Episodes

Friday Mar 02, 2018
La La Land 2: Scar Scar Land (feat. Wit Ye Talking Aboot)
Friday Mar 02, 2018
Friday Mar 02, 2018
Beyond The Box Set goes on the road this week for a podcast crossover with the hilarious Ross and Laura of Wit Ye Talking About. The musical Scots join us for a timely discussion of Damien Chazelle's thwarted Oscar darling La La Land.
Join us as we discuss obnoxious cinema etiquette, weirdly muddy sound mixing and whether or not this movie would have been better if Hugh Jackman was in it - all before we join forces to pitch our own sequel ideas for the film; this week featuring a gritty noir thriller with strictly no musical numbers, and of course the inevitabe low-budget British remake.
-----
Beyond The Box Set is a top ten TV & Film podcast officially rated 'Binge Worthy' by Apple Podcasts. Each week, we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequels, prequels and spin-offs to bring them back to the big screen.
We're available on virtually all major Podcasting platforms and most forms of social media. We're also now available on Patreon, where you can support us for as little as $2 per month in return for a host of exclusive perks, including access to our weekly bonus show 'Beyond BTBS', a 30 second ad slot on Beyond The Box Set and the chance to appear as a character in one of our sequels!
00.00: Hugh Jackman could have saved this movie
27.52: La La Land Drinking Games
39.20: La La Land 2: Da Da Land
45.15: La La Land 2: Scar Scar Land
1.12.22: Listener Submissions & Episode 55 Preview

Tuesday Feb 27, 2018
OSCAR BONUS | Ranking the 2018 Best Picture Nominees
Tuesday Feb 27, 2018
Tuesday Feb 27, 2018
It's Oscar time! We love an awards show here at Beyond The Box Set, so in honour of the biggest one of all, we're taking a quick detour from pitching ridiculous sequels to compare notes on the 2018 Academy Award nominees for Best Picture.
Over the past few months, we've sat through all nine of the Best Picture nominees, plus as many of other other major award contenders as we could squeeze in. Some were great, some were mediocre, but none of them sucked as much as Hacksaw Ridge.
Join us as we rank the nominees from worst to best, predict the winners of the other major trophies - including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Original Score and the always thrilling Best Sound Editing.
We also talk about some of the films we think got a raw deal this Oscar season - and attempt to right some wrongs with our very own Beyond The Box Set awards, featuring categories that actually matter, such as Hottest Sex Scene, Achievement in Wigs and Least Necessary Celebrity Cameo.
Whether you're a hardened Oscar nerd or a casual follower, this episode offers the perfect primer for Sunday night's show. Stay tuned for our hung over post-Oscars reaction episode too, due out whenever we manage to drag ourselves out of bed on Monday...
The Academy Award nominees for Best Picture in 2018 are
- Call Me By Your Name
- The Darkest Hour
- Dunkirk
- Get Out
- Lady Bird
- Phantom Thread
- The Post
- The Shape of Water
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missourri
-----
Beyond The Box Set is a top ten TV & Film podcast officially rated 'Binge Worthy' by Apple Podcasts. Each week, we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequels, prequels and spin-offs to bring them back to the big screen.
We're available on virtually all major Podcasting platforms and most forms of social media. We're also now available on Patreon, where you can support us for as little as $2 per month in return for a host of exclusive perks, including access to our weekly bonus show 'Beyond BTBS', a 30 second ad slot on Beyond The Box Set and the chance to appear as a character in one of our sequels!
00.00: Ranking The Best Picture Nominees
02.30: Horrible Lighting and Redundant Female Characters
06.40: Nice Kaftans, Shame About The Movie
09.30: Needed More Fabulous Dresses
12.40: Weird Sex and Poor Casting Choices
15.15: High Hopes and A Quick Finish
18.20: This Film Gave Me Whiplash
22.40: Something Fishy
28.00: The Superior WW2 Movie
34.55: The People's Champion
39.00: Quickfire Oscar Predictions
1.06.10: The Beyond The Box Set Awards

Thursday Feb 22, 2018
Garden State 2: Pet Sematary
Thursday Feb 22, 2018
Thursday Feb 22, 2018
Remember when everybody loved Garden State? Strange as it seems, Zach Braff's directorial debut was widely praised on release - so why has its reputation curdled so dramatically in recent years? Louise Ball joins us this week to discuss Manic Pixie Dream Girls, alarming animal cruelty and to help pitch the sequels that none of us actually want to see...
Released in 2004 at the height of Zach Braff's Scrubs fame, Garden State was a slow-burn box office success, grossing over $35 million against a $2.5 million budget, bouyed by a Grammy-winning soundtrack and enthusiastic reviews. Despite this initial success, the movie later attracted criticism for its ponderous exploration of mid-twenties ennui and the characterisation of Natalie Portman's female romantic lead as less a recognisable human being than an infantilised collection of infuriatingly self-conscious quirks.
Is Garden State totally without merit? We didn't quite think so. In this episode we discuss some of the reasons the movie was initially so successful - as well as the many elements that have aged poorly in the cold light of 2018. In pitching our own sequels, one of us attempts to inject some excitement by splicing the cast with a modern sci-fi phenomenon with an equally iconic soundtrack, one of us digs into the appalling animal cruelty hinted at in the original film, and one of us decides to ditch the insufferable central duo altogether and allow some of the movie's most memorable supporting characters to take centre stage...
-----
Beyond The Box Set is a top ten TV & Film podcast officially rated 'Binge Worthy' by Apple Podcasts. Each week, we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequels, prequels and spin-offs to bring them back to the big screen.
We're available on virtually all major Podcasting platforms and most forms of social media. We're also now available on Patreon, where you can support us for as little as $2 per month in return for a host of exclusive perks, including access to our weekly bonus show 'Beyond BTBS', a 30 second ad slot on Beyond The Box Set and the chance to appear as a character in one of our sequels!
00.00: Natalie Portman is not a natural laugher
22.15: Garden State Drinking Games
31.05: Garden State 2: Velcro Bad Things
46.40: Garden State 2: Pet Sematary
52.50: Garden State 2: The Infinite Abyss
1.03.10: Listener Submissions & Episode 54 Preview

Thursday Feb 15, 2018
22 Short Films About Snowpiercer
Thursday Feb 15, 2018
Thursday Feb 15, 2018
Imagine the worst train journey you've ever taken. Now, throw in baby-eating, a post-apocalyptic caste system and a demented Tilda Swinton ranting about shoes in a broad Yorkshire accent. Welcome to Bong Joon-ho's quirky sci-fi action hit Snowpiercer. It's quite the ride...
Released in 2013, Snowpiercer features an all-star cast including Chris Evans, Octavia Spencer, Tilda Swinton and John Hurt as the last remnants of humanity scrapping for survival aboard a high-speed train controlled by the mysterious and God-like 'Wilfred'. The film was acclaimed for its bold visual style and inventive action sequences. It is also completely insane.
This week on Beyond The Box Set, we discuss cool but nonsensical fight scenes, Tilda Swinton's gloriously off-kilter acting choices and why it's weird to be grossed out by Cockroach bars when you've already chowed down on a baby...
As is the tradition, we also pitch our own fantasy sequel ideas to the movie, including an anthology movie featuring the many bizarre characters who populate the original film, our first ever 'Make It a Video Game!' and a crossover with the biggest romantic blockbuster of all time...
-------
Each week on Beyond The Box Set, we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequel, prequel or spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. Our show is available on virtually all major podcasting platforms, including iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean.
We recently launched on Patreon, allowing our listeners to access a whole raft of fabulous bonus content including our weekly bonus show 'Beyond BTBS', a 30 second ad slot on our main show and the opportunity to become a character in one of our sequels. We also have our own line of merchandise on TeePublic.com, including T-shirts, mugs, iphone cases and more.
00.00: Tilda Swinton is making some choices...
26.15: Snowpiercer Drinking Games
32.30: Snowpiercer 2: Directed by James Cameron
48.05: 22 Short Films About Snowpiercer
1.01.15: Listener Submissions & Episode 53 Preview

Friday Feb 09, 2018
*batteries not included 2: Attack of the Drones
Friday Feb 09, 2018
Friday Feb 09, 2018
What's your favourite children's movie about impoverished elderly people living with dementia? This week on Beyond The Box Set, we're joined by the talented Phil Hepworth to discuss *batteries not included, a quirky family sci-fi that features some surprisingly adult and melancholy themes.
Released in 1987, *batteries not included stars Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy as Frank and Faye Riley, a married couple whose long-time home comes under threat from aggressive property developers who want to force them out. As Faye's apparent dementia continues to worsen, Frank prays for a miracle - and gets one in the form of a pair of apparently sentient miniature spaceships known as 'The Fix-Its'.
The film's unusually thoughtful tone might be down to writer Brad Bird, who went on to write and produce a number of Pixar's biggest hits including Ratatouille and The Incredibles. A modest hit on release, the film has become a minor cult classic, winning a then-septuagenarian Tandy a Saturn award for Best Actress.
Join us as we discuss the colourful cast of characters - including a slogan-quoting former boxer and a short-fused gang leader with highly unusual fashion sense even for an eighties movie - attempt to figure out what the aliens/robots/spaceships are actually supposed to be in this movie and of course, pitch some sequel ideas...
-----
Every week on Beyond The Box Set, we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequel, prequel or spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. You can find us on virtually all major podcasting platforms, including iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean.
We recently launched on Patreon, allowing our listeners to access a whole raft of fabulous bonus content including our weekly bonus show 'Beyond BTBS', a 30 second ad slot on our main show and the opportunity to become a character in one of our sequels. We also have our own line of merchandise on TeePublic.com, including T-shirts, mugs, iphone cases and more.
00.00: All musicians are cheating bastards
25.22: *batteries not included Drinking Games
30.00: *batteries not included 2: Attack of the Drones
36.25: *batteries not included 2: Strong & Stable
46.25: *batteries not included 2: Always Read The Small Print
1.02.20: Listener Submissions & Episode 52 Preview

Friday Feb 02, 2018
Forrest Gump II: Jenny's Side
Friday Feb 02, 2018
Friday Feb 02, 2018
Episode 50 marks Beyond The Box Set's first full year on the air, so we knew we had to celebrate with a truly iconic movie choice. So sit down and join us as we pitch sequels to the tearjerking 90s classic Forrest Gump, aka Harry's all-time favourite movie.
In this episode we compare notes on how long each of us lasted before welling up, reveal the historical crossover scene that was wisely left on the cutting room floor, and debate whether Jenny Curran is the most unfairly maligned cinema character of the past thirty years...
We also bring you a bumper selection of drinking games, including needlessly shirtless Lieutenant Dan, every time Jenny's wigs signify a time jump and the occasional hints of Mama Gump's dark side...
Over twenty years after Tom Hanks hung up his running shoes and put little Haley Joel Osment onto the bus, it seems increasingly unlikely that a real Forrest Gump sequel will ever come to pass. Not that we let that spoil our fun as we dedicate the second half of this episode to pitching ridiculous follow-up ideas, including Colin Hanks as a young Forrest undertaking an improbable journey through the plot lines of some of Tom Hanks most famous films - trust us, there was enough to go on...
Finally, we also marked our one-year anniversary by finally launching our own dedicated Patreon and Merchendise pages. For as little as £2 per month, you could become a VIP subscriber for access to our weekly bonus episodes, a 30 second shout-out on the show and the chance to become a character in one of our sequel ideas! Just visit our Patreon Page for more information.
T-shirts, mugs, iphone covers and other assorted Beyond The Box Set accessories are also now available via our Teepublic online store
-----
Each week on Beyond The Box Set, we take a classic standalond movie and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequel, prequel or spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. We're currently featured as a 'Binge Worthy Podcast' on the Apple store, and we've frequently cracked the top ten TV & Film Podcasts on UK iTunes.
In other words, our first year has been a wild ride and we don't intend to get off any time soon. You can help support the show by hitting subscribe for a new episode every Friday morning, or by leaving us a review on the Apple store. You can now also support us as an official VIP supporter on Patreon, using our pay as you feel model to gain access to a huge raft of amazing extras (if we do say so ourselves...)
You can find Beyond The Box Set on most major Podcasting platforms, including iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Podbean and much more. You can also get in touch with us via our social media, we always love to hear from our listeners.
00.00: John's Tom Hanks Mea Culpa and A Defence of Jenny
29.40: Forrest Gump Drinking Games
43:55: Forrest Gump 2: Jenny's Side
01:00.55: Forrest Gump 2: Being Tom Hanks
01.18:55.: Listener Submissions & Episode 51 Preview

Friday Jan 26, 2018
Black Swan 2: Urban Redemption
Friday Jan 26, 2018
Friday Jan 26, 2018
Natalie Portman's high-intensity acting style found the perfect vehicle in Darren Aronofsky's nightmarish ballet-themed body horror Black Swan, a role that deservedly won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. But what might happen if the two reunited for a second act?
Olumide Ajulo joins us in this week's episode to discuss Portman's journey to the dark side, the unintentional camp value of the swan transformation scenes and the joy of Winona Ryder being the most Winona she can be in a brief but full-tilt supporting turn as a faded Ballet queen in a suspiciously crooked wig...
After burning through some drinking games - mostly concieved to provide a distraction from all the gross finger stuff in this film - we also pitch our own fantasy Black Swan sequels, including Winona's origin story, an uplifting redemption movie with a Pitch Perfect twist and an attempted comeback for Portman's Nina Sayers' that inevitably winds up taking a dark and twisted turn...
-----
Every week on Beyond The Box Set, we explore a classic standalone movie from cinema past and compete to pitch the most ridiculous prequel, sequel and spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. We're a UK top ten Film and TV podcast that's been certified 'Binge-worthy' by the Apple Podcast app, available for free download and streaming from all major podcasting platforms - including iTunes, Spotify, Podbean and more.
Our show lives and dies on the support of our listeners, so if you enjoy this episode please consider hitting subscribe for a new episode every Friday morning. If you're feeling extra nice, leaving us a review on your chosen podcasting platform is also a really good way to support the show.
00.00: Nina Sayers needs a low-stakes job in personal finance
34.55: Black Swan Drinking Games
40.00: Black Swan 2: Nutcracker
57.30: Black Swan 2: Urban Redemption
1.08.50: Black Swan 2: Winona's Story
1.24.: Listener Submissions & Episode 50 Preview

Monday Jan 22, 2018
BONUS | Oscar Predictions 2018
Monday Jan 22, 2018
Monday Jan 22, 2018
It's the most wonderful time of the year... for movie nerds! With the official nominations for the 2018 Academy Awards due to be announced in a matter of days, we decided to take a brief detour from our regularly scheduled programming to make our predictions for the movies we expect to see nominated for Best Picture.
The Academy Award nominations will be announced from 05.22 PST or 13.22 UK time*, and you can watch it all unfold live at beyondtheboxset.com/oscars to see how eerily accurate - or woefully off the mark - our predictions might have been.
We'll be bringing your more Oscar coverage over the coming weeks, including our ranking of the actual Best Picture nominees once we've gotten around to watching them all, and our reaction to the results some time after we've recovered from the main show.
Fear not, our weekly schedule of pitching ludicrous sequels to classic standalone movies will not be interrupted, and our regular episodes will continue to come out every Friday morning. Just think of this as bonus content - kind of the way Meryl Streep probably thinks about her Golden Globe nominations these days...
* Harry claims the nominations come out at 1am UK time in this episode, but he never was great with the numbers...

Friday Jan 19, 2018
Friday Jan 19, 2018
It's the whip-smart cult comedy that revived Robert Downey Jr.'s career and rescued us from the prospect of Johnny Knoxville headlining the Iron Man Franchise. Shane Black's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang combines classic Neo Noir references with a distinctly 21st century sensibility, making it just the kind of curious genre-crossover we love to sink our teeth into...
With the invaluable assistance of our special guest Chris Johnston of Easy Riders Raging Podcast, we attempt to wrap our heads around the insanely convoluted plot of this movie, debate whether it's OK to shamelessly objectify your female lead if you make a point of being self aware about it and question just what exactly the root cause might be of Val Kilmer's increasingly alarming facial dimensions...
Naturally we also get down to some sequel ideas, which this week include a Rush Hour-inspired location switch, a deconstruction of the original movie's obsession with gay panic jokes and a lot of really terrible plays on the title. Kiss Kiss Cillit Bang, anyone?
------
Every week on Beyond The Box Set, we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequel, prequel and spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. We've covered everything from timeless blockbusters to beloved cult classics, and quite possibly ruined them all with our sacreligious and frequently unfilmable reboot concepts.
If you like the show, please hit subscribe to get a new episode every Friday morning, and leave us a review on your preferred Podcasting app to really make our day. You can also reach out to us on most forms of social media, or through our official website.
00.00: Val Kilmer has strange proportions
29.00: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Drinking Games
35.00: Click Click Click... Bang!
41.05: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 2: Ding Dong & Dynamite
46.30: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 2: Who's Afraid of Gay Perry?
1.02.35: Listener Submissions & Episode 49 Preview

Thursday Jan 11, 2018
Being John Malkovich II: The Split
Thursday Jan 11, 2018
Thursday Jan 11, 2018
After four long weeks apart, Harry and John finally reunite for a dizzyingly hilarious trip down the rabbit hole that is Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman's brilliantly inventive Being John Malkovich, one of the most creative cult comedies of the 1990s.
Starring John Cusack as a frustrated puppeteer, Cameron Diaz as his sexually conflicted, animal-hoarding wife and John Malkovich in a career defining performance as himself - or some version of it - Being John Malkovich is rightly regarded as a modern classic.
Join us as we discuss the wig that transforms John Cusack into Dylan Moran, Catherine Keener's stellar leg work in this movie, why Being Tom Cruise would never have worked and much more, before setting ourselves the daunting task of matching this movie's endless insanity with our own fantasy sequel pitches.
----
Beyond The Box Set is the hit movie podcast in which classic standalone movies are subjected to bizarre and frequently unfilmable sequel, prequel and spin-off ideas in hopes of bringing them back to the big screen. We've been certified 'binge worthy' by Apple Podcasts and recently cracked the top ten in the UK TV & Film Charts, which we plan to dine out on for all eternity.
If you enjoy the show, hit subscribe to receive a brand new episode every Friday morning, and please consider leaving us a review too - it really helps our show to find more new listeners. Beyond The Box Set is available for free download and streaming via iTunes, Stitcher, aCast, Podbean and more.
If you'd like to reach out to us with a sequel idea, a movie suggestion or just to say hi, we're contactable via most forms of social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Google+, or by leaving a comment on our official website.
00.00: Hot Tubs, Creepy Puppets and The Joy of Unapologetic Nonsense
25.00: Being John Malkovich Drinking Games
33.40: Being Harry Chappell
58.20: Splitting John Malkovich
01.06.45: Listener Submissions, The Get Out Theory & Episode 48 Preview