War Movie Theatre

Klendathu must be destroyed! Rob Hutton and Duncan Weldon are joined by Jonn Elledge, best-selling author of A History of the World in 47 Borders, as they strap on their helmets and go on a bug hunt to watch Paul Verhoeven's oft-misunderstood masterpiece Starship Troopers. Clunking misfire or brilliant satire of modern fascism? Next week, it's Ferris Bueller's Civil War, as we watch Glory.

Rob and Duncan are joined by journalist Sanchia Berg for another Powell and Pressburger outing. This time, it's 1944's A Canterbury Tale, where three pilgrims try to unravel a mystery in the wartime Kent countryside. Not a hit on release, it's since found an obsessive fan base. But will it win our hearts?Next week, in a slight change of pace: Starship Troopers

Following listener outrage after we watched Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, we're watching Leslie Norman's 1958 version, starring John Mills and Richard Attenborough. Joining us is pollster Joe Twyman, whose grandfather barely made it off the beach in 1940.Did we prefer the sweeping epic nature of this version, or were we too distracted by John Mill's accent and age?Next week, we're watching A Canterbury Tale, available on the BFI Player and elsewhere.

To coincide with VE Day, we asked Deltapoll to find the nation's favourite WW2 movies. Now that people have stopped shouting abuse at *us* over the resuls, we thought we'd take a look at them. With Rob, Duncan and Deltapoll's Joe Twyman, who's here to tell you you're not as normal as you think you are.

Actor and comedian Miles Jupp (whose own war movie credits include Napoleon and Rogue Heroes) joins Rob and Duncan to discuss Alec Guinness's Oscar-winning performance in the 1957 classic. The film was based on a novel by a Pierre Boule (who would go on to write Planet of the Apes) who decided to transpose his experiences at the hands of his fellow Frenchmen into British characters. At the time it had the most expensive set ever built. Director David Lean hadn't even wanted Guinness - Miles shares his own tales of realising he wasn't the first choice for a role. And Rob reveals why the true story behind the film is even more amazing than the film. Suggestions? Complaints? Get in touch at warmovietheatre@gmail.com

EMERGENCY EPISODE! Prompted by Donald Trump tweeting about Alcatraz, Duncan felt he had to watch 1996's The Rock, which Rob thinks is probably a war movie. Is this the first second-screen movie? Does director Michael Bay understand subtlety? How much Nicolas Cage is too much? And is Sean Connery really playing James Bond for the last time. We're back to our regular schedule on Thursday, with The Bridge On The River Kwai.

Rob and Duncan watch 2024's Civil War with Helen Lewis of The Atlantic, whose forthcoming book The Genius Myth is dedicated to the film's director, Alex Garland. Is it really more of a road movie? How come Texas is in an alliance with California? And that's the guy without the camera doing there, anyway?Next week: The Bridge on the River Kwai.

This week Rob and Duncan pretend to be Duncan and Rob, in an elaborate plan to persuade the enemy that the podcast will actually be taking place in the Mediterranean. That's right, we're watching I Was Monty's Double, starring John Mills. The true story of Operation Copperhead is told in Rob's book The Illusionist, out now in paperback.Next week: Civil War (2024)

Rob and Duncan are joined by pollster and war movie nut Joe Twyman to watch the 1984 teen-resistance classic Red Dawn, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, and just re-released in glorious 4K. Think of it as Dirty Dancing: The WW3 Years.It features a Problematic Moment so Problematic that it ended up being cut, a director who demanded he be paid in firearms, and Joe's unforgettable description of watching the movie on a US military base in Baghdad.Next week: I Was Monty's DoubleSuggestions, comments, offers of cash? warmovietheatre@gmail.com