Weekend At Crombie's

I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve.   Part 3 of the Rob Reiner run.

We speak each other's unspoken language... fluently.   Part 2 of the Rob Reiner run.

These go to eleven.   Part 1 of the Rob Reiner run.

It's 2018 and Regina Hall leads an ensemble cast of the Double Whammies dining experience, in a much-overlooked, but well-regarded character study. Our two gentleman philosophers don their shortest shorts to discuss whether this film really should have received a wider audience.

The year is 2022 and civilisation has collapsed ... at least, that's the premise of this 1973 dystopian thriller starring Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson. Find out what music James would pick for his own euthanasia, and why we decided that, maybe the Soylent Corporation are the real heroes of the story.

It's 1989 and Nicolas Cage is about to be unleashed upon the screens in this horror-comedy about a New York yuppie who believes he is becoming a vampire. We have mixed feelings about this one, but both agree that, while it may not be the best Nicolas Cage film there is, it is certainly the most Nicolas Cage film there is.

It's 1996 and we're treated to a feast of Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub as two Italian brothers preparing a celebratory evening to save their restaurant. With accompanying dishes from Minnie Driver, Ian Holm, Isabella Rossellini and Allison Janney. Our primo and secondo reviewers may not see eye to eye on this one, but we find common ground by trying to replicate the accents.

It's 1971 and Robert Wise (director of Sound of Music and West Side Story) takes the natural leap into a Michael Crichton adaptation, heavy on the science, light on everything else. Our two gentlemen philosophers rattle through this deep dive in less time than it takes to reach Disinfection Level Five. We didn't even have to endanger a monkey to do so.

It's 1978 and top author Michael Crichton takes the directorial helm of a Victorian-era heist movie, with Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland and Lesley-Anne Down. Sit back in your first-class seat and enjoy the terrifying practical effects, satisfying wax impressions and try not to end up in lavender.

It's 1992 and Joe Pesci is a 'shutterbug' photographer at the centre of this noir thriller that was underexposed at the box office. Lots to discuss in this one: how so much talent could have achieved so little, how bad can an Irish accent get, and how do you bribe a domestic appliance?

It's 1998 and heavyweight writer Steven Zaillian brings John Travolta and Robert Duvall to head up a packed roster of acting superstars in this legal drama. Buckle up for more fun than you can have pouring a glass of water over a conference table.

It's 1977 and Ridley Scott makes his directorial debut with this epic tale of French soldiers Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel duelling their way through the Napoleonic Wars. Sadly, James could not be persuaded to style his hair in cadenettes for the review. 

It's 1980 (or is it?) and the director of Santa Claus: The Movie (him again!) brings together Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour in this time-travel romance. There's a lot going on in this film, that may have unintentionally proved itself to be a better treatise on time-travel than romance. And, of course, proves that everything it better when you're eating chicken.

It's 1994 and writer-director John Sayles takes us to the magical isle of Roan Inish for a heartwarming tale of a post-war family in Ireland. Neither one of our gentlemen-philosophers knew of this film (although that does nothing to stop that accents), but were surprised to discover that it had more to offer than just a recipe for seaweed soup.

It's 1990 and Bill Murray - somewhere in his career between Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day - wrote, directed and starred in the comedy caper with Geena Davis and Randy Quaid. Thoroughly tickled, our two gentlemen philosophers look into why such an obvious success proved such a box office failure.

Controversy reigns and James opens his big box of stats and the two gentlemen philosophers take a look back at the films of the past year, and the whole series. We now have enough data to release our 'Five Films To See Before You Die', and 'Five Films To Die Before You See Them'. Exciting stuff.  

It's 2002 and Stephen Frears directs this British social thriller with a cast of future stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sergi López, Sophie Okonedo and Benedict Wong. Our last film of the year, and it's one that may steal your heart (and possibly kidney too).

We complete our review of David Fincher's career with his fourth (and hopefully not final) decade: the biopic of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, co-author of Citizen Kane. Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried and Charles Dance head up the cast of this homage to 1930s' filmmaking.

It's 1992 and Billy Bob Thornton writes and co-stars this neo-noir crime thriller, along with Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams and Michael Beach. Despite critical acclaim, this one appears to have fallen out of the collective memory, and James doesn't know why. Huw has a pretty good idea.

It's 1993 and action director extraordinaire Renny Harlin takes Sylvester Stallone up the Dolomites. With some outstanding practical effects and a John Lithgow villain at his sneering best, this was 90s action at its peak.