If you love movies as much as we do, SWITCHCast is for you! Each week we share bite-sized discussions on the latest film releases, trailers, news, interviews and comps - all in a convenient, portable podcast for you to enjoy on the go.
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Episode 54: Melbourne International Film Festival 2021 Program and 'Mental as Everything' Interview
Charlie and Joel present a special episode of SWITCHCast, as they check out two of the biggest events in Australia's cinematic calendar! To celebrate the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival's full program announcement, we chat to the team behind the line-up, as well as one filmmaker whose film is showing at this year's Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.
Melbourne International Film Festival 2021 The 2021 Melbourne International Film Festival is back for its 69th year, bigger and better than ever! With a record 40 world premieres from 283 films both online and in cinemas, it’s exactly the kind of creative event Melbourne has been crying out for. With today’s program announcement, Joel is privileged to speak to MIFF programmer Kate Fitzpatrick.
Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2021 The annual Melbourne Documentary Film Festival is currently underway. It’s available Australia-wide online all July, and will be hitting Melbourne’s cinemas from the 21st to the 31st of July.
The selection of films this year is wide and varied, with a sizeable selection of Australian titles - including ‘Mental as Everything’, a documentary delving into mental illness, while trying to dispel some of the myths surrounding it. Charlie sits down with the film's director and central figure, Damon Smith, to discuss.
Help support SWITCH If you liked what you heard and want to support SWITCH - including bringing back SWITCHCast - please visit patreon.com/maketheswitchAU. Donations start at just one dollar a month, and your support helps keep our website running and allows us to bring you interviews like you’ve heard today, so we’d really appreciate you checking it out!
Episode 53: Sydney Film Festival 2021 Teaser Films Announced
Charlie presents a special episode of SWITCHCast, with an interview with the Festival Director of the Sydney Film Festival, Nashen Moodley. SWITCHCast is privileged to get a sneak peek at the 2021 Sydney Film Festival, as the 22 teaser films for this year are announced.
Help support SWITCH If you liked what you heard and want to support SWITCH - including bringing back SWITCHCast - please visit patreon.com/maketheswitchAU. Donations start at just one dollar a month, and your support helps keep our website running and allows us to bring you interviews like you’ve heard today, so we’d really appreciate you checking it out!
Charlie, Daniel Ashley and Joel are back for a special SWITCHCast episode to celebrate everything Oscars-related! There's surprise guest stars, giveaways, heated discussions - maybe even arguments - and so much more as we discuss the biggest movies from the past year!
Support SWITCHCast If you’ve enjoyed today’s podcast and want to hear more from the SWITCH team, we’d really appreciate your support. We keep the site ad-free so you can focus on what’s important - our film reviews. So to keep SWITCHCast running and score some free stuff, head to patreon.com/maketheswitchAU to find out how you can help!
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Ashley deep dive into everything Oscars-related, from our verdict on the nominees to our opinions on all the controversies. Plus we’ll share our predictions on who’ll be walking away with a statue this year - and we’re offering you the chance to go head-to-head with the SWITCH brains trust with your picks to win a massive prize!
News ▸ This year, the talk from so many awards ceremonies has been the lack of females in the directing category - and when the same faux pas happened once again with the Oscars, nominee host Issa Rae commented, "Congratulations to those men." That's just the tip of the iceberg in regards to missed opportunities - so who else was snubbed in this year's nominations? (37:59) ▸ The Academy Awards are, without a doubt, the highlight of the cinematic awards season - but after 92 years, they could do with a breath of fresh air. So - if the SWITCH team had carte blanche of the Oscars, what would we do to make it more appealing? (42:12) ▸ So with that all said and done, what are the SWITCH team's predictions for the top Academy Award categories? (46:34)
Support SWITCHCast If you’ve enjoyed today’s podcast and want to hear more from the SWITCH team, we’d really appreciate your support. We keep the site ad-free so you can focus on what’s important - our film reviews. So to keep SWITCHCast running and score some free stuff, head to patreon.com/maketheswitchAU to find out how you can help!
Episode 50: Best Films of 2019, Best Films of the Decade, Most Anticipated Films of 2020
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Brent look at the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future - the SWITCH team has been feverishly compiling their top films of not just 2019, but the past decade! Now they're ready to share these tough decisions, and hear from you about your favourites.
Plus we’ll be looking ahead to 2020 to find out what’s on the horizon - from superhero epics to good-old-fashioned musicals to hidden indie gems, we’ll share SWITCH's most-anticipated films for the new year.
News ▸ 2019 has been a bit of a rough year for cinephiles, with true gems few and far between over the past 12 months. The SWITCH Team share their top five films of the year - with some surprising responses. (1:53)
▸ It’s time to get nostalgic and cast our gaze back over the decade that’s been. 2010 to 2019 has been a period full of indie classics, raucous comedies, tear-jerking dramas and out-of-this-world sci-fi epics. So this is going to be a tough one - with so many movies to choose from, everyone’s sure to have varied opinions. (17:19)
▸ It’s just a matter of days until the New Year is upon us, as well as a brand new slate of film releases. With 2020 offering the chance for a fresh start, there’s plenty due in cinemas for you to get excited about. You can already find reviews for a slew of upcoming films on our website, including 'Little Women', '1917' and 'The Peanut Butter Falcon' - but what else is on the horizon? (33:54)
Support SWITCHCast If you’ve enjoyed today’s podcast and want to hear more from the SWITCH team, we’d really appreciate your support. We keep the site ad-free so you can focus on what’s important - our film reviews. So to keep SWITCHCast running and score some free stuff, head to patreon.com/maketheswitchAU to find out how you can help!
Episode 49: Jojo Rabbit, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Jumanji: The Next Level, Cats, Sorry We Missed You, The Truth
Charlie, Jess, Ashley and Lily review every single film hitting cinemas this Boxing Day! Plus the controversies at the SAG and Golden Globe Awards - and the one thing about Disney+ that's gotten the streaming service into hot water.
News ▸ As 2019 comes to an end, it means one very exciting thing - awards season is just around the corner! But along with it comes controversies and problems. The Golden Globe nominations inspired a lot of confused looks - especially for the lack of females in the directing category for the second year in a row. (25:36) ▸ Also on the awards front - critical darling ‘Parasite’ got a nod at the SAG awards for best ensemble cast - but why is it the first time an international film has entered the category in 21 years? (28:02) ▸ One of the most exciting things to happen on the entertainment front in 2019 is the launch of Disney+. The new streaming service is packed with film and TV old and new - but Disney has copped a bit of flack after it was discovered certain unsavoury parts of movies have been removed. But should distributors be allowed to re-write history? (30:17)
Support SWITCHCast If you’ve enjoyed today’s podcast and want to hear more from the SWITCH team, we’d really appreciate your support. We keep the site ad-free so you can focus on what’s important - our film reviews. So to keep SWITCHCast running and score some free stuff, head to patreon.com/maketheswitchAU to find out how you can help!
'Rockabul' director Travis Beard and 'Thunder Road' actor/writer/director Jim Cummings Interviews
Charlie and Ashley present a special episode of SWITCHCast, with interviews with Travis Beard, the director of 'Rockabul', and the writer, director and star of 'Thunder Road', Jim Cummings.
Interviews Travis Beard is an Aussie who lived in Afghanistan for seven years. As a music lover, he was also fascinated by Kabul’s music culture - or lack of. Imagine your favourite genre - pop, rock, R&B, country - well, there’s a good chance it’s shunned there, and potentially punishable by death. Travis befriended a group of locals who formed District Unknown, Afghanistan’s first heavy metal band. He followed their growth, from their genuinely terrible first performance through to their international success - and that footage formed the documentary ‘Rockabul’. Charlie spoke to travis ahead of the film’s Australian release.
Character studies on struggling male protagonists are a dime a dozen, but none in recent memory have captured the hearts of audiences quite like 'Thunder Road’. The film is a passion project for Jim Cummings, the film's writer, director and lead actor. Ashley spoke to Jim about the stress of single-handedly creating a feature film, and how he ended up befriending Bruce Springsteen along the way.
Help support SWITCH If you liked what you heard and want to support SWITCH - including bringing back SWITCHCast - please visit patreon.com/maketheswitchAU. Donations start at just one dollar a month, and your support helps keep our website running and allows us to bring you interviews like you’ve heard today, so we’d really appreciate you checking it out!
News ▸ If you want to piss off any reputable film buff, you just need to say two words - motion smoothing. It’s that function on your TV which smooths out the image to apparently make it look closer to real life, but just ends up making it look like a shitty video game. Well, purveyors of all things traditional, Christopher Nolan and Paul Thomas Anderson, are making it their mission to get audiences to grab their remotes and send this bullshit function to the pits of hell where it belongs. (25:06)
Episode 47: The Predator, Searching, A Simple Favour, Beast, Christopher Robin, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, Won't You Be My Neighbour?
Charlie, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, plus tragedy for the sake of entertainment - should we be "enjoying" cinema which exploits historical atrocities?
Reviews ▸ The Predator (0:32) ▸ Searching (8:01) ▸ A Simple Favour (13:50) ▸ Beast (20:08) ▸ Christopher Robin (22:41) ▸ Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (23:47) ▸ Won't You Be My Neighbour? (24:59)
News ▸ There’s no end to films that are “based on a true story” - where real-life situations are turned into films for public enjoyment. While stories like ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘12 Years a Slave’ were critically acclaimed, it poses the question - should we be entertaining ourselves with historical atrocities, and how soon is too soon? (30:01)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'The House with a Clock in its Walls', 'Ladies in Black', 'Smallfoot' and 'I Am Paul Walker'
Episode 46: The Nun, McQueen, You Were Never Really Here, The Miseducation of Cameron Price, Hearts Beat Loud, Juliet Naked, The Merger, Wayne
Charlie, Jess and Jake discuss the week's films, plus the battle of the streaming services - can Netflix stand up to the newcomers, and is there enough room in the market for more players?
News ▸ There’s a hoard of new streaming services looming on the horizon, ready to compete with Netflix. The biggest contender seems to be Disney, who are preparing to launch their own platform at the end of 2019, with a huge catalog of content. Is there room for more on demand services on the market? And will this start to limit the content available on existing platforms? (33:51)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Searching', 'Beast' and 'The Predator'
Episode 45: Crazy Rich Asians, Three Identical Strangers, The Insult, Kin, Luis and the Aliens, The Flip Side, Mile 22
Charlie, Jess and Brent discuss the week's films, and the Aussie director twins behind 'Kin', Jonathan and Josh Baker, join SWITCHCast to chat about working with James Franco, Zoë Kravitz, Dennis Quaid and Jack Reynor.
Interview ▸ It takes a lot of work to put together a debut feature film - even more so when you convince big-name stars like James Franco, Zoë Kravitz and Dennis Quaid to come on board. Two Aussie directors - who are twins, no less - managed just that for ‘Kin’. Charlie spoke to them about how they turned their dream into a reality. (30:41)
'Kin' is in cinemas from today - to find out more, head to www.kinmovie.com.au.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Hearts Beat Loud', 'The Nun', 'McQueen' and 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post'
Episode 44: Book Club, Leave No Trace, The Happytime Murders, Mirai, West of Sunshine, Slender Man
Charlie, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, and the SWITCH team reveal their top picks from the Melbourne International Film Festival and share their favourite films to look forward to in cinemas.
News ▸ Celebrating its 67th year, the Melbourne International Film Festival featured its largest program ever - 374 Films from over 80 countries, 254 features, 120 shorts, 19 VR movies, 27 world premieres, 168 Australian premieres, and 90 female directors featured. That adds up to a mammoth amount of diverse films, with something for everybody. It was also the eighth and final festival for artistic director Michelle Carey - and there was one cool as fuck marathon for Nicolas Cage. So what did we watch? And what did we wish we had watched? (23:15)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'The Insult', 'Kin', 'Crazy Rich Asians' and 'Luis and the Aliens' ▸ Charlie chats to the Aussie director twins behind 'Kin' about working with James Franco, Zoë Kravitz, Dennis Quaid and Jack Reynor
Episode 43: Breath, The Gateway, National Theatre Live: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, and share their predictions of the year's biggest upcoming films that were glimpsed at this year's CinemaCon.
News ▸ Just wrapping up over in the states is CinemaCon, which is essentially the world’s largest cinema trade show, where film studios and cinema owners come together to showcase their upcoming films. With studios hawking all their wares, we get our very first looks at some of the most anticipated films coming down the pipeline. Stars! Stunts! Cher singing ABBA! Films we all thought sounded terrible that might actually be good! So what were all our highlights? (32:13)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Deadpool 2', 'Tully' and 'On Body and Soul'
Episode 42: Avengers: Infinity War, Unsane, Gurrumul, Last Flag Flying, Loveless, Double Lover
Charlie, Daniel, Jake and Chris discuss the week's films, and look at what's next for superhero films with 'Avengers: Infinity War' bringing this chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a close.
News ▸ With the release of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ this week, the superhero genre has reached a long-awaited turning point. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been moving towards since the beginning, and it’s easily the biggest film of both the series and the genre. So... where to next? What is there left for the superhero genre to do, and what exciting directions could it go next? (39:55)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Breath' and National Theatre Live's 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'
Episode 41: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I Am Not A Witch, Super Troopers 2, The Song Keepers, I Feel Pretty
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, Daniel speaks to the director of 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' Mike Newell about the making of the film, and we join the battle between Netflix and Hollywood's heavyweights as the streaming service's feud with Cannes Film Festival divides opinions.
News ▸ The new-school world of movie streaming and the old-school world of movies in theatres are now at war - and at the centre of that war is a feud between Netflix and the Cannes Film Festival. It all kicked off at the end of March, when Cannes announced that Netflix movies would be banned from competing at the festival because of the streamer's refusal to embrace old-fashioned theatrical rollouts. Last week, Netflix announced that it was pulling out of Cannes completely - not just the competitions - to protest the decision. No films with Netflix distribution will play in any section at Cannes this year. This conflict is really about two very different cinema cultures - the French perspective, which sees cinema as a communal experience devoted to an art that is meant to be projected onto a big screen - and the American one, which values choice and individual taste and looks at a movie as something that’s the same no matter the size of the screen and the viewing conditions under which you see it. Now, with an increasing amount of directors, actors and film critics weighing into the Netflix vs Cannes debate... who is right and who is wrong? (40:21)
Interview ▸ With the release of ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ this week, Daniel had the chance to chat with acclaimed director Mike Newell about his experiences making the film, dealing with a relatively unknown moment in the history of the Second World War, and to ask him - is a potato peel pie really as bad as it sounds? (47:48)
‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ is in cinemas now - for more information and to buy tickets, head to www.guernseymovie.com.au.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Avengers: Infinity War', 'Gurrumul', 'Double Lover', 'Loveless', 'Unsane' and 'Last Flag Flying'
Episode 40: Isle of Dogs, Rampage, Truth or Dare, The Party, National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Chris discuss the week's films, follow in Molly Ringwald's footsteps and ask if we can still cherish the films we grew up with when watched with today’s socially sensitive eye, and celebrate Meryl Streep joining the 'Big Little Lies' cast by looking at other Hollywood stars who have made a leap to the small screen.
Reviews ▸ Isle of Dogs (0:42) ▸ Rampage (10:12) ▸ Truth or Dare (14:27) ▸ The Party (17:57) ▸ National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar (24:35)
News ▸ Esteemed director John Hughes' muse, Molly Ringwald, wrote an essay for the New Yorker describing her view of her most famous films and the scenes in them that today, and in light of the #MeToo movement, will now be seen as sexist, misogynistic and homophobic. So it poses the question - should we judge past films by today’s moral standards? (38:13)
▸ Around a month ago, dogs across Australia had a near-death experience thanks to the piercing sounds of Chris' terrifyingly high-pitched screams in response to the news that Meryl Streep would be joining the cast of 'Big Little Lies' Season 2. With the just released first image of Meryl and Nicole Kidman, AKA two of the greatest living actresses in character in the one frame, we thought we’d celebrate la Streep’s return to television for the first time in over a decade by looking at the big Hollywood names taking the plunge into the golden age of television. (44:41)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society', 'I Feel Pretty' and 'Super Troopers 2'
Episode 39: A Quiet Place, Walking Out, Have You Seen The Listers?, Pop Aye, Hitler Versus Picasso
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, ask whether politically correctness is destroying the Australian film industry, and Daniel delves down the rabbit hole for the upcoming exhibition at Melbourne's ACMI that explores all things Alice, Wonderland.
Reviews ▸ A Quiet Place (0:38) ▸ Walking Out (8:35) ▸ Have You Seen The Listers? (15:31) ▸ Pop Aye (16:57) ▸ Hitler Versus Picasso (18:12)
News ▸ It’s no secret that the world has gone PC mad. Not a joke, an idea, nor an anonymous user comment in free from offence. But what about film? A recent ABC Australia article suggests that local cinema is pandering of late. With audiences sparse when it comes to Australian movies anyway, is the industry so scared to alienate even a single moviegoer that they’re forcing themselves to make nothing but rehashes of ‘The Castle’ and anything the reflects a quote “politically correct ideology”? (32:21)
Interview ▸ For the 150th anniversary of the publication of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, Daniel put his obsession with the novel to good use and threw together an article for SWITCH about the history of Alice on film. Well, you can imagine the shrill noises when Melbourne’s Australian Centre for the Moving Image announced their new exhibition ‘Wonderland’, a look at the relationship between the beloved classic and cinema. Daniel went along to check out the exhibition, and had a chance to chat with curator Jess Bram about how it came about. (37:55)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Isle of Dogs', 'Rampage' and 'The Party'
Episode 38: Ready Player One, Early Man, Love Simon, Blockers, A Wrinkle In Time, The Other Side Of Hope, The Death Of Stalin, Paul Apostle Of Christ, Sherlock Gnomes
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, look at the impact of 'Love, Simon', the first film ever released by a major Hollywood studio with a queer main character, and discuss the filmography of Steven Spielberg to celebrate the release of 'Ready Player One' and Chris' article ranking all 31 of his movies.
News ▸ If you’ve been checking in with the website over the past week, then you may have had a chance to read Chris' gigantic ranking of the entire filmography of Steven Spielberg. In the lead-up to the release of ‘Ready Player One’, he spent the past six months working on this retrospective, going through all of the director's 31 films in chronological order. Now that this behemoth is up and out there in the world, we count down our favourites and discuss what makes Spielberg arguably the greatest director of our times. (1:02:12)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'A Quiet Place', 'Walking Out' and 'Pop Aye' ▸ Daniel delves into Alice's world with interviews from ACMI's new exhibition Wonderland
Episode 37: Pacific Rim Uprising, Peter Rabbit, Mary Magdalene, The Endless, The Divine Order, Buena Vista Social Club: Adios, Earth: One Amazing Day
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Brent discuss the week's films, look at the dangers of criticism and backlashes for films before audiences have even seen them, and ask whether Australia would benefit from an in-cinema film subscription service.
News ▸ In the lead-up to its release, social media was awash with people damning Steven Spielberg’s upcoming ‘Ready Player One’ before anyone has even seen it, only for it to receive glowing reviews after its premiere. This practice of ripping a film to pieces en masse based on even just its existence is becoming an even more prevalent trend, in some cases affecting the success of the film on release. So why on earth are we proclaiming a film the antichrist before anyone on the planet has seen the damn thing? ▸ Most of us have Netflix, and some of us might even luxuriate in the divine presence of Stan. It’s safe to say that subscription services are on the rise, and have revolutionised the home entertainment market. So what about the out-of-home market? Founded in 2011, Moviepass is a service in the U.S. that lets you see one film a day in the cinema for a mere $9.95 per month - that’s basically less than a single ticket! With a similar service to supposedly launch in the UK, is it time Australia followed suit, and would you sign up for it?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Ready Player One', 'The Death Of Stalin', 'A Wrinkle In Time', 'Love, Simon', 'Blockers', 'Early Man' and 'The Other Side Of Hope'
Episode 36: Tomb Raider, That's Not My Dog!, Human Flow, Kangaroo, England Is Mine, The Strangers: Prey At Night, NT Live: Young Marx
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, we look at controversial casting in comic book movies after the announcement of comedienne Kristen Wiig in 'Wonder Woman 2', and inspired by the team behind 'Juno' and 'Young Adult' reuniting for this year's 'Tully', discuss the best writer/director partnerships.
News ▸ This week, the internet exploded with news that funny girl Kristen Wiig has joined the ‘Wonder Woman 2’ cast as its villain, Cheetah. Keyboard warriors-slash-geeks immediately had their claws out, objecting to this casting choice with extreme prejudice - however, this is not the first time nor will it be the last that fans have been none-to-happy about those slipping into their favourite characters - only for them to surprise us all and rule the day. So who else has suffered this same wrath? ▸ After discussing Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody's ‘Tully’ in our trailer wrap, and the SWITCH team is getting excited about a reunion from the writer/director partnership behind 'Juno' and 'Young Adult'. We check out the best behind-the-scenes relationships throughout cinema history.
Episode 35: In The Fade, 12 Strong, The Mercy, Westwind: Djalu's Legacy, Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Jake discuss the week's films, go in-depth for the drama, the intrigue and the outrage of the 90th Academy Awards, and take a look at some of the most useless yet intriguing facts about Hollywood and its stars.
News ▸ It was Hollywood's night of nights, with much on the menu. SWITCH was there for the (almost) four hours bringing you the happenings live - but to save you time, Jess has put together a handy little two-minute summary of the winners plus the less obvious highlights. ▸ Did you know that the “real mafia” did not allow the producers of 'The Godfather' to use the word mafia in the movie? And that the 40th President of the United States was denied the role of a president because he didn’t look presidential enough! There are so many useless yet endlessly entertaining facts about famous personalities - so we decided to share a few amongst ourselves.
Episode 34: Red Sparrow, The Square, Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, ask whether it was worth changing 'Lady Bird' to get it a lower classification rating, and share our hopes and dreams for this year's Oscar winners!
News ▸ In Australia, we’ve got a complicated history when it comes to film classifications and restrictions, and now the conversation's back thanks to 'Lady Bird'. With a particular perfect punchline mangled and a brief, emotionally resonant image of a penis removed, we get our Margaret Pomeranz on and talk about censorship. ▸ The most exciting date in the film buff calendar is only days away - but after one of the most exciting nomination line-ups in years, this year’s Academy Awards are looking to be a little predictable. So, to build our hopes, we’re going to name some of our dream Oscar winners from this year's nominees!
For the first time ever this year, we'll be broadcasting the Oscars live this year! Join Charlie, Jess and other SWITCH guests as we emote the highs and lows of this year's ceremony as they happen. Join us on Monday 5th March from 12pm AEDT by heading to www.maketheswitch.com.au.
Episode 33: Game Night, Finding Your Feet, A Fantastic Woman, Winchester, 2:22, The BBQ
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, check out the surprises at this year's BAFTA awards, revisit Oscars history to look at the most shunned movies we love, and ask if our pure imagination is ready for a third incarnation of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'.
News ▸ Earlier this week, the BAFTA awards brought us to the final step before the Oscars, and the winners were quite predictable - in fact, in a lot of cases, they mirrored what happened with the Golden Globes. We look at the winners and ask whether the Oscars follow suit, or surprise everyone? ▸ A recent Indiewire article delved into the greatest films of the 21st century that somehow missed out on a single Oscar nomination in their respective years. Now, with the 90th Academy Awards getting closer and closer, we thought it’d be a fine time to talk about our favourite films and their most infuriating misses. ▸ In 1971, audiences were invited to “view paradise” with ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ - the first big screen adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic. It was a box office flop, but found its place in our hearts, home movie collections and pure imaginations in the decades that followed. Then in 2005, Tim Burton (and Johnny Depp in an Anna Wintour wig) gave kids a chance to score a golden ticket once again. It was the remake no one wanted or asked for - it made millions, but not the cultural impact of its predecessor. Now it’s 2018, and a third adaptation is in the works, this time helmed by ‘Paddington 2’ director Paul King. It's been 13 years since we’ve visited the Oompa Loompas - is it time to explore the chocolate factory again?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Red Sparrow', 'The Square' and 'Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool'
Episode 32: Black Panther, Lady Bird, Stronger, NT Live: Follies, Beuys: Art As A Weapon, Eric Clapton: Life In 12 Bars
Charlie, Daniel, Jake and Chris discuss the week's films, take a look at the Mardi Gras Film Festival as it kicks off in Sydney today, discuss whether Netflix's release of 'The Cloverfield Paradox' is game-changing or trickery, and get their nerd on as they reveal their favourite film-related books.
News ▸ The 25th Mardi Gras Film Festival kicks off in Sydney today - and this year’s line-up is huge! Running for 15 days, it has something for everyone. For tickets and more info, head to www.queerscreen.org.au. ▸ Netflix surprised everyone during the Super Bowl, by announcing the release of the latest ‘Cloverfield’ instalment… and then releasing it at the end of the game. Quality of the film aside, this is (i’m sorry for the pun) game changing, using the franchise to once again redefine the way a film is publicised. So what kind of effect will this unconventional release approach have? ▸ All of us here at SWITCH are just a bunch of massive nerds, really, and that takes a surprising amount of work. In one of our recent episodes, Chris cheated in our recommendations by choosing a book rather than a film, so now it's time for a bunch of nerds to choose their favourite books about films for filmmakers or filmmaking - because why just spend hundreds of hours watching films, when you can spend thousands of hours reading about them?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'A Fantastic Woman', 'Game Night', 'Finding Your Feet' and '2:22'
Episode 31: Fifty Shades Freed, Happy End, The Wound, Insidious: The Last Key, The 15:17 To Paris, Menashe
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, check out the winner of the Directors Guild of America Awards and find out what they could mean for the Oscars, take a look at the top film scores of the 21st century, and find out why Nicolas Cage is set to appear in more new (and old) films.
News ▸ This past weekend the gongs continued to sound out as the Directors Guild of America Awards took to the stage. How could the outcome affect the Oscars? ▸ Recently, the writers at Indiewire named their top 25 film scores of the 21st century, a list that includes some of the biggest films of the last two decades along with some unexpected surprises. Film music has changed dramatically in the last 17 years, from even richer orchestral scores to experimental work from some of the best music artists in the world. So what are some of our picks for best scores of this century? ▸ Ever wanted to see Nicolas Cage as Luke Skywalker, or Scarlet O’Hara? Wonder Woman? Even Oskar Schindler? Well, you’re in luck. A little piece of software called FakeApp uses an algorithm which makes it possible to scan a celebrity’s face and glue it over preexisting video content. Finally, a positive use for all the fancy, high-tech deep learning technology!
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Black Panther', 'Lady Bird', National Theatre Live's 'Follies' and 'Stronger'
Episode 30: Phantom Thread, Molly's Game, Den Of Thieves, Father Figures
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Chris discuss the week's films, share their favourite Oscar nominations and the most heinous snubs, and ask whether the Razzies are lighthearted fun or a dated hate ceremony?
News ▸ With last week’s announcement of the Oscars nominations and the Oscars themselves a mere 32 days away, there is a veritable pantheon of things to talk about: Netflix has nabbed itself 8 nominations, there have been surprise nominations and even bigger and more shocking snubs. There are campaigns to run and win and hearts to fill and break. So with so much to digest over the next few weeks, let’s take a first bite! ▸ With every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore with the Oscar nominations comes the Razzie nominations, with the ceremony to be held the day before the Oscars. Now in its 38th incarnation, what was once a fun tongue-in-cheek anti-Oscars now seems like a vicious attack on easy targets such as the 'Transformers' franchise, the 'Fifty Shades' films, Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson. So is there still a place in the season for the Razzies, or does the award for worst film awards go to the the Golden Raspberries?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Fifty Shades Freed', 'Menashe', 'Happy End' and 'The Wound'
Episode 29: I Tonya, Sweet Country, Faces Places, The Jungle Bunch, Manifesto
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, Daniel gives his candid (and frequently very animated) response to the Oscars nominations announcement, and Jess checks out the glitz, glamour and girl power of this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Trailers ▸ Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot ▸ Beast Of Burden ▸ That's Not My Dog!
News ▸After months of speculation, arguments and crossing of fingers and toes, the Oscar nominations have finally been announced. With so many wonderful films in contention, there were bound to be a few shocks and surprises, and what better way to experience this rollercoaster than capturing Daniel's initial, high-pitched, hyperbole-laiden reactions as they happened? ▸ The ladies rocked this year’s SAG awards with a host for the very first time - Kristen Bell, along with all-female presenters. Jess has the breakdown of all the highlights, winners and losers.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Molly's Game' and 'Phantom Thread'
Episode 28: The Shape Of Water, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, The Commuter, Swinging Safari, Mary And The Witch's Flower, The Final Year
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Jake discuss the week's films, discuss how actors without a disability are cast in roles that require them to portray one, and ask why 'Black Panther' has become Marvel's fastest-selling movie in history?
News ▸ With the release of ‘The Shape Of Water’, it seems prudent to discuss casting, and how actors without a disability are cast in roles that require them to portray one. Sally Hawkins’ Eliza is mute, relying on American Sign Language to communicate with those around her, and this casting decision has been met with criticism from the deaf community, with notable deaf celebrities like Nyle DiMarco (winner of America’s Next Top Model) talking about how the signs she uses, while correct, aren’t how someone who natively signs would use the language. With technology the way it is and society almost as progressive as we’d like it to be, do we have any excuses to not allow differently abled actors to play their own disability or be cast more often? ▸ Marvel’s next highly-anticipated movie, 'Black Panther', which is due to hit Australian movie theatres on February 15, has already broken an impressive record: it is now the number one pre-sale movie in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, toppling the previous record holder, ‘Captain America: Civil War’, which debuted the character. To say Marvel fans are excited for 'Black Panther' is an understatement - but why are ticket sales so high on this instalment?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'I, Tonya', 'Sweet Country' and 'Faces Places'
Episode 27: The Post, Darkest Hour, The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Brent discuss the week's films, take a look at the Golden Globe winners and dissect the hell out of them, ask why bad movies get even worse sequels, and discuss what crazy 24-hour TV channels we'd like to see come to fruition.
News ▸ The biggest film news this week was the announcement of the Golden Globes, which kicks the awards season into a new gear. With their very passionate opinions, Daniel and Chris dissect the night's best moments and all of the winners. ▸ We all know how the model works: a film is slightly successful (or very successful) and the studios decide to capitalise on this and create a sequel. So now we have 20 'Fast And Furious' movies and a second 'Pacific Rim' film - and now, even the very mediocre ‘Bright’ has been confirmed for a follow-up on Netflix. So why do we keep getting sequels to generally considered bad movies? ▸ This week saw the release of a controversial new book about the inside of the White House during Donald Trump’s first year in office. A fake except of this book has since gone viral, explaining Trump’s obsession with a non-existent 24 hour Gorilla Channel. Which got us thinking - what 24 hour channel would you like to see come to fruition?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Maze Runner: The Death Cure', 'Mary And The Witch's Flower', 'The Commuter' and 'The Shape Of Water'
Episode 26: All The Money In The World
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Brent discuss the week's films, look at the secret behind A24, the distribution company responsible for some of the biggest indie hits of the past few years, plus ask when will Marvel get a female-led film?
News ▸ After garnering awards attention and critical praise, Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut ‘Lady Bird’ has become the highest earning film for U.S. film distribution company A24. Casual filmgoers might not know that name, but they’ve been responsible for some of the best films of the past few years, including ‘The Disaster Artist’, ‘The Witch’ and Oscar winner ‘Moonlight’. So who is this little company-that-could, and how have they changed the way Hollywood works?
A24's films include...
▸ Moonlight ▸ The Witch ▸ The Florida Project ▸ Spring Breakers ▸ The Lobster ▸ Good Times ▸ The Killing Of A Sacred Deer ▸ A Ghost Story ▸ 20th Century Women ▸ Swiss Army Man ▸ Ex Machina ▸ Room ▸ Krisha ▸ Under The Skin ▸ The Rover ▸ Amy
▸ Karen Gillan - who you might remember as Amy Pond from ‘Doctor Who’ or Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - is continuing her push for an all-female Marvel film. Not only is it a great idea, there's nothing holding back the studios anymore who claim that female action films don’t make money - ‘Wonder Woman’, anyone? So what would make this film work?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'The Post' and 'Darkest Hour'
Episode 25: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Pitch Perfect 3
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, count down the best and worst films of 2017, and reveal what they're most looking forward to in cinemas next year.
News ▸ It’s time to look back on the last year in cinema, with all of SWITCH’s members sharing their top five films of 2017. so - let the controversy begin! ▸ We also have plenty to look forward to in the year ahead… so we thought we’d share a few of the films we’re anticipating in 2018! Awards season is already looking great, with the previously mentioned ‘Three Billboards’, ‘I, Tonya’ ‘The Shape Of Water’, ‘The Post’, ‘Phantom Thread’ and ‘Lady Bird’, but what else is on the horizon? ▸ Just a few short weeks ago Jess claimed SWITCH’s first ever half-star review with Woody Allen’s 'Wonder Wheel' - making it the lowest rated film in our history... and it’s now sparking our worst films of 2017 debate. There are plenty of potentials, but what are the biggest stinkers of 2017?
Next week's episode ▸ Review of 'All The Money In The World'
Episode 24: The Florida Project, Paddington 2, Call Me By Your Name, Coco, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, The Greatest Showman, Downsizing, Breathe, Just To Be Sure
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris have every review for every Boxing Day film for 2017! From the best films of the year to some total stinkers, you'll be surprised by our favourites for the biggest day at Australian cinemas.
Next week's episode ▸ We look back at the best of 2017 - we each reveal our top five films of the year… so get ready for some controversy!
Episode 23: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Ferdinand, Slack Bay
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Jake discuss the week's films, check out the Golden Globe nomination highlights and snubs, discuss why 'Annihilation' is being pulled from cinemas and released straight to Netflix, things get hot as we debate our picks for the best sex scenes on film, and all the feels at 10,000 feet - how strange locations change how we react to movies.
News ▸ Hollywood awards season is already on the horizon, when the rich and beautiful gather to crown the year’s most talented. The Golden Globe nominations are out now - and we have all the highlights and, of course, the snubs. ▸ Alex Garland’s latest directorial feature, ‘Annihilation’, based on the book by Jeff Vandemeer and starring Natalie Portman, has had its global release drastically altered - only being given a traditional “theatrical release” in America, Canada and China, ‘Annihilation’ will be released to the rest of the world on Netflix mere days after it appears in cinemas. So with a seemingly foolproof team, solid source material and huge name in Natalie Portman involved in the film’s creation, why the change? And is this something we can expect more of from Hollywood going forward? ▸ It’s getting hot in here - IndieWire have taken it upon themselves to rank the best sex scenes of the 21st century. The SWITCH team take a peek at some glaring omissions, and rank our sauciest scenes in explicit detail. ▸ Brent is back from Europe - and you know what that means... more emotional plane trips. What did he get teary over this time, and how do unusual locations change how films affect you?
Next week's episode ▸ Every single review of the films hitting cinemas for Boxing Day 2017
Episode 22: Wonder Wheel, In This Corner Of The World, The Secret Scripture
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, plus we start off the silly season with our favourite festive films - we each share a Christmas classic, and an alternative that's not so family friendly.
News ▸ Christmas is upon us - the lights are on the tree, there’s glitter and wrapping paper off-cuts everywhere, and 'Love Actually' will inevitably be gracing our TV screens any day now. So what are your top Christmas movie picks?
Next week's episode ▸ Review of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'
Episode 21: The Disaster Artist, Only The Brave, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Wonder, Shot Caller, The Star, Sweet Virginia, National Theatre Live: Peter Pan
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, share their secret shames by declaring the bad movies they love, and debate whether the duration of Hollywood blockbusters is getting too long.
News ▸ Australia is known for many achievements, and some not so known achievements - the funniest being we possess the biggest fandom of ‘The Room’, thanks to constant sellout monthly screenings at independent cinemas for the last 5 years... yes, we should be proud. This got us thinking - if the worst movie ever made can be beloved by millions, then what other terrible gems are we secretly (or not-so-secretly) loving? ▸ Have you ever been in a movie and felt like it’s just dragged on forever? Particularly with Hollywood blockbusters over the past few years, there’s been a misguided notion that people want to go to the movies for a long time, not a good time - with many movies pushing the three hour mark. There’s been a recent effort to reign in those exorbitant run times - but does a tight film make a good film?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews for 'Wonder Wheel' and 'In This Corner Of The World'
Episode 20: The Butterfly Tree, Better Watch Out, Goodbye Christopher Robin, The Teacher, Daddy's Home 2, Tulip Fever
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, debate whether 'Get Out' deserves to be submitted to the Golden Globes comedy category, count down the best cameos of all time, and speak to the writer and director of 'The Butterfly Tree', Priscilla Cameron, about her near-decade long endeavour to bring the film to life.
News ▸ With the award season starting up, studios are getting their ‘For Your consideration’ campaigns into gear. In a surprise move, Universal have submitted acclaimed horror classic ‘Get Out’ in the comedy category of the Golden Globes, with director Jordan Peele’s approval, causing many people to scratch their heads in confusion. How on earth could the supreme horror film of 2017 possibly be classed as a comedy? And has this happened before? ▸ It’s been a few weeks now since the release of ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, and it’s made a gazillion dollars, so it's no spoiler that Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth and Sam Neill all have hilarious cameos in the film together. Matt Damon is no stranger to awesome cameos, with 'Eurotrip', 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' and a very secretive turn in 'Intersellar', just to mention a few. So what are the greatest cameos seen on the big screen?
Interview ‘The Butterfly Tree’ is finally in cinemas, after debuting at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival. Jake spoke to the movie’s writer and director, Priscilla Cameron, about the process of bringing the script to life, assembling a stellar cast and filming on Mount Tamborine.
Make sure you catch ‘The Butterfly Tree’ from today - it’s opening in cinemas across the country, so to find a screening near you, head to www.facebook.com/butterflytreefilm and check out the upcoming events.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews for 'The Disaster Artist', 'Wonder', 'The Man Who Invented Christmas', National Theatre Live's 'Peter Pan' and 'Only The Brave'
Episode 19: Justice League, Lucky, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, Blade Of The Immortal, Louis Theroux: Heroin Town
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, discus why we still haven't seen a queer superhero character, ask what actors should be erased from films à la Kevin Spacey, and speak to a former spy to sort out the on-screen fact from fiction.
News ▸ Amidst the praise being directed at ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, actor Tessa Thompson revealed that she played her character Valkyrie as bisexual. Marvel then confirmed that a scene that makes this more obvious was actually cut from the film. Marvel seemed to think it deserved kudos for including a queer superhero character - but does it? Does revealing this character information after the fact earn them the points for representation, or is this piecemeal offering actually more insulting when you can’t even see this in the final film, especially when Disney have already been woefully guilty of this in the past twelve months? ▸ The hits just keep on coming in the wake of the Hollywood sexual assault scandal. Oscar winner Kevin Spacey is the latest to crumble beneath the avalanche of accusations, with Netflix not only cutting ties with the actor, but also cancelling the highly popular series ‘House Of Cards’. Further to this, just five weeks out from release, Ridley Scott has made the extreme decision to replace Spacey from his latest film ‘All The Money In The World’ with fellow Oscar winner Christopher Plummer. This last-minute scramble is a huge gamble for the film as is enters awards season, which makes us reflect on other pictures that have made such dramatic 11th hour changes, and ask if you could erase any actor from a film, what would it be?
Interview To celebrate the release of 'Atomic Blonde' on home entertainment, Jess was invited to attend Atomic Spy School. There she were privileged to be instructed in the ways of espionage by former Australian Secret Intelligence Service and MI6-trained spy Warren Reed.
'Atomic Blonde’ is out now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and digital.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews for 'Goodbye Christopher Robin', 'The Butterfly Tree', 'Better Watch Out' and 'Tulip Fever' ▸ Jake chats to 'The Butterfly Tree' director Priscilla Cameron about her decade-long endeavour to bring the film to life
Episode 18: Murder On The Orient Express, Detroit, Professor Marston And The Wonder Women, Brad's Status, Conor McGregor: Notorious
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, take a look at the pros and cons of big Hollywood films heading down under, debate whether film or book trilogies are better, and get the lowdown on the Japanese Film Festival from the director, Margarett Cortez.
News ▸ It’s been a great year for filmmaking in Australia - with a record $1.3 billion spent on making movies and TV series for the 2016-17 financial year. We’ve had a big boost from runaway productions like ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, a thriving animation and post-production industry, and original content from local streaming services. With a competitive Australian dollar against the U.S. and great government incentives, isn’t it nice seeing the local film industry doing well while we get a little slice of Hollywood down under?
▸ Trilogies are kind of a given these days, every successful film frantically trying to expand itself into a three-part epic whether it was supposed to or not. Research student Kaylin Walker has taken a far more academic look at the trilogy format, and after scouring through Goodreads and IMDb, has come up with a fascinating conclusion: that “movie trilogies get worse, losing favour with each film, while book trilogies secure higher ratings for book two and maintain them for book three.”
Interview The Japanese Film Festival is in full swing in Australia right now, with audiences across the country flocking to catch a huge range of films. Charlie spoke to the director of the festival, Margarett Cortez, about what we can expect.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews for ‘Blade Of The Immortal’ and ‘Professor Marston And The Wonder Women’ ▸ Jess heads off to Atomic Spy School to learn the skills to become an MI6 agent
Episode 17: Loving Vincent, Bad Moms 2, Jigsaw, The Ornithologist, Three Summers, My Little Pony: The Movie, Salomé
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, and discuss how to deal with cinematic classics when key crew members such as Harvey Weinstein, Woody Allen or Roman Polanski are involved in their creation.
News ▸ Over the last few weeks, the foundations of Hollywood have been rocked with the industry’s worst-kept secret finally being exposed - Harvey Weinstein’s reign as the most powerful and prolific producer has come to an end, as has his reign of sexual aggression and intimidation. As the voice of more and more actors lend themselves to this revolution, Weinstein’s name isn’t the only one burning in the flames. These are bad people whose careers and reputations are now ruined - but what of their legacies? These men have undoubtedly done great work over the years, but can we now look at ‘Pulp Fiction’ the same way? Or ‘Shakespeare In Love’? or ‘Lion’, for that matter? And what about those who came before and will come after Harvey Weinstein?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews for ‘Murder On The Orient Express’ and ‘Professor Marston And The Wonder Women’
Episode 16: Thor: Ragnarok, Suburbicon, The Midwife, Brigsby Bear, The Untamed, Ingrid Goes West
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, share their favourite classic, modern and family horror films for Halloween, and take a look at some of the most respected female directors of the horror genre.
News ▸ With Halloween around the corner, the crew at SWITCH is delving deep into the recesses of their souls to bring you some of their scary movie picks: an old-school classic, a modern classic and a creepy film you can watch with the family.
Interview ▸ Classics, modern and scary movies for the entire family - we offer a lot of Halloween suggestions to listeners in this podcast. But with recent scary movies like 'Raw', 'A Girl Walks Home At Night' and 'The Babadook', what about scary movies directed by women? We'd be negligent if we didn't touch on the gender landscapes of horror filmmaking. We asked Briony Kidd, director of Stranger With My Face International Film Festival, for her top five picks.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews for ‘Loving Vincent’ and ‘The Ornithologist’
Episode 15: The Snowman, Home Again, Geostorm, The Son Of Bigfoot, The Limehouse Golem, Big Time
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, ask whether modern trailers are spoiling new films, and look at the next phase of cinema that’s just been unveiled in Korea.
News ▸ Amidst all the excitement over the trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’, Daniel was pretty hesitant to actually watch it, partly because the film itself is just around the corner, but mostly because the art of the film trailer has slipped so drastically that many films are ultimately ruined by trailers that insist on revealing too much. ABC Australia’s Paul Verhoeven wrote about the validity of trailers as a marketing tool for major films like ‘The Last Jedi’, and the degree to which they spoil the plot of the impending film. It’s a double-edged sword though, with some blaming the devastating failure of ‘Blade Runner 2049’ at the box office for the ambiguity of a trailer campaign that didn’t reveal enough. So are trailers still something to get excited about, or have they become something to fear? ▸ The cinema landscape has once again taken a step toward the future, with Samsung unveiling the first ever commercial cinema LED screen in Korea. At nearly 10.3 metres wide, it “accommodates a variety of theatre configurations while ensuring superior levels of technical performance, reliability and quality.” With the lines between television and cinema blurring more and more with time, is this simply the next step in the inevitable evolution of them becoming one in the same, and how will film purists feel about watching future projects on what is essentially a giant TV screen?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews for ‘Brigsby Bear’, ‘Ingrid Goes West’ and ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ ▸ We share our favourite Halloween films
Episode 14: The Mountain Between Us, This Beautiful Fantastic, Good Time, Tom Of Finland, Blue, The Only Living Boy In New York, The Foreigner, What If It Works?, Yerma
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Chris discuss the week's films, plus does Netflix deserve a shot at the Oscars? Things get heated between the team as they discuss the eligibility and quality of the streaming service.
News ▸ The next time that we hear “and the Oscar goes to...” - it could be going to a Netflix film for the very first time. It seems the streaming service is making its first serious push to be in the running for Best Picture. While the move might have some Hollywood studios concerned, it’s more than just an award for Netflix - it’s validation that its work is as good as any other. But does it deserve to compete for this illustrious award?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews for 'Home Again' and ‘Geostorm’
Episode 13: Blade Runner 2049, Song To Song, Final Portrait
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Chris discuss the week's films and reveal their most-anticipated films for the upcoming awards season, plus Jess visits one of Sydney’s oldest and most iconic cinemas to meet the man bringing your most beloved movies back to the big screen.
News ▸ As we enter a desert on the film release calendar, there is a glorious oasis not so far off on the horizon - awards season is looming. Coming off of the recent trifecta of international film festivals - Telluride, Venice and Toronto - there are some really exciting films making themselves known. So what are we all looking forward to?
Interview As much as we love sitting in our PJs in the comfort our our own home, scrolling through Netflix, nothing beats the cinema experience. Jess sat down with Lachlan McLeod - the man behind the new retro programming at Ritz Cinema in Randwick, Sydney, to talk about the good old days, the changing cinema audience and what they have in store for their fancy 70mm projector.
For more full details on the Ritz’s upcoming screenings, head to ritzcinema.com.au.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews for ‘The Mountain Between Us’, ‘Good Time’, ‘This Beautiful Fantastic’, ‘Blue’, ‘The Foreigner’, ‘Tom Of Finland’ and ‘What If It Works?’
Episode 12: Battle Of The Sexes, Flatliners, Heal The Living, The Dancer
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Jake discuss the week's films and look at the dozens of sequels to look forward to in 2018, plus Chris puts his body on the line to endure every Harry Potter film back-to-back at Potterfest.
News ▸ 2018 is set to be the year of the sequel. From 'The Incredibles 2' to 'Ralph Breaks The Internet' to 'Pacific Rim: Uprising', next year is set to have more sequels than ever before. ▸ Cinemas across the country have been celebrating 20 years since the first ‘Harry Potter’ novel was first published with back-to-back screenings of every single film in the series. Chris was brave enough to sit through all 24 hours’ worth of them, and filed his report from the ground.
Next week's episode ▸ Review of 'Blade Runner 2049' ▸ Jess takes a look inside the Sydney cinema whose retrospective screenings are bringing classic films and audiences en masse back to the big screen.
Episode 11: Kingsman: The Golden Circle, The Lego Ninjago Movie, Mountain, Beatriz At Dinner, The Belko Experiment, Australia Day, Tokyo Ghoul
Charlie, Jess, Jake and Chris discuss the week's films, find out why franchises that won't die keep coming back, argue whether it's better to go to the cinema on your own, and celebrate an 80s classic that's turning 30.
News ▸ Who really wants a 'Terminator 6'?! We look at the franchises that'll be back - even though no one's asking for them. ▸ Do you prefer to go at it solo, or do you like the group thing? There are plenty of pros and cons to going to the cinema on your own. ▸ Celebrating 30 years of 'The Princess Bride', endlessly quotable and a constant source for modern pop culture. You can read Jess' full retrospective here.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of ‘Battle Of The Sexes' and 'Heal The Living'
Episode 10: Mother, American Assassin, I Am Not Your Negro, Captain Underpants, Patti Cake$, Victoria & Abdul, The Emoji Movie, National Theatre Live: Angels In America - Part 2, Spookers
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Jake discuss the week's films, ask why Star Wars can’t seem to keep hold of its directors, and speak to the Festival Director of the Queer Screen Film Fest.
Interview Starting this Tuesday, the Queer Screen Film Fest kicks off in Sydney, offering a sneak peek at some of the biggest LGBTIQ+ films heading to cinema screens. Charlie spoke to the festival director, Lisa Rose, about the exciting line-up.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of ‘Mountain’, ‘The Belko Experiment’, ‘Beatriz At Dinner’ and ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’
Episode 9: It, That's Not Me, The Dinner, The Lovers, Tommy's Honour, Namatjira Project, National Theatre Live: Angels In America - Part 1
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, ask why so many of the best cinema directors are making the move to television, and debate who should play the Joker in his origin film.
Film news ▸ Director of 'La La Land', Damien Chazelle, is the latest director to make the move to television. Why are so many big names jumping ship from Hollywood's studios? ▸ Martin Scorsese is involved with a Joker origin film. Is it a good idea, and who should play the role?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'I Am Not Your Negro', 'Patti Cake$' and 'Spookers'
Episode 8: God's Own Country, The Hitman's Bodyguard, Ali's Wedding, Small Town Killers, Gifted
Charlie, Daniel, Brent and Chris discuss the week's films, ask why a surge of LGBTIQ+ modern classics have hit our cinema screens, and share our favourite queer films.
Film news ▸ With ‘God’s Own Country’ released this week, we’re seeing yet another great entry in the recent wave of remarkable LGBTIQ+ films. All of us at SWITCH are very passionate about LGBTIQ+ cinema, so this seemed like a great opportunity to discuss why we think we’re seeing so many remarkable films of late, and what are some of the classics we’d recommend to listeners.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'It', 'That's Not Me' and 'The Lovers'
Episode 7: The Lost City Of Z, American Made, Maudie, The King's Choice, Everything Everything, All For One
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, debate the best and worst of biopics, discuss whether directors should respond to criticism, and shine a spotlight on one actor everyone knows but is yet to become a household name.
Film news ▸ 'Kong: Skull Island' director Jordan Vogt-Roberts hits back at critics over an overly harsh review. What responsibility do critics have, and should directors respond to criticism? ▸ Getting to know (and how to pronounce) the highly underrated Domhnall Gleeson
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Ali's Wedding', 'God's Own Country', 'The Hitman's Bodyguard', 'Gifted' and 'Small Town Killers'
Episode 6: The Dark Tower, Logan Lucky, The Circle, Madame, Hampstead
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, debate why adaptations rarely work, rave about the best of the Melbourne International Film Festival, and we collate our list of the horniest nun films.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Maudie' and 'The Lost City Of Z'
Episode 5: Valerian, Wind River, An Inconvenient Sequel, Annabelle: Creation, The Wall
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, and Daniel sits down with Francis Lee, the director of 'God's Own Country' at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
Interview One week into the Melbourne International Film Festival, and audiences have already been spoiled with numerous incredible films, making the long lines on cold nights well worth it. One of the most acclaimed films of the festival is Francis Lee’s ‘God’s Own Country’, a powerful and moving film about a young farmer in Yorkshire and his romance with a Romanian immigrant that’s already being called a queer film classic. Daniel was tremendously lucky to chat with Francis about his debut film while he visits for the festival.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'The Circle', 'Logan Lucky' and 'The Dark Tower'
Episode 4: Atomic Blonde, The Trip To Spain, The Big Sick
Charlie, Jess, Daniel, Brent and Jake discuss the week's films, we speak to the Melbourne International Film Festival team about their favourite films, mourn the passing of Sam Shepard, and reveal the much-loved films that we hate.
Film news ▸ The passing of Sam Shepard ▸ Much-loved films that are overrated. Daniel hates 'The Lion King', Brent despises 'Moulin Rouge', Jake wasn't keen on 'Gladiator', Jess dislikes 'Anchorman', and Charlie thinks 'Forrest Gump' is overrated.
Do you have a movie you dislike that everyone else seems to love? Drop us a line at contact@maketheswitch.com.au and we'll discuss them in next week's show!
Interview Today marks the beginning of the 2017 Melbourne International Film Festival. Jam-packed with offerings for everyone, it’s set to be a busy few weeks in Melbourne. We caught up with Al Cossar, MIFF’s programmer, to find out how the festival comes together and uncover his must-see movies.
You can check out our reviews for the festival at our MIFF mini-site. We'll be adding to it daily with new reviews during the festival.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Wind River', 'An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power', 'Annabelle: Creation', 'The Wall' and 'Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets' ▸ Daniel's interview with 'God's Own Country' director Francis Lee at the Melbourne International Film Festival
Episode 3: War For The Planet Of The Apes, A Monster Calls, A Ghost Story, Kiki Love To Love, Obsession
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Brent discuss the week's films, we check out the best bits from Comic-Con, look at Christopher Nolan's battle with Netflix, and ask if cinema etiquette is dead.
Film news ▸ The best bits from Comic-Con - glimpses of 'Avengers: Infinity War', 'Black Panther' and 'Captain Marvel', the announcement of a 'Wonder Woman' sequel, plus new trailers from 'Justice League', 'Thor: Ragnarok', and the new seasons of 'Stranger Things' and 'Westworld' ▸ Christopher Nolan versus Netflix ▸ Cinema etiquette
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Atomic Blonde' and 'The Big Sick' ▸ We kick off the Melbourne International Film Festival and interview the festival's creative director
Episode 2: Dunkirk, Paris Can Wait, Descent Into The Maelstrom, The Black Prince
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Brent discuss the week's films, examine the return of 'Game Of Thrones' to TV and ask whether our screens have become to sexually explicit, check out the best bit's of Disney's D23 expo, mourn the loss of George A. Romero and Martin Landau, and go behind the scenes of one of the last cinemas still showing movies on film to take in a 77-year-old classic.
Film news ▸ The passing of George A. Romero and Martin Landau ▸ Highlights from Disney's D23 Expo ▸ 'Game of Thrones' returns ▸ Have our screens become too sexually explicit?
Interview In an attempt to cut costs and improve technology, many cinemas in the past decade have made the move to digital projectors, eliminating the need for film - and film projectionists. Melbourne’s Astor Theatre is one of the few places in Australia that still regularly shows movies on film - and Brent and Daniel went along to take in a 77-year-old classic. For the full program, visit the Astor Theatre website.
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Brent discuss the week's films, share their favourite films from the Melbourne International Film Festival launch, discuss the effect Rotten Tomatoes has had on moviegoers, and interview Aussie indie filmmakers Tristan Barr and Damien Lipp about their one-shot film 'Watch The Sunset'.
Film news ▸ Melbourne International Film Festival 2017 program launch ▸ The Rotten Tomatoes phenomenon - why audiences are avoiding Hollywood's bad blockbusters Interview There are some great Australian films popping up at film festivals across the country this year. Making its world premiere at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival is 'Watch The Sunset', a new indie film from Aussie filmmakers Tristan Barr and Damien Lipp - that was shot in one continuous take. Charlie spoke to them about their experience.
To find out more about the film, visit www.watchthesunsetfilm.com. Find out more about the screening times for 'Watch The Sunset' and other films at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival at www.revelationfilmfest.org.
