The Every Movie Ever! Podcast

Ben and Rob sling their way back to 2002 and into the webbed world of Spider-Man, Sam Raimi's blockbuster that somehow managed to turn decades of comic book history, a nervous Tobey Maguire, and a maniacally committed Willem Dafoe into one of the defining superhero movies of the modern era. Along the way they untangle the long and surprisingly complicated journey that brought Marvel's most famous character to the big screen, explore the creative team that assembled around Raimi, and ask how a filmmaker best known for chainsaws, demons and severed hands ended up making one of the most sincere and influential comic book films ever released.But that's only part of the story. Away from the set, Sam and his brother Ted Raimi have spent decades filling their movies with elaborate pranks, recurring cameos and a family atmosphere that borders on organised chaos. So what exactly were the Raimis getting up to when they weren't making movies? And why does Ted seem to appear everywhere? Plus, the pair take a dive into some of the wilder theories surrounding the film.And finally, beneath all the upside-down kisses, Thanksgiving dinners and airborne pumpkin bombs, what is Spider-Man really about?CONSUUUME to find out all this and much, much more!PLUS we have a Patreon with EXCLUSIVE content just for you starting at less than £2 a month - Click the link below!Find us on your socials of choice at www.linktr.ee/everymovieeverpodcast

Ben and Rob return to childhood (and possibly psychological warfare) with Matilda, the 1996 family classic directed by and starring Danny DeVito. Featuring Mara Wilson, Pam Ferris, Embeth Davidtz and DeVito himself, Matilda blends Roald Dahl’s dark whimsy with a surprisingly chaotic energy, serving up a story of genius, neglect, and just a hint of revenge.Do our hosts have wildly different reactions to this so-called “kids’ film,” and does it hold up as the classic many remember? How does Danny DeVito balance warmth and menace both in front of and behind the camera, and why does his version of the story feel so deliciously unhinged? Is Matilda secretly much darker than anyone admits and could it, in fact, be the story of one of the greatest uncaught crimes in cinema history?Who are the Miss Honeys and Miss Trunchbulls in our own lives, and what does that say about how we see the world growing up? And finally, what does Matilda really mean beyond the chocolate cake, the chokey, and the telekinesis?CONSUUUME to find out all this and much, much more!PLUS! We have a Patreon with EXCLUSIVE content just for you starting at less than £2 a month - click the link below!Find us on your socials of choice at www.linktr.ee/everymovieeverpodcast

Ben and Rob head back into the Frankenstein mythos to tackle The Bride! (2026), the bold, chaotic, and very Maggie Gyllenhaal take on one of horror’s most famous monsters. Before diving into the film’s wild ideas, the pair rewind to ask the obvious question: what exactly is this movie trying to be? A gothic romance? A feminist monster movie? A gangster road film set in 1930s Chicago? Somehow, it’s attempting all of them at once.From there the conversation gets stranger. The boys unpack the film’s radical attempt to give the Bride a voice and agency after decades of being little more than a screaming footnote in Frankenstein history. They dig into the film’s themes of identity, creation, and control, the strange outlaw-love story between the Bride and the Monster, and why the movie seems determined to throw everything (gangsters, musical numbers, philosophy, and violent rebellion) into the same electrified laboratory.Along the way they debate whether the film’s chaotic energy is exactly the point, what the movie is really saying about autonomy and being “made” for someone else, and whether turning Frankenstein’s monsters into Bonnie and Clyde style lovers is genius or complete madness.It’s resurrection, rage, 1930s crime sprees, and a monster love story that might be more about freedom than romance, as Ben and Rob try to untangle The Bride!... and, as always, beneath the lightning bolts, stitched skin, and laboratory experiments... what does it really mean?CONSUUUME to find out all this and much, much more!PLUS! We have a Patreon with EXCLUSIVE content just for you starting at just ONE POUND a month - click the link below!Find us on your socials of choice at www.linktr.ee/everymovieeverpodcast

Ben and Rob crack open the lab and fire up the lightning rods for their trip into Frankenstein, the long-gestating passion project from Guillermo del Toro, and things get stitched together fast. Before they even get near the operating table, the pair dig back to the source, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, unpacking the Creature’s original, deeply human motivation and how often adaptations miss the tragic point entirely.From there, Rob unveils a chaotic brand-new segment (almost definitely probably returning… maybe) in a heroic attempt to keep the episode on the rails, before the conversation lurches through cinema history: from the shadow of Boris Karloff’s silver-screen monster in Frankenstein, to how that imagery still crackles through del Toro’s gothic sensibilities. The boys also can’t help noticing eerie déjà vu, debating why parts of this version feel like a near carbon copy of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein directed by Kenneth Branagh, and whether homage, coincidence, or mad-science recycling is to blame.Along the way, they detour into one of the wildest behind-the-scenes stories in Hollywood; how James Cameron reportedly helped Guillermo to save del Toro’s kidnapped father and how that real-life horror shaped the filmmaker’s lifelong obsession with monsters, loss, and empathy.It’s bolts, brains, and big feelings as Ben and Rob ask what still shocks, what feels stitched together from past versions, what makes this Creature tick in 2025… and, as always, beneath the thunder, tragedy, and tortured men of science… what does Frankenstein really mean?CONSUUUME to find out all this and much, much more!PLUS! We have a Patreon with EXCLUSIVE content just for you starting at just ONE POUND a month - click the link below!Find us on your socials of choice at www.linktr.ee/everymovieeverpodcast

Ben and Rob hit the road with Rain Man (1988), and this week they’re graciously joined by dear friend, Amber of the Ctrl Alt Critique podcast to unpack one of the most celebrated (and complicated) Best Picture winners of the late ’80s. Starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, the film follows a fast-talking yuppie who discovers he has an estranged autistic brother with extraordinary abilities, then drags him on a cross-country trip that slowly turns from a selfish cash grab into something resembling a family reunion.The gang are getting into; How did this movie go from beloved Oscar juggernaut to a performance many now see as a damaging stereotype? What was the real-life inspiration for Raymond Babbitt? and how close does the film come to capturing or flattening that reality? Why, outside of Star Wars, might this be the only other major pop-culture ripple we have George Lucas to thank for? and what behind-the-scenes twists and wild early casting choices almost turned the movie into something completely different? How do Cruise’s slick desperation and Hoffman’s hyper-specific, heavily mannered performance play off each othe?; what still works beautifully, what feels dated, and what sparks bigger conversations about representation in cinema? and finally, beneath the road-trip structure and awards-season prestige, what does Rain Man really mean? CONSUUUME to find out all this and much, much more!PLUS! We have a Patreon with EXCLUSIVE content just for you starting at just ONE POUND a month - click the link below!Find us on your socials of choice at www.linktr.ee/everymovieeverpodcastCheck out our very dear friends and incredible podcast Ctrl Alt Critique HERE: https://linktr.ee/ctrlaltcritique?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

Ben and Rob dive into Sinners, the intense, genre-blurring drama that’s become one of the most talked about films of the year and, remarkably, the most Oscar-nominated movie in history.Often mistaken for a vampire story but driven more by themes of guilt, faith, and morality than horror, Sinners uses its haunting atmosphere and tightly unified style to tell a story that feels uncannily contemporary, even though it isn’t set in the present. With every department working in striking harmony, the film’s look, sound, and performances create a singular, deliberate vision.But what is Sinners, really? a prestige drama, a modern allegory, or something else entirely? Does it truly deserve its record-breaking recognition? And what does its success say about the kinds of stories the Academy wants to celebrate?Ben and Rob unpack what works, what doesn’t, and what it all adds up to in one of the year’s most debated films.Please support out dear friends, The Boardroom Gaming Cafe here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/qr/Onvr5Gjn?utm_campaign=sharemodal&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=shortlink

Ben and Rob plug into the charming chaos of Short Circuit (1986), the beloved sci-fi comedy about a military robot who accidentally gains self-awareness and discovers the joys and dangers of being alive. Starring Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens and the unforgettable Johnny Five, Short Circuit follows a runaway robot as he escapes government capture and learns about humanity through pop culture, friendship and an endless appetite for input.Why has Short Circuit endured as one of the most lovable robot movies of the 1980s; how does the film balance slapstick comedy with surprisingly sincere questions about consciousness and personhood; and what is it about Johnny Five that made him such an instantly iconic screen character? How do Ally Sheedy’s warm performance and Steve Guttenberg’s affable energy ground a story filled with laser guns and pratfalls; what does the film get right, and very wrong, about technology and cultural representation; and how does Fisher Stevens’ performance fit into the conversation around Hollywood’s past casting choices? And finally, what does Short Circuit ultimately say about life, learning and empathy?CONSUUUME to find out all this and much, much more!PLUS! We have a Patreon with EXCLUSIVE content just for you starting at just ONE POUND a month - click the link below!Find us on your socials of choice at www.linktr.ee/everymovieeverpodcast

Ben and Rob abduct ‘Buffalo 66’, Vincent Gallo’s 1998 cult drama that sits uncomfortably between love story, character study and anti movie. Starring Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Ben Gazzara, Mickey Rourke and Anjelica Huston, Buffalo 66 follows a deeply broken man staging a fake relationship to impress his parents, while quietly becoming one of the strangest and most divisive romantic films of its era.What makes Buffalo 66 so unconventional when compared to traditional romantic dramas; why is this film so intensely polarising for audiences; and how much of its discomfort is deliberate rather than accidental? How does the insane real life persona of Vincent Gallo bleed into the film itself; where does performance end and self mythologising begin; and what does Buffalo 66 really mean when stripped of its controversy and reputation?CONSUUUME to find out all this and much, much more! PLUS! We have a Patreon with EXCLUSIVE content just for you starting at just ONE POUND a month - click the link below!Find us on your socials of choice at www.linktr.ee/everymovieeverpodcast