Film Podcast Episodes

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan, Reegs and Cris review Traffic (2000), Steven Soderbergh’s Oscar-winning ensemble drama about the war on drugs. They discuss Benicio del Toro as Javier Rodriguez, Michael Douglas as Robert Wakefield, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Helena Ayala, Don Cheadle and Luis Guzmán as DEA agents, the film’s colour-coded storylines, its portrait of cartel corruption and American demand, Caroline Wakefield’s addiction storyline, Javier’s baseball-field lights, the film’s Academy Award success and the frustration of streaming versions missing proper Spanish subtitles. The episode also includes a Top 5 Steven Soderbergh and Soderbergh-adjacent films discussion covering Che, Solaris, Contagion, Logan Lucky, Erin Brockovich, Magic Mike, Ocean’s Eleven, Haywire, Her and Out of Sight.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan and Cris review Tony Gilroy’s Michael Clayton (2007), starring George Clooney as a tired law-firm fixer caught between debt, duty and conscience. The dads discuss Arthur Edens’ breakdown, the U-North class-action case, the smoking-gun memo, Tilda Swinton’s Oscar-winning performance as Karen Crowder, Sydney Pollack’s Marty Bach, the film’s cold depiction of corporate greed, Arthur’s murder, the car bomb, the horses on the hill, Michael’s $80,000 compromise and the brilliant final confrontation built around “I’m not the guy you kill, I’m the guy you buy.” Sidey gives it the strongest possible recommend, Dan calls it one of the best midweek films of the year, and Cris praises the unglamorous, believable depiction of corporate law.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Dan, Sidey and Cris review Universal Soldier (1992), Roland Emmerich’s sci-fi action film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Luc Deveraux and Dolph Lundgren as Sergeant Andrew Scott. They discuss the Vietnam prologue, the secret Universal Soldier programme, the dam hostage rescue, the reporter-on-the-run plot, Van Damme discovering food and money, Dolph Lundgren going rogue, the supermarket freezer sequence, the prison-van chase, Luc’s return home to Louisiana, the final barn fight, 90s action nostalgia and why the film remains much more fun than its ridiculous science should allow. Sidey gives it a strong recommend.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan and Jamie continue Wolf Week with a Top 5 Wolves list before reviewing Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). They discuss Jordan Belfort’s rise from junior Wall Street broker to penny-stock fraud king, Matthew McConaughey’s famous “rookie numbers” lunch scene, Donnie Azoff, Stratton Oakmont’s outrageous office culture, Margot Robbie as Naomi, the Steve Madden IPO, Swiss bank accounts, FBI pressure, Lemmon Quaaludes, the yacht storm, Jordan’s domestic collapse and the film’s uneasy status as both cautionary tale and aspirational nightmare. Sidey and Dan give strong recommends despite the runtime, and Jamie calls it a must-watch.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan and guest dad Jamie review An American Werewolf in London (1981), John Landis’s cult horror-comedy starring David Naughton, Griffin Dunne and Jenny Agutter. The discussion covers The Slaughtered Lamb, the Yorkshire moors opening, Jack’s increasingly decomposed appearances, David’s romance with Nurse Alex, the nightmare sequences, London Zoo, the Piccadilly finale, the moon-themed soundtrack, and Rick Baker’s Oscar-winning practical makeup effects, including the famous werewolf transformation scene.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, the dads review True History of the Kelly Gang (2019), Justin Kurzel’s bleak and visually striking adaptation of Peter Carey’s novel about Ned Kelly. They discuss the film’s deliberately unstable relationship with truth, young Ned’s brutal upbringing, Ellen Kelly’s influence, the Sons of Sieve cross-dressing mythology, Russell Crowe as Harry Power, Nicholas Hoult’s disturbing Constable Fitzpatrick, George MacKay’s performance as adult Ned, the gang’s homemade armour, the failed train ambush and the bloody final siege. Dan gives the film a mid recommend because of its punishing bleakness, while Reegs, Chris and Sidey give strong recommends for the performances, visuals and thematic weight.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey and Dan mark prison week with a discussion of memorable screen prisons including In the Name of the Father, The Shawshank Redemption, Alcatraz films, Prison Break, Porridge, Escape from Sobibor and Out of Sight. The main review is Sing Sing (2023), Greg Kwedar’s A24 drama starring Colman Domingo as John “Divine G” Whitfield and Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin as a version of himself. The dads discuss the real Rehabilitation Through the Arts programme at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, the casting of formerly incarcerated RTA alumni, the comedy production Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code, Divine G’s clemency struggle, Mike Mike’s death, and the film’s humane argument for purpose, creativity and connection inside prison.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey and Dan review Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Michael Curtiz’s classic gangster drama starring James Cagney, Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart and Ann Sheridan. The discussion covers Rocky Sullivan’s rise from street kid to celebrity gangster, Father Jerry’s attempt to save the neighbourhood boys, the Dead End Kids, Bogart’s villainous Frazier, the film’s Depression-era setting, its influence on Home Alone’s Angels with Filthy Souls, and the famous final scene in which Rocky appears to turn coward on the way to the electric chair.

In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, Sidey, Dan and Reegs review Army of Darkness, Sam Raimi’s 1992 third entry in the Evil Dead franchise. The dads discuss how the series evolves from the bleak horror of The Evil Dead, through the horror-comedy balance of Evil Dead II, into the broad medieval slapstick and cult fantasy chaos of Army of Darkness. The episode also uses Army of Darkness as the jumping-off point for a Top 5 on third films in a franchise, covering titles including The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Toy Story 3, The Matrix Revolutions, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Bourne Ultimatum, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Back to the Future Part III, John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, and more. The main review covers Ash being transported to 1300 AD, the chainsaw hand, the boomstick speech, the Necronomicon quest, the famous “Klaatu barada nikto” failure, bad Ash, skeleton armies, Ray Ha…