Ellie Stewart returns to the podcast with the final part of the trilogy, Ghostbusters, Hook and The Inbetweeners Movie! (2011). Based on the TV show, will this gross out boys comedy be a dream come true or will our opinion be inbetween good and bad? High school graduation just wouldn’t be complete without an un-chaperoned, uninhibited and unforgettable final holiday. At least that’s what Will, Jay, Simon and Neil think when they book a two-week stay on an exotic Greek island. As their dreams of sun-drenched days and booze-filled nights are left hopelessly unfulfilled, the lads fight their way into the party scene with hilariously humiliating results in this smash hit UK raunchy comedy. (Sourced from Letterboxd). Don't forget to check out Ellie and Cassandra in Destiny's Cousin: The Reunion Spectacular, on during the New Zealand International Comedy Festival from the 7-9 May! Further info and tickets available at this link: https://www.comedyfestival.co.nz/find-a-show/destinys-cousin-the-reunion-spectacular/

NYAD Love her or hate her, know her or don't, NYAD (2023) and Diana Nyad herself have been in the news lately with the Academy Award nominations of Annette Benning and Jodie Foster for said film. But who is she?  Athlete Diana Nyad sets out at 60 to achieve a nearly impossible lifelong dream: to swim from Cuba to Florida across more than 100 miles of open ocean. (Sourced from Letterboxd) That's right, controversial swimmer and sometime pathological liar Diana Nyad is being covered and whether she swum assisted or unassisted, there's one thing for certain, Annette is giving it her ALL in this performance. From the very first shot she is blazing intensity. But is the movie any good? Will you need multiple attempts to watch this movie like Diana Nyad needed to swim from Cuba to Florida? How deep can your voice go? And has your mind never been clearer?

It's time. The foundational text. The Rosetta Stone of Dream Blunt Rotation. The one you've all been waiting for. SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN! What is there to say. The name speaks for itself. But will provide some context.  Made in 2011, it's Emily's last rotation (for now) and her scene partner has appeared on the podcast before, Moulin Rouge's Ewen McGregor. A fisheries expert is approached by a consultant to help realize a sheik’s vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert and embarks on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible possible. (Letterboxd) Did you know Salmon Fishing isn't some bizarre improbable true story, it's just totally made up? It was the debut of author Paul Torday who was aged 60! A big fan of salmon fishing and having lived a life of bureaucracy, he decided to write a comic novel and turned into a smash hit. We'll glad he was able to watch his efforts be turned into a film before his death in 2013.  See whether this relatively forgotten film is a fish flop or a surprise catch with our latest Mixed Bag.

How much you would run for a dumb hat? That's what 2011's The Adjustment Bureau dares to ask. Our third entry into the Dream Blunt Rotation, Emily is sporting full 2010s fashion in this one but she never gets to wears that trilby. We also welcome back Spirit himself, Matt Damon. Now we can see him in the flesh instead of his expertly animated horse design and we are disappointed. FIGHT FOR YOUR FATE. A man glimpses the future Fate has planned for him – and chooses to fight for his own destiny. Battling the powerful Adjustment Bureau across, under and through the streets of New York, he risks his destined greatness to be with the only woman he’s ever loved. (Sourced from Letterboxd) Will David choose between love and his career? Where did John Slattery go? And when will Emily get to a real character again? Also, a final chat of the 2023 Oscar predictions as it drops today!

The Dream Blunt Rotation continues with John Patrick Shanley's Wild Mountain Thyme. But is this truly a dream blunt? After the reaction to Jungle Cruise, the Mixed Bag crew are hoping the Emerald Isles of Ireland and performances therein can dazzle us with their Irish charm. THERE’S NOTHING MORE DANGEROUS… THAN AN IRISH WOMAN IN LOVE. Headstrong farmer Rosemary Muldoon has her heart set on winning her neighbour Anthony Reilly’s love. The problem is, Anthony seems to have inherited a family curse, and remains oblivious to his beautiful admirer. Stung by his father’s plans to sell the family farm to his American nephew, Anthony is jolted into pursuing his dreams. (Sourced from Letterboxd) Will this be another Moonstruck for the Irish community? How will Blunt fare with the accent? And WHERE. IS. FIONA?? Find out if we're buzzing or feel drowsy in need of some honey from Wild Mountain Thyme.

That's right, it's time for a new miniseries, Mixed Bag presents DREAM BLUNT ROTATION. We've got four perfect puffs of the wonderful Emily Blunt for you to take a toke of. Relax enjoy and take a cruise down the jungle with our very first offering, 2021's Jungle Cruise, directed by none other than Non-Stop's Jaume Collet-Serra! Two Mixed in a row, well done Jaume! Dr. Lily Houghton enlists the aid of wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff to take her down the Amazon in his dilapidated boat. Together, they search for an ancient tree that holds the power to heal – a discovery that will change the future of medicine. How come Jungle Cruise sports not one but two actors currently nominated for the 2023 Academy Awards? (shout out Pauly G!) Will Dwayne ever be as charismatic as an igneous? And will the lightning of Disney theme park adaptation strike twice?

"I don't know who you are, I don't know what you want. But if it's Taken you're looking for, I can tell you, this is only a knock-off." RRRR! That's right, it's another JetBag 🚨 Emergency Landing 🚨 and this time we're covering Non-Stop (2014) with Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore and Lupita Nyong'o. Bill Marks is a burned-out veteran of the Air Marshals service. He views the assignment not as a life-saving duty, but as a desk job in the sky. However, today’s flight will be no routine trip. Shortly into the transatlantic journey from New York to London, he receives a series of mysterious text messages ordering him to have the government transfer $150 million into a secret account, or a passenger will die every 20 minutes. Who is the killer in this star-studded flight? Will Liam be able to survive a flight without manhandling every single passenger? And is there any moment that will rival the pencil attack from Red Eye? All this and a hearty Oscar nomination chat with Non-Stop.

Another year has passed and it's time to look back on the year and remember the chocolatiers of 2023. Wonka, Barbie, J. Robert Oppenheimer and more. We've taken one last trip to the chocolate factory to snack upon the confections of Paul King's Wonka starring Timothy Chalamet, Hugh Grant and Olivia Coleman.  Willy Wonka – chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time – is proof that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible. We've also taken the liberty to share our personal top tens of 2023, visit our Letterboxd pages (James, Cass, Matt) and follow us for more movie updates! Will we (Hugh) grant this film a bag? Or will we use our pure imagination to dream up a superior version of favourite enigmatic chocolate bud?

Christmas is all around you BagHags and so it's time for our Christmas tradition, Lucas Neal joins us once again for a Christmas Mixed Bag! It's a big one this year, long requested, Love Actually (2003) by Richard Curtis! THE ULTIMATE ROMANTIC COMEDY. Follows seemingly unrelated people as their lives begin to intertwine while they fall in – and out – of love. Affections languish and develop as Christmas draws near. Were the hosts and guest prepared for quite so much fatphobia? Is Alan Rickman 'adorable' as James says? The film attests that it's possible to be "gay as a maypole" and "gay as a picnic basket" but which is more gay? And will we finally view the film from Both Sides Now? All this and more in our epic two hour episode that concludes our viewings for 2024 (we're taking a break on Christmas Day). Thanks for being with us for another year and merry Mixed Bag viewings this holiday season.

The chocolate factory is back open! To coincide with the upcoming release of 'Wonka', a definitely not mixed film, we thought we'd take a trip down memory lane to the last Wonka release, Tim Burton's version in 2005 and we are joined by special guest Dryw McArthur! A young boy wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by the world’s most unusual candy maker. Are we able to stomach a Johnny Depp film? What elements of the tale have aged badly? Are you pro or anti Grandpa Joe and why is Christopher Lee playing Wonka's dad in this movie?! We had some minor technical issues on this ep fam but you'll barely notice them. See you next time for our annual Christmas special episode!

It's Britney, b*tch. To coincide with the book of the year The Woman in Me, we're looking back to 2002 when Britney made a big swing making a coming of age, road movie with Zoe Saldana and Taryn Manning, Crossroads! DREAMS CHANGE. FRIENDS ARE FOREVER. Three estranged friends reunite to travel to LA to chase fame, family and romance.  Does this pop star vanity project pay off? Which is girl is each host? And how will Britney write her hit single, I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman?

Happy Halloween Baghags! We hope your lolly bags are never mixed and it's bottles all the way down. We're celebrating the Spooky Season with our Foe of the Pod, Mike Bryant, bringing us another scary movie of the mixed variety for our hosts to feast upon! This year, we're going to the prom with Carrie, 2013 edition.  A reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White, a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. How will Hit Girl (aka Chloe Grace Moretz) fare when compared to Sissy Spacek? Will Oscar winner Julianne Moore hold a candle to Piper Laurie? And why are they playing WATERPOLO? We all know Matt is a professed landlubber. All this and more in our Halloween special of Mixed Bag.

Oh the Hugh-manity! It's another Hugh Jackson flick and we're warming up to Halloween with this action adventure Van Helsing (2004) directed by Stephen Sommers of The Mummy and G.I. Joe fame. Famed monster slayer Gabriel Van Helsing is dispatched to Transylvania to assist the last of the Valerious bloodline in defeating Count Dracula. Anna Valerious reveals that Dracula has formed an unholy alliance with Dr. Frankenstein’s monster and is hell-bent on exacting a centuries-old curse on her family. Can a film hold the combined might of Van, Frank, Drac, Wolf and Jek/Hy?? When is David Wenham getting his comedic roles back? And will Matt finally be convinced by Hugh? Also, we do a massive deep dive on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour to kick off Popcorner! Listen in Swifties.

Before James got bit by a dog (he's fine) he rather liked these furry animals. We take you to a recording pre-bite when he and the other hosts were 100% gung-ho on the beloved canines. Introducing Dean Spanley (2008)! Directed by Toa Fraser and starring Jeremy Northam, Sam Neill and Peter O'Toole! If you're a NZer you might vaguely recall this movie, if you're from elsewhere you probably don't have a clue! But what is this forgotten film all about? Set in Edwardian England where upper lips are always stiff and men from the Colonies are not entirely to be trusted, Fisk Senior has little time or affection for his son, but when the pair visit an eccentric Indian, they start a strange journey that eventually allows the old man to find his heart. Is Dean a name or a title? Will Peter finally win his Oscar? (No. He was not even nominated for this) and what happens when national treasure Sam Neill sups on a particular wine?

It's the eighth wonder of the world, Jack O'Donnell! That's right, we've got the nicest guy in New Zealand film, Jack O'Donnell talking about Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005)! Before Peter Jackson was union busting and bringing about Hobbit Law with the NZ Government, he was transforming Petone into New York City and making a great big gorilla wreak havoc. In 1933 New York, an overly ambitious movie producer coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter Kong, a giant ape who is immediately smitten with the leading lady. But does this colossal monster movie which was one of the most expensive shoots ever hold up? Can we withstand the power of the three hour runtime? Will PJ ever trump the death scene of Lumpy with those horrific penis monsters? You can watch Jack O'Donnell's short film Tama right now! It's an excellent watch.

Today we're joined by the wonderful Charlie Potter to discuss the magical adventure/romance 'Stardust' (2007) by Matthew Vaughan, adapted from Neil Gaiman's book of the same name. THIS SUMMER A STAR FALLS. THE CHASE BEGINS. In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he’ll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm. His journey takes him into a world beyond his wildest dreams and reveals his true identity. Will this be 'The Princess Bride' for a new generation or is that just inconcievable? Does the combined weight of gay icon Michelle 'Catwoman' Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro playing gay spellbind us? How does the Ricky Gervais cameo land now? Climb aboard and grab a scabbard to see if this star is soaring or sinking.

Another first for Mixed Bag season 2, our very first documentary! Cast your mind back to 2012 when Katy Perry was on top of the world, dating Russell Brand and her new movie Katy Perry: Part of Me was hitting cinemas in 3D! Giving fans unprecedented access to the real life of the music sensation, Katy Perry: Part of Me exposes the hard work, dedication and phenomenal talent of a girl who remained true to herself and her vision in order to achieve her dreams. But did Katy deliver a candy covered confectionary or is there something darker going on in this film? Is this actually the Marriage Story of popstar docos? Everyday when Katy wakes up does she hope Russell's dead? (OK bit dark, it's a quote OK?) Listen in to see if this is a Firework or just a Teenage Dream we'd rather forget.

It might be the summer of Cillian Murphy in 2023 with Oppenheimer but what about 4 August 2005, when this very week 18 years ago today, Red Eye was released and the general public realised just how 'killer' Cillian could be. Starring Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy and Brian Cox and directed by beloved horror filmmaker Wes Craven! FEAR TAKES FLIGHT. A woman is kidnapped by a stranger on a routine flight. Threatened by the potential murder of her father, she is pulled into a plot to assist her captor in offing a politician. Is Brian Cox going to be the secret big bad? Could Wes reinvent the slasher genre again after the success of Scream? And where is Red Eye 2 aka Red Eyes? This episode featuring a couple new surprises as we continue season 2 of Mixed Bag. Pop Corner discussions includes Patrick Barnes shout out, Big Hero 6, Pixar Sequels, The Carpenters, Dredge, The Bear, average Richard E. Grant impressions, Aliens are real, Off Menu Podcast, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning: Part Two, The Firm, Wild segues, NZIFF and Sinead O'Connor.

Pika pika! We're heading back just four years to revisit Pokémon Detective Pikachu with performer, director and Pokémon aficionado, Emily K. Brown! We get talking our favourite little 151 critters and how this action adventure starring Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith sat with us. PARTNER UP! In a world where people collect pocket-size monsters (Pokémon) to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent monster who seeks to be a detective. (Sourced from Letterboxd) Pop Corner discussed in Popcorner includes Barbie and Oppenheimer (relatively spoiler free but if you want to see both films knowing nothing, skip 7:13 - 18:00), Siren: Survivor the Island, Dungeons and Drag Queens, Dimension 20, Emmy Nominations, Traitors Australia, Cocaine Bear and FIFA Women's World Cup.

"Say it. Out Loud." "100 episodes" That's right, we're 100 episodes old, Baghags! To celebrate, we gathered together at Vogelmorn Hall on a cold July evening and celebrated with an iconic Mixed film and franchise, Twilight (2008). Huge thanks to Patrick Barnes for the sound and AV, Cass' parents for the screen, our readers Ed, Catherine, Mike and Jared and to our special guest! Listen to the end to discover who it is and visit our socials for the video version. WHEN YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER, WHAT DO YOU LIVE FOR? When Bella Swan moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest to live with her father, she meets the reclusive Edward Cullen, a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire. Despite Edward’s repeated cautions, Bella can’t help but fall in love with him, a fatal move that endangers her own life when a coven of bloodsuckers try to challenge the Cullen clan. (Sourced from Letterboxd) What is there to say about Twilight? A huge franchise that introduced Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart to the world, it was a massive sensation but is the first film any good? Matt, Cass and James and our live audience cast a critical eye over Catherine Hardwicke's film and revisit the fashion, soundtrack and crazes of 2008.  Thanks again for listening and here's to 100 more!