The Movie Mull

The four mulls are back together this week - and sharing with you four more reviews to help you decide what to watch, at home or at the movies, this week.
First up, Justin tells us all about the oft-overlooked 2013 film, Parkland, set in the immediate aftermath of the Kennedy Assassination. Then, Neil catches us up with the latest in the long-running Predator franchise: Predator Badlands from director Dan Trachtenburg - who previously brought us Prey and Killer of Killers - this dares to make the villain into the protagonist. 
Next up, Darren continues his quest to watch all of this year's best picture nominees and gives us his review of Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value which is now available to watch on Mubi. And, finally, our host Richard shares his thoughts about Crime 101, a thriller (which reunite avengers Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo) screening at limited cinemas now.   

Yes, it's that time of year again... The film awards season is drawing to a close, and the (golden) cherry on the cake (statuette) is the 98th Academy Awards.  They're taking place on the 15th March, but our intrepid Mulls got together a few weeks ago to make their predictions about who - in this stellar line up - would be most likely to take home Oscar.  
Yes, we're once again putting our reputation as people who allegedly know something about movies on the line! But, we'd like you to join in too.... Find us on social media where, for the week leading up to the Oscars, we'll be sharing a link that allows you to share with us your own predictions.  Can you beat the Mulls at their own game by predicting the most number of winners on the night? 
Tune to this episode to hear the names that we thought might be inside those sealed envelopes... and we'll be back in a few weeks to discuss the actual results!

In 1998, an exciting new directing talent burst onto the scene with Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels... Since then director Guy Ritchie has a further 15 titles, up to last year's Fountain of Youth - with two more releases due in 2026. 
This week's host, Neil, guides us through Ritchie's entire filmography as we talk our personal highs and lows, our favourites moments and some of those film-making techniques that seem to be his signature moves - finally deciding on our own overall Top 5. 
Listen in - and then let us know your own favourites.  What do you like about this director's work?

This week, three-quarters of our mulls are here with three new reviews for you - helping you to filter out the must-watch from the just-watched movies... 
First up, our host Justin tells us all about a movie in which a troop of soldiers from the Vietnam War find themselves pitted against dinosaurs, in a film which sounds like the dictionary definition of B-Movie (and that isn't a criticism!) - Primitive War.
Then, staying in premium B-movie territory, Darren reviews the latest movie from horror maestro Sam Raimi, Send Help, in which two warring co-workers find themselves stranded on a desert island. 
And finally, Neil has a chance to share his thoughts about the WW1 set drama The Choral - a film by the awards-worthy team of Nicholas Hytner, Alan Bennett and Ralph Fiennes.
(And don't worry, if you're a fan of Richard - and who isn't - he'll be back on the pod in just a couple of weeks time!) 

This week, our host Justin invites us to consider the mercurial and elusive idea of 'star quality'.... What is it? Who has it? And how do you know?
Across the episode, the four mulls debate the meaning of the phrase and the different screen performers who -  over a century of movie making - seem to exhinit the sort of qualities that makes them a 'STAR'!
Listen in and then let us know which actors you think have the most star quality - either from today's cinema or yesteryear's...  

This week, the mulls are back with four more reviews for you all.  
First up, Justin has a chance to check out the recent Anaconda 'remake/sequel(?)' starring the comedy legend double-act of Jack Black and Paul Rudd. Then, Darren shares his thoughts about anxiety-inducing ping-pong sports movie Marty Supreme - the Oscar-nominated movie from director Josh Safdie and star Timothée Chalamet.  Richard reviews Plain Clothes, an underseen romantic drama and thriller starring Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey... before our host Neil wraps things up by talking about the horror movie, video-game adaptation sequel: Five Nights at Freddie's 2. 
Have you had a chance to watch any of these yet? If so, jump in on the comments section and let us know your thoughts.

"All the world's a.... cinema?"
This week, our mulls are very happy to be joined by special guests from theatre company 1:4:9 Productions. El and Kathryn join Richard, Neil, Darren and Justin to talk about the many different ways in which the plays of William Shakespeare have been interpreted up on the big screen - and, while they're at it, also discuss 1:4:9's upcoming production of Much Ado About Nothing.
So, whether you're a fan of teen comedies, historical dramas, revenge tragedies, or epic romances, listen in to find out more about the many ways in which cinema has drawn on Shakespeare's words, characters and worlds.    
And if you are based near London or Essex, do join 1:4:9 Productions as they transport you to the world of high fashion in William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing at the Brentwood Theatre, from Thursday 26th to Saturday 28th February 2026.

This week, the mulls are back with four more reviews - helping you to decide what you might watch this week. 
First up, our host Justin talks through his thoughts on last year's latest sci-fi video game adaptation: Borderlands. Then, Richard joins Josh Hartnett for a Fight or Flight in the recent all-action airbound joyride. After a long theatrical run, Darren reviews the Brad Pitt starring sports movie F1 as it arrives on Apple TV+ for streaming.  And, finally, Neil brings us Relay a tense contemporary thriller starring Lily James and Riz Ahmed.
We'll be back with more movie talk next week - in the meantime, drops us a note in the comments and let us know what you've been watching.  

It's that time of year again... January is underway and the mulls have had some time to look back over all of the films that they enjoyed in 2025.
Was it a good year for film-going and film-making? What were the unexpected delights and surprises? What were the disappointments? 
Our four mulls talk through what they found to be the best and worst of the year... as well as acknowledging a few of the films they missed that they hope to catch up on soon.
Speaking of which, we'd love to hear your recommendations. Let us know your favourite movies of 2025... and especially any films that you think deserve a little more attention.
Thanks for listening for another year - and here's to 2026 and a further great year for cinema! 

This week, the mulls are back with three more reviews for you helping you to decide what you might watch on television, on streaming and up on the big screen.
Starting us off, Darren reviews the third in James Cameron's Avatar series - Avatar Fire and Ash - which has been soaring up the box office charts ever since it was released a few weeks ago. 
Then, Justin takes us back to Bob Odenkirk's Hutch Mansell character, met previously in the surprise hit Nobody and now returning in Nobody 2 in which a family vacation descends into action and chaos.
Finally, Richard reviews recent Prime release She Rides Shotgun, in which Taron Egerton's recently released ex-con tries to reconnect with - and protect - his estranged daughter.  
Note for regular listeners: Neil is taking a much needed week off, but will be back very soon! :)