Raven On Podcast

Happy 2021, everybody! Finally, 2020 is over and we can start afresh and positive... oh wait, there's a Doctor Who festive special to dissect. Dan & Greg from the Smart Enough to Know Better podcast join Nat & Stu to forensically examine "Revolution of the Daleks", which compared to some previous episodes of this era, is... fine. Except when you start to get into it. Then things get VERY. SHOUTY. Enjoy almost two hours of geeking out, if that's your thing!

The James Bond Retrospective comes to a climax (for now) as Nat & Stu grab some notebooks and compile a bunch of "Best of" lists from the 25 films they've watched in this, the year of Covid-19. The pair also take the opportunity to list some magic moments from the movies, as well as some less than ideal ones. Also, they bag out Spectre again because, seriously, what was WITH that whole thing? Thank you so much for listening to this series - stay tuned as next on the line-up for Nat & Stu is "Raven Bat".

The writing's on the wall for Nat & Stu as they finally rewatch and review "Spectre", the 24th Eon Bond film and one that Nat has not seen since loathing it in the cinema in 2015. Is it better than she remembers? Did she just dream up that whole "Blofeld is Bond's weird stepbrother" angle? No? Well, then, you can probably expect some ranting. Stu has some good points to make too, often more coherent and sensible than Natalie's. Plus there's a fair bit of comparison (and not in a great way) to the BBC Sherlock series, so please keep your complaints nice. :P This is the final official Raven Bond podcast until "No Time To Die", but don't worry, Nat & Stu Will Return!

Ahead of their Spectre podcast, Nat & Stu got together to talk about the death of Sean Connery. This includes a discussion of Connery's misogynistic behaviour and comments about women, and how social media responds to celebrity deaths and so-called "problematic faves". Also there's a great yarn about Connery calling out director Brett Ratner for being a fraud. You can also read Natalie's reflections on Connery's life and work on her website: www.nataliebochenski.com Thanks for listening!

Let the SKY FAAAAAALLLLLL as Adele's rounded tones welcome us to the 50th year of Bond onscreen and the 23rd Bond film, Skyfall. Nat & Stu are joined by Brisbane journalist and fellow Bond tragic Alison Sandy to pick over the now old & busted bones of Britain's premier secret agent, who apparently is nearing the scrapheap despite only just getting his Double-O status. The trio get down and dirty with Xavier Bardem's flamboyant villain Raoul Silva, discuss M as the ultimate Bond girl, and Natalie gets REALLY ANGRY about the whole "let's keep Moneypenny's identity a secret and then reveal it at the very end in an incredibly clunky way" thing. And fair enough too, because it's VERY FRUSTRATING. Enjoy!

For the first time in Bond history - a sequel! Nat and Stu are joined once more by the encyclopedic brain of Tom Salinsky (from Best Pick Pod) to discuss Daniel Craig's second outing as the super spy. And it's a strange beast, with lots of super fast choppy editing, weirdly underwritten characters (especially the women) and plot threads left dangling in the breeze like so many unfurled-until-the-last-possible-second parachutes. But as Tom tells us, writing cohesive scripts is hard, and QoS has much to teach us about having strong narrative vision. Also Natalie's mad there aren't enough sex scenes, so it's classy talk all the way. Enjoy!

You know his name... it's Daniel Craig! The first truly 21st century Bond, whose concept of the character harks back to the original Fleming novels. Nat & Stu are joined by Greg Wah from the Smart Enough to Know Better podcast to talk all things Craig, his blue eyes, THAT swimsuit scene, his rookie dangerous "win at all costs" attitude, his mad poker skills, and how this movie subtly creates the Bond we know as it progresses. Also - there's probably too much chat about Eva Green and not enough about Mads Mikkelsen, but just the right amount of talk about thrashing testicles. Enjoy!

Madonna urges Sigmund Freud to "analyse this" in her theme song to Die Another Day, but surely even the cocaine-crazed Austrian shrink would have trouble deciphering this one. Yes, it's the 20th Eon Bond film that also marked the series' 40th anniversary on screens, AND has the legacy of near-ruining Pierce Brosnan's reputation as Bond. Nat & Stu are joined once more by guest Nick Wiggins to chat about the initial promise of this film, let down by poor directing choices, lacklustre casting, some terrible writing and dodgy AF CGI. There's a LOT to discuss. Enjoy!

A fresh trailer for No Time To Die dropped last week, just in time for Natalie & Stu - plus returning pod guest Nick Wiggins - to have a chinwag about its contents, and mutter about what we could expect from Daniel Craig's last outing as the superspy. Please enjoy this mini-episode while Natalie continues to beaver away on the main Die Another Day podcast edit! She's totally on top of it, we swear!

Tonight we're going to podcast like it's 1999, because it's time for The World Is Not Enough! Your Millenium bug-infested hosts are ready to let loose with all their opinions on Pierce Brosnan's third Bond outing, including: the extended pre-credit sequence with Thames boat chase; M16's Scottish base; the last appearance of Desmond Llewelyn as Q and the first of John Cleese; the bait-and-switch villain plot; Renard's bullet-powered invulnerability and poor Denise Richards. Also, exactly what did Natalie learn from her brush-with-fame encounter with Shirley Manson at a dodgy Brisbane music festival circa 2004? Enjoy!

Nat & Stu are right at home this week with Tomorrow Never Dies, aka the "media & journalism" Bond movie. Your scrappy hacks revel in the original drama llama Eliot Carver, Jonathan Pryce's OTT to the extreme megalomaniacal news baron, as well as Bond's remote control car, a handcuffed bike ride with the indomitable Michelle Yeoh, and a STEALTH BOAT. Be prepared for some sidenotes on nerdy schoolies experiences, nerdy journalism election-covering experiences, and a few references to that other boat-related 1997 film. Enjoy!

We're into the Nineties now people, so hold onto your Tamagotchis and Spice Girls and Windows '95 operating systems because Nat & Stu are spooling up GoldenEye and setting it to stun. Bond buff Tom Salinsky rejoins the virtual chatter couch for a deep dive on a rejuvenated, post Cold War 007 franchise, complete with Sean Bean, a tank chase, and a hot lady with killer thighs, and we're not just talking about Dame Judi Dench. Enjoy!

Oh, Timothy Dalton, did you have to leave us so soon? No sooner had we established a thirst, but you turn off the water mains forever. Yes, it's time for Nat & Stu to discuss Licence to Kill, Dalton's second and final Bond outing, which scratches Stu's 80s action movie itch so hard it may as well be a rash. Bond's revenge story, in which he goes up against South American drug baron Sanchez, is full of over the top stunts, feminist babes, bricks of cocaine and dollar dollar bills. And sharks. Your intrepid hosts take some tangential detours into jigsaw puzzles and 90s movies, and Natalie misses an extremely obvious pun.

Natalie has got the vapours and Stu has to bring the smelling salts for this one, because we're into the Dalton era. Yes, finally understanding what her mother has been saying all these years, Natalie finds herself deeply into the D. Special guest Chris Spensley joins Nat & Stu to discuss Timothy Dalton's Bond debut, which features a darker shift in tone, plus a surprisingly romantic relationship with leading lady Kara Milovy. Enjoy!

Nat & Stu are joined by guest Scott Driscoll to dive into Roger Moore's final outing as 007, A View to a Kill. It's a puzzling film, with good ingredients such as Christopher Walken, Grace Jones, and that banging Duran Duran theme, but still ends up a bit... soggy... thanks to a confusing plot featuring horse racing, Nazi experiments and microchips. Enjoy!

In this bonus mini-episode, Natalie reveals to Stu that the fight co-ordinator on "Never Say Never Again" was none other than Steven Seagal. That prompts a merry wend through the now-faded action star's bulky filmography. That's literally it. It's just Seagal Talk. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Never say we don't do anything for you! Ahhh, you see what we did there. Yes, Nat & Stu have taken a sharp detour to put Sean Connery's non-canonical return film "Never Say Never Again" through its deeply weird paces. How does it stand up next to Octopussy, the other film of the Year of Two Bonds? Your delightful pair get excited about the fabulous Fatima Blush (or is that Bush?), detour into psychic encounters for... reasons, and talk all things hairpieces and colonics, which feature far more in this film than you might remember. Enjoy!

We mentioned in the main Octopussy podcast that Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creator of Fleabag, had been brought in to do a script punch-up on No Time To Die. Well, did you know that our very special guest co-host, Tom Salinsky, was there at the very beginning of the Fleabag story?! Check out this mini-pod bonus to hear all about it, plus a few of Tom's other Bond connections.

Nat & Stu are back and have brought special international corresBondent Tom Salinsky with them for a deep dive into Octopussy, oo-er. The 1983 film saw the return of Roger Moore to ensure a good turnout against the long-touted Kevin McClory Thunderball remake "Never Say Never Again", which was also released the same year. It's full of exotic locales, daring action sequences and terrible jokes. There's also an over-abundance of villains with Octopussy, Kamahl Khan and General Orlov all in the OTT mix. Oh yeah, and Bond is in clown makeup, which Tom believes he can defend. Lots to discuss in this episode, so enjoy!

Wait a second, this isn't James Bond! Well-spotted, keen-eyed detectives - this is in fact a "filler" podcast, recorded to give Natalie a chance to catch up on her James Bond writing and editing. Thank you for your patience! Nat & Stu are joined by guests Dan Beeston and Tom Salinsky for a VERY deep dive into 2005 film The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the broader Hitchhiker's universe. There's also side tangents involving Hamilton, Monty Python, and Natalie's Dad's new Netflix obsession. Enjoy!