This episode covers a mixed week of cinema and streaming, with the hosts weighing a post apocalyptic film, a psychological horror series, a female led comedy, and a documentary about Hammer Films. The conversation is playful, but the reviews are clear, with the strongest praise going to the streaming pick and the Hammer documentary.Key topics In this episode, Tosin hosts from Bromsgrove with Shaun Harris, Sharon Bollen, and London correspondent Holly Nessling joining in.The group opens with what they have been watching in cinemas and at home, including The Dog Stars, The Terror, Spa Weekend, and Hammer Legends, Heroes and Monsters.Sharon explains The Dog Stars as a post pandemic survival story set in the Colorado mountains, following Higg, played by Jacob Elordi, his life on an aerodrome, and encounters with isolated communities and hostile raiders.Shaun and Sharon both feel The Dog Stars is well made but familiar, leaning on post apocalyptic tropes from The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later, and similar stories.Holly’s home viewing focus is The Terror, starting with season 3, Devil in Silver, then working backward through seasons 2 and 1.Devil in Silver is described as a psychological horror story about being wrongly trapped in a psychiatric institution, with Dan Stevens praised for being compelling and convincing as an American lead.Season 2 of The Terror is set during Japanese internment in the United States in World War II, where the supernatural horror is overshadowed by the real world brutality of the camps.Shaun reviews Spa Weekend as an exactly as advertised ensemble comedy built around four women on a spa trip, with each playing a familiar archetype and the film clearly aiming at a middle aged female audience.Shaun’s streaming pick, Hammer Legends, Heroes and Monsters, is praised as a nostalgic documentary tracing Hammer Films from Quatermass through Dracula, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and the studio’s shift through changing British cinema trends.The episode closes with a broader discussion about film distribution, sparked by a correction on Coyote vs. Acme and the role of Ketchup Entertainment in buying and releasing it.The Dog Stars - 3.25 averageThe Terror season 3, Devil in Silver - 4Spa Weekend - 3Hammer Legends, Heroes and Monsters - 4Timestamps(00:00) Opening the week and introducing the panel(01:49) Cinema round up begins with The Dog Stars(06:25) Holly’s home watch list and The Terror season 3(07:23) Shaun’s week of Hammer Legends and assorted trashy films(09:37) Sharon explains the post apocalyptic world of The Dog Stars(13:16) Why The Dog Stars feels familiar despite strong craft(17:46) Sharon’s final take on The Dog Stars(20:56) Holly breaks down The Terror season 3, Devil in Silver(25:31) Season 2 of The Terror and the horror of Japanese internment(30:09) Spa Weekend and the “female Hangover” template(35:39) Ad libbing, editing, and the film’s target audience(40:11) Hammer Legends, Heroes and Monsters and Hammer’s history(43:23) Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Hammer’s serious approach(47:15) Final verdict on Hammer Legends and the Hammer House of Horror reference(48:31) Which won the week, cinema or streaming?(48:37) Update on Coyote vs. Acme and its release situation(51:17) Wrap up and sign offNotable quotesCopy“It’s a film set in contemporary Britain, but a temporary America, but after a devastating global pandemic.”Copy“The stuff of nightmares anyway, that scenario without any supernatural or any sort of other elements to it.”Copy“The film is there to give them a break in the cinema where they can go away and go, Yeah, yeah, that’s my life.”VerdictsWinner of the weekStreaming wins this week, driven by the strength of The Terror season 3 and Hammer Legends, Heroes and Monsters.
