Shot/Reverse Shot

Probably the most talked about and divisive film of the last few weeks, if not the whole year, has been Christopher Nolan's Interstellar. For its fans, it's a bold and ambitious attempt to use blockbuster filmmaking to tell a story of space exploration, love and quantum physics. For its detractors, it's an overblown mess that awkwardly blends mawkish sentimentality with pretensions of intellectualism. Joe and Ed were similarly divided on the film, so they decided to spend a whole episode talking about the film's merits and its flaws, and what they reveal about Nolan's work as a whole.

This episode features plenty of discussion about the plot of Interstellar, so if you haven't watched the film and don't want it spoiled, you'd be better off waiting until you have seen it. Unless you don't mind having the plot spoiled, in which case listen away!

In honour of the brilliantly named Days of Fear and Wonder season currently being run by the BFI, Joe and Ed spend the latest episode talking about science fiction. They discuss their favourite sci-fi films, how some great ones manage to use big ideas to make up for low budgets, the reasons why the genre as a whole seems to be held in higher esteem by critics than horror, and the role that it can play in representing contemporary fears in fantastical settings. It all ends with a lovely little song as well.

After a bit of a break from the Alternate 100, Joe and Ed return to their pet project with renewed zeal for an episode that is heavy on V subjects. They talk about voyeurism, vampires and Vietnam, but also maintain a light touch by trying to make "fetch" happen, and debate the proper way to pronounce "coven".

This week, the boys are - much like Rodney Dangerfield - going back to school, with an episode that explores the teen experience and the perils of secondary education.

This whole thing was inspired by Beyond Clueless, Charlie Lyne's most excellent essay film about teen movies, which was a Shot/Reverse Shot highlight of this year's Sheffield DocFest. Mr. Lyne foolishly agreed to be interviewed at the festival and can be (just about) heard talking through his experiences making the film. The outro music this week comes courtesy of Summercamp, whose score for Beyond Clueless is beyond fantastic. It was recorded live at the Beyond Clueless after party and is therefore somewhat of an exclusive.

Ever since this show started almost three years ago, the boys have tried to put out a special Halloween episode in which they talk about scary movies. It's their little mid-autumn tradition. Unfortunately, these episodes have traditionally been plagued by technical problems which meant that they could not be released. This year, in a shocking break from tradition, they actually have an episode to show for it!

In this special creepy and/or kooky edition of Shot/Reverse Shot, Joe and Ed talk about the things that scared them as kids, what scares them now, and the whole thing ends up being part podcast, part therapy session, part celebration of one-time horror icon Michael Parkinson. There's also a rare discussion of videogames, and the question of whether games can be more effective at delivering scares than films.

The news that True Detective season two has seemingly lined up its cast has got the boys thinking about the first season and how it marked the culmination of Matthew McConaughey's return to critical favour. They then use that to consider whether the second season might have rehabilitate the faltering careers of Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell, then discuss some of the great comebacks in film history, including ones which fizzled out almost as soon as they happened and ones that lead to long, sustained periods of great work from the people involved. There's also a gratuitous Black Books quote for any Graham Linehan completists out there.

Inspired by this great article about prequels by Noel Murray for The Dissolve, Joe and Ed use this week's episode as an opportunity to talk about the weaknesses of the prequel model of storytelling. It's not entirely about laying into the Star Wars prequels (though that is somewhat unavoidable where this topic is concerned) since it also encompasses a discussion of the differences between gap-filling, mythology-based prequels and standalone adventures, which prequels they perceive as being especially cynical and mercenary, and examples of prequels that are actually good because they use their pre-established endpoint to build tension. Mainly, it's just an excuse for Ed to talk about how rad NBC's Hannibal is, especially when compared to some of the other Hannibal Lecter prequels.

It's time for Part 7 of the Alternate 100 and in the tradition of other illustrious part 7s, Joe and Ed are on a mission to Moscow! That's not even remotely true, but what is true is that they've got another ten films that they think are cool and that you should all check out. This week's selection includes a documentary that redefines what a documentary is meant to be, a film from the '50s that feels like it was made 20 or 30 years later than it was, and a couple of films from directors who have already been represented on this list. Grab a Cup 'O Pizza and have a listen.

This week, Joe and Ed begin the second half of the Alternate 100 in fine style, talking about 10 films that cover topics as diverse as body horror, J-horror and '50s nuclear paranoia (which is its own kind of horror). Along the way, they manage to compare an acclaimed Canadian filmmaker to a couple of less acclaimed murderers, talk about that magic time when you could set your watch by the release of installments of the Saw franchise, and accidentally stumble upon something that might arouse Frank Miller. For that last one, we can only apologise.

The boys hit the halfway mark of the Alternate 100 as they talk about films 41 to 50 on their list of great, under-appreciated films. In this episode they talk about an archetypal film noir, some great '70s horror films, films by directors whose other work tends to get talked about more, and round out the episode with something that is guaranteed* to leave you an emotional wreck.

*Not a guarantee.