Couple Indemnity

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Izzy has selected the wonderful cult musical horror classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) this week, for our first official selection of "Spooktober" this year. 
The story centres on a young engaged couple (Barry Bostwick & Susan Sarandon) whose car breaks down in the rain near a castle, where they search for help. The castle is occupied by strangers in elaborate costumes holding a party. They then meet the head of the house, Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), an apparently mad scientist and alien transvestite from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania, who creates a living muscle man named Rocky.
Director: Jim Sharman

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

Hal returns us to the next film in the Hitchcock marathon with the 1956 version, and remake of his own 1934 movie, The Man Who Knew Too Much.
A couple (James Stewart & Doris Day) vacationing in Morocco with their young son accidentally stumble upon an assassination plot. When the child is kidnapped to ensure their silence, they have to take matters into their own hands to save him.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

This week Izzy has chosen one of her all-time favourite period romances Pride & Prejudice starring Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn and Donald Sutherland. 
When Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) meets the handsome Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), she believes he is the last man she could ever marry, but as their lives become intertwined, she finds herself captivated by the man she has sworn to hate forever.
Director: Joe Wright

American Pie (1999)

Hal has selected a real coming-of-age sex comedy with the first instalment of the popular American Pie franchise from his early teen years. The story follows a group of high school classmates who make a pact to lose their virginity before they graduate. Starring Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy and Jennifer Coolidge.
Director: Paul Weitz

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Izzy's latest selection is the highly acclaimed Stanley Kubrick historical epic Barry Lyndon (1975) that recounts the early exploits and later unravelling of an 18th-century Irish rogue and gold-digger (Ryan O'Neal) who marries a rich widow in order to attempt to climb the social ladder and assume her late husband's aristocratic position. 
Director: Stanley Kubrick

Rear Window (1954)

For our latest podcast, we are delighted to be joined by a true podcast inspiration with Scott, host of numerous incredible shows such as Reel Britannia, Stinking Pause, Rainbow Valley and the official Talking Pictures TV Channel. 
Scott joins us today for a deep-dive into Hal's latest film selection in the Hitchcock marathon, none other than Rear Window (1954). 
A newspaper photographer (James Stewart) with a broken leg passes time recuperating by observing his neighbors through his window. He sees what he believes to be a murder.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Challengers (2024)

Izzy's latest choice for the podcast is last year's popular romantic sports drama film Challengers, which follows the love triangle between an injured tennis-star-turned coach Tashi (Zendaya), her low-circuit tennis player ex-boyfriend (Josh O'Connor), and her tennis champion husband (Mike Faist) across 13 years of their relationship, culminating in the match between the two men on the ATP Challenger tour.
Director: Luca Guadagnino

Foyle's War: Among the Few (2003)

Hal has selected the first of one his many favourite tv shows to cover for the podcast with Foyle's War. A British detective drama set in Hastings, England, during and after the Second World War. Created by Anthony Horowitz, it follows the quietly determined Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) as he investigates crimes on the home front — from black market rackets and espionage to murder and treason. Balancing historical accuracy with gripping storytelling, the series explores the moral complexities of wartime Britain through its four central characters: Foyle himself, his spirited driver Sam Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks), the steadfast DS Paul Milner (Anthony Howell), and Foyle’s RAF pilot son Andrew (Julian Ovenden). 
The episode of Among the Few (2003), is set in autumn 1940. As the Battle of Britain rages overhead, Foyle investigates the death of a young female lorry driver, Connie Dewar, whose work ferrying fuel to a nearby RAF base puts her close to a dangerous black-market petrol-theft ring. The case draws Sam undercover at the transport depot and entangles Andrew Foyle when fellow pilots fall under suspicion. Beneath the veneer of heroism “among the few,” Foyle uncovers a web of theft, betrayal, and personal tragedy.
Director: Jeremy Silberston

Imitation of Life (1959)

Izzy has selected a really groundbreaking 1950's drama in what was the last ever work directed by the great Douglas Sirk with Imitation of Life. The film tells the story of Lora Meredith (Lana Turner), a white single mother who dreams of being on Broadway, has a chance encounter with Annie Johnson (Juanita Moore), a black widow. Annie becomes the caretaker of Lora's daughter, Suzie (Sandra Dee), while Lora pursues her stage career. Both women deal with the difficulties of motherhood: Lora's thirst for fame threatens her relationship with Suzie, while Annie's light-skinned daughter, Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner), struggles with her African-American identity.
Director: Douglas Sirk

Charade (1963)

Hal has chosen another of his favourite with the iconic romantic suspense thriller Charade (1963) where we witness intrigue that ensues in Paris as a woman (Audrey Hepburn) is pursued by several men who want to get their hands on a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. She soon loses trust in those who claim they want to help her. Also features some glorious romantic scenes and witty one-liners featuring a certain Cary Grant.
Director: Stanley Donen