Geek of Oz

THE SHORT VERSION   If you're after a complex, occasionally melodramatic plot with no shortage of beating the snot out of gangsters, then here's the game for you, my friend!     STORY   It's 1988, and the Japanese underworld is battling it out for control of an empty patch of land. This empty patch - ominously titled the Empty Lot - acts as the key to control of a substantial amount of Japanese real estate. Two men each with their own criminal stake in the conflict - young yakuza enforcer Kazuma Kiryu, and cabaret club ooperator Goro Majima - operate separate agendas to in relation to the Lot, while a number of backroom deals, deceptions and unholy alliances play out around them. Against the grand canvas of operatic criminal dealings, Kiryu and Majima also deal with personal struggles; the former is dealing with the fallout after being wrongfully accused of murder, and the latter is tasked to assassinate a young blind woman whom he late...

Episode 31! Stu and Billy are back this week to discuss Moonlight ! Moonlight  is a drama based on the play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue  by Tarell Alvin McCraney. It focuses on a young man dealing with his dysfunctional home life and coming of age in Miami during the "War on Drugs" era.  The story of his struggle to find himself is told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love while grappling with his own sexuality. The film is directed by Barry Jenkins ( Medicine for Meleancholy ), and stars  Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders,  Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, and Alex Hibbert. As well as the film, Stu and I discuss what else we've been watching this week, and look over the latest in movie news. As always it would make our day if you could take a couple of minutes to rate and reviews us on iTunes or drop us some feedback belo...

In the late throes of 2016 I discovered Crazyhead waiting unassumingly in my Netflix recommended list. Apart from two female leads and some sort of supernatural element, I really didn’t know what to expect from this quirky horror-comedy. What I found was a uniquely British take on Buffy , only with way more swearing and dick jokes. Cara Theobold, who you might know as the voice of Overwatch’s Tracer, stars as Amy, a dead-end-twenty-something who realises she can see demons, who as it turns out, have been hiding in plain sight amongst humans for centuries. In a not at all surprising turn of events she finds herself caught up in stopping a demonic conspiracy to open the gates of hell. Who would have thought? Aiding her in this cliche quest is the socially-awkward Raquel, Susan Wokoma, who prefers to beat demons with a night-stick first and ask questions later. Raquel fancies herself Amy’s demon-hunting mentor, although it quickly becomes apparent she’s got as much to ...

Presented herein are the five (subjectively) best readables from novels and comics which Chris breezed through in 2016, whilst pretending he has a real job (he doesn't). --- 5 - Batman, Volume 9: Bloom (Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, Yanick Paquette & FCO Plascencia) As the DC Universe headed for its sixty-billionth reboot with the "Rebirth" event last year, the few beloved series left in the New 52 started winding down. At the top of that count-on-one-hand list of good books still going was Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman , a superlative run for the character which will undoubtedly stand the test of time (especially when some of it's collected in such swanky hardcovers ). The penultimate volume of their run, Bloom allowed Snyder and Capullo to start firing off climaxes for a story five years in the making - and fire off, they did. The bulk of their swan song for Batman takes place here, as he battles the eldritch villain Mr. Bloom b...

With M. Night Shyamalan’s Split hitting theatres in a few weeks, now is the perfect opportunity for you to catch up on  Wayward Pines . Wayward Pines , last summer’s No. 1 scripted series on broadcast television, returns for a second season. From executive producer M. Night Shyamalan ( The Sixth Sense, The Visit ), the 10-episode, psychological thriller is based on the rich world created by author Blake Crouch in his international best-selling series of books. Starring Jason Patric ( Rush, Narc ), two-time Academy Award® nominee Djimon Hounsou ( Blood Diamond, In America ) and Emmy® Award and Golden Globe® nominee Hope Davis ( American Crime, The Newsroom ), the 10-episode, second season will pick up after the shocking events of Season One, with the residents of Wayward Pines battling against the iron-fisted rule of the First Generation. Wayward Pines Season 2 is available on DVD from January 18 Fans of the show or M. Night Shyamalan's work we'd love to here f...

Episode 30! Stu and Billy are back this week to discuss Jackie ! Jackie  is biographical drama following Jackie Kennedy, when she was still First Lady, and her life in the week after the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The film is directed Pablo Larrain ( Neruda , The Club , and  No ), written by Noah Oppenheim ( The Maze Runner and The Divergent Series: Allegiant - Part 1 ) and focuses on Theodore H. White's Life magazine interview with Jackie Kennedy at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. The film stars Natalie Portman (Jackie Kennedy), Peter Sarsgaard (Robert F. Kennedy), Greta Gerwig (Nancy Tuckerman), Billy Crudup (Theodore H. White), as well as many other stars. As well as the film, Stu and I discuss what else we've been watching this week, including the new M. Knight Shyamalan film Split , and look over the latest in movie news. As always it would make our day if you could take a couple of minutes to rate and reviews us on i...

With 2016 behind us I thought I would take a few minutes to count down some of my personal highlights from everyone's favourite procrastination. -Christof 5. Daredevil Season 2 Before it descended into a convoluted mess of supernatural ninja shenanigans, Daredevil’s second season achieved what few other superhero shows or films have; it was objectively good. I can proudly say that season two’s Punisher arc is compelling television without having to follow it up with a ‘...if you like that sort of thing ’ or ‘you know...for a superhero show ’. As someone constantly making concessions to defend the often lacklustre big and small screen adaptations of my favorite costume clad heroes, it was a relief to not have to. It was clear from the moment Jon Bernthal appeared in the fleeting minutes of episode one that season two would belong to The Punisher. His fury, pragmatism and instability made for a refreshing counterpoint to the bloodless optimism of other cape media. ...

Episode 29! The first podcast episode for 2017 and it's a big one! There is no film being watched and reviewed this week as Billy and Stu have gathered to go over their personal choices for Top 10 Films of 2016, which were mentioned the other day. Joining them this week is friend of the Show, Tim with his Top 10 picks of 2016 as well. As with all discussion about favourite films there is some agreeing and disagreeing. Please feel free to tell us in the comments below what we go right, but more importantly what we got totally wrong. We’re looking forward to 2017. As always it would make our day if you could take a couple of minutes to rate and reviews us on iTunes or drop us some feedback below! Really keen to have your input in the show. Enjoy!                                       Get it from Podomatic  here             ...

Hooray!! We've finally navigated the craziness which has been 2016. There's been tonnes of highs, some crippling lows; but most importantly we’ve had so much fun discussing films all year. Without further ado, we present our top 10 films for 2016. Please feel free to tell us in the comments below what we go right, but more importantly what we got totally wrong. We’re looking forward to 2017. Stu's Top 10 - Embrace of the Serpent dir - Ciro Guerra - Paterson dir - Jim Jarmusch - Swiss Army Man dir - The Daniels - La La Land dir - Damien Chazelle - The Neon Demon dir - Nicolas Winding Refn - Nocturnal Animals dir - Tom Ford - American Honey dir - Andrea Arnold - Everybody Wants Some!! dir - Richaird Linklater - Hail, Caesar! dir - The Coen Brothers - 13th dir-   Ava DeVernay  Honourable mentions: Hell or High Water,  Chevalier,  Carol, Rams,  Mustang,  Nerve,  The Vvitch,  Queen of Ireland,  Arrival,  Ro...