Fred Asquith On Film

This week on FoF we honour the release of James McAvoy's directorial debut CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN' by ranking The Best Movies Directed by Actors. Largely a subjective list of 19, but with some input from you guys from the group chat. Expect mentions of Favreau, Stiller, Gerwig, Wilde and more. Oh, and of course Clint. I then review CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN' and discuss how it's themes of northern aspiration resonate with me. We also find time to discuss the potential long-term cultural impact of THE DRAMA (review on last week's show) before rounding off with praise for the cast of SNL UK. SUBSCRIBE and join the FoF Family!RATE & REVIEW! ("FoF IS ON THE UP")EXPLORE the FoF socials via my creepy website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://fredasquith.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Intro-(00:18) The Top 19 Movies Directed By Actors(Group Chat)(List on Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/TV2a8)(03:45) Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)(04:32) Wuthering Heights (Emerald Fennel)(05:20) The Town (Ben Affleck)(07:10) Mid90s (Jonah Hill)(08:03) The Brutalist (Brady Corbet)(08:46) Woman of the Hour (Anna Kendrick)(09:52) BlackBerry (Matt Johnson) - doesn’t count (10:41) Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham)(12:21) Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller)(14:39) A Quiet Place (Jon Krasinski)(15:57) Iron Man (Jon Favreau)(17:49) Little Women (Greta Gerwig)(20:01) Apocalypto (Mel Gibson)(21:31) A Star Is Born (Bradley Cooper)(22:53) Booksmart (Olivia Wilde)(23:58) Nope (Jordan Peele)(25:06) Sully (Clint Eastwood)(26:54) Submarine (Richard Ayoade)(28:20) Monty Python’s Life of Brian (Terry Jones)(30:18) When Harry Met Sally (Rob Reiner)Full list on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/TV2a8-(32:15) The Drama Box Office & Future(34:15) CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN' Review (Letterboxd)(45:52) SNL UK(48:05) Coming Up

This week on Fred On Film we bask in the warm afterglow of Project Hail Mary’s brilliant box office opening. We then dive into new trailers for Dune: Part Three and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, leading me to officially declare: MOVIES ARE BACK!The Spider-Man trailer rant is worth sticking around for, btw. Actually, the whole Ep is decent. We then get stuck into a review of THE IMMORTAL MAN (the new Peaky Blinders movie on Netflix) and explore why my Darling Wife and I technically gave it the same rating, but had completely opposite experiences.We finish off with a look at London's "greatest" cinemas. Expect Forrest Grump rants about Picturehouse Central, and stay to the end to find out my legitimate favourite screen in the city (and the exact seat you need to book next time you go).SUBSCRIBE and join the FoF Family!RATE & REVIEW! ("FoF IS ON THE UP")EXPLORE the FoF socials via my creepy website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://fredasquith.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Intro, 2 cameras(01:26) Movies are BACK! Project Hail Mary aftermath(04:39) Dune: Part Three, Villeneuve, and the worst Bond joke ever(06:26) Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer controversy HUGE RANT(10:01) Me and Darling review Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man https://boxd.it/dChhST(12:55) The Top 100 Cinemas IN THE WORLD: London reactions, rants, and my favourite screen in London. FULL ARTICLE: https://www.timeout.com/film/the-100-greatest-cinemas-in-the-world-right-now

It’s the morning after the Oscars 2026 and my TV debut as a co-panelist on the ITV Live Oscars Show. I sit here in my One Battle robe fresh off 3 hours sleep with much to discuss about possibly the most perfect Academy Awards in recent memory. Shocks, surprises, and history being made. Check the timestamps below for more info... Let's do this. SUBSCRIBE and join the FoF Family!RATE & REVIEW! ("FoF IS ON THE UP")EXPLORE the FoF socials via my creepy website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://fredasquith.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Intro-THE OSCARS(02:20) Amy Madigan for Best Supporting Actress(04:30) Anne Hathaway CHAOSCAR Win! Plus hello to Darling (05:48) One Battle wins Best Casting - HUGE MOMENT(08:01) Sinners & One Battle share the Screenplay spoils(08:16) Pedro Pascal & Baby Yoda - 2 for 2 on Chaoscars!(08:57) One Battle Best Editing - Historic Sweep Incoming?(11:06) First Female Best Cinematography Winner! AND WE PREDICTED IT!!(13:20) Best Director and why PTA was correct(14:33) Adrien Brody brings home ANOTHER CHAOSCAR!!(15:26) Best Actor, and the majesty of Michael B Jordan(20:24) Jessie Buckley winning & crying(21:21) Playing off speeches - WHY? LET THEM SPEAK(23:08) Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman with weird Best Picture vibes(24:28) Best Picture and the One Battle nerves(27:19) I think this Oscars was legitimately perfect and here’s why(29:04) Mine & Your Prediction RESULTS!-MY LIVE ITV OSCARS EXPERIENCE (BTS)(31:17) Getting the gig(33:15) Pre-Show Nerves(35:570 Jonathan Ross welcoming me into the job(38:17) The end, getting introduced to the ITV Commissioner-(39:35) See you NEXT WEEK! @FredAsquithOnFilm

This week on FoF we venture into the unknown with PROJECT HAIL MARY, Ryan Gosling’s new Sci-Fi Epic that is so sweet and funny you’d forgive yourself for calling it the Rom Com of the Year. I discuss why the comedy is landing, why it’s Gosling’s most complete performance in years, and whether it matches up to Interstellar for pure spectacle.I also give you an adults POV on the new Pixar movie HOPPERS. I talk you through the established Tiers of Pixar Greatness and place Hoppers on the scale, before discussing it’s brilliance and drawbacks. We finish off with a new edition of Forrest Grump (ranting about my cinema experiences), this time realising that I’M THE PROBLEM?! And finally an extract from my 2008 Movie Journal. What did 15yo Fred think about Wall.E?SUBSCRIBE and join the FoF Family!RATE & REVIEW! ("FoF IS ON THE UP")EXPLORE the FoF socials via my creepy website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://fredasquith.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Intro(00:31) PROJECT HAIL MARY review! - no spoilers (Letterboxd)(18:37) HOPPERS review! - no spoilers (Letterboxd, and here's my interview with the director!)(25:26) Forrest Grump rant (and it’s MY FAULT)(28:36) 15yo Fred reviews Wall.E in 2008(31:46) Next week is HUGE!!!!

On this bonus episode of Fred Asquith On Film we have a very special collab feature with my good friends James & George of Pulp Kitchen (fellow London-based movie podcast)! In anticipation of the 2026 Oscars, we run through the Best Picture battles and winners from 2000-2025, debating ALL the highs, lows, Gladiators and Green Books, in order to determine: What is the BEST Best Picture of the 21st Century? Let me know your thoughts on our decision AND if you wanna hear more collabs/features like this! SUBSCRIBE and join the FoF Family!RATE & REVIEW! ("FoF IS ON THE UP")EXPLORE the FoF socials via my creepy website ⁠⁠⁠https://fredasquith.com⁠⁠⁠TIMESTAMPS00:24 Intro02:21 The Evolution of Best Picture04:48 Gladiator (2000)06:47 A Beautiful Mind (2001)08:03 Chicago (2002)09:57 The Return of the King (2003)14:36 Million Dollar Baby (2004)14:58 Crash (2005)16:25 The Departed (2006)19:07 No Country For Old Men (2007)20:51 Slumdog Millionnaire (2008)22:47 The Hurt Locker (2009)25:27 The Kings Speech (2010)26:06 The Artist (2011)26:58 Argo (2012)29:26 12 Years A Slave (2013)32:00 Birdman (2014)36:15 Spotlight (2015)37:28 Moonlight (2016)38:54 The Shape of Water (2017)41:20 Green Book (2018)44:08 Parasite (2019)46:35 Nomadland (2020)47:20 CODA (2021)47:45 Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)49:38 Oppenheimer (2023)51:53 Anora (2024)54:43 DECISION TIME! The BEST-Best Picture of the 21st Century!!57:01 Rotten Tomatoes Ranking GAME!

This week on Fred On Film, my Darling Wife is in the studio as producer! And she only has one thing to say…ANYWAY, first we dive straight into the mud (and other fluids) of Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights. Is it just trash fan fiction, or something more? I discuss the discourse, the dirty deeds, and my delight with the movie. Plus, with the news that Brad Pitt’s F1: The Movie is getting a sequel, I read out your hilarious suggestions for title ideas (2 F 2 Furious anyone?). Probably my favourite time of 2026 so far hahahaI then struggle through the Testament of Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried’s…musical??) and alongside it launch a new segment: Forrest Grump (cinema rants).We finish another excerpt from my Teenage Movie Journals, another certain Amanda Seyfried musical from 2008…cmon, Take A Chance On Me and stay till the end to find out which one, and what 15yo me had to say about it. SUBSCRIBE and join the FoF Family!RATE & REVIEW! ("FoF IS ON THE UP")EXPLORE the FoF socials via my creepy website ⁠https://fredasquith.com⁠TIMESTAMPS00:00 Intro-00:36 WUTHERING HEIGHTS Review! (Mild Spoilers)01:30 My relationship to the book and the interpretation in general07:07 The Naughty Bits 08:34 Performances are strong within the world of THIS version11:49 Striking (but inconsistent?) visual style13:16 Charlie XCX’s soundtrack has way less presence than I expected14:31 Poissibly a 2nd Act pacing issue14:56 It is trash, but I think it landed the plane on being slightly more than that16:42 Summary & Letterboxd Rating https://boxd.it/d73uAr18:06 The FoF Disclaimer18:19 DARLING IS HERE! Her review…-19:06 LOLLING at possible titles for the F1 sequel (LISTENER SUGGESTIONS!)24:43 THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE Review! (No Spoilers) https://boxd.it/d6Q89H29:47 Forrest Grump: Cinema Rants Ep131:46 My Teenage Movie Journals - Amanda Seyfried/Accent Edition!34:11 NEXT WEEK IS VERY EXCITING

This week on Fred on Film I’m fresh off my 2nd EVER celeb interviews, chatting to stars Rachel McAdams & Dylan O’Brien, director Sam Raimi and producer Zainab Azizi, about their new black-comedy survival-gore oddity SEND HELP!Then I review whether it’s funny/edgy enough (NO SPOILERS), whether we’re getting Evil Dead Sam Raimi or MCU Sam Raimi, and go on a deep dive into why I think Rachel McAdams is underrated. Plus: First-look thoughts on The Beatles movie(s?) press pics, starring Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Harris Dickinson and Joseph Quinn, and a quick laugh/cry at the newly announced Fast & Furious 11 title. Explore the FoF socials/YT via my creepy website https://fredasquith.comTIMESTAMPS00:00 Intro-SEND HELP!00:40 Send Help - Intro / Synopsis02:33 Sam Raimi (director) & Zainab Azizi (producer) INTERVEW07:15 Rachel McAdama & Dylan O’Brien (stars) INTERVIEW!-SEND HELP Review (no spoilers)12:19 Send Help REVIEW12:33 Really enjoyed the opening set up of themes & tone 13:06 Sam Raimi is the OG of black comedy/horror15:35 It’s lacking a sense of place. Was it shot in a studio?18:13 Less than the sum of it’s parts?19:03 A Post-MCU Sam Raimi rather than Evil dead Sam Raimi20:14 Summary & Letterboxd Rating https://boxd.it/cWqFJ720:47 Graham Norton was in my screening22:57 Rachel McAdams has a fascinatingly underrated filmography-26:28 Beatles Biopic First Images Released! My Thoughts33:28 Fast & Furious 11 HAHAHAHAH (mention The Beatles Doc)-35:42 Coming up NEXT WEEK

This week on FoF I breakdown how they could make The Traitors EVEN BETTER. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been loving this series, but it could be INCREDIBLE with these tweaks. Imagine if you actually wanted to watch the missions?!Plus; I’m excited by Steven Knight’s (Peaky Blinders) new Bond script teaser, Hans Zimmer is scoring the new HBO Harry Potter series… or is he? And I breakdown some of your reactions to 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.To finish off, I take you into the mind of 2008 Fred as we look at my then-list of top 100 movies, and leaf through my hilarious movie journal. And don’t miss the now-trademarked FoF disclaimer.Explore the FoF socials/YT via my creepy website https://fredasquith.comTIMESTAMPS00:00 Intro 00:38 How can we fix The Traitors? My 4 Step Plan. 07:07 New Bond Script Teaser from Steven Knight!10:14 Hans Zimmer to score HBO’s Harry Potter…or is he?14:09 Bone Temple REACTION has got me thinking… (SPOILERS!!!)20:18 THE RIP Review (no spoilers) and why you should watch it regardless-24:33 Fred’s Favourite Movies 2008 (Time Capsule!!!)31:08 What I’ve learnt about movie criticism & subjectivity from looking back at this list32:30 My 2008 Film Journal!!!!! (Hilarious 15 year old reviews)44:49 THE FOF DISCLAIMER-45:12 Please rate and review! + Next Week’s HUGE ANGENDA

Welcome back to reality then, my little Christmas hams. On this week’s FoF: I’m reviewing the finale of Stranger Things. You may know, I think Stranger Things is sheet, but did the finale win me over?The Traitors has a new “Secret Traitor” twist, but is it ACTUALLY fun not knowing who a traitor is?I’m sorting 2026 films into categories of “GO AWAY”, “CURIOUS” and “MOST ANTICIPATED”, looking at movies like “The Social Reckoning”, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey”, “Devil Wears Prada 2”, “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Dune: Part 3”. And to fight back against January’s bleakness I bought a load of Blu-Rays (HELLO 2009), so I’ll take you through them.Oh, and I’m reviewing Hamnet, the one where Paul Mescal is Shakespeare, but did he pull it off? Have a watch and find out.Timestamps:00:00 Intro-STRANGER THINGS FINALE https://boxd.it/cnLN9j02:26 Overall thoughts and ranting about the 50 minute epilogue09:12 The Cinema Release and My Prediction for Netflix Cinema Ownership-14:06 New TRAITORS!! Successes & failures of the Secret Traitor concept-BLU RAY HAUL16:11 The Haul Begins17:43 Thoughts on Extended & Directors Cuts (Nosferatu, Amadeus, LOTR)22:30 Sunshine and how I used to lack Cinema Etiquette in my youth24:42 My Darling Wife DOESN’T KNOW THE SIXTH SENSE TWIST????27:49 Inception 4K, and why I’m not the biggest fan-29:25 The Godfather REWATCH, and why it is indeed 5 stars https://boxd.it/cmIjMb34:01 Marty Supreme REWATCH and why it is still 4 stars for me (SPOILERS!) https://boxd.it/cqayNr-LOOKING AHEAD TO 2026 MOVIES38:28 Intro39:15 These 2026 movies can GO AWAY41:25 I’m CURIOUS about these 2026 movies 47:49 My MOST ANTICIPATED 2026 movies-51:24 HAMNET REVIEW - not strictly spoilers here, but skip if you are gonna see the movie https://boxd.it/bmjVRP-59:14 NEXT WEEK! Is a big one.

It's a late-Christmas surprise from Santa Fred! A bonus episode of FoF to warm your toes by the fire to. In this episode, I start off with a rundown of some very exciting trailers, including my worries for Disclosure Day and my excitement for The Odyssey. I then dive into THE FOFSCARS! Your definitive, alternative movie awards for 2025, including fun categories such as "Most Tears Shed", "Best Needle Drop", "Swing And A Miss", plus a few categories suggested by YOU the listener. Stick around till the end where I run through my Top 10 Movies of 2025, with some surprises along the way. As discussed in the group chat via @fredasquithonfilm, I have included some 2026 releases in my Top 10 to stay true to what I've seen this year, but kept the categories and deeper discussions to 2025 releases only. Explore the FoF socials/YT via my creepy website https://fredasquith.comTIMESTAMPS00:00 Agenda-TRAILER NEWS01:25 DIGGER Trailer - new Tom Cruise movie is a COMEDY!03:28 ANIMAL FARM Trailer - an abomination04:09 AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Trailer - like going to a Dad Rock concert07:22 DISCLOSURE DAY Trailer - some worries about new Spielberg UFO movie 13:10 THE ODYSSEY Prologue - I saw it!! And…17:09 Never doubt Nolan. -18:12 THE FOFSCARS!18:45 Criteria of Eligibility20:08 The 2 WORST Movies of 202522:20 The Trailer So Good It Made Me Go To The Cinema23:39 SURPRISE of 202524:44 DISAPPOINTMENTS of 202527:52 The Biggest “Swing and a Hit” of 202529:06 The Biggest “Swing and a Miss” of 202531:00 Most Underrated Movie of 2025 32:13 The 2 Most Overrated Movies of 202534:24 The Best Ensemble Casting35:27 My Favourite Performances of 202536:41 The ‘You Did All You Could’ Award for Best Performance in a Bad Movie38:13 Best Needle Drop39:17 Most Tears Shed39:35 The Best Jump Scare39:59 The Winners and Losers of 202541:06 The Lesson of 202542:11 Peak Era42:58 Shot of 202543:47 The One That Doesn’t Feel Like a 2025 Movie44:26 The Paycheck Award45:00 Screening of 2025-45:34 THE FOF TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2025 - set up & one that missed out47:10 Number 1047:37 Number 948:01 Number 848:19 Number 749:01 Number 649:32 Number 550:23 Number 450:57 Number 351:31 Number 252:19 Number 1 aka THE BEST MOVIE OF 2025-54:43 A thank you to YOU. 55:59 A teaser…

This week on FoF it’s an AVATAR SPECIAL:I take you behind the scenes of my first ever junket interviewing James Cameron for Avatar: Fire and Ash in Paris, from Eurostar chaos and five-star hotels to the surreal nerves of waiting outside his hotel room and finally sitting down with one of the greatest living directors.I break down how the whole thing came together, play you our full 4-minute chat (including talk of height, kickboxing, performance capture and AI making movies), and then give a spoiler-free review of Avatar 3, why it’s my favourite of the trilogy so far, how the Fire Na’vi and Oona Chaplin completely change the game, and where I think it lands on box office, Oscars chances, and whether Cameron will even come back for more, plus some thoughts on what this all means for the future of the franchise.Explore the FoF socials/YT via my creepy website https://fredasquith.comTIMESTAMPS(00:00) Agenda(01:18) We didn’t get nominated for Best Podcast??(01:50) CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!-JAMES CAMERON BEHIND THE SCENES(02:51) How did this opportunity come my way?(03:35) You have to submit questions in advance(04:05) I will never take a trip like this for granted(06:03) Is french cooking better than the rest of the world??(07:58) SO much prep, SO little time(10:06) You don’t know if you will ACTUALLY do the interview until it begins(10:55) Some questions that didn’t make the cut(13:20) Rushing on the morning of the junket + my smelly breakfast(14:30) Why is it in a hotel(15:06) No idea where I was going, nervous(15:35) Intimidating, nervy vibes and giant green room(16:46) A fascinating clash of energies hahaha(18:02) Getting called to see James, build up(19:26) As soon as I saw him in the flesh, I relaxed(20:22) Initial small talk, hoping it got filmed-JAMES CAMERON INTERVIEW!(21:04) The full junket interview-BEHIND THE SCENES CNTND(25:04) I felt a bit disappointed afterwards(28:29) The intimidating countdown clock behind James Cameron’s head(29:32) I FIST BUMPED JAMES CAMERON(30:11) The Fancy Premiere and my 59 Canapes(31:05) James Cameron didn’t hear me, his best friend, screaming for him-AVATAR: FIRE & ASH REVIEW - no spoilers(31:18) I’m in a difficult position to be open about my opinion here, BUT(32:59) Incredible action set pieces(33:34) The visuals, technologically speaking, are insanely good(34:24) It’s photo-realistic to a boggling degree(35:00) Seagulls sound like seagulls(35:12) Why I prefer this to Way of Water - EDGE(37:00) Oona Chaplin’s incredibly performance has reshaped my whole perspective on performance capture(38:36) Sam Worthington is SO famous hahahaha(39:00) Caveats begin - the logic of the world doesn’t always add up(39:30) A criticism of the visuals (if I should be so bold)(43:06) All the Avatar movies lack humour(44:15) It IS long. But it gets away with it.(45:00) More of the same, but the BEST version of it.(46:23) Summary, Star Rating and Letterboxd Review(47:04) DISCLAIMER-AVATAR DISCUSSION POINTS(47:27) Will this movie make another $2billion at the box office?(49:26) Will it get any Oscar attention?(50:17) Will James Cameron come back to Pandora?-(51:25) A thank you to you all.(51:43) COMING UP ON FOF!