Shows
Screen WatchingRomance is in the air with Mix Tape and MaterialistsLove - it's exciting and new. Come aboard, we have reviews for you!The Captain Stubing and Gopher of podcasts Dan Barrett & Simon Foster have two reviews that are both heavy on the romance.Mix Tape (Streaming on BINGE)Materialists (in cinemas now)2025-06-1531 min
Best Movie Year1987's Creepshow 2Released 1 May, 1987, Creepshow 2 is a sequel to the rather good anthology film from 1982. Unlike the first film, Creepshow 2 is neither good, nor a hit. This week our podcast hosts have differing opinions on liking the film. It is part of their ongoing exploration into the wild idea that 1987 was the best year for movies.2025-05-1832 min
Best Movie Year1987's The AllnighterReleased on 1 May, 1987, The Allnighter has Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles in the lead role. Written and directed by her mother, Hoffs stars alongside Dedee Pfeiffer and Joan Cusack. They're a trio of girls graduating college, uncertain of what lies ahead and mourning a lack of love in their relationships. It's an 80s party film! But... is it a good 80s party film? Dan Barrett and Simon Foster dust off the film for a chat.2025-04-2038 min
Best Movie Year1987's Extreme PrejudiceWalter Hill film Extreme Prejudice is pretty well-forgotten by movie audiences these days, but it has a great cast of character actors and some great, bloody-as-heck shootouts. Dan Barrett and Simon Foster press play on the neo-western for the Best Movie Year podcast where they go through the films of 1987.2025-04-1342 min
Best Movie Year1987's The Secret of My SuccessReleased on 10 April 1987, The Secret of My Success had Michael J Fox, riding high on the success of break-out hits like Family Ties, Back To The Future, and Teen Wolf, giving a very 1980s adult comedy a go. As Brantley Foster, he's a farm kid from a flyover state now trying to fake his way to the top of corporate New York. On this week's Best Movie Ever podcast, Dan and Simon look back at a film that both had a lot of fondness for. But... does it actually hold up well? It's a divided podcast this...2025-04-0648 minScreen WatchingThe Studio, Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up, Oh Canada, A Working Man, and morePodcasting’s own Daffy and Porky, Dan Barrett and Simon Foster, have a lot to say about the new Looney Tunes full-length feature film, THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP. They pivot into some equally lively debate about AppleTV’s Hollywood satire THE STUDIO, starring Seth Rogen. PLUS Richard Gere and Uma Thurman star in director Paul Schrader’s moving drama, OH, CANADA!; bald bad-guy basher Jason Statham is up to his increasingly old tricks in A WORKING MAN; and, we join the chorus of admiration surrounding the Netflix hit, ADOLESCENCE. Enjoy!2025-03-2950 min
Best Movie Year1987's Police Academy 4: Citizens on PatrolReleased into US cinemas April 3, 1987, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol dares ask audiences: Can David Spade skateboard? The gang are all back for the fourth film, with Steve Guttenberg, Bobcat Goldthwait, and, uh, the rest. The police have a new program that engages everyday citizens in police work. And it is met with HILARIOUS results. Dan Barrett and Simon Foster take a look at the movie, which was a childhood favourite of Dan's. It is part of their deep dive into the films of 1987. Was it, in fact, the Best Movie Year?2025-03-1440 minScreen WatchingRIP Gene Hackman! Oscar picks: Reviews: Running Point Ne Zha 2, Small Town/Big StoryWe lost one of the greats this week with Gene Hackman, prompting Simon Foster and Dan Barrett to consider some of their favourite Hackman roles. There's also some mandatory pre-Oscar predictions and then the reviews:02:04 RIP Gene Hackman14:59 Oscar chat27:08 Ne Zha 233:31 Running Point41:04 Small Town / Big Story2025-03-0257 min
Best Movie Year1987's Blind DateReleased on 27 March, 1987, Blind Date was Bruce Willis' first effort as a big screen star coming off of his star-making turn in TV hit Moonlighting. It was a box office hit, bringing along Kim Basinger as his co-star.Crowd-pleasing comedies more often than not don't age especially well. How does Blind Date fare through 2025 eyes? Uhhhh....2025-02-2842 min
Best Movie Year1987's The Fourth ProtocolReleased into UK cinemas March 20, 1987, The Fourth Protocol is a British cold war thriller starring Michael Caine. He's an MI5 agent who is battling the MI5 bureaucracy as much as he is the KGB who are working on assembling a nuclear weapon on home soil. It's Michael Caine vs a pre-Bond Pierce Brosnan, who is cast here as a KGB agent posing as a visiting American. It's great stuff with an over-supply of stiff British upper-lips. Dan Barrett and Simon Foster take a look at the movie, which neither of them had seen until now. It is...2025-02-2041 min
Best Movie Year1987's BurglarWhoopi Goldberg is, as the name of the film suggests. a burglar. But what happens when a theft goes wrong and she witnesses a murder? You guessed it: high stakes comedy 80s-style.As the Best Movie Year continues to explore the films of 1987, this week it is Burglar getting a look-in. This is a podcast that doesn't support use of the stop button, so Dan Barrett and Simon Foster watched the whole film.2025-02-1040 min
Best Movie Year1987's Evil Dead 2... groovy!Released March 13, 1987, Evil Dead 2 occupies a very special place in the heart of horror and cult movie fans. It's ridiculous, gory, and sometimes ridiculously glory. It is the sort of movie that your VHS player was made to play.
Simon Foster and Dan Barrett watched the film this week for the Best Movie Year podcast as they try to work out whether 1987 was the "best movie year"... 2025-02-0138 minScreen WatchingCompanion! Paradise! Babygirl! Watson! The Brutalist! We watched. Now we talk.It's a pretty good week for using your eyeballs this week, with a bunch of really great things to watch. And Watson.
Dan Barrett and Simon Foster talk you through what you need to know about:
[03:20] Companion - in cinemas
[13:00] Paradise - Hulu/Disney+
[23:27] Babygirl - in cinemas
[28:53] The Brutalist - in cinemas
[33:44] The Wild Robot - Peacock / Binge
[35:34] Watson - Paramount+2025-01-3141 min
Best Movie Year1987's Tin MenReleased March 6, 1987, it would be understandable if you didn't really know the movie Tin Men. Despite being widely available, it's not really a film that gets talked about a lot these days. It's a Barry Levinson film set in the 50s about ill-mannered, slimy sales guys. After a car accident brings two of them together, their lives will never be the same. Danny DeVito, Richard Dreyfus, and Barbara Hershey star.
But, after watching the film, will podcast hosts Dan Barrett and Simon Foster ever be the same again?2025-01-2737 min
Best Movie Year1987's Raising ArizonaReleased March 6, 1987, Raising Arizona was the first Coen Brothers comedy and has thrived on a cult status since it debuted. SIMON FOSTER and DAN BARRETT watch the film for their ongoing project to see if 1987 is the "best movie year." How does the film hold up today and does it lend 1987 weight as the best movie year?2025-01-1846 min
Best Movie Year1987's Angel HeartReleased March 6, 1987, ANGEL HEART is a batty film. For the first hour viewers are lulled into believing they are watching a 1950s era detective noir. But then our PI Harry Angel follows the investigation to New Orleans where we discover what has really been going on. And it is bonkers.
Angel Heart stars Micky Rourke, Lisa Bonet, and has Robert De Niro credited as making a "special appearance."
This week on the podcast, DAN BARRETT and SIMON FOSTER press play on the film as they explore whether 1987 was the best year for movies.2025-01-1052 min
Best Movie Year1987's Some Kind of WonderfulCo-host Simon Foster can usually be reliably defensive of movies that he loved as a 1980s movie fan. Dan Barrett lacks any sentimentality, so calls a spade a spade. Join us this week as Simon's faith is tested with the John Hughes-written teenage fantasy romcom starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson.2025-01-0232 minScreen WatchingWe watched: Laid, A Real PainThis week in a special Post-Christmas, Pre-NYE celebratory podcast, join Simon Foster and Dan Barrett as they offer reviews of A Real Pain and Laid, along with their top 5 movies and shows in 2024.2024-12-2833 min
Best Movie Year1987's Lethal WeaponReleased March 6, 1987, Lethal Weapon is the GOAT buddy cop film. Rewatching this, it turns out neither podcast hosts Simon Foster or Dan Barrett were too old for this sh!t. Hang out with the guys as they pore over Lethal Weapon and discuss the good and the couple of moments that left them thinking: 'huh?'2024-12-241h 00
Best Movie Year1987's A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream WarriorsReleased Feb 27, 1987, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors taught an entire generation to love and laugh... at teenagers being brutalised in life and in their dreams.
This week on Best Movie Year Dan and Simon check out the third film in the franchise. Does the film add weight to the idea that 1987 was the best movie year?2024-12-1936 min
Best Movie Year1987's Over The TopAn entire generation of movie fans, upon hearing that Sylvester Stallone was going to star in an arm wrestling competition action film, braced themselves for what could have been the greatest motion picture event of their lives. But that movie was Over The Top and within just 3 years of it's release, these same youngsters had embraced grunge, cynicism, and irony. A coincidence?
This week on the Best Movie Year podcast Dan Barrett and Simon Foster try to make heads or tails of what they pressed play on. It is all for the scientific experiment of determining whether 1987 really is...2024-12-0935 min
Best Movie Year1987's MannequinReleased 13 January, 1987, Mannequin was a party film released for the Valentine's Day audiences. This story about a man falling in love with an Egyptian spirit goddess-turned storefront mannequin was supposed to stir romance in us all - The lovers, the dreamers, and me.
This week on the podcast, Dan Barrett and Simon Foster watched the crowd favourite Mannequin. Did this film deserve to become a smash hit? Or is it just as plastic fantastic as the female love interest in this?2024-12-0848 minScreen WatchingHeretic, Get Millie Black, It's Florida Man, and Your MonsterEach week on the podcast TV critic Dan Barrett and film critic Simon Foster bicker and argue about the movies and shows they have watched. This week:
Heretic (in cinemas now)
Get Millie Black (Streaming on Max in the US, Binge in Australia)
Your Monster (in cinemas now)
It's Florida, Man (Streaming on Max in the US, Binge in Australia)
2024-11-3034 min
Best Movie Year1987's Light of DayMichael J Fox is the bad boy rocker in Paul Schrader's 1987 melodrama. But plot twist, he's nowhere near as bad as his older sister rock bad girl. So much drama. And here to go through this half-baked nonsense is the bad boys of podcasting Dan Barrett and Simon Foster.2024-11-2939 min
Best Movie Year1987's Radio DaysReleased on 30 January, Radio Days is a nostalgic look back at a pre-WWII Rockaway Beach family and the way their relationships were formed by their relationship with radio.This sort of film isn't really made anymore, so as Dan and Simon take a look at 100 films from 1987, they grapple with their own nostalgia while wondering who even listens to radio anymore.2024-11-2233 min
Best Movie Year1987's Outrageous FortuneReleased January 30, 1987, Outrageous Fortune was a smash hit at the box office. A then-rare female buddy comedy, the film had audiences howling with laughter. So, why in 2024 does it barely raise a chuckle?
And why is it so hard to find even a movie trailer online for this pretty huge 80s comedy?2024-11-2238 min
Best Movie Year1987's The StepfatherReleased on Jan 23, The Stepfather is a surprisingly really good and creepy horror starring Terry O'Quinn in an early breakout role. He got typecast after giving a performance that was creepy as heck.Dan and Simon discuss the film and how maybe the creepiest thing about the movie isn't the family-murdering titular character.2024-11-0143 min
Best Movie Year1987's The KindredReleased at the start of January 1987, The Kindred is a pretty dire creature feature that is one part creepy X-Filesian science gone wrong monster flick, one part teen cabin in the woods nonsense. But, does it make for an entertaining film? Does it add to the case that 1987 is the best movie year?2024-10-2738 min
Best Movie Year1987's Withnail & IIn our quest to determine whether 1987 is the best year for movies, Dan and Simon watched the first film released in 1987 as they launch this brand new podcast. They have another 99 films to watch before deciding whether 1987 was the GOAT.But they begin with Withnail & I. A cult classic that found a very loyal audience of university students on VHS in the decade that followed, it remains a favourite for many to this day. 2024-10-2051 minScreen WatchingReviews: Rebel Ridge, After Baywtach, and Wise Guy: David Chase & The SopranosJoin us this week for Simon Foster's review of Netflix's surprise hit Rebel Ridge.
Also, Dan Barrett takes a look at TV documentaries about TV shows with After Baywatch and Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos. He calls one of them 'honest'. Which one, you'll never guess. But the very fact this is a question suggests you will probably guess. And even if you are simple and can't, there's a 50/50 chance.
NOTE: It is bad marketing to call one's listeners 'simple.' Dan should know better than to have written that.2024-09-1459 min
Between Two Beers PodcastNZ’s #1 Sports Agent, Simon Porter on Issues with Rugby & Cricket, Auckland FC & More!On this episode of Between Two Beers we talk to Simon Porter. Simon is the CEO of New Zealand’s biggest sporting agency, Halo Sport. His company represents many of NZ’s biggest stars, from Scott Robertson, Ian Foster, Beauden Barrett and Dan Carter to Dame Valerie Adams, Suzie Bates, Gemma McCaw and Willie Apiata. Simon has been working in either sports law or the sporting industry since 1999 and became the boss at Halo Sport in 2017. His network is unrivalled having brokered contracts for his clients in every professional market within the...2024-06-301h 48Screen WatchingThe definitive list of the best movies of 2023Simon Foster and Dan Barrett talk about TV and movies on the Scren Watching podcast. It is mandatory that they release an indulgent podcast of their top 10 movies of the year. It is so indulgent that each of them offer a list of 10 each.
Understand that these are the only best movie lists you will need in 2023. 2023-12-301h 24Screen WatchingGuardians of the Galaxy vol 3 | Bupkis | Olga | Silo | Slip | Beau Is AfraidIt’s a monster week for reviews this week with one especially huge Marvel movie at the cinema and some very big titles debuting on TV. Just two notes for this episode that I (co-host Dan Barrett) think are hugely worth making mention of:
1. We review both the TV show Slip and the movie Beau is Afraid. Both involve Zoe Lister Jones and somehow Dan neglects to mention this fact during the podcast. What a fool.
2. The review for Beau Is Afraid does involve some minor-ish spoilers. So, keep that in mind. The film is a...2023-05-071h 04
Screen WatchingDeep Water | Halo | Pachinko | X | Life After Beth | AtticaListen as Dan Barrett, fresh from the sick bed, takes to the microphone alongside the fit as a fiddle Simon Foster to review the latest and greatest TV and movies.
Simon also offers some Oscars predictions. And Dan, tired and cranky, won’t entertain any of it.2022-03-2558 minScreen WatchingThe Eyes of Tammy Faye | The Afterparty | The Fallout | Trigger PointThis week on the podcast, Dan Barrett and Simon Foster celebrate their one year anniversary/birthday of the show. They mark it by shaking things up and turning Screen Watching into a video podcast. The regular audio version will remain, but if you want to watch along via a screen, you can now do that on Spotify and YouTube.
It's still early days - we will find ways to make it more visually interesting. Probably.
On the show this week the guys review:
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (HBO Max | In cinemas now)
The A...2022-01-291h 05
Diary of a Crowd Funded FilmPART_2:The Dynamic SCREEN WATCHING Duo - Simon Foster & Dan Barrett...This is part two of my interview with Simon Foster & Dan Barrett who when their creative and film and media analytical powers combine unlike He-Man who claimed, “I have the power” they, like Captain Planet “give you the power”. So tune into their fantastic Screen Watching podcast and the second part of this episode where among other things you'll hear these two gentlemen battle it out for the title of The Greatest Diary of a Crowd Funded Film Trivia/Genius... Additional Show Links:https://www.facebook.com/screenwatchingpodcast Simon Foster:2021-08-1831 min
Diary of a Crowd Funded FilmPART_1:The Dynamic SCREEN WATCHING Duo - Simon Foster & Dan BarrettLast week on the first installment of this series Diary of a Podcaster from OZ to NZ we kicked things with Matthew Eeles of Cinema Australia. For this second instalment of celebrating individuals who celebrate national and international cinema via their podcasts among other things we jet back to Sydney and chat with the handsome and dynamic duo of Simon Foster and Dan Barrett who have garnered reputations as both podcasters and national film and television critics.Additional Show Links:https://www.facebook.com/screenwatchingpodcastSimon Foster:https://www...2021-08-1838 min
Screen WatchingScreen Watch - trailerEvery darn week noted film & TV critics and handsome men Dan Barrett and Simon Foster will offer reviews, industry news, and some recommendations of great things to check out. But before they can start on that important business, it is important that they release a trailer. It's how podcasts work. Press play and then join us Friday mornings for new Screen Watch podcasts.2021-01-2502 min
Always Be WatchingThe one where we discuss Mulan | The Third Day | My Octopus Teacher | UtopiaThe podcast is a little different this week with returning guest Simon Foster stopping by to fill-in for an absent Chris Yates. We talk about the new Disney+ feature film Mulan, HBO's The Third Day, Netflix's My Octopus Teacher (which is less sexy than it has been suggested), and new Amazon Prime Video series Utopia.
We top this off with a brief chat about Simon's work on the upcoming film festivals:
Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival - https://www.facebook.com/events/1377776789090595
Monster Fest 2020 - https://www.monsterfest.com.au/events/mf2020-sydney/2020-09-2655 min
Always Be WatchingDolemite Is My Name | Jack Ryan season 2 | War of The Worlds 2019 (BBC) | Maximum Overdrive | 2019 Fangoria Monster FestThis is a huge episode this week as Dan Barrett and Chris Yates are again joined by film critic and Fangoria Monster Fest Sydney festival director Simon Foster to discuss what they've been watching recently.
This week:
03:00 Dolemite Is My Name
16:04 Jack Ryan s2
21:14 War of The Worlds (BBC)
29:13 Maximum Overdrive
37:15 Monster Fest chat
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/always-be-watching/message2019-10-3051 min
Always Be WatchingBH 90210 | The Boys | Freaks | Andy Kaufman: My Breakfast With BlassieDan Barrett and Chris Yates are joined in the studio again by Sydney film critic and Program Director of the SciFi Film Festival Simon Foster. They take a deep dive into the many fine things they have watched on TV this week. And 90210.
02:28 BH 90210
15:37 Andy Kaufman: My Breakfast With Blassie
24:51 Freaks
32:51 The Boys
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/always-be-watching/message2019-08-2841 min
Always Be WatchingWu Assassins | Once Upon a Time in HollywoodWe are joined this week by film critic Simon Foster, who is also the Program Director of the Sci-Fi Film Festival.
It's a great show this week. First we talk about the under-the-radar Netflix martial arts action show Wu Assassins. But then we move on to talk about one of the year's biggest film releases.
It's Quentin Tarantino's latest film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The film celebrates the movies and TV shows of the late 1960s. It is also a film that has divided viewers. While a lot of film critics have adored the film, many in the...2019-08-2047 min
Always Be WatchingCaptain Marvel | Counterpart | Hollow Man | FleabagWe start this week with an extended conversation about Captain Marvel, now playing in cinemas. We've invited in film critic and Program Director of Australia's SciFi Film Festival Simon Foster. Does the film deserve the hype? We take a look (and it's very light on spoilers if that's a concern for you).
WHAT WE WERE WATCHING THIS WEEK:
03:25 Captain Marvel
21:29 Counterpart
30:24 Hollow Man
37:37 Fleabag (Season 2)
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/always-be-watching/message2019-03-1445 min
Film BasterdsEpisode 115 - Activate Fuck Mode (The Guest Commentary)On this week's thrilling installment, Marc & Ian take a break from new shit and admire the magnificence of Adam Wingard & Simon Barrett's The Guest with a commentary track talking about the wonder of Dan Stevens, the resilience of Maika Monroe and the fucked up name of Leland Orser.
@dudeandamonkey
@ianloring
@dudefozz2015-06-251h 45