We’ve hit the midpoint of our Identity season, which Dan has effectively turned into a curated gallery of “disenfranchised men,” and our latest target is the A24 cringe comedy masterclass, Friendship (2024.)

We explore the desperate lengths someone will go to for a bit of validation and the uncomfortable gap between who we are and the character identities we perform for others. Introducing Craig Waterman, a colour-blind passive man who only wears Ocean View Dining trousers but comes alive when he meets Austin, played by Paul Rudd.

What to expect from the episode:

• We explore why A24 continues to corner the market on gdang weird cinema.
• Sarah explains why the first ten minutes felt more like a horror movie than a comedy.
• Dan defends his specific niche for film choices featuring disenfranchised men.
• We analyse Paul Rudd’s Austin and decide if he’s a cool adventurer or if he’s ticking off a midlife crisis checklist.
• Unpacking why the speed bump is the funniest recurring motif in the history of cinema.
• A serious inquiry into whether licking a toad is a viable alternative to therapy for insecure people.
• We discuss the “Jimp” incident and why it proves that comedic delivery is the only thing standing between a comedy and a psychological horror movie.
• Debating the character identities of the leads and specifically whether we’re watching a narcissist in the wild or a study in neurodivergent masking.
• Stay curious Craig.

This season has eight episodes, concluding April 27th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Inject this into your ears and pray that a better version of yourself doesn’t pop out of your spine. We’ve reached the fourth episode in Dan’s Identity season where we’re discussing Coralie Fargeat’s the Substance (2024).

This isn’t one of those slow French movies where characters meditate on a fireplace for three hours, it’s an $18 million bloodbath that treats Hollywood beauty standards like a personal insult. Demi Moore delivers a career defining turn as Elizabeth Sparkle, while Margaret Qualley provides the ultimate “parasitic” companion for anyone struggling with character identities.

Between Dennis Quaid behaving like a pig with a plate of prawns and a third act that left our jaws on the flaw, this film proves why body horror is best served with a side of satire and some very expensive tile work.

What to expect from this episode:

• We reveal why we watched the trailer 28 times and still weren’t prepared.
• Sarah explains her cynical view on why children are basically parasites.
• Explanation for why babies aren’t born with names.
• Attempts to pronounce Coralie Fargeat’s name at least four different ways.
• Discussion around Hollywood beauty standards.
• We decide whether this film is style over substance or a masterpiece of the crunchy and wet variety.
• Chat about why Dennis Quaid’s eating habits are the real horror of the movie.
• Explaining why Dennis Quaid’s tobacco-stained teeth are the real horror of the movie.
• Pondering why Dennis Quaid’s character name is the real horror of the movie.

This season has eight episodes, concluding April 27th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Welcome back to Shoot the Hostage! We are three episodes deep into Dan’s Identity season, and things are getting… well, icky. This week, we’re tackling Brian De Palma’s 1980 classic/controversy magnet, Dressed to Kill.

Retroactively functioning as a best of De Palma, this film features many of the hallmarks you would expect from the director – voyeurism, shower scenes, and enough split diopter shots to make you feel like your eyeballs are watching separate movies.

Join us as we unpack this 80s slasher-adjacent thriller. We discuss why Nancy Allen deserved better than a Razzy nomination, and how Angie Dickinson proves that being nearly 50 is the new 21. We also dive into the character identities and why the twist is about as subtle as a brick to the face. Plus, we explore why watching movies on Tubi means being interrupted by Danica Patrick trying to sell us car insurance.

What to expect from this episode:

• Why Brian De Palma is basically a giant pervert with a very expensive camera.
• Dan’s “bonfire of opinions” regarding the 10-minute dialogue-free art gallery scene.
• A breakdown of why a binary calculator that only holds 20 numbers is the worst invention ever.
• Sarah’s internal struggle between Michael Caine being a “Tory” and being a “Great.”
• A dive into 80s slasher tropes and why this is basically Psycho with more pubic hair.
• The mystery of whose leg is on the movie poster.
• A completely unsolicited but necessary tangent about Andrew MacCarthy and the movie Mannequin.
• Our attempts to sensitively navigate this films “Wild West” approach to transgender representation.
• Why Nancy Allen kicking a bloke in the balls is the peak of her filmography.

This season has eight episodes, concluding April 27th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube