Weekend At Crombie‘s

A spy thriller that drips with 1970s paranoia. Robert Redford is a CIA analyst at the centre of murder and conspiracy, who kidnaps Faye Dunaway, negotiates with Cliff Robertson and evades Max von Sydow (playing just the nicest hired assassin ever). The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we're looking across the acting career of Robert Redford: What About Bob?

The gold standard of buddy movies, Paul Newman and Robert Redford light up the screen as two outlaws running from the Wild West to a Bolivian freeze-frame. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we're looking across the acting career of Robert Redford: What About Bob?

We begin with a romantic comedy about two newlyweds with very different personalities, settling down in a New York apartment with a lot of stairs. Genuinely funny and endearing performances from Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, at the beginning of their respective careers. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we're looking across the acting career of Robert Redford: What About Bob?

It's 1979 and Gene Wilder stars as a naïve rabbi bumbling his way across the Wild West. Co-starring Harrison Ford as a friendly cowboy, whose presence on the marketing got a lot bigger following a certain sci-fi movie in a galaxy far, far away.

It's 1991 and Denzel Washington stars as the protagonist of this energetic crime thriller, with an air of infallibility and a pistol secreted in the strangest of places. As is traditional, we also enjoy John Lithgow's performance as the madcap antagonist, for whom no piece of scenery is left unchewed.

A face... a fleet... a war... a man... a podcast. Once again, Sir Christopher Nolan has produced a film of such spectacle and acclaim that it has compelled our hosts - the Scylla of insight and the Charybdis of low humour - to share their thoughts about it.

It's 1953 and Dr. Seuss writes the tale of a young lad who dreams about escaping the fortress of his tyrannical piano teacher, Dr. Terwilliker. This 'debaculous fiasco' crashed at the box office, gained a cult following, and gave our hosts something to chew over.

It's 1990 and this tale of New York mobsters has a full cast of Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright, Ed Harris, John Turturro, and John C. Reilly. As long as no other studio simultaneously releases a stone-cold classic gangster movie about good fellas, the box office should do well.

It's 1985 and Matthew Robbins has taken a break from dragons to direct this teen rebellion movie with Helen Slater, Christian Slater and Helen Slater's pixie cut. This being the 1980s, a chase scene in a shopping mall with Billy Idol on the soundtrack is mandatory.

Kirk Jones' debut film is a sentimental dark comedy of two elderly scamps, played by Ian Bannen and David Kelly, who try to squeeze a few more days of life from deceased fishermen Ned Devine, so they can claim his lottery winnings. Settle in, and enjoy the fruity soaps.

Two unlikely oddballs are thrown together under increasingly stressful circumstances. But enough about us - we review Ryan Gosling's new science fiction buddy movie!

This 1999 David Lynch film has Richard Farnsworth as Alvin Straight, telling the true story of his epic journey on the back of a lawnmower. Not what we would have expected from a David Lynch movie, and certainly gives new meaning to the phrase, 'drive safely, deer'.

It's 1988 and Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham star in a movie that gives us one of the biggest tonal shifts on screen. Join us to discuss final requests, the coolest pigeon ever, and how many times we can say 'helicopter pilot' in one sentence.

It's 1990, and Stephen Frears directs this neo-noir thriller with Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening and John Cusack. And if you must drink a glass of water during your listen, please consider using a plastic sippy-cup.

It's everyone's favourite episode, where James crunches the numbers without mercy. There's some thrills and shocks in the data that has been dredged from the films of this past season. Enjoy!

I just like to smile, smiling's my favorite.

Oh, this is more fun than choking chickens.

I'm Santa Claus, Teddy, not Yoda.

I never thought it was such a bad little tree.

How can all those canals and bridges and cobbled streets and those churches, all that beautiful fairytale stuff, how can that not be somebody's thing? 

Why is there always someone who brings eggs and tomatoes to a speech?

The real Santa was totally different. The Coca-Cola Santa is just a hoax. 

I'm old enough to know when life is coming at me with its pants down. 

Show me the 'Elf Face'.

I wished for a purple elephant, but now I want a pink elephant! 

Just when you think it can't get any worse, you run out of cigarettes. 

It'll take me at least a week to dig up all my dolls in the cemetery.

It's 1986, and the way you can tell is because it produced this college comedy about a white law student who pretends to be black in order to qualify for a scholarship. Starring C. Thomas Howell and Rae Dawn Chong, who appeared to crash their careers on this one, but at least met each other and got married.

It's 1993 and Steven Zaillian directs the tale of a young prodigy in a brave attempt to make chess cinematic. With a line-up that includes Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, Joan Allen, Joe Mantegna, Robert Stephens, William H. Macy, Dan Hedaya, Laura Linney and Tony Shalhoub, this cast goes deeper than a Sicilian Defense.

It's 1977, and Larisa Shepitko directs her final film about two partisans struggling for both life and soul in World War II Belarus. Naturally, hilarity ensues. A profoundly moving and beautiful film, it would nonetheless take a stronger spirit than either of our hosts possess to watch it more than once.

It's 1983, and this rotoscoped animation unites director Ralph Bakshi with legendary sword n' sorcery artist Frank Frazetta. The 80s were a prime time for low budget dark fantasy, and this reads like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Although, in this case, none of the protagonists ever chose to wear more clothes.

We close the series with the tale of another futuristic city in the form of Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis. The city of New Rome is torn between feuding oligarchs, and only one visionary can save us all. Coppola self-financed this film when the studios turned it down. So there's that. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films that looked to the days ahead: the Future Is Now!

Alfonso Cuarón's 2006 near-future dystopia tells of societal collapse and widespread intolerance following population crash. Breathtakingly shot and performed, just try not to think on how prescient it's become. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films that looked to the days ahead: the Future Is Now!

This 1988 behemoth of Japanese animation looked at a future metropolis in the wake of a devasting war, covering themes of youth, power, friendship, rebirth and some pretty impressive motorbike skills. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films that looked to the days ahead: the Future Is Now!

The future in 1976 was about post-apocalyptic population control, where the age of 30 was terminal and Michael York was its ruthless enforcer.  The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films that looked to the days ahead: the Future Is Now!

Another masterpiece of futurism, this time from Stanley Kubrick as his 1968 film explores human evolution, destiny, exploration, artificial intelligence and just how far a primate can throw a bone. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films that looked to the days ahead: the Future Is Now!

We start at the very beginning: Fritz Lang's 1927 expressionist masterpiece of a futuristic urban dystopia. They don't make 'em like this any more. The Legend of Crombie‘s Gold examines a series of thematically-linked films - this time, we've chosen films that looked to the days ahead: the Future Is Now!

It's 2001 and this character piece of science fiction and mystery brings together Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges, along with Bono's sunglasses. With a big shout out to our listeners in the Lyra constellation, 1000 light years away.

It's 1981 and Everett McGill, Ron Perlman and Nameer El-Kadi play three cavemen (Ron Perlman was an easy casting, to be fair) who are searching the wilderness for that most precious resource: love (and also fire). A remarkable prehistoric fantasy adventure from director Jean-Jacques Annaud, and a mere 80,000 years later, we have the technology to podcast about it.

We return to our Very Special catalogue to look at arguably the best Tim Key folk music comedy set on a Pembrokeshire island.

It's 1988, and Sidney Poitier has returned from a decade-long absence to team up with Tom Berenger in an odd-couple, buddy-cop hunt through the mountains. Also featuring Kirstie Alley, Clancy Brown and a scene that was surely in contention for Best Supporting Duvet.

It's 2005 and before taking the lead in a modest superhero franchise, Robert Downey Jr. stars with Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan in this neo-noir romp by writer-director Shane Black. Our hosts don't always agree on the film of choice, and let's just hope it doesn't end badly. Or possibly bad. Adverbs are tricky.

It's 1965 and, from behind the Iron Curtain, a Czechoslovakian New Wave film stars Jozef Kroner and Ida Kamińska as they depict the Aryanization program in the Slovak Republic during World War II. Academy winner of Best Foreign Language Film, with Ida Kamińska also nominated for Best Actress, there's some powerful stuff here. And also a goose.

It's 1957 and this Stanley Baker vehicle tells the story of gravel haulage on the mean streets of Buckinghamshire. An absolute galaxy of supporting cast, including Patrick McGoohan, Sean Connery, Herbert Lom, Peggy Cummins, William Hartnell, Sid James, Jill Ireland, Gordon Jackson and David McCallum.

Phoebe Cates stars in this Regency-era true story of the mysterious Princess Caraboo. Supporting cast includes Jim Broadbent, Wendy Hughes, Kevin Kline, John Lithgow and Stephen Rea, so the real mystery is: how did this disappear without a trace?

Tim Curry leads a murderers' row of comedic talent in this 1985 mystery comedy based on the family board game. Spoiler: it was Dr Evans. In the kitchen. With the temperamental headset.

James has the numbers, and he's not afraid to use them. We look back on the films of the past year, the whole series, and how the scales of public perception may have rebalanced our previous picks. It's the review of the reviews show!

Are we starting to connect the dots?

We don't fly about throwing lead-painted toys down chimneys anymore.

Santa's gonna eat through these guys like a plate full of cookies.