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PODCAST

Call It, Friendo

Andy J Ritchie & Donnchadh Tiernan

Join co-hosts Andy J Ritchie and Donnchadh Tiernan as we watch and discuss 2 films decided by the toss of a coin.

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

93:03

194. Poor Things (2023) & The Killing of a Sacred...

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/11/09

This week, we discuss two films from acclaimed director Yorgos Lanthimos.The first is Poor Things (2023), written by Tony McNamara and based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray. It follows Emma Stone as Bella Baxter, a young woman in Victorian London who is brought back to life via brain transplant. The second is The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), which follows a cardiac surgeon, played by Colin Farrell, who introduces his family to a teenage boy with a connection to his past, after which they

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75:35

193. Tokyo Drifter (1966) & Branded to Kill (1967)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/11/02

This week, we discuss two surrealist yakuza films from Japanese director Seijun Suzuki.The first is Tokyo Drifter (1966), which follows the reformed yakuza hitman "Phoenix" Tetsu, played by Tetsuya Watari, who is forced to roam Japan while avoiding execution by rival gangs. The second is Branded to Kill (1967), which follows contract killer Goro Hanada as he is recruited by a mysterious woman named Misako for a seemingly impossible mission. When the mission fails, he is hunted by the phantom Number

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75:30

192. Witness (1985) & Gallipoli (1981)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/10/19

This week, we discuss two films from Australian director Peter Weir.The first is Witness (1985), starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis and Lukas Haas. The film focuses on a police detective protecting an Amish woman and her son, who becomes a target after he witnesses a brutal murder in a Philadelphia railway station. The second is Gallipoli (1981), starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee. The film revolves around several young men from Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army during World War

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83:38

191. Topkapi (1964) & The Naked City (1948)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/10/12

This week, we discuss two films from American director Jules Dassin.The first is Topkapi (1964), a heist comedy based on the 1962 novel The Light of Day by Eric Ambler. The plot follows a small-time con artist who gets roped into helping a gang of international art thieves steal an emerald-encrusted dagger from Istanbul's Topkapı Palace, while he is simultaneously forced to spy on them for the Turkish police. The second is The Naked City (1948), a crime procedural starring Barry Fitzgerald. Shot

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91:34

190. Gomorrah (2008) & Io Capitano (2023)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/10/05

This week, we discuss two films from Italian director Matteo Garrone.The first is Gomorrah (2008), based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Roberto Saviano. It depicts warring factions in a Camorra family in a rough neighbourhood of Naples. The second is Io Capitano (2023), which follows two cousins making the perilous journey from Senegal to Italy and the terrible hardships they must overcome en route. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:00:32) – One Battle After Another, La Isla

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97:46

189. The Villainess (2017) & La Femme Nikita (1990)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/09/28

This week, we discuss two films about young women forced to become assassins.The first is The Villainess (2017), directed by Jung Byung-gil, starring Kim Ok-vin. According to Jung, the movie was inspired by La Femme Nikita, which he watched at the age of 10. The second is La Femme Nikita (1990), written and directed by Luc Besson. The film stars Anne Parillaud as the title character, a criminal who is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment before being recruited as a state

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84:50

188. The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) & Witchfinder...

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/09/21

This week, we discuss two pioneering British folk horror films.The first is The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971). Set in early 18th-century England, it follows the residents of a rural village whose youth fall under the influence of a demonic presence after a local farmer unearths a mysterious deformed skull buried in a field. The second is Witchfinder General (1968). The film is a heavily fictionalised account of the murderous witch-hunting exploits of Matthew Hopkins, a lawyer who falsely claimed to

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74:54

187. Cobra Verde (1987) & White Material (2009)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/09/14

This week, we discuss two films dealing with colonialism in Africa.The first is Cobra Verde, directed by Werner Herzog and starring Klaus Kinski, in their fifth and final collaboration. Based upon Bruce Chatwin's 1980 novel The Viceroy of Ouidah, the film depicts the life of a fictional slave trader who travels to the West African kingdom of Dahomey. The second is White Material, directed by Claire Denis and co-written with Marie NDiaye. The film stars Isabelle Huppert as Maria Vial, a struggling

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75:41

186. Nighthawks (1981) & Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/09/07

This week, we discuss two New York police films from 1981. The first is Nighthawks, which follows Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams as a couple of undercover detctives tasked with taking down a ruthless international terrorist played by Rutger Hauer. The second is Fort Apache, The Bronx, which stars Paul Newman as Murphy, a veteran street cop who faces numerous daily challenges in one of the roughest neighbourhoods in New York. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:00:25) – Weapons,

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01:15:58

185. Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) & In Cold Blood...

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/08/31

This week, we discuss two crime films from director Richard Brooks.The first is Looking for Mr. Goodbar, based on Judith Rossner's best-selling 1975 novel of the same title, which was inspired by the 1973 murder of New York City schoolteacher Roseann Quinn. The film stars Diane Keaton, Richard Gere and Tom Berenger. The second is In Cold Blood, based on Truman Capote's groundbreaking 1966 nonfiction novel. It stars Robert Blake and Scott Wilson as two down-and-out criminals who murder a family of

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01:32:17

184. A Prayer Before Dawn (2017) & Papillon (1973)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/08/10

This week, we discuss two films about people imprisoned overseas.The first is A Prayer Before Dawn (2017), which tells the true story of Billy Moore, a British boxer and heroin addict who spent a number of years incarcerated in Thailand in brutal conditions. The second is Papillon (1973), starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. The film is based on the autobiography of Henri Charrière, a safecracker sentenced to life imprisonment in French Guiana. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:00:30)

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01:32:11

183. The Harder They Come (1972) & Yardie (2018)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/08/03

This week, we discuss two crime films set in Jamaica. The first is The Harder They Come (1972), which stars Jimmy Cliff as Ivanhoe Martin, a young man who, after failing to make it as a musician, becomes an outlaw. The film’s soundtrack is famed for bringing reggae to a global audience. The second is Yardie (2018), which tells the story of a young man named D who moves from Jamaica to London in the 1980s and becomes embroiled in the criminal underworld. Yardie was Idris Elba’s directorial

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01:31:04

182. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) & Gunfight at the...

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/07/20

This week, we discuss two films from American director John Sturges.The first is Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), which stars Spencer Tracy as a WW2 vet who uncovers a dark secret in a small desert town. The second is Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957), which retells the story of the infamous 1881 shootout featuring Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the Cochise County Cowboys in the town of Tombstone, Arizona. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:00) – Jaws @ 50, The French Connection, As Tears Go

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01:12:19

181. The Monster Squad (1987) & Night of the Creeps...

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/07/13

This week, we discuss two films from American cult horror director Fred Dekker. The first is The Monster Squad (1987), co-written by Shane Black, which sees a group of young kids take on the Universal monsters. The second is Night of the Creeps (1986), where two uncool college students find themselves at the centre of an alien invasion that turns people into zombies. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:00:55) – Sexy Beast, Ocean’s Twelve, Wolfman’s Got Nards The Monster Squad (00:14:05) Night

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01:22:20

180. In the House (2012) & Swimming Pool (2003)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/07/06

This week, we discuss two films from French director François Ozon.The first is In the House (2012), which follows a precocious student who infiltrates a classmate’s family life through storytelling, blurring the line between fiction and reality. The second is Swimming Pool (2003), a tense psychological mystery where a reclusive writer’s quiet retreat unravels into a game of seduction, suspicion and blurred identities. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:00) – Welcome to Wrexham season

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01:25:25

179. The Wind and the Lion (1975) & Conan the...

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/06/15

This week, we discuss two films from American director John Milius.The first is The Wind and the Lion (1975), which blends adventure and political intrigue as a Berber chieftain kidnaps an American woman, sparking an international incident in early 20th-century Morocco. The second is Conan the Barbarian (1982), which charts the mythic rise of a warrior seeking vengeance in a brutal, sorcery-laced world. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:00) – Dept. Q, Tires season two, The Bombing of Pan

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01:37:26

178. Diner (1982) & I Vitelloni (1953)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/06/08

This week, we discuss two films that explore the uncertainty of growing up. The first is Diner (1982), which captures the camaraderie and coming-of-age struggles of a group of young men on the brink of adulthood in 1950s Baltimore. The second is I Vitelloni (1953), which follows five idle friends in a small Italian town as they face the slow, reluctant transition from youth to responsibility. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:00) – Dept. Q, The Rehearsal season two, The Salt Path, Tires

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01:14:19

177. Vigil (1984) & Days of Heaven (1978)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/06/01

This week, we discuss two films that quietly explore isolation, beauty and the passage of time.The first is Vigil (1984), which follows a young girl in rural New Zealand as she navigates grief, and a mysterious new presence, after her father's death. The second is Days of Heaven (1978), which captures the tragedy of a love triangle set against the sweeping landscapes of the American frontier. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:00) – American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, The Phoenician

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01:17:34

176. In the Cut (2003) & The Piano (1993)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/05/25

This week, we discuss two films from acclaimed director Jane Campion. The first is In the Cut (2003), a psychological thriller that delves into desire and danger as a woman becomes entangled in a murder investigation. The second is The Piano (1993), which tells the haunting story of a mute pianist whose arranged marriage in colonial New Zealand ignites a turbulent journey of passion and autonomy. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:00) – Mogwai: If the Stars Had a Sound, Wild Zero, Mission:

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01:19:39

175. Aniara (2018) & Melancholia (2011)

Call It, Friendo ·

2025/05/18

This week, we discuss two depressing Scandinavian films.The first is Aniara (2018), which follows a spaceship of passengers drifting hopelessly through space, confronting existential despair after veering off course. The second is Melancholia (2011), which centres on two sisters grappling with personal and cosmic doom as a rogue planet threatens to destroy Earth. Timestamps What we’ve been watching (00:01:00) – Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Andor

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201 results

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