Redshirt Cinema Club

...of course it did.We've completed Star Wars (shut up, Ewok movies) and that can only mean one thing - an episode dedicated to listener thoughts about the series, the discussions we've had about it, and tangents that have their own root system of subtangents.Also ALSO the three of us give our personal rankings of all 11 Star Wars movies watched on the pod. Are there some surprises in there? Rob has made sure that there are.Join us!Become a member of Redshirt Cinema Club! Support us at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub to receive two bonus episodes every month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.You can also follow us at x.com/redshirtcinema, and get in touch at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We conclude our Star Wars season with 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, J.J. Abrams' second stab at the franchise having kicked off the sequel trilogy with The Force Awakens 4 years prior.Where the latter was an exercise in replaying familiar hits, Episode IX was all about course correction after the split fan reaction to The Last Jedi. Kylo Ren has his mask back, force ghost Luke likes his light sabre again and Palpatine is back. Somehow.But is the magic back? Contrary to Luke's declaration in The Last Jedi, I'm afraid this one is going to go the way you think.Join the Redshirt Cinema Club! Support us at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub to receive two bonus episodes every month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.You can also follow us at x.com/redshirtcinema, and get in touch at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Last Jedi is almost certainly the most divisive Star Wars movie ever made. A brave attempt by writer/director Rian Johnson to subvert audience expectations and take the franchise in a new direction, it's a film that impressed critics with its brave narrative choices but alienated huge sections of the fan base at the same time. The three of us watched this together at the cinema - Rob enjoyed it, Dave and Nath not so much. Will the subsequent 9 years have softened or sharpened those initial opinions? How do we all feel about that Princess Leia in space scene? And why does Kylo Ren need to take his top off? Enjoy the episode as we discuss all this and more, and please share your own hot takes over in our Patreon chat.Join the Redshirt Cinema Club! Support us at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub to receive two bonus episodes every month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.You can also follow us at x.com/redshirtcinema, and get in touch at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"This will begin to make things right."As first lines go, this is powerful stuff. An acknowledgement that what came before wasn't up to scratch. A promise that what you're about to see will bring back the old magic. But does The Force Awakens deliver where it counts? J. J. Abrams is the man with the seemingly impossible task, fresh from reviving (and then killing?) the Star Trek movie franchise, his first film in the new trilogy introduces new characters, revisits old ones, and has an evil base the size of 10 Death Stars. What more could a Star Wars fan want?Admittedly it's tough to watch this film over 10 years later without the following two movies constantly invading your mind like some kind of insidious Force Power, but that's what we've tried to do; watch The Force Awakens with fresh eyes, before conjuring equally fresh opinions. Ready to take the plunge alongside us? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second episode of our mid-season Star Wars break sees Dave finally get his wish of making Rob watch The Green Knight - a dark fantasy retelling of a 14th-century chivalric romance directed by David Lowery and starring Dev Patel. This is unlike any Arthurian legend you've seen before - a twisted, unsettling exploration of honour and the slow, inevitable, irresistible power of nature. It features a bunch of brilliant performances from some of our favourite British actors, from Sean Harris and Ralph Ineson to Kate Dickie and the aforementioned Dev Patel.A weird, dark British fantasy - should be everything Rob likes, right? Let's find out! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a change to our scheduled programming, this week Rob has forced Dave to watch Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the straight-to-DVD movie sequel to one of the greatest videogames of all time.When it released in 2005 this was an explosion of cutting-edge CG, an all-action burst of fan service fed to an audience ravenous for more Final Fantasy VII. More Cloud, more Sephiroth, more cool fights set to even cooler music.Watching it in 2026 those visuals are starting to creak, which means unfortunately we're actually going to have to judge this film on things like story, pacing and character. Can it stand up to such critique? Will Dave understand anything that's going on? Just what happens when the demands of fervent fandom entice talented game devs to try their hand at the whole movie-making thing? Let's find out!Join the Redshirt Cinema Club! Support us at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub to receive two bonus episodes every month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.You can also follow us at x.com/redshirtcinema, and get in touch at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've reached the end of the prequel trilogy with 2005's Revenge of the Sith, a relentless 2.5-hour explosion of lightsabre duels, Palatine one-liners and, well, actual explosions. A film many consider the best of a bad bunch, has the 21 years since its release quietened our misgivings or does the hate still flow through us? We also discuss the very important issues of whether or not The Force works in space and if Anakin's power level would drop once all his arms and legs have come off. So take a seat, young listener. It's time to end this.Join the Redshirt Cinema Club! Support us at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub to receive two bonus episodes every month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.You can also follow us at x.com/redshirtcinema, and get in touch at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So this week we're watching Attack of the Clones. Can we be honest? It feels like we're beset on all sides by inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. And - as Mace Windows might have said in a previous life - we're trying, listeners, we're trying real hard to be the shepherd. Or at least not to go full dark side toxic fandom and spend two hours howling at the moon (wait... that's... whatever). Anyway here are the shoulder-stroking adventures of Anakincel Skywanker and two armies of synthetic soldiers that ends with a climactic battle in a giant sand bowl watched on by an audience of flying ants. Rob actually quite likes it. Join the Redshirt Cinema Club! Support us at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub to receive two bonus episodes every month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.You can also follow us at x.com/redshirtcinema, and get in touch at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's 2026 already? TRY SPINNING OUT ABOUT THE PASSING OF TIME, THAT'S A GOOD TRICKJoin us as we mark this new phase in our enduring existential terror with a rewatch of a film only babies and idiots like - Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Actually that's not the tone of the podcast at all. Here at Redshirt Cinema Club we have always tried to be a positive place for fans of all persuasions to enjoy and discuss films. Semi-serious point - not enjoying films in a positive way is something of a lost art in the toxic internet wastelands of (JESUS) 2026. And so watching the Phantom Menace without devolving into a snarking pack of trolls is perhaps our biggest challenge yet (yes, somehow, even bigger than the Hobbit). Can we, like Luke looking into the cold mask of Darth Vader, find the good in the prequels? Can we find something new to say that hasn't been screeched and endlessly echoed already over the last 25 years? And can we get through this podcast without dropping a c-bomb? Join the Redshirt Cinema Club! Support us at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub to receive two bonus episodes every month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.You can also follow us at x.com/redshirtcinema, and get in touch at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the concluding chapter of the original Star Wars trilogy this week, as we tackle Return of the Jedi. If you're over 35 this was probably your favourite Star Wars movie as a kid - an action-filled romp across a forest moon, Tatooine and a brand new Death Star. It's got speeder bike chases, Leia in that outfit, and Luke facing off against Darth Vader and the Emperor.What's not to like? The ewoks. The ewoks are not to like, right? We're all agreed? Right?Join us again on the 5th January as we begin our journey through the prequel trilogy with The Phantom Menace.Join the Redshirt Cinema Club! Support us at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub to receive two bonus episodes every month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.You can also follow us at x.com/redshirtcinema, and get in touch at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to an end of year mailbag special looking back over Redshirt Cinema Club's 2025.What a year it's been! David Lynch, The Matrix, Jurassic Park, 1991, Indiana Jones, [Alien Earth I guess], John CarpeNNter - we have been on a cinematic tour and you have kept us company on the way. Now we go through the best of your emails and take a moment to reflect before breaking up for the Christmas period. Yes this would normally be a bonus episode, and yes we've made it available to everyone on purpose. And yes we don't really understand very much about Australia, sorry about that. Star Wars continues with The Return of The Jedi on Monday 29th December. Join the Redshirt Cinema Club! Support us at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub to receive two bonus episodes every month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.You can also follow us at x.com/redshirtcinema, and get in touch at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're all enjoying The Empire Strikes Back - Dave's favourite Star Wars film. Rob's favourite Star Wars film. Not Nath's though, but he does still like it. You could describe Empire as the beginning of Star Wars as a 'franchise' - it's a film brimming with confidence, with characters hitting their stride (Darth Vader is definitely evil now and C3PO is a bit nicer) and with ships and set-pieces that would make excellent toys. Then there's that bit - one of the most famous twists in cinema history, a moment that ignited spoiler culture as we know it. Let's dive in!We'll be watching the original Star Wars trilogy followed by the prequel trilogy, all through December and January. Dates are below!Star Wars: An Intro - 8/12/25Bonus - Star Wars Games - 10/12/25A New Hope - 15/12/25Empire Strikes Back - 22/12/25Mail Bag End 2 - 24/12/25 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A long time ago in an office in Bath... we said we'd do a series on Star Wars. Finally, here it is. We start where it all began, with 1977's A New Hope (or simply 'Star Wars' as it was known back then). An un-assuming sci-fi adventure with a cast full of unknowns that director George Lucas thought was going to bomb - so much so that he went on holiday to avoid the noise around its release.What follows is movie history - the biggest film franchise of all time was born. But how does the original measure up to what's come since? How did a simple post production decision transform the entire finale? And is Harrison Ford actually handsome in this one? We discuss all this and more as we move scene-by-scene through the film that started it all.We'll be watching the original Star Wars trilogy followed by the prequel trilogy, all through December and January. Dates are below!Star Wars: An Intro - 8/12/25Bonus - Star Wars Games - 10/12/25A New Hope - 15/12/25Empire Strikes Back - 22/12/25Mail Bag End 2 - 24/12/25Return Of The Jedi - 29/12/25 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's happening - we're about to watch Star Wars on Redshirt Cinema Club, and there will be no-one to stop us this time. Before we rewatch and discuss the first movie, we take a moment to discuss our personal histories with Star Wars, and read about some of yours. Are the three of us Star Wars fans? Which parts of the Star Wars world have we seen, and do we like the best? And exactly how fucking cool did it feel to boost engine power and tear off after an escaping smuggler in TIE Fighter on the PC?The answers to this and many other questions are to be found here. We'll be watching the original Star Wars trilogy followed by the prequel trilogy, all through December and January. Dates are below, and don't forget you can support us on Patreon if you'd like to hear the bonus episodes. Star Wars: An Intro - 8/12/25Bonus - Star Wars Games - 10/12/25A New Hope - 15/12/25Empire Strikes Back - 22/12/25Mail Bag End 2 - 24/12/25Return Of The Jedi - 29/12/25Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure 5/1/26 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We conclude our 1985 season with Nath's pick, Terry Gilliam's absurdist dark comedy Brazil, a disturbing vision of what the world might be like if capitalism squeezed every last shred of humanity out of society. Brazil tells us that world would have lots of ducts, and heroic vigilante plumbers played by Robert DeNiro.A wonderfully unique, hilarious and harrowing film with a stacked cast, Brazil is a step away from anything we've watched before on the podcast.Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're continuing our 1985 season this week with Walt Disney oddity, The Black Cauldron. Caught between the classic early decades of Disney animation and the studio's 1990s resurgence, The Black Cauldron is an unusually dark (and unusually British) adventure, with moments of dread and horror mixed in with the odd and unfathomable (magic pigs, hairy little thieves, gruesome self-sacrifice). Clearly, it struck a chord with young Rob, who grew up loving fantasy stories, and who picked this for our 1985 season. Enjoy, let us know what you think of the film, and join us next week for more 1985 oddness with Terry Gilliam's Brazil. Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back To The Future! Our 1985 season begins in earnest this week with Dave's pick of the year, Robert Zemeckis' layered, heartfelt time-travelling adventure (although do go and listen to our Goonies bonus episode if you can...)BTTF is a perfect fit with several films the pod has already absorbed, a "Spielberg-ing" of early 1980s life that like ET (and The Goonies) presents a world beset by adult problems to which only children have the answers. Dense with physical gags and cultural references, and tightly plotted around its time travel premise, we are in the presence of another absolute classic. Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're taking a long overdue look inside the Redshirt Cinema Club mailbag this week (please keep emailing us, we do read them, promise) before kicking off our new mini season by each selecting our favourite movie of 1985, in celebration of the year Dave was born. This has caused alarm for a couple of reasons: firstly it's made us realise a number of our favourite movies are now, like Dave, 40 years old and secondly it turns out Rob has only seen two movies released in this year. Time to fix that stat.Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Man is the warmest place to hide this week, as our John Carpenter mini-season comes to a spectacular, gushing climax with 1982’s The Thing. Is Jed the dog the best dog actor ever? Could speaking Norwegian have solved this whole business in 5 minutes? And who - if anyone - is human by the end? Let’s find outLet us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to Redshirt Cinema Club, a weekly podcast about smoking, apparently.  In the distant future of the year 1997, Manhattan has become a super prison, the president of the USA has crash landed inside, and only one man has tight enough trousers and good enough arms to break him out again. This is John Carpenter’s Escape From New York…Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.Our October John Carpenter series:Dark Star - 6/10/25Assault On Precinct 13 - 13/10/25Bonus - The Fog - 15/10/25Halloween - 20/10/25Escape From New York - 27/10/25Bonus - Prince Of Darkness - 29/10/25The Thing - 3/11/25 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.