Mixed Bag Mixed Bag

We're continuing our childhood picks with 1995's Now and Then, starring an absolutely stacked cast including Christina Ricci, Rosie O'Donnell, Demi Moore, Gaby Hoffmann, Thora Birch, Melanie Griffiths, Rita Wilson and Ashleigh Aston Moore. But what is this film? Does it even exist?


Waxing nostalgic about the bittersweet passage from childhood to puberty in this tender coming-of-age tale, four childhood girlfriends – Teeny, Chrissy, Samantha and Roberta – recall the magical summer of 1970. During their walk down memory lane, they reconcile experiences with boys, secrets, bullies and more. (Sourced from Letterboxd)
Will this girls version of Stand By Me stand up? How much Now and how much Then are we talking? And when is the return of Ashleigh Aston Moore? All this and more in our latest Mixed Bag! 

It's time for more personal picks from your hosts and James has landed on one fairly lost to time Mouse Hunt (1997). Before Gore Verbinski was documenting pirates in the Caribbean, he was making his debut feature with Nathan Lane and Lee Evans about a pesky mouse that won't go away.


Down-on-their luck brothers, Lars and Ernie Smuntz, aren’t happy with the crumbling old mansion they inherit… until they discover the estate is worth millions. Before they can cash in, they have to rid the house of its single, stubborn occupant—a tiny and tenacious mouse. (Sourced from Letterboxd).
Will this film that distressed young James still have the same effect today? Will Cass and Matt enjoy the slapstick shenanigans or is this a childhood watch that should remain forgotten?
Also featuring an in-depth discussion of the new film Challengers, the song J was trying to reference was the "yeah yeah yeah" one but he forgot words. 



 

Ellie Stewart returns to the podcast with the final part of the trilogy, Ghostbusters, Hook and The Inbetweeners Movie! (2011). Based on the TV show, will this gross out boys comedy be a dream come true or will our opinion be inbetween good and bad?


High school graduation just wouldn’t be complete without an un-chaperoned, uninhibited and unforgettable final holiday. At least that’s what Will, Jay, Simon and Neil think when they book a two-week stay on an exotic Greek island. As their dreams of sun-drenched days and booze-filled nights are left hopelessly unfulfilled, the lads fight their way into the party scene with hilariously humiliating results in this smash hit UK raunchy comedy. (Sourced from Letterboxd).
Don't forget to check out Ellie and Cassandra in Destiny's Cousin: The Reunion Spectacular, on during the New Zealand International Comedy Festival from the 7-9 May! Further info and tickets available at this link: https://www.comedyfestival.co.nz/find-a-show/destinys-cousin-the-reunion-spectacular/

NYAD
Love her or hate her, know her or don't, NYAD (2023) and Diana Nyad herself have been in the news lately with the Academy Award nominations of Annette Benning and Jodie Foster for said film. But who is she? 


Athlete Diana Nyad sets out at 60 to achieve a nearly impossible lifelong dream: to swim from Cuba to Florida across more than 100 miles of open ocean. (Sourced from Letterboxd)
That's right, controversial swimmer and sometime pathological liar Diana Nyad is being covered and whether she swum assisted or unassisted, there's one thing for certain, Annette is giving it her ALL in this performance. From the very first shot she is blazing intensity. But is the movie any good?
Will you need multiple attempts to watch this movie like Diana Nyad needed to swim from Cuba to Florida? How deep can your voice go? And has your mind never been clearer?

It's time.
The foundational text. The Rosetta Stone of Dream Blunt Rotation. The one you've all been waiting for.
SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN!
What is there to say. The name speaks for itself. But will provide some context. 
Made in 2011, it's Emily's last rotation (for now) and her scene partner has appeared on the podcast before, Moulin Rouge's Ewen McGregor.


A fisheries expert is approached by a consultant to help realize a sheik’s vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert and embarks on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible possible. (Letterboxd)
Did you know Salmon Fishing isn't some bizarre improbable true story, it's just totally made up? It was the debut of author Paul Torday who was aged 60! A big fan of salmon fishing and having lived a life of bureaucracy, he decided to write a comic novel and turned into a smash hit. We'll glad he was able to watch his efforts be turned into a film before his death in 2013. 
See whether this relatively forgotten film is a fish flop or a surprise catch with our latest Mixed Bag.

How much you would run for a dumb hat? That’s what 2011’s The Adjustment Bureau dares to ask.