Phoning It In

Dan kicks things off with the details of a weekend trip to a snooker club in Peterborough. Alongside navigating drugged-up staff members, the publican is forced to do the unthinkable: step foot inside a Wetherspoons. On the other end of the line, Luke provides an update on his investigation into exposing an ex-coworker's side hustle on a rogue Polish adult website. He's also fresh from a trip to the darts, bringing back tales of extortionate ‘two-pinters’; a monstrous drinking vessel that baffles Dan. Plus, the lads tackle the official ONS 1996 name rankings, the tragic death of an EastEnders legend, and why Luke finds The Cat in the Hat repulsive.

This week, Dan treated his mum to a night out at the Corby Cube to watch Jimmy Tarbuck die on stage. Which, given the man’s age, is a genuine possibility most evenings. Meanwhile, Luke has been hosting his dad and embarking on a minor, highly localised crime spree to steal pebbles from the village green. Plus, the boys dive into the mechanics of drag queen names, the art of making terrible banana bread on purpose, and the identity of the ugliest man alive.

After Luke, a former Head of Podcasts, literally forgot to hit record on last week's catch-up, the lads are forced to dial in and try again. Over the past week, Dan has embarked on a new weight-loss journey. Unfortunately, this health kick primarily involves him getting completely naked in the communal swimming baths and eating bread pudding at midnight. Meanwhile, Luke is convinced he’s stumbled across a former colleague on a highly questionable Polish adult site. Plus, the boys discuss transvestites, ‘Slag-atha Christie’, fingerless gloves, and whether Dan could pull off having his ears pierced.

In the inaugural episode of the new format, Luke and Dan immediately set a low bar for what constitutes a podcast. Luke recounts his failed attempt to starve himself into a tailor-made Vietnamese suit for the Grand National. Naturally, this health kick devolves into grand-scale ice cream larceny, a £250 panic-bet, and shameful train kebabs. Meanwhile, Dan shares the highlight of his adrenaline-fuelled week: watching Saturday Kitchen. Plus, the boys tackle the logistics of spaffing jelly beans, Hilary Devey’s abysmal taste in music, and why Kenneth Williams forced his dinner guests to defecate into Tupperware.

Luke and Dan return with their most baffling creative choice yet: a running commentary of a Celebrity MasterChef Christmas special from three years ago. They offer zero context, hurl abuse at Gregg Wallace, and skip so many scenes that an hour-long TV episode miraculously fits into a 39-minute podcast. The result? The sonic personification of a brain aneurysm.

After a suspiciously long “creative hiatus” (AKA laziness), Luke and Dan return with a brand new challenge: to review every film on The New York Times’ Top 100 Movies of the 21st Century list. They’re starting from the bottom (as Dan likes to do) with No. 100: Superbad. A film about teenage chaos, codependency and catastrophic social skills. I wonder why it resonates with Dan so much. The boys are back. The takes are bad. The films are good (hopefully). Here's the New York Times 100 Greatest Movies of the 21st Century list .

Although we're a little late, it's that time of the year again. Here come our favourite films of the year! In this special episode of 15 | A Film Review Podcast, Luke and Dan each give a rundown of their Top 10 movies from 2023. The duo are picking from the likes of Oppenheimer, Barbie, Poor Things, Past Lives, Saltburn, The Holdovers and Wonka (Dan has better not put that abomination in his Top 10). Click here to watch the podcast instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

In the latest episode of 15 | A Film Review Podcast, Luke and Dan continue to watch some of the most acclaimed films of 2023. The pair of films they review in full this week are BlackBerry and Anatomy of a Fall. Matt Johnson's BlackBerry is a fictional account of the creation of the BlackBerry line of mobile phones by co-founders Douglas Fregin and Mike Lazaridis, and investor Jim Balsillie, played by Johnson, Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton respectively. The Oscar-nominated Anatomy of a Fall is a French legal drama, directed by Justine Triet, that stars Sandra Hüller as a writer trying to prove her innocence in her husband's death. At the 76th Cannes Film Festival, it won the Palme d'Or and has also gained significant international success, winning two Golden Globes, and being nominated for seven BAFTAs and five Oscars. Click here to watch the podcast instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

This time on 15, Luke and Dan rattle off their reviews for three recent films that they should have got round to critiquing sooner. Firstly, Luke gets frustrated by Wonka, the musical fantasy film directed by Paul King, who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby. The picture tells the origins of Willy Wonka, featuring his early days as a chocolatier. Starring Timothée Chalamet as the title character, and with an ensemble cast including Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman and Hugh Grant, it is the third live-action film based on Roald Dahl's novel. Next up is the film that grabbed everyone's attention, Saltburn. Emerald Fennel's second offering is black comedy psychological thriller featuring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant. The film focuses on a student at Oxford University who becomes fixated with a popular, aristocratic student who later invites him to spend the summer at his eccentric family's estate. Then, after a handy tip off from Luke, the pair discuss Theater Camp, a 2023 American mockumentary comedy film directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman. The movie follows the counsellors of an underfunded theatre-focused summer camp as they band together with the founder's son to keep the camp afloat. To wrap up the show, they agree to quickly review two extra films that the other has no interest in seeing. Dan shares his disappointment with Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. Whereas Luke recommends Air, the film that's based on true events about the origin of Air Jordan, a basketball shoe-line. Click here to watch the podcast instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

In this episode of 15 | A Film Review Podcast, in preparation for the Oscars, Luke Oddie and Dan Wade review two of the biggest contenders. To begin with, the duo review Alexander Payne's The Holdovers. The comedy-drama is set in the winter of 1970–71 and stars Paul Giamatti as a strict classics teacher who is forced to chaperone a handful of students with nowhere to go over Christmas break. Co-stars Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa play the school cafeteria manager and one of the students who stays on campus, respectively. Then, Luke and Dan discuss Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things. Starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe, and based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray, the plot follows Bella Baxter, a young woman in Victorian London, who is resurrected by a scientist and embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

That's right, it's time for the Oscars (well, not technically, they aren't until March) Listen as Luke and Dan react live to hearing the 2024 Oscar nominations. The big questions get answered... - Will Oppenheimer sweep the nominations? - Will Barbie get snubbed? - And how in the world did America Ferrera get nominated? Good luck to all the nominees, especially Past Lives! Click here to watch the podcast instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

In this episode of 15 | A Film Review Podcast, Luke Oddie and Dan Wade review two of the most eagerly anticipated films of 2023. To start, the pair get stuck into Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. Set in 1920s Oklahoma, it focuses on a series of murders of Osage members after oil was discovered on tribal land. The epic Western starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone has received rave reviews from the cognoscente, but will the boys agree? Then, Luke and Dan move onto David Fincher's The Killer. Based on the French graphic novel series, it follows the titular assassin as he embarks on an international vendetta after a hit goes wrong. As well as Michael Fassbender, the picture features Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O'Malley, and Tilda Swinton. As Luke fanboys over Fincher's latest offering, Dan isn't as keen. Click here to watch the podcast instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

*Tumbleweed for seven months* "Is anyone still there?" Well, if you are, here's a new episode of the award-winning (technically, we haven't won any awards... yet) 15. True to their grasp of timing, Luke Oddie and Dan Wade are finally reviewing the biggest two films of the summer! They kick it off with Luke's front runner for the 'Film of the Year', Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan's epic centres around an inspired Cillian Murphy performance as the inventor of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Based on the 2005 biography, American Prometheus , the film chronicles Oppenheimer's studies, his direction of the Manhattan Project during World War II, and his eventual fall from grace due to his 1954 security hearing. The film also stars Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr. and Florence Pugh. Then, Luke and Dan bicker about the delightfully existential Barbie. Featuring a career-defining performance from Ryan Gosling, Greta Gerwig's fantasy comedy, which she wrote with her husband, Noah Baumbach, follows Margot Robbie as Barbie on a journey of self-discovery. It features an ensemble supporting cast, including America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Helen Mirren, Michael Cera and Will Ferrell. So, after a well-needed (and earned) sabbatical, the boys are back doing what we do best... talking over each other whilst reviewing mediocre films! Click here to watch the podcast instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

Well, they finally got around to it. Ever since starting the podcast, Luke and Dan have promised to do a Pixar episode... hopefully this doesn't disappoint. Join Luke and Dan as they debate the merits of original Pixar films (so no sequels allowed, I'm afraid), from Toy Story to Ratatouille. Hear their thoughts on the cinematography of Coco, the perfect double act in Monsters Inc., Up's opening montage, Inside Out's approach to mental health, WALL-E's audacity, and Soul's potential if the main character had just gone and died! Who'll secure the top spot? Click here to watch the podcast instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

It's that time of year again... time to be let down by the Academy Awards! Dan (shambolically) reads out this year's nominees and the pair react live to all the surprises and snubs. Click here to watch the podcast instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

It's the second part of Luke and Dan's recap of 2022's best films. But who will receive the illustrious honour of being top of Luke's rankings... plus, Dan picks his favourite (as I'm contractually obliged to mention). Films discussed include Nope, Aftersun, Belfast, The Worst Person in the World and Licorice Pizza. Click here to watch instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

Luke and Dan encapsulate an outstanding year of film by eulogising some of their favourites: Everything Everywhere All At Once, Banshees of Inisherin, and Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers... yes, that's right, that made the list! Click here to watch instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

Luke and Dan review: with this retina-burning, high-octane, all-out action "drama", it's comforting to see the Russo brothers targeting subtly following the Avengers; a poorly-titled film with a distinct lack of flammable sommeliers; and yet another Danish animated documentary surrounding an Afghan homosexual absconding to Scandinavia. Click here to watch instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

Luke and Dan review: the trollop Poseidon brings home from a night out; an audacious attempt by the 60 Minute Makeover crew to renovate Prince Andrew's Royal Lodge; and how Javier Bardem daringly leaps out of his Spanish comfort zone to play a Cuban. Click here to watch instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .

Luke and Dan review: a tone-shifting sequel to E.T.; a partisan chant appealing against Mr Fawkes' incarceration; and a quasi-live action film that features more 2D than a swinging party. Click here to watch instead. Support the show Obsessed with films too? See how your opinions match up against the boys'. Here's Luke's Letterboxd account and here's Dan's Letterboxd account .