September 18 · 1 hr 5 min
In this episode: Shauny’s packed cinema week included Pressure, Fall 2, Practical Magic 2, and a revisit to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Bookish gets the strongest streaming praise of the week, with Holly describing it as a beautifully made, humane, and comforting mystery series led by Polly Walker and Mark Gatiss.
Shauny’s Pressure review highlights its focus on the D-Day weather forecast, with strong performances and impressive historical detail, though he felt one church scene was a bit overplayed.
DTF St. Louis is described as an emotionally smart, award-winning ensemble series about loneliness, connection, and human need, with standout turns from David Harbour, Linda Cardellini, Jason Bateman, Richard Jenkins, Joy Sunday, and Peter Sarsgaard.
Runner is framed as a slick, old-school action movie about moving a rare liver across Australia under a time limit, with Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson pairing surprisingly well.
In the Grey is the week’s weakest cinema pick, with Shauny calling it Guy Ritchie’s worst film and describing it as messy, lazy, and badly acted.
Timestamps
00:00 - Welcome, the podcast premise, and the week’s cinema versus streaming setup
01:34 - Shauny’s big cinema week, including Pressure, Fall 2, Practical Magic 2, and Raiders of the Lost Ark
04:38 - Holly’s week off cinema and the internet outage that kept her at home
06:00 - Shauny’s streaming watches, including In the Grey and the long-delayed DTF St. Louis discussion
08:22 - Why Practical Magic 2 exists and how cult fandom drove the sequel
09:43 - The original curse, Sandra Bullock’s daughters, and the sequel’s core plot
11:09 - Why the sequel feels boring, lazy, and far too long
12:26 - Holly on the books, the lore, and why the adaptation still has a logic behind it
13:46 - Lee Pace, Nicole Kidman, and the dialogue that doesn’t work
16:40 - Why the film’s plot logic keeps collapsing and the bad guy is obvious early
17:34 - Holly on the original film’s appeal, social conditioning, and women’s experience
22:56 - Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman still looking remarkably unchanged after 30 years
24:31 - Holly on Bookish, set after World War II with a bookseller-detective and a lavender marriage
26:43 - Why Polly Walker and Mark Gatiss make Bookish such a joy to watch
28:37 - The Mark Gatiss connection to Sherlock and The League of Gentlemen
30:17 - Holly’s five-star enthusiasm for Bookish and why it feels kind and humane
31:18 - Pressure and the D-Day weather forecast, with Churchill’s recommendation and Eisenhower’s dilemma
34:24 - Authentic military detail, the strong cast, and Damian Lewis as Montgomery
35:54 - The overplayed Sunday service weather scene and why it felt unnecessary
37:17 - Shauny’s final rating for Pressure at 4.5 stars
39:19 - DTF St. Louis and how David Harbour’s real-life image complicated the show’s publicity
40:12 - The murder mystery structure, the app, and the shifting identity of the victim
42:15 - Peter Sarsgaard’s brief but brilliant role and the show’s deeper theme of loneliness
44:06 - Why the ensemble performances and writing make the series Emmy-worthy
45:47 - Moving on to Runner and the confusion with another film called The Runner
46:50 - Alan Ritchson, Owen Wilson, and a high-stakes Australian courier chase
49:10 - The rare liver, the ticking clock, and the black SUV pursuit
51:34 - Why Runner works better than it should, including a clever rotating tire fight scene
52:34 - Alan Ritchson’s Jack Reacher energy and why the role fits him
54:00 - Shauny on In the Grey: a Guy Ritchie film that feels like pure motion without spark
55:56 - Why the film feels like the worst version of a Guy Ritchie template
56:52 - Final scores and the week’s winner, with streaming edging cinema 3.8 to 3.4
58:50 - Listener feedback, Ricky Gervais debate, and the lively comments section
64:52 - Coming next week, including Fall 2 and the Brad Pitt film, plus a preview of Resident Evil