Best Film Ever

“It's all in the reflexes.”

Join Ian & Liam for our 338th episode as we descend into the neon-lit underworld beneath San Francisco's Chinatown for John Carpenter's gloriously bonkers cult classic Big Trouble in Little China (1986). Megs isn't with us this week — she accidentally accepted an invitation to Lo Pan's wedding and we're told she's currently trying to escape a floating wheelchair and several unfortunate centuries-old curses. Kev? He confidently followed Jack Burton into an alley "because it'll be quicker this way" and hasn't been seen since a glowing eyeball floated past.

This week we discuss:

Kurt Russell's Jack Burton — swaggering, endlessly quotable, and hilariously convinced he's the hero. Is Jack actually the greatest accidental sidekick in cinema history?

Who did Kurt Russell actually base his performance of Jack Burton off of?

Dennis Dun's Wang Chi — the film's true protagonist hiding in plain sight. How does Carpenter brilliantly disguise whose story this really is?

What 1990s video game phenomenon was heavily inspired by this film?

John Carpenter's genre mash-up — martial arts, fantasy, horror, comedy, and action. Why should this film never have worked... yet somehow works perfectly?

Kim Cattrall's Gracie Law — fearless, funny, and game for absolutely anything the film throws at her.

Ian breaks down the screenplay — how the film constantly subverts audience expectations by making its loudest character the least competent person in the room.

Liam explores the film's mythology — ancient curses, Chinese folklore, and why the exposition somehow makes less sense the more attention you pay.

Lo Pan — one of the most delightfully eccentric villains of the 1980s. Menacing, theatrical, and completely unforgettable.

The action choreography — practical effects, flying warriors, and glorious 1980s excess. Does the film know exactly how ridiculous it is?

The "show vs tell" balance — does the film overwhelm us with mythology, or does its sheer confidence carry us through the chaos?

The ending — triumphant, absurd, and leaving just enough mystery for one final sting in the tail.

And finally, whether Big Trouble in Little China is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the greatest cult movies ever made.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at
https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are very thankful to the following Patreon backers for their generous support:

Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM

Hermes Auslander

James DeGuzman

Synthia

Shai Bergerfroind

Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most

Paul Komoroski

Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)

Andy Dickson

Aashrey

Chris Pedersen

Randal Silva

Nate The Great

Rev Bruce

Richard

Ryan Kuketz

Dirk Diggler

Stew from the Stew World Order podcast

NorfolkDomus

John Humphrey's Right Foot

Timmy Tim Tim

Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

“Everybody wants to be us.”

Join Ian & Liam for our 337th episode as we slip into designer shoes, grab the garment bags, and survive another impossible day at Runway magazine with The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Megs isn't with us this week — Miranda Priestly spotted her wearing cerulean before she'd learned why it was cerulean and immediately reassigned her to the Paris office. Kev? He's still trying to fetch the unpublished Harry Potter manuscript, a flight to Miami, and a steak for Miranda... all before lunch.

This week we discuss:

Meryl Streep's iconic performance — restrained, terrifying, and endlessly quotable. Is Miranda Priestly one of the greatest screen bosses ever created?

Anne Hathaway's Andy Sachs — idealistic, ambitious, and increasingly compromised. Is her transformation inspiring, tragic, or somewhere in between?

Emily Blunt steals every scene — razor-sharp timing, impeccable delivery, and why Emily Charlton remains one of the film's most beloved characters.

Stanley Tucci's Nigel — warmth, wit, and heartbreak. Does he quietly become the emotional centre of the film?

Ian breaks down the screenplay — how the film effortlessly balances workplace comedy, character drama, and biting satire.

Liam explores the film's central question — is success worth sacrificing the people and principles that got you there?

The fashion world — superficial excess, genuine artistry, or something much more complicated than the film's critics often admit?

The "cerulean sweater" speech — one of the great monologues of modern cinema. Does it completely redefine how we understand Miranda?

The "show vs tell" balance — how the film uses costume, performance, and visual storytelling to chart Andy's evolution without ever needing to announce it.

The ending — personal victory, professional failure, or exactly the compromise Andy needed to make?

And finally, whether The Devil Wears Prada is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the smartest and most rewatchable comedies of the 21st century.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at
https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are very thankful to the following Patreon backers for their generous support:

Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM

Hermes Auslander

James DeGuzman

Synthia

Shai Bergerfroind

Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most

Paul Komoroski

Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)

Andy Dickson

Aashrey

Chris Pedersen

Randal Silva

Nate The Great

Rev Bruce

Richard

Ryan Kuketz

Dirk Diggler

Stew from the Stew World Order podcast

NorfolkDomus

John Humphrey's Right Foot

Timmy Tim Tim

Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

“There’s something down there…”

Join Ian & Megs for our 336th episode as we squeeze into the claustrophobic darkness, extinguish every source of comfort, and descend into Neil Marshall’s modern horror masterpiece The Descent (2005). Liam isn’t with us this week — he confidently insisted he'd found a shortcut through an unexplored cave system and, according to his last voicemail, is "pretty sure this is still the right way." Kev? He volunteered to be the group's map reader despite never actually bringing a map. We haven't seen either of them since they crawled into the first tunnel.

This week we discuss:

Neil Marshall's masterclass in tension — how The Descent spends almost an hour terrifying us before the monsters even become the biggest problem.

The all-female ensemble — authentic friendships, believable conflict, and why the characters feel so much more than horror archetypes.

Claustrophobia as horror — does the cave itself remain the film's scariest antagonist, even after the Crawlers arrive?

Megs explores the group's dynamics — grief, guilt, betrayal, and how fractured relationships become just as dangerous as the environment.

Ian breaks down the film's visual storytelling — darkness, colour palettes, practical effects, and why the audience never loses its sense of geography despite the labyrinth.

The Crawlers — perfectly revealed monsters, or does the film become less frightening once it shows its hand?

The balance between psychological horror and creature feature — is Sarah fighting monsters, trauma, or both simultaneously?

The infamous UK and US endings — which version better serves the story, and does changing the ending fundamentally alter the film's message?

The "show vs tell" balance — how little exposition the film needs before we're completely invested in every decision the group makes.

The jump scares — expertly earned or simply proof that sound design can make anyone leap out of their seat?

The ending — hopeless, empowering, hallucinatory, or one of the bleakest finales horror has ever produced?

And finally, whether The Descent is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the greatest horror films of the 21st century.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at
https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are very thankful to the following Patreon backers for their generous support:

Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM

Hermes Auslander

James DeGuzman

Synthia

Shai Bergerfroind

Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most

Paul Komoroski

Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)

Andy Dickson

Aashrey

Chris Pedersen

Randal Silva

Nate The Great

Rev Bruce

Richard

Ryan Kuketz

Dirk Diggler

Stew from the Stew World Order podcast

NorfolkDomus

John Humphrey's Right Foot

Timmy Tim Tim

Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Die Hard or Mad Max: Fury Road? Terminator 2 or Raiders of the Lost Ark? Aliens or The Matrix? Heat or John Wick? People have been arguing about the greatest action film ever made since cinema first discovered that explosions, car chases and impossible heroes could pack audiences into theatres. Even now, nobody can quite agree which film deserves the crown. Joined by some of our Friends of the Podcast – Ariannah, JDG, Aashrey, Paul Komorowski and the horseshoe himself, JDG – we've loaded up 32 of the greatest action films ever made into one winner-takes-all knockout tournament. Expect impossible choices, heartbreaking upsets, blockbuster heavyweight clashes, a few controversial calls, and enough gunfire, one-liners and practical explosions to level an entire city as we crown the Best Action Film of All Time.

“Locksley! I'm going to cut your heart out with a spoon!”

Join Ian, Liam, Kev & Debbie for our 335th episode as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). Grab your bow, avoid the Sheriff’s dinner invitations, and prepare for a film packed with accents of varying legality, spoon-based violence, and enough Alan Rickman scenery-chewing to feed Nottingham for a winter.

Megs isn’t with us this week — she was scheduled to record, but unfortunately entered an archery tournament disguised as a peasant and is currently hiding from the Sheriff’s tax collectors.

This week we discuss:

Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood — movie star charisma, questionable accent, and whether audiences have ever really cared.

Alan Rickman’s Sheriff of Nottingham — one of cinema’s great villains. Does he completely hijack the film from everyone around him?

Morgan Freeman’s Azeem — wisdom, dignity, and why he often feels like the smartest person in every scene.

The 1991 blockbuster formula — action, romance, comedy, spectacle. Is this the perfect example of a film designed to entertain first and ask questions later?

Ian explores the film’s historical accuracy — or more accurately, the complete lack of concern anyone involved seems to have had about it.

Liam questions whether the film is secretly two films at once — a sincere Robin Hood adventure and a dark comedy starring Alan Rickman.

Kev dives into the action sequences — archery, sword fights, castle assaults, and how well they hold up three and a half decades later.

Debbie weighs in on the romance — does Robin and Marian’s relationship actually work, or is it simply required by law in a Robin Hood movie?

The supporting cast — Michael Wincott, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Christian Slater, and one very famous cameo that audiences still cheer for.

The accent debate — does Costner’s performance improve if you simply accept that nobody in this film comes from the same county, let alone country?

The “show vs tell” balance — does the film earn its emotional moments, or rely on Bryan Adams to do the heavy lifting?

The ending — triumphant, excessive, and unapologetically crowd-pleasing. Is this blockbuster filmmaking at its purest?

And finally, whether Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most entertaining adventure films of the 1990s.

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at
https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are very thankful to the following Patreon backers for their generous support:

Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM

Hermes Auslander

James DeGuzman

Synthia

Shai Bergerfroind

Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most

Paul Komoroski

Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)

Andy Dickson

Aashrey

Chris Pedersen

Randal Silva

Nate The Great

Rev Bruce

Richard

Ryan Kuketz

Dirk Diggler

Stew from the Stew World Order podcast

NorfolkDomus

John Humphrey's Right Foot

Timmy Tim Tim

Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/