Episode 209 - Deathtrap (1982)
The Stinking Pause Podcast
Murder, Manuscripts and Miniature Mayhem This time on Stinking Pause, we’re entering the dangerous world of theatre, thrillers and people who really should know better than to keep decorative weapons around the house. Our main review is Deathtrap from 1982, Sidney Lumet’s twisty, slippery adaptation of Ira Levin’s hugely successful stage play. Michael Caine stars as Sidney Bruhl, a once-celebrated playwright whose career has gone a bit quiet — never a healthy condition in a thriller. Into his life comes Christopher Reeve as Clifford Anderson, a talented young writer with a manuscript...
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Episode 208 - Wake In Fright (1971)
The Stinking Pause Podcast
Welcome to Bundanyabba. The beer is cold, the welcome is warm, and leaving may prove surprisingly difficult. This time on Stinking Pause, Scott, Paul and Charlie are joined by Maurice in Melbourne and Kerry in America for a trip into the heat, dust and rapidly collapsing good intentions of Ted Kotcheff’s extraordinary 1971 drama Wake in Fright. Gary Bond stars as John Grant, a young schoolteacher who becomes stranded in the remote Australian mining town of Bundanyabba after missing his train. All he needs to do is survive one night and continue his journey the following morning....
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Episode 207 - The Fisher King (1991)
The Stinking Pause Podcast
Episode 207 - The Fisher King (1991), Terry Gilliam, Flesh Gordon (1974) A quest for redemption, a salute to cinematic stubbornness, and a Sex Ray pointed directly at good taste. In this episode of Stinking Pause, Scott and Antony head into the gloriously strange, tender and occasionally unhinged world of The Fisher King, Terry Gilliam’s 1991 tale of guilt, grief, romance, fantasy and Robin Williams doing the sort of work that reminds you he could break your heart as easily as make you laugh. Jeff Bridges is on beautifully rumpled form too, as a man trying to crawl back from the...
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Episode 206 - F1 The Movie (2025)
The Stinking Pause Podcast
"They're saying Sonny Hayes isn't a has-been. He's a never-was." The Stinking Pause Podcast - reviewing movies since 2013. Some good...some not so good. In the latest episode of The Stinking Pause Podcast, we buckle up for a slightly unhinged trip through speed, spectacle and sheer cinematic nonsense. First up, we dive into F1: The Movie, a modern racing picture built on big-screen gloss, high-stakes drama and the sort of intense thousand-yard stares that suggest the next corner may decide the fate of civilisation. Joining the conversation is Paul, a man whose taste in films remains...
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Episode 205 - Rocky III (1982)
The Stinking Pause Podcast
"What you say, Paper Champion? I'm gonna beat you like a dog, a dog, you hear me!" The Stinking Pause Podcast - reviewing movies since 2013. Some good...some not so good. We are back with a bit of a revamp for this episode. Rocky III - Scott is joined by Antony from the Film Gold podcast to chat aboout Stallone, Hulk Hogan and Clubber Lang The Balboa Legacy - in which Scott takes a look at the history of the greatest sporting movie franchise in history 1982 - One of the finest years in Hollywood. Not only Rocky III, but The Thing, Blade Runner, Poltergeist, Tron, The Wrath of...
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Episode 204 - Southern Comfort (1981)
The Stinking Pause Podcast
Episode 204 - Southern Comfort (1981) "I got news for you. He's nuts. I mean really fuckin' nuts." Join Scott and Antony as as they take a deep dive into Walter Hill’s 1981 atmospheric survival thriller, Southern Comfort. Often hailed as a gripping allegory for the Vietnam War set against the claustrophobic backdrop of the Louisiana bayou, this gritty masterpiece remains a masterclass in escalating tension and primal paranoia. Set in the winter of 1973, the film follows a squad of Louisiana Army National Guardsmen embarking on a routine weekend training exercise in the deep swamp. Armed...
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Episode 203 - U Turn (1997)
The Stinking Pause Podcast
Episode 203 - U Turn (1997) "You like Patsy Cline? I just love her. I wonder how come she don't put out no more new records." Get ready for a sun-drenched, fast-paced adventure in Oliver Stone’s “U-Turn,” a story that proves even the worst luck can lead to the opportunity of a lifetime! The film introduces us to Bobby (Sean Penn), a man on a mission, cruising through the spectacular Arizona desert in his classic red Mustang. When his car decides it’s time for an unscheduled pit stop, Bobby finds himself in the charming, one-of-a-kind town of Superior. Far from a boring delay, this...
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Episode 202 - California Split (1974)
The Stinking Pause Podcast
Episode 202 - California Split (1974) "Goddamnit, lady, you don't throw oranges on an escalator!" Get ready for one of the most zesty, freewheeling, and flat-out entertaining buddy films ever made! Robert Altman's 1974 gem, California Split, isn't just a movie; it's an experience. Forget a tight, pre-planned plot. Instead, imagine you're a fly on the wall, dropped right into the hazy, electrifying, and slightly chaotic world of two compulsive gamblers who are in it for the sheer, unadulterated thrill of the action. The film kicks off when two men, Bill (George Segal) and Charlie (Elliott...
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Episode 201 - All Night Long (1962)
The Stinking Pause Podcast
Episode 201 - All Night Long (1962) "Me? Oh, I belong to that new minority group: white American jazz musicians. They're going to hold a mass meeting in a phone booth." Get ready to step into the coolest party of 1962. Basil Dearden's All Night Long is a cinematic powder keg, a film that brilliantly transplants Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Othello into the vibrant, smoke-filled world of the London jazz scene, and it does so with an electrifying pulse that never lets up. This isn't just a drama; it's a front-row seat to a once-in-a-lifetime jam session, featuring knockout performances from...
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Episode 200 - Jurassic Park (1993)
The Stinking Pause Podcast
Episode 200 - Jurassic Park (1993) "Look... We can discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back" Get ready for an adventure 65 million years in the making! Steven Spielberg's 1993 masterpiece, Jurassic Park, welcomes you to an extraordinary theme park where dinosaurs roam the earth once more. Eccentric billionaire John Hammond has the brilliant idea to bring these prehistoric giants back to life for a spectacle unlike any other. He invites a team of experts, including paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler, and the ever-charismatic chaotician Dr. Ian Malcolm,...
info_outlineThe Stinking Pause Podcast – bringing you classic movie reviews since 2013 - some good...some not so good.
This week join Scott, Paul and Charlie for a tale of a bungled diamond heist leading to a chaotic, hilarious web of double-crosses. Seduction, stammering, and stolen fish ensnare a stuffy lawyer in a madcap Anglo-American culture clash for the loot.
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
"A Fish Called Wanda" is a delightfully chaotic and hilariously upbeat caper that brilliantly blends British wit with American brashness. The story ignites when a mismatched gang of jewel thieves – the cunning Wanda Gershwitz (Jamie Lee Curtis), her dangerously dim-witted "brother" Otto (Kevin Kline), the animal-loving, stuttering Ken Pile (Michael Palin), and the brains of the operation, George Thomason (Tom Georgeson) – successfully pull off a major diamond heist.
However, the trust among thieves is, predictably, non-existent. Wanda and Otto immediately betray George, landing him in jail, but not before he cunningly hides the loot. Enter the quintessential, repressed English barrister, Archie Leach (John Cleese). Wanda sets her sights on seducing Archie, believing he can lead her to the hidden diamonds. What follows is a whirlwind of outrageous situations, escalating absurdities, and laugh-out-loud moments.
Kevin Kline's Oscar-winning performance as the pseudo-intellectual, pathologically jealous Otto is a comedic tour-de-force, delivering iconic lines and unforgettable physical comedy. Michael Palin is equally brilliant as the tortured Ken, whose attempts to eliminate a key witness (an elderly dog lover) go catastrophically and hilariously wrong, usually involving the unfortunate demise of her beloved pooches.
Jamie Lee Curtis shines as the smart, manipulative Wanda, effortlessly wrapping everyone around her little finger. John Cleese is perfect as the flustered Archie, whose stiff upper lip gradually crumbles under Wanda's charms and the sheer madness of the unfolding events, leading to some of the film's most memorable and uproarious scenes.
"A Fish Called Wanda" is a masterclass in comedic timing and ensemble performance. Its relentless pace, witty dialogue, and a genuine sense of fun make it an enduring and infectiously cheerful cinematic treat that leaves audiences roaring with laughter.
"You pompous, stuck-up, snot-nosed, English, giant, twerp, scumbag, fuck-face, dickhead, asshole."
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Scott, Paul, and Charlie