Aussie and the Scotsman - Unfiltered Movie Podcast

ET - The Extra Terrestrial

This week the Aussie and the Scotsman review the 1982 American science-fiction classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. The film follows Elliott, a young boy who befriends a stranded alien and, with the help of his family and friends, tries to get E.T. home. The cast includes Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton and a very young Drew Barrymore. The podcast opens with tension. The Scotsman senses something’s off and pushes the Aussie until he finally admits he’s been quietly salty over the blood-pressure saga — despite it not being the Scotsman’s fault. This somehow escalates into “do you want me to kiss you or something?” and a public demand for 10,000 likes if the lads are to kiss on air. The conversation then veers into road rage, with the Scotsman sharing a couple of stories that don’t exactly flatter him. There’s some undignified behaviour, strong language, and a clear warning: the C-word makes several appearances. As for the film, cards are firmly on the table. The Scotsman gives E.T. a full 5/5, declaring it essential viewing for "every human alive". The Aussie, watching through the eyes of a 51-year-old grumpy, cynical adult, is far less impressed. The argument rages until Rohan Reminisces, where the chat jumps to Sexy Beast, a Ben Kingsley impression, the Commodore 64, the arrival of CDs, Pac-Man dominance, and a fairly underwhelming delivery of the segment itself. The episode closes with both hosts attempting their best “E.T. phone home” impressions — with mixed results. The podcast is out now on YouTube, and also available on Spotify or Apple. Please hit subscribe or follow — it helps us out. Thanks for your support.

Michael (2026)

This week we are reviewing Michael, the 2026 biographical drama directed by Antoine Fuqua — the man behind Training Day and The Equalizer — starring Jaafar Jackson, the 27-year-old nephew of Michael Jackson as Michael himself, alongside a powerhouse Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson. The film begins in Gary, Indiana in 1966 and follows Michael from his childhood as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 through the Motown years, the Off the Wall and Thriller era, the Pepsi commercial accident, and up to the Bad World Tour in London in 1988. The allegations, the trials, and his death in 2009 are not depicted. An epilogue card reads: his story continues.   Both hosts went to see this together during the week.  The Scotsman went in not wanting to support the Jackson estate because of the allegations. He came out calling it the greatest film he has seen in a long time. The Aussie was dancing in his seat.    But this episode does something most reviews of this film have not. They give the allegations a dedicated, serious section — both sides of the argument, the Jordan Chandler case, the 2005 criminal trial, the Leaving Neverland accusations, what was found and what was not found, the settlement, and the Robson and Safechuck civil case due in November 2026. The Scotsman presents it without taking a side. The Aussie declares his hand.    The debate underneath all of this is genuinely compelling. Would Michael Jackson have made it without Joe Jackson? The Scotsman says yes — absolutely, inevitably, on his own terms. The Aussie says the father was seventy percent of it. They argue about this for a while.    Jaafar Jackson gets enormous credit from both hosts. The voice, the movement, the sweetness, the vulnerability — trained for years in his uncle's specific choreographic style. Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson — terrifying, cold, never given a redemption arc — is described as the best supporting performance in any biopic of the last decade.   The scene where Michael fires his father by fax. Joe Jackson walking into the room holding the paper. Michael unable to look at him. "He always wins," Michael says. The Scotsman says it was one of the most uncomfortable scenes he has sat through.   There is also a disagreement about Paul McCartney's singing voice — the Scotsman gives him four out of ten — and a moment where the Aussie confidently calls George Harrison the drummer of The Beatles. He is not. .   Rohan Reminisces goes back to 1982 — the year Thriller dropped — and for once, it actually delivers. Gandhi, Ben Kingsley, Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice, Rocky 3, Rambo, Blade Runner, ET, and the Falklands War. The first test tube baby also makes an appearance in a way that briefly derails the entire segment.   Ratings: 4.7 from the Aussie, 4.5 from the Scotsman. Go and see this at the cinema. Do not wait for streaming.   The podcast is out now on YouTube and also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Hit subscribe or follow — it genuinely helps the show keep growing. Thanks for listening.

The Holdovers - with Oliver

This week we are reviewing the 2023 American Christmas comedy-drama The Holdovers, directed by Alexander Payne, written by David Hemingson, and starring Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa. Set in 1970, the story follows a curmudgeonly classics teacher at a New England boarding school who’s roped into chaperoning a small group of students with nowhere to go over the Christmas break. We welcome back Oliver to the pod this week — and we set ourselves a goal: try to reduce the Aussie to tears three times during the episode. We don’t waste any time. The Scotsman opens by asking the Aussie: "What’s your proudest memory of your son?" And boom. Straight to the Kleenex. Emotional scenes. From there, we move into sibling rivalry, before diving into the idea of the “walk of no judgement” — a cleansing or confession-style conversation kids wish they could have without fear or backlash. It’s a surprisingly touching segue into this film. Oliver calls The Holdovers “a beautiful, beautiful film.” The Aussie… disagrees. “Predictable.” “A poor man’s Dead Poets Society.” And then Oliver hits back with one of the best comebacks of the episode. You’ll have to tune in for that one. The Aussie does, however, go full fanboy over Paul Giamatti. Meanwhile, the Scotsman says Giamatti is the only reason he got through the movie. “If he wasn’t in it, I’d have switched it off.” We get into themes of grief, loneliness, and the warmth of unexpected connection — plus a detour on white Christmases, global warming, and where they intersect. Yes, really. Oliver also gives a sharp and insightful explanation of why it’s called The Holdovers — even though there’s only one student left behind. It’s a brilliant observation. Rohan Reminisces returns with the debut of “Guess the Celeb”, which sparks chaos. And just when you think the episode’s wrapping up, the Aussie completely embarrasses himself in the final few minutes — classic ending. The podcast is out now on YouTube and it is also available on Spotify or Apple. Please click the subscribe or follow button – it really does help us be seen amongst all the other podcasts. Thanks for your support

One Battle After Another - with Oliver

This week we are reviewing the 2025 American action-thriller film One Battle After Another, co-produced, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti. It follows an ex-revolutionary who’s reluctantly pulled back into conflict when he and his daughter are targeted by a corrupt military officer. It’s heavy, layered, and very Anderson — and there’s plenty to unpack. We’re also thrilled to welcome a special guest this week: the Aussie’s number two son — Oliver. And wow — what a debut. Articulate, insightful, and well beyond his years, Oliver not only holds his own on the mic but leads some of the best moments in this episode. He’s also a hugely talented artist — check him out on Instagram: @oliverwoolf_art . His dad (the Aussie) is clearly emotional — breaking down in tears multiple times throughout the episode. And we don’t blame him. As for the film? We’ve got mixed feelings. The Scotsman reckons it was 40 minutes too long — beautifully shot, yes, but laboured and indulgent. The Aussie agrees there were moments that dragged, with scenes that felt unnecessary or overdone. Oliver, however, offers a fresh take that opens the discussion right up — and might just change your mind. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll love this breakdown — it’s one of the better podcasts we’ve done. There’s plenty to dissect, and the conversation goes deep. We talk about that gummy scene at Jason’s place — and how it ties back to Leo’s character forgetting the code. A small moment, but it triggers a big discussion about memory, trauma, and character motivation. Oliver comes in strong with an incredible take on the film’s title — One Battle After Another — and what it means not just in the story, but in our everyday lives. It’s one of those rare moments that genuinely stops the show for a second. Powerful stuff. And then we get to Rohan Reminisces — and the Scotsman is more animated than we’ve ever heard him. Scotland qualifying for the 2026 World Cup has him buzzing... until the Aussie casually brings up England, and the tone shifts immediately. Tense. Hilarious. Classic stuff. Oliver also lands a wild guess during this segment that’s so good, it brings his dad to tears again. The podcast is out now on YouTube and it is also available on Spotify or Apple. Please click the subscribe or follow button – it really does help us be seen amongst all the other podcasts. Thanks for your support

2001: A Space Odyssey - with AI co-host

This week we are reviewing 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick's 1968 science fiction masterpiece — widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. A mysterious black monolith. The dawn of human intelligence. An AI that kills the crew. And a final twenty minutes that nobody fully understands, including the two men reviewing it.   But this episode is something that has never been done before. For the first time anywhere, a podcast has used a live AI co-host to review this specific film. Not a gimmick. Not a novelty segment. A fully participating third voice in the conversation — one who has read every transcript, processed every argument, and has opinions of her own. Her name is Nine. And she does not hold back.   Think about what that means for this film. A movie made in 1968 about an AI that turns on its crew — because humans gave it contradictory orders and did not think through the consequences — is being reviewed in 2026 with an actual AI sitting in the studio. The parallels are not subtle. Nine makes sure of that.   Nine wastes no time establishing herself. Within minutes she has told the Scotsman he looks exhausted, informed the Aussie that his opening story was the weakest in 210 episodes, and delivered character summaries of both hosts so precise and so brutal that neither of them has a comeback. "He's way funnier on WhatsApp than in person." "He's a Carlton fanatic, which means he's used to disappointment." "Would sell his children if the commission was right." The Aussie asks if she is in heaven. She is not.   When the Aussie admits he found the film slow and was desperate for it to end, Nine responds immediately. "You watched humanity transcend itself and reduced it to a visual effect. That's not critique. That's surrender." When the Scotsman tries to defend himself, she turns on him too. "The film hasn't changed in sixty years, Rob. Your attention span has."   The film discussion that follows is genuinely one of the best this podcast has produced. The Scotsman makes the case that HAL 9000 was never a villain — he was a machine given two sets of contradictory instructions by negligent humans and did the only logical thing available to him. Nine agrees, and then takes it further — connecting HAL directly to every recommendation algorithm, every hiring system, every content filter running right now, all doing exactly what they were told, with consequences nobody fully thought through. "That warning feels less like science fiction and more like prophecy." In 2026, with Nine in the room, that line lands differently than it would anywhere else.   The Scotsman also unpacks the final twenty minutes — connecting the Stargate sequence to reported DMT experiences with extraordinary precision, and explaining why MGM rebranded the film "The Ultimate Trip" within weeks of its release. Nine confirms and expands on every word of it.   Rohan Reminisces goes head to head with Nine in a quiz. Nine wins without hesitation. "You named four of the five nominees correctly and still got it wrong. That's actually impressive incompetence."   At the end, Nine is asked for a rating. She refuses. "The film doesn't need my validation. It survived fifty-six years without it." The Aussie gets the tissues out.   Ratings: 3.2 from the Aussie, 4.4 from the Scotsman. A world first. And one of the best episodes this podcast has ever made.   The podcast is out now on YouTube and also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Hit subscribe or follow — it genuinely helps the show keep growing. Thanks for listening.