The Old Man | The Greatest Beer Run Ever | Fantasy Football League | My Best Friend's Exorcism

Well, hello and welcome to Binge Watch the podcast where we take a look at the hottest new TV and film releases on streaming television platforms. I'm Hannah Fernandez, the editor of Woman Magazine.

th of September,: 2022

The old man.

And we'll also be looking at now TV's Revival of soccer show, Fantasy Football League, posted by Ellis James and Matt Lucas and Amazon Prime Videos 19 acs set Supernatural Horror. My best friend's exorcism described as Beaches meets the Exorcist, if that's even possible. Uh, but first I, What is in the news in the

third series of the morning show the Apple TV plus comedy drama set in the world of American Breakfast tv.

Stephen Fry. Play a media mobile and John Ham will portray a hardnosed businessman. What else is in the news? Hannah?

Well, Disney's Marvel film Thunderbolts about a group who carry out missions for the US government will see Julia Louis DA Drefus, and Florence P Reprise their roles as Contester Valentina, Allegra de Fontine, and.

Well, I think we've got a pretty good selection. Uh, this week, Hannah. We're gonna kick off on Disney Plus with a new series called The Old Man, which arrives on Wednesday the 28th of September. And here's a clip. Hello? Hey kid, it's me. They found me. Doug, are you okay? Yeah, I'm fine. The dogs are fine. I thought I covered the tracks.

You and I were not gonna be able to talk again. Remember that I love you, that I always love you. There are seven episodes of this one Two drop initially and then you can watch it weekly and it stars one of my favorite actors, The wonderful Jeff Bridges, who is best known, I guess, for the Big LA Baki, that brilliant Cohen Brothers movie and crazy heart.

The country and Western drama. And in this, he is playing a rogue CIA agent. It's an action thriller, which considering the fact that he's 72 years old is, uh, pretty remarkable. I would say even more remarkable is the fact that during filming he was diagnosed with lymphoma and that he subsequently. Covid really badly and was hospitalized.

So the fact that he's overcome these to, to finish filming this is, is, is quite a. In itself. I think this is really well done. It starts really quietly, uh, the opening sequences. There's no dialogue. It's just him. He's kind of living in seclusion with his two dogs. He's sort of shuffling about, uh, the house and it's, takes it nice and slow and creates an atmosphere.

It's good to see bridges playing quite a sort of Comly character. Uh, we see him going to. Visit the doctor, he's being ill. So it is, it kind of does tug up the heartstrings because there's a lot of parallels between Bridges himself and the character he's playing who has had health difficulties. There are some quite moving scenes where he's sort of dreaming about his, his wife, who clearly had some kind of.

Degenerative dementia type condition, and then she's appearing in his dreams and it's quite distressing. And then the audio is of telephone conversations with his daughter who is trying to find out how he is and what's going on. Someone breaks into his house. We don't really know anything about him to start with, but someone tries to break into his house and it turns out it's an assassin and it's to deal with his past as a CIA agent.

Kind of reminds me a little bit of that, that series that we reviewed, pieces of a woman, In which Tony Colette's passed as an agent all came out as a result of a, a shocking incident. It also stars the brilliant John Liko, uh, a huge fan of his. So he is going to be playing FBI assistant director Harold Harper, who is basically trying to hunt down Bridges character who's called Dan Chase.

And it all relates to an incident 30 years ago. In Afghanistan that has sort of come back to haunts him. Yeah, it's an action thriller. It's kind of a spy thriller, I guess. I mean, Bridges, to be fair, he gets involved in some pretty physical action set pieces. I just really like the style of it, but above all, I'm just so happy to see Bridges back on the screen.

In fact, I think this is his TV debut actually, but, um, he's terrific in it and it's, it's well worth a look. What did you think, Hannah?

Ah, they're not much more to add, to be honest with you, in as much as. , everything you said was pretty spot on. I, I mean, it's not something that instantly jumps out of me or something to watch, but I mean, like you say, the kind of the battle, um, with his.

Makes it all the more gripping somehow because as you said, you know, it's fairly physical, it's really energetic. Some of those bites seemed, and, um, a lot of that he did himself after his illness. So I think it was a real kind of happy ending. Um, really from a, kind of, from a factual side of things. And of course, you know, the acting and the, the, the.

Thing just pulls together really well and just does a great job. And I think when he was interviewed, he was saying, you know, you kind of forget about your illness and you, because of course I think it was five months he was hospitalized for, and, you know, all that, um, working out he'd done previously to be able to do this, that, you know, the muscles had gone and, and then he has to, that sort of muscle memory to get it all back.

And I, and I suppose he said he was only really thinking. Doing that, you know, actually acting and getting on with it and wasn't sort of looking backwards. It wasn't naval gazing. So I think, yeah, quite inspiring really, and yeah,

really very good. Next up over on Apple TV plus you are going to talk to us about a new feature film called The Greatest Beer Run Ever.

I'm Chicky Donahue, and I am not supposed to be in Vietnam. Your ass out of bed. You lazy the bu. Look at you, sleep in your life away. Look at these scumbag. Good. You're embarrassing yourself and you're embarrassing your family. These protesters not know that our soldiers see that on tv. I'd like to go over to Vietnam, tracked down all the boys in the neighborhood and give 'em a bath.

I

eased to know, um, set in the: 1960

Um, and he decides to track down his friends who are fighting in Vietnam in order to deliver messages of support from their. And bring them their favorite bits. So, you know, you can see where the, where the names come from, but it's got quite a serious side to it because of course, um, this feels like a real departure for z Aron, uh, in my opinion, because of course.

I dunno if this shows my age, but high school musical was, it's so far from that, and I suppose this is him really shaking it off. Now, does he do it, I suppose is the question because this has got quite a, sort of, as I say, this is based on a, on a true story. So it's got quite a serious message and, and there's, there's a war going on.

There's as with all wars, needless killing and, and, and, and devastation of families who have lost loved ones. That's sort of running through, you know, the whole thing. Of course it is. But equally this is Zach's chance to kind of do that serious part. But I'm trying to question whether I think he does it really well or not.

I dunno how seriously I can take him and I dunno whether I should be saying that because I think the reviews generally are pretty good on this. But I feel I, I find it quite harder to be quite a long time before I could shake. The whole idea that he might sort of break out in song, and I'm not sure how convincing he was despite him looking the part.

Um, and he's got, he's got quite a few people who are supporting him, who are really, you know, Very good. And I think that helps this. So all in all, I would say it is a thumbs up. It's good. It tells a good story. It tells us about part of history that we perhaps don't remember or know much about, all the kind of intricacies of, of that war and what was going on.

But I think Zach is it for me was a bit of a head turner and I was, I, I still, even now, Not entirely convinced. Uh,

should I say that, Ian? I think that's fair enough. I mean, I do think he is, he's definitely grown out of that high school musical heart throb, uh, persona. Cuz he's also played Ted Bundy, hasn't he?

The serial killer he has. This is directed by Peter Farley, who. With his brother has made some great comedies, including The Heartbreak Kids. There's something about Mary Dumb and Dumber, some of my favorite comedies. He also directed, uh, Green Book with Vigo Mortenson a. I think he's done a good job on this.

It, it is a sort of a very different take on Vietnam, so it's almost got slightly a bit of deer hunter vibe about it cuz you've got the guys back home, but they're the guys who didn't go to the war and they're hanging out in the local bar, which is run by Bill Murray, who, who takes you a few seconds to realize, oh God, that's Bill Murray.

Goodness me. I get what you're saying about, Efron's performance, but I kind of think in a way it's because this guy, Chicky Donahue, he's almost kind of making it up as he goes along, isn't he? Because he's a real kind of slacker. He just gets drunk every night and lies in bed. He's a merchant semen and he sort of says one night in the bar, Oh, you know, why don't I go off to Vietnam and, and take the guy some beers?

And then he kind of ends up feeling. Well, I don't want to do this, but I've kind of said it now. And all these parents keep coming to him with messages and gifts for their sons in Vietnam, and it's almost like he does it without really wanting to, and then he, he goes off, he doesn't have any kind of plan.

He's just making it up on the hoof. So I think. And it is based, as you said, it's based on a true story. So I, So I think that's part of the issue is that this guy is a bit hard to pin down. Yeah. Perhaps

he just plays it really well, perhaps. You're absolutely right. I mean, he, You are right. He, And that's what frustrates his father, isn't it?

Because he is somebody who goes out drinking when he is not on, he is not working and hangs out. He's never got any money, flies by the seat of his pants. And I suppose perhaps I'm not doing him a justice because actually he's playing. That part, that part correctly. And of course, I forgot Russell crows in it.

Isn.

Briefly. Yeah. And, and it does tackle the whole, the, the argument over the Vietnam War because his sister in, his character's sister in, in the film is aor against the war, but he's very pro the war, pro the government. But when he gets out there, he realizes it's just absolute chaos. And, and one of the guys in particular is just really angry that he's.

He's come out to find him cuz he's actually put his life at risk. And, and the other soldiers are saying, What? You don't need to be here but you are, you must be insane. So I did enjoy it. Um, I know what you mean about everyone's character. He's kind of is a bit hard to get the sense of like exactly where is he coming from, But the fact that it's is a true story is, is remarkable.

And yeah, it certainly, it held my attention. I enjoyed it.

There's certain filmed in, um, in Thailand, wasn't

it? That's right. Or of course not a bad Dolly. was Stanley Kubrick filmed his Vietnam movie. Uh, Full Metal Jacket on the Is of Dogs a little bit cheaper. ah, now uh, Return of an Old Favorite. Over on now tv.

Yes, it's Fantasy Football League. The signing of the summer hashtag announce ffl is trending. Do you know what? I can't actually believe this one's happening. Incredible news.

I hear they are close to an announcement or

believable. The signing of the season comes to SkyMAX. You're expected to be a SkyMAX.

Matt doesn't even know my name. So this arrived on Thursday, the 29th of September. People may remember it from back in the day when it was presented by David Padi and Frank Skinner. That was in the nineties, and it was a really great show because it just took a lighthearted look at football. I can't believe it's taken so long to bring this show back because it was absolutely great and presenting it now.

We have Matt Lucas course of Bakeoff and Little Britain and various other things he's done. And Ellis James, the Welsh comedian. I'm a big fan of his Radio Five radio show that he does with John Robbins. I think they're gonna be a good combo. I mean, I'll overlook the fact that, uh, Lucas is an Arsenal fan.

obviously we can't preview it properly because it's gonna be film. Really close to transmission so that it can be keep up to date with, you know, the latest football news and results and so on. I hope it's good. I mean, the original was fantastic. Perhaps could, could Lucas and Ellis release a World Cup song?

The way Skinner and be deal did. Who knows. But yeah, it's perfect timing. We're running into the World Cup. I will certainly watch it. They've got big shoes to fill, that's for sure. But I reckon these two could make a good job of it. Um, is this something you would watch, Hannah? Yeah,

absolutely. I, I agree with you.

I don't know why it's taking so long to come back. I mean, are big shoes to fill? I'm hoping there won't be a World Cup. I'm not sure it work quite as well, but I like anything like this because, It sort of appeals to, to the lay person, doesn't it? It doesn't, it's not just your football file, I suppose, because it's kind of, it's all encompassing.

It scoops up more people because you have, um, celebrity guests as well, um, on the series and, and, and you know what I'm like with my celebrity? I love it. Um, so for me it's just interesting seeing, um, those people interview, talking and what have you. So yeah, I definitely, as I say, it's not sort of hardcore football fan stuff.

Is it? It, it's, it's for everyone, which is great. Agreed.

And you mentioned the celebrity guests. They include Brian Cox from succession, so Trevor McDonald and brilliant Jennifer Saunders, who apparently is a man united. So they go, and also they're bringing back one of my favorite things from the original show, Phoenix from the Flames, when the two presenters recreate a classic moment from a football match, um, of years gone by.

So that'll be fun as well. Well, of course, some,

um, young people like Roman campers, guests as well. Because I suppose if your director producing this, you want to, you want to bring in a new, a new audience as well, don't you? Not just a younger audience. I.

You've been lumbered with, uh, both of the films, uh, this week, Hannah.

So you really put the hours in . You were gonna tell us about another one on Amazon Prime video. It's called My Best Friend's Exorcism. Ooh, your friend, you get sick physically. She got gro Tecan. Gnarly. Well then you got better, right? She looks copacetic, but up here can cookoo for cocoa Pops. I guess that's one way to put it.

Dollars of donuts. It's demonic possession. She needs an exorcism.

Yeah, it is. And it's a horror . So it start, I dunno. Okay, where do I start? This is, it is about two, two best friends and um, it's all seemed quite jolly at first. It sort lulls you into a full sense of security, um, cuz before long one of the friends is, um, essentially possessed.

By a demonn and that's where the name comes from. You know, my, my best friend's exorcism, cause of course she needs an exorcism and. Really, really scary. So of, you know, it's like you can't really reinvent the wheel when it comes to horrors a lot of the time because you are wanting people to jump, you're wanting people to be frightened.

And it certainly does that. And, and, and you know, I find myself screaming at the scream despite watching number of these saying, Don't go in there. Why would you go in there? It's terrifying, it's dark. Why would you do that? Um, but of course they always do because that's exactly what a horror film's all about.

Grady Hendrix. Um, it set in: 1988

They're, they're, they're great friends. Abby and her best friend Gretchen. And it's, they don't realize at first that she has been possessed, although you as a viewer, Can see what sort of happened. Although I'm not sure that I knew what being possessed really looks like, but I feel like I absolutely do now.

Um, she, she starts to behave in a really erratic way, um, and then they start to realize what's going on. Then seeing the actual exorcism is, it's pretty creepy. I mean, it's. I, I don't think it's gonna go down in history as one of the greats, but does it do what it says on the tin and make you jump and, you know, be a bit frightened?

Yeah, it does, and it also plays with your mind. So you think we now don't sort of shows which suggest that people can be possessed, so it kind of plays with that part of your mind. Oh God, can you imagine that actually happening? Um, so yeah, I, I, I think it's, it's worth a view. Is you anything like me, Sort of through your fingers and, um, probably not when you're on your own.

Ian ,

it's so tricky to pull off the combination of comedy and horror and I'm not sure that this quite manages it. There. There's a lot about it that I enjoyed, so I thought that. The friendship, uh, at the, at the center of it was, was between Abby and her mate Gretchen. I thought that was really good. And the high school elements, the group of girlfriends that, and the kind of, uh, the annoying boyfriend that one of them has, that's all kind of got elements of.

You know, classic kind of slashing movies where it's sort of teenager mucking about misbehaving and then they, there's, there's a, there's a price to pay. And the eighties, why is everything set in the eighties all of a sudden. But the eighties setting is great. It looks good, and they choose really good eighties tracks that are appropriate, such as somebody's watching me, or I think we're alone now.

You know, they just set the mood. That's the one. Yeah. So it's good stuff. However, Um, some of the come more comedic elements, I'm not sure they quite work. So there's this group of kind of Christian body builders, , who come to the school to give a performers and uh, one of them is called cri. They're called the Lemon Brothers.

They're brothers. And one of them was called Christian and I thought, Who? Guy playing Christian Lemon. He looks so familiar. Well, of course it's Christopher Lowell who played Bash in that wonderful wrestling series glow, and he's in a rather peculiar wig, and I just think he helps with the exorcism and he's sort of like the expert giving the exposition about, Oh, this is what's happened to your friend and this is what you need to do.

But he's such a broad. Comic character that it kind of undercuts what are some really good special effects and some really scary exorcist style shocks. Yeah, I think you're right. It's not gonna go down as a classic, but it, it's enjoyable. I think it's quite a fun popcorn movie, so, um, There's plenty to enjoy in there, but I'm just not quite sure they pulled off that comedy horror mix.

Now we've got that time, Hannah, where we find out, uh, what the heck you've been binging on this week. So yeah, please reveal

all. Well, I'm very pleased that now that the mornings are getting darker and the evenings are getting darker and it feels all very autonom or windy, that strict me is back. It's kinda like my first, um, I suppose.

It's a segue into Christmas, isn't it? It's there. It's all sparkled. It makes it feel warm and sparkly on Saturday night. It's back, which I'm very, very pleased about. And also, You know what a fan I am or would I lie to you? And I thought, I do love Lee Mac. So I went back and watched, uh, not going out, which always makes me mad.

Okay. Yeah. Well, yes, I'm strictly back. Are you gonna predict who's gonna be first out? I think we all know , although, and of course it's, it's, he played for Arsenal, so he kind of deserves it. Yes. Tony Adams. I'm predicting you will be first out. Um, I've also been watching, uh, the jewelry show all at Glitters, which I thoroughly enjoy and I've tried for the first time, married at First Sight Unveiled, which is one of those sister shows, like Big Brothers Little Brother.

It's very good. I must say Judy Love was on it this week and she was hilarious. Oh, Judy,

love is so funny, eh, But I can't, I I would never have put you to that. Love, the

love, um, , how we've just got time to look ahead to what we'll be talking about next week. So what's on the menu? Hannah?

Well, Andrew Scott Billy Piper and Bella Ramsey are a feuding family in Le Dunham's film comedy Catherine called Birdie on Amazon

Prime

Video.

And Donald Sutherland stars in Netflix is scary. New Stephen King adaptation Mr. Hagan's phone. So we look forward to those and more, but in the meantime,