Cinema in Context

Drew Goddard solo space flicks. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Project Hail Mary (2026) and The Martian (2015). We begin by celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the podcast. We discuss our reactions to both films, from directors Ridley Scott, and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. We discuss the calibre of the cast in The Martian and the strength of Ryan Gosling's and Matt Damon's performances. We talk about the special effects and how the two films create a sense of zero-gravity in space. We close with our final thoughts, especially our experiences watching the films in the theatre and connections to other films... our typical schtick.

Pamela Anderson starring films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss The Last Showgirl (2024) and Barb Wire (1996). We begin by discussing Barb Wire and showering it with praise (excuse the pun). We celebrate the 90s-ness of the film. We talk about all the homages and connections we noticed in Barb Wire, including Casablanca (1942), Batman Forever (1995), Alien 3 (1992), Mad Max (1979), Romeo + Juliet (1996), Candyman (1992), Strange Days (1995), and Total Recall (1990). We praise the cast, including Xander Berkeley, Udo Kier and Temuera Morrison. We discuss the production values of Barb Wire, including the visual effects, action, cinematography and other production values. Our conversation explores the criticism of Barb Wire and how the tastes of audiences shifted over the 90s, making connections to Waterworld (1995), Cutthroat Island (1995), Hook (1991) and Charlie's Angels (2000). We move our discussion to The Last Showgirl, directed by Gia Coppola. We talk about the strength of the performances from Pamela Anderson, Brenda Song, Dave Bautista, Billie Lourd and Jamie Lee Curtis. We unpack the script, the tone, the direction and the ultimate aim of the film, with differing reactions from Sarah, William and Jeremy.

Week-long liaisons. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss two films about a young sex worker asked to be a date for a week: Anora (2024) and Pretty Woman (1990). We discuss our initial experiences watching the Gary Marshall's Pretty Woman. We praise the film's creation of tropes, archetypes and memorable movie moments. We celebrate the performances, especially Julia Roberts. We talk about the types of romantic comedies like Pretty Woman that made up a lot of our movies back in the 1990s and early 2000s. We shift our discussion to Anora and gush over the quality of the film. We talk about the comedy elements of the film, the improvisation, the production design, makeup, costume design and the prowess of director Sean Baker. We praise the performance of Mikey Madison as Anora and also Yura Borisov as Igor, both up for acting Oscars. We finish our conversation by looking at connections between the two films.

Three Paddington films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Paddington (2014), Paddington 2 (2017) and Paddington in Peru (2024) and our general reactions to the films, especially those of us who haven't seen a Paddington film before. We talk about the work of writer and director Paul King, including The Mighty Boosh and Wonka (2023), and praise the work of first-time director Dougal Wilson. We discuss the cast and performances in the films, including the work of Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Emily Mortimer, Ben Wishaw, Jessica Hynes, Matt Lucas, Peter Capaldi, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, Julie Walters, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson and Noah Taylor. We praise the films' visuals, especially Paddington's animation. This extends into a discussion of live-action, special effects, visual effects and computer generation. We touch on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), the work of Ray Harryhausen - Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and Clash of the Titans (1981), the original Godzilla (1954), King Kong (1933), Jurassic Park (1993), Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Doctor Who (1963-) and The Thing (1982).

1970s television films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Saturday Night (2024) and Network (1976), films about television in 1975. We begin by discussing our connection and experience watching the television sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live (1975-present). We discuss the actors' performances in the film, especially in their impersonations of the famous cast members of the original episode: Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and Andy Kaufman. We shift our conversation to Network and how relevant the film still is today. We also praise the performances in Network, including Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, Beatrice Straight and Ned Beatty. We compare the two films, especially the costume and production design of both films being similar while being almost 50 years apart.

Say their name multiple times. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Candyman (1992) and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), as well as Beetlejuice (1988). We start by sharing our experiences and reactions to watching Candyman, including the key imagery and ideas that stand out. We praise the score from Phillip Glass, the writing work of Clive Barker, the direction and vision from Bernard Rose, and the commendable acting work and charisma of Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd. We then discuss Beetlejuice (1988), with Sarah watching it for the first time for this episode, which then moves into our reactions and experiences to watching Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024). We talk about the connections between the two films and how we seem to connect films in more surprising ways than we initially realise. We discuss the wider state of "Legacy-quels" and the repeated trope of the grown-up lead as a sad parent. We talk about the urban and suburban exploration in both films and how it mines the fears of modern-day audiences.

Looking back at 100 months. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the last 100 months of Cinema in Context. We reminisce on the beginnings of the podcast, referencing the many people who have contributed along the way. We discuss our top films of the 'new' films we've focused on since 2016. The films we discuss include Thor: Ragnarok (2017) from Episode 20, Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) from Episode 29, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) from Episode 74, The Salesman (2016) from Episode 13, Parasite (2019) from Episode 42, Turning Red (2022) from Episode 73, Upgrade (2018) from Episode 33, Cats (2019) from Episode 48 and 57, Encanto (2021) from Episode 70, A Quiet Place (2018) from Episode 25, A Star is Born (2018) from Episode 31 and Tenet (2020) from Episode 54. We wrap up our discussion by looking back at the discoveries we have made in our back catalogue selections over the past eight years, our favourite pairings for different episodes and reflecting on the overall positiveness of the experience we have making this podcast.