Back To The Future! Our 1985 season begins in earnest this week with Dave's pick of the year, Robert Zemeckis' layered, heartfelt time-travelling adventure (although do go and listen to our Goonies bonus episode if you can...)

BTTF is a perfect fit with several films the pod has already absorbed, a "Spielberg-ing" of early 1980s life that like ET (and The Goonies) presents a world beset by adult problems to which only children have the answers. Dense with physical gags and cultural references, and tightly plotted around its time travel premise, we are in the presence of another absolute classic.

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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We're taking a long overdue look inside the Redshirt Cinema Club mailbag this week (please keep emailing us, we do read them, promise) before kicking off our new mini season by each selecting our favourite movie of 1985, in celebration of the year Dave was born. This has caused alarm for a couple of reasons: firstly it's made us realise a number of our favourite movies are now, like Dave, 40 years old and secondly it turns out Rob has only seen two movies released in this year. Time to fix that stat.

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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Man is the warmest place to hide this week, as our John Carpenter mini-season comes to a spectacular, gushing climax with 1982’s The Thing. Is Jed the dog the best dog actor ever? Could speaking Norwegian have solved this whole business in 5 minutes? And who - if anyone - is human by the end? Let’s find out

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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Hello and welcome to Redshirt Cinema Club, a weekly podcast about smoking, apparently.  

In the distant future of the year 1997, Manhattan has become a super prison, the president of the USA has crash landed inside, and only one man has tight enough trousers and good enough arms to break him out again. This is John Carpenter’s Escape From New York…

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

Our October John Carpenter series:

Dark Star - 6/10/25

Assault On Precinct 13 - 13/10/25

Bonus - The Fog - 15/10/25

Halloween - 20/10/25

Escape From New York - 27/10/25

Bonus - Prince Of Darkness - 29/10/25

The Thing - 3/11/25

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Halloween has come early, which is only fair as two of us are coming very late to Halloween, John Carpenter's genre-setting 1978 teen slasher classic.

The adults are all busy at boring grown-up parties, the teens are constantly on the phone and swapping houses, and Michael Myers - inscrutable killer, embodiment of evil, and provider of cheap Halloween costume options for several generations - has been to the hardware store and is ready to work.

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

Our October John Carpenter series:

Dark Star - 6/10/25

Assault On Precinct 13 - 13/10/25

Bonus - The Fog - 15/10/25

Halloween - 20/10/25

Escape From New York - 27/10/25

Bonus - Prince Of Darkness - 29/10/25

The Thing - 3/11/25

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Welcome to Los Angeles in 1976, setting for John Carpenter’s Assault On Precinct 13, a tale of bad gangs, good guys, and a tragically mishandled ice cream order. This is America and Hollywood as we remember it growing up - a scary, magnetic clash of morals and modernity. And also lots of shooting.

Yes, this week we're watching John Carpenter's second film, where a criminal gang lays siege to a handful of survivors trapped inside an abandoned police station. Immaculate vibes, incredible music, and a absolute sense of right and wrong. Enjoy!

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

Our October John Carpenter series:

Dark Star - 6/10/25

Assault On Precinct 13 - 13/10/25

Bonus - The Fog - 15/10/25

Halloween - 20/10/25

Escape From New York - 27/10/25

Bonus - Prince Of Darkness - 29/10/25

The Thing - 3/11/25

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A new dawn! A new day! A new Dark Star!

Welcome to a brand new series on Redshirt Cinema Club, as we embark upon a vaguely Halloween-timed viewing of the early films of John Carpenter.

There are so many reasons this run of films fits with what we've watched on the pod so far, not least the fact that several of these films are very good. We're starting this week with Carpenter's first film, Dark Star, co-created with eventual Alien writer Dan O'Bannon, and a teasing love letter to mid-century science fiction. Enjoy!

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

Our October John Carpenter series:

Dark Star - 6/10/25

Assault On Precinct 13 - 13/10/25

Bonus - The Fog - 15/10/25

Halloween - 20/10/25

Escape From New York - 27/10/25

Bonus - Prince Of Darkness - 29/10/25

The Thing - 3/11/25

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We've reached the finale of Alien: Earth! This week we discuss episode 8, 'The Real Monsters'.

The journey has ended, and have we been walking in a circle this whole time? The hybrid kids use soft(ware) power to launch a coup, we finally get to see that Morrow vs Kirsh showdown, the orchid escapes, and Johnny Eyeball finds a new home. Are we happy? Nearly. How are you doing?

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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This week - episode 7 of Alien: Earth, 'Emergence'.

Things are happening, Fletch - many of them bad, especially for any humans remaining on the Neverland island complex in possession of a moral compass. Slightly and Smee become body smugglers, Wendy and Nibs feel their humanity slipping away, and Morrow does an actual invasion. Oh, and the alien got out.

It's all a bit much for us, as our the first really significant cracks appear in our confidence that all these fabulous ideas are going to land, somehow. Well, we've been wrong before...

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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After the brilliant episode 5 we return to Neverland for Alien: Earth episode 6 as events ramp up for the season finale.

Wendy is transfixed by a now-adolescent Xenomorph, Slightly is desperate for a human to get face-hugged and that sheep with an alien eye ball is definitely planning something.

Meanwhile Kirsh continues his observations while Boy Kavalier and Yutani enjoy an amicable business meeting. Does this episode live up to the standards of what came before? Let's find out!

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Episode 5 of Alien: Earth takes us back to the beginning. We wondered when we'd see the crew of the Maginot again and here they are, revealed in all their flawed, incompetent glory. An episode that details how we got from the first 10 minutes of episode 1 (everyone wakes up and banters over breakfast) to 20 minutes later in episode 1 (everyone dies).

It's classic Alien basically - a crew of increasingly panicked humans being picked off one-by-one, either by deadly extra-terrestrials or their own stupidity.

We also learn more about the backstory of Security Officer Morrow, plus a dramatic twist reveals the true cause of the Maginot's 'accidental' plummet into Prodigy territory on Earth. It's one heck of an episode and sets things up nicely for the final three episodes of the season.

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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It's time for episode four of Alien: Earth, 'Observations'. Which is apt because there's a lot of observing going on: Wendy in the lab, Boy Kavalier watching Joe, Dame Cynthia watching Nibs (...fly across the room), and the eyeball squid monster watching everyone at once, from inside a sheep.

We also observe that the show is turning out to be less interested in aliens and more interested in transhumanism - we can tell because it says so out loud, through the mouth of Ade Edmonson - and also that it is one step ahead of us in terms of its references and subtext. What happens to metatextual framing when your antagonist starts doing it out loud in the show itself? Something extra clever and exciting, probably.

More tangibly we discuss how Alien: Earth is beginning to move and position its pieces for the second half of the series. What's going to happen next? We literally don't know! It's so exciting!

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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It's time for episode three of Alien: Earth, and the title of the episode is 'Metamorphosis'. Which is a reference to our showgirl, of course, but also the Lost Boys, Morrow, and humanity itself in this show about making machines, becoming machines, putting children into machines ("this is fine" - the ethics board, distractedly), and sometimes thinking about machines when an alien comes along and tail-whips you into cutlets.

Turn and face the strange, children. Which reminds us - that spinning eye octopus is back this week, certainly in the thoughts of Nibs.

Other areas of discussion include Wendy and Joe's fight with a xenomorph (whose Opta stats take a beating this episode), Smee and Slightly saying "bro", Kirsh vs Morrow, Blade Runner vibes, and the fact we're suddenly all really bloody excited about where this show is going.

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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This week we're beginning our series on Alien: Earth.

Having watched the Alien film series in its entirety at the end of last year, we are perfectly prepared, poised like an apex predator, and above all really bloody excited to embark upon a full, week-by-week viewing of the new FX series, Alien: Earth.

Alien: Earth has been created and overseen by Noah Hawley, the creator of TV shows Legion and Fargo, both of which are a careful mix of faithfulness and creativity - exactly the qualities we, over the course of many podcasts, have identified as crucial to the best IP storytelling.

Join us this week to discuss the double episode opener, and then every Monday to discuss new episodes in the series.

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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This week we’re watching 2014’s Edge Of Tomorrow.

Welcome to our final episode in this mini-series about genre movie that we love from an era - of Marvel dominance - that we don’t.

Our film this week is Nath's pick and he's gone for Edge Of Tomorrow, a criminally under-appreciated time-loop sci-fi packed with action, humour, and nasty aliens. Altogether now… "Battle is the great redeemer…"

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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Continuing our journey through excellent genre movies of the Marvel era, this week we're watching Dave's pick - Dredd (2012). Directed by Peter Travis, written by Alex Garland and starring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Heady, this no-nonsense sci-fi romp is all action, one-liners and impossible chins - a brutal if uncomplicated look at what the world might be like if everything became a massive city with all the bad guys living in fortified tower blocks.

Don't worry about whether that's a bit problematic and just enjoy the ride.

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This week we're watching Hereditary (2018).

Inspired by a recent listener comment, we're pausing our negativity around Marvel-era filmmaking and instead focusing on the positives. We've each picked one (1) genre from the broadly defined Marvel Era (roughly 2010 onwards) to celebrate smart, commercial movies.

We're starting with Rob's pick, Ari Aster's horror debut, Hereditary. Poor Dave, poor that bird, poor everyone in the film. Try to watch ahead of listening - the spoilers are deep and immediate - and please enjoy this wild, grief-filled ride with us.

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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We've run out of adventures to have with Indiana Jones, which just leaves our official (scientific, archaeological) ranking of the five Indy movies, and a deep dive - an excavation, if you will - of our Redshirt mailbag to hear your thoughts and answer your questions about Mr Jones (Jr).

Topics covered include how Temple Of Doom was actually received in India, embarrassing bits of films to watch with family, the enduring popularity of Large Men on screen, and what's next for Redshirt Cinema Club!

Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing us at redshirtcinemaclub@gmail.com and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/redshirtcinemaclub for access to two bonus episodes per month as well as our newsletter, The Civilian Observer.

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is probably going to be the last Indiana Jones film they ever make. And on paper it's got everything an Indie film needs - a globe-trotting hunt for a long-lost artifact, Nazis (one of whom is really massive), a strong-willed female lead, an inexplicably competent child and a jaunt into the paranormal that just about hangs-on to the cliff of feasibility.

It's also got a de-aged Harrison Ford, leaping about like it's 1989.

But does James Mangold's 2023 adventure have the magic? Something tells me opinions are going to be split...

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