Episodes

Die Hard is the kind of “comfort violence” film that never gets old, and your recap hits basically every reason it works. A few extra bits worth calling out (because they’re the secret sauce): It’s a Christmas film for structural reasons, not vibes. Christmas isn’t just background dressing. The party only happens because it’s Christmas, the building is half-staffed because it’s Christmas, McClane is only in LA because it’s Christmas, and Hans’ whole timing depends on a holiday lull. Remove Chris...

Homoeroticism, honour codes, and the least festive “Merry Christmas” ever recorded. This week’s pick looks like a seasonal warm hug by title alone, but it’s actually a POW-camp psychodrama where Christmas is basically just another opportunity for humiliation, beatings, and cultural misunderstanding. The core triangle Lawrence (Tom Conti): the cultural bridge. He respects Japan’s traditions more than the other prisoners do, but still can’t square the camp’s brutality with the language of “hono...

Sugar, Cheer, and Corporate Trauma – Elf (2003) This week on Bad Dads Film Review, we crack open a modern Christmas classic and ask the hard questions: how much maple syrup is too much maple syrup, and is Christmas cheer a viable alternative energy source? Our main feature is Elf (dir. Jon Favreau), the 2003 festive juggernaut that turned Will Ferrell into a full-blown Christmas institution. Ferrell plays Buddy, a human accidentally raised as an elf at the North Pole, who travels to New York ...

Isle of Dogs (2018) – Trash Island, pandemics, and very good boys In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, we head to Wes Anderson’s stop-motion Japan for Isle of Dogs, a film where man’s best friend is dumped on a toxic wasteland by a fascist cat-loving dynasty, and the only person who gives a toss is a 12-year-old boy in a stolen plane. We follow Atari and his pack of exiled hounds – Chief, Rex, King, Duke and Boss – as they trek across Trash Island in search of Spots, the missing bodyguard...

A nameless truck, an everyday salesman, and 90 minutes of pure escalation: this episode is all about Steven Spielberg’s debut feature, Duel (1971). We talk through how a simple setup – Dennis Weaver’s mild-mannered David Mann driving to a routine meeting – turns into a relentless nightmare when he’s targeted by a grimy tanker truck that seems less like a vehicle and more like a stalking predator. From suburban driveways to dusty California highways, we track every swerve, near–miss, and increasi...

Arnold Schwarzenegger in a yellow jumpsuit, a murderous game show, and more terrible puns than should be legal – this week we’re diving into The Running Man (1987). Set in the far-flung future of… 2017, the film drops Arnie into a fascist police state where the government keeps the masses quiet with a wildly popular TV bloodsport. Framed as the “Butcher of Bakersfield,” helicopter pilot Ben Richards is forced onto The Running Man , a gladiatorial game show hosted by the gloriously slimy Damon Ki...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Terrence Malick’s debut gets the Bad Dads treatment. We dive into the cool, clinical menace of Martin Sheen’s James-Dean-by-way-of-the-Midwest and Sissy Spacek’s fairytale-flat voiceover that makes murder sound like homework. What the episode covers The real-world shadow: The Starkweather–Fugate killings that inspired Bad...

In this episode, we wade into Chinatown — a sun-bleached noir where water is power, everyone’s lying, and the system wins. We talk Jack Nicholson’s bandaged nose, Faye Dunaway’s glass-shard fragility, John Huston’s all-time villainy, and that ending that still guts you. Yes, we address the director caveat up front; then we focus on what’s on screen: A precision-engineered thriller that never wastes a line, a clue, or a cut. What we cover Why “Chinatown”? The title’s bleak punchline and what “for...

Chimp genius or 70s hubris in a suede jacket? We dive into James Marsh’s Project Nim —the wild “let’s raise a chimp as a human” saga aimed at dunking on Noam/“Nim” Chomsky and proving apes can master language. What we actually get: sex-commune vibes, bad science, worse ethics, and one heartbreakingly charismatic chimp shunted between indulgent “parents,” media circuses, and grim laboratories. We talk: Language vs mimicry: 120+ signs learned…or just expert begging? The ‘parents’: breast-feeding (...

Neighbours — Episode 234 (Charlene’s Debut) We dove back into Ramsay Street for a pure hit of Aussie soap nostalgia: Neighbours ep. 234 , a.k.a. the first-ever appearance of Charlene (a tiny, feral Kylie Minogue ) breaking into a house and into British hearts. Why this episode slaps Iconic entrance: Scott grabs a “burglar” in the window… hat comes off… “ Charlene! ” Cue destiny, perms, and pop superstardom. Peak mullet era: Two mullets before the first ad break. Oxygen levels dangerously low in ...

This week, the dads head down under for Chopper — the semi-biographical crime film that introduced the world to Eric Bana’s raw, terrifying range. Directed by Andrew Dominik ( The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ), it tells the story of Mark “Chopper” Read , Australia’s most notorious criminal, self-mythologising psychopath and folk hero rolled into one. Part prison horror, part dark comedy, Chopper opens with its antihero stabbing a rival inmate 15 times for crossing a li...

The dads go full retro this week with The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters , the 2007 documentary that turns arcade gaming into blood sport — complete with villains, underdogs, mullets, and enough ego to fill an entire arcade. In one corner: Billy Mitchell , hot-sauce magnate, self-styled all-American hero, and the reigning Donkey Kong world champion since 1982. In the other: Steve Wiebe , a laid-off family man from Seattle with a garage, a Donkey Kong cabinet, and an obsessive drive to final...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today, we’re diving into our Top 5 Deliveries or Couriers in film, exploring characters and stories where the act of delivering is pivotal, weaving through plots filled with intrigue, action, and high stakes. After our countdown, we'll review the 2024 thriller The Courier , centered a...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today, we're heading to the Windy City as we explore our Top 5 Movies and TV Shows set in Chicago. This vibrant city has served as the backdrop for countless iconic scenes and stories. After our countdown, we'll dive into a review of High Fidelity , a film deeply embedded in Chicago's...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today, we're gearing up to explore some of the most creative and memorable inventions ever seen in film. After that, we’ll dive into the inspirational true story featured in Spare Parts (2015) , and take a nostalgic look at the inventive undersea adventures of Sharkey and George . Top...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today, we're diving into the glamorous and sometimes chaotic world of cinematic weddings as we count down our Top 5 Wedding Scenes in film and television. After that, we’ll explore the intriguing and stylish drama of Don't Worry Darling and take a light-hearted turn with the antics fr...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today, we're diving into the adrenaline-pumping world of Boss Level , a 2021 action-thriller directed by Joe Carnahan. This film combines the relentless pace of action movies with the intriguing concept of a time loop, featuring Frank Grillo in a performance that's both gritty and eng...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today, we're diving into the tense and thrilling road of Cop Car , a 2015 indie thriller directed by Jon Watts. Starring Kevin Bacon, this film takes a simple premise and turns it into a nail-biting ride filled with suspense and unexpected turns. Cop Car follows two young boys, Travis...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today, we're diving into the quirky and lesser-known comedy, We Married Margo . Released in 2000, this film blends elements of a mockumentary and traditional comedy, exploring the odd but humorous premise of two men who, at different times, were married to the same woman named Margo. ...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today, we're spotlighting our Top 5 Johns in film and television, celebrating characters that have left a memorable mark on screen. After that, we'll dive into a review of Rambo: Last Blood , featuring one of cinema's most iconic Johns, and then lighten the mood with a look at the qui...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today, we’re gearing up for an epic journey through chivalry and valor as we count down our Top 5 Knights in film and television. After that, we'll delve into the mystical and mysterious world of The Green Knight and switch gears for some light-hearted adventures with Mike the Knight ...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today, we're setting sail to explore our Top 5 Islands in film and television, showcasing settings that have become iconic in their own right. Following that, we'll catch the waves with a review of Moana and then take a detour to the charming yet mysterious island setting of the TV se...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today, we're diving into the flashy and often thrilling world of cinematic money scenes as we count down our Top 5 Cash Scenes in movies. We'll also discuss the complexities of financial manipulation in The Laundromat (2019) and switch gears to the animated high stakes of Thunderbirds...

You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out! Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! Today we’re taking a special journey down memory lane as we count down our Top 5 Bad Dads Film Review episodes. It’s been a fantastic ride filled with lots of laughs, insights, and, of course, great films. Later in the episode, we'll dive into our latest reviews for Mrs. Harris Goes t...