Shot/Reverse Shot

Completing the diptych started with last week's episode on Heroes, Matt and Ed are talking about villains in film and TV this week. What makes a great villain? Is it compelling psychology? Physical attributes? Being created by David Lynch? They discuss all of these factors and more.

In addition to the main topic, Matt and Ed talk about the sudden death of Prince, anxiously anticipate the sixth season of Game of Thrones (and offer up in a baffling metaphor involving David Hasselhoff), and speculate about what Martin Amis' favourite free-to-play app is.

00:00:00 - 00:28:39 - Intro & News

00:28:40 - 01:00:31 - Matt & Ed discuss Villains in film and television

01:00:32 - 01:04:52 - SRS Recommends & Outro

Correction: Ed at one point refers to the great character actor Ted Levine as Ted Divine, for which he apologises, even though it's arguably an improvement on his actual name.

After a technical difficulties-induced break of two weeks, Matt and Ed are back in full force with a rundown of the big stories coming out of CinemaCon, the furore over AMC's (swiftly abandoned) plan to allow texting in screenings, and favourite examples of creative TV edits. The main topic this week is Heroes in cinema, and encompasses a discussion of superheroes as Greek Gods, the differences between "classic" Hollywood heroes and the antiheroes of noir and the 1970s, and what traits make for a compelling hero.

00:00:00 - 00:26:31 - Intro & News

00:26:32 - 00:49:44 - Discussion of Heroes in film

00:49:45 - 00:54:29 - SRS Recommends & Outro

The Pajiba article Ed mentions in the news segment can be found here, and the New Yorker article Matt discusses towards the end of the show can be found here.

To mark the end of the first season of American Crime Story and the second season of Serial, Matt and Ed sit down to discuss True Crime in film and television. In addition to talking about some of their favourite works of documentary filmmaking and creative non-fiction, they ponder the snobbery that exists around the genre, the difference between true crime as exploitation and true crime as activism, and investigate the reason for its sudden resurgence. They also discuss Batman v Superman's terrible second weekend box office, pitch some ideas for sequels Harrison Ford could star in after Blade Runner 2 wraps, and wonder just how much more depraved the characters on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia can possibly get now that they've been renewed for their 13th and 14th seasons.

00:00:00 - 00:15:21 - Intro & News

00:15:22 - 00:43:51 - Discussion of True Crime in film and television

00:43:52 - 00:51:39 - SRS Recommends and Outro

It's Easter, so now seems like as good a time as any to discuss cinema's relationship to religion. Over the course of this episode, Matt and Ed talk about specific directors who have explored religious themes in their work, the ways in which Hollywood has courted or ignored religious audiences over the past century, and why exactly The Passion of the Christ was such a hit. They also talk about the backlash against Batman v. Superman (and the backlash against the backlash), the death of Garry Shandling, and the sublime trashiness of The People v. O.J. Simpson.

00:00:00 - 00:20:59 - Intro & News

00:21:00 - 00:52:30 - Discussion of religion in cinema

00:52:31 - 00:59:24 - SRS Recommends & Outro

Inspired by the release of 10 Cloverfield Lane, which no one knew about until mere weeks before it was due to come out, this week's episode is all about secrecy, and the problem of maintaining a sense of surprise when it comes to filmmaking. Could someone make a film completely in secret and release it to the world the same way that Kendrick Lamar released an album unannounced? What's the best way to sell a film without ruining it? Is Dave Stewart from Eurythmics a serial killer? All of these questions get addressed in one form or another. There's also a lot of talk about Indiana Jones 5, some talk about Brett Gelman's iBrain routine, and a little talk about Oscar Isaac's dick. Typical show, basically.

00:00:00 - 00:20:56 - Intro & News

00:20:57 - 00:44:29 - Discussion of secrecy, surprise & spoilers

00:44:30 - 00:51:13 - SRS Recommends & Outro

Also, if you'd like to follow Matt and Ed on Letterboxd, then use the links below.

Matt - joegastineau

Ed - EdwinDavies

To commemorate the release of Hail, Caesar!, which hit UK cinemas this week, Matt and Ed offer their thoughts on the film before going on to discuss the work of Joel and Ethan Coen more generally. In between talking about the brothers' pet themes, their relationship to classic cinema, and the notion of "moral authority" in their films, Matt describes a fever dream that maybe involves Dolph Lundgren, reveals an inside scoop on Harry Styles' acting experience, and the two discover/half-remember the most baffling film ever made.

00:00:00 - 00:14:15 - Intro & News

00:14:16 - 00:27:10 - Review of Hail, Caesar!

00:27:11 - 00:51:42 - Discussion of the Coen Brothers' work in general

00:51:43 - 00:55:57 - SRS Recommends & Outro

- Here is a link to the WOL Project, as mentioned during the SRS Recommends segment: www.wolproject.com

- Here is the Tasha Robinson article on the Coen Brothers and morality that Ed mentions

- Correction: Ed at one point says that No Country For Old Men is part of the Coens' "Idiot Trilogy" when he meant O Brother, Where Art Thou.

Since we released our Piracy episode a few months ago, we at Shot/Reverse Shot have received a lot of correspondence from people on both sides of the debate about piracy and its impact. So much so, that we felt that we had to respond. To that end, this episode finds Matt & Ed reading some of the reader responses and discussing what they say about the realities and justifications for piracy. They also discuss the homo-eroticism in Zack Snyder's work (which seems to be in full flower based on this image from Batman v. Superman), the Internet's response to the first Ghostbusters trailer, and Ed loses his goddamn mind over the trailer for ITV's forthcoming The Wine Show.

00:00:00 - 00:16:33 - Intro & News

00:16:34 - 00:44:36 - Matt & Ed read reader responses to the Piracy episode and discuss them.

00:44:37 - 00:52:25 - SRS Recommends & Outro

To mark the end of the 10th season of The X Files, which finished last week, Ed and special guest X-pert Michaela Livingstone-Banks discuss the highs and lows of the revival, ponder the limits of nostalgia as the driving force behind art, and try their hardest to take Chris Carter to task for the terrible crimes he has committed against both art and science. Needless to say there are spoilers aplenty ahead.

If you're interested in Michaela's work in public engagement as it relates to science, then please visit Oxford Sparks or you can follow her on Twitter.

00:00:00 - 00:02:58 - Intro

00:02:59 - 01:35:16 - Ed and Michaela discuss Season 10 of The X Files

01:35:17 - 01:36:45 - Outro

With the Oscar ceremony fast approaching, Matt and Ed try to figure out which films will take home the statues on Sunday night. Along the way they discuss possible casting for the Mary Poppins sequel, whether It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is more harrowing than The Revenant, and the extent to which Leonardo DiCaprio is exactly like Tom Green.

00:00:00 - 00:15:41 - Intro & News00:15:42 - 00:55:44 - Matt & Ed try to predict the Oscars00:55:45 - 01:00:10 - SRS Recommends & Outro

On February 9th, 2011, one of the greatest TV shows of all time left the field for the last time. To mark the five-year anniversary of its passing, Matt and Ed pay tribute to Friday Night Lights by discussing what was unique about it, its influence, and its place in the pantheon of great television shows. They draw heavily on this oral history of the show from the dearly departed Grantland, which is well worth reading, particularly when it comes to the details of the show's production.

In addition to discussing the saga of Coach Taylor and Mrs. Coach, they express their ambivalence towards the BAFTAs, grapple with the staggering success of Deadpool, and solicit feedback from the Piracy episode, which will in turn form the basis of a future episode.

00:00:00 - 00:01:25 - Intro00:01:26 - 00:10:55 - Discussion of the week's news00:10:56 - 00:12:28 - A call for feedback on the Piracy episode00:12:41 - 00:45:00 - Matt and Ed discuss Friday Night Lights00:45:01 - 00:48:28 - SRS Recommends & Outro