Film Fives
27 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago -Hosts Russell Guiver & Phil Newman talk all things film as, in each episode, they tackle a new specific subject covering directors, genres, actors, themes, cinema by nation, music & soundtracks, classic scenes and plenty more besides, featuring anything from Hitchcock masterpieces to Korean cinema, counting down their personal top 5s.
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Episodes
Take 26: Films of 2023
February 08, 2024 13:42 - 2 hours - 154 MBYes it’s time for Russ and Phil to run the rule over all that cinema (and streaming) had to offer us in 2023 and to reveal their favourite fives from a long and strong list of delights! Film Fives will be back with….. ……South American Cinema @filmfives @filmfives1
Take 25: Christmas Films
December 23, 2023 13:02 - 2 hours - 116 MBHo ho ho! Yippee kayay Merry Festives! It’s finally time to get our turkey-tearing teeth into the most distinctive of all sub genres, the Christmas film. What exactly IS a Christmas flick and which deserves to sit atop our respective Christmas trees. So turn on the fairy lights, heat up the mulled wine (but do NOT try that horrendous eggnog nonsense!) and listen in to our hymns to festive cinema treats. Film Fives will be back with… ….Films of 2023 @filmfives @filmfives1
Take 24: 1970s Film Scores
November 23, 2023 13:43 - 1 hour - 93.3 MBJohn Williams, Nino Rota, Jerry Goldsmith. Some of the greats of film music amongst those under the spotlight and under discussion in Russ and Phil’s latest Film Fives countdown. Galaxies far, far away, gangster dynasties, disco dancing devils, eavesdroppers, duke box boy racers, cut-nosed private eyes, bridges too far and ticking-time-bomb Vietnam vets!?! Film Fives will be back with…… …..Christmas films @filmfives1 @FilmFives
Take 23: James Cagney
September 08, 2023 15:21 - 1 hour - 99.4 MB“Whadya hear, whadya say!?! Don’t be a sucker, big an’ good lookin’!” Have a listen to this our latest FF episode, focusing on the acting colossus that was the late, great James Cagney…he of the great gangster flicks, but also entertaining screwball comedies and musical stories. Find out which films and in which order Russ and Phil have selected as their fives for the man the great Orson Welles described at one time as “the best actor alive”. Film Fives will return with…. …Sco...
Take 22: Stanley Kubrick Part 2
June 26, 2023 16:39 - 1 hour - 93.8 MBSo here we are! The countdown to Russ and Phil’s top Kubrick flicks continues. Which of the great man’s masterpieces will top their lists? Whether you use the password ‘fidelio’, axe your way through the door or simply call up Mandrake in The War Room to find a solution, enter within! Film Fives will be back with…. …..James Cagney @FilmFives1 @FilmFivesPod
Take 21: Stanley Kubrick Part 1
June 09, 2023 19:09 - 1 hour - 90 MBRuss and Phil are back to tackle one of cinema’s true titans: Stanley Kubrick. A technical and creative master, a perfectionist and a true auteur, Kubrick produced an incredible body of technically proficient and brilliantly realised work across a number of genres and rightly takes his place amongst the true greats of the visual arts! So how did your intrepid film pod pair eventually settle on their fives? Film Fives will be back with…. …..James Cagney @FilmFives1 @FilmFivesPod ...
Take 20: Films of 2022 (UK Released)
March 14, 2023 11:23 - 2 hours - 138 MBRuss and Phil have watched scores of films released in the UK in 2022 (according to IMDB) and here’s what they reckon to it all! They count down their top fives and give honourable mention to those that just missed the mark. Film Fives will be back with….Stanley Kubrick 👍 🎥 🎙️
Take 19: Laurel & Hardy - The Features
March 01, 2023 08:54 - 1 hour - 70.7 MBPhil and Russ are rejoined by guest Robin Woolley to turn their collective slapstick gaze towards the longer of Stan and Ollie’s classic pictures - the feature film. More japes, collapsing props and long stares abound, this time complemented by cases of mistaken identity, escape to the French Foreign Legion and scrapes with gangsters, amongst other shenanigans. Film Fives will be back with…Films Of 2022 @FilmFivesPod @filmfives1
Take 18: Laurel & Hardy - The Shorts
January 19, 2023 17:51 - 1 hour - 99.5 MB“Well that’s another nice mess you’ve got me into!”. Yes it’s time for collapsing beds, cars, roofs, hats and boats plus eye-poking, butt-kicking, nose-twisting, face-caking and water-drenching antics galore as we welcome first rate slapstick comedy duo Stan and Ollie to our attentions in the first of two episodes focusing on the enduring legends of early Hollywood comedy. In this 18th countdown of their respective top fives in a given category messrs Russ and Phil are, for the fir...
Take 17: Studio Ghibli
November 25, 2022 00:23 - 2 hours - 112 MBDoeful-eyed young protagonists, high adventure, aviation-based shenanigans, craggy-faced crones of various motivations, Bogartian pigs, airborne pirates, giant mechanical bagpipe-shaped walking castles, mysterious creatures of various descriptions and an array of princesses. Yes it’s the wonderful world of Ghibli! Thanks largely to chief animators Miyazaki and Takahata, audiences / viewers have for a generation been able to enjoy all of the above and more, set to some of the most bea...
Take 16: Film Scores of the 1960s
September 29, 2022 22:27 - 1 hour - 70.3 MBPhil and Russ are back after a bit of a break to pick up on the Film Scores of the Decade theme, this time focusing on the 1960s. Spaghetti westerns, Bond films, biblical or desert-based epics, war films, thrillers, Italian cinema or a bit of Henry Mancini! Who knows what’s made the Top 5s? One way to find out! @filmfives1 @FilmFivesPod Film Fives will be back with…. ….Studio Ghibli films
Take 15: Heist Movies
July 29, 2022 15:52 - 2 hours - 130 MBWe have a plan, we’ve assembled a crew, we are ready for the double crosses and snags, now let’s do the job! Yes it’s time for our 15th podcast outing (pouting?) and time to turn our attentions to our latest ‘mark’…the heist movie. Russ and Phil talk through their top 5s amidst furious debate on the finer details of the stipulated defining criteria. Which pics will crack the safes and get away with the cash or gold bullion?! Find out by following the blueprint within! Film Five...
Take 14: Billy Wilder
June 23, 2022 20:37 - 1 hour - 107 MBPhil and Russ are back with another director focus, counting down their favourite fives from the works of legendary classical Hollywood auteur Billy Wilder, the maker of some of the studio system era’s greatest ever productions. There’s 4 nailed on masterpieces but in which order will they fall and which other quality picture(s) will make the cut?! Lights, microphones….action! Film Fives will be back with…. ….classic heist movies Tell us your top choices for the next topic @film...
Take 13: Frances McDormand
April 27, 2022 08:05 - 1 hour - 110 MBThis time around it’s time to focus on the career of American actor Frances McDormand. “Yaaa? Yaaa!”. So as soon as you’ve passed those three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, park up your vee-hicle and settle back for a couple of hours in the company of your regular film nomads Russ and Phil as they count down their top 5s, in the usual style. “You alright, Marge?” “Nope, think I’m gonna barf!” Film Fives will be back with…. ❓
Take 12: Films of 2021 (UK Released)
March 11, 2022 20:11 - 2 hours - 134 MBIt’s time for our second soirée into the films of a calendar year with our look back to the best of UK releases in 2021. Amidst the return to widespread blockbuster releases post pandemic lockdowns, such as Dune and Bond, there were many more lesser profiled titles which made their way onto cinema screens and streaming services that thrilled, delighted, engrossed and enthralled film viewers and here we countdown our own favourite fives from that rich array. Film Fives will be back...
Take 11: Film Scores of the 1950s
February 17, 2022 19:51 - 1 hour - 36.2 MBAfter an enforced break due to a madly busy period across the turn of the year, the boys are back Zooming and quaffing as they work their way through their respective top 5s on the theme of, well, themes (and scores). Yes it’s Film Scores of the 1950s and what a densely rich feast of tunesmanship there is to peruse. It hasn’t been easy but Russ and Phil have fine-TUNED their fives after much deliberation and settled on their favourites. From the big, brash epics, to the creatively ...
Take 10: Bond, James Bond
November 23, 2021 12:36 - 3 hours - 166 MBInnuendos, quips, gadgets, beautiful ladies, iconic title sequences and songs, a great theme tune, great scores, stunts, padded double doors in MI6 interiors, vodka martinis (shaken, not stirred), classic opening scenes, closing scenes, throwing hats on coat hooks, flirting with secretaries, card tables, arch villains and henchmen and then there’s those stunning Ken Adams sets for good measure. Yes it’s time for Phil’s favourite film subject of all. Bond, James Bond! It’s a bumper...
Take 9: Screwball Comedies
November 05, 2021 10:44 - 1 hour - 95.9 MBGet ready to be knocked into a cocked hat by the chaos of a Katherine Hepburn character and overwhelmed by rocket speed repartee as we delve this time into the sub genre world of the magnificent classic screwballs of the 30s and 40s. Cary Grant, Frank Capra, Preston Sturges, William Powell, Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, Howard Hawks and leopards. It’s all here and more! Film Fives will be back with… “Bond, James Bond!”
Take 8: The Golden Seagulls Awards Special Part 1
September 30, 2021 15:47 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBIt’s time for an awards interlude as Phil and Russ review their picks so far and consign to immortality the best of the films discussed to date in their inaugural awards episode. Focusing mainly on ‘Best Film’, sit back for a catalogue of classics fully worthy of their new accolades! Film Fives will be back with…. ….”Top Five Screwball Comedies”
Take 7: Ang Lee
August 12, 2021 10:11 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBFamily meal times, gravity defying antics, ice storms, gay cowboys, comedies of manners and ocean-going tigers. Yes, it’s time for Phil and Russ to turn their attentions to the solidly excellent work of Taiwanese director Ang Lee as they select their favourite fives. Will Phil be able to resist putting a quality martial arts film at number one?! Find out in this our seventh edition of Film Fives. We will be back with…. “The Golden Seagulls Awards Special, Part 1”
Take 6: Top Five Sports Fiction Films
July 06, 2021 14:41 - 2 hours - 112 MBThis month Russ and Phil are getting on their tracksuits, shin guards, boxing gloves, football boots etc as they delve into the world of the sports film (fiction non comedy sports films to be precise) and there’s plenty to choose from. It seems our intrepid duo are forming bigger differences as these pods go on, with hardly any crossover choices* So get warmed up, do your stretches and fire up your racing cars for this 6th film ramble! *….and some horrific omissions on Phil’s par...
Take 5: Top Five Pixar Films
June 04, 2021 15:19 - 1 hour - 97.2 MBRuss and Phil are getting animated when discussing the subject under the spotlight this month: Pixar feature films. From the studio’s original release, Toy Story, to new work such as Soul, Pixar has delighted audiences young and old with its consistently high standards of groundbreaking animation and multi layered narratives, but which picture(s) will sit atop the boys’ lists? @FilmFives1 We will be back with…. “Top Five Sports Fiction Films”
Take 4: Top Five Tom Hanks Films
April 24, 2021 18:41 - 1 hour - 104 MB“Tom Hanks is like a box of chocolates...there’s a varied assortment of confections and you DO know what yer gonna get!” Good acting, star appeal / box office gold and that boy next door charm graduating in later years to an all-American film dad!”. Phil and Russ are back with the 4th instalment of their casual convo on the wide and wonderful world of cinema. This time the theme is best films featuring a particular actor (in live action roles) and the honour goes to the man who’s ...
Take 3: Top Five Westerns Of All Time
April 09, 2021 11:18 - 2 hours - 124 MBWelcome back, pardners! Gather round the campfire, kick off your spurred boots, tilt your cowboy hat down at a cool angle Steve McQueen style, spoon-shovel yerself some beans and pass the whiskey[sic] as Russ and Phil stand face to face with their fingers twitching at their hips, poised for the big shoot out in the town of Film 5s Creek, population: 2! Yes it’s time for our first genre episode and under the spotlight is that pioneering of genres: the western. Along with jazz, blue...
Take 3: “Top Five Westerns Of All Time”
April 09, 2021 11:18 - 2 hours - 124 MBWelcome back, pardners! Gather round the campfire, kick off your spurred boots, tilt your cowboy hat down at a cool angle Steve McQueen style, spoon-shovel yerself some beans and pass the whiskey[sic] as Russ and Phil stand face to face with their fingers twitching at their hips, poised for the big shoot out in the town of Film 5s Creek, population: 2! Yes it’s time for our first genre episode and under the spotlight is that pioneering of genres: the western. Along with jazz, blues, pick-u...
Take 2: Top 5s of 2020
March 05, 2021 18:49 - 1 hour - 104 MBWhat!! You came back for more?!l All well and good but might this not turn out to be a badly advised sequel? Well you’ve asked for it, so here goes... Welcome back to our 2nd sortie into the world of film and our respective 5 picks for best in category. This time we cast our cinephile’s eyes over the best of 2020 (as defined by their official UK release date according to IMDB). So pour yourself a drink, sit back & relax and listen to Russ and Phil’s takes on the best of the year, ...
Take 1 (Pilot Episode): Alfred Hitchcock
February 16, 2021 16:15 - 2 hours - 112 MBWelcome to the very first episode of our brand new film podcast, where we (Russ and Phil) take you on a cinematic ride through our favourite films, genres, scenes, actors, soundtracks and much more besides. In each episode we’ll pluck a topic out of the air and select our top 5s from that theme. The concept is two English blokes down the pub chatting film....with the twist that we aren’t, thanks to Covid lockdowns and geographical constraints! Maybe one day we’ll be able to do that ...