"Welcome to Jumanji!"

Join Ian, Liam & Megs for our 326th episode as we press start, pick our avatars, and get sucked into the chaotic, comedic, and surprisingly heartfelt world of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). Kev? He’s not with us this week — he selected his character without reading the stats and is now stuck in the jungle with a weakness to cake and only one life remaining. We wish him luck.

This week we discuss:

• The central gimmick — body-swap comedy meets video game logic. Why this concept works far better than it has any right to.
• Dwayne Johnson’s performance — bravado, vulnerability, and comedic timing. Is this one of his most self-aware roles?
• Kevin Hart as the reluctant sidekick — high-energy, fast-talking, and constantly outmatched. Does he elevate or overwhelm?
• Jack Black’s scene-stealing turn — Surely even Megs will commend his commitment, physicality, and one of the boldest comedic performances in a mainstream blockbuster.
• Karen Gillan’s balancing act — action hero competence with awkward teenage insecurity underneath.
• Megs explores the film’s take on identity — how stepping into a different body reframes confidence, perception, and self-worth.
• Ian breaks down the narrative structure — game levels, stakes, callbacks and consequences that are both earned and why the film’s pacing feels so clean.
• Liam questions the emotional core — does the film earn its character growth, or is it just well-disguised formula?
• The video game rules — clear, fun, and occasionally inconsistent. When do they help the story, and when do they get bent? We're looking at you, Nick Jonas
• The humour — broad, physical, and surprisingly sharp. Which jokes land, and which ones don’t quite stick?
• The ending — satisfying, predictable, or just the right amount of both?
• And finally, whether Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is the Best Film Ever — or one of the most unexpectedly successful reboots of the modern era.

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/

You know we love our wrestling here at the BFE (well some of us...). Join Ian from Best Film Ever and Stew from The Stew World Order podcast as we break the BFE format by looking ahead to WrestleMania 42. Stew watched last year's show from Reliant Stadium and like most punters on that weekend, he's not going back. We discuss whether the build has been good this year? What is going on with Pat McAfee? Why have we forgotten about Randy Orton in all of this? Who were the biggest snubs this year? Can anything be done to save Jade Cargill? And how did Rusev and JD McDonaugh get on the card this year? We'll preview each match on the card as well as try to figure out John Cena & Danhausen's roles among the festivities as we discuss how to build a character, how to build a feud, and where WWE goes after the big weekend. Catch more of Stew on his own podcast: Stew World Order at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stew-world-order/id1559913522 You can also catch him at his website where he writes about all sorts of fun things: https://swoproductions.com/

“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

“I have to believe in a world outside my own mind.”

Join Ian, Liam, Megs & Kev for our 321st episode as we piece together Polaroids, tattoos, and fragments of memory in Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller Memento (2000). This week the BFE timeline runs forward, backward, and occasionally sideways — and somewhere in the chaos a mystery guest drops in to help us figure out what actually happened.

This week we discuss:

• Christopher Nolan’s narrative construction — reverse chronology, fragmented storytelling, and whether genius sometimes requires a second viewing… or a flowchart.
• Guy Pearce’s Leonard Shelby — sympathetic victim, unreliable narrator, or architect of his own personal myth?
• The two timelines — black-and-white clarity vs colour confusion. How the film weaponises structure to manipulate the audience.
• Megs explores memory as identity — if you can’t remember who you are, can you still be responsible for what you do?
• Ian breaks down Nolan’s early thematic obsessions — time, perception, control, and why Memento feels like the blueprint for the rest of his career.
• Liam questions the film’s internal logic — how much of Leonard’s system actually works, and how much depends on blind faith?
• Natalie and Teddy — manipulators, victims, opportunists, or something much harder to categorise?
• The mechanics of storytelling — how the film reveals information while simultaneously making us doubt it.
• Our mystery guest joins us — helping us untangle the film’s structure and asking whether understanding Memento actually improves it.
• The ending (or beginning?) — revelation, tragedy, or the ultimate self-deception.
• And finally, whether Memento is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most brilliantly constructed puzzles cinema has ever produced.

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/