Films on Trial

Longlegs is on trial this week. The daddy of detective horror films or does it trip over itself?

Gav defends, stating that superb direction and a great aesthetic put him in seventh heaven. The devil is in the details for Ausy and Alex however, as they say a promising beginning ultimately collapses in a poor third act with podcast favourite up to his old antics.

All this with an impression of Cage doing an impression of Marc Bolan, and a quiz all about serial killers in films.

www.filmsontrial.co.uk/261

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Renfield is in the dock this week. Something to sink our teeth into or does it make our blood boil?

Dave defends, arguing a tight script and a killer premise make this film slay. Gav prosecutes, saying a messy mash of genres and confusing plot turns ended up breaking his heart.

All this with an impression of Dracula and a quiz where we guess the vampire movie from the tagline. 'Eine symphonie des grauens', anybody?

www.filmsontrial.co.uk/260

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Gone in 60 Seconds is on trial this week. Is this an old banger or will it drive us round the bend?

Ausy, a long time fan of Gone in 60 Seconds, finally gets the chance to defend this car heist classic with Dave, arguing it set the formula for car action films for the next 20 years. Joel and Alex prosecute, saying that a lack of cars in a car movie is criminal, and that too many characters means big actors like Robert Duval are left in the dust.

All this with an impression of Vinnie Jones and a quiz all about some of Nicolas Cage's films from his later career, such as Primal. Does he fight a massive white jaguar on a boat or an assassin? Or both?

www.filmsontrial.co.uk/259

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The Wicker Man (2006) is on trial this week. Sweet as honey or better left in its cage?

Gav defends, saying that watching Nicolas Cage karate chop his way through a pagan mystery dressed as a bear is tough to top. Dave and Alex argue that a smattering of unintentionally hilarious moments do not make up for the fact that this remake of a horror classic has taken out all the actual horror.

All this with an impression and quiz about the main man himself, Nicolas Cage.

www.filmsontrial.co.uk/258

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The Wicker Man (1973) is on trial this week. Do we like these apples or is it a basket case?

Gav argues a gripping story about paganism and Christianity topped off with one of the finest finales in horror history make this a classic. Dave and Alex argue it tries to be both a mystery-horror and a deep discussion of religion, ending up as neither.

All this with an impression of Christopher Lee and another of a flaming Edward Woodward, with a quiz all about angles in historic monuments.

www.filmsontrial.co.uk/257

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Aladdin (2019) is on trial this week. Is it a magic carpet ride, or a step too Jafar?

Gav celebrates the film's musical numbers, and highlights that a lot of the controversies of the original have been addressed. Alex argues that an odd choice in director and a subpar genie really hinder the film.

There are great arguments from both sides, an impression of Guy Richie, and a quiz all about the 1001 Arabian Nights.

www.filmsontrial.co.uk/256

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Aladdin (1992) is on trial this week. A whole new world or a step Jafar?

Gav mercilessly prosecutes, saying that the story is woeful and the use of stereotypes to depict middle eastern characters make this almost unwatchable. Alex and Ausy defend, looking at the film as the first Disney attempt at a story outside Western folk-tales that may have made many mistakes, but got some things right too.

All this with an impression of the parrot and a quiz all about voice actors in Disney history.

www.filmsontrial.co.uk/155

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The Mummy (2017) is on trial this week. Are we all Set or is this a film in Isis?

Gav defends, saying that having an action superstar like Cruise elevates this to another level. Dave is less enthusiastic, saying that this film is flawed in every possible way, killing the Dark Universe franchise before it even began.

All this with an impression of the superb Russell Crowe and a quiz all about Tom Cruise!

www.filmsontrial.co.uk/254

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The Mummy (1999) is on trial this week. Does it help us unwind or is it better left under wraps?

Dave argues an exciting plot with a director directing his own script makes for a scary, yet also family-friendly, adventure. Gav thinks the tone is all over the place, stretching thin at nearly 2 hours in length.

All this with an impression of a Hungarian con-man and a quiz based on mummies!

www.filmsontrial.co.uk/253

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We are putting both Dune Parts I and II on trial this week. Will we get our just deserts, or does it leave us high and dry?

Alex and Ausy say this is the definitive adaptation of the book, unlikely to be surpassed with such attention to detail in every aspect of production. Dave argues that too much detail causes a sluggish pace, the film thoroughly exploring every part of the book for a collective runtime of over five hours.

All this with an awful attempt at a Charlotte Rampling impression, a much better try at Stellan Skarsgård and a spicy film quiz.

www.filmsontrial.co.uk/252

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