A podcast looking at the mixed, muddled and meh movies throughout film history. Featuring Matt, Cassandra and Jimmy. Contact us at mixedbagcontact@gmail.com
A podcast looking at the mixed, muddled and meh movies throughout film history. Featuring Matt, Cassandra and Jimmy. Contact us at mixedbagcontact@gmail.com
It's Matt's personal pick, and in honour of the upcoming Oscars he's decided to go back to where it all began... "it" being Amy Adams' long unfinished road toward Oscar glory.
On the way to meet with an independent artist in the South, newlywed art dealer Madeleine is convinced by her husband, George, that they should stop to meet his family in North Carolina. Madeleineās affluent lifestyle clashes with the family, but she befriends Georgeās wide-eyed and pregnant sister-in-law, Ashley, who is nearing her due date. Through the family, Madeleine gains greater insight into Georgeās character. (Sourced from Letterboxd).
Turns out a lot of people over on Letterboxd think this movie is really boring? Not so our three hosts, who are all in for a movie about complex family dynamics that doesn't make the same mistakes certain other films made (*cough*Ā The Family StoneĀ *cough*).
Over in the Pop Corner we talk recent gigs (The Beths and Laneway festival),Ā Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, the video game TR-49,Ā The Bride (brain attack!), SirÄt, the Wellington Central Library reopening,Ā No Other Choice, The Testament of Ann Lee, The MomentĀ and a long discussion of the Khia Asylum. Matt and Cass also discover their mutual love of Minute Cryptic. Download that app, Baguettes, it's free!
It's a totemic film for Jamie, who has been working on her Katharine Hepburn impression since childhood. But truly, how many times can someone say "You old poop!" with a straight face? We (attempt) to keep a tally.
For Norman and Ethel Thayer, this summer on golden pond is filled with conflict and resolution. When their daughter Chelsea arrives, the family is forced to renew the bonds of love and overcome the generational friction that has existed for years. (Sourced from Letterboxd).
Saltburn āĀ it's the dumb person's idea of a smart movie. Luckily we're all dummies and we are ready to LICK this salt.
Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric familyās sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten. (Sourced from Letterboxd).
Pop corner kernels include: the Trans Theatre festival in Melbourne, theĀ Lord of the Rings trilogy up on the big screen,Ā Marty Supreme, The Secret AgentĀ andĀ Hamnet. We also share some thoughts on the Oscar nominations and take a long diversion into how tall various movie stars are.
If you liked this taste of Fennell and want a little more in your life, come along to our fundraiser screening ofĀ "Wuthering Heights" on February 12th! Tickets available here. We're fundraising forĀ Once Upon A Time in Homowood, our show in this year's NZ Fringe. Tickets are on sale for our 17 - 21 February season right now. See you there xx
We're back for our first real episode of 2026! We saw the Big Blue Boys again and let me tell you those returns areĀ diminishing.
In the wake of the devastating war against the RDA and the loss of their eldest son, Jake Sully and Neytiri face a new threat on Pandora: the Ash People, a violent and power-hungry Naāvi tribe led by the ruthless Varang. Jakeās family must fight for their survival and the future of Pandora in a conflict that pushes them to their emotional and physical limits. (Sourced from Letterboxd).
Over in a bumper post-summer Pop Corner, we talk the video game Kinophobia, the short stories of Ursula K LeGuin, The Apartment (1960), Opening Night (1974), the Nebula original show Scav, *pant*, Hamnet (the book - movie discussion next ep!), Alison Rumfitt's Tell Me I'm Worthless, *pant*, the Odyssey, Some Of My Best Friends Are... (1971), *breathless inhale*, Marlon Williams: NgÄ Ao E Rua (Two Worlds), Jay Kelly, Hedda, West Side Story (2021), Elio, Nickel Boys (2024), Roofman, Blithe Spirit (1945), *last desperate gulp of air*, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.
We bid farewell to the year gone by with a round up of our favourite films of 2025. From arthouse to blockbusters, international cinema to Aotearoa-grown, the Mixed Bag trio have a lot to say about a bunch of films that will never feature on this podcast because they are too good.
We'll be back soon with our first real episode of the year discussingĀ Avatar: Fire and Ash!
Celebrate the festive season with the most of Mixed of all Mixed films,Ā Mixed Nuts! We're joined, as is tradition, by the Ghost of Christmas Pod, Lucas Neal. Letterboxd describes this simply as "The events of a crisis hotline business on one crazy night during the Christmas holidays." It's a French farce with a lot more suicide jokes than you'd expect for a Christmas film, we can tell you that much.
Over in the Pop Corner, we chatĀ Wake Up Dead Man and Wicked: For Good,Ā plus shout outs toĀ Castration Movie,Ā Herculine by Grace Byron, the video game Is This Seat Taken?,Ā Stranger Things,Ā Die My Love andĀ Train Dreams.
Our final movie from this round of personal picks as we look forward to the holiday season. We discover that one of the hosts has her own cognitive malfunctions to deal with (Paul Bettany face blindness). We reminisce about Jamie's close personal connection to Jennifer Connelly. We forgive Matt for his bad takes about Anomalisa (Cass writes the blurbs).
From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash Jr. experiences it all. As a brilliant but socially awkward mathematician, he made a groundbreaking discovery early in his career and stands on the brink of international acclaim. But as the handsome and arrogant Nash accepts secret work in cryptography, he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. His life takes a nightmarish turn and he soon finds himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery. (Sourced from Letterboxd).
Pop Corner coversĀ The Red ShoesĀ (1948),Ā Amelie the Musical, Gretchen Felker-Martin'sĀ Black Flag, Ivy Wolk's episode of StraightioLab, the Pixies and our upcoming Fringe show,Ā Once Upon A Time in Homowood. If you listen to this podcast you are the direct target audience for the show, so come along!
Cass worked a full 16-hour day the day before recording this pod so she worried she would fall asleep on mic. Instead, she decided to let herself be fuelled by hatred as she brings one of her least favourite movies to the pod for her personal pick. Matt's a fan, Cass is a foe, but at least all three hosts can agree that the film looks good.
Anomalisa is a stop-motion animated film written by Charlie Kaufman about a man who sees everyone else in the world as having the same face and voice. When he meets Lisa, who appears to be the only exception, he is instantly besotted.
We'd love to hear your takes onĀ AnomalisaĀ - message us on Instagram or email mixedbagcontact@gmail.com if you love this film, hate it, or have anything else you want to share! Also, in Pop Corner we talk aboutĀ Miss Major Speaks, the films of Lynne Ramsay,Ā Stress Positions,Ā the YouTube show Interior Motives, the podcast Three Bean Salad, The History of Sound, and RosalĆa's albumĀ Lux.
It's time for Jamie's Personal Pick, and youĀ knowĀ she's gonna choose a big ol' Dyke Drama. Some Sapphic Cinema. A Movie for Muff-Divers. So she's chosen a movie about one of the world's gayest sports, roller derby, featuring a pre-transition Elliot Page and bi-con Alia Shawkat and... NO LESBIAN CHARACTERS!?!? š±š±š± Can it be true?!?!?
In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock loving misfit finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin. (Sourced from Letterboxd).
Join the team as they grapple with this egregious display of lez erasure. In Pop Corner they also discuss Hamnet (Maggie O'Farrell), Over The Garden Wall, Lily Allen's West End Girl and Elliot Page's own Pageboy.
It's spooooooky season so it's time for the Foe of the Podcast, Mike Bryant, to arise from his crypt once again and bless the pod with another scary feature that is mixed in quality.
This time around, we're travelling just a decade ago to Goosebumps (2015) starring Jack Black, based on R. L. Stine's children's horror novel series of the same name.
After moving to a small town, Zach Cooper finds a silver lining when he meets next door neighbor Hannah, the daughter of bestselling Goosebumps series author R.L. Stine. When Zach unintentionally unleashes real monsters from their manuscripts and they begin to terrorize the town, itās suddenly up to Stine, Zach and Hannah to get all of them back in the books where they belong. (Sourced from Letterboxd)
Will this Jumanji imitator be more Jumanji (1995) than Jumanji (2017)? Will Zach, Hannah and Champ ever find meaningful character development and most important of all, what is YOUR favourite Goosebumps book? All this and more with the terrific Mike and a bumper Pop Corner as we haven't caught up in ages. Happy Halloween Baghags and may your treats be well mixed with all sorts of sweets!
