Screen Verdict

On the podcast this week Screen Verdict reviews the Seth MacFarlane comedy Ted starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis. Matt and Jonathan take a look at how Ted came to be alive, what it's like to be part human, part animal, part object and why we believe Ted to be a generous lover. Jonathan also shares some Flash Gordon trivia he learned watching the film and Matt takes a page out of Mark Wahlberg's book and tries to break up with a friend via the aquarium on the podcast. Lastly we provide a Screen Verdict rating for the film and bring up a Screen Verdict first in our Bat-mania housekeeping segment.

This week Screen Verdict are joined by resident Batman expert Bas in order to review The Dark Knight Rises. The boys discuss their history with the superhero and thoughts on writer/director Christopher Nolan. They bring you up to speed with the story and share their thoughts on the first two instalments of the series. In regards to The Dark Knight Rises, Matt offers some podcast therapy for Bruce Wayne, Bas cheats on his wife with Catwoman in a game of Screw, Marry, Kill and Jonathan reveals his mancrush on Tom Hardy. Further topics include the strange nature of time in Gotham City, how effectively Batman used the tools in his utility belt and one's ability to hear an explosion inside a football helmet. Lastly they each provide a Screen Verdict rating for the film and Bas plays the podcast out with some Batman-inspired saxophone. Follow Screen Verdict on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/ScreenVerdictPodcast

(Contains Season 1-4 SPOILERS) This week Screen Verdict takes a look at AMC's Breaking Bad. We discuss our thoughts on previous seasons as well as expectations for the upcoming season 5. The boys make some strong claims about the show including "best television scene of all time" and "worst episode of anything ever made". Topics include some of the decisions Walt has made, what's next for Jessie, why Saul is Matt's favourite character and why Jonathan has no time for Skyler. Each season receives a Screen Verdict rating and Matt and Jonathan finish with a rank. Lastly Matt shares his developments on a grand romantic gesture that Jonathan mistakenly put in Matt's head.

In a bumper edition of the podcast Jonathan and Matt celebrate their one year podcast-versary by giving each other gifts. But first they get tangled up in a Spider-Man review where Matt questions how well Spider-Man would do with the ladies, Jonathan has some tips for being a super-hero in high school and they both share some concerns about OSCORP security. They also announce the winner of the 'Game of Thrones' competition, to see who will be walking away with a brand new book.

In a podcast all about girls Screen Verdict discuss HBO's two new comedy shows for the season, Veep and Girls. Matt and Jonathan discuss Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a girl Vice President in the follow up to Armando Iannucci's 'The Thick of It'. They also discuss the interesting cast in the office and decide who they would keep or fire. Moving on to Girls Matt and Jonathan discuss it as the new Sex and the City. They review each of the characters and play a modified version of one of Screen Verdict's favourite games in Screw, Marry, Kill. Then Matt and Jonathan give each show a rating out of 10 and the combined score provides the HBO showdown winner. Lastly they discuss the excitement of Screen Verdict's one year anniversary and Matt shares some humorous girl issues of his own.

Screen Verdict revisits the topic of our first ever podcast in Pixar, by discussing their new film Brave. Jonathan surprises Matt with an unprecedented podcast opening before moving on to discussing Merida as the first female lead of a Pixar film. They then discuss would feel in her role as the princess and Jonathan gets mad at some of Matt's opinions on the witch. They then rank Brave within the Pixar canon and give a Screen Verdict rating for the film. Lastly we remind you of our Game of Thrones competition and review Matt trying his hand at a local stand-up competition.

This week Screen Verdict reviews Ridley Scott's sci-fi epic Prometheus. Matt and Jonathan establish whether you need to have seen previous Alien films and share their opinions on Ridley Scott as a director. Introducing the film's premise Matt is skeptical about the reasons for the mission whereas Jonathan is too distracted with his man crush on Michael Fassbender. They also discuss some minor questions the film poses such as the meaning of life and the origin of mankind. The podcast concludes with a Screen Verdict rating and discussion of our competition to win a Game of Thrones book.

(Contains Season Two Spoilers) In the podcast Matt and Jonathan have been waiting for they are joined by star of Survivor Amazon, Rob Cesternino. They go through all the key players in the game and review how their strategies played out over the season. From dragons to smoke monsters to zombies, they cover it all. Lastly they provide their Screen Verdict rating for the season and reveal a COMPETITION TO WIN A COPY OF THE GAME OF THRONES BOOK. So listen to the podcast that's more fun than an imp in King's Landing.

In a quick Screen Verdict podcast Jonathan reluctantly gives in to Matt's insistence on reviewing The Lorax. Jonathan explains his reluctance to watch The Lorax and Matt shares his opinion on the film because he actually watched it. Return guest Dutchy also shares his opinions on Dr Seuss and drops some left field political bombs. Podcast listeners are also lucky enough to hear Matt providing his Lorax voice should he have been cast in the role.

In this week's Screen Verdict podcast we review season six of NBC's comedy show 30 Rock. In it we start off with Alec Baldwin's Words With Friends addiction getting him kicked off a plane. Then we move onto whether Liz has finally found a decent boyfriend, Jack's foray into couches, Tracy's shenanigans, how Jenna deals with celebrity and Kenneth's climb up the NBC ladder. We also mention our favourite guest stars including Kelsey Grammar and podcast hero Chris Parnell. Lastly we provide our Screen Verdict rating on the season as well as special guest Dutchy dropping by to give his review based on the show's Wikipedia page.

In a tyrannous review of The Dictator, Screen Verdict discuss the latest shenanigans from Sacha Baron Cohen, or as we coin him, SBC (feel free to use this). Jonathan also shares his thoughts on his previous films and Matt struggles to pronounce them. The podcast takes a look at the premise of the film and reviews some of its strengths and weaknesses. Jonathan has to apologise for Matt as he systematically offends everyone and Chris Parnell makes his triumphant return to the podcast.

(Minor Spoilers in Podcast) This week Screen Verdict discusses the show Parks and Recreation and reviews the latest season. Matt and Jonathan take a look at each of the characters and main story developments. Also Matt shares his plans for us to become the coolest guys in town and we play Screw, Marry, Kill with Rob Lowe, Adam Scott and Will Arnett. The podcast concludes with a Screen Verdict rating and a listener's request for a future podcast.

In the latest Screen Verdict episode Matt and Jonathan review the new Jason Segel and Emily Blunt film, The Five Year Engagement. In the podcast topics include: eating old donuts, appropriate engagement lengths and what we learned from the film. Jonathan also shares a story involving meeting Emily Blunt in real life. Lastly they provide a Screen Verdict rating and reveal the winner of their Walking Dead comics competition.

This week Screen Verdict reviews the highly anticipated superhero film The Avengers. Matt and Jonathan discuss their expectations based on the previous films as well as their thoughts on writer/director Joss Whedon. They then break down the main characters in the film and discuss who were there favourites and whose superpowers they would most like to have. In the second edition of What (Blank) Taught Us, Matt and Jonathan share what they learned watching the film including how to solve political crises. Lastly they give their Screen Verdict rating of the film and discuss competition prizes as well as giving a shout out to the latest prize winner.

In a psychoanalytic Screen Verdict, Matt and Jonathan review the new David Cronenberg film 'A Dangerous Method'. They discuss their thoughts on the famous characters of Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud and Sabrina Spielrein and how they were portrayed by Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen and Keira Knightley. Matt and Jonathan also try an experiment with word association. They each read out 10 words and the other has to say the first word that comes to mind. They then attempt to diagnose each other with some surprising results. They also introduce a new segment called 'What (blank) taught us' and share what we learnt from watching the film. Lastly they offer a Screen Verdict rating and provide a reminder for our Walking Dead comic books competition prize on Facebook.

Screen Verdict goes back in time this week with a review of the '21 Jump Street' reboot. Matt and Jonathan discuss Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum's adventures back at high school, as well as what they were like in high school and how cool they think they'd be now. Topics also include Jonathan comparing Christian girls to strippers and Matt naming his MVP of the film. They conclude with a Screen Verdict rating for the film as well as a reminder of our competition to win a set of The Walking Dead comics.

In this week's Screen Verdict podcast Matt and Jonathan review the FX animated series Archer. Despite Matt being a little preoccupied by some hot cross buns they manage to discuss the premise, the characters and the style of the show. Topics also include how Matt and Jonathan think they'd fare as secret agents and a screw, marry, kill game with three of the show's characters. The podcast concludes with a Screen Verdict rating on the show as well some info on our Walking Dead competition and the Community controversy involving Chevy Chase.

This week Screen Verdict welcomes back Jess Jones as our expert guest on our Hunger Games podcast. For a Screen Verdict first the podcast is recorded on location in the library, the home of copies of the The Hunger Games and Jess's employment. Topics discussed on the podcast include the premise of the film, what on earth the lead character's name is and other characters including Stanley Tucci's hair. We talk about what we thought of the games and how we think we'd fare as contestants. We also decide whether we like the Hunger Games as a reality show and Matt lists his endless problems with it. Lastly we provide our Screen Verdict ratings for the film and provide a reminder of your chance to win a collection of The Walking Dead comics.

Once again a podcast in two parts: 0-26 minutes are spoiler free. In this section we discuss the premise of the show The Walking Dead as well as some of the main characters. Matt and I assess how useful each of us would be in a zombie apocalypse and what our plans for survival would be. Matt also decides to keep me away from his future wife. As well as providing our verdict on the show we offer a competition to WIN A COLLECTION OF THE WALKING DEAD COMICS. 26-55 minutes contain SPOILERS as we talk about the various plot developments throughout the show. We review both seasons one and two and also discuss some of our hopes and expectations for season three.

This week Matt and Jonathan return to their ranking roots with a discussion of the greatest sitcom characters of the past twenty years. See which characters from your favourite shows made the list. Some of the debates on the podcast include, who was the better Office boss: David Brent or Michael Scott? Who did a better job of playing Larry David: Larry David or George Costanza? Which MILF should make it highest up the list? In the end we settle on a rank and declare someone to be the best sitcom character of the past twenty years. Let us know your opinions on the positions and who else you think could have been included.