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.

The Ice Pirates (1984) 17 January 2026

Nick and Roger aren't going to face 1984's The Ice Pirates sober.

Condorman (1981) 03 January 2026 - 1 comment

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a lovable bumbler? Roger and Nick visit one of the films that turned Disney back towards animation, 1981's Condorman.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) 20 December 2025

Nick and Roger sew our limbs back on for 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Some Like It Hot (1959) 25 January 2025

Nick and Roger fire up the old ukuleles and wonder if this will finally be the comedy Roger likes, with 1959's Some Like It Hot.

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.

The Big Short (2015) 13 April 2024

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

Renfield (2023) 30 September 2023 - 2 comments

Nick and Roger go back to the Nic Cage well—but will it be one time too many, as he plays Dracula to Nicholas Hoult's Renfield?

The Thin Man (1934) 23 September 2023

Roger and Nick go back to the glorious seven months between the end of Prohibition and the enforcement of the Production Code, with The Thin Man (1934).

Toy Story 4 (2019) 20 May 2023

Roger and Nick discuss Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4, and (briefly) Lightyear.

Mad Heidi (2022) and The VelociPastor (2018) 01 April 2023

Nick and Roger are joined by special guest Shim as we step up several levels of film quality to discuss those modern masterpieces Mad Heidi (2022) and The VelociPastor (2018).

Casablanca (1942) 31 December 2022 - 2 comments

Roger, Nick and Jon discuss Casablanca (1942).

Four Lions (2010) 17 December 2022

Roger and Nick discuss Four Lions (2010).

Dogma (1999) 09 July 2022 - 2 comments

Nick and Roger discuss Dogma (1999).

The Big Lebowski (1998) 11 June 2022 - 2 comments

The best Chandler parody ever, or just some dude? Nick and Roger discuss The Big Lebowski (1998).

Re-Animator (1985) and Dagon (2001) 16 April 2022

In our first (but probably not last) Lovecraft-a-Thon, Nick and Roger discuss Re-Animator (1985) and Dagon (2001).

Last Action Hero (1993) 02 April 2022

Nick and Roger discuss the notorious bomb Last Action Hero (1993).

Back to the Future (1985-1990) 19 February 2022

Nick and Roger discuss Back to the Future (1985), Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Back to the Future Part III (1990).

Heathers (1989) 05 February 2022

Nick and Roger discuss Heathers (1989).

The Breakfast Club (1985) 04 December 2021 - 2 comments

Roger and Nick discuss The Breakfast Club.

Blood Simple (1984) 20 November 2021 - 4 comments

Roger and Nick discuss Blood Simple.

Local Hero (1983) 06 November 2021

Roger and Nick discuss Local Hero.

The Right Stuff (1983) 30 October 2021

Nick and Roger discuss The Right Stuff.

Diner (1982) 16 October 2021 - 1 comment

Nick and Roger discuss Diner.

Airplane! (1980) 25 September 2021

Roger, Nick and Jon discuss Zero Hour! and Airplane!.

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2022
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2023
- January (4)
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2024
- January (4)
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2025
- January (2)
- February (1)
- March (3)
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- August (1)
- September (2)
- October (1)
- November (2)
- December (2)
2026
- January (2)

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