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We Paid To See This

A light-hearted comedic movie podcast focusing on the week's new cinema releases. Darren Hayes and Anthony Armentano spend their hard earned (or borrowed) cash to see the latest film releases and tell you what they thought. Because they don't get in for free, their opinions are honest. Honestly! May contain funny bits (they're both Groundlings trained improvisers) and strange non sequiturs (Anthony has a degree in film and Darren has an Olympic medal in rambling). Maybe some naughty words too.
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Now displaying: 2016
Dec 28, 2016

Cheeky little bonus episode so you don't forget about us!

Dec 21, 2016

Entire episode dedicated to the Star Wars film 'Rogue One' - directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelssohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker.  This is a must listen if you've seen the film and want to break it down for better or for worse.  Find out what we loved and what we didn't - and get some interesting back story in to the origin of the story and thoughts on the reasons for such extensive re-shooting and the differences between the theatrical trailer and what ended up on the screen. 'The Force is strong and I am one with The Force!'  WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS EPISODE! DO NOT LISTEN UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN THE FILM.

Dec 14, 2016

This week's show is pretty much the two of us bowing down and kissing the feet of the incredible Ryan Gosling / Emma Stone musical 'La La Land'.  Find out what sets it apart from other musicals and why you need to see it in a theatre.  We talk Casey Affleck / Michelle Williams drama 'Manchester By The Sea', the ensemble comedy holiday movie 'Office X-Mas Party' starring T.J Miller, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Anniston and the hilarious Kate McKinnon.  Plus we mention dark thriller 'The Eyes of my Mother'.  

Dec 6, 2016

Huge episode covering the Natalie Portman vehicle about former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in a chilling biopic 'Jackie' which examines her strength in the aftermath of the tragic assassination of JFK.  We discuss the new Tom Ford psychological thriller 'Nocturnal Animals' staring Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal - the emotional teen angst of 'Edge of Seventeen' and the  Harry Potter spin-off 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'. Plus we talk about HBO's 'WestWorld' (includes spoilers but the segment is at the end of the show and there is fair warning to switch off if you haven't seen the show yet!).  

 

 

Nov 30, 2016

Help! Darren's in Graceland and Anthony is somewhere in Northern California - but they still found the time to record a little something something. 

Nov 26, 2016

We're in Hawaii and or Sacramento but we still recorded this little episode just to say thanks. There's easter eggs (we think) - enjoy and see you in another week!

Nov 15, 2016

We rave about the new science fiction film 'Arrival' starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker - directed by Denis Villeneuve. We gush over indie horror 60's noir / Hitchcock homage 'The Love Witch' starring Samantha Robinson - written and directed by Anna Biller.  Hear our thoughts on Ang Lee's new 'experimental' 3D film 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' and our experience seeing classic 'The Birds' with Hollywood legend Tippie Hedron in attendance! 

 

Nov 8, 2016

We talk Marvel blockbuster 'Doctor Strange' - starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams and Mads Mikkelsen. We discuss 'Loving' - the civil rights biopic directed by Jeff Nichols about the 1958 interracial couple Richard and Mildred Loving who were arrested for marrying 'illegally' - which stars Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga. We also touch on 'Moonlight' - the Barry Jenkins film about a young man dealing with his dysfunctional home life in Miami during the "War on Drugs" era. Plus the Jim Jarmusch directed documentary about Iggy Pop called 'Gimme Danger'.  

Nov 1, 2016

We talk about the incredible new film 'Christine' - based on the true story of Christine Chubbuck -  a TV news reporter from Florida who committed suicide live on television in 1974.  It's a a tragic story of a woman who was battling depression and anxiety and working in a field that she felt was demanding her to produce sensationalist shock stories rather than news. Starring Rebecca Hall, Michael C. Hall, Tracy Letts, Maria Dizzia and directed by Antonio Campos. 

Oct 26, 2016

Bumper of an episode! We talk new Ben Affleck action flick 'The Accountant' and Tom Cruise vehicle 'Jack Reacher - Never Go Back'.  Anthony saw a pretty cool documentary about a Japanese heavy metal band 'We are X'  and we talk the HBO Sci-Fi series 'Westworld' and some of our favorite horror films EVER!  Plus we were both in foul moods until the show started but just doing the show made us both happy..  so yay!  P.S sorry it's late ;)

Oct 19, 2016

Anthony's had too much caffeine, Darren is too controlling and there's a new Godzilla film.  We talk about the Netflix documentary 'Man Vs Snake', the new Japanese pop trash 'Godzilla: Resurgence', the anime classic 'Castle in the Sky' plus lots of horror movie favorites.  It's the episode where the Wings vs Beatles vs John Lennon argument gets aired in all its filthy glory.  Who shall win this battle?  You'll just have to listen. 

Oct 12, 2016

If you liked 'Gone Girl' you'll be interested to hear our take on the similarities and differences between it and 'The Girl On The Train' starring Emily Blunt. The film is a mystery thriller directed by Tate Taylor ('The Help') co-starring Justin Theroux, Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Bennett Luke Evans and Alison Janney - who, let's face it,  makes any film better simply by appearing in it.  We also talk about the documentary 'Amanda Knox' - an American woman who spent almost four years in an Italian prison following her conviction of the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher. Amanda was ultimately exonerated - but the journey between the horrible event and her eventual release is still full of controversy.  Finally we discuss the new Shia LaBeouf indie flick 'American Honey' directed by Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank).  

Oct 4, 2016

We saw the Jarred Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) directed comedy 'Masterminds' starring Kristin Wiig, Zack Galifianakis, Jason Sedeikis, Owen Wilson and Kate Mckinnon - plus a documentary called 'Chicken People' (yes really).  Perhaps the most entertaining part of the show is when Anthony and Darren read and re-enact the text conversation they had deciding on which movie to see, and where.  It's.. dramatic.  

Sep 27, 2016

We paid to see 'The Magnificent Seven' starring Denzel Washington, Haley Bennet, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and more! Plus Anthony went to see Garbage in San Francisco, Darren got way too invested in the first Presidential debates and wore inappropriate clothing for a grown man.  We also talk indie conspiracy theory film 'Operation Avalanche' and upcoming films we're down to see.  For an episode, it's a blast! (Well, it's perfectly ok)

Sep 20, 2016

Recorded at midnight - with the assistance of coffee and whiskey (not together, separately) we talk about the crazy documentary 'Author: The JT LeRoy Story' directed by Jeff Feuerzeig - the new Taran Killam comedy 'Brother Nature' and the indie weirdo flick 'White Girl' directed by Elizabeth Wood. It's a wild and varied one sponsored by exhaustion.  Enjoy! 

Sep 13, 2016

Darren got terrible service at a fancy restaurant, Anthony does a pitch perfect imitation of Tom Petty, we review stop motion animation film 'Kubo and the Two Strings' and the Clint Eastwood directed 'Sully' starring Tom Hanks.  It's a perfectly acceptable episode.  If you're looking for the show with the least qualified and most unprofessional opinions of films, this is it!

Sep 6, 2016

We finally see the number one horror movie of the moment - 'Don't Breathe'.  Darren is the last person on earth to finally see the Coppola classic 'The Godfather' (spoiler: he liked it!) and Anthony takes himself very seriously by seeing two arty films.  A new tech documentary by Werner Herzod and a Norwegian dark revenge comedy about a  'mild-mannered snowplow driver (Stellan SkarsgĂ„rd) who seeks revenge for the murder of his son.  Plus we discuss Anthony's obsession with the 'sport' of golfing and Darren's refreshing beverage of the day.  It's - a podcast?

 
 
Aug 30, 2016

We woke up to the sad news of the passing of comedy legend Gene Wilder so we speak in depth about his impact on cinema and us.  Anthony saw the Chris Pine / Jeff Bridges modern western 'Hell Or High Water', we both saw an outdoor screening of 'The Princess Bride' and we discuss the indie film 'Mia Madre' starring John Turtorro (who Darren knew nothing about until he wrote this update! Now he gets it!).  We also discuss Britney at the VMAs, ancient reality show 'Shear Genius' and DNA testing.  We know, it's obscure. That's why you love us. 

Aug 23, 2016

We talk about the Todd Phillips comedic tinged gun running biopic 'War Dogs' starring Jonah Hill and Miles Teller - and the R rated animation flick 'Sausage Party' starring Seth Rogan and a host more.  Plus - we visited the Guillermo del Toro exhibition at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (oooh fancy!)

Aug 16, 2016

We saw a LOT of movies! Suicide Squad, Jason Bourne, Cafe Society, Florence Foster Jenkins & the horror movie, Darling.  We say we saw a lot of films - but we did it separately!  Anthony was away at the Outside Lands music festival and Darren was losing his Tom Ford glasses in theaters and in this episode they reunite to discuss the films they saw.  

Aug 9, 2016

An entire episode dedicated to the awesome Netflix Original series 'Stranger Things'.  Contains *mild* spoilers so if you haven't seen the entire series - maybe wait to listen to this podcast about the GREATEST TV SHOW TO HAPPEN SINCE TV WAS INVENTED!! Created and Directed by The Duffer Brothers and starring the incredible David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Charlie Heaton, Millie Brown, Natalia Dyer, Matthew Modine, Noah Schnapp, Shannon Purser, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Finn Wolfhard, Joe Keery, Rob Morgan, John Reynolds,  and more!

Aug 2, 2016

2 weeks in London and we're 4 movies under our belt and a bunch of Star Wars Celebration stories up our pub drenched sleeves! Hear our belated views on the 'Ghostbusters' reboot, The Simon Pegg penned 'Star Trek Beyond', the unnecessary 'Ab-Fab Movie' and dark art film 'The Childhood of a Leader'. 

Jul 26, 2016

We discuss and debate films on a list of the '20 Best Movies of 2016 So Far' by tasteofcinema dot com and give our own 'expert' (read, 'arrogant') opinions.  Will Anthony ever post an image to social media?  Will Darren ever let go of how much he hated 'Weinerdog'?   Find out! 

Jul 18, 2016

An entire episode discussing the documentary 'Strike A Pose' - by film makers Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan which examines "the lives of the seven young male dancers who joined Madonna on her controversial 1990 "Blonde Ambition" tour. They soon discovered that they were role models in the gay community, though they didn't always feel like it."  The film re-connects with these men 25 years later in the aftermath of an experience which changed their lives for better and for worse.  It's a surprisingly emotional and inspiring movie that Madonna fans will love but even the uninitiated will connect to due to the significance of what their bravery added to the global conversation regarding HIV and sexuality so many years later.  If that's not enough to intrigue you, Darren actually vogued at his senior prom dressed as one of these men in a pin-striped suit - and Anthony was born the day 'Vogue' went to number one! For more info visit www.strikeaposefilm.com 

 

 
 
Jul 12, 2016

You could not get two more polarizing films OR two more polarizing reactions to them! This episode we discuss Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's novel 'The BFG' and the latest strangefest from director Todd Solondz, 'Wiener-dog'.  

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