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.

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.

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.

They Live (1989) 21 September 2024

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

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.

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).

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?

Train Rec to Busan 16 December 2023

Roger and Nick pick two foreign-language fruits from the zombie tree, with [•REC] and Train to Busan. Featuring Roger's Railway Corner!

Cabinet of Dr Caligari 09 December 2023

Nick and Roger get distorted with our earliest film yet, 1920's The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.

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 Birds (1963) 09 September 2023 - 3 comments

Roger and Nick conclude our Hitchcock-a-thon with The Birds (1963). Ca-caw!

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) 19 August 2023

Nick and Roger watch another Huston/Bogart collaboration: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).

Commando, Predator and The Running Man 05 August 2023

Nick and Roger discuss three classics (?) of Arnold Schwarzenegger's early career: Commando (1985), Predator (1987) and The Running Man (1987).

The Call of Cthulhu (2005), Die Farbe (2010), The Whisperer in Darkness (2011) and Color Out of Space (2019) 22 July 2023 - 2 comments

Nick and Roger indulge in a second slate of Lovecraft adaptations, with The Call of Cthulhu, Die Farbe, The Whisperer in Darkness and Color Out of Space.

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).

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) and The Cabin in the Woods (2012) 28 January 2023 - 2 comments

Roger and Nick discuss the end of the world, in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) and The Cabin in the Woods (2012).

28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007) 29 October 2022 - 4 comments

Nick and Roger discuss 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007).

Minority Report (2002) 20 August 2022

Nick and Roger discuss Minority Report (2002).

Ghosts of Mars (2001) 06 August 2022

Nick and Roger discuss the widely-hated Ghosts of Mars (2001). Spoiler: we didn't hate it.

Nosferatu (1922) and Shadow of the Vampire (2000) 16 July 2022 - 2 comments

Roger and Nick discuss Nosferatu (1922) and Shadow of the Vampire (2000).

Mary Reilly (1996) 21 May 2022 - 1 comment

Roger and Nick discuss the much-derided Mary Reilly (1996).

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).

In the Mouth of Madness (1994) 09 April 2022 - 1 comment

Roger and Nick discuss In the Mouth of Madness (1994).

Aliens (1986) 18 December 2021

Roger and Nick discuss Alien and Aliens.

The Thing (1982) 23 October 2021

Roger and Nick discuss The Thing From Another World and The Thing.

Dawn of the Dead (1978) 11 September 2021

Nick and Roger discuss Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead.

Jaws (1975) 24 July 2021 - 4 comments

Nick and Roger discuss Jaws.

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Archive

2021
2022
- January (5)
- February (5)
- March (3)
- April (5)
- May (4)
- June (4)
- July (5)
- August (4)
- September (4)
- October (5)
- November (2)
- December (5)
2023
- January (4)
- February (4)
- March (2)
- April (5)
- May (4)
- June (2)
- July (5)
- August (4)
- September (5)
- October (3)
- November (3)
- December (5)
2024
- January (4)
- February (2)
- March (4)
- April (3)
- May (2)
- June (3)
- July (2)
- August (2)
- September (2)
- October (2)
- November (2)

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