Fred Asquith On Film

This week on FoF it’s a quickfire pre-Christmas review episode of 3 movies that are all interesting for very different reasons; Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value (a cosy-but-devastating father/daughter story that I may need to rewatch), Josh Safdie’s manic Marty Supreme (think Anora meets Catch Me If You Can meets Whiplash), and the twisty, seggsy, slightly deranged popcorn thriller The Housemaid (fundamentally ball sheet, but…..)Explore the FoF socials/YT via my creepy website https://fredasquith.comTIMESTAMPS(00:00) Agenda-(00:50) SENTIMENTAL VALUE Review - no spoilers(02:22) I will give this movie another chance.(03:20) A hilarious amount of production companies(04:10) A great opening sequence(04:40) I’m not keen on movies about making movies(05:18) Brilliant performances(05:40) It felt a bit ponderous. But I need to double check.-(06:43) MARTY SUPREME Review - no spoilers(07:24) I worked out the perfect reference points for this movie.(09:40) This feels closer to the Safdie Brother movies than Smashing Machine(10:18) Timothee Chalamet becomes a man in Marty Supreme.(11:26) This is enthralling and anxiety-inducing but not annoying or insidious(12:39) It has a threatening edge(13:18) Does it justify the runtime? (long)(13:45) Surprisingly optimistic, made my mate cry(14:14) Summary and LETTERBOXD RATING! https://boxd.it/c0cLzx-(14:46) THE HOUSEMAID Review - no spoilers(15:12) I worked out the reference points for THIS movie too!!(15:36) I had no idea what I was in for.(16:00) It was bad and YET…I was loving it. Intentionally funny??(18:00) Here’s why it works.(18:35) This is a GREAT cinema movie. I love that.(20:04) Keep expectations low and go have a good time.(20:26) Make sure you see it on a busy weekend night! Context is everything.(21:17) Summary and LETTERBOXD RATING! https://boxd.it/bZVagJ(21:33) THE FoF DISCLAIMER-(21:44) Go eat something

This week on FoF it’s an AVATAR SPECIAL:I take you behind the scenes of my first ever junket interviewing James Cameron for Avatar: Fire and Ash in Paris, from Eurostar chaos and five-star hotels to the surreal nerves of waiting outside his hotel room and finally sitting down with one of the greatest living directors.I break down how the whole thing came together, play you our full 4-minute chat (including talk of height, kickboxing, performance capture and AI making movies), and then give a spoiler-free review of Avatar 3, why it’s my favourite of the trilogy so far, how the Fire Na’vi and Oona Chaplin completely change the game, and where I think it lands on box office, Oscars chances, and whether Cameron will even come back for more, plus some thoughts on what this all means for the future of the franchise.Explore the FoF socials/YT via my creepy website https://fredasquith.comTIMESTAMPS(00:00) Agenda(01:18) We didn’t get nominated for Best Podcast??(01:50) CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!-JAMES CAMERON BEHIND THE SCENES(02:51) How did this opportunity come my way?(03:35) You have to submit questions in advance(04:05) I will never take a trip like this for granted(06:03) Is french cooking better than the rest of the world??(07:58) SO much prep, SO little time(10:06) You don’t know if you will ACTUALLY do the interview until it begins(10:55) Some questions that didn’t make the cut(13:20) Rushing on the morning of the junket + my smelly breakfast(14:30) Why is it in a hotel(15:06) No idea where I was going, nervous(15:35) Intimidating, nervy vibes and giant green room(16:46) A fascinating clash of energies hahaha(18:02) Getting called to see James, build up(19:26) As soon as I saw him in the flesh, I relaxed(20:22) Initial small talk, hoping it got filmed-JAMES CAMERON INTERVIEW!(21:04) The full junket interview-BEHIND THE SCENES CNTND(25:04) I felt a bit disappointed afterwards(28:29) The intimidating countdown clock behind James Cameron’s head(29:32) I FIST BUMPED JAMES CAMERON(30:11) The Fancy Premiere and my 59 Canapes(31:05) James Cameron didn’t hear me, his best friend, screaming for him-AVATAR: FIRE & ASH REVIEW - no spoilers(31:18) I’m in a difficult position to be open about my opinion here, BUT(32:59) Incredible action set pieces(33:34) The visuals, technologically speaking, are insanely good(34:24) It’s photo-realistic to a boggling degree(35:00) Seagulls sound like seagulls(35:12) Why I prefer this to Way of Water - EDGE(37:00) Oona Chaplin’s incredibly performance has reshaped my whole perspective on performance capture(38:36) Sam Worthington is SO famous hahahaha(39:00) Caveats begin - the logic of the world doesn’t always add up(39:30) A criticism of the visuals (if I should be so bold)(43:06) All the Avatar movies lack humour(44:15) It IS long. But it gets away with it.(45:00) More of the same, but the BEST version of it.(46:23) Summary, Star Rating and Letterboxd Review(47:04) DISCLAIMER-AVATAR DISCUSSION POINTS(47:27) Will this movie make another $2billion at the box office?(49:26) Will it get any Oscar attention?(50:17) Will James Cameron come back to Pandora?-(51:25) A thank you to you all.(51:43) COMING UP ON FOF!

This week on FoF I’m fresh back from Paris after interviewing James Cameron (still not over it), and I tease the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash special, plus why I’m apparently seeing Avatar 3 again to catch the rumoured trailer double-whammy. Then I dive into Quentin Tarantino’s brutal Paul Dano take and explain why, as a There Will Be Blood obsessive, I think he’s completely missed the point of that performance. And in the biggest industry bombshell of the episode, I unpack the talk of Netflix potentially acquiring Warner Bros/HBO and what that could mean for the future of cinemas.Finally, I round things off with my thoughts on Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, why the gothic vibe works for me, why the mystery mechanics still frustrate me, and where it lands on my star scale.Explore the FoF socials/YT via my creepy website https://fredasquith.comTIMESTAMPS(00:00) FoF IS ON THE UP! James Cameron Junket(03:38) New Spielberg & Avengers Doomsday Trailers attached to Avatar 3(04:56) AGENDA(05:49) Tarantino controversy RE: Paul Dano and There Will Be Blood-(16:26) Netflix to buy Warner Bros HBO?!(18:24) This is like McDonalds buying The Louvre(19:21) WHY are they doing this? What’s the plan??(20:40) The real issue here is the security of the cinema industry(21:26) Scary quote from Netflix CEO about cinema vs streaming(21:53) Can cinemas survive without WB releases?(23:08) This is the apocalypse, essentially. It’s over.(24:12) Attempting to be positive-Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery REVIEW - no spoilers(25:21) Most annoying title convention ever(26:18) Synopsis(27:05) Much improved aesthetic compared to the second one(29:00) The mysteries of Knives Out Mysteries are too convoluted for me(31:07) BUT, will fans of Knives Out enjoy this?(31:42) STAR RATING + SUMMARY plus a star rating rant (LETTERBOXD REVIEW - https://boxd.it/bmjMiL)-(33:41) CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!!!(35:23) Next week - the AVATAR SPECIAL!!

This week on FoF:  I unpack the whole saga of how I nearly ended up on Sky News to talk Wicked, why I basically “Prince Andrew-ed” the opportunity, and what it actually says about FoF quietly creeping up in the film world (yes, even CNN have been sniffing around).From there we tumble into Christmas ad season as I crown the undisputed winner, lay into Coca-Cola’s uncanny AI truck nightmare, side-eye Tesco’s melancholic effort, and ask whether the Christmas advert conveyor belt has completely ruined Chrimbo.Then it’s my definitive ranking of 19 actual Christmas movies (no “Christmas-adjacent” cheats allowed) from Krampus at the bottom to You-Know-Exactly-Who at Number 1, complete with YOUR AUDIENCE RANKING as done in our Broadcast Channel (via fredasquith.com) Expect plenty of disagreements and some distinctly average impressions.Finally, I rattle through reviews of Train Dreams, Blue Moon and new Netflix release Jay Kelly, from lonely loggers and ghost-story vibes to Ethan Hawke monologuing for his life and why Billy Crudup’s “shrimp cocktail” bit might be one of the scenes of the year.Explore the FoF socials/YT via my creepy website HERE.TIMESTAMPS(01:49) The FoF Disclaimer(02:06) I should’ve been on Sky News. Why wasn’t I on Sky News?(08:55) My thoughts on All The UK Christmas Adverts(09:30) The FoF Best Christmas Ad 2025 is Waitrose(10:00) The FoF WORST Christmas Ad 2025 is the Coca Cola AI monstrosity(11:42) The other one that is terrible is the sad Tesco ad-(12:10) THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES OF ALL TIME(12:50) What movies DON’T COUNT(14:26) My Top 19 Christmas movies(14:45) Number 19 - Krampus(15:06) Number 18 - Surviving Christmas(15:25) Number 17 - Four Christmases(15:47) Number 16 - Christmas With The Kranks(16:20) Number 15 - The Holiday (Darling’s favourite, it annoys me)(17:08) Number 14 - Miracle on 34th Street (1993)(18:04) Number 13 - The Grinch (I love this Jim Carrey story of the movie more than the movie)(19:20) Number 12 - Nativity! (and why it’s technically bad but spiritually good)(20:27) Number 11 - National Lampoons Christmas Vacation (and how it pioneered a sub genre)(21:32) Number 10 - Klaus (basically a perfect movie)(22:21) Number 9 - The Muppets Christmas Carol (including some 7/10 impressions)(24:54) Number 8 - The Polar Express (and the most magical time watching it with my nephew)(26:16) Number 7 - It’s A Wonderful Life (and why I barely remember the second half)(27:45) Number 6 - Elf (headphone warning)(28:15) Number 5 - The Santa Clause (underrated)(29:41) Number 4 - Die Hard (yes its a christmas movie)(29:58) Number 3 - Home Alone (and why it works)(30:43) Number 2 - The Holdovers (an instant classic)(32:13) Number 1 is…….. (you guessed it)(33:50) How does my ranking compare to YOUR FoF Community vote?-(36:22) Train Dreams REVIEW - out now on Netflix(43:01) Summary & Letterboxd Rating https://boxd.it/bTlxLf-(43:25) Blue Moon REVIEW - out now in cinemas(49:39) Summary & Letterboxd Rating https://boxd.it/bPz1xx-(50:40) Jay Kelly REVIEW - out on Netflix 5th Dec(56:33) Summary & Letterboxd Rating https://boxd.it/bmjGFJ

SPOILERS!! This week on FoF I have my biggest rant yet in tackling the fallout and backlash to my negative review of Wicked: For Good - it's been intense to say the least and I’ve got A LOT of thoughts. I reflect on what’s fair in film criticism, whether seeing the musical is required context, and why the plot is nonsensical and MORE in the timestamps below. Plus, I praise Tom Cruise for his honorary Oscar, marvel at James Cameron's Jurassic Park near-hit, and express my theory connecting Jim Carrey to Eddie Murphy’s career arc in “Being Eddie”.Please note, this rant has MAJOR SPOILERS of the plot of this movie, so if you've never seen the musical and want to see the movie I advise you listen after your screening. Explore the FoF socials/YT via my creepy website HERE.TIMESTAMPS(00:00) Agenda-WICKED RANT - This is in response to my original review, which you can hear in the previous episode on this feed or on any platform via my website HERE.Letterboxd Review HERE.(01:25) The fallout from “WICKED: FOR GOOD” has been mental  (02:30) A perspective of someone who hasn’t seen the musical IS valid  (04:08) This is a MOVIE. It deserves to be critiqued as a movie.  (06:18) But I DO sympathise with what Wicked musical fans are enduring here  (07:38) You don’t have to ALWAYS be ENTIRELY informed on EVERYTHING  (10:55) Movie criticism - ALL of it - is subjective. My new disclaimer.  (11:44) This is an issue on modern film discourse  (12:04) Seek out reviews by critics who have your perspective on the genre or material  (12:43) Post Wicked Double-Bills, the tide turned…  (15:23) Something isn’t 5 stars for being accurately adapted  (17:47) A dark tone doesn’t mean it has to be boring  (20:55) Clarification on the songs “not being good enough”  (21:48) If you love the musical and know the songs, that DOES make a difference, I accept that  (23:09) Plot issues I’ve been mulling over  (24:14) My observation on the desert surrounding Oz  (25:40) Tie-ins with the Wizard of Oz feel SO underbaked  (27:17) There’s an excuse for every plot hole due to the nature of the source IP  (28:00) The ending completely refutes the message of the first part  (29:56) THIS annoyed me more than ANYTHING  (31:42) I’m not saying these questions AREN’T answered necessarily  (31:56) I didn’t HATE the movie even though I sound like it  (33:02) Finishing with our new disclaimer and a positive message Wicked: For Good Letterboxd Review HERE.-(33:45) On a happy note - “SONG SUNG BLUE”! Coming soon  (34:40) Tom Cruise’s Honorary Oscar - what a speech!  (38:02) James Cameron almost directed “JURASSIC PARK”?!?!?!?!  (39:24) James Cameron directing a a Billie Eilish show movie in 3D????!!?!?  (40:12) Does the movie star still exist? “MARTY SUPREME” is a HUGE litmus test  (44:33) “BAKE OFF” does Peep Show!  (44:45) “BEING EDDIE” - Drawing parallels between Jim Carrey and Eddie Murphy  - LETTERBOXD REVIEW HERE(47:28) Who was the Ed Sheeran doc for?  (47:53) Knives Out 3 review poll  (48:42) I think - generally - I’m skipping Stranger Things S5  (49:15) Coming up NEXT WEEK! And finishing with our new disclaimer