Mixed Bag

144 - 😎 Mr. and Mrs. Smith

It's the birth of Brangelina, today we're covering Doug Liman's Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) starring Angelina Jolie and some man.

After five (or six) years of vanilla-wedded bliss, ordinary suburbanites John and Jane Smith are stuck in a huge rut. Unbeknownst to each other, they are both coolly lethal, highly-paid assassins working for rival organisations. When they discover they’re each other’s next target, their secret lives collide in a spicy, explosive mix of wicked comedy, pent-up passion, nonstop action and high-tech weaponry. (Sourced from Letterboxd)

Will Jolie cement her movie star status as Jane Smith? How does one join her all-female spy agency? Who wants to hang out with Vince Vaughn (especially now he's come out as a Trump supporter) and why are there so many threads completely abandoned in this movie?!

Join the sultry, action-packed world of the Smiths. 

Mixed Bag Mysteries: The Film Set Fatality

It's time for a very special episode! Our favourite foe, Mike, purchased a Ko-Fi request for an on-mic murder mystery and we were happy to oblige.

Matt, Mike and Detective Jamie (daughter of Sherlock Holmes) are all extras in the upcoming sci-fi horror film Blood Red Planet. But when the star, Jacob Stone, is discovered dead in his trailer, our trio must work together to find out who killed him and why! In a feat of transformative acting (i.e. cycling between three different accents) Cass plays every witness in the case. Was it the director? The co-stars? Someone on the crew? Or the sinister craft services manager who Matt, Mike and Jamie are sure has an eyepatch and a hairless cat?

This is an original murder mystery written by Cassandra Tse. The format is ripped off shamelessly from the wonderful podcast Solve This Murder. If you liked this episode, donate to our Ko-Fi for more! If you didn't like it, don't worry – we'll be returning to Joliewood next episode. 

143 - 🔫 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

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A STAR IS BORN, HONEY!
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A major event in Joliewood's history, it's time to crown her. No, it's not her Oscar, it's more important, it's 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider!

Orphaned heiress, English aristocrat and intrepid archaeologist, Lara Croft, embarks on a dangerous quest to retrieve the two halves of an ancient artifact which controls time before it falls into the wrong hands. As an extremely rare planetary alignment is about to occur for the first time in 5,000 years, the fearless tomb raider will have to team up with rival adventurers and sworn enemies to collect the pieces, while time is running out. But, in the end, who can harness the archaic talisman’s unlimited power? (Sourced from Letterboxd)

First things first, WHERE IS THE MIDRIFF? Surely the iconic Tomb Raider looks features a lil bit of belly as we all know! Well, all will be revealed in this episode. Our hosts have learned many things. Other things we've learned include, Angelina and daddy can do a halfway decent English accent but Daniel Craig can NOT do a serious American accent (Knives Out ham only).

Popcorner chats include Tinā, Mickey 17, The Silver Fox Office, Sporcle, Severance, Sturgill Simpson's Sound and Fury, Adolescence, The Giver (Chappell Roan) and Relationships (HAIM).

142 - 🌈 Gia & Pride & Oscars Debrief

The Age of Ange is going from gay coded with Hackers to full on lesbian as our bisexual queen Angelina Jolie had her breakout role in Gia (1998) the first TV Film covered on Mixed Bag, based on real life supermodel Gia Carangi.

Gia Carangi meteorically rises to modeling fame in the late 1970s but becomes overconsumed by persistent loneliness and drug addiction. (Sourced from Letterboxd)

Will this erotic romance be as steamy as it sounds? Who knew Juliet from Lost was her love interest, Linda? Will somebody please explain what a supermodel is to Jamie and when will Faye Dunaway kiss Angelina?! These and a full recap of the Oscars and Lady Gaga's Mayhem, we're fit to bursting with pop culture this ep.

So it's time to serve face and get listening Baghags because Joliewood is just getting started.

141 - Hackers

The Age of Ange returns by going back to the early days of Joliewood, Hackers (1995) where Angelina Jolie broke through with a bob cut and those piercing eyes.

Along with his new friends, a teenager who was arrested by the US Secret Service and banned from using a computer for writing a computer virus discovers a plot by a nefarious hacker, but they must use their computer skills to find the evidence while being pursued by the Secret Service and the evil computer genius behind the virus. (Sourced from Letterboxd).

Will we see the sparks that caused the marriage between Jonny Lee Miller and Ange in the film where they met? How much did they let the costumier have free reign? Is this the most ridiculous hacking has ever looked and does everyone know that this movie is EXTREMELY QUEER?? All this and more with this barn-burner of an episode of Mixed Bag.

140 - Maria

Welcome to the hallowed land of Joliewood! That's right, it's the Age of Ange for the next few weeks as we profile bisexual queen and one of the biggest movie stars of her day, Angelina Jolie!

Kicking us off is Jolie's high profile and bid for an Oscar, Maria! Directed by Pablo Larraín and third in the tragic white woman trilogy after Jackie and Spencer.

Maria Callas, the world’s greatest opera singer, lives the last days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she confronts her identity and life.

Will Jolie be able to live up to the Maria Callas gays (of which she has many stans) expectations? How will Pablo tie the trilogy together? And just how thick are those humongous glasses Ange has got on? Walk the streets of Paris with Jolie, Kodi Smit-McPhee and we as dive into Joliewood and uncover the woman behind the star.

139 - The Help

Hey y'all! Butter my biscuit, we're just three country gals committing to a bit. Thanks Virginia for the Ko-Fi donation, apologies to anyone who isn't yee-ing and haw-ing to hear our wonderful accent performances.

This episode we're taking on The Help (2011), a film about Black maids in the segregated South and the white lady who saved them all apparently. Grab a bowl of grits and fry up some chicken, time to dig in.

For more of this nonsense, support us on our Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/mixedbag

138 - 2024 Top Ten Films

Welcome to the New Year, Baghags!

To start the year with a new tradition, we've split our 2024 Top Ten Films into a completely seperate episode! Last year, we tacked this onto our Wonka episode but because this year was bursting to the brim with episodes (and we didn't want to do a three hour episode) you can hear Matt, Cass and Jamie count down their favourites of 2024.

Catch us next time as we tackle our very first Ko-Fi challenge!

137 - Mothers' Instinct w Adam Goodall

For our final episode of 2024, we're rounding out the year with the legendary Adam Goodall who shares the good work on Mothers' Instinct (2024) starring Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain. 

Housewives Alice and Celine are best friends and neighbours who seem to have it all. However, when a tragic accident shatters the harmony of their lives, guilt, suspicion and paranoia begin to unravel their sisterly bond.

Available now on Prime Video, these mothers and their instincts must be seen to be believed so wee woo wee woo spoiler alert if you're listening without watching first cause this story GOES places. Will these two recent Oscar winners be able to build on their success or is this a misstep for Fantine and Tammy Faye? Who of the two child actors is serving and who is merely sulking and why couldn't Alice make it through that hedge in time? All this and more in our final ep for 2024! Look out for a full recap of the year of films and pop culture coming shortly. 

Finally, huge thanks to Adam for being such a delightful and insightful guest! You can follow Adam on Twitch and don't forget to keep on eye out for him on January 24th on The Macaroni Prince's stream for Dunkmaster, their version of Taskmaster.

Ka kite and see you in the new year!

136 - Fred Claus w Ben Wilson

Ho ho ho said the Santa Claus baby!

That's right, there's another gift under your tree, a BONUS Christmas episode with a new guest Ben Wilson! Playwright, actor and cinephile, Ben is a mega-fan of 2007's Fred Claus starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti! He loves it so much, he even learned how to play the soundtrack on piano.

Fred Claus and Santa Claus have been estranged brothers for many years. Now Fred must reconcile his differences with his brother whom he believes overshadows him. When an efficiency expert assesses the workings at the North Pole and threatens to shut Santa down, Fred must help his brother to save Christmas. (Sourced from Letterboxd)

Will Fred and Santa be able to resolve their differences? Can we stomach the appearance of a cursed actor or will it all fall apart like a House of Cards? And why IS there a Naughty List, Santa? Kind of a fucked up thing to create in the first place. All this and more in our bonus holiday episode!