If you love movies as much as we do, then SWITCHCast is for you! Each week we share bite-sized discussions on the latest film releases, trailers, news, interviews and comps - all in a convenient, portable podcast for you to enjoy on the go.
You can stay up-to-date with SWITCHCast by subscribing on iTunes or any of the platforms below - and don't forget to rate us!
Episode 48: The House With a Clock in Its Walls, Ladies in Black, Johnny English Strikes Back, Smallfoot, Ghosthunter, I Am Paul Walker
Charlie, Jess and Daniel discuss the week's films, plus we lay shit on the single-worst thing that has ever happened in the history of cinema, ever.
News ▸ If you want to piss off any reputable film buff, you just need to say two words - motion smoothing. It’s that function on your TV which smooths out the image to apparently make it look closer to real life, but just ends up making it look like a shitty video game. Well, purveyors of all things traditional, Christopher Nolan and Paul Thomas Anderson, are making it their mission to get audiences to grab their remotes and send this bullshit function to the pits of hell where it belongs. (25:06)
Episode 47: The Predator, Searching, A Simple Favour, Beast, Christopher Robin, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, Won't You Be My Neighbour?
Charlie, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, plus tragedy for the sake of entertainment - should we be "enjoying" cinema which exploits historical atrocities?
Reviews ▸ The Predator (0:32) ▸ Searching (8:01) ▸ A Simple Favour (13:50) ▸ Beast (20:08) ▸ Christopher Robin (22:41) ▸ Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (23:47) ▸ Won't You Be My Neighbour? (24:59)
News ▸ There’s no end to films that are “based on a true story” - where real-life situations are turned into films for public enjoyment. While stories like ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘12 Years a Slave’ were critically acclaimed, it poses the question - should we be entertaining ourselves with historical atrocities, and how soon is too soon? (30:01)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'The House with a Clock in its Walls', 'Ladies in Black', 'Smallfoot' and 'I Am Paul Walker'
Episode 46: The Nun, McQueen, You Were Never Really Here, The Miseducation of Cameron Price, Hearts Beat Loud, Juliet Naked, The Merger, Wayne
Charlie, Jess and Jake discuss the week's films, plus the battle of the streaming services - can Netflix stand up to the newcomers, and is there enough room in the market for more players?
News ▸ There’s a hoard of new streaming services looming on the horizon, ready to compete with Netflix. The biggest contender seems to be Disney, who are preparing to launch their own platform at the end of 2019, with a huge catalog of content. Is there room for more on demand services on the market? And will this start to limit the content available on existing platforms? (33:51)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Searching', 'Beast' and 'The Predator'
Episode 45: Crazy Rich Asians, Three Identical Strangers, The Insult, Kin, Luis and the Aliens, The Flip Side, Mile 22
Charlie, Jess and Brent discuss the week's films, and the Aussie director twins behind 'Kin', Jonathan and Josh Baker, join SWITCHCast to chat about working with James Franco, Zoë Kravitz, Dennis Quaid and Jack Reynor.
Interview ▸ It takes a lot of work to put together a debut feature film - even more so when you convince big-name stars like James Franco, Zoë Kravitz and Dennis Quaid to come on board. Two Aussie directors - who are twins, no less - managed just that for ‘Kin’. Charlie spoke to them about how they turned their dream into a reality. (30:41)
'Kin' is in cinemas from today - to find out more, head to www.kinmovie.com.au.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Hearts Beat Loud', 'The Nun', 'McQueen' and 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post'
Episode 44: Book Club, Leave No Trace, The Happytime Murders, Mirai, West of Sunshine, Slender Man
Charlie, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, and the SWITCH team reveal their top picks from the Melbourne International Film Festival and share their favourite films to look forward to in cinemas.
News ▸ Celebrating its 67th year, the Melbourne International Film Festival featured its largest program ever - 374 Films from over 80 countries, 254 features, 120 shorts, 19 VR movies, 27 world premieres, 168 Australian premieres, and 90 female directors featured. That adds up to a mammoth amount of diverse films, with something for everybody. It was also the eighth and final festival for artistic director Michelle Carey - and there was one cool as fuck marathon for Nicolas Cage. So what did we watch? And what did we wish we had watched? (23:15)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'The Insult', 'Kin', 'Crazy Rich Asians' and 'Luis and the Aliens' ▸ Charlie chats to the Aussie director twins behind 'Kin' about working with James Franco, Zoë Kravitz, Dennis Quaid and Jack Reynor
Episode 43: Breath, The Gateway, National Theatre Live: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, and share their predictions of the year's biggest upcoming films that were glimpsed at this year's CinemaCon.
News ▸ Just wrapping up over in the states is CinemaCon, which is essentially the world’s largest cinema trade show, where film studios and cinema owners come together to showcase their upcoming films. With studios hawking all their wares, we get our very first looks at some of the most anticipated films coming down the pipeline. Stars! Stunts! Cher singing ABBA! Films we all thought sounded terrible that might actually be good! So what were all our highlights? (32:13)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Deadpool 2', 'Tully' and 'On Body and Soul'
Episode 42: Avengers: Infinity War, Unsane, Gurrumul, Last Flag Flying, Loveless, Double Lover
Charlie, Daniel, Jake and Chris discuss the week's films, and look at what's next for superhero films with 'Avengers: Infinity War' bringing this chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a close.
News ▸ With the release of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ this week, the superhero genre has reached a long-awaited turning point. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been moving towards since the beginning, and it’s easily the biggest film of both the series and the genre. So... where to next? What is there left for the superhero genre to do, and what exciting directions could it go next? (39:55)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Breath' and National Theatre Live's 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'
Episode 41: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I Am Not A Witch, Super Troopers 2, The Song Keepers, I Feel Pretty
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, Daniel speaks to the director of 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' Mike Newell about the making of the film, and we join the battle between Netflix and Hollywood's heavyweights as the streaming service's feud with Cannes Film Festival divides opinions.
News ▸ The new-school world of movie streaming and the old-school world of movies in theatres are now at war - and at the centre of that war is a feud between Netflix and the Cannes Film Festival. It all kicked off at the end of March, when Cannes announced that Netflix movies would be banned from competing at the festival because of the streamer's refusal to embrace old-fashioned theatrical rollouts. Last week, Netflix announced that it was pulling out of Cannes completely - not just the competitions - to protest the decision. No films with Netflix distribution will play in any section at Cannes this year. This conflict is really about two very different cinema cultures - the French perspective, which sees cinema as a communal experience devoted to an art that is meant to be projected onto a big screen - and the American one, which values choice and individual taste and looks at a movie as something that’s the same no matter the size of the screen and the viewing conditions under which you see it. Now, with an increasing amount of directors, actors and film critics weighing into the Netflix vs Cannes debate... who is right and who is wrong? (40:21)
Interview ▸ With the release of ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ this week, Daniel had the chance to chat with acclaimed director Mike Newell about his experiences making the film, dealing with a relatively unknown moment in the history of the Second World War, and to ask him - is a potato peel pie really as bad as it sounds? (47:48)
‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ is in cinemas now - for more information and to buy tickets, head to www.guernseymovie.com.au.
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Avengers: Infinity War', 'Gurrumul', 'Double Lover', 'Loveless', 'Unsane' and 'Last Flag Flying'
Episode 40: Isle of Dogs, Rampage, Truth or Dare, The Party, National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Chris discuss the week's films, follow in Molly Ringwald's footsteps and ask if we can still cherish the films we grew up with when watched with today’s socially sensitive eye, and celebrate Meryl Streep joining the 'Big Little Lies' cast by looking at other Hollywood stars who have made a leap to the small screen.
Reviews ▸ Isle of Dogs (0:42) ▸ Rampage (10:12) ▸ Truth or Dare (14:27) ▸ The Party (17:57) ▸ National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar (24:35)
News ▸ Esteemed director John Hughes' muse, Molly Ringwald, wrote an essay for the New Yorker describing her view of her most famous films and the scenes in them that today, and in light of the #MeToo movement, will now be seen as sexist, misogynistic and homophobic. So it poses the question - should we judge past films by today’s moral standards? (38:13)
▸ Around a month ago, dogs across Australia had a near-death experience thanks to the piercing sounds of Chris' terrifyingly high-pitched screams in response to the news that Meryl Streep would be joining the cast of 'Big Little Lies' Season 2. With the just released first image of Meryl and Nicole Kidman, AKA two of the greatest living actresses in character in the one frame, we thought we’d celebrate la Streep’s return to television for the first time in over a decade by looking at the big Hollywood names taking the plunge into the golden age of television. (44:41)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society', 'I Feel Pretty' and 'Super Troopers 2'
Episode 39: A Quiet Place, Walking Out, Have You Seen The Listers?, Pop Aye, Hitler Versus Picasso
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, ask whether politically correctness is destroying the Australian film industry, and Daniel delves down the rabbit hole for the upcoming exhibition at Melbourne's ACMI that explores all things Alice, Wonderland.
Reviews ▸ A Quiet Place (0:38) ▸ Walking Out (8:35) ▸ Have You Seen The Listers? (15:31) ▸ Pop Aye (16:57) ▸ Hitler Versus Picasso (18:12)
News ▸ It’s no secret that the world has gone PC mad. Not a joke, an idea, nor an anonymous user comment in free from offence. But what about film? A recent ABC Australia article suggests that local cinema is pandering of late. With audiences sparse when it comes to Australian movies anyway, is the industry so scared to alienate even a single moviegoer that they’re forcing themselves to make nothing but rehashes of ‘The Castle’ and anything the reflects a quote “politically correct ideology”? (32:21)
Interview ▸ For the 150th anniversary of the publication of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, Daniel put his obsession with the novel to good use and threw together an article for SWITCH about the history of Alice on film. Well, you can imagine the shrill noises when Melbourne’s Australian Centre for the Moving Image announced their new exhibition ‘Wonderland’, a look at the relationship between the beloved classic and cinema. Daniel went along to check out the exhibition, and had a chance to chat with curator Jess Bram about how it came about. (37:55)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Isle of Dogs', 'Rampage' and 'The Party'
Episode 38: Ready Player One, Early Man, Love Simon, Blockers, A Wrinkle In Time, The Other Side Of Hope, The Death Of Stalin, Paul Apostle Of Christ, Sherlock Gnomes
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, look at the impact of 'Love, Simon', the first film ever released by a major Hollywood studio with a queer main character, and discuss the filmography of Steven Spielberg to celebrate the release of 'Ready Player One' and Chris' article ranking all 31 of his movies.
News ▸ If you’ve been checking in with the website over the past week, then you may have had a chance to read Chris' gigantic ranking of the entire filmography of Steven Spielberg. In the lead-up to the release of ‘Ready Player One’, he spent the past six months working on this retrospective, going through all of the director's 31 films in chronological order. Now that this behemoth is up and out there in the world, we count down our favourites and discuss what makes Spielberg arguably the greatest director of our times. (1:02:12)
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'A Quiet Place', 'Walking Out' and 'Pop Aye' ▸ Daniel delves into Alice's world with interviews from ACMI's new exhibition Wonderland
Episode 37: Pacific Rim Uprising, Peter Rabbit, Mary Magdalene, The Endless, The Divine Order, Buena Vista Social Club: Adios, Earth: One Amazing Day
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Brent discuss the week's films, look at the dangers of criticism and backlashes for films before audiences have even seen them, and ask whether Australia would benefit from an in-cinema film subscription service.
News ▸ In the lead-up to its release, social media was awash with people damning Steven Spielberg’s upcoming ‘Ready Player One’ before anyone has even seen it, only for it to receive glowing reviews after its premiere. This practice of ripping a film to pieces en masse based on even just its existence is becoming an even more prevalent trend, in some cases affecting the success of the film on release. So why on earth are we proclaiming a film the antichrist before anyone on the planet has seen the damn thing? ▸ Most of us have Netflix, and some of us might even luxuriate in the divine presence of Stan. It’s safe to say that subscription services are on the rise, and have revolutionised the home entertainment market. So what about the out-of-home market? Founded in 2011, Moviepass is a service in the U.S. that lets you see one film a day in the cinema for a mere $9.95 per month - that’s basically less than a single ticket! With a similar service to supposedly launch in the UK, is it time Australia followed suit, and would you sign up for it?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Ready Player One', 'The Death Of Stalin', 'A Wrinkle In Time', 'Love, Simon', 'Blockers', 'Early Man' and 'The Other Side Of Hope'
Episode 36: Tomb Raider, That's Not My Dog!, Human Flow, Kangaroo, England Is Mine, The Strangers: Prey At Night, NT Live: Young Marx
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, we look at controversial casting in comic book movies after the announcement of comedienne Kristen Wiig in 'Wonder Woman 2', and inspired by the team behind 'Juno' and 'Young Adult' reuniting for this year's 'Tully', discuss the best writer/director partnerships.
News ▸ This week, the internet exploded with news that funny girl Kristen Wiig has joined the ‘Wonder Woman 2’ cast as its villain, Cheetah. Keyboard warriors-slash-geeks immediately had their claws out, objecting to this casting choice with extreme prejudice - however, this is not the first time nor will it be the last that fans have been none-to-happy about those slipping into their favourite characters - only for them to surprise us all and rule the day. So who else has suffered this same wrath? ▸ After discussing Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody's ‘Tully’ in our trailer wrap, and the SWITCH team is getting excited about a reunion from the writer/director partnership behind 'Juno' and 'Young Adult'. We check out the best behind-the-scenes relationships throughout cinema history.
Episode 35: In The Fade, 12 Strong, The Mercy, Westwind: Djalu's Legacy, Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Jake discuss the week's films, go in-depth for the drama, the intrigue and the outrage of the 90th Academy Awards, and take a look at some of the most useless yet intriguing facts about Hollywood and its stars.
News ▸ It was Hollywood's night of nights, with much on the menu. SWITCH was there for the (almost) four hours bringing you the happenings live - but to save you time, Jess has put together a handy little two-minute summary of the winners plus the less obvious highlights. ▸ Did you know that the “real mafia” did not allow the producers of 'The Godfather' to use the word mafia in the movie? And that the 40th President of the United States was denied the role of a president because he didn’t look presidential enough! There are so many useless yet endlessly entertaining facts about famous personalities - so we decided to share a few amongst ourselves.
Episode 34: Red Sparrow, The Square, Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, ask whether it was worth changing 'Lady Bird' to get it a lower classification rating, and share our hopes and dreams for this year's Oscar winners!
News ▸ In Australia, we’ve got a complicated history when it comes to film classifications and restrictions, and now the conversation's back thanks to 'Lady Bird'. With a particular perfect punchline mangled and a brief, emotionally resonant image of a penis removed, we get our Margaret Pomeranz on and talk about censorship. ▸ The most exciting date in the film buff calendar is only days away - but after one of the most exciting nomination line-ups in years, this year’s Academy Awards are looking to be a little predictable. So, to build our hopes, we’re going to name some of our dream Oscar winners from this year's nominees!
For the first time ever this year, we'll be broadcasting the Oscars live this year! Join Charlie, Jess and other SWITCH guests as we emote the highs and lows of this year's ceremony as they happen. Join us on Monday 5th March from 12pm AEDT by heading to www.maketheswitch.com.au.
Episode 33: Game Night, Finding Your Feet, A Fantastic Woman, Winchester, 2:22, The BBQ
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, check out the surprises at this year's BAFTA awards, revisit Oscars history to look at the most shunned movies we love, and ask if our pure imagination is ready for a third incarnation of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'.
News ▸ Earlier this week, the BAFTA awards brought us to the final step before the Oscars, and the winners were quite predictable - in fact, in a lot of cases, they mirrored what happened with the Golden Globes. We look at the winners and ask whether the Oscars follow suit, or surprise everyone? ▸ A recent Indiewire article delved into the greatest films of the 21st century that somehow missed out on a single Oscar nomination in their respective years. Now, with the 90th Academy Awards getting closer and closer, we thought it’d be a fine time to talk about our favourite films and their most infuriating misses. ▸ In 1971, audiences were invited to “view paradise” with ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ - the first big screen adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic. It was a box office flop, but found its place in our hearts, home movie collections and pure imaginations in the decades that followed. Then in 2005, Tim Burton (and Johnny Depp in an Anna Wintour wig) gave kids a chance to score a golden ticket once again. It was the remake no one wanted or asked for - it made millions, but not the cultural impact of its predecessor. Now it’s 2018, and a third adaptation is in the works, this time helmed by ‘Paddington 2’ director Paul King. It's been 13 years since we’ve visited the Oompa Loompas - is it time to explore the chocolate factory again?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Red Sparrow', 'The Square' and 'Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool'
Episode 32: Black Panther, Lady Bird, Stronger, NT Live: Follies, Beuys: Art As A Weapon, Eric Clapton: Life In 12 Bars
Charlie, Daniel, Jake and Chris discuss the week's films, take a look at the Mardi Gras Film Festival as it kicks off in Sydney today, discuss whether Netflix's release of 'The Cloverfield Paradox' is game-changing or trickery, and get their nerd on as they reveal their favourite film-related books.
News ▸ The 25th Mardi Gras Film Festival kicks off in Sydney today - and this year’s line-up is huge! Running for 15 days, it has something for everyone. For tickets and more info, head to www.queerscreen.org.au. ▸ Netflix surprised everyone during the Super Bowl, by announcing the release of the latest ‘Cloverfield’ instalment… and then releasing it at the end of the game. Quality of the film aside, this is (i’m sorry for the pun) game changing, using the franchise to once again redefine the way a film is publicised. So what kind of effect will this unconventional release approach have? ▸ All of us here at SWITCH are just a bunch of massive nerds, really, and that takes a surprising amount of work. In one of our recent episodes, Chris cheated in our recommendations by choosing a book rather than a film, so now it's time for a bunch of nerds to choose their favourite books about films for filmmakers or filmmaking - because why just spend hundreds of hours watching films, when you can spend thousands of hours reading about them?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'A Fantastic Woman', 'Game Night', 'Finding Your Feet' and '2:22'
Episode 31: Fifty Shades Freed, Happy End, The Wound, Insidious: The Last Key, The 15:17 To Paris, Menashe
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Jake discuss the week's films, check out the winner of the Directors Guild of America Awards and find out what they could mean for the Oscars, take a look at the top film scores of the 21st century, and find out why Nicolas Cage is set to appear in more new (and old) films.
News ▸ This past weekend the gongs continued to sound out as the Directors Guild of America Awards took to the stage. How could the outcome affect the Oscars? ▸ Recently, the writers at Indiewire named their top 25 film scores of the 21st century, a list that includes some of the biggest films of the last two decades along with some unexpected surprises. Film music has changed dramatically in the last 17 years, from even richer orchestral scores to experimental work from some of the best music artists in the world. So what are some of our picks for best scores of this century? ▸ Ever wanted to see Nicolas Cage as Luke Skywalker, or Scarlet O’Hara? Wonder Woman? Even Oskar Schindler? Well, you’re in luck. A little piece of software called FakeApp uses an algorithm which makes it possible to scan a celebrity’s face and glue it over preexisting video content. Finally, a positive use for all the fancy, high-tech deep learning technology!
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Black Panther', 'Lady Bird', National Theatre Live's 'Follies' and 'Stronger'
Episode 30: Phantom Thread, Molly's Game, Den Of Thieves, Father Figures
Charlie, Jess, Brent and Chris discuss the week's films, share their favourite Oscar nominations and the most heinous snubs, and ask whether the Razzies are lighthearted fun or a dated hate ceremony?
News ▸ With last week’s announcement of the Oscars nominations and the Oscars themselves a mere 32 days away, there is a veritable pantheon of things to talk about: Netflix has nabbed itself 8 nominations, there have been surprise nominations and even bigger and more shocking snubs. There are campaigns to run and win and hearts to fill and break. So with so much to digest over the next few weeks, let’s take a first bite! ▸ With every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore with the Oscar nominations comes the Razzie nominations, with the ceremony to be held the day before the Oscars. Now in its 38th incarnation, what was once a fun tongue-in-cheek anti-Oscars now seems like a vicious attack on easy targets such as the 'Transformers' franchise, the 'Fifty Shades' films, Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson. So is there still a place in the season for the Razzies, or does the award for worst film awards go to the the Golden Raspberries?
Next week's episode ▸ Reviews of 'Fifty Shades Freed', 'Menashe', 'Happy End' and 'The Wound'
Episode 29: I Tonya, Sweet Country, Faces Places, The Jungle Bunch, Manifesto
Charlie, Jess, Daniel and Chris discuss the week's films, Daniel gives his candid (and frequently very animated) response to the Oscars nominations announcement, and Jess checks out the glitz, glamour and girl power of this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Trailers ▸ Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot ▸ Beast Of Burden ▸ That's Not My Dog!
News ▸After months of speculation, arguments and crossing of fingers and toes, the Oscar nominations have finally been announced. With so many wonderful films in contention, there were bound to be a few shocks and surprises, and what better way to experience this rollercoaster than capturing Daniel's initial, high-pitched, hyperbole-laiden reactions as they happened? ▸ The ladies rocked this year’s SAG awards with a host for the very first time - Kristen Bell, along with all-female presenters. Jess has the breakdown of all the highlights, winners and losers.