank you to everybody who spared 5 minutes to send in your picks for each of the above - and thanks to all of you who have downloaded our podcast over the past 12 months. You've made this year the most successful in our relatively short history and without you, it'd just be Steve and I talking over Skype each week to an invisible audience. Which, quite frankly, would be a bit weird. So thanks for sparing us that indignity, at least! We'll be back again the first week of January to review Joy, The Danish Girl and no doubt some other stuff too. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Winterval Special 2015 | |
| Ding dong, merrily high - Steve's pants are wet and minging. Don't worry. He just got a bit over-excited on last week's Star Wars podcast. But before Steve worked himself up into that state, you can listen to his usual mildly-subdued-self as he hosted our Christmas special podcast, recorded the week before he exploded in a fit of fan-geekery over The Force Awakens. Joining him in our festive celebrations during this most unholy Winterval and non-religion-specific season are Owen Hughes, Andrew Brooker and Brian Plank. As is tradition, we start off with a Christmassy quiz - quite possibly the worst quiz we've had on the podcast all year. Possibly ever. But moods are soon lifted as the team run through which Christmas movies they've been watching over the holiday period. In lieu of any main releases to talk about, we have a special triple bill where each member of the crew pick their films of Christmas past (favourite first watch of a non-2015 film during this year), Christmas present (favourite 2015 release) and Christmas future (which movie they're most looking forward to in 2016). It really isn't as confusing as I've made it sound. There's still one more podcast to go this year - our Failed Critics Awards end of year wrap up (deadline for votes is 27th Dec) - so you can join us again later this month. Until then, Merry Christmas from all of us here at Failed Critics. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Star Wars - The Force Awakens | |
| A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Owen Hughes has vanished. In his absence, the sinister Steve Norman has risen from the ashes of the Failed Critics Podcast and will not rest until he has reviewed Star Wars: The Force Awakens. With the help of Paul Field and Dave Valentine, Steve leads a brave effort to restore order to the podcast.. OK, enough of that. You get the idea with our opening crawl. It's a Star Wars special episode that celebrates the iconic movie series, from the original trilogy all the way through to JJ Abrams smash hit Episode 7 - The Force Awakens, released in UK cinemas yesterday. As Owen kicked off the podcast this week, it's up to Steve to host on his lonesome, with support from Underground Nights' very own Paul Field, and making his debut on Failed Critics, Dave Valentine. All of whom have been huge fans of the sci-fi fantasy saga from a young age and share their nostalgic experiences and how it may or may not have impacted on their enjoyment of the latest release in the franchise. If, like Steve, Paul and Dave, you too had been avoiding spoilers like the plague, then don't worry. We have a main review that is as spoiler free as is humanly possible for a film review, keeping the nitty gritty to a separate 'spoiler alert' section after the end credits, with plenty of warning in advance! Don't forget to take the time to vote in our Failed Critics Awards if the | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Pope is a D**khead | |
| Apologies for the... un-Christian... language in this week's episode title, but when Steve goes off on one during the podcast recording - as he does this week - it's hard to ignore. For everyone but the Pope, welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast! It's our last regular episode now until 2016, as Christmas, Star Wars and End of Year specials are the only thing left for us to record in order to see the year out. As ever, this week's episode starts off with a quiz, straight from Steve's bulging sack. Yes, you guessed it! It's Santa themed (that's what you were guessing, right?) and swiftly followed by a look through a few of the winners at the BIFAs. We also make an appeal for votes in this year's Failed Critics Awards! Last year we had record numbers of people submitting their top 10 films of the year to us, and we hope this year that you'll help improve on 2014's total! Voting ends on Sunday 27th December. We also have a lengthy discussion about the relative merits of Star Wars Episodes I-VI that Brooker has been watching recently - and quickly preview what we're expecting from Episode VII: the Force Awakens. We also have a moan about the new full Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice spoilerific trailer that came out this past week. Steve reviews a couple of films that he's watched of late, including Tony Scott's final movie, Unstoppable, and the Disney classic, Jungle Boo | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Good Bridge of Dinosaur Spies | |
| We're back to our normal routine today with Steve Norman and Owen Hughes joined by Callum Petch. There's not a single professional comedian amongst them after the first episode of Paul Field and James Mullinger's Underground Nights popped up in your podcast subscription software of choice this past weekend. And what a bumper crop of new release reviews we have in store for you! Four new movies that have hit your cinema screens recently, including: The new Pixar dramedy, The Good Dinosaur; Black Mass, a crime biopic starring Johnny Depp; a film that Callum describes as "perfect" in Carol; and cold war drama Bridge of Spies, the latest Spielberg and Hanks collaboration. All of this plus a bunch of other stuff that we've seen this past week. Callum boldly goes where millions of others have gone before and inducts himself into the Star Trek universe via the original motion picture. Meanwhile, Steve talks us through a post apocalyptic horror like so many more before it with Hidden and rounds up this season of The Walking Dead. There's also still time for Owen to talk about a film that very few have seen before after attending the test screening of The Comedians Guide to Survival, a movie starring James Buckley (Jay from The Inbetweeners) about the life of James Mullinger (yes, that guy from Underground Nights). Join Owen and Steve again for more "film related nonsense" with returning guest Andrew Brooker. | Listen |
| Field & Mullinger's Underground Nights: Episode One - Fred's Pocket | |
| Welcome to the premiere episode of Field & Mullinger's Underground Nights, where we?ll be tickling the underbelly of cinema, from Troma & Astron 6 to the much maligned British gangster flick and everything in between. Your hosts James Mullinger and Paul Field kick off with a Canadian Special (not a euphemism) where we discuss our favourite Canadian movies. James tells us why he loves Lost After Dark and explains why he is still buying VHS, whilst Paul shows a lot of love for The Soska Sisters (come on, we all love a Dead Hooker In A Trunk?) We go balls deep into WolfCop as we?re joined by the director Lowell Dean who shares his passion for Canadian cinema and offers a veritable feast of WolfCop news & insight - including some exclusive WolfCop 2 news! There?s even time to finish up with a new release review, where we look at the controversial LOVE 3D from notorious French auteur Gaspar Noé. Obviously that flies off at a tangent so acute we end up on a jolly jape concerning Fred and the stash of gentleman?s journals in his pocket. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Hunger Games Special | |
| May the odds be ever in your favour as Steve Norman, Owen Hughes, Callum Petch and Chris Haigh volunteer themselves as tributes for this Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 themed episode of the Failed Critics Podcast. We've got a young-adult adaptation inspired quiz to kick things off before covering news on: the latest sci-fi fantasy remake to get its own Hunger Games style franchise; Wonder Woman finally having an announced cast; and ask if it's right that cinema chains should ban the showing of an advert created by the Church of England. All of this, plus a review of the final movie in the Hunger Games series and a special triple bill, where the Failed Critics are assigned an individual actor from the movies and each pick their three favourite movies of that particular actor. Join us again next week as Steve, Owen and Callum return for reviews of Bridge of Spies, The Good Dinosaur and Black Mass. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Ronaldo, World Cinema & Listener Questions | |
| Bonjour, guten tag, konnichiwa, hola, namaste, aloha, salve, an-nyong, olá, goddag, ahalan, shalom, nei ho... and hello! Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast as Owen and Steve take a break from reviewing new releases (sort of) to draft in special guests and world cinema aficionados (and podcast débutantes), Andy and Liam. Whilst it may be the first time on Failed Critics for the cultured duo, this episode does see the return of a feature from earlier this year called 'Listener Questions'. Through our Twitter and Facebook pages, we invited listeners and previous podcast guests to send in any question at all that they wanted to ask us - and they did! We've done our best to answer as many as we could but as ever, it's all a bit shambolic from the get go! There's also reviews of some lesser known movies from around the world; from the Danish black comedy starring Mads Mikkelsen called Green Butchers, to the charming Spanish animation Nocturna, via a stop over in Romania for some tasteful holocaust comedy with Train of Life. We do manage to sneak in one quick new release review though as Steve reports back on sports documentary Ronaldo, executive produced by James Gay-Rees and Asif Kapadia (Senna, Amy, etc). Join us again next week for a Hunger Games special episode with guests Callum Petch and Chris Haigh! Who will survive?? (Hopefully everybody. It's only a podcas | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Awe Steve That Stinks | |
| Everybody, raise your right hand and say it with me: On my honour, I promise that I will do my best To do my duty to Owen and to Steve, To help other people And to keep the Failed Critics Podcast on my iTunes subscription list at all times. You may lower your hand so that you can press play now and listen to your hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes, with their special guest Brian Plank, play a game of 20 Questions around the camp fire, stay up late talking about movies (such as He Named Me Malala, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse and Kill Your Friends) and scare Brian by telling him ghost stories. Well, Steve tells a ghost story of sorts with a review of Housebound, a horror film from New Zealand (not Australia). Owen finds possibly the worst Bruce Willis movie ever made in Hudson Hawk, whilst Brian - still recovering from the shock - talks about indie documentary King of Kong. There's time before all of that for the group to sing a rendition of Kumbaya - but unfortunately the mic wasn't plugged in. So instead of doing seven versus in full again, they decide instead to take a look at why the Chinese market get a different Star Wars trailer and what's wrong with Warcraft. We pay a small tribute to horror icon Gunnar Hanson who passed away this week, as well as casting our beady eyes over the BIFA nominations. Join us again next week where we're inviting you lot to send in your listener questions! We | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Blair Witch Project (Commentary) | |
| Never let it be said that the Failed Critics are afraid to try anything new. I mean, it's only taken us 192 episodes to finally getting around to doing a film commentary. Andrew Brooker and Matt Lambourne joined hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes for this special episode as together they watch and share their thoughts, opinions, anecdotes and stories about 1999's pioneering indie found footage horror, The Blair Witch Project, co-written and co-directed by Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick. As the four failed critics gathered for their unholy ceremony, only Owen knew which film they were going to be watching that night. If you listen closely when it's revealed, you can hear the lamentations of Brooker who hates the film, the rustle of a jumper as Steve's shrugging shoulders indicate he has no opinion either way, and then Matt jumps for joy as he prepares to shit himself at one of the scariest films ever made. The film was streamed via Netflix UK, so if you want to watch the film underneath our commentary, we'll tell you when to hit play and you can listen along as we try to remain interesting for the whole 80 minutes. Alternatively, the podcast should just work as a normal hour and 20 minutes of general shenanigans and film related chat. What I'm getting at is you don't need to watch the film to enjoy this week's podcast, but it will probably help! If you like the idea or would like to see more of this sort of t | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: In SPECTRE, It's Columbo | |
| The name's Critics. Failed Critics. Should you expect us to die during our James Bond special episode? No, you should expect us to talk! And that's exactly what we do for about 90 minutes, as hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by special guests Tony Black (from Pick A Flick) and Brian Plank. The main review this week is of course the latest adventures of Britain's (worst kept) secret agent in SPECTRE. Sam Mendes is back in the director's seat after his record breaking success with Skyfall, and Daniel Craig faces yet more peril with the rise of a shady organisation threatening the safety of the British people. To tie into the release of SPECTRE, we have a miniature version of our Corridor of Praise episodes as we induct 007 himself. Starting with Ian Fleming's original novels, right through to Daniel Craig emerging from the sea in Speedos, we cover the character's history from beginning to the modern day. There's also time for us to squeeze in Owen's review of the Columbo TV movie that Steve made him watch after last week's quiz, before this weeks Bond-themed quiz takes place. We also react to a few news items that have crossed our paths over the last seven days, including: Indiana Jones 5 and potential re-casting issues; why the Steve Jobs movie is tanking in the US; and one of Hollywood's Golden Age actresses, Maureen O'Hara, passing away. Join us again next week where we'll have mor | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Crimson Halloween Beasts | |
| All of you that have never listened before and have seen your family die [from laughing], huh, you now have something that stands for you! That would be the Failed Critics Podcast: Halloween special. OK, so it is a couple of weeks early, but think of all that extra time we've given you to source the incredible horror movies from a whole host of different decades that we discuss during our spooktacular (urrgghhhh sorry) triple bill. With picks by hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes, and guests Carole Petts and Phil Sharman, there's plenty for you sink your fangs into (aahhhhhh sorry sorry sorry). Before all that, we begin as we always do - with a quiz! Steve is in control of the questions and still 2-1 up after last week's disaster (get it?) leaving Owen teetering on the edge of being handed a potentially diabolical booby prize should he be unable to prevent a joint Carole and Phil triumph. Perhaps regardless of whatever film might await either Owen or Steve, nothing could truly be more distressing than the news that a Die Hard prequel has gone into production. Still, at least there's the London Film Festival round-up and Godzilla vs King Kong news to discuss, eh? We even found time to sneak in a couple of new releases alongside our main triple bill feature. With reviews of Guilermo Del Toro's latest visual gothic tale in Crimson Peak, and the very first Netflix original movie, Beasts of No Nation, sta | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Panning Pan, Suffering Suffragette & Walking The Walk | |
| In this episode of the Failed Critics Podcast, hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by guests Andrew Brooker and Callum Petch to take a look over the latest film releases, review what else they've been watching in the past seven days, and to cast their beady eyes over recent news. With the score tightly poised at 1-1, Steve's ground breaking, Earth shattering, cataclysmic quiz kicks off this week's episode, swiftly followed by some news close to home [INSERT 'NEW WEBSITE' KLAXON] and some a whole (cinematic) universe away. The team also discuss the trailers for the first ever Netflix original movie, Beasts of No Nation, as well as the upcoming Coen Brothers film, Hail, Caesar!. We also feature a look back at The Never Ending Story, a look ahead to Hotel Transylvania 2, and a look... now... at the Fright Night remake. Callum retains his dignity when Owen and Steve shrug in unison at Sicario, before delving into some returning TV shows, including The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and Z-Nation. Unfortunately, they haven't been seen on a new SONY BRAVIA TV. Ahem. Of course the podcast wouldn't be complete without a review of the latest films to hit the cinema screens. Callum can't quite fathom the 'who', 'how' or 'why' Pan was made, whilst Steve explains why we're all bad people for not watching it. Brooker and Owen reveal why Suffragette might just be one of the films of the | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Scottish Podcast | |
| Is this a dagger I see before me? No, it's just this week's triple bill edition of the Failed Critics podcast! Acclaimed Glaswegian author Escobar Walker debuts alongside noted-neds and podcast regulars Steve Norman, Owen Hughes and Paul Field, to review the Scottish play-turned-movie Macbeth and to each pick their three favourite films from north of the border. We kick things off as we always do with a quiz,one that is - yes, you guessed it - Scottish themed. Before that though, we have a short pre-credits intro that should give you an insight into just how depraved and filthy the combined minds of Paul and Esco can get. You have been warned. With no other new releases to review this week, and no 'what we've been watching' section, we devote more time to our review of Macbeth than Paul spent awake during his entire short cinema trip to watch director Justin Kurzel's big-screen Shakespearean adaptation. To wrap things up the team share their three favourite Scottish movies. Alas, this might be a spoiler and maybe even come as a shock or disappointment to a few of you, but nobody picks Highlander, Braveheart or The Wicker Man. I can only apologise, but we do find some other real classics to talk about instead. You can join Steve and Owen again next week where we'll have more guests, presumably less profanity, and reviews of Suffragette and The Walk. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Intern, The Martian & Sicario | |
| Hello and welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, released slightly earlier than usual to try and push it out just before the end of International Podcast today (that's today for the next couple of minutes, anyway!) As such, we recommend you check out our fellow podcast comrades Wikishuffle, Black Hole Cinema and Diamond & Human; all of whom are deserving of your time during your commute or whilst boiling the spuds, or whatever you do whilst you're listening to us. Joining Mexican assassin Steve Norman and intergalactic failed critic Owen Hughes for this week's episode is Andrew Brooker, undertaking his unpaid work placement, as they review three new releases. They're so new, in fact, that they are not even out in the UK yet! First up, Owen reviews new Ridley Scott sci-fi The Martian (which doesn't feature any aliens - xenomorphs or otherwise) before Brooker seethes over the new Anne Hathaway / Robert De Niro comedy The Intern. There's even room for a review of the much anticipated crime-thriller Sicario, starring Emily Blunt as an FBI agent working with Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro on the trail of the Cartel in Mexico. Before any of that though we have our quiz (which Steve helpfully explains in detail) and news section where the team react to Sam Smith's Bond theme replete with improv poetry, The Simpsons opening Smithers closet, and the Prometheus sequel details. This is followed by our usual | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: One MILLION Dollars! Triple Bill | |
| Welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast. As promised, Steve Norman is back in the host's chair this week as the award winning duo of Jack and Phil from Wikishuffle depart to be replaced by Matt Lambourne from the award winning video-game podcast Retro Asylum, such is the quality of guest on our shows these days! As ever, they are both joined by Owen Hughes for this week's triple bill episode, where each member of the team pick three films made for one million dollars or less in a bid to prove that the quality of a movie is not always dependent on its budget. Before all of that, the guys also take a look at the Primetime Emmy Award winners announced this past weekend and indulge themselves with the final round of our ongoing quiz - which, for once, isn't as shambolic as you might expect! There's also time for: Steve to tackle Everest, starring Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Brolin amongst others; Matt blows the dust out of his Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie cartridge; and Owen joins him in continuing the video-game adaptation conversation by listing everything wrong with Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Join us again next week for reviews of Sicario, The Intern, and The Martian. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Legend, The Visit and Award Winning Comedy | |
| Do you want to hear a magic trick? How many C's are there in Failed Critics? Answer: Four! Specifically, Owen Hughes, Phil Sharman, Andrew Brooker and special guest host, Jack Stewart. I will leave it to your imagination to work out what the 'C' stands for... ...All right, it was 'critics', of course! Failed ones, but what else could I have possibly meant..? Unfortunately there's no Steve Norman on this week's episode, but the award winning duo of Phil and Jack from the comedy podcast Wikishuffle join Owen and Brooker to review two new releases. Whilst Phil prepares a rant on M. Night Shyamalan's latest twisty-turny-twist-again-turn-again horror The Visit, the group also review British gangster movie Legend, starring Tom Hardy as Ronnie Cray and Tom Hardy as Reggie Kray. Also on the podcast: Brooker walks the line with Oscar winning documentary Man On Wire; Phil tentatively recommends Jonathan King?s (yes, that one) self-produced Vile Pervert: The Musical; and Owen shouts from the stands about indie doc Sons of Ben. There's even time for Phil jump into the host's chair briefly for this week's quiz, and we rant over SPECTRE's potentially 160 minute run time. Steve Norman returns as host next week along with Owen and guest Callum Petch to review Everest. Join us then! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Sharman & Other Filth | |
| Welcome to another edition of the Failed Critics podcast. This week, hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by Paul Field (making his first appearance since the Corridor of Praise: Danny Dyer episode) and Phil Sharman, one third of the award nominated comedy podcast Wikishuffle. On top of the news about Danny Boyle confirming production will begin on Trainspotting 2, there are two new release films reviewed by the team this week; Nima Nourizadeh's stoner comedy American Ultra, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, and the Statham-less Statham-vehicle Transp4ter (...no? AKA The Transporter Refueled.) As well as the new releases, Owen discusses the documentary Welcome to Leith (which is screening this week at the Cambridge Film Festival) with Paul, who also reviews Fort Tilden. Phil rewatches a recent favourite in The Adjustment Bureau and Steve follows up on a discussion from last week's FrightFest summary by checking out Australian pre-post-apocalyptic thriller These Final Hours. Fans of our classic debates will also be in for a treat as plenty of our most popular topics were brought up for discussion at various points! A conversation about the Netflix series Narcos somehow ends up as a rambling stream of thought about the BBC and future of broadcasting. The Transp4ter review leads into another rant about film classification. We even manage to squeeze in a quick chat on the merits of found footage horrors, Ameri | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Straight Outta FrightFest | |
| You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge as four white boys from the UK discuss N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton on this week's Failed Critics Podcast. Joining crazy mother-flipper Steve Norman and another crazy arsed bad mother-flipper Owen Hughes on our latest episode is Andrew Brooker, a dangerous mother-flipper raising hell, and controlling the automatic is Mike Shawcross. We're not entirely as gangster as you might expect, believe it or not, as we kick off the podcast with a quiz and a short tribute to Wes Craven. We manage to express ourselves in a more dignified manner befitting four dudes sat around in their pants on Skype, late on a Tuesday night, during reviews of video-game adaptation Hitman: Agent 47, Nic Cage thriller Joe and James Cullen Bressack's indie-horror To Jennifer. On top of all that, we have a round-up of the good, the bad and the ugly that came out of this year's Film4 FrightFest. Get your notepad and pen ready as Mike reveals everything you should be adding to your watch list over the next 12 months - including These Final Hours, Turbo Kid, We Are Still Here, Bait and loads more! I'm not exaggerating. LOADS more. Join us again the same time next week as Paul 'Slice' Field returns to mull over No Escape and The Transporter Refuelled. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast ? COP: Danny Dyer | |
| What else are you going to do on a Wednesday morning? Sit in your fucking armchair, listening to Kermode & Mayo's Film Review? Then go and spunk your wages on Twilight DVDs and merchandise? Fuck that for a laugh. We know what we'd rather do! An entire podcast dedicated to Danny Dyer. Love it! That's right. In this episode, the Failed Critics will be honouring the work of Britain's most unappreciated actor, Danny Dyer, by inducting him into our illustrious Corridor of Praise and dedicating a special one-off two-hour long episode to discussion about his career and influence. Luckily, Steve Norman and Owen Hughes don't have to do this on their own and are joined by some very special guests this week. We were accompanied by both Failed Critics regular Paul Field, who has recently re-watched Dyer's entire filmography, and the hilarious professional stand-up comedian James Mullinger, co-author of the book 'The Films of Danny Dyer' - and co-star of Dyer's in the 2013 revenge thriller Vendetta! Together, we take a look at Danny's early career in films like Human Traffic, Borstal Boy and Mean Machine, through to his work with Nick Love on Goodbye Charlie Bright, The Football Factory and The Business, all the way up to his Revolver period and current gig on Eastenders. We discuss our initial opinion of Danny Dyer and how that might have changed over the years, we wonder what tastes like chicken and have a short qui | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: A Place Of Learning | |
| Steve Norman? Here. Owen Hughes? Here. Callum Petch? Here. Now that the register has been taken, the latest Failed Critics Podcast may commence. Please take your seats, spit your chewing gum in the bin and we'll start this week's quiz and hear Owen's reaction to Steve's choice of film for winning last week with the sports documentary Next Goal Wins. We also have a triple bill where the team each pick three films set in a place of learning - and that's all the criteria they were given! It really is as broad as that. Good? Bad? Overrated? Underrated? Obscure? Well known? You'll have to listen to find out what they pick. We also have reviews of new releases Trainwreck (reviewed by Brooker on the website), The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (er, also reviewed by Brooker) and Pixels. I say "review" of Pixels, but it was more like an uncontrollable rant by Callum. Join us next week for the next entry to our Corridor of Praise, the inevitable induction of Danny Dyer! Where we'll be joined by Paul Field and one or two special guests... Class dismissed. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Failedastic Four | |
| On an audio-pod adventure, they got hit by cosmic rays. And the four would change forever, in some most fantastic ways! Oh, Steve Norman is sarcastic, Brian Plank's unusually polite. Carole is obsessed with Bill Murray, and Owen's opinions are a crock of shite. Call for Four... Failedastic Four! Yes, that's right listeners. This week's main release review is the not particularly well received [ahem] latest superhero film from Josh Trank, Fantastic Four. Or Fantfourstic if you're going to take the poster literally (and we do.) We try to work out what exactly didn't work and why it didn't work with our special guests Carole Petts and Brian Plank, both of whom contributed to the Avengers Assemble and The Incredible Hulk episodes respectively in our Avengers Minisodes series from earlier in the year. Staying with the comicbook theme, the team also take a look at the divisive Deadpool trailer that officially launched last week and react to the news that Bill Murray will be cameoing in the new Ghostbusters film. There's even enough time for: Brian to spread the joy of Pixar's recent hit, Inside Out; Carole questions the BBFC and their decision to rate Diary of a Teenage Girl as an 18; Steve continues to be impressed by Ben Affleck's directorial prowess with Gone Baby Gone; and Owen stares into the Heart of Darkness by watching Apocalypse Now. Join us again next week for reviews of Pixels, Paper Towns and T | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Mission Impossible Triple Bill Special | |
| This week's episode of the Failed Critics Podcast will first require a pass key to access. You can find said pass key by looking in the sole of your left shoe for a microchip which can then be inserted into the back of your phone. It will beam holographic cryptic instructions on the whereabouts of the access code before self-destructing in 5... 4... 3... 2... Only joking. Why make the podcast more of a challenge to listen to than it already is, right? There's so secret combination required to listen to the returning Steve Norman, Owen Hughes and Andrew Brooker talk all things Mission: Impossible on our latest episode. We start as ever with a tightly poised quiz, before the team swiftly move onto discussing the Tom Cruise led action franchise in a bit more detail. We discuss the overall quality of the movies as well as the ever-popular topic of whether or not Cruise is the last remaining true movie star. There's even a special M:I themed triple bill as well as a full review of the fifth entry to the series, Rogue Nation, to follow on this episode. Clearly we spared no expense. Join us again next week as we invite Brian Plank and Carole Petts on to talk about Josh Trank's latest superhero flick, Fantastic Four. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: TV Special S3 Ep2 | |
| When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground. But the game of the Failed Critics Podcast is a bit more accommodating and has more of a flexible work-life balance. Plus it has much less incest too. This episode is part two of our third TV Special podcast, featuring Owen Hughes as host in place of Steve Norman. As in part one, Owen is joined by Matt Latham from The Bottle Episode and Failed Critics founder James Diamond. With the Emmy's chat firmly done and dusted, the team move onto answering some tough, insightful and deeply ponderous questions such as "what TV show did you used to hate but now really like", and "what is the best new TV show of the year". You know, the sort of questions you just don't hear anybody else deal with. We'll be back to our regular output next week with Steve returning to hosting duties as we review Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: TV Special S3 Ep1 | |
| The Failed Critics TV Special revolution will not be televised, brother. Although, it will still be a conveniently downloadable audio podcast. No change there, then. However, what is different, for our third TV Special episode, there's no Steve Norman. Instead, Owen Hughes leapt into Steve's upholstered velvet host's chair whilst it was still warm, swivelled himself around, and read questions from the teleprompter to our special guests for this episode. Owen was joined by both Matt Latham from the TV blog and podcast, The Bottle Episode, and returning to us like the prodigal son, former head-honcho at FC HQ, James Diamond, now co-running the Diamond and Human podcast. With so much content to get through, you may consider saving this episode and box-set binging later in the week with the release of Part Two. Going massively over-time and blowing the entire Failed Critics Entertainment Budget on one two-part special, we just had so much to talk about that we've had to split our TV Special in half. In part one, we have our Primetime Emmy Award themed quiz, inspired by the recent announcement of the nominations for the 67th annual awards and our reactions to them. And to give you a taste of what's to come in part two, the trio also respond to the first question asked of them, "what is the best ongoing show of 2015?" Spoiler: it wasn't Masked Spooner. Join us again later in the week for less Emmy's chat a | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Ant-Man | |
| Welcome one and all to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast where Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are this week joined by special guests Andrew Brooker and Matt Lambourne to review big-budget pint-sized Marvel superhero movie Ant-Man! There's both a spoiler-free discussion on the film and a return of our 'spoiler alert' right after the end credits where we go into more specific details. Also featured on this week's podcast: Owen discusses the 1970's Werner Herzog movie Stroszek; Brooker finally manages to get his hands on The Voices, starring Ryan Reynolds; Matt is back to say a few things to say about Terminator Genisys; and Steve puts him through the Danny Dyer film The Other Half ....with very good reason! There's even time for the group to mull over the Attack On Titan trailer, talk about our latest celeb Twitter follower after the very first Failed Critics meet up and we "react" to the as yet unreleased Spectre trailer. Join us again next week for the return of our TV Special in honour of the biggest new release this week. No, not Southpaw. No, not Inside Out either. No, not even Maggie. "Oh no. Oh Hell no! Surely you don't mean... it's not..... it can't be... no way...." Yes way. It's the eagerly anticipated release of Sharknado 3! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Ted 2, Dear White People & Song of the Sea | |
| The last time you might have heard Wikishuffle appear on our podcast was back in April during the Quizcast and, as ever, Steve kicks off this pod with a quiz of his own before the team discuss latest new releases. There's disappointment over Seth McFarlane's controversial comedy sequel Ted 2. The Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominated dramady Dear White People doesn't quite live up to its hype. Even the animated Irish fantasy film Song of the Sea squeezes its way into this edition. Despite this episode being shorter than our most recent efforts, there's still time for: Owen to review the much lauded 1994 sports documentary Hoop Dreams; Phil rewatches The Guest, his favourite film of last year; Chris tries to figure out why this season of True Detective isn't working for him; Jack actually has fun (no, really) whilst watching Minions; and Steve finally gets around to Marvel's Netflix show, Daredevil. Join us again next week as we'll be back to review Ant Man! In the meantime, don't forget to vote for Wikishuffle in the UK Podcaster Awards. | Listen |
| Fayled Crytycs Podcast: Termynator Genysys & Magyc Myke XXL | |
| Come with us yf you want to lyve in a world where there are only 25 letters of the alphabet. Or stay in your regular 26-letter alphabet world if you like? You can still come with us through another 90 minutes of Failed Critics Podcast film chatter. On this episode, the usual voices of Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by the returning Callum Petch to review new releases Terminator Genisys and Magic Mike XXL. Also on this episode, the team take a look over the past week's film news, including the Film4 FrightFest programme announcement and Inside Out smashing a box office record previously held by Avatar! Sticking with the James Cameron theme, Owen reviews his 1989 deep-water sci-fi The Abyss in our What We've Been Watching section; Steve reveals his thoughts on spy-comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service and why Danny Dyer would still make a good James Bond; and continuing along his path to see more cult 80's classics, Callum watches the recently restored Furious, as well as voluntarily torturing himself with the abhorrent FIFA-backed drama United Passions. Join us again next week as we'll be chatting with Jack, Chris and Phil from the Wikishuffle podcast! And probably reviewing Ted 2..? We'll see. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Small, Bald, Jaundiced Critics | |
| Welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast where the team are at their most despicable. No, we haven't brought back Brooker and Paul!! I'm talking about the prequel to Illumination's Despicable Me franchise, all about those little yellow goofy sidekicks. Joining Steve Norman and Owen Hughes to review Minions is our animation expert Callum Petch. The team also take a look at action thrillers Everly (starring Selma Hayek) and Eli Roth's Knock Knock (starring Keanu Reeves). We also have a special guest débutante to the Failed Critics podcast in Nick Lay, author of our articles on We Are Many, Dish & Dishonesty and Kung Fury! In a pre-recorded review, he joins Owen all the way from Canada to discuss the micro budget British thriller Through The Lens. Meanwhile, Steve reveals the startling news that prior to this week, he'd somewhat unbelievably never seen The Terminator before, whilst Callum takes over the b-movie duties from Owen to review 80's cult classic Hard Ticket To Hawaii. There's even some news for the group to discuss this week as Tom Holland is named as the new (yes, NEW) Spider-Man (they're really making another Spider-Man film!) (Really!) Join Steve, Owen and Callum again next week as we review Terminator: Genisys and Magic Mike XXL. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: TV Special 2.5 | |
| Welcome to possibly the most offensive, extraordinarily explicit episode of the Failed Critics Podcast to date. Which probably suggests our guests this week need no introduction! But for the sake of posterity, hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by Andrew Brooker and Paul Field. To tie into last week's release of Entourage: The Movie, a spin-off from the popular HBO series, "the boys" have turned this episode into a TV Special. Not quite a full continuation of the first two entries to our previous TV Specials (part 1 & part 2), this is more like a TV Special 2.5 with a full third entry coming in the next few months. In it, the quiz gets a TV-make-over, the team talk about what TV shows they've been watching lately and we have a full review of the Entourage film. We're even releasing this episode a couple of days early as it will take you a week to finally finish listening to it as it comes in at an impressive (daunting?) 1 hour and 45 minutes long. Join us again next week as Callum Petch joins us to review the animated comedy Minions, a spin off from the highly successful and popular Despicable Me franchise. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Jurassic World | |
| Huh? Where's the podcast gone...? ...oh, no... ...IT'S CAMOUFLAGED! No, wait, here it is. And it looks like Steve Norman and Owen Hughes have spliced together some DNA and created a monster of their own in Mike Shawcross. You might think that's an insult, but remember, 'monster' is relative. To a mouse, a cat is a monster. To Hammer Horror, Christopher Lee is a monster. To our audience, we are monsters. Anyway, in this episode we review Colin Trevorrow's new mega-blockbuster box office-record-breaking hit Jurassic World, including both a spoiler free review (as normal) and the return of "spoiler alert" at the end of the podcast after the credits. Also in this episode: we pay tribute to the iconic Sir Christopher Lee, a true legend of cinema, who sadly passed away last week; as well as running through the original Jurassic Park films and the latest Channel 4 series Humans, Steve actually prepared a quiz this week; Mike explains the problems with The Matrix on blu-ray; and Owen raves about the documentary Paul recommended at the end of last week's podcast, Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films. Join us again next week as we review Entourage: The Movie (or whatever it's called) and Mr Holmes. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Spy, United Passions and Utter Filth | |
| What happens when you reunite the filthy minds of [The Mirror's film correspondent] Paul Field and Andrew Brooker on the same podcast as Steve Norman and Owen Hughes? If you guessed "clean, mild mannered discussion on various films in the cinema" then you'd be wrong. This episode is explicit with a capital E. And a capital X, P, L, I, C, I and T as well. You have been warned! Although there are still plenty of films discussed this week. Together, in-between the carnage, the team manage to put together 80 minutes of semi-coherent chat, starting as ever with a tightly poised quiz (+ results from last week's United Passions defence) and discussing the latest from the world of film news, including Jurassic World's initially poor reception and Hugh Jackman relinquishing his most famous role. We also discuss a number of new releases in the cinema this past week, including: Paul Feig's comedy Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Rose Byrne and Miranda Hart; the confusingly titled studio horror prequel Insidious: Chapter 3; James McTeigue's latest attempt to save his career with crime thriller Survivor; and the FIFA propaganda film that's convincing nobody, United Passions. As well as that, Brooker discusses Alex Garland's Ex Machina; Owen flips his opinion around on The Redwood Massacre; Paul has two very different opinions on the terrifying We Are Still He | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: San Andreas, Tomorrowland & A Pod Virgin | |
| Dogged this past week by claims of corruption, rigged voting and overweight power mad men running the show... No, it's not Steve and Owen here at Failed Critics! No. It's not even Sepp Blatter at FIFA. It's actually our guest Tony Black, who is joining us from Black Hole Cinema. After an open and equal voting process, Tony won his opportunity to join us this week completely fairly. Owen's new sports car and Steve's new handbag are just mere coincidences. The quiz this week has a slightly tongue in cheek twist as the team try to defend the FIFA backed film United Passions (don't forget to let us know which one is your favourite!) As well as this, the team also discuss: the front runners for the role of Spider-Man in the new Marvel Cinematic Universe film; Owen watches Alpha Papa twice in a week; Tony takes a look at the Kickstarter backed short film Kung Fury; and Steve finally gets around to seeing 22 Jump Street. And as if all of that wasn't enough, there's even time to squeeze in reviews of Brad Bird's somewhat underwhelming fantasy story Tomorrowland, AND even The Rock's new film, San Andreas, the "best disaster film since Volcano" (interpret that how you will!) makes it onto the pod. Join us again next week as we rebuild [cue: American flag] and discuss Jason Statham's new comedy film Spy. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Mad Critics Fury Podcast | |
| Hello and welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast! Joining hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes this week are Andrew Brooker and Jackson Tyler, sharing their opinion on the latest installment of the Pitch Perfect franchise, as well as George Miller's triumphant return to post-apocalyptic Australia with Mad Max: Fury Road. Starting off the podcast as ever is our quiz - in its new revamped format! With things teetering on a knife edge, will Steve lose and be forced to watch Kill Keith yet again, or will he win and force Owen to watch Kill Keith again? Or, with a bit of luck, will the cursed video-tape that is Keith Chegwin's magnum opus finally be passed on to somebody else so we never have to darken our DVD player with it ever again? We also chat about the 68th Cannes (with an 's') Film Festival, from the end of the McConaissance to institutional sexism. There's even room for Owen to revisit a film talked about exactly 150 episodes ago; Jackson shares his love for Alexander Payne's high-school political-satire Election; Steve puts his geo-gea-jolly-ologist expertise to good use when reviewing The Day After Tomorrow; and Brooker delves into the twisted mind of James Cullen Bressack with Pernicious ahead of its UK release next month. Join us again next week for reviews of the Poltergeist remake (why?), Disney's Tomorrowland and the latest CGI-laden disaster movie San Andreas. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Child Performances Triple Bill | |
| They're heeeerrrrreeeee.... And by 'they', we of course mean 'we'. We're here to host another triple bill edition of the Failed Critics Podcast! This week, Mike Shawcross and Matt Lambourne step into the fold along with regulars Steve Norman and Owen Hughes as they each pick their three favourite child performances in film. From sweary little girls, to doom-bringing seven year old boys, we've covered all of the best young performances that we could fit into 100 minutes of podcast. Amongst that, we did still manage to squeeze in a quick round up of who-won-what at the Cannes Film Festival, which closed this week. In keeping with the Cannes theme, Mike even watched a film called The Beaver that was first screened at the festival a few years back, starring Mel Gibson. And, as if we'd planned it (we didn't), Matt also watched a Mel Gibson movie as he looks back on the original 1979 Australian rampage film Mad Max. Meanwhile, Owen recounts his experience this past weekend at a Q&A with Al Pacino, whilst Steve quickly runs through 2012's Avengers Assemble and the latest season of Game of Thrones. Join us again next week as we look at Pacino's latest project Danny Collins, as well as the Rock's new disaster movie San Andreas. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Spooks, Britishness & Bad Impressions | |
| Welcome to another edition of the Failed Critics Podcast where hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by special guest Matt Lambourne. In this episode, the team take a look at the big screen continuation of the long running and oft heralded BBC TV series with Spooks: The Greater Good. In honour of this very British espionage thriller, we have a triple bill where our trio each pick the three films they think sums up Britishness in movies best. Don't worry, there's no flag waving or national anthem renditions here. Just a veritable plethora of poor attempts at cross-country accents, from Danny Dyer to non-specific American. We also introduce a brand new potentially semi-regular section to the podcast where we finally answer the burning questions you've been sending in to us, such as "who would win in a fight, an astronaut or a caveman?", "why does Owen watch 847 films a week?", "why don't we let that handsome chap Callum Petch on the podcast more often?" and more! Yes, more! If you'd like to ask the Failed Critics any questions, simply tweet, facebook, comment on this article or email them to us and we'll make room for them on a future podcast. Join us again next week as we actually get to review some films for a change with the hotly anticipated release of Mad Max: Fury Road. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Unfriending the Monsters | |
Welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast! Our special guests this week are Mike Shawcross and Andrew Brooker (that we know of, there could also have been a spooky spectre lurking on our Skype call) who join our regular hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes. We review two new releases, the cyber-slasher Unfriended and the "infuriating" Monsters: Dark Continent alongside our usual quiz, news and 'what we've been watching' sections. The latter of which sees Steve finally complete the Harry Potter franchise, dropping the mic at the suggestion of a proposed remake; Mike reminds us all how good Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is; in full old man moaning mode, Owen apologises for disliking Bryan Coyne's Infernal; and Brooker gets disappointed with Gareth Edwards%2 | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Age of Ultron | |
Welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast as we use our words to describe the eleventh and latest entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron! This week we also celebrate our third birthday (hip hip!) Joining Steve and Owen for this extravaganza is the returning Carole Petts, for the first time on a proper feature podcast this year - although she has appeared on our Avengers Minisodes and reviewed Age of Ultron on the site of course! Also on this episode is Matt Lambourne, fresh from the humiliating defeat in our very own Quizcast | Listen |
| Avengers Minisodes: Episode 10 - Guardians of the Galaxy | |
In the run up to the latest hotly anticipated Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, Steve and Owen have been busy putting together a series of short 20-25 minute long minisode podcasts. With clips from the films, trailers, retro reviews taken from our archived podcasts as well as brand new retrospective reviews featuring a varied mix of different guests for each episode, we?ll be running through all of the MCU movies thus far in chronological order. Welcome to the very last episode in our Avengers Minisode series! Here we take a look back on the second best film of 2014, as voted for by you in our Failed Critics Awards. I am of course referring to the spectacular space-adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy, the tenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Failed Black Wikishuffle Hole Quizcast | |
Welcome to the Failed Critics podcast-- or should I say, "quizcast"! For the first time in Failed Critics history, we're teaming up with some fellow podcasters for 60 minutes of quizzing. With our regular host Steve Norman in the quiz master's chair, it was up to Owen Hughes and Matt Lambourne to represent Failed Critics. Up against them, from the weekly film review pdocast Black Hole Cinema, was Tony Black and Matt Latham. The third and final team on the quiz (and the only non-film related podcast) was Wikishuffle, with Jack Stewart, Chris Wallace and Phil Sharman. Claims of shenanigans were respectfully kept to a minimum, although promises to rein in competitiveness were hastily abandoned during the first round. Listen | |
| Avengers Minisodes: Episode 9 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier | |
In the run up to the latest hotly anticipated Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, Steve and Owen have been busy putting together a series of short 20-25 minute long minisode podcasts. With clips from the films, trailers, retro reviews taken from our archived podcasts as well as brand new retrospective reviews featuring a varied mix of different guests for each episode, we?ll be running through all of the MCU movies thus far in chronological order. In the penultimate podcast of our Avengers Minisode series, we take a look back at 2014's espionage thriller, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. After a brief cameo from Chris Evans as Steve Rogers during Thor: The Dark World, here he returns to the role in full as catastrophe strikes when he uncovers a secret Hydra plot to take down SHIELD as his past comes back to haunt him. Listen | |
| Avengers Minisodes: Episode 8 - Thor: The Dark World | |
In the run up to the latest hotly anticipated Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, Steve and Owen have been busy putting together a series of short 20-25 minute long minisode podcasts. With clips from the films, trailers, retro reviews taken from our archived podcasts as well as brand new retrospective reviews featuring a varied mix of different guests for each episode, we?ll be running through all of the MCU movies thus far in chronological order. Our eighth Avengers Minisode takes a look back on director Alan Taylor's Thor: The Dark World. With a slightly larger budget than Brannagh's first Thor film, this sequel attempts to expand on the epic fantasy adventure element by introducing the malevolent threat of the dark elves. An ancient species led by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) who harbour a grudge - and it's up to Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his earthly chums (Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings and her intern) to stop them.% | Listen |
| Avengers Minisodes: Episode 7 - Iron Man 3 | |
In the run up to the latest hotly anticipated Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, Steve and Owen have been busy putting together a series of short 20-25 minute long minisode podcasts. With clips from the films, trailers, retro reviews taken from our archived podcasts as well as brand new retrospective reviews featuring a varied mix of different guests for each episode, we?ll be running through all of the MCU movies thus far in chronological order. Ushering in phase two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was the third and final part in the Iron Man trilogy. With a change in director from John Favreau to the one-time highest paid screenwriter in the world, Shane Black, Iron Man 3 was the first film to deal with the fall-out from Avengers Assemble. Particularly on a personal level for the man who thwarted the invaders. Listen | |
| Avengers Minisodes: Episode 6 - Avengers Assemble | |
In the run up to the latest hotly anticipated Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, Steve and Owen have been busy putting together a series of short 20-25 minute long minisode podcasts. With clips from the films, trailers, retro reviews taken from our archived podcasts as well as brand new retrospective reviews featuring a varied mix of different guests for each episode, we?ll be running through all of the MCU movies thus far in chronological order. The longest episode in our Avengers Minisode series sees us clock in at a bumper 30 minutes! But it's worth it for Avengers Assemble, the film that truly cemented Marvel Studios as the groundbreaking film company they are today. The third highest grossing film of all time, earning over $1bn in ticket sales alone, The Avengers was an unstoppable juggernaut of a film that earned almost as much critical praise as it did in box office revenue. Listen | |
| Avengers Minisodes: Episode 5 - Captain America: The First Avenger | |
In the run up to the latest hotly anticipated Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, Steve and Owen have been busy putting together a series of short 20-25 minute long minisode podcasts. With clips from the films, trailers, retro reviews taken from our archived podcasts as well as brand new retrospective reviews featuring a varied mix of different guests for each episode, we?ll be running through all of the MCU movies thus far in chronological order. Already at the half way point in our series, our fifth episode of the Avengers Minisode podcasts sees the team turn their attentions to 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. The penultimate entry to phase one of the Marvel's Cinematic Universe, it saw the emergence of the original super soldier as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) donned the stars and stripes uniform to take on secret Nazi science terrorists Hydra, led by the inherently evil Red Skull (Hugo Weaving). Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast ? COP: Jean-Claude Van Damme | |
Welcome to the latest episode of the Failed Critics Corridor of Praise podcast. Originally, the CoP was set up to honour the work of icons and legends of the film world who have been overlooked by the academy and other major award ceremonies. Therefore, our sixth inductee - and long overdue as it may be - is the Muscles from Brussels himself, Mr Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg; otherwise known to you and me as Jean-Claude Van Damme! A professional karate and kickboxing champion in his youth, including being named a former Mr Belgium, JCVD moved to America in 1982 with dreams of making it as an action film star. After a succession of minor roles as an extra, including a credited role as 'Gay Karate Man' in Monaco Fever, his first big break came in 1986 playing the leg splitting, spinning heel kicking 'Ivan the Russian' in Karate Kid knock-off No Retreat, No Surrender. This was eventually followed by two of his most successf | Listen |
| Avengers Minisodes: Episode 4 - Thor | |
In the run up to the latest hotly anticipated Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, Steve and Owen have been busy putting together a series of short 20-25 minute long minisode podcasts. With clips from the films, trailers, retro reviews taken from our archived podcasts as well as brand new retrospective reviews featuring a varied mix of different guests for each episode, we?ll be running through all of the MCU movies thus far in chronological order. The fourth episode of our Avengers Minisodes looks at the big screen debut of the God of Thunder. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe well and truly established at this point, its first big expansion came with the arrival of other worlds and monsters in this Shakespearean fantasy story. With Kenneth Brannagh in the director's chair and an age old story of brotherly rivalry, both of whom are vying for their father's throne, Thor's tonal shift was unlike any of the previous three films produced by Marvel Studios up | Listen |
| Avengers Minisodes: Episode 3 - Iron Man 2 | |
In the run up to the latest hotly anticipated Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, Steve and Owen have been busy putting together a series of short 20-25 minute long minisode podcasts. With clips from the films, trailers, retro reviews taken from our archived podcasts as well as brand new retrospective reviews featuring a varied mix of different guests for each episode, we?ll be running through all of the MCU movies thus far in chronological order. Up next we're taking a look at the first sequel to pop up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Robert Downey Jr returned as the first superhero some two year's after 2008's Iron Man. With his secret identity now out in the public, Tony Stark has to pit his wits against a vengeful Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko (aka Whiplash), the authorities who want his suit for their armed services, as well as a rival businessman and weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer, played by the always reliable Sam Rockwell. An actor who was also co | Listen |
| Avengers Minisodes: Episode 2 - The Incredible Hulk | |
In the run up to the latest hotly anticipated Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, Steve and Owen have been busy putting together a series of short 20-25 minute long minisode podcasts. With clips from the films, trailers, retro reviews taken from our archived podcasts as well as brand new retrospective reviews featuring a varied mix of different guests for each episode, we?ll be running through all of the MCU movies thus far in chronological order. Our second episode funnily enough takes a look back at the second in Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hot on the heels of their first film, The Incredible Hulk was released just one month after Iron Man in the summer blockbuster season of 2008. Whereas John Favreau's take on Tony Stark was an overwhelming success, Hulk did not SMASH it at the box office. Listen | |
| Avengers Minisodes: Episode 1 - Iron Man | |
In the run up to the latest hotly anticipated Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron, Steve and Owen have been busy putting together a series of short 20-25 minute long minisode podcasts. With clips from the films, trailers, retro reviews taken from our archived podcasts as well as brand new retrospective reviews featuring a varied mix of different guests for each episode, we'll be running through all of the MCU movies thus far in chronological order. Therefore, in this episode we go right back to the start, where it all began, with John Favreau's 2008 breakout hit, Iron Man. It stars Robert Downey Jr in the lead role as billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark, as he battles to keep the arc reactor that is saving his life from falling into the wrong hands. Chiefly those of his shady business partner at Stark Industries, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) and those of a terrorist faction led by Raza (Faran Tahir). Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Furious 7, John Wick and Occasionally Jokes | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics podcast! Back down our normal run time of just over an hour you'll be glad to hear after our mammoth 150th episode podcast last week. Regulars Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by Callum Petch and making his debut on one of our proper podcasts, the equivalent of us bringing in Jason Statham to our franchise I'm sure you'll all agree, is Jackson Tyler. On that topic, the team review new releases including the box office juggernaut Fast & Furious 7 (or Furious 7, or whatever you want to call it), revenge thriller John Wick, teen comedy The DUFF and the latest from Noah Baumbach, While We're Young. Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Episode 150 And As Shambolic As Ever | |
Hello and welcome to the 150th episode of the Failed Critics podcast! It seems almost unbelievable that we've made it this far, but somehow we have. Both Steve and Owen would like to extend their thanks to each of you who have ever downloaded our podcast and are eternally grateful for your support. To celebrate reaching this milestone, we've got a new logo, a new theme tune and as a one off treat, we've got an extra long triple-triple bill podcast to share with you. And believe me when I say that it's an extra long episode. Almost five hours long, to be precise. We kick off the podcast with this fantastic new opening theme tune! It should sound familiar as the exceptionally talented James Yuill (whose albums | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Here Comes The Summer | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast with Steve Norman once again returning to hosting duties. He's joined as ever by Owen Hughes, with guests Callum Petch and Mike Shawcross. Unlike the British summer time, we're bringing you a podcast that seems to go on forever as the team not only review new releases Princess Kaguya, Spongebob Squarepants: A Sponge Out of Water, The Gunman, The Voices AND Divergent Series: Insurgent (or Divergent 2) (or Divergent: Insurgent) (...or just Insurgent...) but also look ahead to those due for release between June and September with a summer 2015 preview triple bill. Join us again for our next episode as we hit our 150th episode mark and celebrate with a very special episode.... | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Fist-Fights Triple Bill | |
For the first time ever (we think) there's no Steve Norman on this week's Failed Critics podcast as he's still recovering from the pummeling he took at a recent charity boxing match. Rumours that it was actually Owen who sparked him out after a fracas over a cold dinner have neither been confirmed nor denied. Internal investigations are still ongoing. Instead, taking over the hosting duties for one week only is Matt Lambourne, who is joined by Owen Hughes and Andrew Brooker as they each pick their favourite three fist-fights in films in honour of their absent colleague's exploits. Before that, the trio also get around to discussing the news this past week that Bill & Ted 3 is closer than ever; they take a look at the first teaser poster for the new James Bond film SPECTRE; as well as taki | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Don't Laugh, We're Being Cool | |
We are alive, we are consciousness, we are reviewing Neil Blomkamp's latest science fiction action thriller, Chappie. By "we", that of course means podcast regulars Steve Norman and Owen Hughes, who are joined this week by Andrew Brooker (for the second week in a row) and Jack Stewart from Not This Again making his Failed Critics debut. The news section this week sees the group discuss the hype (or apparent lack of) for the latest Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer and the announcement that Tim Burton will be remaking the Disney classic Dumbo, which causes a collective groan. Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Leonard Nimoy, It Follows and a Game of Soggy Critics | |
We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. And yet it should be noted that in the midst of our sorrow, this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world; a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human. Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast where Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by returning special guest, Andrew Brooker. We kick off the podcast with Owen putting a price on Steve's head after he forced Owen to watch c-list celebrity horror/revenge/thriller-s | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Oscars 2015 Special | |
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this glitzy star-studded episode of the Failed Critics Podcast, brought to you by Matt Lambourne's well tickled bottom, in association with Paul Field's Slander. Steve Norman is donning his sharpest tuxedo to present the podcast, whilst Owen Hughes runs around backstage like a lunatic handing out golden envelopes as we reveal the results of the 87th Academy Awards - and more importantly, we discuss which categories that we correctly predicted last week. There's also the nail biting conclusion to the quiz, which is tied at 2-2. Just what the hell has Steve been teasing Owen with this past month?! Speaking of teasing, Matt finally gets bummed out over 50 Shades of Grey, whilst Paul prefers his erotic-drama to be more%A | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Your Unconventional Desire | |
As always, your illustrious host Steve Norman and ever present Owen Hughes lead the way through a tightly packed episode. Coming into your earholes to review the 18-rated, arse-ticklingly rude 50 Shades of Grey is Failed Critics debutant, Paul Field. Also joining them this week is Matt Lambourne, mainly so he can recount the story of why he didn't see the (not so) erotic flick. The team also craftily knocked out reviews for two other new releases before climaxing with 50 Shades of Grey, as Will Smith's latest con-film Focus, as well as mind-bending time-travel thriller Predestination also get the once over. They also somehow found room to squeeze in an extra couple of reviews. Paul filled us in on Korean revenge film % | Listen |
| FAILED CRITICS PODCAST: ECLECTIC AVENUE | |
Callum Petch, Callum Petch, does whatever Callum can - i.e. talking even more than James used to as he swings straight from last week's episode to this week's edition of the Failed Critics podcast. He joins your regular podcast host Steve Norman and hanger-on Owen Hughes to discuss the big film news over the past seven days.
Chiefly, Tuesday's long-expected announcement that the rebooted Spider-Man will definitely be making his first appearance in an upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, on loan from Sony. We mull over potential ramifications for existing Marvel films, casting choices we'd make and if it's actually that big a deal anyway.
Completely forgoing our regular "what we've been watching" segment, as there just wasn't enough damn time, we instead take a detailed look over the weekend's BAFTA award winners and losers, as well as the awards ceremony itself.
We also couldn't have hand picked four different main release reviews if we tried, as the eclectic mix of space opera Jupiter Ascending, Aardman animation Shaun the Sheep: The Movie, controversial comedy The Interview and the Oscar nominated Selma all get discussed.
Join us again next week for a special Academy Award preview episode with more guests, probably more arguments and hopefully a shor | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Little Villainous Three | |
Follow us down the secret service elevator to this week's Failed Critics Podcast. Fist-bumping his way onto this episode is our very own Callum Petch. The main release reviews this week see the team chat about Matthew Vaughn's new action-comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service starring Colin Firth, Samuel L Jackson, Mark Strong and Taron Egerton; as well as the latest in Disney's recent animation resurgence, Big Hero 6. From Steve's second excursion through the Harry Potter franchise and Callum's compl | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Pod In The Machine | |
Opening the pod bay doors on this week's Failed Critics Podcast and simultaneously rescuing us from the brink of disaster is our special guest, Matt Lambourne.
Matt joins regulars Owen and Steve for a one-off 'Artificial Intelligence' themed episode! And by that we don't just mean Owen is pretending to be cleverer than he actually is again...
There's still a main review which sees the team discuss Alex Garland's directorial debut, Ex Machina; the story of a potentially sentient machine called Ava who is the subject of a Turing test. In honour of which, the trio have resurrected the 'triple bill' segment to discuss three of the most interesting uses of A.I. in film that they could each think of. Steve had to be on top form to prevent the podcast from turning into a playground RoboCop vs Terminator debate for the next 60 minutes!
Join us again next week as things get back to normal with Callum guesting on the podcast for reviews of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Big Hero 6.
| Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Rushers / Draggers | |
Welcome to the Failed Critics podcast. Keeping to Steve & Owen's tempo this week are two more guests! Returning for his first appearance since the end of year awards episode is James Diamond, ready to demolish you with his reviews of Whiplash and all things Luc Besson. Joining James is horror-fanatic and best mates with 'Scream Queen' Jessica Cameron; it's Mike Shawcross finally making his long overdue debut with American Sniper, Testament of Youth and 80's b-movie creature feature Alligator in his sights. Among a hefty discussion on the Academy Awards and Razzie nominations, Owen explains why not even Steven Soderbergh puts giant space baby in the corner* with his cut of 2001: A Space Odyssey, whilst Steve str | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Talkin' 'bout Picking Our Globes | |
DISCLAIMER: If you've downloaded this podcast in order to torture ears belonging to either you or somebody else with horrendous screeching sounds and unbearably loud-then-quiet distortion, then you've come to the wrong place. Steve and Owen somehow managed to keep the podcast from trying to destroy itself and have produced their first actual audible episode of 2015. Quite the achievement, I'm sure you'll agree. Not only is the sound quality bearable, but our debutant guest this week, Andrew Brooker, chimes in with some great reviews of Foxcatcher, Into The Woods and The Salvation that are well worth a listen. The trio also mull over the results of last weekend's Golden Globes; review the upcoming Reese Witherspoon movie Wild; and lay i | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Exodus - Pods and Things | |
A happy new year to all of our listeners! Welcome to the first Failed Critics podcast of 2015 with a bumper-crop of brand new releases. As announced earlier in the week, the podcast has undergone a bit of structural reform. The first guests to join Owen and Steve in the new series should be familiar to listeners old and new! Returning after more than a year since his last appearance, Gerry McAuley returns to review new(ish) release Enemy and newer release The Theory of Everything. Not only that, making a third consecutive appearance on the podcast for the first time ever is Matt Lambourne to expand on his Exodus: | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: End of Year Special! | |
Like our beloved founder and his gut/disdain for the films of Seth MacFarlane, we're sure that you can't contain your excitement for the 2014 Failed Critics Awards any longer! It's that most magical time if year again, where four people who've seen some films this year are shunned by their family, set up in a dark corner of the house with their laptop and some booze, and talk you through the good, the bad, and the ugly in cinema from the last twelve months. Steve and Owen are joined by Matt Lambourne and prodigal son James Diamond as they attempt to better last week's quiz (not hard), discuss the year's films in a calm and rational manner (considerably harder), and try and make it sound like it was at least recorded on the same continent (hmmmmm...). We all want to thank each and every one of you for listening over th | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Battle of the Four Critics | |
Welcome one and all to a very merry penultimate edition of the Failed Critics Podcast 2014! We took a couple of weeks off in a bid to resolve our audio issues, but have returned just in time for Christmas. Joining stalwarts Owen and Steve are our special guests Matt Lambourne and Callum Petch. Foregoing any news this week, mainly in an effort to keep spirits high, we kick off the festivities with a twist on the regular quiz theme. The team run through which Christmas movies they've been watching on the run up to the big day and there's even time to squeeze in a review of the most anticipated December blockbuster The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Peter Jackson's final journey into Middle Earth. We've even brought you an early triple bill shaped present for such a joyous occasion as this. Steve, | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Teaser, Trailer, Mockingjay, Spy | |
A few days ago, in a galaxy quite close to where you are right now, three people got together to record this podcast! This week, as you've probably guessed already, the team mull over the teaser / trailer / pre-trailer-teaser / clip things for Jurassic World and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens and decide if they're 'clever girls' or just stinky old nerf herders. Also on this episode, we have a review of the first part of the third part of the Hunger Games series with Mockingjay, Part 1; as well as brand new docu-drama about the life of the titular artist, Hockney. Amongst all of this and the mayhem that is the dramatic conclusion to our ongoing quiz, there's still time for Carole to review the gorgeous | Listen |
| The Failed Critics Podcast: Lorraine in the Membrane | |
This week the Failed Critics join the Scottish Bafta's in paying homage to Lorraine Kelly, review new releases The Imitation Game and The Drop as well as having a look at the latest series of The Walking Dead and expose David Attenborough. | Listen |
| Hobbity tosh, Pottery hogwash & Intersellar oh-my-gosh | |
Welcome to this week's super-professional well-researched spick-and-span highly-polished episode of the Failed Critics podcast! The main release review this week is Christopher Nolan's $165m space-time-travelling science fiction thriller Interstellar. A film so long, we extended our podcast an extra 15 minutes with the return of our Spoiler Alert section alongside our regular spoiler-free review. Despite that, there was even time for Owen to take in the first two (well, one and a half) Lord of the Rings films this week; for Steve to reveal exactly why he's watching through all seven Harry Potter movies; and for Carole to have a meta-meta experience with 90's slasher sequel Scream 2. Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Tearing you apart! | |
I did not hit her. it's not true! I didn't do it, it's bullshit. I didn't hit her-- oh, hi listeners. Welcome to this week's edition of the Failed Critics podcast, full of excessively long sex scenes and soundtracked by MTV Base circa 2002. Following Carole's quiz triumph last week, Owen and Steve were forced to watch the cinematic masterpiece* that is The Room., written by, produced by, directed by and starring the unstoppable sex machine and all round nice guy Tommy Wiseau. (*At least, that's what Carole led them to believe.) Amongst the reviews of new releases The Babadook% | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Do you like scary movies? | |
Recorded in Spooky Audio the Failed Critics talk their favourite recent horror movies as well as reviewing Nightcrawler and going cray cray over Marvel's latest announcement. | Listen |
| Failed Critics: Fury in a Half Shell | |
| Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast: La Gone Girl, Le Back Boy | |
Despite James' temporary return, it's actually Steve who somehow ends up being the most sophisticated and intellectual of the bunch. No, really. At least, that's what the guys at EM Foundation thought prior to the podcast as they sent him a copy of the fully restored and fantastic 1930's French poetic realism movie Le Jour se lève for review. And raise the tone of the pod to BBC4 standards he did, along with help from James sharing his opinion on the award winning documentary Print The Legend... before Owen brings us crashing back down to our usual BBC2 level with a review of the Roger Corman film A Bucket of Blood. Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast: D'OH!n't do any more crossovers, please! | |
"What do you hear when you listen to us?" Welcome one and all to the latest Failed Critics Podcast! This week, Carole looks back at 90's Johnny Depp with Dead Man, Owen dabbles and perhaps even revels in celebrity gossip, Steve discusses the biggest TV crossover since the Flintstones met the Jetsons and the team chat about The Equalizer and Maps to the Stars among other things. It's also Carole's last podcast appearance for a couple of weeks, but don't worry! We'll still be back next week with a special guest replacement. Well, I say special... | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: BO(JCVD)GOF | |
Welcome all to this weeks podcast This episode has a bumper crop of new releases.. and new-ish releases..! A whopping four films out in the cinema right now receive the Failed Critics treatment. Whilst Carole reviews the latest Woody Allen movie Magic in the Moonlight and the upcoming zom-rom-com Life After Beth, Owen tackles the recent Liam Neeson crime thriller A Walk Among The Tombstones and the totes ruddy spiffing The Riot Club. Amongst all that, the team also found time to talk about BBC's latest Storyville season, the 1989 black comedy The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, and Steve even got in on the new-releases by reviewing the Toby Jones drama, Marvellous, shown on TV this week (and therefore still on iPlayer). AND, if all that wasn't enough, as a result of Owen's quiz triumph last week, Carole | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Pride (or Better Late Than Never) | |
Steve returns and carefully edits out a spoiler for a relatively new release as he tries to remember how to host a podcast after sunning himself for a week. Meanwhile Carole and Owen review a couple of new releases, including Pride, and What We've Been Watching ganders at the recent TV and film viewing habits of our intrepid trio. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Return of the Fat White Duke | |
That's right ladies and gentlemen; just two weeks after saying some emotional goodbyes and handing over the keys to Failed Critics Towers, James has come crawling back begging to help out. Luckily for him, Steve's holiday presented the ideal opportunity for a coup d'état and a triumphant return as guest host for one night only. Luckily for you, Owen and Carole are on hand to keep the ego in check, and provide some much needed analysis of the week in film, including the launch of London Film Festival 2014. Elsewhere we review new releases Before I Go To Sleep and The Guest, and Triple Bill sees the team discuss Movie Recasting Decisions. Next week we'll be back to normal with Steve in charge and James banished to the forbidden zone until Christmas. Basically it means more puns and less French cinema. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Pachelbel's Canon In D' House | |
By the authority vested in me by the State of This Mess, I now pronounce you podcast and listener. You don't have to kiss us if you do not want to. Welcome dear listeners to the Failed Critics podcast, where a hastily arranged 'movie weddings' triple bill is the main feature this week. Partly inspired by Steve's drunken escapades at a wedding reception this past weekend, the team promise that they haven't prepared an emotional speech that lasts for days. Although I can't promise that everyone remained sober and civil without offending each other and coming close to blows over one or two selections. Amongst the wedding chat, there was also time to review indie apocalyptic drama Goodbye World, last year's Jason Statham action thriller Homefront, and even another discussion about < | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Using 10% of our brain's capacity | |
The King is With the James-era officially ending with our previous podcast, we begin anew with two new release reviews. We did consider making you wait nine years for us to get back together, inspired by Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, but we just couldn't wait that long to tell you about it. We also found time to review Luc Besson's latest sci-fi thriller Lucy - and we didn't need to reach 100% brain capacity in order to do it either. The team also find time to talk about a selection of films shown at last weekend's FrightFest (including The Den, All Cheerleaders Die and Doc of the Dead), Icelandic pe | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: James? Where we're going we don't need James | |
Hello everyone. I usually write these in the third person, like a pretentious wrestler or someone with a personality disorder, but I'm dropping the charade this one time to say thank you for listening to this podcast, and any others that you've happened upon over the last two-and-a-bit years. I'm moving on for the time being to focus on other projects, but Failed Critics will always be very special to me, and I hope to come back in some shape or form at some point in the future. In the meantime though, I'm leaving it in the more than capable hands of Steve, Owen, and Carole, and it's typical that I choose to leave just when we've finally got the sound quality sorted! I honestly think this is one of our best podcasts to date. Not only do I try and steal all the limelight and attention with the most drawn out exit in history% | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Oh Captain! My Captain! | |
Really sad news this week as we react to the untimely death of Robin Williams on this week's podcast. Steve, Carole, and James discuss his brilliant body of work, and choose their favourite performances of his for a hastily arranged Triple Bill. There's also reviews of new releases The Inbetweeners 2 and Planes 2: Fire and Recue. Join them next week for the return of Owen, and what is certain to be a very emotional farewell from James in his last podcast as a regular. Expect tears, tantrums, and tequila. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Guarding the Galaxy from Sharknadoes | |
Nothing goes over the head of these podcasters. Not even humongous man-eating fish being hurled at them by a terrible sharkrnado. Our reflexes are too fast, plus we have chainsaws for hands. James is absent, but not yet retired. Just lazy. Steve warns against watching the latest b-movie from The Asylum, Sharknado 2: The Second One. Meanwhile, Carole tries to hold it together after the announcement that Studio Ghibli may be closing to give us the low-down on a slightly more up-market Brotherhood, whilst Owen reviews a hundred year old documentary, The Great White Silence, in light of the Sight & Sound's recent awards. Oh, and there's some film about people saving the galaxy that's out that you may have heard of? Guardians of the Galaxy? Oooh. Yeeeaaaah. It's a doozy. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Planet of the Apes Special! | |
You maniacs! You've done a whole podcast on the Planet of the Apes films! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell! That's right listeners; this week's podcast is dedicated to all things simian as we not only review Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, but also discuss all the films that have gone before. Including the Tim Burton one. Sorry about that. | Listen |
| 4ailed C4itics 4odcast: Age of Existentialism | |
Welcome back to the Failed Critics Podcast, after an unscheduled and unexpected (but we're sure, not entirely unwelcome) break from lobbing our cinematic opinions directly into your ear holes. There's no James this week (hooray!) as the rest of the team review Trans4ormers: Age of Extinction (boo!), and The Hundred Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared (huh?). We also hear about the sneak peak preview of Guardians of the Galaxy. Join us next week for more film stuff. Probably. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Obligatory World Cup Special | |
Welcome to this week's podcast, and due to the fact that we've all been watching football rather than any new cinema releases we decided to bandwagon-jump and bring you a World Cup Special! Steve, James, and Owen are joined by Born Offside's (and regular Glasgow Film Festival podcast contributor) Dave McFarlane to discuss the uneasy relationship between film and football, and in Triple Bill we choose our favourite football stories that we want to see made into films. Next week sees us return to normal with reviews of 3 Days to Kill and Jersey Boys. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: New beginnings, and the same old shambles | |
Better late than never (probably), it this week's Failed Critics Podcast! And please welcome our latest full-time member of the team... Carole Petts! In honour of this momentous occasion, James manged, with textbook precision, to do something dumb to the recording. Don;t worry though, as it only means there's less of him this week. And what a week? We review 22 Jump Street, discuss the latest news in Marvel's Ant Man omnishambles, and Carole lets us know which is the bigger car crash (get it?) out of Diana and Grace of Monaco. Join us next week for a World Cup Special (including free audio wallchart). | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Episode CXV - A New Sound Quality | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast: now with added not sounding like we recorded it at the bottom of the ocean with only a drill and some bees for company. Steve, James, and Owen round up the week in film news, including the latest Star Wars rumours, and the joyous future collaboration of Nic Cage of John McTiernan. We also review Tom Cruise's latest sci-fi blockbuster, Edge of Tomorrow, and will James finally convert to Seth MacFarlane fandom after watching A Million Ways to Die in the West? Join us next week for reviews of 22 Jump Street and (brace yourself) Grace of Monaco, and put up the bunting and get the good champagne out as we introduce our newest full-time member of the team... | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: X-Critics: Hours of Future Mutterings | |
Welcome to this week's bumper Failed Critics Podcast, ans the usual suspects and special guest Carole Petts get in touch with their younger and combine their efforts in attempt to stop catastrophe: Steve winning the quiz and picking a film worse than Cutthroat Island... They also find time to review new releases X-Men: Days of Future Past and Maleficent, as well as a clutch of teen-focused dramas in What We've Been Watching, including Short Term 12, The Selfish Giant, and The Kids Are Alright. Not only that, but we even find time to discuss the departure of Edgar Wright from Ant-Man, and the recruitment of Gareth Edwards for a Star Wars spin-off. Join us next week for reviews of Edge of Tomorrow and A Million Ways to Die in the West. | Listen |
| The Failed Critics Podcast v Godzilla: Destroy All Critics! | |
ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAARRRRR! Welcome to Critic Island, and we've assembled a cavalcade of monster critics to discuss the legendary Japanese kaiju, Godzilla. King Steve and MechaOwen are joined Space Matt Lambourne, and the returning Three-Headed Monster, James Diamond. As well as reviewing Gareth Edwards' modern take on the Godzilla series, the team also discuss some classic (and not-so-classic) films from the cult series, while Owen's very own king of monsters (not his penis) attempts to destroy his house while we record. Join us next week for our review of X-Men: Days of Future Past. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Directorial Farewells and Debuts | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, as Steve and Owen are joined once more by Carole Petts to discuss the last week in film. There's palpable excitement about new superhero movie news (not the Batfleck image, but the Mighty Morphin Power Ranger reboot!), as well as reviews of new releases Frank, and Hayao Miyazaki's final film, The Wind Rises. At the other end of the scale, and with buzz growing at Cannes about Ryan Gosling's debut as a director, Triple Bill returns this week to discuss Directorial Debuts. Join us next week as James returns just in time for our Godzilla Special! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Bad Neighbours and bad volcano films | |
Welcome one and all to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, and we're back to a foursome this week as Steve and Owen are Joined by Matt Lambourne and Carole Petts to discuss new releases Pompeii and Bad Neighbours. The team also pay tribute to Bob Hoskins, who sadly passed away last week, while the films they've seen this week range from the 1964 Danish film Gertrude, to the fantastic documentary Queen of Versailles, via the opinion-splitting American Hustle. Join us next week for reviews of (hopefully) The Wind Rises, Frank, and Sabotage. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Paul Verhoeven COP and Next Goal Wins | |
This week sees us welcome Matt Lambourne back to the podcast to help us induct the Dutch maestro Paul Verhoeven, director of Robocop, Total Recall, and err...Showgirls, into our Corridor of Praise. We also get Steve's review of the highly anticipated documentary Next Goal Wins. Elsewhere we've got Owen talking about the Saw film series, the team's thoughts on the Star Wars casting and Justice League movie confirmation news, and the longest and most interminable quiz yet. Join us next week for more of the usual nonsense, plus reviews of Bad Neighbours and Pompeii. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Amazing Transcendence, The Amazing Love Punch | |
Welcome to this week's podcast; the first one since James took temporary leave (of his senses in trusting the pod to this lot). Callum Petch makes his return to the pod, and along with Steve and Owen reviews the latest blockbuster effort featuring the masked web-slinger, as well as Johnny Depp sans Tim Burton and white-face make-up in Wally Pfister's directorial debut Transcendence. Join us next week as we drag a stranger off the street to keep Owen and Steve company whole they try and find a new release to review that isn't The Other Woman. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Raid 2, The Quiet Ones, and farewell to the Loud One | |
This week's podcast welcomes back the loud, opinionated, and slightly drunk Svengali-figure of James Diamond, for one week only before he disappears on leave for a while. Don't worry though, as Steve and Owen continue to show a suitable lack of respect. We also get into this week's new releases, mainly the brutal gangster epic The Raid 2, and the latest offering from the resurrected Hammer Studio, The Quiet Ones. We also have time to discuss Under the Skin, Tropic Thunder, and Snowpiercer once more, as well as trying to figure out why hard-rated action films appear to by a dying breed. We're back next week with one of those fresh-voiced substitutes that we keep teasing you with, and our thoughts on The Amazing Spider-Man 2. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Snowpiercer, Noah, and Ray Winstone's Floaty Head | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, where once again Carole Petts has stepped into the rather large James-shaped breach at the last minute. Join us as we discuss Darren Aronosfsky's biblical epic, Noah, as well as the long-awaited Korean sci-fi classic-in-waiting Snowpiercer. Owen and Steve also come close to tearing out their own eyes as they remember watching Movie 43 like it was 'Nam. James promises he will return next week, and considering we'll be reviewing The Raid 2 we wouldn't bet against that. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Captain America, Major Spoilers, and General Shambles | |
Welcome to this weeks Failed Critics Podcast, and in this episode we're reviewing two of the most anticipated films of the early blockbuster season. Marvel Phase Two continues apace with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, while another sequel in the shape of Muppets Most Wanted also comes under the spotlight. James is away this week, but we're joined by our friend Carole Petts as the team not only review Captain America 2, but also delve into what it means for the MCU in Spoiler Alert. Owen also gives us a sneak preview of another highly anticipated sequel after he was lucky enough to gaze upon the brutal spectacle of The Raid 2. We're hopefully back to normal next week, with James back in the saddle and reviews of Noah and The Double. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: 2014 Summer Preview | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, and in the absense of any new releases that we could be bothered to go and see, we instead look forward to our most anticipated films coming this summer. Steve also teases us with a few hints about the highly anticipated (by us) football documentary Next Goal Wins, James celebrates the return to our screens of Chris Morris, and Owen continues his Korean odyssey with a review of Mother. Join us next week as some of us yet to be determined review Captain Amarica 2 and Muppets Most Wanted. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Need for Speed, Rants for Bants, Reviews for Booze | |
Strap in, shift gears, and glance to your right as the new Failed Critics Podcast speeds into view. Or something. This week sees us review the latest attempt to make a worthwhile videogame-to-movie adaptation with Need for Speed, as well as our thoughts on Terry Gilliam's The Zero Theorem, and pre-release musings on the critically acclaimed prison drama Starred Up. Triple Bill is also back this week, as the team choose their favourite pre-title sequences (and have a debate about what actually constitutes a pre-title sequence), and we even find time for a debate about Akira Kurosawa and Mike Bassett: England Manager. We're | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: 300 Rise of a Critic | |
This week's podcast introduces a young, fresh-faced critic to the mix in Callum Petch. Much like the plot of Wes Anderson's new film The Grand Budapest Hotel, this episode sees a classy yet older gentleman (James) taking a young and enthusiastic outsider under his tutelage. At least that's how James sees it. We also have reviews of 300: Rise of an Empire and Escape from Planet Earth, as well as our plans for how to save the Die Hard franchise, and some bitter accusations of cheating in the quiz. Join us next week for reviews of Need For Speed and The Zero Theorem. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Oscars Special | |
It lasts for hours, is achingly smug and self satisfied, and features drunk people making fools of themselves. But enough about the Failed Critics Podcast - this week we're talking about the Oscars. Who deserved it, who can count themselves very lucky, and should any of us even care? We'll also be offering our advice to the Academy on how to fix the Oscars (as in mend it, not ensure that tripe like Crash never wins again), and even find time to review the new Liam Neeson film, Non-Stop. We're back next week at the normal time with reviews of Grand Budapest Hotel and 300: Rise of an Empire. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Glasgow Film Festival 2014 (feat. Pappy's) | |
Och aye the new Failed Critics podcast! We're back in Scotland for our second annual trip to the Glasgow Film Festival, and once more James is entrusted with somehow patching together a podcast without the erstwhile talents of Steve and Owen. Luckily he isn't alone, and for this special podcast is not only joined by our good friends Dave McFarlane of Born Office and Paul Fisher of The Write Club, but also by our very special guests Pappy's - the award-winning sketch comedy stars of BBC3's Badults. There's plenty of chat, drinking, and reviews of the latest films from Terry Gilliam, Michel Gondry, and Richard Ayoade. We'll be back to normal next week with our Oscars Special. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: 100 Episodes in and EVERYTHING IS AWESOME! | |
After a disastrous attempt at recording our 100th episode last week, we're back after our brief hiatus with our 'official' centenary podcast. And it's more packed than ever, with no less than six new (or nearly new) release reviews. We argue over whether or not The Lego is awesome or simply just very good; we look at two very different explorations of humans/machine relationships with Her and Robocop, and we still find time to talk about Dallas Buyers Club, The Monuments Men, and Cuban Fury. We also discuss the Bafta results, make our Oscars predictions, and you finally get the Cutthroat Island review you've all been waiting for. Next week we'll be 'live' from Glasgow Film Festival, with reviews of 20 Feet From Stardom, Mood Indigo, and The Zero Theorem plus loads | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Philip Seymour Hoffman. RIP. | |
Welcome to this week's podcast, one in which we celebrate the work of one of this generations finest actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman. You'll get no ghoulish speculation of judgmental nonsense here, just heartfelt appreciation of a master of his craft. If you need cheering up after that, we also have reviews of I Frankenstein, August: Osage County, and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, as well as a much needed review of Nic Cage's Knowing. Join us next week as we review the remake of Robocop, as well as the Oscar-nominated Dallas Buyers Club. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Holy Folk! It's Inside Llewyn Davis | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, and it's a shorter one than usual as James had to shut up a lot more than usual due to a sore throat. We're sure many of our listeners will appreciate this improvement. We've only managed to get out and see one new release this week, but [SPOILER ALERT] it's a great one. The Coen Brothers are back with Inside Llewyn Davis, an exploration of the search for fame in the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene. Also reviewed this week is the Aubrey Plaza-starring The To Do List, war photography documentary Which Way is the Front Line From Here?, and yet the final member of the team gets around to watching Sightseers. Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Oscars, the McConaisance, and the Wolf of Wall Street | |
This week's podcast is less than half the length and features hundreds fewer F-bombs than our main review this week, Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. Don't worry though, we were all massively doped up on ludes. We also look at the Oscar nominations, discuss the incredible rebirth of Matthew McConaughey, and look ahead to the Glasgow Film Festival. Owen reviews The Last Temptation of Christ, Steve finally watches The Impossible, and James' journey around the world in 80 films sees him in Denmark, with Lars Von Trier's The Boss of it All. Join us next week for reviews of Inside Llewyn Davis, and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (if we can be bothered). | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: 12 Hours a Podcast | |
Well, not quite. We are back to feature length this week though, with a packed agenda that includes a full run down on the Golden Globe awards, reaction to the latest BBFC guidance, and casting news in the Marvel and Star Wars universes. The new releases this week include Oscar favourite 12 Years a Slave, as well All is Lost, and The Railway Man. In What We've Been Watching Steve finally catches one of last year's biggest films, Owen finally watches one of Woody Allen's biggest films, and James sets off on a world cinema odyssey. Join us next week for our review of The Wolf of Wall Street, and the team's reaction to the Oscar nominations announcement. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: American Hustle...David O. Russell. You gotta have a system. | |
Happy New Year to you all, and in an effort to stick to some hastily made resolutions about getting rid of the fat, the first Failed Critics podcast of the year is lean, mean, and looking forward to McQueen (next week's big review is 12 Years a Slave). This week's chat sees the gents discuss the finer elements of the Oscar Foreign Language shortlist, as well as review new releases American Hustle and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. James also gets around to reviewing Anchorman 2, Owen takes us on a journey through South Korean cinema, and Steve is aiming to beat the bookies with his Oscar race tips/blind guesses (delete as appropriate). | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: 2013 in Review, and the FC Awards | |
Get out your tuxedos and dust off your livers as it's that time of year once more...THE FAILED CRITICS END OF YEAR AWARDS SHOW! This year's special bumper 2013 in Review podcast features the usual suspects, as well as the returning Gerry McAuley and still-the-new-guy Matt Lambourne. There's celebration, appreciation, and plenty of inebriation as we discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of 2013. Thanks for putting up with us over the last twelve months, and we'll be back in the new year with reviews of American Hustle and Long Walk to Freedom. See you then! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: An Unexpected Listener and The Desolation of Steve | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics podcast, please excuse us if our heads were a little bigger, and our chests puffed out a little more after finding out that our download figures have gone through the roof (well, the roof of a kennel perhaps). We'd like to welcome all of our new listeners, and hope you'll stick around. This week sees us review the latest installment of Peter Jackson's latest sojourn to Middle Earth, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. James gets emotional (obviously) watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Steve gets festive watching Arthur Christmas, and Owen gets scared watching The Host (the Korean creature feature, not the Twilight-style alien thing from earlier this year). We also discuss the Golden Globe nominations, as well as taking it in t | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Frozen, Oldboy, and remakes worth watching | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast - it can;t be as bad as the last one! In this week's episode the team are reviewing one of the most exciting films to come from the Disney animation studio in years (Frozen), Spike Lee's return to some kind of form (the remake of Oldboy), and the archetypal Jason Statham film (Homefront). This week also sees the return of Triple Bill, in which after a run of pretty mediocre remakes we count down our favourite remakes that are definitely worth a watch, and we also find time to discuss the British Independent Film Awards and Disney's not very stealthy moves to resurrect the Indiana Jones franchise. Join us next week for the last ' | Listen |
| The Failed Critics Podcast: Kissing girls, Danny Dyer, and our biggest omnishambles yet | |
It had to happen sometime, and it's taken 91 episodes, but this is possibly the most shambolic podcast ever committed to the Internet. And for us, that's saying something. Owen manages to confuse two very different TV programmes, Steve doesn't watch the one film he was meant to, and while trying to make a very important point James manages to forget the name of a film, the actress in it, and what she said. It's not a complete bust of an episode though, and there are reviews of the Carrie remake, Palm d'Or winner Blue is the Warmest Colour, and Parkland. James also talks about the best and the worst films he's seen so far this year. Join us next week for reviews of Homefront and Oldboy. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Catching Fire, Saving Mr Banks, and watching Walter Mitty | |
Welcome to our 90th (NINETIETH!) podcast, and this one is rammed full of new release reviews, disagreements, and top, top film bantz* *contains no actual bantz James was the lone surviving pod critic from the first Hunger Games film, and this week returns to the arena to tackle The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, as well as reviewing Saving Mr Banks, a new Disney film about the making of Mary Poppins. We've also go a review the new Ben Stiller film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and we discuss the twists, turns, and timey-wimeyness of the 50th anniversary Doctor Who special, The Day of the Doctor. Join us next week for reviews of Carrie and Blue is the Warmes Colour.< | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Counsellor, Unnamed Characters, and terrible sequel ideas | |
Two podcasts in one week! You lucky, lucky people. This 'week's' installment is heavy on the new releases, with the team running the rule over The Counsellor, The Butler, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut, Don Jon. We also dust off Triple Bill, presenting our favourite unnamed central characters; as well as discuss the new Marvel/Netflix projects, the Monty Python reunion, and a sacrilegious plan to produce a sequel to It's a Wonderful Life. Join us next week for our review of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Owen, the old cynic, might have to watch The Family instead. | Listen |
| Failed Critic Podcast: Gravity, being smug, and Steve's big mouth | |
Welcome to another long-awaited Failed Critics Podcast, and hopefully absence has made your hearts grow fonder. This week sees a number of firsts, including Owen's first stint as the quiz host, James' first week without a new film to review for What We've Been Watching, and the first time we've had to edit the podcast to remove spoilers rather (unlike most weeks where we edit out the standard Owen disconnection). Oh, and we also review one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Join us next week (or possibly tomorrow, who knows) for reviews of The Councellor, Don Jon, and The Butler. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Thor 2, Philomena, and liking scary movies | |
After a long break during which some of us watched a lot more films than others, we're back with a belated Halloween special, as well as reviews of Philomena, Bad Grandpa, and Thor: The Dark World (with the inevitable return of Spoiler Alert). Joining us this week for his pod debut is Matt Lambourne, providing us with a fresh perspective and an encyclopedic knowledge of the Jackass films. Don;t worry though, we're not forgetting our pretentious cinematistas, as Owen and James discuss the 1922 Danish silent horror documentary Haxan: Witchcraft through the Ages and Werner Herzog's retelling of Nosferatu. Join us next week for our long-awaited Gravity review. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Captain Phillips, London Film Festival, and glorious Arnie | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, and after the austerity of recent weeks we're back to our usual obscene length. As well as reviewing new releases Captain Phillips, Escape Plan, and Le Week-End, we also hear from our roving correspondent Carole Petts who is reporting back from London Film Festival, and Steve watches The Phantom Menace for the first time as a 'critic'. That'll go well. We're taking a week off next week (boo!), but we'll be back at the start of November with reviews of Thor 2, Bad Grandpa, and whatever arty emotional nonsense James has gotten around to watching. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The Fifth Estate, How I Live Now, and falling out | |
Welcome to what's starting to feel like another daily edition of the Failed Critics Podcast. It's our third outing in a week, and in this episode we are reviewing The Fifth Estate, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, as well as How I Live Now and The Great Hip-Hop Hoax. It's another short one this week due to James' international jetsetter lifestyle, but there's still room to discuss the batshit crazy Crank 2, the impressive Ip Man, and for Owen and Steve to fall out over a cult classic. We'll be back next week with reviews of Captain Phillips and, hopefully, The Escape Plan. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Studio Ghibli C.O.P. | |
Welcome to a mini-edition of the Failed Critics Podcast, and in this special episode we pay tribute to the latest inductee into our Corridor of Praise, the Japanese masters of animation Studio Ghibli. James, Owen, and Gerry discuss their favourite Ghibli films, as well as discussing the history of the studio, and it's impact on opening new eyes to world cinema, as well as exploring its influence over Disney and Pixar. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Filth, Runner Runner, and the shortest pod yet... | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, and due to continuing technical problems and the fact that at least one of us has a social life, this is the shortest one yet. We review the outrageous new Irvine Welsh adaptation Filth, the outrageously boring Runner Runner, and outrageously only spend a few moments on Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. James also talks about his love of the 'body-swap comedy' genre. Owen and Steve try to argue that no such genre exists. Don;t get used to this breakneck pace though, as we'll be back to our chin-strokingly epic lengths next week with our reviews of The Fifth Estate and Machete Kills. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Prisoners, Diana, and the Autumn Preview | |
We would like to offer our deepest apologies for the fact that this podcast is coming to you a week late. The Failed Critics hamster gave up the ghost, and we had a bit of a technical Armageddon. Still, but late than never... This week's installment of the pod sees Owen reasonably impressed by Prisoners, Steve surprisingly impressed by The Call, and James utterly, utterly depressed by Diana. We also discuss the films and television we're most looking forward to this autumn, and things escalate rather quickly in an impromptu discussion on the state of British TV networks. Later this week will see the release of the Studio Ghibli special... DIRECT LINK | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Rush, Insidious 2, and killing hookers | |
Start your engines for this week's Failed Critics Podcast, as we review the first of the serious award-bait movies this autumn in the shape of Ron Howard's Rush, the true-life story of the F1 rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Owen also reviews Insidious 2, while James and Steve take time out of killing hookers and punching pedestrians in the face to review a new computer game. And then they might play Grand Theft Auto 5. Boom, boom! In honour of Rockstar's latest opus, we also talk to Jackson and Calum from the Pupcast about the relationship between games and movies, and talk about our least favourite video game to movie adaptations. Join us next week for a worryingly bad lookin | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Riddick, Richard Curtis, and Dr Zaius | |
The Failed Critics Podcast is here, with another helping of shambolic film discussion that will make you wish you could go back in time to the moment you downloaded it and punch yourself square in the throat. This week's episode sees us review Richard Curtis' time-travel rom-com About Time, as well as choosing our favourite time travelers in Triple Bill. We also review the latest Vin Diesel vanity project, Riddick, and catch up on great films you have have missed like Robot and Frank, and Whisper of the Heart. Finally, we said a sort of goodbye to Gerry McAuley, who missed this week's recording and is now merely a part-time contributor. It's okay though, as miserable northerners with a Spanish fetish never die... Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Jadoo, Pain & Gain, and our annual premiere invite | |
Welcome to this weeks Failed Critics Podcast, with all new improved sound quality. And not just because Gerry's northern brogue is sadly absent. Ploughing on with our new format, in this week's helping of cinematic goodness we review new releases Pain & Gain, You're Next, and James reports from the UK Premiere of Jadoo. Also this week, Owen dismisses Conan the Barbarian, Steve is reasonably impresses with Breaking Bad, and James reviews his first ever Bollywood film. Next week should see the welcome return of our resident swearing cynic, as well as the cinematic returns of Richard Curtis (About Time), and sci-fi antihero Riddick (erm...Riddick). | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Elysium, Batfleck, and sweaty nerds | |
Welcome to this week?s slightly less shambolic Failed Critics podcast. We?ve tinkered with the format, and are hopefully this close to solving our audio problems. For the time being though, sit back, relax, and let us talk you through the week in cinema. We?ve got reviews of new releases Elysium, The Heat, and The Way, Way Back; plus Beware of Mr Baker, Wadjda, and the Coen Brother?s True Grit in What We?ve Been Watching. We?ve also got recommendations for the next week on television, Lovefilm, and new on DVD, and we discuss the online flap over the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman. Join us next week for the fully transformed podcast, featuring interviews and a report from the premiere of UK film Jadoo, plus reviews of Pain & Gain and You?re Next. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Kick-Ass 2 | |
A group of amateurs who know nothing the harsh realities of film criticism band together to review a film about a group of amateurs who know nothing about the harsh realities of crime fighting and and band together. Nobody does meta like the Failed Critics, here with our review of Kick-Ass 2. And while the Gerry's away, the others will play, and we have our largest 'What We've Been Watching' section for a long time. James reviews new releases We're the Millers, and Blackfish, Owen discusses his new man-crush John Wayne, as well as hipster classics The Big Lebowski and Adaptation, while Steve continues his quest to get scared with Dark Skies. The proposed increase in sound quality didn't happen, but it's coming. We promise. Join us next week for our review of Elysium, and even more excitingly, Gerry's return. We hope he brings weird foreign sweets. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Alpha Papa | |
"I am Siege Face" Ruddy hell, it's only the Failed Critics back with another slice of digital broadcasting gold. This week we review the new Alan Partridge film, Alpha Papa, as well as other new releases in the shape of Only God Forgives, 2 Guns, and The Conjuring. We also discuss Renny Harlin's attempts to film Wikipedia's most disturbing entry, James' fancy dress habits, and another podcaster joins the growing swell of praise for Side Effects. Join us next week for our review of Kick-Ass 2. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: World Cinema Special! | |
Bonjour, hola, guten tag, and konnichiwa to the Failed Critics World Cinema Special. This week the critics (well, most of them) take you through some of their favourite elements of film filmed in something other than English, as well as exploring some new avenues themselves. In What We've Been Watching they review films from a country they haven't experienced cinematically before, with choices from Israel, Brazil, and Quebec, while this week's Triple Bill is 'Favourite World Cinema Actors/Actresses'. We round off the podcast with some recommendations from some of our favourite countries. Join us next week as we review Alpha Papa, Only God Forgives, and The Conjuring. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: The World's End | |
This week's main review is The World's End, the final installment of the Blood and Ice Cream trilogy from Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost. Also this week we discuss the events of Comic-Con, including the announcement of Superman vs Batman, and Loki building a formidable geek army. We also review Apollo 13, Sssssss (yes, really), and new Netflix Original show Orange Is the New Black. Join us next week when we induct Studio Ghibli into the Corridor of Praise. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Monsters Double-Header | |
It's a first for the podcast this week and we have a double main review. First we discuss Pixar's latest sequel/first prequel Monsters University, and try to figure out if Pixar are getting lazy, or if everyone else has simply upped their game. After that we talk gigantic bad-ass robots and aliens in our review of Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim. Also this week, we discuss Sam Mendes' return to the Bond franchise (Yay!) and Johnny Depp's return to the Alice in Wonderland franchise (why?!), James has a rant about films from The Asylum, particularly the so-bad-that-it's-fucking-terrible Sharknado, and the other lads watched some films as well. Guess which forgetful old bastard wrote this. Join us next week as we review the final film in the Wright/Pegg/Frost Cornetto Trilogy, The World's End. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: TV Special II | |
After the success of last year's TV Special, we decided to recommission a second series. And not just because none of us wanted to watch The Internship. Oh no. So we review TV programmes we've been watching recently, including The Newsroom, Arrested Development Season 4, Sherlock, and Jericho, and in Triple Bill we pitch our movie remake ideas for shows from our youth. We also review Ben Wheatley's A Field In England, the civil war psychedelic horror film that debuted in cinemas, on DVD, and on free-to-air television on the same day. Join us next week for our Monsters Double Header, with reviews of Pacific Rim and Monsters University. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Worst Movie Jobs | |
The podcast where Steve quite literally phones it in (due to technical issues, not a lack of enthusiasm). In this week's episode we discuss the worst jobs from the movies, in 'tribute' to The Internship; the two hour Google advert that none of us can bring ourselves to go and see. We also review new releases Hummingbird, and Despicable Me 2 which leads to a lengthy discussion on the current state of Hollywood animation. Join us next week for the return on our TV Special. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: World War Z | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, featuring some lifeless, shuffling, mindless abominations...TALKING ABOUT ZOMBIES! Pretty sure we've used that joke before as well. Sorry. As well as reviewing World War Z (starring Brad Pitt), we also discuss new releases in the shape of This Is The End and Now You See Me, and pay tribute to James Gandolfini and Ray Matheson who sadly passed away in the last seven days. Join us next week for a Triple Bill of the Worst Movie Jobs (in 'honour' of The Internship), and maybe even a new release or two. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Superman/Man of Steel Special | |
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's three nitwits holding court on all things Superman! In this weeks extra special bumper podcast (weighing in at over two hours) we celebrate the release of Zack Snyder's reboot of the Superman series, Man of Steel. Prepare for it to kick off as two of the team nearly come to blows over their experience and expectations of the movie. As well as a review of the film, we look under the bonnet and get our hands dirty in an extended Spoiler Alert look at Man of Steel. Not only that, but we discuss every Superman film ever made in What We've Been Watching, and choose our favourite performances by the Man of Steel main cast in Triple Bill. Join us next week as we review new releases World War Z, Now You See Me, and This is the End. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Best Movie Dads | |
After a well-earned week off, the Failed Critics Podcast returns with a Triple Bill of our favourite cinematic fathers. Sadly, we're missing the one real-life dad in the team as James recovers from the exertions of taking a week off work. Luckily Steve, Owen, and Gerry soldier on his his absence, and even find time to review new releases After Earth and Behind the Candelabra, as well as looking back at Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Departed. Join us next week for our Superman special, as we look back on the cinematic legacy of Kal-El, and review the latest screen incarnation with Man of Steel. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Great Performances in Bad Films | |
Welcome to the latest Failed Critics Podcast, and this week we've hastily arranged a last-minute Triple Bill after Owen turned us down for a sleepover. We discuss our favourite 'Great Performances in Bad Films (with Nic Cage somehow escaping everyone's list), and show exactly how far our fingers are from the pulse in reviewing 21 Grams, Billy Liar, and the hit new television show Frasier. We off next week recuperating, so join us in a fortnight as we choose our favourite movie dads for Fathers' Day. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Fast & Furious 6 | |
In honour of our main review, this week?s podcast is both fast (coming it at under an hour) and furious (well, one of us is a little peeved). We not only review the 379th film released this year starring Dwayne ?The Rock? Johnson (Fast & Furious 6), but James even recaps the series for all of you who have missed out so far. Apart from the really rubbish ones. Owen and James then wax lyrical and slightly homoerotic about Ryan Gosling, and his brilliant performance in The Place Beyond the Pines. Steve is impressed by a little-heard of gem called The Man From Earth, and Gerry revisits the genius of Four Lions. Somehow we also manage to fit in some news from the Cannes Film Festival, recommendations on what to watch this week, and probably insult another major portion of our listeners. We usually do. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Star Trek Into Darkness | |
It's that time of year where the big blockbusters come thick and fast, and this week the Failed Critics are putting on our red shirts, setting our phasers to stun, and splitting any and all infinitives we can fins as we embrace Star Trek Into Darkness. As well as reviewing JJ Abrams' latest installment of the epic sci-fi franchise (including a suitable lengthy Spoiler Alert), we also have time for reviews of Pedro Almodovar's latest release 'I'm So Excited', giallo homage 'Berbarian Sound Studio', and impossibly hot couple Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in 'Love & Other Drugs'. Next week we're reviewing our second Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson release this summer, with the latest in the seemingly unsinkable Fast and the Furious franchise. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Triple Bill - Under 80 minutes | |
In the most self-destructive moment since school holiday-dominating kids TV show Why Don't You told us to "switch off your TV set and do something less boring instead", we recommend films you could watch in the time it takes to listen to this semi-coherent drivel in this week's Triple Bill. Elsewhere on the podcast we pay tribute to the genius of Ray Harryhausen, review new releases 21 & Over and Chimpanzee, and welcome Gerry back to the 'ALL NEW' Failed Critics Podcast. Next week we'll set phasers to stun, don our red shirts, and have sex with beautiful alien creatures as we review Star Trek Into Darkness. Make it so. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Iron Man 3 | |
A year older, wiser, and fatter (in some cases) and the Failed Critics Podcast is back with a bit of a redbranding and format shake-up. Worry not, it's still the same four idiots (three this week) talking about film from our respective bedrooms via an unstable network connection. This week we review the start of Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2 with Shane Black's Iron Man 3. We've dusted off Spoiler Alert especially for the occasion and James even finally got around to watching all the Marvel Phase 1 movies. He gives his opinions on those in What We've Been Watching, while Steve struggles to make head or tail out of the utterly bonkers and surreal Holy Motors. We're back next week, hopefully with Gerry and a discussion on Studio Ghibli. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Happy Birthday! | |
Against the odds, and at times against our better judgement, the Failed Critics Podcast has made it to its first birthday! So light the candles, eat some cake, and dust off your beer bongs as we celebrate our first year together. This week sees us look back on our reviews from the last twelve months with What We've Been Watching: Second Opinion. Films to get a second-look from our colleagues this week include Before Sunrise (which Gerry hated when he watched it last year) and (500) Days of Summer (which wound James up something chronic in 2012). We also get second opinions on Sightseers, Trollhunter, Rust and Bone, and The Divide. We also answer those burning issues we asked you to put to us, and get a shocking confession from Steve regarding Citizen Kane. Join us next week for the retooled and rebooted ALL NEW Failed Critics Podcast. It'll be the same contributors | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast - Oblivion | |
Welcome to the Failed Critics Podcast, where this week our main review is Tom Cruise-starring, sci-fi magpie Oblivion. Gerry and James nearly get into a fit over Tom Cruise (not quite in that way), and we play 'I Spy Sc-Fi' when discussing the film's very obvious influences. Also in the pod, we review what we've been watching this week, including Festen, and The Man From Nowhere. Join us next week for our First Birthday celebrations. We'll be answering everything you've ever wanted to know about us and film, but were afraid to ask (because you didn't want anyone finding out you listen to this shambles). | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Summer Preview! | |
It's a bumper episode of the Failed Critics Podcast this week as we look forward to our most anticipated movies this summer that aren't called Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, or Star Trek Into Darkness. As well as looking forward to the summer, we look back on our viewing this week, including Steve's decent into Box Office Bomb hell with Cutthroat Island. We also pay tribute to Roger Ebert, one of the truly great film critics to have ever lived. Join us next week for a review of Tom Cruise's latest sci-fi blockbuster, Oblivion. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast - G.I. Joe: Retaliation | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics podcast, and after the highbrow in-depth exploration of the work of one of cinema's greatest auteurs last week, we are genuinely reviewing the latest batshit crazy instalment in the G.I. Joe franchise. We also mourn the fact that Dredd will not be getting a sequel, discuss the next film series that The Rock should resurrect, and James and Owen nearly come to blows over Danny Boyle's Trance. Join us next week for our Summer Preview Triple Bill! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast - Corridor of Praise: Stanley Kubrick | |
Today we are honouring one of the single greatest film directors to have ever picked up a camera. A man who not only created some incredible films, but who changed the world of film-making on a stylistic and technical level over and over again. When we set up our Corridor of Praise, one of the entry requirements was that any inductees must not have won an Oscar in their main category, and the fact that tonight?s subject never received an Oscar for direction is a travesty. Still, the Academy?s loss is our gain, as it means we get to devote a whole episode to my favourite director, and I think probably the podcast?s overall favourite director. Jack Nicholson said "Everyone sort of acknowledges he's 'the man', and I still feel that underrates him". Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Mary and Max | |
A story of social outcasts with bizarre ideas about the world, communicating over huge distances and never meeting face-to-face. But enough about the Failed Critics team, this week we discuss Mary and Max, Owen's reward for winning our Oscar picks challenge. Also this week James reviews Brit thriller Welcome to the Punch and new Steve Carrell/Jim Carrey comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Owen revisits Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Steve turns off John Carter well before the end. Tune in next week (or download, or whatever) for our very special Corridor of Praise Stanley Kubrick episode! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast - Triple Bill: Movie Mums | |
You lucky, lucky people. You wait ages for a Failed Critics Podcast with a cracking Triple Bill, and then two come along in a week. James is away, so Steve, Gerry, and Owen almost certainly take the piss out of his age and deteriorating body, as well as reviewing new releases Side Effects, and Oz: The Great and Powerful. Steve continues his Box Office Flops odyssey with John Carter and Green Lantern, and in honour of Mother's Day the team choose their favourite movie mums in a hastily arranged Triple Bill. Next week we finally get around to reviewing Owen's Oscar Challenge choice, Mary and Max, and we'll be reviewing the latest releases at the cinema including the bizarrely titled Welcome to the Punch. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast - Triple Bill: Car Chases | |
Apologies for the delay in getting this edition of the Failed Critics Podcast to your earholes - our editor (and the only person with the keys to the shed where we store our high-tech servers) was down in London searching for fame and fortune on television. On a quiz show. That only students and old people watch. Anyway, this week the critics get their teeth stuck into the Oscars; from the winners and losers to the performance of professional misogynist Seth MacFarlane. They also tackle some heavyweight cinema in the form of Battleship, Twilight: Braking Dawn Part 2, and Cars 2. Listen | |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Glasgow Film Festival Special | |
Hello Scotland! This week's Failed Critics podcast sees James head north of the border to report back from Glasgow Film Festival. With the reluctant blessing of the rest of the critics, he is joined this week by two special guests; Dave McFarlane from our 'sister podcast' Born Offside, and Paul Fisher from our new upstart rivals on the Write Club podcast. They review South Korean heist movie The Thieves, as well as documentary Men at Lunch and the microbudget feature Breakfast with Curtis. James is also joined by the excellent film writers Steven Neish and Amy Taylor at the first UK showing of Stoker, and they discuss that as well as their thoughts on Cloud Atlas, Citadel and Songs for Amy, the new film starring Sean Maguire (ask your parents, or the weird old guy you make podcasts with). Finally we have a Scottish-themed Triple Bill where James does his best not to upset his guest | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Die Hard 5 | |
In this week's podcast we're reviewing Die Hard 5 (we're refusing to play along with their ridiculous naming practices), and in an effort to appeal to a younger audience we have decided to make the following changes and earn ourselves a 12a certificate.
We're back next week (including James) with our Oscars Special! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Wreck-It Ralph | |
We were sadly a man down on this week's podcast, with Gerry suffering in the same way Eddie Redmayne did at this week's BAFTAs. Come to think of it, we've never actually seen Gerry and Eddie in the same room... Talking of the BAFTAs, we give you the low-down on the winners and losers from Sunday night's ceremony, as well as giving our Oscar predictions. We review the various film streaming services currently available (including Netflix, Lovefilm, and Mubi), and finally get around to reviewing Disney's Wreck-It Ralph. James is away next week covering the Glasgow Film Festival, so who knows what's going to happen next week... | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Most Wanted Comebacks | |
The Failed Critics Podcast is back, and in somewhat lubricated style. Well, one of us is. This week sees the return of Triple bill, and in honour of the recent Sly and Arnie comebacks, we discuss the actors and actresses we would love to see make a big comeback. Also this week we review new release Hitchcock, James has an early contender for worst film of 2013 in Movie 43, and some of us discover some gems from 2012 that we missed the first time around in Silver Linings Playbook, Perks of Being a Wallflower, and A Royal Affair. Next week we'll be reviewing Disney's nostalgic look at arcade gaming in Wreck-It Ralph, reviewing the best film streaming services on the market, and giving our instant reaction to Sunday night's BAFTA Awards. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: COP - Arnie | |
On this week's podcast we review Zero Dark Thirty, Flight, Hyde Park on Hudson, and The Possession We also induct the second member of our Corridor of Praise. Let's hand over to Gerry to introduce him... Murzzuschlag, Austria. The Second World War is ending. Aurelia Jadrny, a clerk in her early twenties whose husband was killed just eight months after their wedding, is working at her desk when she spots a tall, good looking man in his late thirties walking past. He's wearing the uniform of the gendarmerie, Austria's rural police, and she likes a man in uniform. Over time, they talk through the window - she works out when his shift is so she's always at her desk. His name is Gustav and when they marry late in 1945 he is thirty eight, she is twenty three. He is assigned to Thal, a tiny village, and they live in a simple stone house at the top of a hill, 100 yards from a ruined old castle, on the single unpaved road in the village. There is no plumbing, no shower, no flushing toilet, and the nearest well is a quarter of a mile away. They make do, scraping by on his meagre wage through hard work and thrift - an ethic they will instil in their children. They quickly have a son, Meinhard, and struggle along despite the widespread famine in newly-occupied Austria. In 1947, with the famine ongoing and at its worst, they have another son. In this small, impoverished stone house in | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Django Unchained | |
The Failed Critics are back, and we're here to SHUT YOUR BUTT DOWN! This week we review Quentin Tarantino's latest blood-soaked and highly controversial (no change there) epic, Django Unchained. One of us wasn't that impressed. We've got your curiosity, but do we have your attention? Also this week; James reviews a history lesson with exceedingly high production values in Lincoln, Owen talks about The Village, and Gerry finally gets round to seeing Magic Mike (the horny devil). We're back next with reviews of Zero Dark Thirty, The Last Stand, and we induct a very special Austrian ass-kicker into our Corridor of Praise. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Les Miserables | |
Do you hear the critics sing? Podding the thoughts of angry men, They are the musings of a people who won't watch Rock of Ages again, When the bleating of the fool, Echoes the bleating of the drunk, There is podcast about to start when tomorrow comes! That's right, James has finally managed to persuade the critics back into the cinema to see another musical, and hopefully this time they won't want to kill him afterwards. Also on our big return we review new releases Gangster Squad, The Sessions, The Impossible, and Quartet. Join us next week as we review Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. The D is silent, the podcast won't be... | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: 2012 in Review/Failed Critics Awards | |
Welcome to our first ever End-of-Year Review and the inaugural Failed Critics Awards! Get your tuxedo on, raid the free bar, and join Steve, James, Gerry, and Owen as they discuss their highlights from 2012, and their thoughts on the winners as chosen by contributors to Failed Critics. As well as the prestigious Top Ten Films of the Year, we also award the best performances, foreign-language film, documentary, and soundtrack of great year for film. Not only that, but we also review our last batch of films for the year - including our thoughts on Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, Ang Lee's sumptuous Life of Pi, and Ben Wheatley's caravanning 'comedy' Sightseers. We'll be back on the 14th January with our review of Les Miserables - and we would like to wish all of our listeners a very happy New Year! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Christmas Triple Bill | |
Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas to every single one of our beautiful listeners (we hope the less good-looking ones have a decent time as well), and as an early Christmas present to you we present our favourite Christmas films. Well, three of us do anyway. One of the team decided that they wanted to be different and chose some films that might have a bit of snow in them, possibly a tree in one of the scenes. I wonder who... We'll be back on New Years Eve with a review of the year destined to be bigger, more bloated, and even less self-aware than late-period Marlon Brando. There's still one more day to vote for you favourite films of 2012 by visiting failedcritics.com - rock the vote! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: The Hobbit | |
In honour of this week's main review we thought about splitting this podcast into three full-length episodes, or recording it at twice the speed, or even inviting old guests back for needless cameos (except we've never had a guest on the podcast). Instead we felt the story of a short, hairy old man and his companions resonated enough with us hear to avoid such frippery. This week sees the Failed Critics dissect Peter Jackson's return to Middle-Earth in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. We'll give you the low-down on the new 48fps technology, discuss the wisdom of turning a short 'children's book' into a dark and epic trilogy, and two of the team confess to falling asleep at some point. It's one of our more argumentative podcasts so far, and there are some very passionate criticisms and defences of the years last blockbuster. We'll be back on Christmas Eve with our Christmas Films Triple Bill, and then on New Years Eve we'll be looking back on 2012 and revealing the first ever Failed Critics Award winners. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast: Seven Psychopaths | |
This week's podcast returns to the bread and butter work of reviewing the latest releases, and the spotlight is on Martin McDonagh's follow-up to the brilliant In Bruges - Seven Psychopaths. Boasting a brilliant cast including Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, and Christopher Walken half of the podcast team (yes, I know...) give their verdicts. Also in this episode James tries to cement his hipster art-house credentials while sporting the worst French accent since 'Allo 'Allo with his glowing reviews of Amour and Intouchables; Gerry finally gets around to watching Prometheus; Owen gets confused and somehow watches Predators instead of Predator; and Steve goes to great lengths to test the podcast theory that we can watch any film which stars The Rock by reviewing Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. We're back next week with a Tolkien-inspired special epsiode with our first thoughts on The Hobbit. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Podcast - COP: Harrison Ford | |
We'd like to welcome you all to the first ever Failed Critics Corridor of Praise induction. The C.O.P. has been set up to honour the work of those legends of the movie world who have either never sought the acceptance of the Academy, or who have been shunned by those bestowers of baubles. In this podcast we are honouring the first recipient of our recorded adoration. He has a career spanning six decades, and his films have grossed over $6b worldwide. At one point 4 of the top 6 grossing films of all time featured him, and in 1997 Empire magazine named him as their No.1 movie star of all time. As well as the iconic roles he is known for, and that we will no doubt discuss shortly ? he has appeared in films as diverse as What Lies Beneath, Working Girl, and The Fugitive Of course I am talking about the one, the only, Jack Ryan?Indiana Jones?Han Solo himself. Harrison Ford! Also in this week's podcast we review The Master, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Rise of the Guardians, Room 237, and Miracle on 34th Street. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: End of Watch | |
This week on the Failed Critics Review we look at the cop film that French Connection director William Friedken described as the "best movie about cops ever made". Can James get over the found footage angle? Can Steve suggest a way he would have done it better? Can Gerry get around to seeing it? (No). Also on this week's podcast we look at James' future wife Marion Cotillard in the fantastic Rust and Bone, and discuss films as varied as Network, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, and The Devil's Backbone. Next week's episode is the launch of the Failed Critics Hall of Fame, where we award some poor Oscar-less schmuck with some award I'll try and rustle up on Photoshop. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: Zombie Special! | |
The Failed Critics Review is packed full of moaning, shuffling, bad-smelling, and barely sentient beings this week...and we also talk about zombies! James reports back on the 6th annual UK Festival of Zombie Culture, including the world première of the HD restoration of Zombie Flesh Eaters. There's a heated discussion on what constitutes a zombie movie, and whether the zombies that run are proper zombies. And don't even get James started on Danny Boyle's view that 28 Days Later isn't a zombie film. Then in Triple Bill the critics choose their favourite zombie films of all time. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: Argo | |
___________Argo______________Failed Critics Podcast_______________Based on a classified story_____________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________James____________________Steve_______________Owen_______________Gerry______________________ ______________________Next week we'll be discussing our favourite zombie films ion Triple Bill_______________________ | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: New Star Wars! | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Review, where for numerous reasons (too busy being a vigilante, boarding up his house for the impending Zombie apocalypse, being asleep, and having scurvy) we didn't get to the cinema. Oh, and our planned review of The Master was shelved because it's only showing in 'that London' for a fortnight. Never fear though, we still manage to fill over an hour with what we've watched this week, as well as our reaction to Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm (and the announced new Star Wars films), and Steve does his best Anne Robinson as we go all Watchdog on the asses of the cinema chains we happen to frequent. Don't worry - we'll be back to normal next week when we review Oscar-contender (it better be - James has backed it at 10-1) Argo. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Triple Bill: BOND SPECIAL! | |
Welcome to the second of our Bond Special podcasts - in this week's Triple Bill we name our favourite non-Bond performances from our randomly allocated Bond actors. In the case of James and Owen, it was a matter of pretty much naming three performances they had seen from their actors (George Lazenby and Roger Moore), and James' ongoing efforts to acquire a certain Lazenby performance in a 1993 Emmanuelle TV-movie proved sadly fruitless. Join us next week for our reaction to the latest Star Wars news, as well as Watchdog-esque Cinema-chain reviews, and which films we've been watching. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: Skyfall/Bond Special | |
Duh, duh,duh, duuuuuhhh, duh, duh duuuuuuuuhhh! Bond is back on the big screens, and to celebrate Failed Critics recorded a podcast devoted to all things Bond, James Bond. To discuss the latest outing of 007: Licence to Kill we gathered Steve (Licence to Thrill), Owen (Licence to Ill), James (Licence to Grill), and Gerry (Licence to Pop Down t'Mill - because he's a northerner). We also discuss some classic (and not-so-classic) Bond films, and attempt the most shamefully embarrassing Pop Quiz of all time. Join us later in the week for the second of our Bond Specials as we discuss our favourite non-Bond performances from Connery, Moore, Lazenby, and Craig. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: Paranormal Activity 4 | |
Welcome to this week?s Failed Critics Review ? unfortunately delayed due to technical issues. Gerry is technically an old man who can?t stay up past 11pm apparently. Anyway, better late than never! On this week?s podcast we review the latest instalment of the Big Fish in the Found Footage pond ? Paranormal Activity 4. We also catch up on what the critics have been watching in the past week, including the wonderful Safety Not Guaranteed, the utterly bonkers Holy Motors, and the little-seen Speed Racer. Steve also finally got around to watching The Raid. Join us at the weekend for Triple Bill where we discuss the films that have scared the crap out of us ? and next week the Review returns with a review of Skyfall and a BOND SPECIAL! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Triple Bill: TV-Film Adaptations | |
In honour of this weeks Triple Bill - TV-to-Film adaptations - we upped the budget slightly and went to the continent on holiday to record it. Owen booked us into an unfinished hotel, James got drunk on local alcoholic concoctions, Gerry got into fights with all the foreigners over sunbeds, and Steve found love. The end result is flashier, but ultimately less satisfying than the original series - unlike our choices of our favourite TV-to-Film adaptations! Next week we return to normality with the Failed Critics Review covering Paranormal Activity 4, and in Triple Bill we choose our scariest moments in cinema. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: TV Special | |
Welcome one and all to this week's Failed Critics Review, where we're doing something a little different - talking about TV instead of film. You'll get to hear what we think about programmes we've been watching this week, as well as the shows we think you really should be watching. Don't worry - the Review returns to normal next when we review Paranormal Activity 4 | Listen |
| Failed Critics Triple Bill: Revenge Movies | |
I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for perfect sound quality, I can tell you I don't have money for decent equipment. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a pretty short podcasting career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you download the podcast, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will put it on your iPod without you knowing. In other words - on Triple Bill this week we talk about our favourite Revenge Movies! Join us next week for our TV Specials. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: Sinister | |
Play the creepy music. Watch out for strange noises. Hide your children in fear. This week James returns to Failed Critics! Oh, and we also review creepy-as-hell scare-fest Sinister. Also on the podcast that dare not speak the name of a hideous entity from the depths of Hell for fear of granting it extra power (basically that Neeson-starring revenge sequel), we review Paranormal Activity and the ?found footage? genre, Will Ferrell?s latest comedy The Campaign, and Gerry decides it would be okay to do something completely different this week. What this podcast lacks in accuracy and insight, it makes up for in sheer shambolic joy! Join us later in the week for our Triple Bill of Top Revenge Films! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Triple Bill: The 80s! | |
Welcome to Triple Bill, where this week we discuss our favourite films of the 1980s. James was too ill to record, and he's still feeling dreadful so this week's pithy and witty write-up is absolutely nowhere to be seen. Still, who needs that when you've got the critics discussing the best decade of cinema EVER! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: Looper | |
Sadly (or thankfully depending on your point of view) James was absent from this week's Failed Critics Review, in which Steve, Owen and Gerry review sci-fi time-travel headfuck Looper. Luckily James's future-self has told him that they managed to pull together an excellent podcast in the mouthy old bastard's absence. In honour of the big man himself, they also reviewed a Bruce Willis film each - and maybe someone suggested everyone really should go and watch Taken 2. James hasn't a clue to be honest, and writing in the third person is taking its toll. Join us (sans James again) later this week for Triple Bill: Eighties Films. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Triple Bill: Winter Preview | |
After a less than stellar summer of blockbusters this year, the critics turn their attention to the films we hope to be entertained over the winter, including a number of films getting ready to take at run at the 'awards season'. Sadly Owen was still pulliung a sickie, and Gerry pissed off after his bit to get his much-needed beauty sleep. Still, Steve and James manage to just about keep it all together like the pros that they are. Join us next week for the FC Review, where we review Looper, as well as Killing Them Softly and a mini Bruce Willis special | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: ParaNorman | |
This week on Failed Critics we talk about the story of a youngster with no friends and an unhealthy obsession with ropey zombie films. And as well as moaning at Owen pulling a sickie, we also review stop-motion kiddie-horror film ParaNorman! Thank you, we're here all week. Please try the fish. Despite Owen's absence, we still put together a meaty podcast for you this week - with reviews of the latest Stiller/Vaughan comedy The Watch, Hidden (Cache), and Stanley Kubrick's 1956 heist film The Killing. James also passionately puts forward his case for Failed Critics not reviewing Taken 2. Join us later in the week for our Winter Preview Triple Bill. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Triple Bill: Bar Scenes | |
Failed Critic Cocktail 1 measure emotional old man 1 measure grumpy Northerner dash of vigilante a handful of anti-Star Wars vitriol 2 spoons of the obligitory Star Wars choice 1 terrible Begbie inpression Shake, and serve over headphones. This week the critics choose their favourite film scenes that take place in a bar/pub/place that serves booze. We've got surprises, tons of crossover, and the usual fawning over Michael Fassbender. Join us next week for reviews of ParaNorman in the Failed Critics Review, and our Winter PRaview Triple Bill | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: Lawless | |
Brothers. Gangsters. Heroes. That doesn't apply to any of us, if we're honest. Except maybe heroes. Steve chased someone from a kebab shop once. We are critics though, and this week we're tackling prohibition-era Shia the Beef-starring movie Lawless. We also hear from James as he struggles to wax lyrical about two of his favourite films so far this year - Berberian Sound Studio and The Imposter - as well as hearing reviews on Barry Lyndon and Glengary Glen Ross. James was hungover and without notes, Gerry had only seen Lawless, Owen's internet kept cutting out, and Steve was...well, Steve. Somehow we recorded a show. Enjoy! | Listen |
| Failed Critics Triple Bill: Top Movie Cops | |
Freeze punks! You have the right to remain silent and listen to Failed Critics Triple Bill. Anything you do say will be ignored because, well, we can't hear you. It's not live. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, we're not going to provide one. Especially if you're the victim of a kebab-based vigilante attack from a film podcast host. Where were we? Oh yes - it's Failed Critics Triple Bill, and this week in honour of the excellent Dredd 3D we're naming our favourite movie cops. There's crossover (that you might not expect), and Owen makes his second, possibly fatal, error since joining the podcast. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review - Dredd 3D | |
In this desolate future there are thousands of films, and the only thing seperating the criminally bad film from the public are the men and woman of the Hall of Film Justice. We are the judge, juries, and executioners of horrific cinema. We are the law! On this week's Failed Critics Review we give our verdict on Dredd 3D, and find out whether it is able to lay to rest the ghost of the atrocious Stallone effort. Also reviewed this week are The Inkeepers, Blade Runner (Final Cut), and Jurassic Park. Owen even manages to compare a Van Damme film to Goddard's Breathless (really). Join us later in the week for Triple Bill, where this week we choose our favourite film cops. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Triple Bill: Based on a True Story | |
After a week away, we welcome back Failed Critics Triple Bill. This week the critics choose their favourite real-life stories that they want to see made into films. Not only that, but they tell us why and how, and even cast their imaginary films. This was one of our favourite recordings, and there are some great stories here - including the only man to kill someone with a crossbow in WWII, an Opera-loving Russian wrestler, and a man who made the Suez Canal disappear. Also, James recorded this one in his car while his neighbours looked suspiciously out of their windows, so it's a bit of a collector's item. We're back on Wednesday with a review of Dredd 3D, and next weekend with our favourite film cops in Triple Bill. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: Bowiefest and Total Recall | |
The return of the Fat White Duke ? yep, James is back from London and is here to tell us about Bowiefest, the first film festival devoted to the cinematic work of David Bowie. Also this week, the Failed Critics review Total Recall, a film that is definitely a remake of the 1990 Arnie classic, regardless of what the studio tells us. We also discuss what we?ve been watching this week including The Hunger Games, Labyrinth, Very Bad things, and Jean Claude van Damme?s classic Time Cop. Join us on Friday for Triple Bill, where we choose our favourite true-life stories that we would love to see made into films. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: Brave | |
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Review - coming to you live from, among other places, James' car. That's right. This week our main review is Pixar's latest film - 'Brave'. As well as giving our opinions on the film, we discuss the success of the studio and whether or not they're a bigger draw these days than the Disney brand. In other news James finds a film that doesn't make him cry in The Expendables 2, Gerry ponders society after watching Dreams of a Life, Steve continues to confuse himself with time-travel films by watching Twelve Monkeys, and Owen finally finds a Tim Burton film he can get onboard with in Ed Wood. The critics also pay tribute to Tony Scott, while the Quote Game makes a return after literally no one realised we'd forgotten in for the last few weeks. We're back later this week with 'Triple Bill: Based on a true story', and in next week's review with Total Recall | Listen |
| Failed Critics Triple Bill: Fight Scenes | |
Not much of a blurb this week. James is off on holiday, and you all know the drill already. This week the critics discuss their favourite ever fight scenes, including appearances from Jackie Chan, Roddy Piper, and...Luke Wilson? | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review ? The Bourne Legacy | |
This week we welcome Gerry and his shitty microphone back to the Failed Critics Review ? and thank God he?s back, as when the discussion turned to the latest Justice League movie rumours and Aquaman?s name was mentioned, James was hopelessly out of his depth. When we finally got around to reviewing films we discussed our differing reactions to The Bourne Legacy, Gerry?s Failed Listener assignment Withnail & I, and impending nuclear apocalypse. We seem to have got the hang of keeping the podcast under an hour now. Anyone unhinged listeners who need more can download our Triple Bill on Friday (Favourite Fight Scenes), or if you ask nicely we?ll give you Steve?s phone number so you can discuss Mighty Ducks whenever you want. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Triple Bill: Sequels | |
How fitting that our second Triple Bill should focus on our favourite sequels. It's almost like we plan this stuff (we really don't). Sadly Gerry is still absent, and taking inspiration from one of our choices this week we considered casting a sound-a-like and cutting in excerpts of his previous appearances. In the end we'll just explain his disappearance off-mic and hope the audience buy it. How very Hollywood. In our effort to trim the fat (not talking about Gerry now) this is our shortest podcast yet. You've even got time to pop out to buy some food and THEN listen to it on your lunchbreak. We're back next week with the Failed Critics Review (The Bourne Legacy) and Triple Bill: Fight Scenes. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: Failed Listeners Special | |
What would you rather hear us review? Step Up 4: Miami Heat? Or a selection of films chosen by our beloved band of listeners? Well, I hope it's the latter as this week's Failed Critics Review is a FAILED LISTENERS SPECIAL! Sadly Gerry's own short-sightedness means he's missing this week, but in his absense Steve, James, and Owen review films chosen by our listeners - including this week's main review; Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. Coming up later this week we have a Failed Listeners Triple Bill podcast as well - but for now, relax and listen to our leanest, meanest podcast to-date at an athletic 45 minutes long. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Triple Bill: Sports Movies | |
Welcome to the first ever standalone Failed Critics Triple Bill! Sick of being the overlooked middle-child of the Failed Critics podcast, Triple Bill is here with it's own series - with more chat, more dubious opinions, and MORE EXPLOSIONS! This week we discuss our favourite ever sports movies. Despite being sports fans, a few of the team struggled this week. Will Steve have to pick all three Mighty Ducks films? Tune in to find out. | Listen |
| Failed Critics Review: Ted | |
Welcome to a brave new world in shambolic film podcasting. This is the dawn of a new era etc etc. The first episode of Failed Critics Review - the new weekly film podcast just focussing on what we've watched this week, and the big release. Don't worry though, just because Triple Bill has got it's own Frasier-style spin-off doesn't mean that you're not still getting the full Failed Critics experience. Strap in! This week we review Ted, the feature debut of Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. We also discuss This Means War, The Help, and Life Is Beautiful; while Steve gives us his own unique insight into the Sight & Sound Top Ten Films list. Triple Bill is back this weekend, where to celebrate the Olympics we choose our favourite sports films. | Listen |
| Failed Critics: Episode 14 - The Dark Knight Rises BATMAN SPECIAL | |
Holy half-baked opinions Batman! This week our very own Rogues Gallery of Villains (Gerry - The Joker, Owen - The Riddler, James - The Penguin, Steve - Catwoman) not only review The Dark Knight Rises, but also tackle all things Batman in a bumper 2 hour Batman Special. THWACK! In the opening section we discuss our randomly-allocated Batman films of the past - including Gerry's near-breakdown over the 1966 movie and Owen looking for the positives in Batman and Robin. Plus Steve puts us all to shame with his tales of heroism. Well, sort of. BIFF! This week's Triple Bill sees the critics giving us their favourite performances from the actors that have played the Caped Crusader in the last 25 years. CRACK! Then finally (at 1hour and 19 minutes if you want to skip) we review the most anticipated film of the year. Does it live up to expectations? Was it a worthy conclusion to the Dark Knight Trilogy? Could we understand a word Bane was saying? We're away next week, but will return on 7th August with a review of Ted and our favourite sporting movies. | Listen |
| Failed Critics: Episode 13 - Magic Mike | |
Attention ladies! Are you ready for the big show?! Four hungry young men - well, three relatively young men and one older and always hungry man - are here for your entertainment! This week we review the Channing Tatum 'stripper movie' Magic Mike, as well as choosing our favourite movie creature in Triple Bill. We also prepare for next week's Batman Special with exciting live draws and giddy schoolboy excitement. | Listen |
| Failed Critics: Episode 12 - The Amazing Spider-Man | |
In honour The Amazing Spiderman - this week's Failed Critics has been rebooted for a modern audience. We are going to give you the origin story of how James, Steve, Gerry and Owen first met. Starring Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, Tom Hardy, and Vincent Cassell. Or we could just review The Amazing Spiderman and tell you how we would remake/reboot movies we think need a makeover. James also reviews the worst film he has seen so far this year, Steve turns into a later-day Bob Holness (he's too young to get the reference), and Gerry sounds like he's on the same continent as us and NOT being attacked by an angry wasp. Owen just did well not to get confused with Gerry if we're honest. | Listen |
| Failed Critics: Episode 11 - The Five-Year Engagement | |
Do you, dear listener, take this slightly shambolic weekly film podcast to be your lawfully-wedded background noise for your journey to work? Forsaking allother podcasts, as long as your generic MP3 player shall live? You may now listen to FAILED CRITICS! This week we review the new Jason Segel/Emily Blunt romantic comedy The Five-Year Engagement (including a remarkably in-depth debate on the conventions of the rom-com genre), as well as discussing our favourite documentaries in Triple Bill. This week?s episode was recording over two nights due to crying babies and lost keys that weren?t lost. We welcomed back a fired-up Gerry to the pod, and Owen managed to get very drunk between the two recording sessions. It?s a corker! | Listen |
| Failed Critics: Episode 10 ? Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | |
?Four score and seven days ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new film podcast, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all critics are created equal.? Wise words from famous Failed Critics fan Abraham Lincoln. But how we feel about him, and his vampire killing exploits? Find out in this week?s podcast. Also this week we discuss films from the beginning and end of Spielberg?s career as James reports back on the new Jaws print, and Owen gives us his verdict on War Horse. Steve decided to watch Kill Keith. Yep. In Triple Bill this week we discuss our favourite films that have been adapted from novels ? and we have the first ever full-house as every critic (including the absent Gerry) picked the same film for their list. James would just like to apologise for his performance this week. He was hungover, and ill-prepared. He let you all down, and he let himself down. Still, Steve is the one who gets the title of 3 films wrong? The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly 0:00:00 ? 0:32:52
Triple Bill 0:32:52 ? 1:09:15
Main Review 1:09:15 ? 1:24:00
Spoiler Alert 1:24:00 ? 1:24:36
| Listen |
| Failed Critics: Episode 9 - Rock of Ages | |
We built this podcast! We built this podcast on ROOOOOCKKK and ROOOOOOLLLLLL!!! Just a small-town film critic, living in a lonely woooooorrrrrlllddd! Etc, etc.This week Steve, James, and Owen donned their spandex, let down their hair, and strutted their stuff while watching this week's big release Rock of Ages. The Failed Critics also do their best to right the wrongs of the Academy over the years and pick their favourite films that just missed out on the Best Picture Oscar. | Listen |
| Failed Critics: Episode 8 - J. Edgar | |
Welcome to episode 8 of Failed Critics. This week due to the laziness of the critics, and the fact that none of our cinemas were showing The Innkeepers, we are reviewing a brand new DVD release - Clint Eastwood's portrayal of the founder of the FBI 'J. Edgar'. We also list the actors and directors that we've fallen out of love with inthis week's Triple Bill 'It's Not You, It's Me', as well as discussing Men in Black 3. Gerry is still missing (we wish him all the best), but Steve's near-breakdown over a certain director is worth the price of admission alone. | Listen |
| Failed Critics: Episode 7 - Prometheus | |
They went to the cinema in search of a good film. What they found could be their end. Although it?s unlikely ? unless the film is as bad as Dark Shadows. Failed Critics is back ? and it?s sporting a shiny new image. This week the pod discusses Prometheus, Ridley Scott?s return to the science-fiction genre after an absence of 30 years. We also choose our favourite Kings and Queens from the world of cinema in honour (or protest depending on how you view our choices) of the Queen?s Diamond Jubilee. Plus we have more podcast views on Iron Sky, and James FINALLY watched Pan?s Labyrinth. Gerry was sadly missed this week ? but we soldiered on as best as we could. He?s back soon, we promise. Intro - 00:00 ? 25:42 Triple Bill -25:42 ? 51:47 Prometheus Premiere Report (spoiler free) - 51:47 ? 56:36 Prometheus Review (no spoilers) ? 56:36 ? 1:12:53 Spoiler Alert! ? 1:12:53 ? 1:35:06 | Listen |
| The Failed Critic Podcast ? Episode 6: The Raid | |
Welcome to the Failed Critic Podcast Episode 6. This week the four of us entered a conversational cul-de-sac and in an attempt to bring some crimes against cinema to justice ? only to find ourselves swinging aimlessly like a drunkard at kicking-out time in an effort to pin down this week?s big release The Raid. Listen | |
| The Failed Critic Podcast - Episode 5: The Dictator | |
You may now bow before your benevolent leaders once more, you worthless listeners ? for The Failed Critic Podcast is back, and ready to rule your collective backsides. This week we review Sacha Baron Cohen?s latest comedy The Dictator, present our favourite films from the 1970s, and talk about the films that have interested, entertained, or maybe even just bored us in the last week. This week we have some brand new additions to the podcast. Firstly, we welcome Owen Hughes to the Failed Critic fellowship ? he?s an entertaining and engaging bloke with an interest in some very obscure cinema. He still watches films on VHS! We are also trying a new bonus feature this week ? ?Spoiler Alert?, where we will discuss the main review in further detail. We apologise to all Gerry fans for his apparent absence for the last half-hour of the podcast ? I?m assured he was still listening to us, but hadn?t seen The Dictator this week. What Gerry is here is Gerry-gold though. Intro & The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly 00:00 ? 24:30 < | Listen |
| The Failed Critic Podcast: Episode 4 ? Dark Shadows | |
Hello Pod Pickers! Welcome to Episode 4 of the Failed Critic Podcast, and this week we dust off our dancing shoes, strike up the orchestra, and empty our spit valves as we name our favourite film soundtracks. Also in this episode we review this week?s big release ? Dark Shadows, a rare collaboration between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. I wonder what that will be like. There?s some love for Jeff, Who Lives at Home, a little less for Being Elmo, and downright disdain for Apollo 18. Moon films without Nazis are so last year? Intro / The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly: 0:00 Listen | |
| The Failed Critic Podcast - Episode 3: Summer Preview | |
Once more unto the pod dear friends, once more! They may take our bandwidth, but they will never take our freedom! We're just three boys, standing in front of our audience, asking you to love us. That?s right people, our Triple Bill this week is Great Speeches! Also in this week?s podcast we discuss our top picks from this summer?s releases that aren?t called Prometheus or The Dark Knight Rises; as well as new and future independent releases in the shape of Safety Not Guaranteed and Breathing. Click below to listen to Steve?s reboot idea for a classic Disney franchise; Gerry?s rather desperate attempt to get free drinks in return for praise of the splendid Showroom Cinema in Sheffield; and James doth protesting rather too much about the Sex and the City Movie. No spoilers, but if you do want to skip between sections, then the timings are: Intro Summer Preview: 0:00 Triple Bill: 20:38 | Listen |
| The Failed Critic Podcast - Episode 2: Avengers Assemble | |
Critics assemble! They have an army - we have the Failed Critic podcast, featuring Steve Norman, James Diamond, and Gerry McAuley. This week the Failed Critics review the first BIG blockbuster of the summer Avengers Assemble, and discuss this weeks Triple Bill theme - Child Protaganists. We also have their thoughts on recent releases Lockout, and The Kid With a Bike, and a little-known gem called The Third Man - starring some up-and-comer called Orson Welles. There is also scintilating chat about frame rates, more Mighty Ducks chat, and one of the contributors gets all tongue-tied when proposing to Cobie Smulders. Also a little bit of bad language right at the end. It's worth it though. Listen | |
| The Failed Critic Podcast ? Episode 1: The Cabin in the Woods | |
From the studio that brought you the Born Offside Podcast: the inaugural episode of the Failed Critic podcast, featuring Steve Norman, James Diamond, and Gerry McAuley. This week the Failed Critics discuss the horror-genre game-changer The Cabin in the Woods, and discuss the 3 films they could watch forever in the Desert Island Movie Triple Bill. We also have their thoughts on films as diverse as Rocky, Primer, and the yet-to-be-released God Bless America. Meanwhile Steve ensures we?ll never get Keanu Reeves as a guest, Gerry ruins any chance he ever had with Rihanna, and James predicts the year that Ron Howard?s brother dies. | Listen |
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