Episode 276 - Babylon (featuring BFF of the BFE: James DeGuzman)
“Make a mark... and then fade away.” Join your favorite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Megs & Liam (B-Tech Kev had to see a man about an elephant) – as we trade our spy gear for trumpets, film reels, and copious amounts of debauchery for our 275th episode covering Babylon (2022).
We’re swapping Chimera viruses for jazz-fueled chaos and slow-motion gunfights for full-blown cinematic mayhem as we discuss:
How Babylon might be the most Damien Chazelle movie that ever Damien Chazelle’d.
Does this film capture the magic and madness of early Hollywood—or is it just chaotic noise?
Is Manny Torres a true dreamer… or just a wide-eyed bystander to Hollywood’s self-destruction... or is he a corrupted soul that we overlook?
Apparently there's a rule about taking Class-A drugs with company (well, in Act I anyways)
How large is the demand for sweeping, three-hour epics about the birth of movies?
Which Babylon character we’d most likely be—and who’s definitely channeling peak "trainwreck energy"
Is this an underappreciated masterpiece—or an overindulgent fever dream of excess?
Is Babylon a love letter to cinema or a cautionary tale wrapped in champagne and elephant dung?
We’ve got questions about giant parties, sudden snake fights, drug-fueled breakdowns, and how much elephant content is too much.
At what point is the film in on the joke it's making and at what point does that film become the joke?
We're joined by BFF of the BFE: James DeGuzman who tells us why this film is so much more than the punchline film critics have mmade it out to be
Whether Babylon is the Best Film Ever.
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4:40:08
Reel Roundtable #47 - PIxar Animation Studios
Another bonus episode as we bring you another Reel Roundtable discussion for your listening enjoyment. Ian, Liam, Megan, and KevDog and revisit the filmography of Pixar Animation Studios. Comments, banter, and an appreciation of crying as adults can be found as we discuss:
The seal of quality that Pixar Animation used to stand for and why has that depreciated over time
How much of a marvel was Toy Story and why can't they let it go
Did the success of Pixar result in the death of traditional hand-drawn animation?
Are Pixar films meant for adult audiences over child audiences?
We present the audience and BFE Top 10 lists for the best Pixar films ever ever
If you have any ideas about future actors/actresses or topics for future roundtables, we’d love to hear from you. Hit us up at @BestFilmEverPod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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1:37:21
See It or Skip It? - Sinners
FIRST 31:30: Spoiler-Free Review with our See It/Skip It Verdict
AFTER 31:30: Full Spoiler Review
It’s another Sunday edition of See It or Skip It and this time Ian is taking on Sinners (2025), Ryan Coogler’s dark new thriller starring Michael B. Jordan. Was this a smart reinvention of classic genre tropes or just another stylish slow-burn? Does Coogler bring something deeper to a story about survival and temptation—or is it all atmosphere without enough bite? Is Michael B. Jordan believable as a pair of men wrestling with his their legacies and reinventing themselves? You can see the material it draws from. Does Sinners do something new with it though or is it just a retread of places we've already been? Does Sinners lean too much into moody tension, or does it actually deliver emotional payoff? Is Sinners a future genre classic—or just an ambitious but uneven swing? Finally, does the movie stick the landing or does it just kind of suck?
Ian tackles all these questions and more in this week's See It or Skip It review of Sinners—and then tells you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.
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59:46
Ep 275 - Mission: Impossible 2
“This message will self-destruct in five seconds…” Join your favorite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Megs & Liam (B-Tech Kev said something about needing to catch a flight to Atlanta) – as we don our sunglasses, rev up the motorcycles, and flip our hair in the wind for our 275th episode covering Mission: Impossible 2 (2000). We’re trading thermal vision for Chimera viruses and slow-motion stunts as we discuss:
How Mission: Impossible 2 became the most John Woo movie that ever John Woo’d.
Does this sequel hold up as a stylish thrill ride—or is it just all style, no substance?
Is Ethan Hunt a superspy… or just a shampoo commercial with explosives?
What exactly does an audience want to see out of a Mission: Impossible film exactly
Which member of Ethan’s crew we’d most likely be – and who’s clearly channeling peak Dougray Scott vibes.
Is this the weakest link in the franchise—or an underappreciated relic of early-2000s action excess?
Is Ethan Hunt a character or just an avatar for Tom Cruise to do James Bondesque films
Speaking of gripes—what exactly was Ambrose’s plan again?
We've got questions about masks, voice strips, motorcycles, and why no one seems fazed by endless slo-mo doves.
We talk flamenco espionage, face-swapping twists, and the importance of always removing your sunglasses dramatically.
Just how many actors were only in this film for the paycheck?
Was Thandiwe Newton bad in this or is she just poorly written for and poorly directed?
Is this the lustiest film in the Franchise?
Whether Mission: Impossible 2 is the Best Film Ever.
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4:06:05
See It or Skip It? - WrestleMania 41: Night Two
You know we love our wrestling here at the BFE (well… some of us do). Join Ian as we once again break the BFE format—this time to take a deep dive into WrestleMania 41 (Night Two).
We’re asking the big questions: how long can you keep someone a heel when the crowd is clearly with them? Was Bayley hard done by? Did WWE finally get held to account tonight after tempting fate for 20 years? Can you assign Travis Scott as a proxy for The Rock? What happens if the audience don't know your pop culture references or personalities? Is the Main Event the right time for a live read for a sponsor? Did AJ Styles just give Logan Paul his worst WrestleMania match ever? And is there a ceiling on what you can do with Drew McIntyre? Plus, what wrestling pet peeves does Ian disclose tonight?
We’ll tackle all of that and more from WrestleMania 41 (Night Two)—and of course, we’ll tell you whether you should SEE IT or SKIP IT.
New Zealand