Hey listeners, the episode title is a nice little 90's earworm for you as we party like it's 1999. It's our birthday! We're going to party like it's our birthday - because, as I mentioned, it is actually our birthday. Today, in fact! The Failed Critics Podcast has hit yet another milestone and reached our fourth birthday. Hip hip... Usually, it'd be up to the guests (i.e. you) to get the birthday-boys (i.e. us) presents, but it's cool. We know it's been a tough year for you and, you know, who re...
Apr 24, 2016•1 hr 26 min
Sorry, you won't find life's bare necessities on this page. Life's sort-of, not entirely annoying, mildly amusing leisure accompaniment? That sounds more like it. I suppose that means welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast, featuring the saddest sentence you'll ever hear another human say, plus hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by Callum Petch as they attempt a review of Disney's latest adventure movie, The Jungle Book. As usual, we start the show off with a quiz, but unusuall...
Apr 17, 2016•1 hr 23 min
Welcome to this week's episode of the Failed Critics Podcast. You know how we sometimes swear a lot and are rather crass? Yet, occasionally, we have to add an extra warning that the levels of explicit language and vulgar comments exceed our usually-already-fairly-high volume..? Well, this is one of those weeks. Just as he was last week, Paul Field is back on the podcast along with hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes, and was once again given license to take over the quiz. The theme he went for is...
Apr 11, 2016•1 hr 28 min
Three clueless bellends gather for the latest Failed Critics Podcast with hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes joined by our long-suffering guest, Paul Field. So long suffering is he, in fact, that he's hosting this week's quiz and theming it on injuries, suffering and accidents in movies. Quite fitting then that this week's new releases take in: notorious YouTubers (we don't know what that really means) causing grief in Natural Born Pranksters; bone-breaking British feel-good comedy Eddie the Eag...
Apr 03, 2016•1 hr 17 min
It might not be the podcast you wanted, but it's the podcast you deserve. It's the proper critics in one corner, the audience in another corner, and your hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes with special guests Brian Plank and Andrew Brooker in the other corner. The final corner is where Sad Ben Affleck is hanging his head in disappointment, next to Henry Cavill's pile of gold. That's right, this week we're reviewing DC's latest $250m mega-blockbuster, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Divisive ...
Mar 28, 2016•1 hr 13 min
Firstly, thanks to everyone who joined in on our live broadcast of episode 202 on our YouTube channel on Monday. We're considering it a success - whether it was or wasn't isn't really up to Steve Norman, Owen Hughes and Andrew Brooker to decide! But people chatted to us during the show, we received messages via Twitter, and the live stream didn't crash once. Huzzah! This week's podcast is pretty much a rip of the YouTube video edited into a more audio-friendly format. Jingles have been edited in...
Mar 22, 2016•1 hr 18 min
This week's episode of the Failed Critics Podcast features Callum Petch, returning for the first time in 2016, to join both Steve Norman and Owen Hughes for four new-release reviews. With the latest entry in the Divergent Series franchise, it seemed almost impossible to record a show without Callum's input on Allegiant - particularly after his last appearance on the pod the week after the previous instalment, Insurgent, came out! Continuing to play to Callum's strengths this week, there are two ...
Mar 17, 2016•1 hr 39 min
In this week's Failed Critics Podcast, it's time for a crossover episode! Inspired by the news that 21 Jump Street and Men In Black will be merging for a new upcoming comedy, Steve Norman and Owen meet Paul Field and try to come up with some ideas for other movie characters and franchises that they would like to see crossover during the triple bill segment of the podcast. Meanwhile, they try not to cross the streams when talking about the latest Ghostbusters trailer after its release earlier thi...
Mar 07, 2016•1 hr 5 min
Welcome to this week's Oscars special Failed Critics Podcast. Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined once again by Paul Field and Andrew Brooker after their appearance on the preview episode released a couple of weeks back, returning to react to the eventual winners and losers at the 88th Academy Awards. The stage was set for us to get all glamorous and spread the word about some very important socio-political issues that were close to our hearts... Alas, we were self-sabotaging the whole night...
Mar 01, 2016•1 hr 14 min
This week's Failed Critics Podcast is a two-part Netflix Original special as hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by guests Chris Haigh and Phil Sharman. Similar to our TV specials, this episode is all about the Netflix - with very little chill. Some chill. A bit of chill. But not a lot of chill. In part one, the team discuss the rise of Netflix Originals, from their conception to recent additions. With no movies to review, there's chat about the shows that we've been watching lately, p...
Feb 27, 2016•1 hr 4 min
This week's Failed Critics Podcast is a two-part Netflix Original special as hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by guests Chris Haigh and Phil Sharman. Similar to our TV specials, this episode is all about the Netflix - with very little chill. Some chill. A bit of chill. But not a lot of chill. In part one, the team discuss the rise of Netflix Originals, from their conception to recent additions. With no movies to review, there's chat about the shows that we've been watching lately, p...
Feb 27, 2016•1 hr 6 min
Welcome to the Failed Critics Podcast, where hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by both Andrew Brooker and Paul Field to put their collective expert (ha!) minds together to predict who will win what at this year's Academy Awards on Sunday 28th February. You too can take part! Simply leave a post in the comments box on our website (failedcritics.com) to tell us which films you think will pick up the award in each of the categories listed on this episode's page. The winner will pick up ...
Feb 16, 2016•1 hr 48 min
Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast. What're the names of our hosts and guests on this episode..? Shh! Don't tell 'em, Steve Norman, Owen Hughes, Brian Plank and Chris Wallace... D'oh! Yes, that was a tedious set-up to reveal that on this podcast we'll be discussing the Dad's Army movie in our new release section. We've also got reviews for you of: heist-thriller Triple 9; a comedy sequel 15 years in the making in Zoolander 2; and the Bryan Cranston starring Trumbo. In the news this we...
Feb 12, 2016•1 hr 31 min
He's old, he's cranky, and he's got a legion of followers that adore everything he does. At least one of those comments should give you a clue that I am of course referring to John Carpenter and not our special guest, James Diamond. (When has James ever been known to be cranky?) One of the few well documented benefits of not being awarded an Oscar is that it allows a person the privilege of being received in our illustrious Corridor of Praise. And James was only too willing to help Owen Hughes a...
Feb 02, 2016•1 hr 28 min
From quirky Bulgarian movies to Jordan's Oscar nominations. From 1931 in Germany to 2013 in Hong Kong. From the poetic realism of France to the period dramas of Afghanistan. This week's Failed Critics Podcast is taking a truly global slant. We could think of no better guests for our second ever World Cinema Special than aficionados Monsieur Liam and Herr Andrew Alcock. Along with regular hosts Signore Steve Norman and Señor Owen Hughes, together the team take a look at films from all over the wo...
Jan 26, 2016•1 hr 28 min
Back by popular demand, it's the second episode Field & Mullinger's Underground Nights. Once again, your hosts Paul Field and James Mullinger are delving into the depths of cinema to dig out some of the best documentaries they can find. From the phenomenon of the Netflix series Making A Murderer, to the ground-breaking Paradise Lost, they've got it covered. Joining Paul and James to discuss the world of documentary film-making is Cleanflix co-director Joshua Ligairi. As well as sharing his t...
Jan 17, 2016•1 hr 29 min
With the tragic passing of one of British music's most iconic people earlier this week, our latest episode features a touching tribute to the pioneer that was the Thin White Duke, Ziggy Stardust, Jareth the Goblin King or just simply 'David Bowie'. Failed Critics founder and Bowie super-fan, James Diamond, returns for a short emotional farewell to one of the most inspirational figures of this and last century.We even dug up a clip from an episode we recorded back in 2012 when James went to the i...
Jan 13, 2016•1 hr 26 min
Dawn breaks on a new day, ushering in the fresh optimism that another year on God's green Earth brings with it. New starts, new ideas and new opportunities to shambolically attempt to review movies, for Paul to use wildly-offensive non-PC terms, and for the rest of us to fall flat on our arses.As Steve Norman nurses a poorly rum-addled brain after two weeks of non-stop partying whilst not on the Failed Critics clock, he returns to the driving seat - probably still too inebriated to drive, but no...
Jan 05, 2016•1 hr 2 min
Votes have been counted, booze has been consumed and a resulting two hour long podcast has been produced, examining each of the winners (and some of the losers) in this year's Failed Critics Awards.With Steve Norman absent, it's up to Matt Lambourne to step in and host our final podcast of the year as Owen Hughes runs through who has won what in all eight of the different categories that our listeners have submitted votes in. Accompanying them both are special guests Callum Petch and Phil Sharma...
Dec 29, 2015•2 hr 12 min
Ding dong, merrily high - Steve's pants are wet and minging. Don't worry. He just got a bit over-excited on last week's Star Wars podcast. But before Steve worked himself up into that state, you can listen to his usual mildly-subdued-self as he hosted our Christmas special podcast, recorded the week before he exploded in a fit of fan-geekery over The Force Awakens. Joining him in our festive celebrations during this most unholy Winterval and non-religion-specific season are Owen Hughes, Andrew B...
Dec 22, 2015•1 hr 25 min
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Owen Hughes has vanished. In his absence, the sinister Steve Norman has risen from the ashes of the Failed Critics Podcast and will not rest until he has reviewed Star Wars: The Force Awakens. With the help of Paul Field and Dave Valentine, Steve leads a brave effort to restore order to the podcast.. OK, enough of that. You get the idea with our opening crawl. It's a Star Wars special episode that celebrates the iconic movie series, from the original...
Dec 18, 2015•1 hr 24 min
Apologies for the... un-Christian... language in this week's episode title, but when Steve goes off on one during the podcast recording - as he does this week - it's hard to ignore. For everyone but the Pope, welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast! It's our last regular episode now until 2016, as Christmas, Star Wars and End of Year specials are the only thing left for us to record in order to see the year out. As ever, this week's episode starts off with a quiz, straight from ...
Dec 08, 2015•1 hr 13 min
We're back to our normal routine today with Steve Norman and Owen Hughes joined by Callum Petch. There's not a single professional comedian amongst them after the first episode of Paul Field and James Mullinger's Underground Nights popped up in your podcast subscription software of choice this past weekend.And what a bumper crop of new release reviews we have in store for you! Four new movies that have hit your cinema screens recently, including: The new Pixar dramedy, The Good Dinosaur; Black M...
Dec 02, 2015•1 hr 22 min
Welcome to the premiere episode of Field & Mullinger's Underground Nights, where we’ll be tickling the underbelly of cinema, from Troma & Astron 6 to the much maligned British gangster flick and everything in between. Your hosts James Mullinger and Paul Field kick off with a Canadian Special (not a euphemism) where we discuss our favourite Canadian movies.James tells us why he loves Lost After Dark and explains why he is still buying VHS, whilst Paul shows a lot of love for The Soska Sis...
Nov 29, 2015•1 hr 28 min
May the odds be ever in your favour as Steve Norman, Owen Hughes, Callum Petch and Chris Haigh volunteer themselves as tributes for this Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 themed episode of the Failed Critics Podcast.We've got a young-adult adaptation inspired quiz to kick things off before covering news on: the latest sci-fi fantasy remake to get its own Hunger Games style franchise; Wonder Woman finally having an announced cast; and ask if it's right that cinema chains should ban the showing of...
Nov 24, 2015•1 hr 29 min
Bonjour, guten tag, konnichiwa, hola, namaste, aloha, salve, an-nyong, olá, goddag, ahalan, shalom, nei ho... and hello!Welcome to this week's Failed Critics Podcast as Owen and Steve take a break from reviewing new releases (sort of) to draft in special guests and world cinema aficionados (and podcast débutantes), Andy and Liam.Whilst it may be the first time on Failed Critics for the cultured duo, this episode does see the return of a feature from earlier this year called 'Listener Questions'....
Nov 17, 2015•1 hr 35 min
Everybody, raise your right hand and say it with me:On my honour, I promise that I will do my bestTo do my duty to Owen and to Steve,To help other peopleAnd to keep the Failed Critics Podcast on my iTunes subscription list at all times.You may lower your hand so that you can press play now and listen to your hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes, with their special guest Brian Plank, play a game of 20 Questions around the camp fire, stay up late talking about movies (such as He Named Me Malala, Sco...
Nov 10, 2015•1 hr 19 min
Never let it be said that the Failed Critics are afraid to try anything new. I mean, it's only taken us 192 episodes to finally getting around to doing a film commentary.Andrew Brooker and Matt Lambourne joined hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes for this special episode as together they watch and share their thoughts, opinions, anecdotes and stories about 1999's pioneering indie found footage horror, The Blair Witch Project, co-written and co-directed by Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick.As the ...
Nov 02, 2015•1 hr 23 min
The name's Critics. Failed Critics. Should you expect us to die during our James Bond special episode? No, you should expect us to talk!And that's exactly what we do for about 90 minutes, as hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by special guests Tony Black (from Pick A Flick) and Brian Plank. The main review this week is of course the latest adventures of Britain's (worst kept) secret agent in SPECTRE. Sam Mendes is back in the director's seat after his record breaking success with Skyf...
Oct 29, 2015•1 hr 27 min
All of you that have never listened before and have seen your family die [from laughing], huh, you now have something that stands for you! That would be the Failed Critics Podcast: Halloween special.OK, so it is a couple of weeks early, but think of all that extra time we've given you to source the incredible horror movies from a whole host of different decades that we discuss during our spooktacular (urrgghhhh sorry) triple bill. With picks by hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes, and guests Caro...
Oct 19, 2015•1 hr 30 min
