Failed Critics

Welcome to this week's podcast, one in which we celebrate the work of one of this generations finest actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman. You'll get no ghoulish speculation of judgmental nonsense here, just heartfelt appreciation of a master of his craft. If you need cheering up after that, we also have reviews of I Frankenstein, August: Osage County, and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, as well as a much needed review of Nic Cage's Knowing. Join us next week as we review the remake of...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, and it's a shorter one than usual as James had to shut up a lot more than usual due to a sore throat. We're sure many of our listeners will appreciate this improvement. We've only managed to get out and see one new release this week, but [SPOILER ALERT] it's a great one. The Coen Brothers are back with Inside Llewyn Davis, an exploration of the search for fame in the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene. Also reviewed this week is the Aubrey Plaza-starring The To Do List, war photography documentary Which Way is the Front Line From Here?, and yet the final member...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week's podcast is less than half the length and features hundreds fewer F-bombs than our main review this week, Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. Don't worry though, we were all massively doped up on ludes. We also look at the Oscar nominations, discuss the incredible rebirth of Matthew McConaughey, and look ahead to the Glasgow Film Festival. Owen reviews The Last Temptation of Christ, Steve finally watches The Impossible, and James' journey around the world in 80 films sees him in Denmark, with Lars Von Trier's The Boss of it All.

Well, not quite. We are back to feature length this week though, with a packed agenda that includes a full run down on the Golden Globe awards, reaction to the latest BBFC guidance, and casting news in the Marvel and Star Wars universes. The new releases this week include Oscar favourite 12 Years a Slave, as well All is Lost, and The Railway Man. In What We've Been Watching Steve finally catches one of last year's biggest films, Owen finally watches one of Woody Allen's biggest films, and James sets off on a world cinema odyssey. 

Happy New Year to you all, and in an effort to stick to some hastily made resolutions about getting rid of the fat, the first Failed Critics podcast of the year is lean, mean, and looking forward to McQueen (next week's big review is 12 Years a Slave). This week's chat sees the gents discuss the finer elements of the Oscar Foreign Language shortlist, as well as review new releases American Hustle and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. James also gets around to reviewing Anchorman 2, Owen takes us on a journey through South Korean cinema, and Steve is aiming to beat the bookies with his Oscar race tips/blind guesses (delete as appropriate).  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Get out your tuxedos and dust off your livers as it's that time of year once more...THE FAILED CRITICS END OF YEAR AWARDS SHOW! This year's special bumper 2013 in Review podcast features the usual suspects, as well as the returning Gerry McAuley and still-the-new-guy Matt Lambourne. There's celebration, appreciation, and plenty of inebriation as we discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of 2013. Thanks for putting up with us over the last twelve months, and we'll be back in the...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to this week's Failed Critics podcast, please excuse us if our heads were a little bigger, and our chests puffed out a little more after finding out that our download figures have gone through the roof (well, the roof of a kennel perhaps). We'd like to welcome all of our new listeners, and hope you'll stick around. This week sees us review the latest installment of Peter Jackson's latest sojourn to Middle Earth, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. James gets emotional (obviously) watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Steve gets festive watching Arthur Christmas, and Owen gets scared watching The Host (the Korean creature feature, not the...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast - it can;t be as bad as the last one! In this week's episode the team are reviewing one of the most exciting films to come from the Disney animation studio in years (Frozen), Spike Lee's return to some kind of form (the remake of Oldboy), and the archetypal Jason Statham film (Homefront). This week also sees the return of Triple Bill, in which after a run of pretty mediocre remakes we count down our favourite remakes that are definitely worth a watch, and we also find time to discuss the British Independent Film Awards and...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It had to happen sometime, and it's taken 91 episodes, but this is possibly the most shambolic podcast ever committed to the Internet. And for us, that's saying something. Owen manages to confuse two very different TV programmes, Steve doesn't watch the one film he was meant to, and while trying to make a very important point James manages to forget the name of a film, the actress in it, and what she said. It's not a complete bust of an episode though, and there are reviews of the Carrie remake, Palm d'Or winner Blue is the Warmest Colour, and Parkland. James also talks about the best and the worst films he's seen so far this year.

Welcome to our 90th (NINETIETH!) podcast, and this one is rammed full of new release reviews, disagreements, and top, top film bantz* *contains no actual bantz James was the lone surviving pod critic from the first Hunger Games film, and this week returns to the arena to tackle The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, as well as reviewing Saving Mr Banks, a new Disney film about the making of Mary Poppins. We've also go a review the new Ben Stiller film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and we discuss the twists, turns, and timey-wimeyness of the 50th anniversary Doctor Who...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Two podcasts in one week! You lucky, lucky people. This 'week's' installment is heavy on the new releases, with the team running the rule over The Counsellor, The Butler, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut, Don Jon. We also dust off Triple Bill, presenting our favourite unnamed central characters; as well as discuss the new Marvel/Netflix projects, the Monty Python reunion, and a sacrilegious plan to produce a sequel to It's a Wonderful Life.

Welcome to another long-awaited Failed Critics Podcast, and hopefully absence has made your hearts grow fonder. This week sees a number of firsts, including Owen's first stint as the quiz host, James' first week without a new film to review for What We've Been Watching, and the first time we've had to edit the podcast to remove spoilers rather (unlike most weeks where we edit out the standard Owen disconnection). Oh, and we also review one of the most anticipated movies of the year.

After a long break during which some of us watched a lot more films than others, we're back with a belated Halloween special, as well as reviews of Philomena, Bad Grandpa, and Thor: The Dark World (with the inevitable return of Spoiler Alert). Joining us this week for his pod debut is Matt Lambourne, providing us with a fresh perspective and an encyclopedic knowledge of the Jackass films. Don;t worry though, we're not forgetting our pretentious cinematistas, as Owen and James discuss the 1922 Danish silent horror documentary Haxan: Witchcraft through the Ages and Werner Herzog's retelling of Nosferatu.

Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, and after the austerity of recent weeks we're back to our usual obscene length. As well as reviewing new releases Captain Phillips, Escape Plan, and Le Week-End, we also hear from our roving correspondent Carole Petts who is reporting back from London Film Festival, and Steve watches The Phantom Menace for the first time as a 'critic'. That'll go well. We're taking a week off next week (boo!), but we'll be back at the start of November with reviews of Thor 2, Bad Grandpa, and whatever arty emotional nonsense James has gotten...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to what's starting to feel like another daily edition of the Failed Critics Podcast. It's our third outing in a week, and in this episode we are reviewing The Fifth Estate, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, as well as How I Live Now and The Great Hip-Hop Hoax. It's another short one this week due to James' international jetsetter lifestyle, but there's still room to discuss the batshit crazy Crank 2, the impressive Ip Man, and for Owen and Steve to fall out over a cult classic. We'll be back next week with reviews of Captain...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a mini-edition of the Failed Critics Podcast, and in this special episode we pay tribute to the latest inductee into our Corridor of Praise, the Japanese masters of animation Studio Ghibli. James, Owen, and Gerry discuss their favourite Ghibli films, as well as discussing the history of the studio, and it's impact on opening new eyes to world cinema, as well as exploring its influence over Disney and Pixar.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, and due to continuing technical problems and the fact that at least one of us has a social life, this is the shortest one yet. We review the outrageous new Irvine Welsh adaptation Filth, the outrageously boring Runner Runner, and outrageously only spend a few moments on Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. James also talks about his love of the 'body-swap comedy' genre. Owen and Steve try to argue that no such genre exists. Don;t get used to this breakneck pace though, as we'll be back to our chin-strokingly epic lengths next week...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We would like to offer our deepest apologies for the fact that this podcast is coming to you a week late. The Failed Critics hamster gave up the ghost, and we had a bit of a technical Armageddon. Still, but late than never... This week's installment of the pod sees Owen reasonably impressed by Prisoners, Steve surprisingly impressed by The Call, and James utterly, utterly depressed by Diana. We also discuss the films and television we're most looking forward to this autumn, and things escalate rather quickly in an impromptu discussion on the state of British TV networks.

Start your engines for this week's Failed Critics Podcast, as we review the first of the serious award-bait movies this autumn in the shape of Ron Howard's Rush, the true-life story of the F1 rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Owen also reviews Insidious 2, while James and Steve take time out of killing hookers and punching pedestrians in the face to review a new computer game. And then they might play Grand Theft Auto 5. Boom, boom! In honour of Rockstar's latest opus, we also talk to Jackson and Calum from the Pupcast about the relationship between games and...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Failed Critics Podcast is here, with another helping of shambolic film discussion that will make you wish you could go back in time to the moment you downloaded it and punch yourself square in the throat. This week's episode sees us review Richard Curtis' time-travel rom-com About Time, as well as choosing our favourite time travelers in Triple Bill. We also review the latest Vin Diesel vanity project, Riddick, and catch up on great films you have have missed like Robot and Frank, and Whisper of the Heart. Finally, we said a sort of goodbye to Gerry McAuley, who...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.