CraigFowler

21. Good Grief Was really enjoying this for the first half. It was witty, charming and packed an emotional punch. But all of that ended up wearing off a bit quickly for me by the end of it, which was all a bit predictable. A decent watch but nothing more. 22. Immaculate Fucking hell! A film that has stayed with me, buried deep into my mind like a malevolent intruder much like the growing baby inside the Sydney Sweeney's main character's uterus. It is shocking, gory and deeply disturbing. The ending give me such a huge reaction that I felt like running from the cinema or covering my eyes to make it all stop. I thought it was great! A horror movie that shows me I'm not yet fully desensitised to horror movies yet. 23. 12 Monkeys Despite owning the DVD at one point I'd somehow never watched this. Younger Craig was an idiot because this was very good. A clever take on the time-travelling genre, especially the way in which it messes with Bruce Willis' main character's sense of reality and linking that to his interactions with mentally ill patients in the psychiatric hospital. Brad Pitt's nervous energy throughout his scenes is another thoroughly watchable bonus. 24. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire This could have been good. There's a decent enough structure and storyline and more than enough characters and actors that it's easy to spend time with, but that's the problem. There are far too many of them! I counted 11 people in the final scene. That's pretty much every character we're introduced to in the entire film (bar 2, I think) and it 25. They Cloned Tyrone This very much reminded me of Sorry To Bother You, which is a better movie, but it was still a good bit of fun all the same. A broody John Boyega excels in the main role which Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Paris are a lot of fun as the supporting leads. A movie about race and racism in America but doesn't take itself too seriously. 26. Late Night with the Devil I thought this was great overall. It's a very good idea to contain the horror story within an episode of late night American TV with a single-minded host hell-bent (pun very much intended) on getting a boost in the ratings. There were plenty of creepy moments to keep you going, but it was all building towards a climax and it didn't stick the landing. The ending completely took me out of the story and spoiled the experience to a degree. Though it is still definitely worth a watch.

Well seeing as it's in the Championship section, let me do some rare plugging on this forum (AVFTT section wasn't my doing). Shaughan and Fraser Clarke chatted extensively about Dunfermline and Dundee United on our latest free-to-air show: This is also available to watch on YouTube (with a shocking lack of beards): And we've got a couple of Championship related Patreon episodes this week. Farming for hope in the Highland capital: a discussion on the novelty of Duncan Ferguson wearing off in Inverness and the club's complicated off-field issues: https://www.patreon.com/posts/farming-for-hope-100670641 Are Dunfermline Athletic looking up or down?: a chat about one of the most hard to place clubs in a league that's famously full of teams who frequently go from promotion contenders one week to relegation battlers the next: https://www.patreon.com/posts/are-dunfermline-100825577

Of course not. I think it's only two of us out of 15. I shall refrain from naming them. It's their burden to carry.

That was in response to him ripping into us on Twitter as the final show of series 1 aired. He (presumably after being advised by the Open Goal hierarchy) quickly deleted the tweet.

This has been some read

Another rush job as I've been slacking of late... 16 - The Holdovers The right teacher can change the course of your life. I liked this, and very much at the time, but I've gone a bit colder on it since seeing it at the cinema. It just didn't really stick with me. The performances are great and they've potentially uncovered a gem in Dominic Sessa, while Paul Giamatti is great in anything. Bit surprised by the really strong Oscar buzz for DaVine Joy Randolph, but looking at two of the other four nominations (haven't seen The Color Purple or Nyad) I do now understand why. She was good but it didn't land with me the way I expected. I think that was my biggest disappointment with the film is that it didn't really hit me emotionally, and I'm not sure why. 17 - The Iron Claw A reversal of the above (I saw these in the cinema on the same day) in that I didn't enjoy The Iron Claw as much in the cinema at the time as I did The Holdovers, but it stuck with me a lot longer. Zac Efron is superb in the main role and you really believe someone that famously handsome, and now absolutely bursting with muscles, would feel uncomfortable in their own skin and struggle to live up to the dreams and demands of their father, again played superbly by Holt McCallany. The downside is that the second half is relentlessly grim. I know that sounds obvious given the story, but it still feels a bit rushed as it goes from one tragedy to another. You don't get much of a sense of their own motivations other than to try and please their dad, which is a shame because they're all played well, especially by Harris Dickinson. The best parts of the movie are when the four brothers interact with each other, so that sense of loss is still there. Can't believe I'm saying this as I rarely ever do, but it could have done with being a bit longer. 18 - Asteroid City Yeah, I never fully worked out exactly what was going on with a lot of this film either. The black and white stuff? Nah, sorry, don't understand and care even less. The UFO sighting area where everyone converges and meets and you get all the typical (and, as always, delightful) Wes Anderson style of shooting, dialogue and quirky characters? That I did enjoy, and it was the main chunk of the movie. Overall, though, it felt like he was trying too hard to make something a bit different. 19 - Wicked Little Letters I couldn't figure out if this was colourblind casting (in favour) or the director putting diversity into a period peace where it didn't make much sense historically (less in favour, though still not annoyed about it, as I imagine many twats will be), and this internal debate did take me out of the film at points. But overall it was exactly what I needed after some family-related shit put my mind on a recurring spin: an easy watch, good fun, funny, and superbly cast. I always enjoy Jessie Buckley, especially when she gets to play someone struggling to stay on the rails. Olivia Coleman is superb at playing the 'sweet and smiley on the outside but something lurking below the surface' role, Anjana Vasan shines as the sleuth with her eyes wide open (both figuratively and literally), but the star of the show is Timothy Spall, who is so wonderfully over the top in his detestability. Took me a while to properly warm up to it, but I very much liked it by the end. 20 - Maestro Trying to fit in every Best Picture nomination before Sunday eve - which, considering my weekend, will have to involve watching Killers of the Flower Moon on what is likely to be a vicious Sunday hangover (so wish me luck with that!) - and it's doubtful I would have bothered to watch this otherwise. But I'm glad I did. There were a good few scenes where I was like "god, this is shot very well" or the director chose an angle which I found interesting. A liked the transition from black and white to colour as the years, presumably, rolled into the age of colour in TV and movies. Compared to Priscilla, I thought they documented the evolution and strains of the core relationship in a more satisfyingly structured way. Both I'm burying the lead here, as the main reason to watch is the performance of the two leads. The enthusiasm which drips out of Bradley Cooper's impression of Leonard Bernstein is infectious, but Carey Mulligan absolutely steals the show as his wife. She can convey such tremendous expression in the slightest of movements, particularly her eyes, and she is truly the heart of the film, which ultimately is a love story, just a very unconventional one.

Don't have a lot of time this evening so I'm going to do quick reviews of these. 12 - Howl's Moving Castle This is the third Hayao Miyazaki film I've seen and the one I've probably liked the least. It lacks the cutesy charm of My Neighbour Totoro and, even though it was set at a time of war, I didn't feel the same sense of peril with the main character and those close to her as I did with Spirited Away. I guess it was just a bit too fantastical for my tastes. That being said, I still enjoyed it. The Witch of the Waste going from being a domineering presence to a bug-eyed grandmother was the highlight for me, I laughed just about every time she was on screen after that. 13 - The Apartment A romantic comedy that was well ahead of its time with a concept that's more original and interesting than 99 per cent of romantic comedies which have been released since. Jack Lemmon is such a likeable and relatable lead, Shirley MacLaine is an enchanting presence and plays the messed-up, love-sick interest of the lead with just the right balance, and Fred MacMurray superbly goes against type as the manipulative Sheldrake. All three of them are perfect in the roles and that's what makes it. The script is funny and while you have a fair idea of where the film is headed, it throws in a few curveballs along the way to keep you on your toes. My only main gripe is that it's about 15 minutes too long. 14 - Zone of Interest The best movie released in 2024 so far for me. There is nothing much which happens over the course of 100 minutes and yet I was transfixed on the screen throughout. That's because the attention to detail is astounding. Talking about it with my partner afterwards, there were little moments we each picked up on which, once shared, enhanced our experience of seeing it. It's very much a film which is show, don't tell. I've hastened to use the word "enjoy" so far because it's not an easy watch by any means. Even as the film continued and I began to realise how restrained it was in any sort of dramatic elements, I still had a sense of dread coursing through me, which isn't all that surprising given the subject matter. It's a hugely important and brave movie to make, as well. It's just commonly accepted that Nazi's were monsters, which is what we tell ourselves as a society to bring comfort and banish the idea that something like that could happen again (of course, it already has happened again in some form elsewhere, just not in countries that the UK cares about, but I digress). When in fact they were not monsters, they were people, and people can do things so heinous that we don't have the words to properly describe them. 15 - American Fiction There was a lot I liked about this. Movies and books only really showing black people living in poverty or being involved in drugs or crime isn't something that had crossed my mind before, so it posed some tough questions amid the well-balanced satire. It was also a lot funnier than I expected the movie to be and, despite just watching it by myself, I laughed out loud on several occasions. Furthermore, it was an interesting character study with regards to Monk and how he struggles to relate to the world around him. However, it's also a film about family and that's where I thought it was a little weak. As a drama it didn't get to me emotionally. I think the best way to describe why was the use of the mother's dementia. It's really just used as a reason to drive the plot. The scenes with Sterling K Brown are all great and I think it would've been better if they'd trimmed that part down and just made it about their dynamic and nobody else. But the biggest problem for me came in the third act. Had it all been tied together nicely then I think I would've liked it a lot more. As it was, I was left feeling a bit like the film was unresolved and narrative decision late on which really didn't work for me.

10 - All of Us Strangers Not gonna lie, was a little disappointed by this. It's definitely very good and for the most part beautifully wove together the emotional impact of loss through fantasy and reality. The scenes with the parents are all incredibly well done. But I spent the film wondering about the Paul Mescal character and, I have to say, the payoff just didn't work for me at all. Can't really say too much more about it without getting into spoilers, but the choice detracts from the main plot of him having these conversations with his parents that he never got to have and facing the reality of finally letting go. It took away from its impact and just made it all a little too much in the end. I also found it hard to emotionally connect with Alan. I shed one tear in the entire film and I'm typically a blubber at emotional movies. I'm very lucky to have not had any real devastating fatal losses in my life, yet, so perhaps that's to do with it. But there's other films were I have nothing in common with the lead but still end up really rooting for them. In this I didn't really. That said, like I said at the start, it is good, just not as good as I expected it to be or as the premise promised. 11 - Anyone But You Oh dear lord, I absolutely HATED this movie. I never walk out of the cinema but I strongly considered doing so. I can forgive a romantic comedy for being cliched and predictable, sometimes that's exactly what you want and need and having went straight to the screen after All of Us Strangers finished, that was precisely what I was in the mood for. I can even forgive romantic comedies that aren't even consistently funny, just so long as the characters act like human beings would and there's a certain degree of charm. There is none of that in this film. It isn't funny, it isn't charming, there is many a dialogue that is absolutely cringe-inducing. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell both feel miscast, there are no likeable side characters (they aren't dislikable either, they are just NOTHING) and it's built on a premise that is so, so tired. 'Couple who really like each other don't get together due to miscommunication'. Jesus wept. Been a while since I properly really disliked a movie, so I'm glad I saw it. It was cathartic. And Sweeney and Powell spent most of the movie with barely any clothes on with Sydney, Australia, as a setting, so at least it was good to look it.

9 - The Beekeeper Hahahahahahahahahahahaha [breathes]... hahahaha [sighs]... this is rubbish. It's a Jason Statham movie so that pretty much goes without saying, but it's also got a plot that gets increasingly more preposterous as it motors on, some incredibly hammy or bafflingly weak acting for what is quite a strong cast, a whole bunch of 21st century new-age baddies thrown in, and a main character who spends half the movie mumbling some barely comprehensible nonsense about bees. And I had a very good time watching it. It doesn't take itself too seriously in the slightest, there's a lot of vibrant colour which pops off the screen, the fight sequences are great and pretty well choreographed, and the violence is often morally satisfying. Definitely falls into the 'so bad it's good' category for me. Also, I watched it on Sunday evening after a heavy weekend and it was exactly what I needed at the time: popcorn-munching nonsense.

8 - Night Swim This was... fine. Actually, it's quite rubbish but it passed the time and I was never bored. If you're happy enough with the premise going in that it's a swimming pool that kills people then you're going to get exactly what you paid for. I thought the dynamics between the family were quite realistic, especially the son feeling like he's living in the shadow of his famous father, and that father not knowing exactly how to connect with his son because the one thing he's good at his son isn't. Also liked how it asked the audience how far would you be willing to go to chase your dreams, or should you just accept reality. There's also good tension throughout the movie. As soon as someone said "pool party" my heart started beating faster and the dread didn't settle until that scene was done. On the other hand, I didn't really care enough at the end about whether they made it out alive. Some of the pool spirits are quite creepy but a lot of them looked crap. And that was an issue with the film, it wasn't really that scary. The tension didn't pay off. Also, the ending is weak AF.

7 - Nimona Watched this based solely on MSU's recommendation above as I hadn't heard the title before - though when I started watching the story sounded a little familiar so I must've heard it reviewed on Kermode and Mayo and forgot about it. Like MSU, I thought this was great. I would actually disagree slightly about the predictability part. Yes, there were bits that I expected to happen, but it didn't follow the typical structure you find in this kind of story and that kept me on my toes throughout the runtime. So I thought that was actually a strength of the film. Although, I would have preferred if the very final scene would either have not been there or left a little more ambiguous, which would've made for a better ending IMO. That and it not being quite as consistently funny for my tastes as I would've liked stopped this from being a 10/10 for me, but I still very much enjoyed watching it and would recommend it to anyone seeking this type of family-friendly-but-adults-should-enjoy-too film.

5 - Poor Things After about 15 minutes I thought to myself "mmmmm, really not sure about this" but by the time they got to Lisbon and the screen started exploding with colour at regular intervals I had very much done a 180. I'm pleased I watched it on the big screen because many of the shots leave you gaping at the screen in wonder. This is an absolute feast for the eyes - and not least because a fully nude Emma Stone goes for it in just about any sexual position you could imagine! But while I say that in jest, the sex is a strength of the film and is played as much for comedy, arguably more so, than to titillate the audience. It's a movie about someone learning how the world works, piece by piece, so sex is obviously a huge part of that. It's about questioning social norms, structures and hypocrisies. So it's very fitting the film takes such a broad and liberal view of the human race's oldest pastime. It's seen it described as a sex-comedy. I don't disagree with that, but the comedic aspects of those moments play on our in-built discomfort with what has traditionally been a taboo subject outside of closed doors. Emma Stone, after she gets out of her tantrum-throwing toddler stage of the performance, is incredibly charming as she always is. William Defoe plays his part to a tee. But, and kinda similar to Barbie in this regard, it's a supporting male costar in a production which revolves around a female lead who (almost) steals the show. Without wishing to give away too much, Mark Ruffalo runs the gambit from pompous to pathetic and is going for it 100 per cent every time he's on screen. He's just brilliant. It is over two hours long and shouldn't necessarily be. It does drag in the middle with the chapter aboard the boat, which isn't entirely necessary in itself and certainly goes on for too long, but the shots at sea were those which I marvelled at the most, so I can forgive the movie for taking its time here. I don't tend to rewatch many movies these days, but when I do I end up sticking them on 5, 6, 7, 8 times in the span of a few months. I can see Poor Things being one of those when it comes to streaming. 6 - One Life I knew I would like this film when, in the very early stages, the younger Nicky Winton makes a series of phone calls. It's cuts to two or three times where he's trying to get his point across but the unseen character on the other end hangs up - and it wasn't followed by a dial tone! There are so many Hollywood and TV directors who should take note of that and dispense with one of the oddest cliches there is on screen. While I'm kidding (to an extent, it does irrationally annoy me), I think that attention to small detail is what helps make the movie as good as it is. It packs so much story into its tighter-than-tight one hour and 40 minutes, but at no point do you feel lost or not fully given the information to grasp the severity of the situation or the motivations/emotions of the leading characters. It could so easily have slipped into melodrama but, much like its main character, it remained restrained and didn't unnecessarily draw attention to itself. And speaking of which, props to Johnny Flynn for quickly allowing me to fully believe that he and Anthony Hopkins were playing the same man. I was also really impressed with the structure of the film, which very much helped its pacing. It follows two timelines but didn't go with the common usage of doing five minutes here and then five minutes there and then back again. It cut it into chunks of varying sizes which made perfect sense for the story to flow seamlessly until you get to the emotional wave of an ending. (Needless to say, tears poured out of me in the cinema.) It's an incredible real-life story and congratulations to James Hawes and the rest of the filmmakers for doing it justice. Not even into February yet and I've got two films that I'll be hugely surprised if they aren't in my top 10 at the end of the year. Adding to that, I saw Godzilla Minus One as the last film at the cinema before Poor Things, so it's a helluva run I'm on right now.

4 - Godzilla Minus One How to Have Sex was my favourite movie released in 2023, but this might eclipse it. I'm a sucker for blockbuster movies done well and this fits that to a tee. Not only does it nail the action set-pieces, with every scene featuring Godzilla being just brilliant, including one right off the bat, but it also gets the emotional element just right. It's as much a war film as it is a disaster movie, with themes of PTSD, nationalism and family dynamics woven into the fabric of the story. The side characters were distinct and added their own charm. I was never bored when the giant dinosaur-like creature wasn't destroying cities or smashing through boats and I really cared about the fate of the protagonists as the movie reached its climax. If I see a more entertaining film in 2024 I'll be surprised.

Had no idea this thread existed until now, but having looked back over the last couple of pages at the lengthy, knowledgeable and excellent reviews, I'm going to dive right in. 1 - Priscilla As outlined in my above post, there was a lot to like about this film. It drew you in very quickly and kept hold of your attention for 2/3rds of the running time. But I felt the pacing was a bit off. The last act, in particular, felt very rushed and it's rare that I complain a movie should be 10-15 minutes longer, but I felt it needed a bit of time to let us care a bit more about the conclusion. I also don't know if it felt a little out of time with the reality and the message competing against each other. Through a 2024 lens, it's easy to see the patters of emotional abuse, the alienation, the fact that it just isn't worth it to be married to the most famous man in the world if he's going to treat you that way. But the film did a great job of pulling you into the time it was set, with perhaps the exception of exactly why Priscilla felt the way she did other than the initial infatuation. I also felt it just didn't quite fully work as a piece of drama, as it was light on the drama. 2 - The Squid and the Whale Eventually got around to watching this after it felt like it was on my Netflix list forever. Again, similar to Priscilla, it was a film I looked at and appreciated for what it was but didn't feel the emotional connection that I wanted to from this type of story, and as a child of divorce I was surprised at how disconnected I was from it all. I guess, at the end of the day, I just didn't enjoy spending time with the characters, which I know is part of the point. They're all so completely wrapped up in their own shit after the break down of the marriage, which is exactly what happens in the midst of a traumatic life event like this, but they were all so awful to each other in their own way, with little redeeming qualities otherwise, that again I just didn't really care about any character arc. What I did appreciate, however, was how every line out of Jeff Daniels' mouth reminded me of Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums. Though it did just make me wish I was watching that movie instead, at times. 3 - Book of Love Catch this on Sky Movies as I was flicking through. Truth be told, I only ended up watching it as my partner said "this is shite!" about five minutes in and I kept it on out of stubbornness as I felt it was too early to judge. (Funnily enough, despite saying she was heading for a shower five minutes later, she stayed and watched the rest of the film with me.) This is, almost objectively, a rubbish movie. If I see something so predictable the rest of this year I'll be surprised. I was even able to predict, beat by beat, exactly how it would end before we'd even reached halfway. But having said all that, I appreciated for what it was. It was a romcom that was purely about comfort. A decent amount of laughs, nothing in the way of distressing drama and characters who, although admittedly one-dimensional, didn't make me want to climb through the screen and punch them. The definition of a hangover movie for me. I've got a review for Godzilla Minus One coming, but it's too good to type away about at 2.30am while I'm half-pished, so I'll leave that till next time. (Spoiler: I think it's f****ng brilliant)

This is an excellent review and gave me a better appreciation of the film than I initially got out of it. To be fair, I did respect it as a work of art and was impressed by how it was put together and the leading performances. But for me it was one of those films that you sit and quietly respect rather than be entertained by. Sophia Coppola did a terrific job in bringing the story to the screen in the most true-to-life way possible and still making it entertaining enough across 110 minutes, but purely as a means of entertainment I was a little underwhelmed. But I concede that's down to my own preference when it comes to movies.

Berra was a genuine Scottish football POTY contender in the 2017-18 season. I'm convinced if the team weren't utter pants and limped to a sixth-place finish he would've got a nomination at the very least. For context, we finished 24 points behind an Aberdeen side that was maybe the best non-Old Firm side of the past decade but conceded only two more goals (37-39). 'If a comet was headed for earth, Christophe Berra would head it away' etc etc. A real shame what became of him after the injury in that Celtic game. Even though it wasn't an ACL or Achilles, it clearly finished him as a player at the top-flight level, and I've barely seen an injury transform a player negatively so much this century. As for the theme of this thread in general, Skacel was the first name which came to my head. A hero in his first spell, a proper club legend in his second. As someone already mentioned, that St Mirren game will forever stay with me. 1-0 down, reduced to ten men, win 5-2 because he scored a hat-trick FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX! Mental.

Hey everyone, hope you're all well. I'm looking for an Elgin City fan to come on a Patreon podcast to talk about their season so far. I wondered if anyone in here would be happy to stick their hand up or recommend someone for it? (And before anyone says the ECFC Podcast, that account has us blocked on Twitter so doubt they'd be up for it . No idea why. Each to their own, I guess.)

Hey everyone, As you’ll know, I don’t post on here very often, but I’ve had a few drinks tonight while the wife snores loudly beside me on the couch so I thought, ‘what the hell?’. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who watches the show and especially those who recommend it to others and continue to champion it. I really don’t say this lightly but I thought tonight was one of the best shows we’ve done, which is why I broke my usual rule of not reading comments/forums (I truly believe in the old advice of ‘you should treat praise and criticism just the same’) to come on here and have a quick read. And that’s it really. Without guys/girls like you the podcast wouldn’t exist and neither would the TV show, so I just wanted to express my gratitude for that. Take care everyone. Fowler x

Thanks to those that replied to my post. While we’ve not intentionally taken our focus away from the main podcast, I’ll admit that sometimes we’re throwing ideas together at the last minute because we’re a bit busy. I’ve taken steps to make it easier for everyone on the pod to come up with a clear plan every episode. Hopefully this helps. As for the different voices on the pod, I’m afraid this can’t really be helped. I’m a firm believer than three is better than two, but we’re not always able to get six across the two podcasts from our team of 13 (as incredible as that sounds) so outside help (Stevie, Jo) is required from time to time. Glad to read someone say Monday’s was back to form and hopefully we’ll keep up that level. Thanks again, Craig F

Saw this post when I made my own. For any listeners reading this, if you believe the standard of the pod is falling, can you give me some reasons why? And anything you'd like to see introduced? Obviously we're a bit more stretched these days but I'd hate to think we're taking our eyes off the thing that got us to where we are. Cheers Craig F

Hi everyone, Just a quick thank you for those who watch the show and listen to the podcast, and to ask you guys to vote in our Most Memorable Scotland matches poll? We'll be using this to start a top 50 countdown that will run on the free-to-air podcast all throughout this season and continue into next. Here's the link - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSegjmrZHmbeVYQyBpuzAfcK2FTvTrm-eJ70-q0NmB-RXOnyZg/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1 And, in case anyone was wondering, "memorable" doesn't have to mean a positive result. You can also pick a match outwith your lifetime if you think it deserves to get in the top 50. Thanks again, Craig F

Terrace Podcast interview with Lee Murray.