Born To Watch - A Movie Podcast

The Martian (2015) review lands on Born to Watch this week as Whitey, Gow and Will blast off to Mars for Ridley Scott's hugely entertaining tale of survival, science, potatoes and one very unlucky astronaut. The Movie Review Podcast, where we do not take the movies or ourselves too seriously, is tackling one of the most rewatchable science-fiction films of the last decade, starring Matt Damon as Mark Watney, a man forced to do what none of us could possibly manage: stay alive on Mars using his brains, determination and an alarming amount of human fertiliser.
Directed by Ridley Scott and adapted from Andy Weir's novel, The Martian starts with a simple but brutal premise. During a mission to Mars, astronaut Mark Watney is struck during a violent storm, presumed dead and left behind as the rest of his crew evacuates the planet. One problem: Watney isn't dead.
Now stranded millions of kilometres from Earth, he has limited food, no immediate way to communicate with NASA and years to wait before another mission could possibly reach him.
Easy.
The boys dive into why The Martian works so well despite essentially being Cast Away on Mars. Matt Damon has to carry huge sections of the film alone, yet Watney never becomes boring. He is smart, vulnerable, funny and constantly solving problems, usually just before another problem arrives and threatens to kill him.
That's one of the things Whitey loves most about the movie. Watney doesn't magically get everything right. Things go wrong. Calculations fail. Equipment breaks. Plans collapse. Every solution seems to create another problem, giving the film an authenticity that keeps the tension alive.
Will has recently read Andy Weir's novel, so we also get into the differences between page and screen. The book dives much deeper into the science behind Watney's survival and adds context for how qualified he is to handle the mechanical and botanical challenges thrown his way.
Then there is that cast.
Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Sean Bean, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Wong and Donald Glover help turn what could have been a one-man survival story into something much bigger.
The boys have different picks when it comes to the standout performances, with Damon naturally getting plenty of love, while Jeff Daniels and Chiwetel Ejiofor also come in for some serious praise. Donald Glover might arrive late, but he certainly makes an impression.
The episode also asks whether The Martian might represent the last truly great Ridley Scott movie. That opens the door to a run-through of Scott's extraordinary career, from Alien and Blade Runner through Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and American Gangster, before looking at some of his more recent efforts.
Then there is the music.
For a bloke trapped on another planet, Watney has access to plenty of tunes; unfortunately for him, Commander Lewis appears to have left him with a collection heavily weighted towards disco. It becomes one of the movie's best running jokes and naturally gives Born to Watch plenty to work with.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly gets into everything from Damon's performance and Watney's relentless problem-solving to the genuinely stressful HAB sequence, NASA's decision-making and a couple of moments where the science-fiction starts leaning a little more heavily on the fiction.
The film also sparks plenty of discussion for its surprisingly positive outlook. Rather than turning Watney's rescue into a simple American hero story, The Martian becomes a global effort. Scientists, astronauts, and space agencies work together toward one objective: bringing one man home.
Of course, this is Born to Watch, so somewhere between the intelligent discussion of orbital mechanics, survival psychology and Ridley Scott's filmmaking, things inevitably deteriorate.
Potatoes are discussed.
Human waste is discussed.
Duct tape gets the respect it deserves.
And Will's ongoing journey from Worky to potentially fully qualified podcast contributor continues under intense performance-review conditions.
Strap yourself into the Hermes, pack enough potatoes and make sure someone remembered the duct tape.

This is The Martian (2015) Review, Born to Watch style.
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This Is Spinal Tap Review takes Born to Watch somewhere few podcasts dare to go: backstage with Britain's loudest band, where amplifiers go to eleven, drummers have an alarming mortality rate, Stonehenge has serious measurement issues, and a beautiful piano composition can somehow be called “Lick My Love Pump”.
Whitey, Damo and Dan are back to revisit Rob Reiner's 1984 mockumentary masterpiece, This Is Spinal Tap, a movie that barely made a ripple when it first arrived but went on to become one of the most influential comedies ever made. More than four decades later, the question is simple: is Spinal Tap still funny, or has the volume finally been turned down?
For Whitey, the film has grown with every viewing. Watching it as a teenager meant missing half the jokes, but coming back to it years later reveals just how clever the movie really is. Damo is firmly aboard the Tap train, while Dan comes into this one having seen plenty of famous scenes over the years without previously sitting through the whole film from start to finish.
That gives us the perfect mix for a Born to Watch review.
The boys dive into what made This Is Spinal Tap so revolutionary. Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer created something that looks and sounds so much like a genuine rock documentary that audiences could be forgiven for wondering whether Spinal Tap was actually real.
And that is where the genius lives.
There are no desperate punchlines or actors screaming at the audience to tell them where the joke is. The characters play everything completely straight. The stupidity is delivered with total sincerity, whether Nigel Tufnel is protecting a guitar that cannot even be looked at, Derek Smalls is calmly navigating another band catastrophe, or David St. Hubbins is watching his musical empire slowly fall apart.
Then there are the moments that have become comedy folklore.
Stonehenge.
The amps that go to eleven.
“Lick My Love Pump”.
Smell the Glove.
The constantly changing drummers.
Getting hopelessly lost backstage.
And some very questionable objects stuffed inside some extremely tight trousers.

The boys pick apart their favourite scenes, with Dan loving the absurd brilliance of "Lick My Love Pump", Damo championing Nigel's priceless guitar collection scene, and Whitey finding himself laughing harder at the film than he ever has before.
But this episode goes well beyond simply quoting the classics.
The crew ask whether This Is Spinal Tap became the blueprint for the mockumentary format that followed. Would shows such as The Office and countless other mockumentary films and television series have existed in quite the same way without Reiner and the Tap boys showing everyone how it could be done?
There is also plenty of love for the supporting cast and cameos. Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, Fran Drescher, Fred Willard, Bruno Kirby, Paul Shaffer and Anjelica Huston all enter the conversation as the boys realise just how much talent is scattered throughout the film.
Naturally, the episode also explores Spinal Tap's extraordinary musical history. The band's fictional back catalogue might contain some of the greatest album titles never released by a real band, from Intravenous DeMilo and Shark Sandwich to Smell the Glove, Silent but Deadly and the magnificent Bent for the Rent.
Then it is time for all the regular Born to Watch madness.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly digs into what still works, what might require multiple watches to truly appreciate, and whether there is actually much "ugly" to complain about. The boys agree this movie is packed with jokes that are incredibly easy to miss the first time around, making repeat viewings almost essential.
There is also Question Time, Quick Fire, Film School for F-Wits, plenty of musical detours and, naturally, another Kick Arse Credit Song from Dan.
More than 40 years after its release, This Is Spinal Tap remains one of those rare comedies whose influence has become almost bigger than the movie itself. Its jokes have entered everyday language, its characters feel strangely believable, and its commitment to playing absolute stupidity completely straight remains almost impossible to replicate.
So grab your guitar, prepare the miniature Stonehenge, sniff the feedbag and make sure your amplifier has that all-important extra number.
Because Born to Watch is turning this episode up to eleven.
Join the Born to Watch crew 
If you love movies but don't believe they need to be treated like sacred works of art, you've found your people. Follow the podcast, share the episode with a mate, jump onto the socials and tell us which movie deserves the Born to Watch treatment next.
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This week on Born to Watch, we head into Prohibition-era Chicago for The Untouchables 1987 Review, revisiting Brian De Palma's stylish gangster classic starring Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro and Andy Garcia. It's cops, Capone, Tommy guns, questionable accents, immaculate suits and enough testosterone to make this one of the great 1980s sausage fests. More importantly, this special episode is dedicated to our great mate Chupperz, who requested the film. Chupperz, this one is for you.
Released in 1987, The Untouchables takes us into the battle between federal agent Eliot Ness and Chicago crime boss Al Capone. Kevin Costner plays Ness as the ultimate straight-laced good guy, determined to bring Capone down legally, at least until Chicago starts teaching him that playing by the rules might not be enough.
Enter Sean Connery as Jimmy Malone.
Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role, and the boys spend plenty of time discussing whether he is also the real star of the movie. Malone brings the experience, attitude, and gravitas Ness needs, along with one of the best approaches to law enforcement ever put on screen. If they pull a knife, you might want to start thinking about bringing something slightly more substantial.
Then there's Andy Garcia as George Stone, young, ridiculously cool, deadly accurate and sporting enough back hair to qualify as an additional cast member. Garcia doesn't need many lines to make an impression. He simply turns up, looks cool and shoots people with an accuracy that would make most action heroes jealous.
And then we get Bobby De Niro.
Robert De Niro goes full method as Al Capone, putting on the weight and delivering a wonderfully smug, intimidating performance. The problem? Whitey wants more of him. A lot more. The discussion turns to whether The Untouchables missed an opportunity by keeping Capone relatively limited, instead of giving De Niro more screen time and letting the film explore both sides of the battle.
There's also plenty of love for Brian De Palma's direction. This movie is packed with memorable filmmaking, from brutal moments of violence to beautifully constructed suspense. The famous Union Station sequence remains the standout, slowly tightening the tension before everything explodes. Even if the boys have a few questions about that pram, the woman carrying it, the strangely busy midnight railway station and why nobody thought to give her a hand.
The episode also digs into Ennio Morricone's brilliant score, one of the elements that immediately gives The Untouchables its identity. The music is bold, instantly recognisable and a massive part of why the movie still feels so cinematic decades later.
Of course, this is Born to Watch, so respectful film analysis only lasts so long.
The boys question continuity problems, Sean Connery's Scottish take on an Irish accent, Frank Nitti's questionable escape plan, Capone's all-in-one grooming experience, Costner's white-knight energy, and whether a piece of paper listing bribed jurors would really be enough to send a courtroom completely sideways.
There's also the usual trip through The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Snorbs Report, Film School for F-Wits, quotables, trivia and the random tangents that somehow turn a discussion about a Brian De Palma gangster movie into conversations that have absolutely no right being there.
But beneath all the piss-taking is genuine appreciation for a movie that still looks fantastic. The costumes, locations, production design and old-school filmmaking give The Untouchables a scale and atmosphere that remains impressive nearly four decades later.
Is Costner charismatic enough to carry it? 
Is Connery actually the MVP? 
Should De Niro have been given far more screen time? 
Is the Union Station shootout still one of the great action sequences of the 1980s?
And most importantly, where does The Untouchables eventually land in the sacred halls of the Born to Watch Rank Bank?

You’ll have to listen to find out.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Think The Untouchables is an untouchable 1980s classic? 
Let us know your favourite scene, character and quote. 
And if you've got a movie you think deserves the full Born to Watch treatment, send it our way. 
Just remember, as Chupperz discovered, getting your movie selected also means giving the boys permission to absolutely tear it apart.
Born to Watch, the Movie Review Podcast where we don't take the movies, or ourselves, too seriously.

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This week on Born to Watch, we sink our teeth into a Fright Night 1985 Review, revisiting one of the most recognisable vampire movies of the VHS era. For Whitey, this one comes loaded with childhood nostalgia, a movie discovered through an unforgettable video shop cover and watched countless times growing up. For Gow and Damo, however, this is essentially fresh blood. So, after more than 40 years, does Fright Night still deliver the perfect combination of horror, comedy and '80s vampire cool, or should some childhood favourites remain safely buried in the past?
Directed by Tom Holland, Fright Night stars William Ragsdale as Charlie Brewster, a teenager who discovers that his charming new neighbour, Jerry Dandrige, is actually a vampire. Naturally, nobody believes him. Not his mum, not his girlfriend Amy, not the police, and certainly not washed-up television horror host Peter Vincent. Unfortunately for Charlie, Jerry knows that Charlie knows, and things are about to get considerably more complicated.
The boys start with the nostalgia factor, and this might be one of the biggest tests yet of whether childhood memories can survive a modern rewatch. Whitey remembers Fright Night as the ideal gateway horror movie, scary enough for a young teenager but funny and accessible enough to keep bringing him back. Gow and Damo don't have that emotional safety net, so they judge the film in the cold, unforgiving light of 2026.
That difference produces exactly the sort of Born to Watch discussion you'd expect.
Chris Sarandon's Jerry Dandrige gets plenty of attention. Smooth, ridiculously confident and rocking some magnificent '80s wardrobe choices, Jerry might be the strongest thing the movie has going for it. The nightclub sequence gets examined, the seductive vampire powers are discussed, and Whitey can't help noticing some serious Michael Douglas vibes years before Basic Instinct arrived.
Then there's Roddy McDowall as Peter Vincent, the former movie vampire killer who discovers that dealing with the real thing is considerably different from acting in front of a camera. The boys look back at McDowall's incredible career, from Planet of the Apes to his decades of film and television work, while deciding just how much Peter Vincent adds to Fright Night.
But we need to talk about Evil Ed.
Oh dear.
Stephen Geoffreys' performance becomes one of the episode's biggest talking points, and not necessarily for the reasons the filmmakers hoped. Is Evil Ed deliberately annoying? Is he supposed to be funny? Is he operating in a completely different movie from everybody else? And most importantly, just how high can the Born to Watch annoyance scale actually go?
The boys also dive into Amanda Bearse as Amy, William Ragsdale's Charlie, Charlie's questionable decision-making, Jerry's supernatural seduction abilities and the wonderfully bizarre logic that comes with trying to convince the police that the bloke next door is a vampire.
There is plenty to admire visually. The practical effects still provide some of Fright Night's strongest moments, particularly as the film heads towards its creature-heavy finale. Melting faces, transformations, wolves, vampires, mist-covered houses, and gloriously physical '80s effects all remind us why this era of horror still has such a passionate following.
Naturally, being Born to Watch, the conversation doesn't remain focused on vampires for very long.
The boys wander through the movies of 1985, revisit the glory days of video shops, discuss horror films as a childhood rite of passage, remember a time when Australian television had only a handful of channels, somehow find their way into Married... with Children, debate vampire rules and take several conversational detours that absolutely nobody planned.
There's also the usual critical analysis, questionable observations, movie trivia, overs and unders, the trailer breakdown, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and enough inappropriate vampire discussion to ensure Bram Stoker is spinning violently in his grave.
The biggest question, though, remains simple.
Can nostalgia save Fright Night?
For one member of the Born to Watch crew, this was once a genuine childhood favourite. Decades later, surrounded by two first-time viewers and forced to examine every strange performance, plot decision and ageing effect, those memories are about to face their toughest test yet.
Grab the garlic, check the mirrors, lock the bedroom window and whatever you do, don't invite the new neighbour inside.
It's time for Fright Night on Born to Watch.
Born to Watch, the movie review podcast where we don't take the movies, or ourselves, too seriously.

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If a movie was ever made for the Born to Watch treatment, this is it. In our Rambo III 1988 Review, Whitey is joined by two certified ’80s action tragics, Bones and DJ Glazby, to revisit Sylvester Stallone at his biggest, most shredded and possibly most ridiculous. The Russians are back, Colonel Trautman needs rescuing, Afghanistan is the battlefield, and John J. Rambo is about to discover that retirement is apparently not an option.
For Whitey, Rambo isn’t simply another action franchise. John J. Rambo has basically been part of his movie-watching life forever, and Rambo III was the first instalment he saw on the big screen. Bones and Glaz have similar credentials, with all three admitting they’ve probably watched these movies more than 100 times. That level of unhealthy familiarity can only mean one thing: two hours of remembering lines, picking apart scenes and asking questions nobody involved in the production ever expected anyone to ask.
Released in 1988, Rambo III takes everything from the previous film and turns the dial past eleven. Bigger budget. Bigger explosions. Bigger weapons. Bigger muscles. Bigger hair. Stallone is in absolutely outrageous condition, sporting a physique that sends the boys down several completely unnecessary conversational rabbit holes.
The story begins with Rambo attempting to live a peaceful life in Thailand before Colonel Trautman arrives asking for help with a mission into Afghanistan. Rambo declines, Trautman heads off without him and promptly gets himself captured. Naturally, Rambo changes his mind and goes after his old mate.
Simple.
What follows is peak late-’80s action excess.
The boys dive into Rambo's magnificent opening stick fight, that red headband, the suspiciously dangerous spectator arrangements and the logistical nightmare of figuring out who exactly everyone is betting on. There are questions about the ridiculous staircase Trautman climbs to find Rambo, Rambo’s magnificent 1988 hair and whether Colonel Trautman might be one of the oldest soldiers ever voluntarily sent behind enemy lines.
Then there’s Stallone himself.
Rambo talks considerably more this time around, although nobody is going to mistake him for Shakespeare, and the boys discuss whether Sly knew exactly what sort of movie he was making or genuinely believed there was something much more profound buried underneath all those explosions.
One thing everyone can agree on is that the practical action still looks fantastic.
Real explosions, squibs, stunt work, enormous military hardware and physical effects give Rambo III a weight that many modern CGI-heavy action movies struggle to recreate. The cave sequence in particular gets plenty of love, with Whitey arguing that Rambo hunting enemies through the darkness is exactly where the character is at his best. Even the sound of Rambo firing an arrow gets nominated as one of cinema’s great instantly recognisable noises.
There's also plenty of behind-the-scenes madness. The film carried an enormous budget for its time, went through a director change early in production and ultimately became one of the biggest action productions of its era. Somehow, the Razzies still came calling, something the boys have very strong opinions about.
Because this is Born to Watch, Rambo III also leads us into the wider Rambo universe. The boys attempt to rank the entire franchise, debate First Blood versus the increasingly outrageous sequels, revisit Rambo II and discuss where Rambo III belongs among Stallone’s greatest action achievements.
And then comes the most important question.
Does Rambo III still work?
It’s too long. It’s incredibly stupid in places. Its politics have aged in fascinating ways. Colonel Trautman may be surprisingly useless. But when Stallone picks up the bow, the explosions start, and that glorious Jerry Goldsmith score kicks into gear, none of that seems to matter quite as much.
This is Born to Watch, The Movie Review Podcast where we don’t take the movies, or ourselves, too seriously.

Strap yourself in, tighten the headband and prepare for peak Stallone.
Rambo III is back.

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