We settle into full post-Christmas mode to talk about Jingle Bell Heist, Netflix’s new festive heist movie. Released perfectly for Boxing Day viewing, the film follows two stressed, down-on-their-luck strangers who team up to rob a department store owner who’s wronged them both and, as we’d expect, things don’t quite go to plan. 

We share our overall reactions, unpack the twists, motivations and moral gymnastics that come with any heist story.

By the end, we agree on one thing: Jingle Bell Heist is an easy, inoffensive, pleasantly watchable Christmas film - the kind we throw on while eating leftovers, half-watching, half-recovering. It’s not a future festive classic, but it gets the job done.

Fast-forward to hear about:

05:27: Jingle Bell Heist non-spoiler review

17:30: Jingle Bell Heist spoiler discussion

29:36: Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?

Rogue Reviews is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Recorded on the 4 December 2025 © Rogue Reviews.

In this festive episode of Rogue Reviews, we decided to lean into the chaos. As it’s the holiday season, Gary took full control of the watchlist and challenged us to sit through three notoriously bad Christmas movies - films that regularly appear on “worst of all time” lists – yet somehow keep getting watched every December.

Together, we work our way through the madness of Santa Jaws, the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, and Christmas with the Kranks, debating whether any of them qualify as “so bad it’s good” or whether some movies are simply beyond redemption. Along the way, we talk sharks in Santa hats, Wookiees without subtitles, lazy comedy writing, and why festive films often get a free pass from criticism.

Whether you’re looking for a laugh, a warning, or a truly questionable Christmas watch, this episode is here to guide you (or save you) this holiday season.

Fast-forward to hear about:

01:17: Santa Jaws (2018)

21:07: The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

37:50: Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

Rogue Reviews is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Recorded on the 2 December 2025 © Rogue Reviews.

Guillermo del Toro finally brings his lifelong passion project to the screen: a lavish, heartbreakingly beautiful Netflix retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic that spans Victor Frankenstein’s entire tragic life. With Oscar Isaac as the tormented creator, Jacob Elordi as the towering Creature, and a supporting cast including Mia Goth, Charles Dance and Lars Mikkelsen, this is the most faithful and emotionally devastating adaptation yet.

We explore why the story of playing God still haunts us two centuries later, how del Toro fixes the flaws of every previous version (yes, even the 1931 Boris Karloff icon), where it boldly diverges from the novel for the better, and why this slow-burn, two-and-a-half-hour epic ultimately feels like the definitive Frankenstein for our age.

Rogue Reviews is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Recorded on the 21 November 2025 © Rogue Reviews.

Edgar Wright takes on Stephen King’s brutal 1982 novel (written under his Richard Bachman pseudonym) and delivers a hyper-kinetic, grimly satirical chase movie that finally does the source material justice. Glenn Powell stars as Ben Richards, a framed everyman forced into America’s favourite blood-sport: survive 30 days on the run while corporate killers hunt you live on air. Lee Pace is deliciously vile as the ratings-obsessed host Damon Killian, backed by Michael Cera, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin and a perfectly cast supporting ensemble.

We break down how Wright’s trademark visual flair and breakneck editing turn a desperate urban sprint into something genuinely exhilarating, why this wipes the floor with the 1987 Arnie version, how scarily plausible its media-manipulation nightmare feels in the age of deepfakes and 24-hour outrage cycles, and whether the slower mid-section kills the momentum or deepens the stakes.

Rogue Reviews is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Recorded on the 25 November 2025 © Rogue Reviews.

Three years on, with final seasons looming for some of the decade’s biggest series, 2022 suddenly looks like a golden year for television. Stranger Things went supersized and scarier than ever, The Boys swung harder at superhero sacred cows, Obi-Wan Kenobi gave prequel kids the reunion they’d waited decades for, and James Gunn somehow turned John Cena in a toilet-seat helmet into one of the most compelling anti-heroes on screen.

Here’s why these four shows still demand your attention (and a rewatch) before their stories close for good.

Fast-forward to hear about:

01:50: Stranger Things – Season 4 (2022)

17:32: Obi-Wan Kenobi – Season 1 (2022)

37:00: The Boys – Season 3 (2022)

57:07: Peacemaker – Season 1 (2022)

Rogue Reviews is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Recorded on the 11 August 2022 © Rogue Reviews.

Dan Trachtenberg returns after Prey and flips the entire franchise on its head: this time the Predator himself is the protagonist – a young, exiled Yautja forced to survive on a desolate planet with only a sarcastic, broken-down android as backup. Starring Elle Fanning as the android sidekick, Badlands is the first ever 12A-rated Predator film: no humans, no blood, no gore, just heart, humour, mech-suit showdowns and a surprisingly emotional journey of growth.

We dive into whether Disney has actually pulled off a family-friendly Predator that still works, if the lack of human prey is a genius workaround or a betrayal, how it sets up the inevitable Alien crossover, and whether the ruthless, testosterone-fuelled original can (or should) coexist with this new cuddly, kid-accessible version that both of us (and our kids) ended up loving.

Rogue Reviews is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Recorded on the 15 November 2025 © Rogue Reviews.

A House of Dynamite imagines a nightmare scenario where US government and military officials race against the clock to intercept an unidentified nuclear missile bound for American soil. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and featuring an ensemble cast including Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, and Tracy Letts, the film unfolds in near real-time, blending documentary-style realism with escalating global stakes.

We break down its grounded tension, innovative three-perspective structure, exploration of nuclear policy and decision-making madness, and whether it veers into preachiness or stays balanced in portraying a world on the brink.

Rogue Reviews is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Recorded on the 5 November 2025 © Rogue Reviews.

Black Phone 2 is Scott Derrickson’s supernatural horror sequel to the 2021 breakout hit. Four years on, Finn battles PTSD while sister Gwen’s visions lead them to a haunted Christian camp, with Ethan Hawke’s Grabber returning in ghostly, dream-invading form.

We debate whether this expansion justifies its existence and dissect its shift from subtle chills to Nightmare on Elm Street-style spectacle.

Rogue Reviews is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Recorded on the 27 October 2025 © Rogue Reviews.

"End of Line." Time to plug into the digital frontier with Tron: Ares and see if this third film from Disney's sci-fi franchise will be its last, or the beginning of a new era for the film series. Directed by Joachim Rønning and starring Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith and Jeff Bridges, Tron: Ares ventures out of the grid and into the real world, aiming to revive a legacy that began in 1982.

We explore how the film dazzles visually, whether it captures the spirit of the original Tron, and why story and character depth might be where this sleek blockbuster stumbles.

Rogue Reviews is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Recorded on the 18 October 2025 © Rogue Reviews.

"If it bleeds, we can kill it." With Predator: Badlands arriving in theatres soon, we thought now would be a good time to share our review of Prey (2022), which we recorded three years ago. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, the film rewinds the clock to the 1700s, following Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young Comanche warrior who must face a fearsome alien hunter to protect her people.

From stripped-back storytelling and stunning landscapes to clever nods to the 1987 original, we share why Prey succeeds where so many recent franchise entries have stumbled.

Rogue Reviews is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Recorded on the 3 September 2022 © Rogue Reviews.