Join Ian, Liam & Kev for our 333rd episode as we step behind the scenes of daytime television, backstage rivalries, and gloriously oversized egos with Soapdish (1991). Megs isn’t with us this week — she’s reportedly accepted a surprise role as the long-lost twin sister of a character who was presumed dead after falling into a volcano. We expect her dramatic return during sweeps week.

This week we discuss:

• Sally Field’s performance as Celeste Talbert — charming, chaotic, insecure, and impossible not to root for. Is this one of the great comedy performances of the early '90s?
• The ensemble cast — Kevin Kline, Robert Downey Jr., Cathy Moriarty, Elisabeth Shue, Whoopi Goldberg. How does a film with this much talent avoid collapsing under its own weight?
• The satire of television production — petty feuds, ratings desperation, and the beautiful absurdity of soap-opera storytelling.
• Ian breaks down the film’s narrative structure — twists, reveals, mistaken identities, and why the screenplay commits so fully to the bit.
• Liam explores whether the film works better as industry satire or outright farce — and whether those are even different things.
• Kev weighs in on the performances — who understands exactly what movie they're in, and who steals every scene they enter.
• The soap-opera influence — evil twins, secret children, miraculous survivals, and why audiences keep coming back for more.
• The “show vs tell” balance — does the film cleverly parody melodrama, or occasionally become the thing it’s mocking?
• The surprisingly sharp commentary — beneath the silliness, what is the film actually saying about fame, aging, and relevance?
• Elisabeth Shue’s role — innocent newcomer, plot device, or the emotional anchor holding the madness together?
• The ending — ridiculous, heartfelt, and exactly as over-the-top as it needs to be or low hanging fruit in a moment that's aged terribly?
• And finally, whether Soapdish is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most underrated ensemble comedies of its era.
• Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are very thankful to the following Patreon backers for their generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Aashrey
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Kev & Megs for our 332nd episode as we walk the tracks, dodge leeches, and revisit Rob Reiner’s coming-of-age classic Stand By Me (1986). This week is all about friendship, memory, growing up, and the strange sadness of knowing some moments only become important once they’re already gone. Liam drops in later for a special bonus segment, while BFF of the BFE: Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most™ joins us for The Endgame.

This week we discuss:

• River Phoenix’s extraordinary performance — vulnerable, intelligent, and quietly devastating. Was this the role that proved he was destined for greatness?
• The chemistry of the four boys — natural, funny, chaotic, and deeply believable. Is this one of the strongest young ensembles ever put to film?
• The film’s relationship with memory — nostalgia, grief, and the way adulthood reshapes childhood stories.
• Ian breaks down the narration structure — reflective storytelling, emotional hindsight, and why Richard Dreyfuss’ voiceover works where so many others fail.
• Megs explores the emotional honesty of the film — masculinity, vulnerability, and the fear of being left behind.
• Kev weighs in on the pacing and atmosphere — quiet moments, campfire stories, and why the journey matters more than the destination.
• The balance of humour and sadness — how the film pivots effortlessly between childhood comedy and existential dread.
• Ian talks about the short story in the middle of this bigger story and what Stephen King is really doing with it
• Liam joins us for a bonus segment — dropping in to talk about the film’s legacy, Stephen King adaptations, and why stories about friendship hit differently as you get older.
• The “show vs tell” balance — does the film earn its emotional resonance through subtle character work, or does nostalgia do some of the lifting?
• Ariannah joins us for The Endgame — helping us unpack why Stand By Me continues to resonate across generations and whether its emotional simplicity is actually its greatest strength.
• The ending — bittersweet, perfect, and quietly heartbreaking. Does any closing narration hit harder than this?
• And finally, whether Stand By Me is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most emotionally truthful coming-of-age films ever made.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE We are very thankful to the following Patreon backers for their generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Aashrey
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian & Liam for our 331st episode as we joust for glory, dance to Queen in medieval Europe, and revisit Brian Helgeland’s wildly anachronistic crowd-pleaser A Knight’s Tale (2001). Megs isn’t with us this week — she’s apparently been appointed to the royal court after successfully inventing modern fashion 600 years early. Kev? Last seen trying to enter a jousting tournament under a fake noble title before being immediately exposed by Paul Bettany.

This week we discuss:

• Heath Ledger’s breakout leading-man performance — charming, earnest, rebellious. Was this the moment Hollywood realised he could do absolutely anything?
• The film’s glorious tonal chaos — medieval sports movie, romantic comedy, rock concert, underdog drama. Why does this bizarre cocktail somehow work?
• Paul Bettany’s Chaucer — flamboyant, scene-stealing, and possibly the film’s secret MVP.
• Liam breaks down the film’s anachronisms — Queen, Bowie, Nike-energy editing. Does the film transcend historical accuracy through sheer confidence?
• Ian explores the underdog narrative — class, identity, and whether William’s rise actually challenges the social order or merely slips inside it.
• The romance between William and Jocelyn — genuine chemistry or the weakest part of the film?
• The sports-movie structure — training montages, rivalries, and comeback arcs dressed in chainmail.
• The “show vs tell” balance — does the film earn its emotional moments through character work, or simply overwhelm you with charisma and music?
• Rufus Sewell’s Count Adhemar — classic villainy, simmering resentment, and one of the great sneering performances of the era.
• What's with the romantic plot's detour in Act II - where did that come from?
• The ending — triumphant, ridiculous, emotionally earned… or all three simultaneously?
• And finally, whether A Knight’s Tale is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most aggressively lovable films of the 2000s.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Aashrey
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Join Ian, Liam & Kev for our 330th episode as we saddle up, head for Bolivia (Megs has headed back to America early), and ride into one of the most charming, melancholy, and effortlessly watchable westerns ever made with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). It’s outlaws, bicycles, and impossible charisma this week as we ask whether two of cinema’s coolest men were ever really built for the world they lived in.

This week we discuss:

• Paul Newman and Robert Redford’s legendary chemistry — playful, effortless, and endlessly quotable. Is this one of the greatest screen pairings of all time?
• The tone — western, comedy, tragedy, anti-western. How does the film balance charm with the creeping inevitability of its ending?
• Newman’s Butch Cassidy — talkative, inventive, and always thinking three steps ahead. Is he a genius… or simply delaying reality?
• Redford’s Sundance Kid — cool, lethal, and increasingly aware the world is changing around him.
• Ian breaks down the film’s structure — episodic storytelling, tonal pivots, and why the pacing feels so modern for 1969 - but does it rob us with the ending
• Liam questions the mythology of outlaws — are Butch and Sundance rebels, romantics, or simply criminals we’ve chosen to like?
• Kev dives into the cinematography and score — sweeping landscapes, freeze frames, and Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head somehow working against all odds.
• Liam educates us all on the Old West and references about 25 other Westerns in the process
• The pursuit — who are those guys, and why does the film turn a chase into existential dread?
• Katharine Ross as Etta Place — underwritten love interest or essential emotional grounding?
• There's a cameo in this film that you'll never see coming - we didn't
• The ending — iconic, tragic, and endlessly imitated. Does freezing the moment make it more powerful?
• The “show vs tell” balance — how much does the film rely on charm and implication rather than explicit emotional beats?
• And finally, whether Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the coolest films ever made.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam & Kev for our 329th episode as we celebrate our annual Star Wars Day release by jumping to lightspeed into J.J. Abrams’ galaxy-reviving blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Megs? She's not with us this week — She's been recruited by the Resistance after showing a worrying amount of lightsaber proficiency.

This week we discuss:

• The revival question — how The Force Awakens brought Star Wars back to life after a decade away. Nostalgia, safety, or smart recalibration?
• Daisy Ridley’s Rey — mysterious, capable, and instantly central. Is she the perfect modern Star Wars protagonist? Why is her best work done when she's not talking?
• John Boyega’s Finn — defector, comic relief, emotional anchor. Does the film fully realise his potential?
• Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren — volatile, conflicted, and deliberately unfinished. One of the saga’s most interesting villains?
• Ian breaks down the film’s structure — echoes of A New Hope. Homage, remix, or outright repetition?
• Kev dives into the spectacle — practical effects, sound design, and what it's like to watch your first Star Wars Film
• The legacy characters — Han, Leia, and Luke. How well does the film balance past and future?
• The humour — lighter, faster, more modern. Does it fit the Star Wars tone?
• The “show vs tell” balance — does the film rely too heavily on familiarity, or does it earn its emotional beats?
• The ending — powerful, quiet, and iconic. Does it stick the landing?
• And finally, whether Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the Best Film Ever — or simply the most important reboot of the modern blockbuster era.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam & Megs for our 328th episode as we part the Red Sea, confront destiny, and revisit one of the most ambitious animated films ever made with The Prince of Egypt (1998). Kev? He’s not with us this week — he attempted to follow a mysterious burning bush into the desert and hasn’t returned. We assume he’s negotiating some very specific commandments.

This week we discuss:

• The scale of the storytelling — biblical epic through animation. How does the film balance intimacy with spectacle?
• Val Kilmer’s dual performance — Moses and God. Subtle, conflicted, and quietly powerful.
• Ralph Fiennes’ Ramses — tragic, proud, and deeply human. One of animation’s most underrated antagonists?
• The music — from Deliver Us to When You Believe. Does the soundtrack elevate the film into something transcendent?
• Megs explores the film’s emotional core — brotherhood, identity, and the cost of doing what is right.
• Ian breaks down the animation — traditional techniques blended with early CGI. How well does it hold up?
• Liam questions the narrative focus — is this Moses’ story, Ramses’ story, or something shared between them?
• The depiction of faith — reverent, interpretive, and accessible. Does the film succeed regardless of belief?
• The plagues sequence — visually stunning, morally complex, and still haunting.
• The “show vs tell” balance — how much does the film trust its visuals versus its dialogue and songs?
• Ian goes all Old Testament, telling us that 'the book was better' and how they left the ultimate sideplot sitting on the table
• The ending — epic, earned, and emotionally resonant. Does it land as both spectacle and personal journey?
• And finally, whether The Prince of Egypt is the Best Film Ever — or one of the greatest animated films ever made.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian from Best Film Ever and Stew from The Stew World Order podcast as we break the BFE format by looking at WrestleMania 42. We discuss whether CM Punk vs Roman Reigns delivered on the big stage, why were there so many adverts, what was the point of Pat McAfee, did we care about the big return in the women's division, whether the Jade Cargill experiment is over now, and what was with all the wrestlers using each others' finishers this year?

Catch more of Stew on his own podcast: Stew World Order at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stew-world-order/id1559913522 You can also catch him at his website where he writes about all sorts of fun things: https://swoproductions.com/

Join Ian, Liam & Kev for our 327th episode as we type through the night, chase sources, and piece together one of the greatest journalistic thrillers ever made with All the President’s Men (1976). Megs? She’s not with us this week — she insisted on meeting a source in an underground parking garage and hasn’t come back up yet. We assume she’s waiting for a shadowy figure to confirm something.

This week we discuss:

• Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward & Bernstein — contrasting energies, relentless curiosity, and the slow grind of uncovering truth.
• The procedural storytelling — phone calls, notes, dead ends. Why the film makes paperwork feel like high drama.
• The pace — deliberately methodical. Does the lack of traditional “action” heighten tension or test patience?
• Megs explores the role of journalism — integrity, persistence, and the cost of getting it right.
• Ian breaks down the film’s structure — accumulation of detail, repetition, and how small discoveries build into something enormous.
• Liam questions accessibility — does the film expect too much knowledge from its audience, or does it teach you as it goes?
• The use of sound and silence — typewriters, newsroom chatter, and the weight of quiet spaces.
• Deep Throat — myth, mystery, and whether the film benefits from keeping him just out of reach.
• The ending — abrupt, unresolved, and historically loaded. Does it land emotionally without showing the full outcome?
• We debate “show vs tell” — is the film a masterclass in restraint, or does it occasionally feel too distant?
• The legacy — how this film shaped political cinema and public trust in journalism.
• And finally, whether All the President’s Men is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most important investigative films ever made.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam & Megs for our 326th episode as we press start, pick our avatars, and get sucked into the chaotic, comedic, and surprisingly heartfelt world of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). Kev? He’s not with us this week — he selected his character without reading the stats and is now stuck in the jungle with a weakness to cake and only one life remaining. We wish him luck.

This week we discuss:

• The central gimmick — body-swap comedy meets video game logic. Why this concept works far better than it has any right to.
• Dwayne Johnson’s performance — bravado, vulnerability, and comedic timing. Is this one of his most self-aware roles?
• Kevin Hart as the reluctant sidekick — high-energy, fast-talking, and constantly outmatched. Does he elevate or overwhelm?
• Jack Black’s scene-stealing turn — Surely even Megs will commend his commitment, physicality, and one of the boldest comedic performances in a mainstream blockbuster.  
• Karen Gillan’s balancing act — action hero competence with awkward teenage insecurity underneath.
• Megs explores the film’s take on identity — how stepping into a different body reframes confidence, perception, and self-worth.
• Ian breaks down the narrative structure — game levels, stakes, callbacks and consequences that are both earned and why the film’s pacing feels so clean.
• Liam questions the emotional core — does the film earn its character growth, or is it just well-disguised formula?
• The video game rules — clear, fun, and occasionally inconsistent. When do they help the story, and when do they get bent? We're looking  at you, Nick Jonas
• The humour — broad, physical, and surprisingly sharp. Which jokes land, and which ones don’t quite stick?
• The ending — satisfying, predictable, or just the right amount of both?
• And finally, whether Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most unexpectedly successful reboots of the modern era.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian & Liam for our 325th episode as we step into the spin rooms, sound stages, and manufactured realities of Barry Levinson’s razor-sharp political satire Wag the Dog (1997). Megs isn’t with us this week — she’s been hired to produce a last-minute war in Albania (tight turnaround, great exposure). Kev? He’s currently composing a patriotic anthem that may or may not exist by the time you hear this.

This week we discuss:

• Dustin Hoffman’s Stanley Motss — flamboyant, obsessive, and desperate for credit. Is this one of the great comedic performances of the ’90s?
• Robert De Niro’s Conrad Brean — calm, calculated, and morally untethered. Is he the real power in the film… or just the most efficient?
• The central satire — media manipulation, political theatre, and the terrifying ease of creating “truth.”
• We share many stories of what it means to guide an actor, when you should back off, and what do we do when we simply 'can't find the character' ourselves
• Ian breaks down the film’s narrative precision — lean, fast, and ruthlessly efficient storytelling.
• Liam explores the film’s relevance — does Wag the Dog feel prophetic, outdated, or uncomfortably current?
• The machinery of deception — producers, actors, composers. Who actually “makes” reality in this world?
• The escalation of the lie — how small fabrications spiral into full-scale belief.
• The “show vs tell” balance — is the film too clever for its own good, or exactly as sharp as it needs to be?
• Which character were we both all-out on?
• What does it mean for something to be satirical and at what point does that present itself in the film?
• Is it harder to get on board with the conceit of the film in 2026 compared to 1997 and why?
• Ian shares everything he knows about Albania and where he learned it from
• The ending — dark punchline, inevitable consequence, or the ultimate statement on power?
• The moral centre (or lack of one) — does the film care about truth, or just the performance of it?
• And finally, whether Wag the Dog is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most incisive political satires ever made.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

Join Ian & Megs for our 324th episode as we step into the perfectly constructed, quietly audacious bank heist of Spike Lee’s Inside Man (2006). Clocks are ticking, identities are shifting, and nothing is quite what it seems as we try to work out who’s really in control… and who never was.

This week we discuss:

• Denzel Washington as Detective Frazier — cool, controlled, and always just one step behind. Is this one of Denzel’s most understated performances?
• Clive Owen’s Dalton Russell — precise, patient, and almost philosophical. Is he a villain, a hero, or something far more interesting?  Also, is he more than just a poor man's Gerard Butler?
• Jodie Foster’s power broker — calculated, composed, and operating on a completely different level of influence.  Do we forgive her more easily because of her gender?
• The structure of the heist — meticulous, layered, and deliberately misleading. How does the film hide its intentions in plain sight?
• Megs explores the film’s themes of power and privilege — what’s really being stolen, and who actually gets away with it.
• Ian breaks down Spike Lee’s direction and cinematography — style, pacing, and how he injects social commentary into a genre film without slowing it down.
• The use of misdirection — costumes, timelines, and narrative sleight of hand. When does the audience realise they’ve been played?
• The “show vs tell” balance — how much does the film explain, and how much does it trust the audience to catch up?
• The ending reveal — clever, satisfying, or just slightly too neat? Does the film even know what the ending of its own plot is? Are we satisfied with how it ended and what would be the danger of making it more explicit?
• The moral question — is justice served, or simply… redirected?
• And finally, whether Inside Man is the Best Film Ever — or one of the smartest, most rewatchable heist films of the 21st century.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam, Megs & Kev for our 323rd episode as we walk the long corridor, sit with miracles, and confront justice, compassion, and cruelty in Frank Darabont’s The Green Mile (1999). It’s heavy, it’s heartfelt, and yes — we all know what’s coming… but that doesn’t make it any easier.

This week we discuss:

• Michael Clarke Duncan’s towering performance — gentle, tragic, otherworldly. Is John Coffey one of the most emotionally devastating characters ever put to screen?
• Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb — quiet authority, moral conflict, and the burden of knowing what’s right when the system says otherwise.
• The film’s central tension — justice versus legality. What happens when the law is wrong but must still be carried out?
• Megs explores the emotional mechanics — how the film earns its tears, and whether it ever crosses into manipulation.
• Ian breaks down Darabont’s storytelling — classical structure, patient pacing, and why the film leans so heavily into sincerity.
• Liam questions if the film sacrifices characterisation for what the plot needs to occur
• Kev weighs in on the execution room and if the set designers missed a trick there
• The supporting cast — from Brutal to Percy. Who stands out, and who embodies the film’s darkest impulses?
• The treatment of death row — humane, harrowing, and unflinching. Does the film confront or soften its reality?
• The ending — cathartic, crushing, or quietly haunting? What lingers after the final frame?
• And finally, whether The Green Mile is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most emotionally overwhelming films ever made.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

This week we discuss:

• David Lynch’s dream architecture — narrative fragments, emotional logic, and whether Mulholland Drive is meant to be solved… or simply experienced.
• Naomi Watts’ astonishing dual performance — hopeful ingénue, shattered dreamer, and everything in between. Is this one of the great performances of the 2000s?
• Laura Harring’s enigmatic presence — mystery, glamour, and the gravitational pull of Rita’s identity crisis.
• Ian examines Lynch’s vision of Hollywood — a seductive fantasy factory that quietly devours the people chasing it.
• Liam attempts to untangle the film’s structure — where the dream ends, where reality begins, and whether those categories even apply.
• The Club Silencio sequence — performance, illusion, and the film’s thesis delivered in one haunting set-piece.
• The supporting characters — gangsters, directors, hitmen, and cowboys. Comic absurdity or pieces of a much larger symbolic puzzle?
• The film’s treatment of identity and reinvention — Hollywood as both dream machine and nightmare engine.
• Shai Bergerfroind joins us for The Endgame — helping us unpack why this film matters so much to him, how he reads the film’s emotional core, and whether the mystery is actually the point.
• The ending — devastating revelation, emotional collapse, or simply another layer of the dream.
• And finally, whether Mulholland Drive is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most hypnotic and endlessly interpretable films ever made

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

This year we're thrilled to have ballots from five of our patrons to help determine the winners and a couple of them cast some live tie-breaking votes.

The Awards:

• Worst Screenplay
• Worst Special Effects
• Worst Score
• Worst Song
• Worst Musical
• Worst Costume Design
• Worst Art Direction
• Worst Villain
• Least Funny Movie (That was supposed to be funny)
• Worst Plothole
• Worst Cinematography
• Worst Duo
• Most Unlikeable (for a character we’re supposed to like)
• Worst Child
• Worst Context Corner
• Worst First Watch
• Worst Fall From Grace
• Most Unnecessarily Sexualised Moment
• Worst Aged Moment
• Most Overhyped
• Worst Patreon Selection
• Second Opinion (Down)
• Biggest BFE Blunder
• Worst Supporting Actor
• Worst Supporting Actress
• Biggest Therapy Session
• Worst Actor
• Worst Actress
• Worst Film

Eligible Films:

• 300
• American Psycho
• Babylon
• Black Swan
• Cinderella Man
• Crash
• Dirty Harry
• Erin Brockovich
• Field of Dreams
• Ghost
• Heneral Luna
• Idiocracy
• Inception
• It
• Jackie Brown
• Jaws
• Karate Kid
• Mask
• Million Dollar Baby
• Mission: Impossible 2
• Moneyball
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
• Ordinary People
• Out of the Furnace
• Outbreak
• Poltergeist
• Predator
• Rocky Horror
• Ruby Sparks
• Rush
• Shallow Grave
• Shutter Island
• Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
• Superman (1978)
• Sweeney Todd
• The 40 Year Old Virgin
• The Fighter
• The Goonies
• The Holiday
• The Naked Gun
• The Shining
• The Social Network
• To Die For
• Toy Story 3
• Tremors
• V for Vendetta
• What We Do In The Shadows
• Witness
• X-Men

Join Ian, Liam, Megs & Kev for our 321st episode as we piece together Polaroids, tattoos, and fragments of memory in Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller Memento (2000). This week the BFE timeline runs forward, backward, and occasionally sideways — and somewhere in the chaos a mystery guest drops in to help us figure out what actually happened.

This week we discuss:

• Christopher Nolan’s narrative construction — reverse chronology, fragmented storytelling, and whether genius sometimes requires a second viewing… or a flowchart.
• Guy Pearce’s Leonard Shelby — sympathetic victim, unreliable narrator, or architect of his own personal myth?
• The two timelines — black-and-white clarity vs colour confusion. How the film weaponises structure to manipulate the audience.
• Megs explores memory as identity — if you can’t remember who you are, can you still be responsible for what you do?
• Ian breaks down Nolan’s early thematic obsessions — time, perception, control, and why Memento feels like the blueprint for the rest of his career.
• Liam questions the film’s internal logic — how much of Leonard’s system actually works, and how much depends on blind faith?
• Natalie and Teddy — manipulators, victims, opportunists, or something much harder to categorise?
• The mechanics of storytelling — how the film reveals information while simultaneously making us doubt it.
• Our mystery guest joins us — helping us untangle the film’s structure and asking whether understanding Memento actually improves it.
• The ending (or beginning?) — revelation, tragedy, or the ultimate self-deception.
• And finally, whether Memento is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most brilliantly constructed puzzles cinema has ever produced.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, & Liam for our 320th episode as we light up the slick, fast-talking, morally elastic world of Jason Reitman’s Thank You For Smoking (2005). It’s spin, satire, and strategic deflection this week as we ask whether winning an argument is the same thing as being right.

This week we discuss:

• Aaron Eckhart’s Nick Naylor — charming, composed, and ethically slippery. Is this one of the great “bad good guy” performances of the 2000s?
• The art of spin — how the film weaponises rhetoric, reframing, and misdirection to hilarious — and unsettling — effect.
• Satire with teeth — does the film actually challenge corporate lobbying culture, or does it admire its own cleverness too much?
• We break down the film’s tonal balance — sharp comedy undercut by quiet moments of moral reckoning.
• Liam explores the father-son dynamic — does the film ultimately soften Nick, or does it merely reposition him?
• Ian questions the target — is Big Tobacco the point, or is the film more interested in the machinery of persuasion itself?
• The MOD Squad scenes — Big Tobacco, Big Alcohol, Big Firearms. Broad caricature or disturbingly accurate power structures?
• Katie Holmes’ subplot — narrative necessity, tonal misfire, or commentary on transactional journalism?
• The ending — redemption arc, compromise, or simply another pivot in a long career of strategic positioning?
• We debate whether satire ages well — does this feel timeless, or does it belong firmly to its Bush-era moment?
• And finally, whether Thank You For Smoking is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the smartest, slickest comedies of its decade.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam & Megs for our 319th episode as we dive headfirst into lace gloves, record store shifts, and 1980s romantic angst with John Hughes’ Pretty in Pink (1986). It’s class divides, prom politics, and the eternal question of who really deserves Andie Walsh.

This week we discuss:

• Molly Ringwald as Andie — resilience, insecurity, and whether she’s a fully realised protagonist or a Hughes archetype dressed in vintage.
• Blane’s behaviour — romantic lead or emotional liability? Does the film let him off too easily?
• Duckie’s devotion — lovable underdog, manipulative “nice guy,” or something more complicated?
• The class tension at the heart of the story — is the film actually saying something about wealth and identity, or just dressing teen drama up as social commentary?
• Megs unpacks the fashion — iconic, chaotic, deeply 80s. Does the final dress deserve its reputation?
• Ian explores the alternate ending — what changed, why test audiences intervened, and whether the original choice would have made for a stronger film.
• Liam questions the soundtrack supremacy — is this peak 80s needle-drop culture, or nostalgia doing heavy lifting?
• The father-daughter dynamic — quiet emotional centre or underdeveloped subplot?  Are certain viewers predispositioned to be on board with this - or not?
• The prom climax — catharsis, compromise, or cultural time capsule?
• We debate whether the film romanticises inequality — and whether Andie’s final choice feels empowering or regressive.
• And finally, whether Pretty in Pink is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most enduring teen romances of the 1980s.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

This year we're thrilled to have ballots from seven of our patrons and Ariannah, Synthia, & Paul join us to settle any and all tie-breakers (and there were a few). The Awards:

• Best Screenplay
• Best Special Effects
• Best Costume Design
• Best Art Direction
• Best Cinematography
• Best Context Corner Highlight
• Best Duo
• Best Villain
• Best Animated Film
• Best Voice Actor
• Best Musical
• The John Williams Award for Best Score
• Best Song or Theme
• Best Soundtrack
• Best Tearjerker
• Funniest Film
• Best BFE Moment/Rant/Quote
• Best BFE Argument
• The Abigail Breslin Award for Best Child Actor
• The Steel Magnolias Award for Best Representation of Women
• The Natalie Portman Award for Most Attractive Female on Film
• The Ryan Gosling Award for Most Attractive Male on Film
• Best Plot Twist (no spoilers)
• Episode of the Year
• Best Patreon Film
• Best First Watch
• Most Improved Viewing Experience
• Best Supporting Actor
• Best Supporting Actress
• Best Actor
• The Frances McDormand Award for Best Actress
• Best Film

Eligible Films:

• 300
• American Psycho
• Babylon
• Black Swan
• Cinderella Man
• Crash
• Dirty Harry
• Erin Brockovich
• Field of Dreams
• Ghost
• Heneral Luna
• Idiocracy
• Inception
• It
• Jackie Brown
• Jaws
• Karate Kid
• Mask
• Million Dollar Baby
• Mission: Impossible 2
• Moneyball
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
• Ordinary People
• Out of the Furnace
• Outbreak
• Poltergeist
• Predator
• Rocky Horror
• Ruby Sparks
• Rush
• Shallow Grave
• Shutter Island
• Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
• Superman (1978)
• Sweeney Todd
• The 40 Year Old Virgin
• The Fighter
• The Goonies
• The Holiday
• The Naked Gun
• The Shining
• The Social Network
• To Die For
• Toy Story 3
• Tremors
• V for Vendetta
• What We Do In The Shadows
• Witness
• X-Men

Join Ian, Megs & Kev for our 318th episode as we lace up the Wildcats, grab the basketball (and the sheet music), and head back to East High for Disney Channel’s cultural phenomenon High School Musical (2006). It’s jazz hands, jump shots, and mid-2000s sincerity this week — and yes, we’re absolutely committing to the choreography.

This week we discuss:

• The lightning-in-a-bottle appeal — how a made-for-TV movie became a generational event - especially for one member of the panel.
• Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens — chemistry, charisma, and the myth-making of teen stardom.  Does Hudgens get enough credit for the success of the franchise?
• Ashley Tisdale’s Sharpay Evans — villain, icon, or misunderstood theatre kid with ambition? Is she too good to dislike?
• Megs breaks down the musical structure — why the songs are catchier than they have any right to be, and which ones still slap.
• The team talks about the difficulty about the audition process - on both sides of the equation 
• We talk about the differences in social cliques in the North American school system versus the British school system
• Ian talks about how the whole plot is a conceit that he can't fully buy into - but why?
• Thematically — identity, peer pressure, and the fear of stepping outside the box. Why this simple message resonated so hard.
• The “show, don’t tell” debate — does the film trust visual storytelling, or does it lean on dialogue and lyrics to do the heavy lifting?
• The Disney machine — how the film’s success reshaped the network’s future output.
• The ending performance — triumphant, predictable, or perfectly engineered for maximum serotonin?
• And finally, whether High School Musical is the Best Film Ever — or simply the most aggressively rewatchable Disney Channel Original Movie ever made.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam, Megs & Kev for our 317th episode as we confront anger, ideology, consequence, and redemption in Tony Kaye’s incendiary and unforgettable American History X (1998). This week, we’re also joined by BFF of the BFE: Hermes Auslander, and — in a huge moment for the podcast — we sit down for a special interview with director Tony Kaye himself.

This one is heavy. Necessary. Complicated.

This week we discuss:

• Edward Norton’s blistering performance — charismatic, terrifying, magnetic. Is this one of the great transformations of the 1990s?
• The black-and-white vs colour structure — memory, myth, and moral framing. How does the visual language shape our understanding of Derek’s journey?
• The film’s central question — can hate be unlearned, and if so, what does it cost?
• Hermes joins us to unpack the film’s cultural and political legacy — why it still resonates, and why it remains controversial.
• The prison sequence — brutal, pivotal, and narratively dangerous. Does the film handle trauma responsibly?
• We examine the fine line between depiction and endorsement — does the film risk glamorising the ideology it condemns?
• The ending — inevitable, devastating, and still capable of knocking the wind out of an audience. What does it ultimately say about cycles of violence?
• Our special interview with Tony Kaye — reflections on authorship, conflict over the final cut, working with Edward Norton, and how he views the film now, decades later.
• The legacy question — has the film aged well? Has it been misunderstood? Has it been weaponised?
• And finally, whether American History X is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most important and confronting films we’ve ever covered.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam, Megs & Kev for our 316th episode as we descend into the basement, start pressing buttons we absolutely shouldn’t, and dismantle the horror genre piece by piece with Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods (2011). This week is less about jump scares and more about systems, sacrifice, and whether sometimes… you really should just play the hits.

This week we discuss:

• The central divide — why some viewers desperately wish this film had played it straight, and whether subversion automatically improves a genre story.
• The two-year delay — why The Cabin in the Woods sat finished but unreleased, and how that limbo shaped its eventual reception.
• Ian’s major life milestone this week — and why it weirdly mirrors one of the film’s themes about control and agency.
• Who really enjoys the metaphor — and whether reading the film as an allegory enhances the experience or drains the fun out of it entirely.
• Liam’s unstoppable TV digression — the show he simply will not stop referencing, regardless of relevance.
• We spend some well-earned time talking about Catherine O’Hara — authority, timing, and why she elevates everything she touches.
• The mechanics of the horror machine — archetypes, rituals, and the illusion of choice.
• Megs breaks down the film’s gender politics — subversion, exploitation, and how knowingly the film handles both.
• Kev weighs in on the concept of gatekeeping and who gets to make all these rules anyway?
• The elevator scene — catharsis, overload, or glorious anarchy?
• The ending — nihilistic, freeing, or just pulling the plug on the whole genre.
• And finally, whether The Cabin in the Woods is the Best Film Ever — or simply the most elaborate middle finger horror ever aimed at its own audience.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Paul Komoroski
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Ian is joined by Friends of the Podcast Aashrey, “The Horseshoe” James de Guzman, and Paul Komoroski as 4 of the 10 competitors reveal their thinking ahead of a high-stakes draft: five films each, one year, most money wins.

This is a draft built on instinct, spreadsheets, vibes, and blind confidence. We talk draft strategy, risk tolerance, franchise trust, and how quickly one bad pick can torpedo an entire season.  We also talk copious smack about those who couldn't join us.

Hovering over the conversation are the big 2026 questions:

• Event franchise dominance vs. prestige spectacle (**Avengers energy vs. Dune ambition)

• Reliable nostalgia vs. bold cinematic swings (**Toy Story safety vs. The Odyssey risk)

• Proven animation gold vs. superhero reinvention (**Super Mario confidence vs. Supergirl potential)

No box office numbers yet — just claims, confidence, and future receipts waiting to happen.

The draft hasn’t even finished… and the rivalries have already started.

Catch more of Stew on his own podcast: Stew World Order at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stew-world-order/id1559913522

You can also catch him at his website where he writes about all sorts of fun things: https://swoproductions.com/

Join Ian, Liam, Megs & Kev for our 315th episode as we suit up, grab the propaganda reel, and drop feet-first into Paul Verhoeven’s gloriously misunderstood sci-fi satire Starship Troopers (1997). It’s bugs, blood, and bare-faced ideology this week as we try to work out whether this film knew exactly what it was doing all along. Do you want to know more?

This week we discuss:

• The tone problem (or lack thereof) — is Starship Troopers a dumb action movie, a razor-sharp satire, or both at the same time?
• Paul Verhoeven’s intent — does the film critique fascism so hard that some audiences miss the joke entirely?
• The performances — intentionally wooden propaganda archetypes, or just bad acting elevated by context?
• The aesthetics of fascism — uniforms, slogans, and spectacle. Why does the film make authoritarianism look so seductive?
• Ian breaks down the film’s satirical mechanics — how exaggeration, repetition, and irony do the heavy lifting.
• Liam explores audience reception — why the film was misunderstood on release and reclaimed years later.
• Megs looks at gender and violence — equal-opportunity brutality, shower scenes, and the illusion of empowerment.
• Kev weighs in on the action — but don't get him started on the never-ending rounds of bullets
• The enemy — are the Arachnids monsters, victims, or an invented threat to justify endless war?
• The propaganda interstitials — world-building masterstrokes or narrative interruptions?
• Synthia joins us for The Endgame — helping us unpack the film’s legacy, its political bite, and why it feels even more relevant now than it did in 1997.
• The ending — triumphant, horrifying, or both? What are we actually meant to cheer for?
• And finally, whether Starship Troopers is the Best Film Ever — or one of the smartest films ever disguised as a stupid one.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian & Liam for our 314th episode as we cross the border, miss the last turn-off to sanity, and crash headlong into Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s genre-shredding cult classic From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Megs isn’t with us this week — she took a job managing the Titty Twister and immediately exercised her right to not be around for what happened next. Kev? Last seen arguing with a biker about tequila and quietly backing away when things started growing fangs.

This week we discuss:

• The hard genre pivot — crime thriller to vampire splatterfest. Is this one of cinema’s boldest structural swings or an act of deliberate sabotage?
• The first half vs. the second half — which film do we actually prefer, and should they ever have been stitched together in the first place?
• George Clooney’s breakout performance — cool, controlled, and shockingly confident. Did this film secretly create a movie star?
• Quentin Tarantino the actor — indulgent, uncomfortable, and deeply divisive. Does his presence add anything, or actively derail the film?
• Ian questions the film’s tonal discipline — is chaos the point, or does excess eventually become exhaustion?
• Liam explores the film’s grindhouse DNA — exploitation homage, midnight-movie energy, and why this works better at 11:30pm than 2:00pm.
• Salma Hayek’s iconic sequence — empowerment, objectification, or pure genre spectacle? We unpack why this moment still sparks debate.
• The violence escalation — gleeful, grotesque, and increasingly cartoonish. Where does fun end and numbness begin?
• The rules of the vampires and the timing of when characters turn  — clear, flexible, or completely improvised depending on the scene?
• You won't believe the piece of literature that Ian wants to compare this to
• The ending — aftermath, absurdity, and the sudden return to moral quiet after absolute carnage.
• And finally, whether From Dusk Till Dawn is the Best Film Ever — or simply the wildest left turn ever taken by a mainstream ’90s movie.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian & Liam for our 313th episode as we step into the pressurised courtroom, moral brinkmanship, and razor-sharp dialogue of Rob Reiner’s A Few Good Men (1992). Button up the dress whites, take your seats, and prepare for a film obsessed with duty, power, and the stories institutions tell themselves to survive.

This week we discuss:

• Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue as a weapon — rhythm, repetition, and confrontation. Is this peak Sorkin, or the moment his style becomes unmistakably dominant?
• Tom Cruise as Lt. Kaffee — charming, evasive, underestimated. Is this Cruise’s most interesting performance precisely because he starts behind the power curve?
• Jack Nicholson’s Colonel Jessup — operatic, terrifying, magnetic. Does the film become his the moment he enters it?
• The courtroom structure — how the film drip-feeds information, builds pressure, and engineers one of the most famous climaxes in cinema history.
• The ethics at the heart of the story — where does responsibility lie: with the men who carried out orders, or the system that created them?
• Ian talks about criticisms of the ending and if they're reading the film correctly 
• We explores how masculinity functions in the film — honour, obedience, pride, and camaraderie
• The supporting cast — Demi Moore’s steely professionalism, Kevin Bacon’s moral slipperiness, and who almost got Kevin Pollak's role
• That scene — inevitability versus surprise. Does the famous monologue work because it’s shocking, or because it feels unavoidable?
• The ending — justice served, or merely order restored? What actually changes once the truth is out?
• And finally, whether A Few Good Men is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most watchable, endlessly quotable courtroom dramas ever made.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian & Liam for our 312th episode as we step into the emotionally raw, confrontational, and fiercely theatrical world of For Colored Girls (2010) — a film that asks big questions about pain, survival, and voice, and demands we sit with the discomfort of its delivery. We’re later joined by BFF of the BFE: Juleen for The Endgame, as we try to make sense of what hits hardest… and what doesn’t land at all.

This week we discuss:

• Whether For Colored Girls successfully translates from stage to screen — or if something vital is lost in the move from choreopoem to cinema.
• The central tension — is it possible to fully agree with a film’s message and still believe it’s not a well-made film?
• The sheer level of star power — and why the performances feel wildly disparate. Which ones moved us, which ones frustrated us, and which ones actively pulled us out of the film.
• Who unexpectedly steals the show — emerging from the ensemble to deliver a performance that cuts through everything else.
• The question of tone — is there simply too much poetry here, even when it’s beautifully spoken and powerfully performed?
• How close this film came to being worse — and how an originally cast actress’s pregnancy may have unintentionally saved the film from an even harsher imbalance.
• Ian questions the film’s direction and framing — does Tyler Perry trust the material enough, or does the camera overemphasise emotion that should be allowed to breathe?
• Liam explores the film’s confrontational style — is the lack of subtlety a flaw, or is subtlety beside the point entirely?
• The emotional toll — is the film asking us to witness pain, process it, or simply endure it?
• Juleen joins us for The Endgame — bringing insight, perspective, and lived context to the discussion, and helping us unpack what the film is reaching for, even when it misses.
• The ending — cathartic, overwhelming, or emotionally blunt? We unpack whether the final moments feel earned.
• And finally, whether For Colored Girls is the Best Film Ever — or a deeply important work whose ambition outpaces its execution.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

But does Wicked: For Good stick the landing, or does splitting the story in two finally come back to haunt it? Ian, Kev, and Megs unpack whether this concluding chapter delivers the emotional payoff fans have been promised — or whether it buckles under the weight of expectation, spectacle, and inevitability.

Is the heart still there? Do Elphaba and Glinda’s journeys feel earned, devastating, and cathartic — or overly polished and pre-packaged? The trio dig into performances, musical moments, and whether the film earns its big themes about power, friendship, compromise, and legacy.

Can a story everyone knows still surprise you? Does For Good justify its existence as a standalone film, or does it feel like the second act stretched to breaking point?

All this and more in this week’s See It or Skip It review of Wicked: For Good — and of course, Ian, Kev, and Megs will let you know if you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Join Ian & Liam for our 312th episode as we step into the strange, tender, and quietly unsettling world of Ruby Sparks (2012) — a film about creativity, control, fantasy, and what happens when the person you imagine refuses to stay that way. Typewriters ready. Boundaries optional.

This week we discuss:

• The central conceit — what happens when your idealised version of someone becomes real, and whether the film earns the right to ask that question.
• Paul Dano’s performance — wounded, awkward, gifted, and quietly terrifying. Is Calvin a romantic lead… or a cautionary tale?
• Zoe Kazan’s Ruby — luminous, frustrating, independent, and increasingly human. How does the film balance charm with agency?
• The ethics of authorship (first level) — when creativity crosses into control, and when love turns into manipulation. 
• The ethics of authorship (second level)- What about the ethics of Zoe Kazan's screenplay and performance opposite her actual romantic partner in Paul Dano
• Our own Ruby Sparks asks whether the film understands its own power dynamics — or if it occasionally romanticises behaviour it should interrogate harder.
• The meta-text — a film written by its female lead about being written by a man. How much does that context change everything?
• We talk about fantasy vs. reality in relationships — and how dangerous it is to fall in love with someone who exists only on your terms.
• Is Calvin a hard lead to sympathise with on any level?  Does his status as financially successful cause him to be less easy to support?
• There are… hypotheticals discussed — moments that feel uncomfortably specific, strangely timed, or oddly familiar, without ever being about anything in particular. Pure coincidence, obviously.
• We talk about whether this is strictly a male-female perspective or if it's something innately more comprehensively human than that
• The tonal shift — rom-com whimsy giving way to something much darker. Does the film stick the landing?
• The ending — hopeful, troubling, cyclical? What does the final image actually suggest?  Ian presents what he thinks is the author's intent
• And finally, whether Ruby Sparks is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most quietly confronting relationship films of the 2010s.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam (always listed second), Megs & Kev for our 310th episode as we swap mirror-lined jealousies and boxing-laden family dramas for frosted cottages, floppy fringes, and Nancy Meyers’ warm, impractical kitchens with The Holiday (2006). Crack open the mulled wine, argue about accents, and prepare to answer the most important seasonal question of all: is this even a Christmas film… or is it secretly a New Year’s movie pretending to care about tinsel?

This week we discuss:

• Whether The Holiday qualifies as a Christmas film at all — or if it’s really a New Year’s movie wearing a festive jumper, pressed into service only because our Patreon members voted it in as the Christmas review.
• How Ian possibly survives reviewing a film starring Cameron Diaz — given his long, storied, and deeply felt loathing toward her screen presence.
• How Megs approaches a film built around Jack Black — an actor she famously does not enjoy - despite her choices of undergarments - especially when he’s positioned as a romantic lead.
• Nancy Meyers’ world-building — does the film ever show us emotion, or does it rely entirely on characters telling us exactly how they feel at all times?
• Cameron Diaz’s Amanda — chaotic, guarded, and allergic to crying. Is this performance misunderstood… or exactly why Ian struggles?
• Kate Winslet’s Iris — earnest, wounded, endlessly self-sacrificing. Is she the emotional heart of the film or a fantasy of suffering femininity?
• Jude Law’s Graham — peak Meyers male fantasy, or walking red flag wrapped in knitwear?
• Jack Black’s Miles — pretentious douchebag, charming underdog, or the film’s secret emotional MVP?
• The dual-location structure — England vs. LA, coziness vs. confidence. Does the contrast deepen the story or just sell vibes?
• The film’s relationship with grief, loneliness, and romantic recovery — is it sincere, or comfort-food cinema avoiding real mess?
• Kev weighs in on the soundtrack and score cues — emotional shorthand or effective storytelling tool?
• Can we get over the plotholes? Who goes to LA to visit a house sight unseen and who leaves their dog behind for someone else to look after?
• The ending(s) — festive payoff, narrative convenience, or emotional earnedness? Haven't they just chosen a false ending once you really look at it?
• And finally, whether The Holiday is the Best Film Ever — or simply the most aggressively rewatchable seasonal comfort movie ever made.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam & Megs for our 309th episode as we step into the sweat-soaked gyms, fractured families, and hard-won resilience of David O. Russell’s The Fighter (2010). Lace up the gloves, tape the wrists, and prepare for a story about loyalty, damage, and the cost of fighting your way out of the place you came from.  We're bragging about knocking down Sugar Ray Leonard this week as we discuss:

• Christian Bale’s extraordinary, Oscar-winning transformation — volatile, compulsive, heartbreaking. Is this one of the great supporting performances of modern cinema?
• Mark Wahlberg as Micky Ward — or is he just playing Mark Wahlberg with less swearing?
• Amy Adams’ breakout performance — sharp, grounded, and unflinching. Did the camera take advantage of her though?
• The family dynamic — love, obligation, manipulation, and control. When does support turn into sabotage?
• Megs breaks down the portrayal of working-class women — authenticity, resilience, and why the female characters feel unusually real for a boxing movie.
• Ian explores how The Fighter subverts the sports-film formula — less about glory, more about survival and self-definition.  Is it even a boxing film?
• The documentary-style camerawork — raw, intimate, and invasive. How does the film blur the line between sports drama and social realism?
• The ethics of redemption — does Dicky earn his comeback, or does the film soften the damage he’s done?  Which member of the cast just couldn't forgive him
• The boxing itself — brutal, unromantic, and exhausting. Does stripping away spectacle make the fights hit harder?
• The ending — triumphant, restrained, emotionally complicated or underwhelming? We unpack what “winning” actually means here.
• And finally, whether The Fighter is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most honest American sports dramas of the 21st century.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian and special guest Stew from The Stew World Order Podcast as we sit down at the Ringside Roundtable to take a deep-dive look at one of the most polarizing, celebrated, and influential wrestlers in WWE history — John Cena.

Across nearly two decades, Cena went from Ruthless Aggression rookie to the face of an entire era, and this special episode breaks down every chapter of his career with honesty, insight, and maybe a few “You Can’t See Me” jokes.

This week we discuss the following  while debating we can be seen or not:

Our Cena origin stories — Ruthless Aggression debuts, the Undertaker handshake, the F-U era, the rapper gimmick, and the pivot to PG’s Hustle, Loyalty, Respect. Which version of Cena did we meet first?

What made Cena appealing — why kids adored him, whether his “Never Give Up” mantra was authentic, and if he was secretly underrated in-ring all along.

Where the hate came from — the roots of the Cena Sucks movement, the difference between hating the booking and hating Cena himself, and whether fans resented how “corporate” he felt.

Was the backlash justified? — did fan criticism have merit, or did Cena silence doubters with consistently strong, big-match performances later in his career?

Cena’s in-ring legacy — how good he actually was bell-to-bell, the key matches that define his style, and whether “Super Cena” booking helped or hindered him.

The Cena character — iconic or limiting? Should he have turned heel? And how effective was his mic work beyond the occasional goofy promo?

Did Cena make stars… or bury them? — who benefitted most from working with him (Owens, Styles, Umaga) and who fans believe he held back.

Was Cena good for wrestling overall? — did he grow the audience or preside over decline? Was his mainstream presence a net positive? And did WWE rely on him too heavily?

Cena’s cultural footprint — is he WWE’s last true megastar? How Make-A-Wish shaped his legacy, and whether Hollywood changed how fans view him today.

Cena vs. modern WWE — how he’d fare if he debuted now, how his style fits today’s product, and whether Roman Reigns is truly Cena 2.0.

The endgame — did Cena step away at the right time? Should Gunther be his final opponent? Is Saturday Night’s Main Event the right farewell? Does he need one last WrestleMania moment?

Defining rivalries — the feuds that shaped his career, whether he elevated or overshadowed opponents, and our Top 5 Cena Rivalries each.

Cena’s legacy — where he ranks all-time, how defining he was for the PG Era, and how his longevity compares to Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Roman Reigns.

And finally, the verdict — was John Cena good or bad for wrestling? Has history softened the criticism? And what is his true legacy when everything is weighed together?

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

Join Ian & Megs for our 308th episode as we step into the mirror-lined, razor-edged, emotionally fraught world of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (2010). Lace up your shoes, crack your knuckles, and prepare to descend into obsession, duality, and tutu-level trauma.

This week we discuss:

• Natalie Portman’s extraordinary, Oscar-winning transformation — fragile ingénue, ruthless perfectionist, and fractured psyche in one.
• Mila Kunis as the effortless chaos to Nina’s claustrophobic control — real threat or manifested paranoia?
• Aronofsky’s visual language: reflections, doubles, textures, and body horror. How does he trap the audience inside Nina’s deteriorating mind?
• The film’s depiction of artistic pressure and perfectionism — when does ambition turn pathological?
• What other film could we not stop referencing whilst watching this film
• Megs questions the ballet accuracy (and the wildly inaccurate bits) — including the culture, the training, and the psychological toll
• Ian asks if the film does a good enough job educating the audience about ballet to make the film accessible
• We talk about how Black Swan functions as a companion piece to The Wrestler — obsession as both craft and self-destruction.
• The boundaries between reality and hallucination — when does the film stop being literal? Or was it metaphor all along?
• We examine the film’s treatment of sexuality, identity, and agency through the lens of duality: White Swan vs. Black Swan, innocence vs. corruption, submission vs. liberation.
• The final performance — triumphant, tragic, transcendent? We unpack the film’s unforgettable ending.
• And finally, whether Black Swan is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most hypnotic psychological thrillers of the 21st century.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam & Beadle Steve for our 307th episode as we cruise down Sunset Boulevard, slip into our moccasins, and take a long, nostalgic look at Quentin Tarantino’s sun-drenched fairytale Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). Megs and Kev? They’re not with us this week — Megs got invited to a last-minute audition on a Spaghetti Western set outside Rome, and Kev got lost trying to hitchhike to the Playboy Mansion. We wish them both luck. We're also waxing poetic about Jay Glennie's excellent history of the film with "The Making of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time In Hollywood" available everywhere now.

This week we discuss:

• How Tarantino utilises revisionist history and a clear late sixties aesthetic into his most affectionate, laid-back film yet.
• Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn as Rick Dalton — insecure, electric, and oddly sympathetic.
• Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth — stuntman, handyman, maybe-murderer, absolute legend.
• Beadle Steve weighs in on the film’s leaving of breadcrumbs and its toasty payoff
• How the film handles Sharon Tate with grace, warmth, and unexpected emotional weight much to Liam's appreciation
• The Manson Family sequences — slow-burning dread done right but where is Charlie and why does Ian argue it's the right call for the film?
• Ian breaks down Tarantino’s structural choices: meandering brilliance or indulgent reimagining?
• The film’s controversial ending — catharsis, fantasy, or simply Tarantino being Tarantino?  Does it help if you know the real life history? Someone argues it doesn't matter and the film still works.
• Nostalgia vs. narrative: does the film rely too heavily on vibes, or is that the point?
• We question whether OUATIH is a buddy film, a fairy tale, a love letter, or all of the above.
• The “Rick Dalton meltdown” scene — one of the great comedic acting moments of the decade?
• Which parts got combined and then split again on account of scheduling conflicts
• Who was supposed to be in the film if not for tragedy occurring?
• And finally, whether Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the Best Film Ever — or just Tarantino’s most beautifully crafted hangout movie.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE. Buy Jay Glennie's book at https://amzn.eu/d/fTGfDBu

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam & Kev for our 306th episode as we board the ferry to Ashecliffe and plunge headfirst into the mist, trauma, and unreliable memories of Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island (2010). Megs? She’s not with us this week — she insisted on exploring Ward C “just for a quick look” and the gates slammed shut behind her. We’re hoping she’ll be released pending evaluation.

This week we discuss:

• How Scorsese blends noir, horror, and psychological drama into one of the most atmospheric films of the 2010s.
• Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance — genius unraveling, or a masterclass in controlled chaos?
• Mark Ruffalo’s deceptively calm presence — partner, puppet, or something much more unsettling?
• Are we naturally prejudiced to think Ben Kingsley is the villain because he's British?
• How does Scorsese take a psychological thriller and masquerade it within both a whodunnit and a conspiracy film
• Which special effects had us marveling at their ingenuity and which ones had us reaching for our Resties ballots?
• How could the narrative alignment choices made by Scorsese have gone terribly wrong
• Ian breaks down the film’s narrative structure — why repeated viewings make the film richer, not clearer.
• Liam asks whether the film asks too much from the viewer 
• How trauma, denial, and memory shape the film’s psychological core — and why the story hits different every rewatch.
• B-Tech Kev picks up on some subtleties and asks if we saw what he saw whilst Ian talks about how the ability to pause and rewind has changed cinema
• Genre blending: is Shutter Island a detective mystery, a horror film, or a psychological portrait of grief?
• The lighthouse reveal — one of Scorsese’s most tension-filled sequences.
• We debate the meaning of the ending, Teddy’s awareness, and that final chilling line.
• And finally, whether Shutter Island is the Best Film Ever — or simply the most beautifully disorienting mind maze Scorsese ever built.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

Find out more about Juleen's nephew, Castor, and how you can help at https://gofund.me/73a67a9d6

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian & Liam for our 305th episode as we get ourselves committed to one of the greatest American films ever made: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). Kev and Megs? They won’t be joining us this week — Megs was last seen challenging Nurse Ratched’s medication schedule and Kev tried to lift the hydrotherapy console to escape. Security is “having a chat” with both of them.

This week we discuss:

• How Miloš Forman’s direction created a sense of art imitating life. But who was Miss Ratched and who was Mac?
• Jack Nicholson’s legendary performance as R.P. McMurphy — charming, chaotic, and dangerously alive.  But is it just Jack playing Jack?
• Louise Fletcher’s cold, controlled terror as Nurse Ratched — is she evil, institutionalised, or the product of her system?
• The film’s astonishing supporting cast — from Danny DeVito to Brad Dourif — and why the ensemble might be one of the best ever assembled.  Who asked for asshole Doc Brown?
• The real power struggle at the heart of the film: rebellion vs. routine, individuality vs. institution.
• Ian breaks down the film’s narrative structure and why one sequence isn't necessary
• Liam reflects on the humour, the heartbreak, and the explosive final act — does any other ending hit quite like this one?
• Is Mac crazy? How would someone pretending to be crazy present themselves in this environment?
• We discuss the film’s legacy: its Oscars sweep, its influence on pop culture, and its place in the “Great American Films” canon.
• Is McMurphy a hero, a catalyst, or a cautionary tale?
• What was Milos Forman trying to say in the film based on his personal lifestory?
• And finally, whether One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the boldest critiques of power and conformity ever committed to screen.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

Find out more about Juleen's nephew, Castor, and how you can help at https://gofund.me/73a67a9d6

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam & Megs (she always goes last), along with Friend of the Podcasters: Beadle Steve, for our 304th episode as we sharpen our razors, roll out the pie dough, and dive into the gothic, gory glory of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).

This week, we’re not just talking Burton’s blood-soaked macabre attempt at a masterpiece — we’re also sharing our collective memories from our very own recent production of Sweeney Todd! Expect behind-the-scenes stories, backstage laughs, and maybe a few stories about trap doors and jettisons of blood

This week we discuss:

• How Tim Burton’s adaptation balances musical theatre grandeur with cinematic horror — and where it falls short.
• Johnny Depp’s take on the title role: tortured genius or just Burton doing Burton again?
• Helena Bonham Carter’s Mrs. Lovett — delightful, deranged, and determined to make the worst pies in London.
• How Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall manage to be both repulsive and magnetic - but can they sing?  Who do we think could've done it better?
• The use of colour, lighting, and sound — and why did the crew need so many garbage bags?
• How Sweeney Todd manages to turn tragedy into operatic spectacle without losing its emotional sting.
• We discuss at great length a couple of elements that one of us just couldn't overlook
• We share our favourite moments (and biggest mishaps) from our own stage production — from what it's like to be reviewed ourselves to unexpected laughter in the wrong places and if you can imagine it - Ian flexing in the spotlight
• What it’s like performing Sondheim’s music live — the challenge, the rhythm, and the glorious chaos.
• Beadle Steve joins us to talk about his experience, his favourite scenes, and whether he’s still hearing “Ding Dong!” in his sleep... and what happened to the ensemble anyway?
• And finally, whether Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is the Best Film Ever — or just the bloodiest musical we’ve ever loved.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

But does Who Killed The Montreal Expos? knock it out of the park, or is it just another rain-delayed nostalgia trip? Ian and Ryan dig into the story of how a beloved franchise went from fan favourite to relocation heartbreak — and whether this doc truly gets to the bottom of who’s really to blame.

Is this a gripping investigation into corporate greed, MLB politics, and fan betrayal — or just a sentimental bunt down memory lane? The lads examine how the film balances hard facts with heart, whether it gives Montreal’s baseball faithful the justice they deserve, and if it finally answers the question that’s haunted Canadian sports fans for two decades.

How do you tell the story of a team that died twice — once in the standings, and once in spirit? Is this a love letter, a post-mortem, or both?

All this and more in this week’s See It or Skip It review of Who Killed The Montreal Expos? — and of course, Ian and Ryan will let you know if you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Join Ian & Liam, along with BFF of the BFE: Ariannah (Who Loves BFE the Most™), for our 303rd episode as we ride through the heart and humanity of Peter Bogdanovich’s Mask (1985) — the moving, funny, and unforgettable story of Rocky Dennis, his extraordinary mother, and the people who refused to let difference define them.

This week we discuss:

• How Mask walks the perfect line between sentiment and sincerity without tipping into melodrama.
• Cher’s powerhouse performance — fierce, fragile, and absolutely magnetic but was she well directed (or even well written?)
• Eric Stoltz’s stunning transformation and how the film lets his humanity shine through the prosthetics.
• Why this might be the most compassionate film of the 1980s — and what it still teaches us about empathy today.
• Ariannah joins us to talk about how disability and difference are portrayed on screen, and why this one hits harder than most.
• The use of music (and that classic Springsteen debate) — how the soundtrack shapes the film’s emotional DNA.
• We rip on Bogdanovich’s simplistic direction and how his brevity is far from the film's greatest strength.
• Ian wonders whether the film’s emotional punches still land as powerfully for modern audiences.
• We talk about how Mask redefined expectations for family drama and biopic storytelling.
• And finally, whether Mask (1985) is the Best Film Ever — or just one of the most human films we’ve ever covered.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian & Kev, along with BFF of the BFE: James DeGuzman, for our 302nd episode as we descend into the sewers of Derry, Maine, and confront childhood trauma, red balloons, and Stephen King nightmare fuel with It: Chapter One (2017). Megs and Liam? They said they weren’t afraid of clowns… right up until Pennywise offered them a balloon. We’re hoping they resurface soon.

This week we discuss:

• Why It tapped into a new generation’s fear of clowns — and whether it’s earned or just clever filmmaking.
• Bill Skarsgård’s terrifying turn as Pennywise — physicality, psychology, and drool. 
• How the film balances coming-of-age warmth with soul-shaking horror — friendship vs. fear.
• King’s original novel vs. the adaptation — what gets streamlined, what gets lost, and what gets under your skin.
• Does this film prove that horror is strongest when it’s tied to universal childhood anxieties?
• How the film is able to position that early coming-of-age feelings of romance without coming across as creepy
• The Losers’ Club: perfect casting? We break down who stands out and who feels underserved.
• Why the sewer sequences and the house on Neibolt Street raise the bar for modern horror set pieces.
• Ian talks about narrative structure and why splitting the story into “kid chapter” and “adult chapter” was the smartest possible move.
• James brings the expert scare analysis — and takes the BFE to task over their anti-horror bias
• Does Pennywise’s final reveal hold up — or does CGI drain the fear away?
• And finally, whether It: Chapter One is the Best Film Ever — or just the best nightmare you’ll keep watching anyway.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian & Megs for our 301st episode as we grab the remote, face the static, and step into the spectral suburbia of Poltergeist (1982). Liam and Kev? They’re not with us this week — the house they were recording in was built on an ancient podcast burial ground. We haven’t heard from them since, but we’re getting some weird interference through the TV…

This week we discuss:

• 301 episodes in — how did we make it this far without getting dragged into the light?
• How Poltergeist terrified an entire generation while redefining the modern haunted house movie.
• The age-old debate: how much of this film was Tobe Hooper and how much was Steven Spielberg pulling the spectral strings?
• Why the film’s suburban setting hits harder than gothic castles or spooky mansions — horror in the heart of normality.
• The infamous curse surrounding the film’s production — what’s real, what’s coincidence, and what’s just chilling.
• Is Poltergeist actually a family drama disguised as horror, and why does that emotional core make the scares land harder?
• Ian breaks down the film’s special effects and practical wizardry — how they still hold up decades later.
• Ian also shares about some childhood traumas regarding losing beloved toys at school while Megs reminds him that's why you don't bring valuable stuff in
• Why Poltergeist manages to be scary without ever really being gory — and whether that balance is what makes it timeless.
• Why do they have a magic remote control and was the guy costuming Dana a creep?
• And finally, whether Poltergeist is the Best Film Ever — or just the reason we still side-eye our static screens.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam, Megs & Kev as we hit a huge milestone with our 300th episode by reviewing Zack Snyder’s visually explosive, slow-motion-soaked epic 300 (2006). Four hosts, six-packs optional, and absolutely no capes required — though Kev may or may not have shown up in one.

This week we discuss:

• 300 episodes strong — how did we get here, and who yelled the loudest doing it?
• How 300 redefined the look of early-2000s cinema and became the blueprint for a decade of digital epics.
• Is 300 the natural endpoint of a cinematic obsession with masculinity that began with Braveheart and Gladiator?
• Just exactly how much does this movie borrow from these films and which elements does it outright steal
• How the film balances mythic masculinity with questionable historical accuracy — and does it matter?
• Megs is here to give us some historically accurate statements on the battle of Thermopylae
• We've got a classic BFE taste test of a product you won't believe
• Several people reach out to congratulate us and some familiar voices show up to toast with us 
• Which one of us would make the best Spartan, and which one would be sent to tell the story?
• The surprising cultural impact of “This is Sparta!” — and which line from the movie we’ve all been yelling at each other for days.
• Ian breaks down the film’s visual language and pacing — why Snyder’s comic-book literalism both elevates and limits the story.
• And finally, whether 300 is the Best Film Ever—or just the most gloriously sweaty milestone we could’ve picked.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

• We learn the name under which Joaquin Phoenix’s early films were classified—and why it might surprise you.
• There’s a lot of talk about what day of the week the podcast actually comes out on (and whether any of us even know).
• We all want to enter the alternate casting universe to see who the producers wanted to play Suzanne—and whether that version of the film would’ve worked at all.
• Is Suzanne Stone one of Nicole Kidman’s greatest performances—or is she just too good at being awful?
• How the film predicted the age of reality TV and social media fame years before they existed.
• What’s the line between ambition and sociopathy—and where does Suzanne fall on that spectrum?
• How Van Sant uses tone to walk the line between dark comedy and true crime tragedy.
• Why To Die For feels both 1990s and frighteningly current in 2025.
• Which scene left us most uncomfortable—and which line still gets a nervous laugh.
• And finally, whether To Die For is the Best Film Ever—or just the most chillingly relevant film you’ve never revisited.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Liam & Kev for our 298th episode as we log on, code furiously, and sue each other over The Social Network (2010). Megs? She’s not with us this week—she’s in “Facebook jail” for excessive poking (it was bound to happen). We're carrying around a chicken for a week in our 298th episode as we discuss:

• Our best day for downloads ever—and it’s not even close.
• Our trip to an award show (well… kind of).
• A new Patreon joins the fold—proof we’re building our very own social network.
• Just how much credit should the money man get vs the idea man?
• What is it that makes Aaron Sorkin’s writing so great—and why does this film feel like it moves at the speed of thought?
• What’s the one part we think the film gets wrong?
• Does the absence of errors make a film a masterpiece—or does it need a few rough edges to feel human?
• Jesse Eisenberg as Zuckerberg: sympathetic genius or socially awkward supervillain?
• Fincher’s precision—how much of the film’s impact comes from direction versus dialogue?
• And finally, whether The Social Network is the Best Film Ever—or just the sharpest film of the 2010s.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey
• Paul Komoroski

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Join Ian, Megs & Liam for our 297th episode as we put on our fishnets, grab some toast, and throw rice in the aisles for a dive into the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Kev? He makes a very late entrance—literally busting through the door in gold hotpants shouting “Don’t dream it, be it!” in our 297th episode as we discuss:

• Is this the greatest cult film of all time—or just the weirdest date night ever committed to celluloid?
• Do we forgive this film for its lack of consent based on the overall themes of inclusivity… when maybe we really shouldn’t?
• How Tim Curry turned Frank-N-Furter into one of cinema’s most iconic characters—and why no one else could’ve pulled it off.
• Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick as “the straights”—and why they’re the perfect foils for absolute chaos.
• We’ve got some thoughts on free speech and what’s happening with Jimmy Kimmel—because much like Rocky Horror, controversy loves a stage.
• Why the soundtrack still slaps nearly 50 years later—and which numbers we still belt out.
• How the midnight screening culture kept this film alive—and whether fan participation is more fun than the movie itself.
• Which jokes land, which ones haven’t aged well, and why the film still divides audiences.
• Is Rocky Horror satire, celebration, or just… unexplainable?
• And finally, whether The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the Best Film Ever—or just the best excuse to dress up and sing badly in public.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM Hermes Auslander James DeGuzman Synthia Shai Bergerfroind Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most Andy Dickson Chris Pedersen Duane Smith (Duane Smith!) Randal Silva Nate The Great Rev Bruce Cheezy (with a fish on a bike) Richard Ryan Kuketz Dirk Diggler Stew from the Stew World Order podcast NorfolkDomus John Humphrey's Right Foot Timmy Tim Tim Aashrey Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

But does Happy Gilmore 2 sink the putt, or does it slice straight into the water hazard? Ian and Liam dive into Sandler’s return as Happy, looking at whether this decades-later sequel is a hole-in-one of nostalgia or just another gimmicky mulligan.

Does the comedy still connect? Is this cast a fresh foursome that elevates the material, or just a cart-full of familiar faces wheeled back for one more round? The lads explore whether Happy Gilmore 2 captures the heart, silliness, and sheer ridiculous charm of the original—or if it’s just hacking its way through the rough.

How do you make a sequel to a cult sports comedy that already wrapped its story with a bow? Is this the long-awaited victory lap—or a movie that should’ve been left on the driving range?

All this and more in this week’s See It or Skip It review of Happy Gilmore 2—and of course, Ian and Liam will let you know if you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Join Ian, Megs & Liam for our 296th episode as we prowl the streets of San Francisco, badge in one hand and .44 Magnum in the other, for a look at Clint Eastwood’s career-defining role in Dirty Harry (1971). A killer on the loose, a cop who won’t play by the rules, and a city hanging in the balance—this episode asks all the right questions, even if Harry never bothers to. It’s cops, criminals, and constitutional crises in our 296th episode as we ask:

• Yes, Dirty Harry is cool—but do women actually like this film?
• What’s with all the nudity, and how much of it serves the story?
• Why does Scorpio do anything he does—and why does his logic (or lack thereof) drive us mad?
• How has Harry never learned what actually invalidates evidence or a confession? Law 101, Callahan!
• Why does the mayor keep calling him like he’s on speed dial for bad PR?
• How deaf is the kid doing the fishing? And how long would it take for him to notice what’s going on behind him?
• Why is Scorpio so disparate in his understanding of the value of hostages—demanding one thing one moment, then undercutting himself the next?
• Why doesn’t the SFPD sit Harry home when he’s framed on regional television?
• What exactly does the ending mean—resignation, rebellion, or just Eastwood being Eastwood?
• Which line from the film is one of the most misquoted in television history?
• We share some thoughts on the Charlie Kirk shooting and the public’s reaction to it - are we losing our humanity?
• And finally: when exactly does DNA evidence become a thing—and how would it have changed the whole movie?

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

But don’t worry—we’re not flying solo. We’re joined by BFF of the BFE: Shai Bergerfroind, who slipped us a cassette tape of Delfonics tunes and insisted this was the Tarantino film to talk about.

This week we discuss:

• How Jackie Brown might be Tarantino’s most mature film—and why it doesn’t get the same love as Pulp Fiction.
• Pam Grier’s powerhouse performance: is this one of the greatest star comebacks in cinema history?
• Robert De Niro as the quietest ex-con ever—and how a single scene changes everything.
• Samuel L. Jackson’s Ordell: terrifying or hilarious, or both at once?
• Is this the most “realistic” Tarantino film? And does that make it better or just slower?
• Ian and Liam debate whether this film is about survival, romance, or just getting by.
• Shai drops in to explain why the soundtrack is the real star of the film (and why he’s been humming Delfonics all week).
• Which scenes had us holding our breath—and which ones could’ve been trimmed.
• Why Max Cherry might be Tarantino’s most underrated character—and how Robert Forster’s quiet dignity steals the show.
• And finally, whether Jackie Brown is the Best Film Ever—or just the coolest hangout movie you forgot you loved.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

It's a peak behind the curtain as you catch the BFE group just kicking it as we pretend we know what we're doing with Fantasy Football.  In between bites of Pizza and Chicken Nuggets we provide commentary on the picks by our absent drafters (Rev Bruce, Duane Smith, Kevin from The Podcast That Wouldn't Die, Stew from the SWO, Ryan Kuketz, Nate the Great, Juleen, Ensign Ian Davies, and Dirk - whether they're drafting remotely or letting the computer do the heavy lifting)

There's pizza, banter, and a behind-the-scenes perspective that might help you know your BFE peeps a little bit better.

Join Ian, Liam & Kevdog, alongside BFF of the BFE: Hermes Auslander, for our 294th episode as we head into the Rust Belt for gritty drama, family duty, and some Woody Harrelson menace with Out of the Furnace (2013). Megs? She’s away this week on a last-minute trip to Sweden after answering a classified ad for ABBA’s long-lost fifth member—working title: Mamma Mia 3: Megs Strikes Again.

This week we discuss:

• It’s a Hermes pick, so you know what that means—another therapy session on the pod.
• Find out when each of us stopped supporting Woody Harrelson (and for one of us, it’s much later than you’d think).
• What’s the difference between simply stating your opinion and actively trying to sway someone else’s opinion?
• Someone forgets how time zones work in this one (and no, it’s not just Hermes).
• What’s the real measure of being a man: flashy success or the daily grind of quietly providing for your family?
• Is Zoe Saldana a much better actress than we gave her credit for—and is this her most underrated performance?
• Which scene impressed Ian the most with its cinematography—even though it was one of the hardest to watch.
• What exactly was going on with Willem Dafoe’s character—and why can none of us pronounce the name correctly?
• What is the definition of working a double shift, and why do we all seem to have different answers?
• And finally, whether Out of the Furnace is the Best Film Ever—or just a quietly powerful entry in the blue-collar tragedy canon.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

Catch so much more of Hermes Auslander on The Scuttlebutt Podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-scuttlebutt-podcast/id1503504933 (Apple) or https://open.spotify.com/show/2n9CNB9X6QXnmvn78HBEoJ?si=1bf26c4a13cd4234 (Spotify)

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

This week we discuss:

• Ian and Liam get into a dust-up about what constitutes a gang—whose side are you on?
• What's with all the wavering accents in this film?
• How on earth did Magneto know that Rogue had her powers when Rogue, Wolverine, and even Professor X didn’t?
• Ian delights in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo by a Canadian Prime Minister (true patriot love).
• We reflect on Auschwitz as a tourist destination and Ian shares a story about a fashion faux pas that might have landed him on the wrong tour.
• Was Anna Paquin actually the biggest star attached to the film at the time of its release?
• You won’t guess what Bryan Singer banned from the set—and no, it wasn’t claws.
• Our favourite ghostwriter pops up once again—this time with a surprising link to X-Men.
• Alternate casting choices: the Wolverine that makes us laugh out loud, and a Professor X that would’ve been a disaster… but we still want to see it, even if the studio told him to “beat it” (not like that).
• How do superheroes actually get their names? That’s the class we wanted to see at Xavier’s.
• What exactly are the rules of Mystique’s powers again—and why is Toad weirdly overpowered?
• Which character has the worst trash talk despite having the perfect set-up? (Spoiler: lightning shouldn’t strike twice.)
• We talk about meeting up with two Friends of the Podcast this week and drinking pints no matter the occasion.
• One cast member opens up about a wardrobe malfunction that made mutant fashion even harder to pull off.
• And finally, whether X-Men (2000) is the Best Film Ever—or just the first stepping stone on the path to superhero dominance.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

• Which member of the cast desperately needed an advocate behind the scenes just to get the part.
• Are there times when being a bad actor or actress is actually the right call in casting?
• Ian stumbles upon an almost-casting he would’ve loved to have seen—and another rumoured choice we take great umbrage with.
• Is the pottery scene one of the greatest cinematic moments of all time… or do we only remember it that way?
• Are Molly and Sam too perfect as a couple? Or is that exactly why the film works?
• Who on earth came up with the name Sam Wheat for the protagonist? We’ve got questions.
• Why does the cat only show up in two scenes—and does it secretly hold the key to ghost physics?
• Speaking of which: we welcome back Ghost Physics 101 as a proud course in the ever-expanding BFE syllabus.
• The sad story (both in canon and real life) of the Subway Ghost—no $5 footlongs here, just heartbreak and haunting.
• And finally, whether Ghost is the Best Film Ever—or just the most romantic take on death since Shakespeare.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

We’re trading banana peels and baseball anthems for snow fortresses and Paris folding in on itself as we discuss:

• Why Inception still stands as one of Nolan’s most ambitious films—and whether the world has caught up to its complexity.
• Nolan is a genius of narrative construction, but are there times where genius needs governance to ensure the story remains accessible for the masses?
• Why do the subsequent dream layers respect the science required to access the first dream—and why do they stack so neatly when logic suggests they shouldn’t?
• How Inception violates the golden rule of introducing a “superpower” (in this case, a key ability) and then never using it again for the rest of the movie.
• The art of lucid dreaming, and how being alone this week means Ian can finally reveal what his recurring dream looks like (spoiler: it involves movie theatres).
• Which dream layer steals the show—and which feels like the bathroom break level.
• The ongoing debate: does the ending mean something definitive, or is that missing the point?
• Why Inception works as both a blockbuster and an intimate story about loss, guilt, and letting go.
• How Hans Zimmer’s score became a cultural event—and why the “BRAAAM” sound is still echoing through cinema today.
• And finally, whether Inception is the Best Film Ever—or just a beautiful puzzle box we’ll keep spinning forever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

We’re asking the big questions: were we fooled by a worked injury? Has Cody Rhodes finally stopped crying? Should Johnny Gargano and Candace LaRae be in couples counselling? What do you do when what's called "literal handcuffs" aren't actually handcuffs on a card that will have actual handcuffs later in the night? Why is SmackDown's tag roster so strong compared to Raw and the same for Raw's women's division vs Smackdown? How do we feel about the John Cena heel turn, it's subsequent babyface turn and the big surprise ending to both nights? 

Plus, Ian reveals a punny future feud for Big Bronson Reed.

We’re unpacking all that and more from WWE SummerSlam 2025—and of course, we’ll tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Hear so much more of Stew on his website - https://swoproductions.com/

and on his podcast:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stew-world-order/id1559913522

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6fLcKIHFrYBwMqhFryFMM6

• In slapstick, how silly is too silly? Is there a line—or is the whole point to obliterate it with a steamroller and a tuba?
• Kev shares stories from his recent trip to New York City: the sights, the sounds, and whether each of us are New York or Los Angeles people
• Ian talks about the return of the weight game and how this is a summer of inward reflection
• Ian also shares some personal stories about his father—and how certain films like The Naked Gun carry more than just laughs; they carry memories.
• We explore Leslie Nielsen’s genius—how his straight-faced absurdity became the gold standard for parody.
• Can a film this silly still resonate in today’s comedy landscape? Or is this brand of humour an extinct species?
• Do background jokes, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sight gags, and tightly wound chaos make this more than just a spoof—Does it become precision parody?
• Baseball anthems, the Queen in peril, exploding toilets, and a police officer with the worst undercover skills in cinematic history.
• And finally, whether The Naked Gun is the Best Film Ever—or just a walk down memory lane

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

• Was Idiocracy always this smart, or has the world just gotten that dumb?
• We explore how a film that bombed at release has somehow become the most referenced dystopia not named Orwell.
• What does it say about society that Mike Judge’s lowbrow future doesn’t seem that far off?
• Synthia breaks down the subtle and not-so-subtle satire—and why this film still hits different in a post-algorithm world.
• Ian wonders whether the comedy lands… or whether it’s just too bleak to laugh anymore.
• Liam confesses which part of the film made him physically cringe (hint: it's not just the opening montage).
• We talk about the difference between satire and smugness, and where Idiocracy walks that tightrope.
• Is the film's central conceit plausible… or offensively oversimplified?
• With the film's conceit being that everyone is stupid, are we allowed to get frustrated with the tone for being too stupid?
• Why Terry Crews as President Camacho might be the most pitch-perfect casting choice in a dystopian comedy ever.
• What modern products or trends Idiocracy weirdly predicted (we’re looking at you, reality TV and clickbait).
• And finally, whether Idiocracy is the Best Film Ever—or just the most important film people still haven’t seen.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

But does First Steps finally get the formula right, or are we in for another cosmic misfire? Ian and Stew dive into Marvel’s bold new take on Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben to see whether this origin story is a launchpad for greatness or just another lab experiment gone wrong.

Is the chemistry there? Does this new cast feel like a family, or a focus group-approved placeholder for bigger MCU plans? The lads explore whether First Steps captures the heart, weirdness, and wonder of Marvel’s most important team—or if it's just spinning its wheels in the Negative Zone.

How do you reboot a franchise that’s already had multiple false starts? Is this a fresh coat of cosmic paint, or more of the same with shinier suits?

All this and more in this week’s See It or Skip It review of Fantastic Four: First Steps—and of course, Ian and Stew will let you know if you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Here so much more of Stew on his website - https://swoproductions.com/

and on his podcast  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stew-world-order/id1559913522

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6fLcKIHFrYBwMqhFryFMM6

• The real-life beef between Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw—method acting, ego clashes, and barbed insults at sea.
• Spielberg’s first reaction to hearing the now-iconic Jaws theme from John Williams… and why he thought it was a joke.
• Just how crucial it is to find an actress who can tick all the boxes—especially when it comes to screaming convincingly.
• The urban legend behind the film’s POV shots—and whether the broken shark really made the film better.
• Is the actual shark reveal a thrilling payoff… or a rubbery letdown? We break down whether it holds water.
• We all agreed it’s a film of two halves—but did we agree on which half was better?
• Would Jaws still work with a female character in one (or more) of the core trio? We explore casting, gender dynamics, and cabin tension.
• How many big screams should a film have? Is there a magic number—or do we just love that head-in-the-boat moment too much?
• Does Brody have the worst wife ever for casually revealing his deepest fear to a total stranger at dinner?
• The key changes from the Peter Benchley novel—and why most of them were for the better (goodbye, mafia subplot).
• Why Spielberg was convinced he'd never work again after Jaws—and how it nearly swallowed his career whole before making him a legend.
• And finally, whether Jaws is the Best Film Ever.

Catch so much more of Carlo on The Movie Loot on Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-movie-loot/id1578191119

or on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/4o5ZvtvZ64XAoxIIxiAj1q

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

But can a new Clark Kent make us believe a man can fly again? Ian and Stew suit up to explore whether this fresh take brings truth, justice, and cinematic clarity—or if it’s just another reboot weighed down by origin story fatigue.

Does Superman (2025) soar with the charm and optimism fans have been craving, or does it buckle under the pressure of launching an entire universe? The lads dig into David Corenswet’s debut as the Last Son of Krypton, the tone shift from past incarnations, and whether Gunn balances heroism with humanity.

What should a Superman film offer in a post-Snyder world? Are we getting a genuine symbol of hope—or just another cape in a crowd of cinematic spandex?

All this and more in this week’s See It or Skip It review of Superman (2025)—and of course, Ian and Stew will let you know if you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Here so much more of Stew on his website - https://swoproductions.com/

and on his podcast  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stew-world-order/id1559913522

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6fLcKIHFrYBwMqhFryFMM6

It’s another edition of See It or Skip It and this time Ian and Liam are trading pit stops for popcorn as they take on F1 (2025) — the high-octane feature debut of Joseph Kosinski’s long-rumoured Formula 1 blockbuster. But with Brad Pitt behind the wheel and a grid full of fictional racers, does F1 actually cross the finish line, or is it just burning fuel for two hours?

Ian and Liam are here to rev their engines and break down whether this racing drama earns pole position among sports films or stalls out on the formation lap. Does F1 deliver the speed, spectacle, and spirit of the sport, or does it take a detour into Hollywood clichés, CGI corners and an extended advert for F1, Tommy Hilfiger, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi?

What should an F1 movie really accomplish in its opening lap? Is this a thoughtful love letter to motorsport fans, or a flashy pit stop for casuals with a need for speed? The boys examine whether the fictional Apex GP team is worth rooting for—or if they're just coasting off the Ferrari fumes.

All this and more in this week’s See It or Skip It review of F1 (The Movie)—and of course, Ian and Liam let you know if you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

• Does Daniel LaRusso bring most of his problems onto himself? We break down whether he’s the underdog—or the instigator.
• What is the difference between a cute girl and a hot girl? And where does Elizabeth Shue’s Alli fall on the spectrum of '80s love interests?
• Does Ralph Macchio wear one of the all-time worst Halloween costumes in movie history? (Spoiler: Yes. Yes, he does.)
• Can you really learn black belt-level karate in just a few weeks? Or did Daniel unlock cheat codes under Mr. Miyagi’s tutelage?
• Ian goes to war with the score—and one particular song that just doesn’t belong.
• The film suggests America was batty about soccer in the '80s. Was that true… or just wishful screenwriting?
• Why the studio was reluctant to cast Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi—and how he proved them all spectacularly wrong.
• Ian finds a way to shave 10 minutes off the runtime—Miyagi would approve of the efficiency.
• Why does Daniel’s mother uproot their entire life for a job that seems… deeply underwhelming?
• Does Daniel deserve Alli in the end—or was she just too good for this drama-prone karate kid?
• We wax (lyrically) on and off about themes, nostalgia, and tournament ethics.
• And finally, whether The Karate Kid is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

• We look at how Superman redefined the superhero genre before it was a genre—and why it still matters nearly 50 years later.
• Why Christopher Reeve may be the most perfectly cast superhero of all time, and how his dual performance still holds up.
• Ian dives into the film’s structure and why the three-act split (Krypton, Kansas, Metropolis) feels so bold and ambitious.
• We condemn and then forgive Teen Clark (Jeff East) and  do likewise for Brando but without the forgiveness at the end
• We discuss whether Lex Luthor is a credible villain—or just a walking punchline with a killer property portfolio.
• Liam marvels at the charm, the score, and the genuine sense of wonder—while struggling not to get emotional about Pa Kent.
• We ask: does the “reverse time” ending still fly? Or is that where the cape starts to fray?
• And of course: whether Superman (1978) is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

• Ian shares a personal story about how his perspective on film shifted dramatically this week—and why Heneral Luna hit harder than expected.
• We talk about rediscovering old hobbies and how sometimes history—and a great movie—can reignite forgotten passions.
• We’ve got some big BFE cast news to share—don’t worry, no one got court-martialed.
• Was Antonio Luna an epic figure… but a deeply unlikeable man? We break down the myth and the man.
• At what point do patriotism and ego diverge—especially in military leadership? And how much of Luna’s downfall was self-inflicted?
• Why is this vital and volatile chapter of Filipino history completely absent from most American history books?
• Juleen joins us with powerful insights from her time living in Southern California and how Heneral Luna resonates against today’s shifting political tides.
• Our Rodecaster decides to go full rebellion, jumping ship mid-episode—more than once.
• What’s with all the Jesus imagery? From framing to posture to betrayal, Luna doesn’t hold back.
• One scene left Ian absolutely gobsmacked—he didn’t see it coming, and we’re still picking our jaws off the floor.
• Why did troop movements in this film feel like Season 8 of Game of Thrones? Can we get a map?
• Are Americans great marksmen… or hilariously awful? And what made standing up in battle a form of actual camouflage?
• Whether Heneral Luna is the Best Film Ever—or just the best film you’ve never heard of.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

• What is it about films that explore the pursuit of greatness that gets our hearts racing every time?
• We break down why stories with duelling personalities—like Hunt and Lauda—are so compelling, especially when each sees themselves reflected in the other.
• What elements of the true story were changed, streamlined, or dialled up to eleven for cinematic effect?
• Ian and Liam try to figure out which one of them is the reckless playboy and which is the meticulous technician… and it gets uncomfortable quickly.
• We talk about the power of respect over friendship, the blurred lines between envy and admiration, and why this film might be Ron Howard’s unsung masterpiece.
• Whether Rush is the Best Film Ever—or just one hell of a ride worth taking.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

• We are so very thankful for a new piece of kit that limited our downtime this week
• We talk about why Toy Story 3 might just be the best third act in any trilogy ever.
• Ian reflects on the passage of time, growing up, and how Pixar weaponised emotion in the final 20 minutes.
• Liam bravely tries to hold it together during that incinerator scene—and that goodbye with Andy.
• Is Lotso one of Pixar’s greatest villains and what is it about him that Liam hates so much but Ian loves so much?
• We talk about daycare as dystopia, Big Baby as horror icon, why Mr. Pricklepants deserved more screen time and who exactly is watching these kids at the daycare?
• Why does this hit so hard for adults? Is it just about toys—or everything we leave behind?
• Ian breaks down the film’s narrative structure and how it perfectly mirrors growing up and letting go.
• Whether Toy Story 3 is the Best Film Ever—or just the most emotionally devastating G-rated film of all time.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

• At what point exactly did Brad Pitt's & Angelina Jolie's respective existing marriages become doomed
• The world of super spies and just how deep your cover has to be before you forget who you're actually married to.
• We get a guest review from a parent of a podcaster this week—they've certainly chosen a side
• Do our respective genders guarantee a same-gender allegiance or is it up for grabs
• One of us struggles to accept the film’s central conceit (spoiler: it involves assassins, suburbs, and how you manage to create your respective weapons stashes).
• How this film caused a minor international incident 
• We ask the big question: Was Brad Pitt a character actor trapped in a movie star’s body all along?
• What’s wrong with the narrative pacing—and why does it feel like the film ran out of bullets before the third act?
• We dive into the ongoing conversation around gender pay equality, especially when both leads aren't marquee stars.
• Is this a great film or just a very stylish couples' argument with body count.
• How much mediocrity can great chemistry overcome
• Whether Mr. & Mrs. Smith is the Best Film Ever

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

It’s another Sunday edition of See It or Skip It and this time Ian is flying solo to crane-kick his way through Karate Kid: Legends (2025), the latest legacy sequel to join the dojo of long-dormant franchises getting a fresh coat of wax. But did we really need another Karate Kid movie?

Ian’s here to break down whether this spiritual sequel finds balance or just breaks the board. Does Legends honour the conventions we expect from a Karate Kid film—training montages, tournaments, and that moment of quiet wisdom from a mentor—or does it skip straight to a breakneck pace that leaves the heart of the series behind?

What should a legacy sequel accomplish in its first outing? Is this film content to lean on nostalgia, or does it earn its place in the Karate Kid canon? Ian explores whether the new characters bring something meaningful to the dojo or if they’re just here to bow respectfully and cash in.

All this and more in this week’s See It or Skip It review of Karate Kid: Legends—and of course, Ian lets you know if you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

• Why Ian still can’t remember androgynous character names—and what that means for Andy and the podcast’s collective patience.
• We get into a surprisingly spirited debate over what foreclosure actually means (and how much Spielberg economics we're willing to accept).
• What’s the real tragedy behind the film’s stunning set design—and the moment it all went poof.
• Which young actor accidentally ruined an iconic shot… and whether Spielberg ever truly forgave him.
• We get honest about Chunk, fat shaming, and how watching it through a 2025 lens left some of us feeling a little queasy.
• We go over some podcast metrics, because if the Fratellis can chase gold, we can at least check our download stats.
• Who far outpunches his small role in the cast—and who far outkicked his coverage romantically (we’re actually not looking at Brand).
• Kev’s brought along some exotic treats (if you’re English), and reactions range from delighted to deflated.
• Someone (take a guess) tries to do some serious heavy lifting to make the central treasure-hunting plot actually make sense.
• Ian gives what he thinks is a masterclass in narrative construction and points out where The Goonies missed a few easy wins (even with pirate ships involved).
• Whether The Goonies is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
• Hermes Auslander
• James DeGuzman
• Synthia
• Shai Bergerfroind
• Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
• Andy Dickson
• Chris Pedersen
• Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
• Randal Silva
• Nate The Great
• Rev Bruce
• Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
• Richard
• Ryan Kuketz
• Dirk Diggler
• Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
• NorfolkDomus
• John Humphrey's Right Foot
• Timmy Tim Tim
• Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

• Liam talks far too much about a film that we're not reviewing today (but what else is new?).
• We correct a few political misnomers from last week, because facts matter—especially when ghosts are listening.
• Ian talks about the passing of George Wendt; Liam, not to be outdone, imagines the hypothetical passing of one of his heroes.
• Megs joins us and delivers a full-on mini-episode as she trials her new sidepod and recounts her real-life triumph over the forces of nature.
• We debate whether Jack Nicholson is giving a genuinely strong performance… or just letting his charisma do all the heavy lifting.
• Is there causality in this story—or is it all just vibes? And if there isn’t, shouldn’t that break the movie?
• Ian reveals who he’s in good company with on this one—and who he most certainly is not.
• Ian also explains the origin of the iconic “Here’s Johnny!” line to, well… everyone.
• Ian asks if this movie is trying to cram two different horror movies into one
• Liam swears this isn't a horror movie and the boys try to come up with a list of what makes a film a horror film

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM Hermes Auslander James DeGuzman Synthia Shai Bergerfroind Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most Andy Dickson Chris Pedersen Duane Smith (Duane Smith!) Randal Silva Nate The Great Rev Bruce Cheezy (with a fish on a bike) Richard Ryan Kuketz Dirk Diggler Stew from the Stew World Order podcast NorfolkDomus John Humphrey's Right Foot Timmy Tim Tim Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

If it is the end, is this truly a satisfying send-off for the franchise, or are we looking at Fast & Furious–style diminishing returns? Has the series said everything it has to say—or is there still life in the IMF yet? Is the plot compelling, or just another excuse to jump off a mountain with a briefcase? Do the emotional stakes hit as hard as the explosions? And most importantly—how many masks is too many masks?

Ian and Liam break down the set pieces, the pacing, the performances, and whether Final Reckoning delivers on nearly 30 years of buildup—or if it’s time for Ethan Hunt to finally accept that some missions really are impossible.

All that and more in this week’s See It or Skip It—and then they tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

• How Ordinary People took the 1980 Oscars by storm 
• Does the film’s quiet intensity still hit home—or has its reserved style become a relic of another era?
• Is Conrad a deeply sympathetic protagonist—or a mirror too uncomfortable to look into?
• How Ordinary People explores mental health, emotional repression, and the cold war between appearance and authenticity.
• Would the film still work today or have we successfully de-stigmatized mental health, trauma, and therapy?
• Which character we most relate to – and does that change 
• Where Mary Tyler Moore lands in the pantheon of dramatic performances. And what’s someone's major gripe with her character’s arc?
• Speaking of gripes—can we talk about that family photo scene?
• We’ve got questions about golf sweaters, family breakfast tension, and how much pain can hide behind tickets to Michigan State
• We get personal about how Ordinary People affected us—and whether we saw ourselves in any of its emotional breakdowns.
• We talk quiet power, redemptive silence, and the importance of just… being there for someone.
• Whether Ordinary People is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM Hermes Auslander James DeGuzman Synthia Shai Bergerfroind Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most Andy Dickson Chris Pedersen Duane Smith (Duane Smith!) Randal Silva Nate The Great Rev Bruce Cheezy (with a fish on a bike) Richard Ryan Kuketz Dirk Diggler Stew from the Stew World Order podcast NorfolkDomus John Humphrey's Right Foot Timmy Tim Tim Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

• How Crash sparked intense debate in 2004 and controversially drove off with Best Picture.
• Does the film still resonate 20 years later—or has its commentary aged as awkwardly as some of its dialogue?
• Is Crash a powerful mirror to society… or a heavy-handed lecture?
• How Crash explores race, prejudice, guilt, and the unseen connections that bind us.
• Which character’s arc hit us hardest – and which character has multiple members of the BFE auditioning for the role?
• Is Crash misunderstood genius—or awards bait that tricked us all?
• Where the film sits among Best Picture winners. And what’s our biggest gripe with its storytelling choices?
• Which characters does the film tell us to forgive - and do we?
• Speaking of gripes—do any of these characters actually change?
• We get personal about when we first saw Crash, and how our take on the film has evolved over time (or crashed and burned).
• We talk intense performances, sweeping coincidences, and how this film could only have been made at this exact time
• Whether Crash is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

• Whether Revenge of the Sith sticks the landing for the prequel trilogy—or crashes harder than General Grievous’ escape pod.
• Does the film finally deliver the emotional payoff the prequels promised?
• Is Anakin’s fall convincing… or did he turn to the dark side over some bad dreams?
• Why does the reason for Anakin's turn seem inconsistent in this one
• Are Restie award winners, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman any better this go around or is a back-to-back a likely result?
• We talk about our philosophical stances and what happens when 2 of them crash into each other?
• Which Jedi we’d most likely be – and who’s clearly the Palpatine of the group
• Is this film secretly the best prequel—or just the least clunky one?
• Where does the Anakin/Obi Wan light saber fight fall in the history of duels in Star Wars?
• Speaking of gripes – was Padmé done dirty by giving her nothing to do?
• Does George Lucas understand love?
• We ask how Order 66 compares to another major franchise's big emotional disaster
• Whether Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM Hermes Auslander James DeGuzman Synthia Shai Bergerfroind Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most Andy Dickson Chris Pedersen Duane Smith (Duane Smith!) Randal Silva Nate The Great Rev Bruce Cheezy (with a fish on a bike) Richard Ryan Kuketz Dirk Diggler Stew from the Stew World Order podcast NorfolkDomus John Humphrey's Right Foot Timmy Tim Tim Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

It’s another Sunday edition of See It or Skip It and this time Ian is joined by BFF of the BFE to tackle the Marvel anti-hero team-up Phase Five film Thunderbolts* (2025), Marvel’s messiest group project yet.  Does Jake Schreier bring something fresh to a story about second chances and dangerous alliances—or is it all attitude with no real heart? Does the film's central theme and newest character go to a brave place for Marvel in discussing some very real places in the very silly comic book world or is it in danger of glorifying a self-destroying pattern of behaviour. Was Bucky actually beneficial in this story or was he just some MCU star power to give the group legitimacy.  Could the film have worked if we'd made Bucky the main character? Where does Thunderbolts* fit among Marvel's post-snap catalogue?

Ian & James tackle all these questions and more in this week’s See It or Skip It review of Thunderbolts*—and then they tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

We’re swapping Chimera viruses for jazz-fueled chaos and slow-motion gunfights for full-blown cinematic mayhem as we discuss:

• How Babylon might be the most Damien Chazelle movie that ever Damien Chazelle’d.
• Does this film capture the magic and madness of early Hollywood—or is it just chaotic noise?
• Is Manny Torres a true dreamer… or just a wide-eyed bystander to Hollywood’s self-destruction... or is he a corrupted soul that we overlook?
• Apparently there's a rule about taking Class-A drugs with company (well, in Act I anyways)
• How large is the demand for sweeping, three-hour epics about the birth of movies?
• Which Babylon character we’d most likely be—and who’s definitely channeling peak "trainwreck energy" 
• Is this an underappreciated masterpiece—or an overindulgent fever dream of excess?
• Is Babylon a love letter to cinema or a cautionary tale wrapped in champagne and elephant dung?
• We’ve got questions about giant parties, sudden snake fights, drug-fueled breakdowns, and how much elephant content is too much.
• At what point is the film in on the joke it's making and at what point does that film become the joke?
• We're joined by BFF of the BFE: James DeGuzman who tells us why this film is so much more than the punchline film critics have mmade it out to be
• Whether Babylon is the Best Film Ever.

• The seal of quality that Pixar Animation used to stand for and why has that depreciated over time
• How much of a marvel was Toy Story and why can't they let it go
• Did the success of Pixar result in the death of traditional hand-drawn animation?
• Are Pixar films meant for adult audiences over child audiences?
• We present the audience and BFE Top 10 lists for the best Pixar films ever ever

If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you.  Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

It’s another Sunday edition of See It or Skip It and this time Ian is taking on Sinners (2025), Ryan Coogler’s dark new thriller starring Michael B. Jordan. Was this a smart reinvention of classic genre tropes or just another stylish slow-burn? Does Coogler bring something deeper to a story about survival and temptation—or is it all atmosphere without enough bite? Is Michael B. Jordan believable as a pair of men wrestling with his their legacies and reinventing themselves? You can see the material it draws from. Does Sinners do something new with it though or is it just a retread of places we've already been? Does Sinners lean too much into moody tension, or does it actually deliver emotional payoff? Is Sinners a future genre classic—or just an ambitious but uneven swing? Finally, does the movie stick the landing or does it just kind of suck?

Ian tackles all these questions and more in this week's See It or Skip It review of Sinners—and then tells you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

• How Mission: Impossible 2 became the most John Woo movie that ever John Woo’d.
• Does this sequel hold up as a stylish thrill ride—or is it just all style, no substance?
• Is Ethan Hunt a superspy… or just a shampoo commercial with explosives?
• What exactly does an audience want to see out of a Mission: Impossible film exactly
• Which member of Ethan’s crew we’d most likely be – and who’s clearly channeling peak Dougray Scott vibes.
• Is this the weakest link in the franchise—or an underappreciated relic of early-2000s action excess?
• Is Ethan Hunt a character or just an avatar for Tom Cruise to do James Bondesque films
• Speaking of gripes—what exactly was Ambrose’s plan again?
• We've got questions about masks, voice strips, motorcycles, and why no one seems fazed by endless slo-mo doves.
• We talk flamenco espionage, face-swapping twists, and the importance of always removing your sunglasses dramatically.
• Just how many actors were only in this film for the paycheck?
• Was Thandiwe Newton bad in this or is she just poorly written for and poorly directed?
• Is this the lustiest film in the Franchise?
• Whether Mission: Impossible 2 is the Best Film Ever.

We’re asking the big questions: how long can you keep someone a heel when the crowd is clearly with them? Was Bayley hard done by? Did WWE finally get held to account tonight after tempting fate for 20 years?  Can you assign Travis Scott as a proxy for The Rock? What happens if the audience don't know your pop culture references or personalities? Is the Main Event the right time for a live read for a sponsor? Did AJ Styles just give Logan Paul his worst WrestleMania match ever? And is there a ceiling on what you can do with Drew McIntyre? Plus, what wrestling pet peeves does Ian disclose tonight?

We’ll tackle all of that and more from WrestleMania 41 (Night Two)—and of course, we’ll tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

We’re asking the big questions: what do you do when a wrestler really isn't making progress, is there a babyface team worth cheering for on Raw, without strong babyfaces how do you make believeable heels?  Should WWE stop mentioning Big E if there's no chance of him being active in any capacity, is Tiffany Stratton ready for her spot? Was Charlotte Flair trying to sabotage her own match? Will Chad Gable ever get a match now that newcomers Rey Fenix and El Grande Americano have made their WrestleMania debuts and what did Paul Heyman do in the Main Event?

We’ll tackle all of that and more from WrestleMania 41 (Night One)—and of course, we’ll tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.

Give em' the old Razzle Dazzle, Razzle Dazzle 'em. This week, we dive into The Last Showgirl (2024)—a poignant and surprisingly intimate drama that shines a spotlight on the final curtain call of a forgotten performer. Starring Pamela Anderson in a career-redefining role, the film follows a seasoned Las Vegas showgirl grappling with what comes after the music fades and the makeup comes off.

We’ll examine the storytelling—Does The Last Showgirl speak to something deeper than a typical showbiz redemption arc? How does Pamela Anderson anchor the film with surprising depth, vulnerability, and quiet power? And perhaps most importantly: how does it explore the things we tell ourselves to keep going—the inner monologues we cling to when chasing the happy endings we think we deserve? 

We’ll also break down the film’s tone and presentation—Is it a loving tribute to old-school showbiz, or a eulogy for what was left behind? Do the glimmers of glamour still matter when they’re tinged with loneliness and longing? And is this a film that requires nostalgia for the past—or is it more about the universal fear of being forgotten? Finally, could this film have been made with anyone else in the lead role or is the whole film a reflexive meta-narrative on the lead actress herself?

We’ll tackle all these questions as we dissect the film and tell you if we think you should SEE IT or SKIP IT!

• How Predator blurred the lines between action, horror, and sci-fi to create something original.

• Does the film still pack a punch nearly 40 years later—or is it just macho nostalgia on steroids?

• How manly are the manly men in this film both on and off the set?

• Which team member we’d most likely be – and who’s 100% Billy with that intense stare.

• Is Predator secretly a slasher film in disguise? And does that make the Predator the villain... or the star?

• What’s Liam's main gripe about the Predator's rules of engagement?

• Why was this film so insistent on telling rather than showing

• We've got questions mud camouflage, heat vision, and respecting the preparation montage

• We get personal about  Arnold’s peak era, and childhood memories of watching this way too young.

• Whether Predator is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM Hermes Auslander James DeGuzman Synthia Shai Bergerfroind Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most Andy Dickson Chris Pedersen Duane Smith (Duane Smith!) Randal Silva Nate The Great Rev Bruce Cheezy (with a fish on a bike) Richard Ryan Kuketz Dirk Diggler Stew from the Stew World Order podcast NorfolkDomus John Humphrey's Right Foot Timmy Tim Tim Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.

• How American Psycho satirized toxic masculinity, consumer culture, and Wall Street excess with a killer smile.
• Does Patrick Bateman still hold up as a character—or has society caught up with his brand of narcissistic nihilism?
• Is the film’s horror in the violence… or in the soulless perfection?
• How American Psycho explores identity, superficiality, and the slippery slope of sanity.
• Which character we’d most likely be cast as – and who’s definitely the Paul Allen of the group.
• Is American Psycho misunderstood because of its violence, or revered because of how it frames it?
• This film gives us a chance to talk about two concepts we touched on last week: unreliable narrators and what exactly makes a character a protagonist
• Speaking of complaints—what about the other men in Bateman’s world? Are they any better?
• We've got questions about how soundproof the apartments by the park are that they don't hear chainsaws in hallways
• We talk about whether all traditional masculinity is essentially toxic and Liam discusses his need for closure
• Last week one of us made a prediction about the other's likely verdict on the film. Did they pull it off?
• Whether American Psycho is the Best Film Ever.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE.

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM Hermes Auslander James DeGuzman Synthia Shai Bergerfroind Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most Andy Dickson Chris Pedersen Duane Smith (Duane Smith!) Randal Silva Nate The Great Rev Bruce Cheezy (with a fish on a bike) Richard Ryan Kuketz Dirk Diggler Stew from the Stew World Order podcast NorfolkDomus John Humphrey's Right Foot Timmy Tim Tim Aashrey

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.