Best Film Ever

“This is nothing. This is nothing. Why does the dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail.”

Join Ian & Liam for our 325th episode as we step into the spin rooms, sound stages, and manufactured realities of Barry Levinson’s razor-sharp political satire Wag the Dog (1997). Megs isn’t with us this week — she’s been hired to produce a last-minute war in Albania (tight turnaround, great exposure). Kev? He’s currently composing a patriotic anthem that may or may not exist by the time you hear this.

This week we discuss:

Dustin Hoffman’s Stanley Motss — flamboyant, obsessive, and desperate for credit. Is this one of the great comedic performances of the ’90s?

Robert De Niro’s Conrad Brean — calm, calculated, and morally untethered. Is he the real power in the film… or just the most efficient?

The central satire — media manipulation, political theatre, and the terrifying ease of creating “truth.”

We share many stories of what it means to guide an actor, when you should back off, and what do we do when we simply 'can't find the character' ourselves

Ian breaks down the film’s narrative precision — lean, fast, and ruthlessly efficient storytelling.

Liam explores the film’s relevance — does Wag the Dog feel prophetic, outdated, or uncomfortably current?

The machinery of deception — producers, actors, composers. Who actually “makes” reality in this world?

The escalation of the lie — how small fabrications spiral into full-scale belief.

The “show vs tell” balance — is the film too clever for its own good, or exactly as sharp as it needs to be?

Which character were we both all-out on?

What does it mean for something to be satirical and at what point does that present itself in the film?

Is it harder to get on board with the conceit of the film in 2026 compared to 1997 and why?

Ian shares everything he knows about Albania and where he learned it from

The ending — dark punchline, inevitable consequence, or the ultimate statement on power?

The moral centre (or lack of one) — does the film care about truth, or just the performance of it?

And finally, whether Wag the Dog is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most incisive political satires ever made.

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

“It’s not about the money.”

Join Ian & Megs for our 324th episode as we step into the perfectly constructed, quietly audacious bank heist of Spike Lee’s Inside Man (2006). Clocks are ticking, identities are shifting, and nothing is quite what it seems as we try to work out who’s really in control… and who never was.

This week we discuss:

Denzel Washington as Detective Frazier — cool, controlled, and always just one step behind. Is this one of Denzel’s most understated performances?

Clive Owen’s Dalton Russell — precise, patient, and almost philosophical. Is he a villain, a hero, or something far more interesting?  Also, is he more than just a poor man's Gerard Butler?

Jodie Foster’s power broker — calculated, composed, and operating on a completely different level of influence.  Do we forgive her more easily because of her gender?

The structure of the heist — meticulous, layered, and deliberately misleading. How does the film hide its intentions in plain sight?

Megs explores the film’s themes of power and privilege — what’s really being stolen, and who actually gets away with it.

Ian breaks down Spike Lee’s direction and cinematography — style, pacing, and how he injects social commentary into a genre film without slowing it down.

The use of misdirection — costumes, timelines, and narrative sleight of hand. When does the audience realise they’ve been played?

The “show vs tell” balance — how much does the film explain, and how much does it trust the audience to catch up?

The ending reveal — clever, satisfying, or just slightly too neat? Does the film even know what the ending of its own plot is? Are we satisfied with how it ended and what would be the danger of making it more explicit?

The moral question — is justice served, or simply… redirected?

And finally, whether Inside Man is the Best Film Ever — or one of the smartest, most rewatchable heist films of the 21st century.

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

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most 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

Chris Pedersen

Randal Silva

Nate The Great

Rev Bruce

Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)

Richard

Ryan Kuketz

Dirk Diggler

Stew from the Stew World Order podcast

NorfolkDomus

John Humphrey's Right Foot

Timmy Tim Tim

Aashrey

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/

“I’m tired, boss.”

Join Ian, Liam, Megs & Kev for our 323rd episode as we walk the long corridor, sit with miracles, and confront justice, compassion, and cruelty in Frank Darabont’s The Green Mile (1999). It’s heavy, it’s heartfelt, and yes — we all know what’s coming… but that doesn’t make it any easier.

This week we discuss:

Michael Clarke Duncan’s towering performance — gentle, tragic, otherworldly. Is John Coffey one of the most emotionally devastating characters ever put to screen?

Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb — quiet authority, moral conflict, and the burden of knowing what’s right when the system says otherwise.

The film’s central tension — justice versus legality. What happens when the law is wrong but must still be carried out?

Megs explores the emotional mechanics — how the film earns its tears, and whether it ever crosses into manipulation.

Ian breaks down Darabont’s storytelling — classical structure, patient pacing, and why the film leans so heavily into sincerity.

Liam questions if the film sacrifices characterisation for what the plot needs to occur

Kev weighs in on the execution room and if the set designers missed a trick there

The supporting cast — from Brutal to Percy. Who stands out, and who embodies the film’s darkest impulses?

The treatment of death row — humane, harrowing, and unflinching. Does the film confront or soften its reality?

The ending — cathartic, crushing, or quietly haunting? What lingers after the final frame?

And finally, whether The Green Mile is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most emotionally overwhelming films ever made.

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

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most 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

Chris Pedersen

Randal Silva

Nate The Great

Rev Bruce

Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)

Richard

Ryan Kuketz

Dirk Diggler

Stew from the Stew World Order podcast

NorfolkDomus

John Humphrey's Right Foot

Timmy Tim Tim

Aashrey

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/

“Silencio.” Join Ian & Liam for our 322nd episode as we drive headfirst into the dream logic, fractured identities, and eerie Hollywood mythology of David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001). Coffee is poured, clues are scattered, and certainty is politely asked to leave the room. We’re later joined for The Endgame by BFF of the BFE: Shai Bergerfroind, the man responsible for bringing this cinematic puzzle to the podcast in the first place.

This week we discuss:

David Lynch’s dream architecture — narrative fragments, emotional logic, and whether Mulholland Drive is meant to be solved… or simply experienced.

Naomi Watts’ astonishing dual performance — hopeful ingénue, shattered dreamer, and everything in between. Is this one of the great performances of the 2000s?

Laura Harring’s enigmatic presence — mystery, glamour, and the gravitational pull of Rita’s identity crisis.

Ian examines Lynch’s vision of Hollywood — a seductive fantasy factory that quietly devours the people chasing it.

Liam attempts to untangle the film’s structure — where the dream ends, where reality begins, and whether those categories even apply.

The Club Silencio sequence — performance, illusion, and the film’s thesis delivered in one haunting set-piece.

The supporting characters — gangsters, directors, hitmen, and cowboys. Comic absurdity or pieces of a much larger symbolic puzzle?

The film’s treatment of identity and reinvention — Hollywood as both dream machine and nightmare engine.

Shai Bergerfroind joins us for The Endgame — helping us unpack why this film matters so much to him, how he reads the film’s emotional core, and whether the mystery is actually the point.

The ending — devastating revelation, emotional collapse, or simply another layer of the dream.

And finally, whether Mulholland Drive is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most hypnotic and endlessly interpretable films ever made

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

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most 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

Chris Pedersen

Randal Silva

Nate The Great

Rev Bruce

Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)

Richard

Ryan Kuketz

Dirk Diggler

Stew from the Stew World Order podcast

NorfolkDomus

John Humphrey's Right Foot

Timmy Tim Tim

Aashrey

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/

Happy New Year! (it still counts, right?)  Another bonus episode for your listening enjoyment as we bring you another Reel Roundtable discussion.  Ian, Liam, Megan, and B-Tech Kev look back on the films they've reviewed in 2025 and have some more  dubious awards to hand out in the form of The Resties.  Comments, banter, and flat out arguments can be found as we debate the worst that we saw in 2025 (A full list of award categories and eligible films are located at the bottom of these notes)

This year we're thrilled to have ballots from five of our patrons to help determine the winners and a couple of them cast some live tie-breaking votes.

The Awards:

Worst Screenplay

Worst Special Effects

Worst Score

Worst Song

Worst Musical

Worst Costume Design

Worst Art Direction

Worst Villain

Least Funny Movie (That was supposed to be funny)

Worst Plothole

Worst Cinematography

Worst Duo

Most Unlikeable (for a character we’re supposed to like)

Worst Child

Worst Context Corner

Worst First Watch

Worst Fall From Grace

Most Unnecessarily Sexualised Moment

Worst Aged Moment

Most Overhyped

Worst Patreon Selection

Second Opinion (Down)

Biggest BFE Blunder

Worst Supporting Actor

Worst Supporting Actress

Biggest Therapy Session

Worst Actor

Worst Actress

Worst Film

Eligible Films:

300

American Psycho

Babylon

Black Swan

Cinderella Man

Crash

Dirty Harry

Erin Brockovich

Field of Dreams

Ghost

Heneral Luna

Idiocracy

Inception

It

Jackie Brown

Jaws

Karate Kid

Mask

Million Dollar Baby

Mission: Impossible 2

Moneyball

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

Ordinary People

Out of the Furnace

Outbreak

Poltergeist

Predator

Rocky Horror

Ruby Sparks

Rush

Shallow Grave

Shutter Island

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Superman (1978)

Sweeney Todd

The 40 Year Old Virgin

The Fighter

The Goonies

The Holiday

The Naked Gun

The Shining

The Social Network

To Die For

Toy Story 3

Tremors

V for Vendetta

What We Do In The Shadows

Witness

X-Men