School of Movies

[School of Movies 2026] 'The Lies of Casablanca'. That was going to be my original title for this episode. When I got to sit down and watch this impeccable film on the big screen, it struck me how often the main characters lie; to each other, to themselves, to us... and yet we as the audience are almost always in the advantagous position of being able to clearly discern each lie. So, Sharon and I delved into a true classic, venerated throughout the second half of the 20th Century, but now somewhat in decline on lists of Greatest Films of All Time, unseated by the works of Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve. However, there is something so very fitting about going back to something powered by nostalgia, its original audience now long-dead, but its central message; 'For the love of god, we must defy Nazis' delivered at a point in history that Hitler still hadn't been beaten, feels more relevent than ever.

[School of Movies 2026] One of the greatest thrillers of the 20th Century, we recorded this show on the 30th Anniversary of Michael Mann's crime epic. This is most definitely NOT a film to watch in twenty-minute chunks on your phone at work! It is a masterfully crafted presentation of the tension between professionalism and emotion, punctuated with ferocious gunfire and transcendant, eliptical music. It is a one-time head-to-head between two of the most celebrated actors of that age, Godfather veterans Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro as a detective and a thief who keep themselves at peak focus to the detriment of their personal lives. It is lightning in a bottle, the kind of career-peak for all involved that you may not instantly adore, but it will linger nonetheless, and whenever you find yourself in a silver-blue pre-sunrise, it will come back to you.

[School of Movies 2025] It has been ten years since Disney relaunched Star Wars in the cinema, delivering what felt like a special globally-unifying grand, historical event... that a bunch of Star wars fans complained felt too much like the 1977 original special globally-unifying grand, historical event. J.J. Abrams has proved over the years that he is far better at restarting big, exciting new worlds off with a bang (as he did with Mission Impossible and Star Trek before this) rather than somehow closing them out with anything approaching that same level of satisfaction (as with Lost and The Rise of Skywalker). But after all these years with all the Star Wars movies and TV and books and comics and video games that have played out since then, is The Force Awakens STILL my unlikely favourite of the whole series that has been with me since my life began in 1980? Yes. Put simply, this film transcends its own oversimplifications to become a joyful celebration of Star Wars, retreading many previous paths with a heartfelt energy the world badly needs again. And in this revisit show, Sharon and I talk about what has changed since we first recorded nearly four hours on it at the end of 2015 along with multiple guests at the opening of the gates to new adventure. That show can be found here, and since we also revisited the third film in the Sequel Trilogy back in 2024 after a serious re-edit allowed me to make peace, that leaves The Last Jedi for some point in the near future.

[School of Movies 2025] Jim Carrey plays Ebeneezer Scrooge in this unsettling adaptation (sometimes intentionally so, sometimes not). Here, we get to talk about what was possible in this performance capture version that has been done nowhere else, making it strange and special and awkward and precious. Continuing our season of going back to the start, we resurrected the Robert Zemekis incarnation of the perennial yuletide Dickens classic (which we covered back in December 2011 in conjunction with Muppet Christmas Carol... the froggy one we subsequently revisited in 2022). This is also part of an ongoing series analysing the five very uneven performance capture animation films of Image Movers Digital, starting with The Polar Express in 2004, graduating to Monster House in 2006 and closing out with the death-rattle of Mars Needs Moms in 2011. All three of those will be featured on our After School Club over the next few weeks. The remaining oddball adaptation of Beowulf from 2007 is our personal favourite of the quintet and we will finally be talking about it next year. This sub-series is also a part of the overall Zemekis Season we are conducting. Coming next year we will also showcase Forest Gump, Here, The Witches and the riotous Death Becomes Her. Also for Carrey fans, we have his second-finest dramatic performance, The Truman Show, coming very soon (the first-finest being this).

[School of Movies 2025] This is another revisit to one of the first films we ever covered, way back on Digital Gonzo at Christmas in 2010. The quintessential Holiday movie for those who want violence and swearing with their jingle bells. But if you go back and watch all five films (the final low-point didn't even exist when we covered this before) you will find some exceptional strengths in this one alone that all relate to precisely how it was constructed. A creative team that didn't realise they were all at the top of their game, impeccable cinematography, editing, pacing, a red hot screenplay that fleshed out a rich supporting cast, a nervy, brooding score that builds and crescendos along with the perfect pacing, and two actors in the antagonistic lead roles of John and Hans who were hungry to prove themselves and turned in the most memorable big-screen performances on their first try. But also, it had something the others lack, as did almost all other action thrillers of the era; The story is about a broken argument, and it weighs on estranged husband and wife for the duration. Also, in deciding that the villains be robbers rather than terrorists, director John McTiernan sealed the deal on this story being something it otherwise couldn't; colossal fun! Guest: Matt Ramsey Those early Digital Gonzo shows can be found on the School of Movies Archive podcast feed. They are rough as hell, amateur hour on my part and this one doesn't even break the sixty minute mark. The best bits are featured at the end, same as with Back to the Future. Many thanks to my vintage guests, Matt Ramsey, Nikki Taylor of GameBurst and Mike Philips of the Fanboys Lunchcast.