Episodes

  • The Business of Film: Flight Risk, Bank of Dave 2 - The Loan Ranger & the Oscar nominations

    The Business of Film: Flight Risk, Bank of Dave 2 - The Loan Ranger & the Oscar nominations
    Jan 30 2025
    James Cameron-Wilson says that box office is down 21%, although A Complete Unknown remains #1. The Mel Gibson thriller Flight Risk is #4 with Michelle Dockery and Mark Wahlberg excellent in a well-produced, tight piece of hokum which actually drew a round of applause in the cinema. On Netflix, James found Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger with Rory Kinnear, about the iniquity of payday lenders, superior to the first film. It's more believable and he was perfectly engaged. He also discusses the Oscar nominations, including the snubs, the disappointments and the surprises. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • The Business of Film: A Complete Unknown, Wolf Man & Back in Action

    The Business of Film: A Complete Unknown, Wolf Man & Back in Action
    Jan 23 2025
    James Cameron-Wilson reports on box office -13% but still up on 2024, with Wicked becoming last year's most successful film with £59.6m. The musical biopic of Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown, with Timothy Chalomet and Edward Norton is the new #1. The tedious and unbelievable Wolf Man limps in at #7. James found Netflix's spy thriller Back in Action, the return from retirement of Cameron Diaz, all very silly and over the top, despite some good stunts. The Oscar nominations were coming out during recording so James gives his first thoughts on who's in and who's out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • The Business of Film: Babygirl, A Real Pain & White Bird

    The Business of Film: Babygirl, A Real Pain & White Bird
    Jan 16 2025
    James Cameron-Wilson says that yet again 6 films took £1m at the box office, with Mufasa replacing Nosferatu as #1. Racy drama Babygirl is #5, with Nicole Kidman amazing as a businesswoman whose perfect life is threatened by an affair. James found it almost too much, so real and voyeuristic did it feel. Jesse Eisenberg's A Real Pain at #6 has him and Kieran Culkin mismatched cousins tracing their European heritage. It's original, deftly realised, witty and well acted. Although perhaps aimed at younger viewers, Amazon's White Bird has Helen Mirren explaining her experiences under the Nazis to her grandson. Made by the great Marc Forster, it is poignant and touching and had James on the edge of tears at times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • The Business of Film: Nosferatu, We Live In Time, The Six Triple Eight

    The Business of Film: Nosferatu, We Live In Time, The Six Triple Eight
    Jan 9 2025
    James Cameron-Wilson celebrates a healthy box office, up 42% YoY. New #1 Nosferatu is Robert Eggers' take on the 1922 Murnau classic with Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult. The design and photography is brilliant but the ripe dialogue caused giggles in the audience. At #3 is We Live In Time from the director of the brilliant Brooklyn. A non-linear telling of a relationship, James found it an amazing and rewarding emotional investment. On Netflix, he admired the Six Triple Eight, a surprisingly true WW2 tale of African American servicewomen in Europe. Although it's not subtle, it is very emotive and well-acted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • The Business of Film: Mufasa: The Lion King, Better Man & Carry-On

    The Business of Film: Mufasa: The Lion King, Better Man & Carry-On
    Jan 3 2025
    James Cameron-Wilson celebrates box office soaring 113%, though he can't be dragged to #1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He finds the animation in the photo-realistic #2 Mufasa: The Lion King astonishing. A prequel and sequel modelled on Butch Cassidy it is wonderful, being both moving and very powerful. Better Man is a musical memoir of Robbie Williams with him narrating, though on screen he is represented as a chimpanzee. It's very original and inventive and is surprisingly engaging and moving. On Netflix James recommended Carry-On, a thriller with Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman which sucks you into the terrifying action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    28 mins
  • The Business of Fim: Kraven the Hunter, Lord of the Rings - The War of the Rohirrim & That Christmas

    The Business of Fim: Kraven the Hunter, Lord of the Rings - The War of the Rohirrim & That Christmas
    Dec 19 2024
    With box office takings down once more, James Cameron-Wilson says that #5 Kraven the Hunter is the worst ever Marvel opening. It's a mixed bag but is often entertainingly ludicrous with Russell Crowe having fun as a Russian villain. He found the anime Lords of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim often utterly baffling but it got better as it went on, even if he never wants to see anything Lords of the Ring-related ever again. On Netflix, however, he warmed to the animated That Christmas, co-written by Richard Curtis. It's a sweet and sentimental tale aimed at the whole family that does what it says on the tin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • The Business of Film: Black Tuesday, Beatles '64 & Pipes in the Peaks - 12 Dec 24

    The Business of Film: Black Tuesday, Beatles '64 & Pipes in the Peaks - 12 Dec 24
    Dec 16 2024
    James Cameron-Wilson celebrates UK box office being up 38% YoY with 5 films taking £1m. With no new films to review, he turns to the 1954 Edward G. Robinson gangster film noir Black Tuesday. Banned in the UK for its violence, it has been restored on Blu-Ray. Packed with superb extras, it is a forgotten masterpiece. He found Beatles '64, a documentary about the Fab Four on Disney+, slick and engaging. And Simon recommended a glorious garage in Derbyshire where they have restored a Compton cinema organ called Pipes in the Peaks, having attended four concerts there this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • The Business of Film: Moana 2, Conclave, The Piano Lesson and A Time To Kill

    The Business of Film: Moana 2, Conclave, The Piano Lesson and A Time To Kill
    Dec 9 2024
    James Cameron-Wilson reports that UK box office is up for an amazing 7th week in the row with Disney's Moana 2's £12m opening at #1 being four times that of the original. While the animation is sublime and the music great, it lacks a cohesive storyline. At #5 is Conclave with Ralph Fiennes excellent in a surprisingly thrilling and insightful adaptation of Robert Harris’s novel about the election of a new Pope. James was gripped throughout, finding it a cinematic masterpiece. Although Netflix's second screen version of The Piano Lesson, with Samuel L. Jackson, is a well-made and acted tale, it can't shake off its theatrical roots. He also revisited the John Grisham adaptation A Time To Kill online, finding it has well stood the test of time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    26 mins