Silver Screen Queens 160: The Nice Guys

Published 8 June 2016 • 30 minutes, 54 seconds

We’ve been big fans of Shane Black for a while, so we went to see his latest film, a wannabe 70s noir about a pair of (private) dicks played by Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. While the plot is not dissimilar to the wonderful Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and there are a few funny one-liners, it lacks the charm and wit of the earlier film, and falls into the trap of doing the very thing it’s apparently trying to satirise.

Topical 65: Interpersonal Conflict

Published 3 June 2016 • 20 minutes, 36 seconds

Every relationship endures conflict, whether it be platonic, professional, or romantic. Even interactions with complete strangers can be ridden with conflict, so Jelly and Russell spend a little time considering the ways that they handle conflict in the various parts of their lives, and how it affects them.

Silver Screen Queens 159: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Published 1 June 2016 • 36 minutes, 47 seconds

Rising star New Zealand director Taika Waititi has been tapped to direct the next Thor movie, but he has a great body of work behind him, including this new gem. This story of a young boy from the city and his reluctant foster uncle, and the manhunt that ensues when they get stuck in the bush is full of all the things we love: diverse characters, solid storytelling and a great absurd sense of humour. While we have some quibbles with the realism of the premise, it’s impossible to ignore the real emotion at its heart.

Mobile Couch 84: Set It on Fire

Published 30 May 2016 • 49 minutes, 9 seconds

Ben and Jelly turn their minds to this year’s WWDC, and spend some time talking about what they expect to come out of this year’s conference, as well as what they’re actually hoping for (there’s a difference!), including better stability in tooling and more transparency with errors.

Topical 64: Perceptions

Published 27 May 2016 • 22 minutes, 36 seconds

The way we perceive ourselves is important, but the way we think others perceive us can drive us to do things we would never normally do. Russell and Jelly take a long, hard look at whether changing so that we’re seen in a different light is healthy, and if it can even help in bettering oneself at all.

Silver Screen Queens 158: X-Men: Apocalypse

Published 25 May 2016 • 36 minutes, 10 seconds

The latest of the new old X-Men movies has been released and like its predecessors, it’s pretty good fun. Welcome to 1983, where no-one has aged much since 1962, but the ur-mutant has awakened from a 5,00-year sleep. Charles and Eric still love one another despite Eric’s temper and this universe still contains the best Quicksilver. A new crop of young mutants starts to make a name for themselves.

Topical 63: Job Interviews

Published 20 May 2016 • 21 minutes, 13 seconds

Sitting on the other side of the table from an interview panel can be daunting, but have no fear! Jelly and Russell reminisce about job interviews they’ve been to—and those they’ve helped conduct—to come up with a foolproof way to get the job of your dreams… or maybe not?

Silver Screen Queens 157: Bastille Day

Published 18 May 2016 • 33 minutes, 52 seconds

Idris Elba and Richard Madden headline this tight little action movie, playing a grizzled CIA agent and an ace pickpocket caught up in a terrorist manhunt in Paris. A little bit “Die Hard in Paris” and a little bit British gangster flick, Bastille Day is well-made, gritty and has a solid story. It’s just a shame it was so hard for us to find a screening. Watch it yourself before you listen to us.

Mobile Couch 83: Hackity Hack, Don’t Look Back

Published 16 May 2016 • 50 minutes, 25 seconds

What is good code, and how does one achieve it? Ben and Jelly spend some time working through a small project while considering the flaws, edge cases and potential shortcuts, in an effort to come up with ways to weed out bad code, while also improving the end result.

Topical 62: Launching an App

Published 13 May 2016 • 27 minutes

It turns out launching an app isn’t as easy as it might seem. Russell and Jelly, who have one or to launches under their belt, recount the processes they go through and the things they do to try and make it successful.