Ribbon of Memes

It's been over a century and a quarter since the first moving picture was committed to celluloid - the "ribbon of dreams", as Orson Welles mellifluously intoned.

And so, welcome, one and all, to Ribbon of Memes, a new podcast in which Roger Bell_West and Nick Marsh supply grateful listeners hot takes about films considered masterpieces by critics or filmgoers in general.

The rules: we choose one "masterpiece" from every year from the earliest days of cinema to our dreadful modern dystopia. Do we agree these films are classics? Are we entertained? Did we even understand what the film was trying to say? The questions are endless!*

We start in 1973 (for reasons explained in the first podcast) and progress vaguely chronologically (unless we think of another film that makes an interesting comparison to the one we have just seen, or are otherwise distracted by shiny new things).

Yes, that's right, we decided that what the world really needed was two more uninformed middle-aged white guys telling the world about media largely produced by similar people. Find out whether we were right or not herein!

*Actually, no, that's most of them.

We're also on iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts.

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The Wave (2015) and The Quake (2018) 14 December 2024

Roger and Nick preen our beards to indulge in Scandi Disaster with The Wave (Bølgen) and The Quake (Skjelvet).

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Strangers on a Train (1951) and Rope (1948) 30 November 2024

Nick and Roger look at some earlier Hitchcock, with 1951's Strangers on a Train and 1948's Rope.

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Chimes at Midnight (1965) 16 November 2024

Roger and Nick are joined by Michael Cule to consider what Orson Welles did to Shakespeare in 1965's Chimes at Midnight.

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Midsommar (2019) 02 November 2024 - 1 comment

Nick and Roger, with special guest MaryAnn Johanson, ask whether 2019's Midsommar is the "smart horror" we've been waiting for.

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Psycho (1960) and Rear Window (1954) 19 October 2024 - 1 comment

Roger and Nick are invited to get all male-gazey again, in 1960's Psycho and 1954's Rear Window.

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Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) 05 October 2024 - 1 comment

Nick and Roger cross off the boxes on the family tree as we consider 1949's Kind Hearts and Coronets.

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They Live (1989) 21 September 2024

Roger and Nick put on the sunglasses and drink the Flavor Aid, in 1989's They Live.

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Three Colours trilogy (1993-1994) 07 September 2024

Nick and Roger, joined once again by special guest MaryAnn Johanson, look at Kieslowski's final and most successful work: Three Colours Blue, Three Colours White and Three Colours Red.

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The Blair Witch Project (1999) 24 August 2024

Roger and Nick know enough to follow the stream downhill, in 1999's The Blair Witch Project.

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The Poseidon Adventure (1972) 10 August 2024

Nick and Roger get wet and steamy as we consider 1972's The Poseidon Adventure.

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Third Anniversary 26 July 2024

Roger and Nick celebrate our third anniversary doing this podcast.

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Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 13 July 2024 - 1 comment

Nick and Roger look at the sort of Epic! film that just doesn't get made any more, 1962's Lawrence of Arabia. (Actual historica accuracy can wait by the back door in case we need you.)

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Cidade de Deus (2002) 29 June 2024

Roger and Nick won't last long enough on the streets to starve, in 2002's Cidade de Deus.

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Citizen Kane (1941) 15 June 2024

This Orson Welles guy may be fine on the radio, but can he make a movie? Nick and Roger look at his directorial debut, 1941's Citizen Kane.

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No Country For Old Men (2007) 01 June 2024

Roger and Nick get hot in the dust once more in 2007's No Country For Old Men (2007).

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) 18 May 2024

Nick and Roger continue our efforts to become a John Carpenter podcast with a look at his second film, 1976's Assault on Precinct 13.

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The Third Man (1949) 04 May 2024

Roger and Nick don our trenchcoats and explore the sewers with The Third Man (1949).

We also commend to your attention the Orson Welles Findus outtakes.

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Battleship Potemkin (1925) 20 April 2024 - 10 comments

Nick and Roger take on our first banned film (not certified in the UK until 1954, "X"/"18" certificate until 1987) with 1925's Battleship Potemkin.

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The Big Short (2015) 13 April 2024

Roger and Nick continue our exploration of the world of finance with The Big Short (2015).

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All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (2011) 06 April 2024 - 4 comments

Nick and Roger take on our first documentary (arguably, not a film at all) with 2011's All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace) .

If you haven't watched it, we recommend the Wikipedia summary of the subject matter.

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Gaslight (1940 and 1944) 23 March 2024

Roger and Nick try not to worry our pretty little heads about the Gaslight (1940) and Gaslight (1944).

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A Simple Plan (1998) 16 March 2024

Nick and Roger are heading back to the pig farm as we discuss A Simple Plan (1998).

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Sunset Boulevard (1950) 09 March 2024 - 2 comments

Roger and Nick are living in faded glory as we invite you to visit us in Sunset Boulevard (1950).

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The Fog (1980) 02 March 2024

Nick and Roger hide in the lighthouse and try to stay safe from zombie pirates (or is it ghost pirates?) in The Fog (1980).

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Jurassic Park (1993) 24 February 2024

It's a dinosaur movie. We know this. Roger and Nick take a trip to Jurassic Park (1993).

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A Better Tomorrow (1986) 17 February 2024

Nick and Roger strap on our pairs of pistols and embrace each other in a brotherly (and manly) manner as we consider John Woo's breakout film A Better Tomorrow (1986).

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RoboCop (1987) 27 January 2024

Roger and Nick have twenty seconds to comply with RoboCop (1987).

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Halloween (1978) 20 January 2024

Nick and Roger discuss Halloween (1978): another Carpenter masterpiece, or the opening of the floodgates of cheap spam-in-a-can slasher horror?

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Battle Beyond the Magnificent Seven Samurai 13 January 2024 - 1 comment

Roger and Nick grunt in a manly and honourable way as we look back at The Seven Samurai (1954), The Magnificent Seven (1970) and Battle Beyond the Stars (1980).

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The Craft (1996) 06 January 2024

Roger and Nick discuss The Craft.

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