Holy Kris Kringle!  Can it be that our dynamic duo of Richard and Greg find the Christmas Feels in a new round of movies?  Will they declare “Batman Returns” a Christmas movie?  Just what exactly is at the heart of the mysterious Christmas parcel?  And is there really a “rapidly approaching Season 5”?  For the answers to these and other questions, tune in today – same Pod-Time, same Pod-Channel!There’s Something in the Barn (2023) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-05-xmas-barn Spirited (2022) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-05-xmas-spirited Batman Returns (1992) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-05-xmas-batman

It’s been a long break between episodes – a whole Christmas cycle in fact.  Following tradition, Richard and Greg get their reviewing skates on with three Christmas movies, as a lead-in to our rapidly approaching Season 5.  Are they rusty?  Are the films Christmassy enough for Greg?  And has he brought another seasonal sound effect to antagonise Richard?  There’s ho-ho-only one way to find out…The Shop Around the Corner (1940)  https://tinyurl.com/fmfw-05-xmas-corner National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)  https://tinyurl.com/fmfw-05-xmas-lampoon Mon Oncle Antoine (1971)  https://tinyurl.com/fmfw-05-xmas-antoine

Season 4 has been bookended by THREE Christmas episodes – so “seasonal” greetings are in order.  Richard and Greg keep with tradition and review three Christmas films – including a musical about a Christmas zombie invasion (which is just SO in keeping with the spirit of the last year).  But what Christmas prop will Greg bring in this year to keep Richard in line?Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)  https://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-xmas-anna The Bishop’s Wife (1947)  https://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-xmas-bishop A Sunburnt Christmas (2020)  https://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-xmas-sunburnt

Melbourne has gone from the world’s most livable city to the most locked-down – and our Season 4 has stretched across this period.  Way back in “the early days”, we held a Friday Quarantine Film Night festival to restore the shared film-watching experience to our audience. Now that we’re (finally! hurray!) coming out of lockdown, we bookend Season 4 with reviews of three of those FQFN feature films as a pretty-darn-obvious exercise in nostalgia.Heartbreaker (2010)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-10-breaker Departures (2008)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-10-departures A Matter of Life and Death  -- also known as “Stairway to Heaven” (1946)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-10-matter

Our reviewers seek lockdown escapism through films based on Disneyland rides, despite the fact that one of them has never been on these rides.  But they sidestep the obvious choice – as Richard was born on “Talk Like a Pirate Day” (and needs no encouragement to perform) and Greg’s afraid of Caribbean planks.The Haunted Mansion (2003)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-09-mansion Jungle Cruise (2021)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-09-jungle Tomorrowland (2015)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-09-tomorrow

Richard and Greg leave the Confessional to push deeper into the spiritual realm.  They sample three ghostly films across different genres (horror, comedy, and existential exploration).  Of course, one reviewer’s “existential exploration” can be another’s snoozefest.  The abiding philosophical question is: Which reviewer felt which?Extra Ordinary (2019)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-08-extra A Ghost Story (2017)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-08-story Poltergeist 2: The Other Side (1986)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-08-side

It’s Greg’s turn in the FMFW Confessional and there are significant gaps in his Film Watching CV.  Although he makes an interesting myth diagnosis of “Pretty Woman”, our first two films are but pitstops on the way to the Big Question – has Richard’s beloved “Rocky” improved Greg’s opinion of Sylvester Stallone since our Season 1 review of “Cliffhanger”?  Perhaps that’s why our middle film is “Great Expectations”…Pretty Woman (1990)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-07-pretty Great Expectations (1946)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-07-expect Rocky (1976)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-07-rocky

Here at the FMFW Podcast, we like to play a little game – are there well-known films that our reviewers “confess” to not yet seeing?  This episode, Richard steps into the FMFW Confessional.  Will his sins of omission be original (or merely venial)?  More importantly, will Greg ever forgive Richard his opinion of a favoured film?Galaxy Quest (1999)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-06-quest Dolores Claiborne (1995)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-06-dolores Twelve Angry Men (1957)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-06-twelve

Pandemic Lockdown sucks – so Richard and Greg decide they need a good laugh.  Each chooses a sure-thing comedy (previously unseen by the other) to give them that lift.  And then they both watch a Marx Brothers film for the first time.  Does it work?  Does a bear do stand-up in the woods? Duck Soup (1933)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-04-soup Happy Gilmore (1996)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-04-happy Rat Race (2001)  http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-04-race

Only three films have ever won the “Big 5” Oscars: Actor, Actress, Screenplay, Director and Film. And this is where we’d usually tell you their titles (with links). But let’s keep a sense of mystery this time and reveal them as we go. We’ll tell you now that they’re from the Thirties, Seventies and Nineties. The rest is up to you (no Googling!) Our special thanks to listener Natasha Broadstock for suggesting this topic.

In the spirit of “Bring Your Child To Work Day”, our podcasters ask Sebastian, Cass and Théo to each choose a film and then review it with their Dads. The Sons display their inner geek – and Richard and Greg learn that their legacy is in safe hands. Three sons, three movies: it couldn’t have been better scripted! But which movie was transformed by flatulence…?Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-03-star Ready Player One (2018) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-03-player The Usual Suspects (1995) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-03-suspects

Richard and Greg finally get round to reviewing three musicals mentioned way back in Season 1 – all musicals about people who are themselves creating musical experiences. On two of these films, they’re highly aligned. But one film leaves Greg apologising for trampling all over Richard’s dreams. Is that why Greg tells Richard that they’ll always have Casablanca…?Moulin Rouge! (2001) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-02-rouge Once (2007) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-02-once All That Jazz (1979) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-02-jazz

Melbourne has been in pandemic lockdown. So Richard and Greg record their first distanced podcast (socially, not emotionally). They start this series by reviewing three films that regularly appear on Bad Movie lists. Can their scores rival their lowest yet – half a point for “Showgirls” in Series 2? Tune in and find out…Battlefield Earth (2000) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-01-earth Howard the Duck (1986) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-01-duck Gigli (2003) http://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-01-gigli

Can it be Christmas again already? Richard and Greg have been in Pandemic Lockdown throughout 2020, working at a safe distance from each other (if such a thing exists) to develop Season 4. Ironically, now that they’re allowed out again, they stay home to watch two Christmas Classics with ardent fanbases – and then jump forward to last Christmas to review …um… …well… “Last Christmas”.A Christmas Story (1983) https://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-xmas-story The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) https://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-xmas-nightmare Last Christmas (2019) https://tinyurl.com/fmfw-04-xmas-last

Not so much a Christmas message, more of a cross-promotion (which sounds more Easterish than Christmassy). Greg stops by to tell you about our Season 4 AND another podcast that Richard has been working on this year. You’ll find “Killing Phar Lap: A Forensic Investigation” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or the webpage https://killingpharlap.podomatic.com And while you’re listening to that, Greg will be working on a Christmas pun about “cross promoting” and Ebenezer Scrooge…

Welcome to our final episode of the Friday Quarantine Film Night!We decided to get all festive to celebrate.We start with “Lila” – a charming 9-minute Spanish/Argentinian film with which we have a personal connection. You’ll find it at http://tinyurl.com/fqfn-11-short And then we have the 1946 Christmas classic “It's a Wonderful Life”. It’s a terrific film – the first that Richard and Greg agreed as a 10.You’ll find its IMDB profile at http://tinyurl.com/fqfn-11-film You can watch it on Stan – or rent/buy it via iTunes, Microsoft, Google Play or YouTube.After you’ve watched it, you can listen to our review in our Series 1 Xmas 2015 Episode.And then don’t forget to leave your responses on our Facebook page. Thanks for coming!

This week we’re watching local films.“Rebooted” is a 13-minute Australian short made last year. It’s a loving tribute to the stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen. You’ll find it at http://tinyurl.com/fqfn-10-short As a companion piece, we recommend a 2-minute excerpt of Harryhausen’s work on YouTube which you’ll find at http://tinyurl.com/fqfn-10-extra Then it’s on to New Zealand’s “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” starring Sam Neill and made in 2016.If you’re quick, it’s on SBS streaming in Australia (until next Monday 29 June 2020) at http://tinyurl.com/fqfn-10-film You can also watch it on Foxtel – or rent/buy it via iTunes, Google Play, Microsoft or YouTube.Don’t forget to leave your responses on our Facebook page. (Thank you)

We’re staying in to watch Kids’ films this week, regardless of your age.We begin with the 7½-minute French short “Jubilé” about how the Queen is helped by a corgi and a guardsman. You’ll find it at http://tinyurl.com/fqfn-09-short Our US feature film is called “Shorts” from the director of both the “Spy Kids” series and “From Dusk to Dawn”.This is an imaginative story about what happens when kids and adults get hold of a wishing-stone. It’s inventive and gross at times. Probably not one for the littlies.You’ll find its IMDB profile at http://tinyurl.com/fqfn-09-film You can watch it on Netflix – or rent/buy it via iTunes, Google Play or Microsoft.And WE wish you’d leave your responses on our Facebook page. (Thank you)

It’s Westerns Week!Our short film this week is a 9-minute US comedy from 2014. You’ll find “The Gunfighter” at http://tinyurl.com/fqfn-08-short Then our feature film provides a different spin on the genre. It’s the 2015 Australian film “The Dressmaker”.You’ll find its IMDB profile at http://tinyurl.com/fqfn-08-film and you can rent/buy it via iTunes, Google Play, Microsoft or YouTube.Don’t forget to leave your responses on our Facebook page. (Thank you)

Our short film this week is “Future Boyfriend”. It’s a 10½-minute US film made in 2016 that you’ll find at http://tinyurl.com/fqfn-07-short Our feature film is a US documentary that we discussed in Series 2. “Stories We Tell” was made in 2012 and is an exemplar of the form.You’ll find its IMDB profile at http://tinyurl.com/fqfn-07-film You can watch it on Stan or Tubi – or rent/buy it via iTunes, Google Play or YouTube.After you’ve watched it, you can listen to our review in Series 2 Episode 7.And then don’t forget to leave your responses on our Facebook page.