This episode is on The Sixth Sense (1999), a film I first saw in cinemas back when twists like this could still genuinely surprise audiences. Rewatching it now, I was struck by how well it still holds up — extraordinary performances from Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette and Bruce Willis, plus a brilliantly original script that remains just as rewarding even when you know exactly where it’s going.

This episode is about Subway (1985). I hadn’t seen it since the early 90s and what struck me most was how completely wrong my memory of it had been. I’d remembered a tense action thriller, but what I found instead was pure 80s style — eccentric characters, great music, strange energy and a film that feels more like a long music video than a conventional story. Sometimes pure distraction is exactly what you need.

This episode is about The Russia House (1990). What struck me most on revisiting it wasn’t the spy story, but simply spending time in the Soviet Union of 1990. Sean Connery is perfectly cast, but for me Michelle Pfeiffer completely steals the film. A slow, patient spy thriller that puts all its faith in character rather than action.

This episode is about The Hateful Eight (2015). I hadn’t revisited it in about 11 years, and it’s always been the forgotten Tarantino for me. Going back to it now, I was struck by how impressive it looks — that sense of isolation in the blizzard and the widescreen photography really stand out. But I also found it a much tougher watch than I remembered.

This episode is about Manhattan (1979). Revisiting it after thirty years, I was struck again by how beautiful it looks — New York in black and white is still extraordinary. But the film itself now feels more self-absorbed and uncomfortable than I remembered. A hugely influential film, but one that’s become more complicated with time.

This episode is on The Club (1980). I remembered really liking this when I first saw it in the 90s, but revisiting it now it feels much more theatrical and melodramatic than I recall. Strong nostalgia for late 70s Australia, but overall not quite as convincing this time around.

This episode is on Toni Erdmann (2016). A very strange film and one that takes its time — much slower and far less comedic than I expected at first. But once it settles into the father-daughter relationship, it becomes surprisingly funny, moving, and quietly profound about the way we live and what actually matters.

This episode is on The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996).

Rewatching it now, I found myself less interested in Larry Flynt the man and more drawn to the film’s bigger ideas around free speech, censorship and hypocrisy. Great performances all round, but a film that feels a little less provocative and a little more exhausting with time.

This episode is on Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007). It’s a simple setup that spirals fast — two brothers planning a robbery that goes wrong in ways that ripple out into everything else. What stuck with me coming back to it is how controlled it feels, even as everything in it is collapsing.

It’s a film about greed, family, and the point where bad decisions stop being fixable. Tight, bleak, and quietly devastating.

This episode is on Scarface (1983). It’s Tony Montana’s rise and fall — all ambition, excess, and self-destruction. It’s loud, violent, and iconic, but underneath it’s really just a straight line from wanting everything to losing everything.