Watchers Productions Presents... Strange Tales: Dinner Date

It's Valentine's Day. A day to celebrate love in all its forms. A particularly apt day for Watchers Productions to release the next short film in our Strange Tales series, as it's all to do with relationships.

Watchers Productions proudly presents...

DINNER DATE

Written by Christopher Maxwell, and directed by Terrance Marshman-Edwards

Starring: Liz Keech (Jen), Nick Brimble (David), and Nicky Davies (Ceri)

David lives alone and is trying to get himself out into the dating world. He's invited Jen around for dinner to show off his cooking skills. The two laugh and bond, but Jen suspects David might be keeping something from her...

You can watch Dinner Date here!

For more information about our Strange Tales project, the other films already released and those currently in production, please see the Watchers Productions website.

Awards Season 2024: Tez's Official Academy Award Nomination Predictions

Tomorrow morning (5:30AM PT/8:30AM ET/1:30PM GMT), the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards will be announced. This year, they will be announced by Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2, Joker, Atlanta) and Jack Quaid (Scream [2022], The Hunger Games, The Boys)

Since 2003, I have tried to predict who will be nominated in several of the major categories (Best Picture, Best Director and the four acting awards). Below is my list of who I think will be named tomorrow.

BEST PICTURE

American Fiction

Anatomy Of A Fall

Barbie

The Color Purple

The Holdovers

Killers Of The Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Poor Things

BEST DIRECTOR

Greta Gerwig (Barbie)

Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things)

Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

Alexander Payne (The Holdovers)

Martin Scorsese (Killers Of The Flower Moon)

BEST ACTOR

Bradley Cooper (Maestro)

Colman Domingo (Rustin)

Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)

Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)

Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)

BEST ACTRESS

Lily Gladstone (Killers Of The Flower Moon)

Sandra Hüller (Anatomy Of A Fall)

Carey Mulligan (Maestro)

Margot Robbie (Barbie)

Emma Stone (Poor Things)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction)

Robert De Niro (Killers Of The Flower Moon)

Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

Ryan Gosling (Barbie)

Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer)

Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple)

Jodie Foster (Nyad)

Julianne Moore (May December)

Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

As we now have 10 Best Picture nominees (in addition to the 20 for acting and 5 for directing), I will be happy with any score over 20. Last year, it was 29/35 (83%).

I'm confident of eight of the ten Best Picture nods, with my question marks over The Color Purple and potentially Past Lives. May December and/or The Zone Of Interest could take either place. 

I went for the five DGA nominees for Best Director, and I'm fairly confident with them. Bradley Cooper might sneak in for Maestro, but it seems unlikely. There's the potential for Jonathan Glazer to get a surprise nomination for The Zone Of Interest (in the same vein as Ruben Östlund did last year for Triangle Of Sadness); if he does, I'd say The Zone Of Interest will almost definitely get a Best Picture nod. 

With Best Actor, I went for the five SAG nominees - although there's still a chance that Leonardo DiCaprio sneaks in for Killers Of The Flower Moon (to the detriment of either Colman Domingo or Jeffrey Wright, sadly). For Best Actress, there's a couple of performances that might make their way in, with Annette Bening (Nyad), Greta Lee (Past Lives), Fantasia Barrino (The Color Purple) or even potentially Natalie Portman (May December) in contention. 

Best Supporting Actor feels like the most fluid category at the moment; I'm confident with three of my five picks (De Niro, Downey Jr., and Gosling). You might see Willem Dafoe (Poor Things), Charles Melton (May December), or Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) included; hell, they may even go for a real curveball and nominate someone like Matt Bomer (Maestro) who has had zero presence in awards season thus far. 

I'm fairly settled with my choices for Best Supporting Actress, although Julianne Moore is the one potentially most at risk. There's been a bit of a seachange as things have gone on, with May December losing out more and more as awards season has rolled on. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that we could see America Ferrera nominated for Barbie, or Brooks' co-star Taraji P. Henson for The Color Purple. There's a small part of me that would love to see Rosamund Pike nominated for Saltburn, but I've got a feeling that film is a bit too rich for the blood of the Academy voters...

As usual, I'll get a post up as soon as I can tomorrow afternoon with the official nominations. 

Later today (Monday 22nd January) should see this year's Razzies nominations. I'll post about them a bit later on.

Watchers Productions Presents... Strange Tales: Just Meat

After something of a hiatus, Watchers Productions are delighted to announce the return of our Strange Tales short films, with our eighth offering, and one that's perfect for Halloween...

JUST MEAT

Written by Rhys Jones with Matthew Ford & Terrance Marshman-Edwards, and directed by Rhys Jones

Starring: Victoria George-Veale (Catrin), Hannah Celyn Griffiths (Zoe), Samuel Rush (Tommy), with Jennifer Higgins and John Wheeler

It's just an ordinary night for delivery driver Tommy - until he finds himself in a life-or-death situation with one particular drop-off. What has happened to Catrin? 

You can watch Just Meat here!

For more information about our Strange Tales project, the other films already released and those currently in production, please see the Watchers Productions website.

The Watchers Film Show Blog is 11 today!

Just a quick update today; get out the jelly and ice-cream, it's our 11th birthday! (or anniversary... I'm never sure which one it is)

Yep, 11 years ago on this very day, The Watchers Film Show Blog was founded. If this blog were a person, it'd be getting ready to go to secondary school in September. Man, they grow up so fast... *wipes away a tear*

As always, a massive THANK YOU to everyone who reads and supports us, especially as content has been a bit lacking of late. We are going to try our damndest to improve that this year. (Hope springs eternal...)

With lots of love and good wishes,

The Watchers

(Rhys, Matt & Tez)

The Watchers Film Show Review Of 2022

Our Review of 2022 is here!

In our twelfth (twelfth!) annual review of the year, we discuss what made our nice lists and our naughty lists- with one film from someone's nice list made the naughty list of another! But what was it? 

Could it be Thor: Love & Thunder? Death On The Nile? Or maybe it was Morbius? (Just kidding, it definitely wasn't Morbius)

Documentaries, awards fodder, horror movies, whodunits and comic book movies all get a mention - we are nothing if not diverse! Take a listen and let us know your best (and worst) films of 2022.

Enjoy! 
 

The Watchers Film Show Review Of 2021

 

Here's your starter for ten: what do Last Night In Soho, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, and No Time To Die? Also, what links Venom: Let There Be Carnage, A Quiet Place: Part II, and Space Jam: A New Legacy? 

Yes, each set of three films do have the same number of words in their titles, but that wasn't the answer on the card. The correct answer is: all of them get a mention in the Watchers Film Show Review of 2021.

This is, amazingly, the 11th annual round-up of the good and the bad in film according to us three nerdy blokes. 

In this bumper edition, we talk the triumphs and turkeys of 2021, Matt gives us his round-up of the best horror of the year, and we look forward to what 2022 has in store (cinema-wise, of course). 

We hope you enjoy it!

 

 

The Watchers Film Show Blog is 9 today!

Can you believe it? The Watchers Film Show Blog is 9 years old today!

I'll be honest, I'm never sure whether this is meant to be a birthday or an anniversary, but either way, it's a time for celebration. 

Whilst the show itself started in November 2011, we decided to branch out into blogging after a few months of recordings (which means that in November of this year, we'll have been at this mad little enterprise for a decade!)

When we started the Blog, the MCU was still in Phase 1 and about ready to drop The Avengers; the DCEU was a few years off, whilst the news that Star Wars Episodes VII-IX were going to be made was still just a fever-dream in the minds of fans... there are those that argue it perhaps should have stayed that way, but we couldn't possibly comment... 

We were anxiously awaiting a new Daniel Craig Bond film (now, that feels familiar...) and we were knee-deep in awards season (that also feels familiar). 

In the nine years the blog has been running, we've had over 372,000 page views from all around the globe, including Italy, Turkmenistan, Indonesia, Brazil, Bolivia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Moldova, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Japan, and Australia, as well as over a thousand views from the mysterious "Unknown Region"

Wherever you are in the world, a massive Thank You! to everyone who's supported us, whether you've been with us from the beginning or found us recently. Your support is very much appreciated. 

With much love to you all,

The Watchers

(Rhys, Matt, & Tez)

The Watchers Review Of 2020

 

The Watchers Review of 2020 is now available! You can listen to it via iTunes or Podbean.

In an unprecedented year, our review of the year is also somewhat different - we still talk about our favourite films of the year but also take a look at how the world of cinema has been affected by world events and what we're now looking forward to in 2021 (circumstances permitting, of course!)

Have a listen and let us know what your films of 2020 are, or what you're looking forward to in the new year!

The Watchers' Feelgood Films (Part 7) - Documentary Special (Part 2)

Well, we're still in lockdown... in Wales, at least .So here's a seventh instalment of The Watchers' Feelgood Films, where we'll give you some suggestions or recommendation for films that might cheer you up if you're locked down. 

Today, it's a Matt-Tez sandwich (ooer, missus!) with three more documentary films that'll make you feel good. 

Man on Wire (2008)

Dir: James Marsh
Starring: Philippe Petit, Jean-François Heckel, and Jean-Louis Blondeau 

Man on Wire is a real-life heist film. It’s not money the robbers are after, but “the artistic crime of the century”.

In 1974, Philippe Petit broke into and tightrope walked between New York’s Twin Towers with no safety net, nothing to break his fall, just a 1,780-foot drop. James Marsh’s film is the story of how Petit accomplished this literally death-defying feat.

Everything – the set ups, the pacing, the music – makes Man on Wire feel like a primetime TV thriller. You know Petit achieves what he set out to do, but Marsh creates a real tension throughout. Time and again, Petit and his gang are nearly caught, their plans foiled, but miraculously dodge security.

Man on Wire is emotional as well as thrilling. Several members of Petit’s group bow out because, as one puts it, “I don’t want to be responsible for the death of a friend”. As Petit and his cohorts reminisce, there is the knowing that, tragically, this is a feat that can never be repeated.

While Nixon, Watergate, and the seedy workings of the White House were exposed to the world, here was a man who literally rose above it all to accomplish his dream. It’s no understatement to say that Man on Wire is a film you must see.

Matt

* * *

The Aristocrats (2005)

Dir: Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza
Starring: George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Bob Saget, and Gilbert Gottfried

What's the filthiest joke you know? I think mine involves a cheating husband and a parrot who used to live in a brothel... but whatever it is, I can guarantee you, it won't be as filthy as 'The Aristocrats'.

A joke that's been told from the early days of vaudeville up to the present day (and apparently Johnny Carson's favourite joke), the set-up and punchline are set. A guy goes into a talent agent's office and says to the agent "Have I got an act for you!". He proceeds to describe an act full of the most vulgar, deviant, disgusting acts known to man or beast (sometimes even involving man and beast, depending on who is telling the joke). When he finishes, the agent- either shellshocked and utterly appalled, or massively intrigued- says "what do you call an act like that?" The punchline is... "The Aristocrats".  

It's the middle section (discussing the content of the act) where comedians can get inventive, creative, and just downright obscene. In this jawdropping documentary, one hundred comedians- including such comic luminaries as George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, and Phyllis Diller- discuss, analyse, deconstruct and deliver their own versions of the world's dirtiest joke. 

The very definition of a one-joke film, the documentary is certainly not for the fainthearted, prudish, conservative, or easily outraged. Some of the acts described are beyond the bounds of acceptable human decency. Some of the topics raised would definitely fall under the category of "things you shouldn't joke about";  as Gilbert Gottfried says "You can put people to death for what goes on in the best versions of this joke!"

But the point is this: this was never meant to be a joke told to an audience as part of a set (audiences would be rightly offended and probably walk out  if even five percent of some of the renditions ended up on stage); instead, it was used as a warm-up exercise and an inside joke among comedians, a playful competition to try and outdo one another. And the variations of the joke between each comic sheds a fascinating light on how comedy works, when and how to push the boundaries, what's acceptable... and what's not. 

Gottfried is, as you'd expect, an exception to the "don't-tell-it-in-public" rule: in fact, the joke became well-known in the mainstream when he delivered a masterclass rendition of it at a Comedy Central/New York Friars' Club roast of Hugh Hefner recorded just weeks after the 9/11 attacks, to win back an audience he'd lost by making a crass joke about the World Trade Center (to boos and cries of "toon soon" from the audience). Of course, when the Roast was broadcast on television, this section was almost entirely censored: as Gottfried himself said "They might have to clean this up". Watching The Aristocrats, you'll see why...

Of course, whilst a lot of the film is fairly base in its relentless litany of bodily fluids, incest, bestiality, and murder (which will be wearying for some), there's some interesting variations- one told by a mime artist, for instance, another by a ventriloquist, and there's an interesting subversion of the joke when Wendy Liebman and T. Sean Shannon describe very genteel acts with very offensive names. There's also some fascinating discussions about the art of crafting a joke. 

This won't be for everyone. You need to have a firm stomach and a fairly lax sense of humour for this to be enjoyable. But for fans of comedy and fans of how comedy works (even for people interested in the psychology of comedians), this is one of the rare occasions where comparing examining a joke to dissecting a frog- i.e. you find out how it works but the frog dies- doesn't come into play. 

Tez

* * *

Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

Dir: Malik Bendjelloul
Starring: Sixto Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Ilse Assmann, Craig Bartholomew-Strydom, and Malik Bendjelloul

Malik Bendjelloul’s documentary is about a musician, but it’s not exclusively for music buffs. Searching for Sugar Man is a mystery, a tale of second chances and redemption.

Back in the sixties, Detroit singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez began a promising music career only to vanish, never seen nor heard from again. Rodriguez became a riddle, a puzzle to solve; there were rumours that he killed himself on stage, but there was never any proof. During its 90 minutes, Bendjelloul investigates what happened to this enigmatic artist. Bendjelloul’s journey, where he ends up, is genuinely moving and uplifting. I have seen Searching for Sugar Man several times and have yet to watch it from beginning to end without crying.

Bendjelloul discovers that Rodriguez, the man and his music, became a figurehead, the soundtrack for those in South Africa fighting against apartheid. He was the voice of a generation; loved and understood by people thousands of miles from Detroit.

Searching for Sugar Man would be a brilliant film if it stopped there. What happens next is something that would play out in a soaring, classic Oscar winner.

As well as the film, you need to give the soundtrack a go; Rodriguez’s music is gorgeously laidback and uplifting.

If you have never seen Searching for Sugar Man, avoid the internet and watch it being blissfully unaware of its subject. There is a reason why this film ends up in top ten documentary lists, when the credits roll you will be left beaming and drying your eyes.

Matt

The Watchers Film Show: Lockdown Special 5

Lockdown Special #5 is here! 

This time, we're talking about our cinematic guilty pleasures (or, more accurately, those films which we enjoy that others might not expect us to like!)

An eclectic mix of films get mentioned, from sci-fi spoofs to supernatural romances and all-out actioners, but which of us has a not-so-secret delight in Three Men And A Baby? 

Who cited Air Force One as one of their guilty pleasures? 

And who would defend Steven Spielberg's Hook to the hilt in a crowded pub if someone said it was shit?

The answers may surprise you...

If you have any cinematic guilty pleasures, please let us know below. And remember- there's no judgement here!

Note (and slight spoiler): We recorded this episode last week, before Joel Schumacher's passing. Our enthusiasm and love for Batman & Robin is a genuine tribute to an unfairly-maligned film (whilst also recognising its shortcomings). RIP Joel, and thank you.  

The Watchers' Feelgood Films (Part 6) - 1980s Special

Welcome to this sixth instalment of The Watchers' Feelgood Films, where the three of us discuss films that might help cheer you in these trying times. 

As you'll know if you watched our Moviemind Lockdown Special, our next Special is going to be one of our "decades" chats (where the three of us discuss our favourite films of a given decade). This next chat- which will be released next week- takes us up to the 1980s. It was lovely spending time together, reminiscing about the movies that made us into film fans, and highlighting some of our favourites. 

So, we therefore thought, as a prelude (or a taster) to this chat, we'd also look at three of our 1980s "Feelgood" movies. So here we go...

Rhys recommends...

Cocoon (1985)

Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Brian Dennehy, Jack Gilford, Maureen Stapleton, Steve Guttenberg, and Jessica Tandy

From the opening shot of a young boy using a telescope to look up to the stars, to shots of the universe and then dolphins singing to the visitors to our world, you know this is a very rare special film: a film where the aliens have not come to conquer or to destroy. This is where the film starts and what follows if a truly masterful piece of film story telling. 

Ron Howard directs and you can tell: tender, heartfelt and beautiful. The films main cast of characters are all senior citizens who all live in a retirement village - which is hardly ever seen in film, even still today. Within the first few scenes, we see the characters going about their daily lives and suddenly we see a person dying and nursing staff rush to help, but within the same frame are another two nurses drinking water- casual, but daily assurance for the young and all too much of a reminder of where our cast of characters are in life. 

The films centres around the characters at the retirement village and a local boat owner, Jack. 10,000 years ago Atlantis sinks and aliens are left there; now their people return to get them home safe. The aliens rent a house next door to the retirement village and the two worlds collide...

The cast is insane: Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Brian Dennehy and Steve Guttenburg. Ameche received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role of Art Selwyn.

The film is poetic, beautiful and asks the questions: what is life, how do we live, and what is important to us in life. It also is a load of fun and feel good in droves.

If you’ve not seen it- shame on you! I massively recommend you check out this classic, and if you love it as much as I do, then watch Cocoon: The Return.

* * *

Matt recommends...

The Goonies (1985)

Dir: Richard Donner
Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Jeff Cohen, Ke Huy Quan, Martha Plimpton, John Matuszak, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, and Anne Ramsey

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the greatest treasure hunt in the history of cinema!

Richard Donner’s The Goonies is such a great film because, in these safe bet, Marvel and DC-saturated times, you will never see the likes of it again. Few of today’s directors would have the luxury to film on the sets that J. Michael Riva came up with, the scale and the imagination is ridiculous.

The Goonies is one of those rare family-friendly films in the sense that it has an enormous child cast and none of them even start to grate (yes, the female cast provide the screams and go stumbling into trouble, but hey, this is the eighties!). You have classic characters that survive endless re-watches: the scene-stealing Chunk (Jeff Cohen), James Bond in the making, Data (Ke Huy Quan) with his chatterbox teeth on a rope, and the lewd, rude, riotous Mouth (Cory Feldman) to name just a few.

Most films are lucky to have one quotable line, Chris Columbus’s script has dozens. “Hey you guys!” might be the most over quoted dialogue in any film ever, but let’s not forget Brand (Josh Brolin, a.k.a. Thanos) threatening Mikey with, “I’m going to hit you so hard that when you wake up, your clothes will be out of style!”. Or Mouth’s best line, when Chunk breaks Mrs Walsh’s statue of Michelangelo’s David, Mikey yelling, “Oh my God, that’s my mom’s favourite piece!” and Mouth retorts, “You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t”.

You can’t blame Chunk for reeling off each and every one of his sins (“And I never felt so bad in my entire life!”) when the Fratellis interrogate him, Mama Fratelli (the late Anne Ramsey) is the stuff of nightmares. Mama Fratelli could have been a camp, over-the-top panto villain. Ramsey knew that children enjoy being scared and gives us a frightening antagonist straight out of one of Roald Dahl’s stories.

The hair and the costumes are dated, but The Goonies is as stylish and emotional as any of today’s family films.

* * *

Tez recommends...

Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark (1988)

Dir: James Signorelli
Starring: Cassandra Peterson, W. Morgan Sheppard, Daniel Greene, Susan Kellermann, Jeff Conaway, and Edie McClurg

When horror hostess with the most-est Elvira is left a bequest from her late great-aunt Morgana, she must travel to the small town of Fallwell, Massachusetts, where her outrageous persona is very much at odds with the conservative, uptight townsfolk. Inheriting Morgana's rundown mansion, her poodle (now nicknamed Gonk after a punk makeover), and Morgana's old recipe book, Elvira begins to settle into her new life. But sinister forces in the town threaten her very existence- and that's not just the puritanical town council... 

Hilarious, trashy, and unapologetically camp, the film- much like its utterly captivating lead- never takes itself too seriously. The script is chockfull of saucy quips and one-liners (one of my favourites being Elvira's response to being asked if she wants a Virgin Mary: "Maybe, but, ah... I'll have a couple of drinks first") and there's fantastic support by W. Morgan Sheppard as Elvira's scheming great uncle Vincent Talbot and Edie McClurg as the fabulously-named Chastity Pariah, town busybody whose unhinged rant about Elvira contains some of the best euphemisms for someone you consider to be "easy"; I particularly like "one-woman Sodom and Gomorrah"

You'll be on Elvira's side from start to finish as she battles intolerance, bigotry, hatred, and an eventual attempt to burn her at the stake, all in the pursuit of her goals. The end is a pure punch-the-air moment. Not as child-friendly as some of the other entries on the list, but well worth a watch if you've never seen it. And as Elvira says as she signs off her show.... unpleasant dreams...

* * * 

Our previous "decades" chats can be found by clicking the links below:

Our favourite films of the 1930s

Our favourite films of the 1940s

Our favourite films of the 1950s

Our favourite films of the 1960s

Our favourite films of the 1970s

We look forward to sharing our picks of the 1980s with you shortly!

The Watchers Film Show: Lockdown Special 3

In our third Lockdown Special, we revive something we first did way back in 2012 for our First Birthday Show - Moviemind!

The three of us all chose an individual specialist subject which the other two compiled questions on, then we bring in a very special guest Quizmaster for a quick-fire general knowledge round.

Which Watcher won? Well, watch! 

The Watchers' Feelgood Films (Part 5) - Documentary Special

Welcome to the fifth instalment of The Watchers' Feelgood Films, where the three of us discuss films that might help cheer you in these trying times. 

As you all know, cinema is a broad church that encompasses all forms of storytelling, all genres and forms. Documentary film-making is a vital and sometimes overlooked genre which helps us see into lives very different to our own and experiences we would never otherwise experience. 

So here are three documentaries which The Watchers recommend.

Matt recommends...

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

Dir: Morgan Neville
Starring: Fred Rogers, Joanne Rogers, François Clemmons

Fred Rogers is a father figure to millions of Americans. His children’s show, Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood first aired back in 1968 and broadcast its last episode in 2001.

Rogers was a minister who studied child psychology, once describing science as “the greatest gift we have”. Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood was never about selling toys, or forcing adult expectations down its young audience’s throats, instead it discussed big, weighty subjects in a way that empathised with children, spoke to them in ways that they could understand.

Morgan Neville’s documentary doesn’t reveal a man with sordid secrets like many British TV presenters. The revelation with Won't You Be My Neighbor? is that Rogers really was that gentle, caring man who spoke to America’s children through their televisions.

Through interviews with Rogers’ family and colleagues, Neville shows us how ahead of the times Fred Rogers was. Upset by news footage of black people being segregated in public swimming pools, he responded by having Officer Clemmons – black actor François Clemmons – share a paddling pool with him. Rogers also discussed Kennedy’s assassination, wrote an episode on divorce, and focused an entire week’s programmes on death. To the adults, Rogers seemed like a kindly do-gooder who would make Ned Flanders blush, but his mission was always to teach children about tolerance, accepting others and, most importantly, yourself.

Neville’s film is a wonderful ninety-odd minutes, but it will likely bring a tear to your eye. During animated cutaways, we are shown how the meek and mild glove puppet Daniel was Rogers’s anxieties that he could never quite express outside the studio. A clip from Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood has an actress singing to Daniel; she loves him exactly the way he is. Most children’s programmes would take the easy option and have Daniel agree with her, instead Daniel continues singing about his self-doubt. It is a beautiful song that simply and brilliantly explains mental health.

With British television it feels that no children’s programme is safe from having its creators outed for being charlatans, nothing like who they are on screen. Won't You Be My Neighbor? is extraordinary because Fred Rogers absolutely deserves the praise and hero worship from the Americans who grew up with him. Neville reaffirms Rogers’ lifelong message that each and every one of us is special, capable of kindness, and doing incredible things.

* * *

Rhys recommends...

Becoming (2020)

Dir: Nadia Hallgren
Starring: Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Phoebe Robinson

Well, I didn’t think I would be writing this! If you want a real life, inspiring, feel good documentary, this film will do all the above.

Becoming is a inside look at the life of former First Lady Michelle Obama in an intimate documentary looking at her life, hopes and connection with others during her 2019 book tour for ‘Becoming.' 

Yes, not the typical film I would normally go for- but it was on Netflix and I am in lock-down and so I pressed play. It is a fantastically made documentary, very insightful and full of hope. An amazing woman. Watch it!

* * *

Tez recommends...

Nothing Like A Dame (2018)

Dir: Roger Michell
Starring: Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, and Maggie Smith

Have you ever seen a group of good friends having a right old catch-up, gossiping, and putting the world to rights, and thought "I'd love to listen in"? Well, that's exactly what Nothing Like A Dame does.

The four titular dames- Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, and Maggie Smith- have been friends for decades. At a combined age of 342 years old (at the time of filming), they've had careers most actors could only dream of and have trod the boards throughout the UK and around the world.

In this wonderfully intimate portrait, these four amazing women discuss (amongst other things) working with one's spouse- Plowright was married to Laurence Olivier, whilst Atkins had been married to Julian Glover, Dench to Michael Williams, and Smith to Robert Stephens-, playing Shakespeare, taking part in major movie franchises, how to deal with critics, and growing older (gracefully or otherwise). Judi Dench, in particular, has a wonderful reaction to director Roger Michell's question about ageing. 

It's hard to pick any one feelgood moment that stands out in a film full of them, but a moment towards the end sums it up perfectly. Ruminating on chances missed or passed over, Maggie Smith rather gloomily says that "it's too late". Joan Plowright- at the age of nearly 90 and suffering from degenerating eyesight which impairs her ability to work- responds with "oh, it's never too late". 

What a fantastic philosophy. It's never too late to do that which you've always wanted to. Seize the opportunity.

The Watchers' Feelgood Films (Part 4) - Disney Special

Welcome to the fourth instalment of The Watchers' Feelgood Films, where the three of us discuss films that might help cheer you in these times. Today's instalment are our favourite films from Walt Disney Studios.

Matt recommends...

Beauty And The Beast (1991)

Dir: Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise
Voice cast: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, and Angela Lansbury

Everyone has their favourite Disney film, for me it is the original Beauty and the Beast. The House of Mouse has given us numerous classics for nearly a century, but Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise’s film was the first that felt like it could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hollywood’s golden age: Casablanca, Gone With The Wind, or The Wizard of Oz (Beauty and the Beast was the first full-length animated feature film to be nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Picture).

1989’s The Little Mermaid saw Disney Studios return to its former glory after losing its way during the eighties, struggling to catch children’s imagination while Spielberg, Lucas, and Zemeckis were churning out blockbusters, but Ariel cannot hold a candle to Belle. Unlike previous Disney leading ladies, Belle does everything right here. Belle is fierce, she questions and stands up to those around her, and refuses to be labelled or put in a box – she is Disney’s first flesh-and-blood protagonist thanks to Linda Woolverton’s first-class writing.

The songs in Beauty and the Beast are all killer and no filler. Every one of composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman’s musical numbers will stay in your head for the rest of your life. However, the standouts are "Beauty and the Beast" and "Be Our Guest". "Beauty and the Beast" is a masterwork in character development. Neither Belle nor the Beast say a word or sing a single lyric, but that scene pushes their bond, their characterisation further. Accompanied by Dame Angela Lansbury’s voice, the song – those two-and-a-half minutes on screen – are tender and heartfelt. For Beauty and the Beast’s 25th anniversary screening, Lansbury surprised the audience by singing the title song. The video is available here and you will struggle not to well up whilst watching it.

"Be Our Guest", I would argue, is Disney Studios’ first music video. It is a melting pot of 80’s MTV (Peter Cristopherson, Derek Burbidge, and Steve Barron to name three directors), the Moulin Rouge, and Broadway musicals, all given a good stir. Every frame grabs hold of your eyes; it is beautiful, wondrous stuff. Whenever I put on Beauty and the Beast, I cannot go past "Be Our Guest" without watching it again.

Hand-drawn animation probably looks weird to today’s children, when compared to something that was conjured up on a computer, but Beauty and the Beast’s animation and background design still stands the test of time and deserves to be watched on the biggest, most high-tech TV you can find.

Disney has many classic films, but Beauty and the Beast is a masterpiece that can be watched over-and-over and its magic never diminishes.

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Rhys recommends...

Aladdin (1992)

Dir: Ron Clements & John Musker
Voice cast: Scott Weinger, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Gilbert Gottfried, and Robin Williams

Back in 1992, I was a teenager and not interested in musicals and definitely done with cartoon films from Disney! On a day out with family, we ended up at the cinema and they chose Aladdin. I was not happy and went in to watch it in a right grump! 

The film began and my eyes were opened to how Disney in the early 90s had changed things! Aladdin reintroduced me to enjoying animated films and, if I'm honest, musicals too! 

This film is one of my favourite films of all time, it is definitely one of my go-to feel good films of choice. It will whisk you off to a whole new world on a magic carpet ride! The film is pitch perfect; fun, uplifting and- for a child- it has one of the all time scariest villains in Jafar! It is massive in scope, from the "Friend Like Me" number to the ending with a giant gene looming overhead. This film is just plain brilliant! And, of course, the late, great Robin Williams' voice performance of the Genie made big name actors suddenly all want to be a voice in a cartoon! 

Just watch it if you haven’t already - and if you have, well time to watch it! 

Oh, and a final bit of fun trivia, Frank Welker- who is the voice of the Cave of Wonders- played Megatron in all the Transformers cartoons and films! 

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Tez recommends...

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Dir: Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders
Voice cast: Daveigh Chase, Christopher Michael Sanders, Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Jason Scott Lee, and Ving Rhames

From an enchanted French chateau via the desert lands of Agrabah to the sun-kissed shores of Hawaii for our final feelgood choice. Lilo & Stitch might seem like a bit of an odd choice, but for me it's second only to Beauty And The Beast for a Disney film that can make me feel good. 

Lilo is a bit of a misfit, being looked after by her older sister Nani after the death of their parents. As they try and rebuild the family unit, into their life comes Experiment 626, a genetically-modified alien bent on destruction which crashlands on Earth after going on the run. When he's found (after being hit by a fuel tanker), 626 ends up at a dog pound where he is adopted by Lilo and renamed Stitch. With threats both extraterrestrial and all too real, this dysfunctional little family must band together, demonstrating the true meaning of ohana.

Much like with Galaxy Quest and several of my other feelgood choices, what makes them feelgood to me is the philosophy behind them. In Lilo & Stitch, it's all to do with the Hawaiian concept of ohana. Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. When the chips are down and it's all looking grim, your family- whether by blood or the family you create- are there for you. It's that sentiment, borne out by the events at the end of the film, that give me the warm fuzzies.

Also, there's a great deal of humour from the odd-couple antics of Dr. Jumba Jookiba (a superb voice performance by the late, great David Ogden Stiers) and Agent Pleakley (a similarly strong turn by Kevin McDonald) who are sent to Earth to find Stitch and bring him back and some truly inspired visual gags- such as Stitch and Jumba passing a soon-to-explode plasma gun back and forth like a demented game of pass-the-parcel, or a running gag involving a tourist and his ice-cream. 

When advertising Lilo & Stitch, Disney took an unconventional but inspired approach (which neatly links into the idea of ohana and a slightly dysfunctional family) where Stitch was inserted into several iconic Disney moments and causes mischief- including two scenes from the films mentioned above. These can be seen here, and are definitely worth a watch.

There's also a cracking soundtrack which takes in everything from traditional Hawaiian music through to several of Elvis Presley's most iconic songs. 

Lilo & Stitch is well worth a try if you've not seen it before.