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.

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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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Michael and Ian from Lord Of Adders Black: A Blackadder Podcast join Flixwatcher to review Michael’s choice Hot Fuzz.

Hot Fuzz (2007) is an action comedy directed by Edgar Wright starring Simon Pegg (who co-wrote the screenplay) and Nick Frost. It also stars the who’s who of British TV and film, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Timothy Dalton, Bill Nighy, Edward Woodward, Bill Bailey, Adam Buxton, Olivia Colman and Rafe Spall.

Ambitious Police Sargent Nicholas Angel (Pegg) is reassigned from London to the rural town Sandford in Gloucestershire due to his overachieving and making the rest of the force look bad. He has an eventful first evening in the Sandford and arrests a local man for drunk driving who is revealed to be PC Danny Butterman (Frost), his new police partner. Despite appearances a series of tragic accidents bestow a number of the Sandford residents with Angel suspecting foul play.

Recommendability scores for Hot Fuzz were very high. Despite having watched Hot Fuzz multiple times before the engagement and repeat viewing scores were also high to give a very impressive 4.51 overall.

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Thanks to the Episode # 362 crew of Michael and Ian from Lord Of Adders Black: A Blackadder Podcast

You can find their website here https://shows.acast.com/lord-of-adders-black 

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on Hot Fuzz can visit Hot Fuzz IMDB page here or Hot Fuzz 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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Tom Salinsky and John Dorney and from Best Pick podcast return to Flixwatcher to review Tom’s choice Matilda the Musical.

Matilda the Musical (2022) is a musical adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel based on the stage musical by Tim Minchin. It is directed by Matthew (Pride) Warchus and stars Alisha Weir as Matilda alongside Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough as Mr and Mrs Wormwood and Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull.

Matilda the Musical follows the same story as the classic novel. Forever the disappointment of her family for not being born a boy, Matilda finds joy and escapism in reading. When it is discovered she has never been to school she is sent to Crunchem Hall. While at school she impresses the shy Miss Honey and irritates the angry and violent Miss Trunchbull with her precocious talents. Where it differs from the novel is the sub plot of an escapologist who falls in love with and marries an acrobat that is reoccurring.

Is Matilda the best musical film of the last 20 years? It is according to Tom! Helen was less convinced, the addition of the unnecessary acrobat plot takes away from the original magic of the book and makes it a two hour film. While recommendability was pretty high its two hour runtime meant lower repeat and engagement scores, to give an overall rating of 4.16.

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Thanks to the Episode # 361 crew of Tom Salinsky (@tomsalinsky) and John Dorney (@MrJohnDorney) from BestPickPod

You can find their website here https://bestpickpod.com/

and at https://the-spontaneity-shop.com/

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on Matilda the Musical can visit Matilda the Musical IMDB page here or Matilda the Musical 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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Eliza Janssen (Midnight Screening podcast) and Tansy Gardam (Going Rogue Podcast) join Flixwatcher to review Eliza’s choice Final Destination.

Final Destination (2000) is the first film in the Final Destination horror franchise. It stars Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, and Tony Todd and is directed by James (Jet Li’s The One) Wong and written by Wong and Glen Morgan. After having a premonition of a mid air plane explosion Alex cheats death by being thrown off. Several of his classmates and his teacher all end up leaving as well. Death, intent on completing the plan, starts picking off the survivors in the order they were meant to die.

The Final Destination franchise is framed for its elaborate and red herring filled death sequences that are both wince inducing and comical. The deaths might be gory but the tone is never too serious.

The recommendability for Final Destination reflects the widely held opinion that while Final Destination is fun it isn’t the best in the franchise. With a runtime of 98 minutes scores for repeat and engagement were pretty solid to give an overall rating of 4.02.

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Thanks to the Episode # 360 crew of Eliza Janssen (@eliza_janssen) and Tansy Gardam (@tansyclipboard)

You can find their website here https://elizajanssen.com/

and at https://x.com/goingrogue_pod

and at https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/going-rogue/id1636196453

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on Final Destination can visit Final Destination IMDB page here or Final Destinatione 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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Sarah McDowell (The SEO Mindset Podcast) and Natasha Willings (Limitless Learning education services) join Flixwatcher to review Sarah’s choice How to Blow Up a Pipeline.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022) is action-thriller inspired by the book of the same name by Andreas Malm that explores ideas on climate activism and sabotage to create change. The film is directed by Daniel (Cam - do check out our Fixwatcher episode on this!) Goldhaber and stars relatively unknown actors Ariela Barer, Kristine Froseth, Lukas Gage, Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane, Jayme Lawson, Marcus Scribner, Jake Weary, and Irene Bedard.

The film version follows a fictional group of eight people who are brought together to blow up an oil pipeline at two key locations. Their motivations range from being directly affected by the actions of the oil company or to be climate activists. They all feel that non-disruptive action is not sufficient and are prepared to risk prison to carry out the plan.

Recommendability scores for How to Blow Up a Pipeline were pretty strong, everyone agreed it was an important subject and opened up interesting conversations on climate activism. Scores were lower for repeat viewing but due to its punchy runtime and fast moving narrative it scores a very respectable 3.51 overall.

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Thanks to the Episode # 359 crew of Sarah McDowell (@sarahmcduk) and Natasha Willings (Limitless Learning education services)

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

and at https://linktr.ee/sarahmcduk

and at https://limitlesslearninghub.com/

Please make sure you give them some love

For more info on How to Blow Up a Pipeline can visit How to Blow Up a Pipeline IMDB page here or How to Blow Up a Pipeline 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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices