Cinema in Context

Drew Goddard solo space flicks. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Project Hail Mary (2026) and The Martian (2015). We begin by celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the podcast. We discuss our reactions to both films, from directors Ridley Scott, and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. We discuss the calibre of the cast in The Martian and the strength of Ryan Gosling's and Matt Damon's performances. We talk about the special effects and how the two films create a sense of zero-gravity in space. We close with our final thoughts, especially our experiences watching the films in the theatre and connections to other films... our typical schtick.

Classic stories retold. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Wuthering Heights (2026) and Romeo + Juliet (1996). Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet provide us with a wealth of points to talk about. We begin by discussing our reactions to 1996's Romeo + Juliet. We talk about the presence of this adaptation in high school classrooms, our initial reactions to the film both back in the day and now, and the high energy editing, acting and production elements. We break down the performances of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as the titular Romeo and Juliet, as well as praising the performances of John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau, Pete Postlewaite, Paul Sorvino, Paul Rudd, Diane Verona and even Annette Bening. We discuss our reactions to Wuthering Heights, starting with our knowledge of the book (which none of us have read) and our expectations of Emerald Fennell's after our experiences watching Promising Young Woman (2020) and Saltburn (2023). We talk about the casting and performances of Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes and Shazad Latif. We each had different enjoyment levels of Wuthering Heights and each bring our reactions to the table.

Thrillers with an insidious carer at the centre. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Send Help (2026) and Misery (1990). We begin by discussing our shared experience of watching Send Help and praising the performances of Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle and Dylan O'Brien as Bradley Preston. Our conversation jumps between Send Help and Misery, equally praising the performances of Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes and James Caan as Paul Sheldon. The work of Rob Reiner and Sam Raimi as directors is a key part of our enthusiasm, and we compare the films to various other movies, including: Cast Away (2000), Triangle of Sadness (2022), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), The Shining (1980), Lord of the Flies (1963), The Straight Story (1999) and Elf (2003).

Rian Johnson films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Wake Up Dead Man (2025), the latest in the Knives Out series, and Rian Johnson's first film Brick (2005). We begin by discussing our experiences watching Brick back in 2005 and 2006. This moves into us discussing a number of Rian Johnson's films, ending with Wake Up Dead Man. We discuss the range of actors in Wake Up Dead Man, including the accuracy of their casting, the bravado of their performances and whether they had enough to do. Our discussion weaves between the two films and talk about the technical elements and how Johnson and his team have crafted the tension, plot contrivances and semiotics.

The best of the year. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss their film and television highlights of the year, including their biggest surprise, biggest disappointment, classic revisted, best television and best films of 2025.

Here are the films and television shows we discussed:
• Biggest surprise of the year: Ne Zha 2 (William); The Last Showgirl (Sarah); Final Destination: Bloodlines (Jeremy)
Biggest disappointment of the year: After the Hunt (Sarah); Sinners (William) - with disappointed shout outs to Den of Thieves: Pantera and The Accountant 2; The Brutalist (Jeremy)
• Classic revisited: Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) [Jeremy] - with a shout out to All That Jazz (1979); Tron (1982) and The Little Mermaid (1989) [William]; Scarface (1983) [Sarah] - with shout outs to Pretty Woman (1990) and Final Destination (2000)
• Best television: The Pitt, Season 1 (Sarah); Andor, Season 2 (William); The White Lotus, Season 3 (Jeremy) - with shout outs to The Celebrity Traitors, The Gilded Age, Severance, Squid Games, Stranger Things, Heated Rivalry, Boots and Pluribus
• Runner-ups to the film of the year: Frankenstein, The House Within and Conclave (Sarah); 28 Years Later, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Anora (William); Final Destination: Bloodlines and Anora (Jeremy)
• Best film of the year: 28 Years Later (Sarah); F1: The Movie (William); One Battle After Another (Jeremy)