Oddjob Pod

17/10/2023

New podcast; link in bio.

Stephen Norrington’s Blade at the leading edge of big-screen Marvel movies.

Not counting Howard The Duck, the 1998 film is the first Marvel superhero to be given a cinema release and heralded the wave of X-Men and films and Disney’s cinematic universe.

The film also sits on something of an intersection in 90s Vampire films; the most successful being Neil Jordan’s Interview With A Vampire and Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula which place the vampire as the main protagonist and invite the audience to feel as much sympathy and they do horror. Meanwhile, Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn and Joss Whedon’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer are reviving the old monster rally vibe to the genre, making vampire stories a lot more fun.

Buffy the TV series is also injecting a dose of vampire romance and eroticism which would be dominated in the subsequent decade by The Vampire Diaries.

In the middle of all this is Blade, himself something of an intersectional character: neither vampire nor human; at home nowhere and is cursed to fight until he dies. All told a pretty grim existed magnificently portrayed by Wesley Snipes. The film spawned two sequels, a spin-off TV show and he will return to cinemas in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2025.

So there’s plenty to discuss in the latest Action Movie Landfill edition of the Oddjob Pod. Join Graham, Terry, and Gary as they sharpen their steel and tuck into Blade.

02/07/2023

Performing a little light garden work accompanied by this magnificent piece.
No poison in my garden, happily.
Sadly the track is not in Insta's music archive.

12/06/2023

In our next episode of the Oddjob Pod we celebrate Daniel Craig’s first film in the role of James Bond: Casino Royale.

If you sat a panel of film critics in front of all 26 James Bond films and asked them to pick the best – not their favourite – but the best, there’s a good chance that most would pick Casino Royale.

Daniel Craig was a controversial casting of James Bond and there was an ineffective online campaign against his casting with threats to boycott etc. But Craig proved to be a hugely popular and authentic 007.

He was also the beneficiary of an almost flawless production that completely revitalised the James Bond franchise. From the beginning, the film departed from the realm of invisible cars and diamond-encrusted satellite lasers of Die Another Day, opting for a more gritty, violent, and emotionally complex James Bond movie. It drew heavily from contemporary spy thrillers like The Bourne Identity and anchored itself in the original source material, Ian Fleming's novel of the same name, which had not been adapted previously as an official James Bond film.

In Casino Royale, the audience bears witness to the development of 007. We come to understand why he is who he is through his relationship with Vespa Lynd (Eve Green). Their love affair proves to be a cornerstone of the Craig films and lifts Casino Royale from an action romp to being a film of substance.

Such is the departure from previous Bond films that it is still not universally popular among Bond fans. Nevertheless, Casino Royale was a huge box office and critical success and welcomed a new cohort of fans from demographics that normally would not call themselves such. It does all this while remaining an identifiable James Bond movie with some truly unforgettable, and on one occasion eye-watering, moments.

Link to the podcast below.

https://www.oddjobpod.com/2023/06/snookering-you-tonight-casino-royale.html

22/03/2023

Regular listeners will know that, despite its incredibly strong opening act, Die Another Day is not our favourite Bond film. That said every Bond film is somone's favourite and we are mindful of this when expressing our views. Stream or download the podcast from the link below.

Gary, Graham and Terry complete their review of Pierce Brosnan's canon with Die Another Day. Regular listeners will know that, despite its i...

09/03/2023

Don't worry. By tomorrow, we'll be good friends
Go well, Topol.

23/02/2023

RECORDING TOMORROW:

Out next podcast is all about DAD.
Pierce Brosnan's final Bond flick, Die Another Day ranks pretty low in the rankings for most Bondophiles but it does have its supporters. Up to now we have not been among them but has our latest rewatch changed our view of this much maligned movie?

And what about you. Tell us what you think of the big daddy. Is this a misunderstood classic or should it be locked in the attic and fed fishheads for the rest of its life?

Let us know in the comments.

25/12/2022

Merry Christmas to all Oddjob Pod listeners. 🎄

What better way to celebrate than with a brand new Podcast.

Released today: join Terry, Graham and Gary as they dive into the magnificent mess that is Tomorrow Never Dies.
https://www.oddjobpod.com/2022/12/the-names-cross-brent-cross-tomorrow.html?m=1

25/12/2022

Merry Christmas to all our listeners.

Our latest podcast is out today.

Link in bio.

02/12/2022

Recording a new pod this evening.
What do you think of Tomorrow Never Dies?

29/06/2022

Moonraker is on cinema release this week and truly they don't make them like this anymore.

CGI would have made short work of many of the special effects in the movie and it's unlikely that modern insurance companies would sanction some of the stunt work.

People dislike this film because of its ludicrous premise. But it is not a film that deviates from its absurdity.

It is beautifully photographed by veteran French cinematographer Jean Tournier and features one of the best Bond girls in the history of James Bond.

Hugo Drax, plays a villain who is both throwback and very 2022.

And of course Roger is Roger.

It also features some of production designer Ken Adam's most spectacular work.

Go to the Oddjobpod.com and track down our podcast on this Bond classic.

And try to watch the film at the pictures if you can.

21/06/2022

The early 90s was a fallow period for James Bond fans. With Tim Dalton confirmed as not returning to the role of 007 and Eon Productions embroiled in legal disputes it looked like JB may never return to the big screen.

And James Bond was also meeting his match in the shape of a host of ambitious action and spy thrillers produced by the emboldened Hollywood studios. Be they working class heroes like John McClane and Martin Riggs to CIA agent Jack Ryan. Or the big budget Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster True Lies and lower budget, innovative action flicks Point Break and Speed. There was also the influence of French action film director Luc Besson on Tinseltown in the shape of the outstanding Leon. Plus many more that we didn't get to.

In this edition of the Oddjob Pod we take a look at some of the great action movies that flourished in Bond's absence and ask what kind of challenges they set to the 007 franchise when it finally returned in 1995 with Goldeneye.
#007

13/04/2022

New episode out now.
https://www.oddjobpod.com/2022/04/a-sliding-doors-moment-licence-to-kill.html

18/12/2021

With Australia out of lockdown and Gary having finally made it to a cinema to watch it, we are delighted to offer listeners our opinions on No Time To Die.

Important note: If you have yet to see No Time To Die then do not listen to this podcast.

https://www.oddjobpod.com/2021/12/all-time-in-world-reflections-on-no.html

18/11/2021

Thrilled to be able to release the first part of our World Cup of James Bond Songs.

After a rigorous and in no way arbitrary qualifying process, 32 title, end credit and incidental songs or themes participate in a festival of great music and sporting competition.

Part 1 takes us through the group phase. Which songs will make it through to the knock out phase?

https://www.oddjobpod.com/2021/11/the-world-cup-of-bond-songs-part-1.html

Terry, Graham and Gary are delighted to present the World Cup of James Bond Songs. After a rigorous and in no way arbitrary qualifying proce...