Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Movie 120 on Metacritic’s all time movie list. This week, we review Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Isao Takahata’s devastating war-time animated drama from Studio Ghibli. Tsutomu Tatsumi and Ayano Shiraishi voice Seita and Setsuko, two siblings struggling to survive in the aftermath of the firebombing of Kobe during World War II. With harrowing scenes of loss, resilience, and the collapse of innocence, this film raises haunting questions about the human cost of war and the fragility of childhood. If this is a “cartoon,” why are we crying into our popcorn before the opening credits finish? Listen now to find out!

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🎬 Being John Malkovich (1999) – Random Movie #342

This week, we review Being John Malkovich (1999), Spike Jonze’s wildly inventive....thing...that blends surrealism with sharp social satire. John Cusack stars as a struggling puppeteer who discovers a secret portal into the mind of actor John Malkovich—yes, the real one. With a stellar cast including Cameron Diaz and Catherine Keener, this genre-defying film explores identity, obsession, and what it means to literally walk in someone else’s shoes (or skull).

Picked from Metacritic’s All-Time Movie List—if you found a doorway into someone else's mind… would you peek, take control, or shut it forever? Listen now to find out!

Join Colin & Niall as we embrace the weird, the wonderful, and the downright awful of cinema!Contact us: itwasamoviepodcast@gmail.com

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IMDb List: IMDb | Letterboxd: Letterboxd

Inception (2010) – Random Movie #3521

This week, we review Inception (2010), Christopher Nolan’s genre-defying sci-fi thriller that folds reality in on itself. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, a skilled thief who infiltrates dreams to steal secrets—but this time, he’s tasked with planting an idea instead. With its stacked ensemble cast, mind-bending action sequences, and layered narrative, the film explores memory, guilt, and the blurry boundaries between reality and illusion.

Picked from Metacritic’s All-Time Movie List. If you could live forever in a dream of your own making… would you ever want to wake up? Listen now to find out!

Join Colin & Niall as we embrace the weird, the wonderful, and the downright awful of cinema!

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IMDb List: IMDb | Letterboxd: Letterboxd

🎬 Annihilation (2018) – Random Movie #2019

This week, we review Annihilation (2018), Alex Garland’s cerebral sci-fi horror that blends mind-bending visuals with deep existential dread. Natalie Portman leads a team of scientists into “The Shimmer,” a mysterious and mutating zone where nature rewrites the rules of biology—and reality itself. With themes of self-destruction, identity, and transformation, the film offers a haunting meditation on what it means to change… and whether that change is survivable.

🎲 Picked from Metacritic’s All-Time Movie List—if faced with the unknown, would you turn back… or step forward and face what’s waiting? Listen now to find out!

🎧 Join Colin & Niall as we embrace the weird, the wonderful, and the downright awful of cinema!📩 Contact us: 15krandommoviereviews@gmail.com

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🎞️ IMDb List: IMDb | Letterboxd: Letterboxd

🎬 Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) – Random Movie #14081

This week, we review Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), Tony Randel’s nightmarish sequel that dives deeper into Clive Barker’s twisted world of pain and pleasure. Picking up right after the original, the film follows Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) as she descends into the hellish dimension of the Cenobites to rescue her father and confront the sadistic Dr. Channard. With grotesque visuals, surreal landscapes, and philosophical musings on suffering, this cult horror classic explores the thin line between torment and transcendence.

🎲 Picked from Metacritic’s All-Time Movie List—if a doorway to another dimension opened… would you run, or take one curious step inside? Listen now to find out!

🎧 Join Colin & Niall as we embrace the weird, the wonderful, and the downright awful of cinema!📩 Contact us: 15krandommoviereviews@gmail.com

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🎞️ IMDb List: IMDb | Letterboxd: Letterboxd

🎬 Unforgiven (1992) – Random Movie #898

This week, we review Unforgiven (1992), Clint Eastwood’s revisionist Western that deconstructs the myths of violence and heroism on the American frontier. Eastwood stars as William Munny, a retired gunslinger dragged back into one last job, alongside Morgan Freeman’s steady Ned Logan and a brash young wannabe. With Gene Hackman as the brutal sheriff Little Bill, this brooding, Oscar-winning drama explores morality, regret, and the true cost of a violent past.

🎲 Picked from Metacritic’s All-Time Movie List—if you had the chance to leave your old life behind for good… would you really walk away? Listen now to find out!

🎧 Join Colin & Niall as we embrace the weird, the wonderful, and the downright awful of cinema!📩 Contact us: 15krandommoviereviews@gmail.com

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🎞️ IMDb List: IMDb | Letterboxd: Letterboxd

🎬 The Long Good Friday (1982) – Random Movie #1518

This week, we review The Long Good Friday (1982), John Mackenzie’s gritty British crime classic set against the backdrop of a changing London. Bob Hoskins delivers a powerhouse performance as Harold Shand, a ruthless gangster trying to go legit just as his criminal empire comes under mysterious attack. Helen Mirren co-stars as his sharp and steady partner, Victoria. With sharp dialogue, political undercurrents, and explosive tension, the film explores ambition, loyalty, and the cost of power in an unforgiving underworld.

🎲 Picked from Metacritic’s All-Time Movie List—if your empire was crumbling around you, would you go down swinging… or cut your losses and vanish? Listen now to find out!

🎧 Join Colin & Niall as we embrace the weird, the wonderful, and the downright awful of cinema!

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🎞️ IMDb List: IMDb | Letterboxd: Letterboxd

🎬 Living (2022) – Random Movie #1718

This week, we review Living (2022), Oliver Hermanus’s quietly moving adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru. Bill Nighy stars as Mr. Williams, a buttoned-up civil servant in 1950s London who, after receiving a terminal diagnosis, sets out to find meaning in a life he’s long kept at arm’s length. With tender performances and a beautifully restrained script by Kazuo Ishiguro, this reflective drama explores purpose, legacy, and the quiet power of small acts.

🎲 Picked from Metacritic’s all-time movie list: if you found out your time was short, would you chase a grand gesture…or simply make a difference where you stand? Listen now to find out!

🎧 Join Colin & Niall as we embrace the weird, the wonderful, and the downright awful of cinema!

📩 Contact us: 15krandommoviereviews@gmail.com

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🎞️ IMDb List: IMDb | Letterboxd: Letterboxd