Tansy Gardam (Going Rogue Podcast) and Eliza Janssen (Midnight Screening podcast) return to Flixwatcher to review Tansy’s choice Top Gun: Maverick.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) is a sequel to the 1986 Tony Scott action film Top Gun. Reprising their original roles are Tom Cruise as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell and Val Kilmer as Iceman. It also stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Lewis Pullman and Ed Harris.

Maverick is forced to face his past when he is tasked with training a group of new recruits on a complex mission. Initially the new recruits are skeptical of Maverick and despite their best efforts can’t beat him.

Top Gun: Maverick might tone down the homoeroticism of the original but dials up the SFX. It finished up worldwide total of $1.496 billion and became the highest-grossing film of Tom Cruise’s career in 2022.

Recommendabilty scores for Top Gun: Maverick were pretty high, due to having to experience it one the big screen scores were lower for small screen to give an overall rating of 4.01.

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Thanks to the Episode # 372 crew of Tansy Gardam (@tansyclipboard) and Eliza Janssen (@eliza_janssen)

You can find their website here https://x.com/goingrogue_pod?t=o7ZzUNGw20e1aaSa0YOcfQ&s=09

And at https://t.co/6bLkPqHwZL

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on Top Gun: Maverick can visit  Top Gun: Maverick IMDB page here Top Gun: MaverickRotten Tomatoes page here.

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Natasha Willings (Limitless Learning education services) and Sarah McDowell (The SEO Mindset Podcast) return to Flixwatcher to review Natasha’s choice King Richard.

King Richard (2011) is a biographical sport drama directed by Reinaldo Marcus (Monsters and Men) Green. It tells the story of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams from the point of view of their father and coach Richard Williams. It stars Will Smith as Richard, Saniyya Sidney as Venus, Demi Singleton as Serena, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Oracene ‘Brandy’ Price, the sisters mother and Jon Bernthal as Rick Macci, the sisters tennis coach.

King Richard earned Will Smith his first Oscar, an achievement that is perhaps overshadowed by the slap he gave Chris Rock at the Oscars. Some of the criticism of the film is that the story focuses more on Richard than it does the achievements of the sisters.

Scores for Kind Richard acknowledged it is a interesting watch but felt it leaned too much into Richard and would have been more engaging if its sole focus was Venus and Serena. Slightly lower scores for repeat viewing gives an overall rating of 3.82.

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Thanks to the Episode # 371 crew of Natasha Willings () and Sarah McDowell (@SarahMcDUK)

You can find their website here https://linktr.ee/sarahmcduk  

And at https://x.com/seomindsetpod 

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on King Richard can visit King Richard IMDB page here or King Richard Rotten Tomatoes page here.

If you enjoyed this episode of Flixwatcher Podcast you probably know other people who will like it too! Please share it with your friends and family, review us, and join us across ALL of the Social Media links below.

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Russell Bailey (Not Just For Kids Podcast) and Will Chich return to Flixwatcher to review Russell’s choice Rebel Ridge.

Rebel Ridge (2024) is a Netflix action thriller written, produced, directed and edited by Jeremy (Green Room) Saulnier. It stars Aaron Pierre as Terry, a ex Marine who is hoping to post bail for his cousin. While on his way, he is rammed off his bike by local police officers who seize the bail money worth $36,000 via civil forfeiture. Terry refuses to give in to the police and enlists the support of AnnaSophia Robb’s Summer McBride, a courthouse clerk. After she discovers a number of cases similar to Terry’s cousin they uncover a history of police corruption.

Rebel Ridge is a taut thriller with elements of the western genre. Recommendability scores were very high, only let down by low small screen - we wanted to see this at the cinema Netflix! But it still scores 3.97 overall.

Thanks to the Episode # 370 crew of Russell Bailey and Will Chich

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on Rebel Ridge can visit Rebel Ridge IMDB page here or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Rotten Tomatoes page here.

If you enjoyed this episode of Flixwatcher Podcast you probably know other people who will like it too! Please share it with your friends and family, review us, and join us across ALL of the Social Media links below.

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Jason Heat and Dr. Andrew Johnstone from Seemingly Unrelated podcast join Flixwatcher to review Jason’s choice Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) is a surreal romantic comedy written by Charlie (Being John Malkovich) Kaufman and directed by Michel (Be Kind Rewind) Gondry. It stars Jim Carrey as Joel Barish who discovers his ex-girlfriend, Kate Winslet’s Clementine Kruczynski has had him erased from her memory following their break up. The supporting cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Tom Wilkinson.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a dazzling journey that explores love, loss, memory and conscious choice. Its themes and ideas mix genres of comedy, romance, surrealism and sci-fi.

Recommendability scores for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind were very high from everyone apart from Andrew. Its non linear narrative meant scores for repeat viewing and engagement were also high and it scores 3.98 overall.

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Thanks to the Episode # 369 crew of Jason Heat and Dr. Andrew Johnstone from Seemingly Unrelated podcast

You can find their website here https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/seemingly-unrelated/id1776683537

And at https://open.spotify.com/show/4MFMzdtyOgq8QvNhEklKXt

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind can visit Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind IMDB page here or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Rotten Tomatoes page here.

If you enjoyed this episode of Flixwatcher Podcast you probably know other people who will like it too! Please share it with your friends and family, review us, and join us across ALL of the Social Media links below.

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Stew and Smith from It Doesn’t Hold Up podcast join Flixwatcher to review Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice (1988) is a fantasy horror comedy directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, a sleazy ‘bio-exorcist’, Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as Adam and Barbara, the unfortunate couple who die and return to their house to be haunted by the new inhabitants which include Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, a teenage goth.

Beetlejuice set the tone for Tim Burton’s films of the 1980s and 1990s and 2024 saw the long awaited sequel which would star a number of the original cast. Beetlejuice balances creepy horror with genuine laughs, mainly down to Keaton’s sex pest antagonist and Ryder’s charming Lydia (Ryder was only 15 when she filmed this!).

Recommendability for Beetlejuice was pretty high, taking into account the nostalgia and also the lack of real plot. Decent scores for the remaining Flixwatcher categories give a very respectable overall score of 4.52.

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Thanks to the Episode # 368 crew of Stew and Smith from It Doesn’t Hold Up podcast

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on Beetlejuice can visit Beetlejuice IMDB page here or Beetlejuice Rotten Tomatoes page here.

If you enjoyed this episode of Flixwatcher Podcast you probably know other people who will like it too! Please share it with your friends and family, review us, and join us across ALL of the Social Media links below.

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Podcast producers Vic Turnbull and Charles Commins return to Flixwatcher to review Vic’s choice Bad Boys II.

Bad Boys II (2003) is the second film in the Bad Boys franchise, directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Theresa Randle, and Joe Pantoliano all reprise their roles from the previous film, Bad Boys (1995). Detective Lieutenant Michael Eugene 'Mike' Lowrey (Smith) and Detective Lieutenant Marcus Miles Burnett (Lawrence) are back in Miami. This time investigating the ecstasy drug trade. A bust during a Klan meeting leads to Mike accidentally shooting Marcus in the ass. The trail leads them to drug lord Hector Juan Carlos "Johnny" Tapia. In pursuit of him Bayhem ensues with car chases, shoot outs and mortuary raids.

Recommendability scores for Bad Boys II were mixed, its mix of violence and comedy makes it a niche audience and some of humour hasn’t aged well. With a runtime of 2 hours and 36 mins scores for repeat viewing were low to give an overall rating of 3.01.

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Thanks to the Episode # 367 crew of Vic Turnbull and Charles Commins

 Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on Bad Boys II can visit Bad Boys II IMDB page here or Bad Boys II Rotten Tomatoes page here.

If you enjoyed this episode of Flixwatcher Podcast you probably know other people who will like it too! Please share it with your friends and family, review us, and join us across ALL of the Social Media links below.

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The Reverend Scott K (The Church of Tarantino podcast) and Elwood Jones (Asian Cinema Film Club podcast) join Flixwatcher to review Scott’s choice Godzilla Minus One.

Godzilla Minus One (2023) is a Japanese Kaiju film and the 37th in the Godzilla franchise. This Godzilla was written and directed Takashi Yamazaki, and also visual effects that went on to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Becoming the first non-English language film in Academy Awards history to do so. It was the first Godzilla film to be nominated for an Academy Award.

Set in post-war Japan, kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima lands his plane onto Odo Island for repairs. Lead mechanic Sōsaku Tachibana suspects that he is actually faking the mechanical issues to avoid his duty. During the night Godzilla attacks the island. Shikishima fails to shoot and is knocked unconscious. He wakes up to find him and Tachibana are the only survivors, and Tachibana is angry he did not attack Godzilla. Shikishima returns home to find his parents dead and is plagued by survivors guilt. Trying to make amends he joins the crew of boat tasked with clearing mines where he encounters Godzilla again.

Historically Godzilla films have found their fans but haven’t really been a hit outside its loyal fans. Godzilla Minus One however appealed to a much wider audience and its success at the Oscars helped find a new generation of fans. Recommendability scores for Godzilla Minus One were very high, it’s runtime of over two hours let it down a little for repeat viewing and it was agreed it needed to be seen at the cinema but it still scores a very respectable 3.75 overall.

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Thanks to the Episode # 366 crew of The Reverend Scott Kand Elwood Jones from (@ChurchOfQTPod)

You can find their website here https://t.co/vnehjbQ7KM

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on Godzilla Minus One can visit Godzilla Minus One IMDB page here or Godzilla Minus One Rotten Tomatoes page here.

If you enjoyed this episode of Flixwatcher Podcast you probably know other people who will like it too! Please share it with your friends and family, review us, and join us across ALL of the Social Media links below.

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Sumit Sharma and Chris Mitchell from Breaking Atoms podcast return to Flixwatcher to review Sumit’s choice American Gangster.

American Gangster (2007) is biographical crime thriller based on Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas. Directed by Ridley Scott and screenplay by Steven Zaillian based on the The Return of Superfly by Mark Jacobson. It’s stacked cast features Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas, Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Huey Lucas, Josh Brolin as Detective Trupo, RZA as Moses Jones, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Nicky Barnes, Armand Assante as Dominic Cattano, Idris Elba as Tango and Common as Turner Lucas.

In 1960s Harlem Frank Lucas is Bumpy Johnson’s right-hand man. When Bumpy dies of a heart attack Frank sees an opportunity to innovate in the drug trade by buying directly from the source in Vietnam and thus cutting out the middle man. Not only that, he trademarks his superior heroin as ‘Blue Magic’ and its affordability eliminates the competition. All is going well for Frank until he comes under scrutiny from aspiring lawyer and honest detective Richie Roberts.

American Gangster is solid crime drama with a standout performance from Denzel Washington. Like with many Hollywood adaptations what is true and what is there for dramatic effect is unclear but it does make a compelling story of a true life figure.

Recommendability scores for American Gangster were high, with a runtime of nearly three hours repeat viewing scores were lower to give an overall rating of 3.88.

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Thanks to the Episode # 365 crew of Sumit Sharma and Chris Mitchell from Breaking Atoms podcast

You can find their website here https://x.com/BreakTheAtoms

and at https://www.breakingatoms.co.uk/podcast

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on American Gangster can visit American Gangster IMDB page here or American Gangster Rotten Tomatoes page here.

If you enjoyed this episode of Flixwatcher Podcast you probably know other people who will like it too! Please share it with your friends and family, review us, and join us across ALL of the Social Media links below.

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Liam H Dempsey (Spocklight podcast) and Tommy James (Little White Lies, Zavvi) return to Flixwatcher to review Liam’s choice AmbuLAnce.

Ambulance (2022) is a heist thriller directed by Michael (Bad Boys) Bay. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Danny Sharp, a well known criminal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Will Sharp, a former U.S. Marine and Afghanistan veteran and Danny’s adoptive brother, Eiza González as Paramedic Thompson and Garret Dillahunt as LAPD Captain Monroe, field leader of the LAPD SIS unit. Will desperately needs money for his wife’s surgery and reaches out to his adoptive brother Danny for help. Will reluctantly agrees to take part in Danny’s heist. Not a spoiler but the heist doe not go well and Will and Danny end up stealing an ambulance and taking Paramedic Thompson and an injured police officer as hostages.

Are you ready for some Bayhem?!? While it was not as bad as Tommy thought it would be, Kobi found it all too stupid. Liam and Helen were big fans though but even their high scores can’t rescue Ambulance from an overall score of 3.04.

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Thanks to the Episode # 364 crew of Liam H Dempsey (@LiamHDempsey) and Tommy James (@TommyJames__)

You can find their website here https://x.com/spocklightpod 

and at https://x.com/lwlies

and at https://t.co/ZbSLkxhOPv

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on Ambulance can visit Ambulance IMDB page here or Ambulance Rotten Tomatoes page here.

If you enjoyed this episode of Flixwatcher Podcast you probably know other people who will like it too! Please share it with your friends and family, review us, and join us across ALL of the Social Media links below.

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Em (Verbal Diorama: A Film History Podcast) and Chris Johnston (Easy Riders Raging Podcast) return to Flixwatcher to review Em’s choice Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) is animated Spider-Man film this time focussing on Miles Morales/Spider-Man modern reimagining of Marvel’s Spider-Man character. It is directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter (Rise of the Guardians) Ramsey and Rodney Rothman and based on a screenplay by Phil (The Lego Movie) Lord and Rodney Rothman.

It stars Shameik Moore as Morales, alongside the voices of Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Vélez, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, and Liev Schreiber.

In this Spider-Man origin film, teenager Miles Morales is struggling with no living up to the expectations of his police officer father. He gets along better with his uncle Aaron who takes him on trips to graffiti abandoned buildings. On a trip to a subway Miles is bitten by a radioactive spider and gains Spider-Man abilities. Upon returning to where he was bitten he discovers Kingpin and a collider, Spider-Man attempts to stop Kingpin but is killed. Before he dies he passes a USB to Miles to carry on his work.

Is this the best Spider-Man film ever made? Is this the best animated film ever made? Big claims from Em! Recommendability scores for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse were extremely high. Super high scores across the other categories give an impressive overall rating of 4.76.

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Thanks to the Episode # 363 crew of Em (@EmWillDoIt) Verbal Diorama: A Film History Podcast and Chris Johnston from Easy Riders Raging Podcast

You can find their website here https://x.com/VerbalDiorama

and at https://x.com/IndPodAwards

and at https://x.com/filmstories

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse can visit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse IMDB page here or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Rotten Tomatoes page here.

If you enjoyed this episode of Flixwatcher Podcast you probably know other people who will like it too! Please share it with your friends and family, review us, and join us across ALL of the Social Media links below.

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