148: SFFCH – Electric Dreams

We attempted this one before, but our robot overlords tried to quash our efforts (i.e. our recording broke). However, we’re back and we’re more venomous than ever for 1984’s Electric Dreams, which is essentially an extended music video montage about a douche-bag who accidentally creates A.I. and abuses it into romancing his neighbour for him. Ant originally chose this ‘curiosity’, as he describes it, but perhaps has grown to regret it as he comes to learn to never judge a film by its DVD cover. So join him, Rich, Abi and Jamie talk about the awfulness of our leading man, romantic dates on Alcatraz, cello-playing as a personality trait, whether the computer is the most inanimate character in the film and so, SO much more in this 80’s explosion of insanity.

[Ep. 148, Rec 11/2016]

 

147: SFFCH – Phantasm

He’s a Phantasm addict! He’s a Phantasm addict! (Like the Buzzcocks song, yeah? Does the reference work? Whatever.) That addict is Jamie and after getting a taste of “Batman – Mask of the Phantasm” he need more Phantasm in his veins (on the podcast). So Jamie sat Rich and Anthony down in bean bag chairs and tried to get us hooked on pure uncut “Phantasm” from 1979, but did the boys like this horrific trip or did they start convulsing on the floor and vow never to Phantasm again? You’ll just have to listen in as SFFCH shares their tale of a shape shifting undertaker with custard blood, aggressive Jawas from another dimension, brave pedophile ice-cream men and much more 70’s weirdness.

[Ep. 147, Rec 30/10/2016]

146: SFFCH – Once Were Warriors

We journey back to the land of Middle Eart…Ok, we’ve already made that joke. Sorry. Ant continues his obsession with the far off island of New Zealand and this time, to contrast a bleak sci-fi film, he brings us a bleak family drama in the guise of Once Were Warriors. Made in 1994, it is a film about the struggles of an impoverished Maori family as they contend with the violence of the father of the group. Now if you think that sounds a little gloomy listeners you wouldn’t be wrong as Ant, Rich and Abi discover with this challenging film, but with most great challenges comes great rewards. So come and listen about Ant’s weird past with this film, Rich’s struggle over the grammar of the title and Abi’s abhorrence of the effect of the film (in a good way).

[Ep. 146, Rec /2016]

145: SFFCH – Hackers

This week on SFFCH Abi, Rich and Anthony dust off 1995’s Hackers, a movie that perfectly demonstrates what everybody wishes the nineties were like. There’s righteous hacks, a wardrobe department with scope to rival Narnia and a youth club that crosses Starlight Express with the Industrial Zone from the Crystal Maze. Listen as we revel in yet another appearance by Fisher Stevens, complete with silly clothing and accessories, as well as nineties trends and dodgy hacker patois. So if you believe that spandex is a privilege and not a right, join us as we talk about that thing we watched that time.

[Ep.145, Rec 10/2016]

144: SFFCH – The Gay Deceivers

“We may not know our stereotypes, but we know a gay when we see one!”

We step back in time to 1969 this week, a time of sexual freedom, a time of silly sound effects and a time where all gay men are flamboyant drag queens or sexual predators, at least on film anyways. Rich brings the gang The Gay Deceivers, a ‘comedy’ film about two irredeemably awful guys who attempt to escape an army draft by posing as gay men and all the complications that come with it. Rich tries desperately to defend this one, which to be fair attempts to be progressive by addressing some issues with gay life at the time, but it’s an uphill struggle. So come and listen to him, Abi, Ant and Jamie discuss such things as garish interior design, whether it’s gay men or women that come off worse here and how far the excuse “It was a different time” can really stretch.

[Ep. 144, Rec /2016]

143: SFFCH – Jingle all the Way

We just couldn’t believe that Jamie has never experienced the festive insanity that is Jingle All The Way, a crazy Schwarzenegger comedy vehicle from 1996 where he plays our muscly, well-off, Austrian/American every-man trying desperately to prove his love for his son through materialism and a slapstick search for this years popular toy. So, much like the film itself, it was a no-brainer to make it our special Christmas podcast. Rich, Abi, Ant and Jamie have watched this film commonly heralded as one of the worst Christmas films ever, but perhaps we all have a different perspective. Is it just our festive merriment or could it be this film is surprisingly well constructed? Listen in to find out about this and other curious stocking fillers like bodybuilders in a jungle gym, Mall-Santa crime syndicates, Schwarzenegger’s best on screen chase involving a bouncy ball and why Phil Hartman is sorely missed.

[Ep. 143. Rec. 11/12/2016]

142: SFFCH – Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

This week Rich, Jamie and Abi talk about Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (and Michael Shannon, despite not being in it. At all.), one of the first animated feature films to follow the lauded Batman: The Animated Series. Praise abounds for Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy in their voice-over roles as The Joker and Batman respectively and eyebrows raise at the idea of Bruce Wayne snogging with a lady on his back lawn. Oh and did we mention that Jamie is in love with Stacy Keach? Tune in to hear about all these things and more, like wrestling (again) and ‘That Guys’ (not really, despite having ample opportunity to do so, Abi didn’t mention Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor once). Happy Birthday, Mark Hamill!

[Ep. 142, Rec. /2016]

141: SFFCH – Swamp Thing

“Swamp Thing! You make our hearts sing! You make everything…schlocky!”

So, Wes Craven, the “Master of Horror”, made a comic book movie. And that movie was Swamp Thing, a DC Comics adaptation, from 1982. Ant has fished this sci/fi-action-creature feature out of the swamps of his mind to present to Rich, Abi and Jamie to be suitably judged. So come an listen to us chat about the exploits of our solar-powered hero vegetation, who has seemingly been touched by the infamous Jesus Allegory, as he is pitted against sword-wielding pig-wolf monsters, a cumbersome rubber suit, every movie transition yet invented and Adrienne Barbeau’s indestructible perm (amongst her other body parts).

[Ep. 141, Rec 08/2016]

140: SFFCH – Ferngully The Last Rainforest

Abi offers up a childhood favourite for the the Spoiler Filled group to tear down and savage like evil lumberjacks hacking up a beautiful jungle forest. Rich, Anthony, Jamie and Abi each have their own axes to grind but it’s not all bad, as there is high praise for Tim Curry as the oozing, demonic personification of pollution, Hexxus, in this tree hugging Disney rip-off. There is plenty of fun to be had as the team try and figure out how exactly the baffling fairy magic works, whether Zak the bodacious tree surgeon will be believed when he tries to explain why they shouldn’t keep chopping up the outback and a whole bunch more as we get Batty discussing Ferngully.

[Ep. 140, Rec 17/07/16]

139: SFFCH – Times Square

This week, we take a trip to the Big Apple, more specifically ‘Times Square’ where we meet up with two rebellious and free spirited teenage girls as they try to make their way on the (not so) mean streets of the Metropolis and end up starting a punk movement. Rich’s choice presents Abi and Ant with an incredible soundtrack that we can all get behind, a more low-key Tim Curry performance than we are used to and a surprisingly feel-good tone for a film which deals with teenage homelessness and mental instability. So come and join us ya damn dogs as we steal ambulances, put on impromptu rock concerts and chow down on as many flowers as we like.

[Ep.139, Rec 07/2016]