Fred Asquith On Film

It’s Chrimbo limbo. Life is desolate. You’re busy flogging stuff to CeX, I get it. So this is a brief, uplifting pod where I’m reviewing one of my favourite films of recent months and basically crying my eyes out on the Pod. PLUS we’ll be running down movies you can watch after Christmas in the limbo and all the way till February. We’re talking New Years Movies, we’re talking Snowy Movies, we’re talking… well watch the forking pod and find out.Timestamps: (00:00) Agenda-(01:20) The Best Crimbo Limbo Movies(01:37) When Harry Met Sally(02:18) The Holdovers still counts(03:00) The Best January Movies (Criteria & List)-(05:24) SONG SUNG BLUE Review (this is important) - no spoilers(05:59) Set Up for this review(06:38) I have been waiting SO LONG to hype this movie(07:01) Worried they were sweeping the preview screening under the rug(07:43) Synopsis(07:56) So much was telling me this was about to be bad(08:42) Muted reception for Hugh Jackman & Kate Hudson(10:36) I FEEL EMOTIONAL.(11:56) If ONLY I love this movie, that’s ok(12:37) This doesn’t PRESENT as a good movie. But stick with it. (13:39) The lead performances and chemistry are sublime. (14:26) This is a deeply optimistic, happy movie to spend time with. (15:40) I am now a Neil Diamond jukebox(17:04) Step by step this completely won me over until I was sobbing (I’m emotional again)(18:55) You know when a movie has you by the b@lls(19:17) One ESSENTIAL PIECE OF INFO before seeing this movie(20:45) Summary & LETTERBOXD RATING https://boxd.it/bN9hJT-(22:27) Coming up! 

It's a late-Christmas surprise from Santa Fred! A bonus episode of FoF to warm your toes by the fire to. In this episode, I start off with a rundown of some very exciting trailers, including my worries for Disclosure Day and my excitement for The Odyssey. I then dive into THE FOFSCARS! Your definitive, alternative movie awards for 2025, including fun categories such as "Most Tears Shed", "Best Needle Drop", "Swing And A Miss", plus a few categories suggested by YOU the listener. Stick around till the end where I run through my Top 10 Movies of 2025, with some surprises along the way. As discussed in the group chat via @fredasquithonfilm, I have included some 2026 releases in my Top 10 to stay true to what I've seen this year, but kept the categories and deeper discussions to 2025 releases only. Explore the FoF socials/YT via my creepy website https://fredasquith.comTIMESTAMPS00:00 Agenda-TRAILER NEWS01:25 DIGGER Trailer -  new Tom Cruise movie is a COMEDY!03:28 ANIMAL FARM Trailer - an abomination04:09 AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Trailer - like going to a Dad Rock concert07:22 DISCLOSURE DAY Trailer - some worries about new Spielberg UFO movie 13:10 THE ODYSSEY Prologue - I saw it!! And…17:09 Never doubt Nolan. -18:12 THE FOFSCARS!18:45 Criteria of Eligibility20:08 The 2 WORST Movies of 202522:20 The Trailer So Good It Made Me Go To The Cinema23:39 SURPRISE of 202524:44 DISAPPOINTMENTS of 202527:52 The Biggest “Swing and a Hit” of 202529:06 The Biggest “Swing and a Miss” of 202531:00 Most Underrated Movie of 2025 32:13 The 2 Most Overrated Movies of 202534:24 The Best Ensemble Casting35:27 My Favourite Performances of 202536:41 The ‘You Did All You Could’ Award for Best Performance in a Bad Movie38:13 Best Needle Drop39:17 Most Tears Shed39:35 The Best Jump Scare39:59 The Winners and Losers of 202541:06 The Lesson of 202542:11 Peak Era42:58 Shot of 202543:47 The One That Doesn’t Feel Like a 2025 Movie44:26 The Paycheck Award45:00 Screening of 2025-45:34 THE FOF TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2025 - set up & one that missed out47:10 Number 1047:37 Number 948:01 Number 848:19 Number 749:01 Number 649:32 Number 550:23 Number 450:57 Number 351:31 Number 252:19 Number 1 aka THE BEST MOVIE OF 2025-54:43 A thank you to YOU. 55:59 A teaser…  

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!!