Reviewing movies and the culture that surrounds them.
This podcast is no longer in production.
Published 7 October 2015 • 32 minutes, 51 seconds
Matt Damon is left behind on a NASA mission to Mars and has to science his way through his unlikely survival. The girls play one of their frequent games of ‘what’s that movie?’, Katie gets to fangirl Michael Peña, and Melissa has been preparing for this podcast since 1998.
Published 30 September 2015 • 44 minutes, 12 seconds
Another decade brings another adaptation of the Scottish Play, this time with Australian Justin Kurzel at the helm and Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard playing the titular pair. Unfortunately, while this adaptation has a lot of style, it’s lacking in substance. However, an opportunity to geek out over Shakespeare and history is always welcome in SSQ-land.
Published 23 September 2015 • 33 minutes, 38 seconds
Spoiler alert for the very beginning of this episode. This is the second in a series of movies about a group of boys (and one girl) who escaped from a glade to find that they were being imprisoned by a shadowy group due to their immunity to a dangerous virus that is threatening humanity. As they journey away from further captivity, they encounter a bleak landscape known as the Scorch.
Published 16 September 2015 • 49 minutes, 7 seconds
A couple of weeks ago a Sydney public school decided to run an event to support LGBTI kids featuring a small documentary about four Australian kids with gay parents. A disgruntled scripture teacher, a conservative newspaper columnist and a scared state government combined to ban the film from screening in schools during class time. With the kind of publicity only censorship can bring, the filmmakers have been able to secure a much wider release. Last week we saw the film and interviewed the director Maya Newell and the producer Charlotte Mars.
Published 9 September 2015 • 33 minutes, 51 seconds
SSQ favourite Jake Gyllenhaal plays a professional boxer who hits rock bottom and must work to earn back his career, his family, and his self-respect.
Published 2 September 2015 • 32 minutes, 15 seconds
We spotted this classic film on Netflix, and realised we’d gone our whole lives without watching it. Three women take revenge on their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot of a boss. If you’ve ever had a job, or dealt with microaggressions, you’ll relate.
Published 26 August 2015 • 33 minutes, 19 seconds
A few weeks ago we saw a trailer that seemed to promise a romance between Henry Cavill in a waistcoat and Armie Hammer with excellent hair, and we knew immediately that it was a must watch. Guy Ritchie does his over-stylised, super-edited 60s homage thing, and the gentlemen, along with Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Debicki give great performances despite some thin material.
Published 19 August 2015 • 37 minutes, 6 seconds
The long-lived Mission: Impossible franchise is back for a fifth outing, and its time for us plebs to enjoy our Tom Cruise Movie™ 2015 Edition. In spite of his reputation, Cruise has assembled a crack team to help deliver an enjoyable outing. Simon Pegg is stellar in support, Rebecca Ferguson gives it all she’s got, and veteran screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie is behind the camera making sure the explosions go off when they’re supposed to, and the missions are sufficiently impossible. All of this is a great excuse for some armchair analysis of the Crusie career trajectory and Mission: Impossible movies past and present.
Published 12 August 2015 • 35 minutes, 28 seconds
In order to keep the rights away from Marvel, Fox decided to make a film about the Fantastic Four, even though the most recent one was released only eight years ago. After a troubled production, and an even more troubled post-production, we go in with low expectations.
Published 5 August 2015 • 33 minutes, 32 seconds
Amy Schumer’s big debut is a funny romantic comedy that subverts some common rom com tropes and gives a sharp social commentary. Bill Hader, LeBron James (really!) and Brie Larson provide strong support while John Cena marks himself out as another great wrestler-turned-actor.