The boys are back for 2026, and they are not easing into it gently. Born to Watch kicks off the new year with a full-blooded dive into one of the most aggressively 80s action films ever put on VHS shelves, Walter Hill's Extreme Prejudice (1987). Cowboy hats, cocaine, mercenaries, sweat, testosterone and a whole lot of unexplained shoulder shots, this one has it all. In this Extreme Prejudice (1987) Review, Whitey, Gow and Damo reunite as the A-team and take on a film that feels like The A-Team pilot collided head-on with a dusty Western, then detonated somewhere on the Texas–Mexico border.

At the centre is Nick Nolte at peak brooding intensity, playing a stone-faced Texas Ranger chasing his childhood friend, now a drug-running psychopath in a pristine white suit, played with unhinged gusto by Powers Boothe.

Directed by action legend Walter Hill, Extreme Prejudice is the kind of movie that barely pauses for breath. Secret military units officially declared dead, renegade majors, bank robberies, double-crosses, unnecessary nudity and a final act so chaotic it feels like an entire missing movie has been cut out, which, as the boys discover, is pretty much exactly what happened.

The cast reads like an 80s action villain roll call. Michael Ironside growls his way through another morally questionable authority role, Clancy Brown looms menacingly, William Forsythe perfects the art of being deeply hateable, and a young Larry B Scott pops in an action film after Revenge of the Nerds turned him into a cult comedy icon. Add in Maria Conchita Alonso, singing badly on purpose, and you have a film bursting at the seams with characters who all look like they should be in different movies.

As always, the boys break it down properly. Overs and unders are debated, including the uncomfortable realisation that Extreme Prejudice may make perfect sense if you're sixteen and not at all if you're over forty. There's deep discussion about whether Nick Nolte smiles even once in the entire film, spoiler, he does not, and whether anyone in the 80s understood centre-mass shooting.

The Nut-Tuck-Yourself SAG Awards get a workout, with Nolte's pre-Prince of Tides physique under the microscope, and the Snorbs Report pops up exactly where you expect it to. Box office numbers are crunched, Walter Hill's career is put into context, and the boys try to work out how a film with this cast, this director and this level of explosive excess somehow lost money.

Film School for F-Wits returns with a look at Hill's obsession with male-driven action cinema, while Hit, Sleeper and Dud for 1987 reminds everyone just how stacked that year really was, from Predator and Lethal Weapon to the absolute disaster that was Revenge of the Nerds II.

Add in listener feedback, voicemail chaos, bird-related accusations, corn beef confessions, and a reminder that Born to Watch never takes movies, or itself, too seriously, and you've got the perfect way to start the year.

This is sweat-soaked, ridiculous, deeply flawed 80s action cinema, and the boys wouldn't have it any other way.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

• Is Extreme Prejudice peak 80s action excess, or just glorious nonsense?
• Does Nick Nolte smile even once in this movie?
• Is the final act pure chaos genius, or a missing half-hour of film?

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at BornToWatch.com.au

Born to Watch, because some movies demand to be watched, argued over and mildly roasted.

#BornToWatch #ExtremePrejudice #80sActionMovies #WalterHill #NickNolte #ActionMoviePodcast #CultAction #VHSClassics #MoviePodcast #80sCinema

What happens when you try to rank the Best Movies of This Century, one year at a time, with no safety net, no do-overs, and your family sitting right beside you? You get chaos, passion, nostalgia, and one of the most honest movie conversations we've ever recorded on Born to Watch.

In this special episode, Matt is joined by two very special guests, his wife, Meagan, and his daughter, Bel, as they attempt the impossible task of selecting the single best movie from every year between 2000 and 2025. One movie per year. No ties (mostly). No backing out (occasionally). And absolutely no pretending bad sequels didn't happen.

Starting at the turn of the millennium with Gladiator, the episode charts the evolution of modern cinema, from epic blockbusters and genre-defining franchises to animated classics, emotional dramas, and films that completely changed how audiences experienced movies in the cinema.

Along the way, the discussion covers everything from the dominance of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Christopher Nolan's genre-bending run, the rise and fall of superhero cinema, Quentin Tarantino's most personal work, unforgettable cinema moments like Avengers: Endgame, and the films that defined family movie nights in the White household.

This episode isn't just about critical acclaim or box office numbers. It's about how movies land, who they stay with, and why some films become comfort watches while others hit you once and never leave. Belle brings a brutally honest Gen-Z perspective, Meagan balances emotion and realism, and Matt does what he does best: overanalyses everything while defending Nolan, Denzel, and Ridley Scott at every opportunity.

There are laughs, genuine disagreements, questionable parenting admissions, and more than a few moments where the word "sequel" becomes a four-letter swear word. You'll hear passionate defences of animated films, heated debates over Bond rankings, and reflections on how cinema changed after COVID reshaped the industry.

Whether you agree with the picks or want to argue every single one, this episode is a celebration of why movies matter, why watching them together matters more, and why trying to rank the Best Movies of This Century is both completely ridiculous and absolutely essential.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

• Which movie should have made the list?
• What film defines your century so far?
• Did we get it right, or completely butcher it?

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at BornToWatch.com.au

#PodcastAustralia #FamilyPodcast #CinemaHistory

Comedy is the hardest genre to get right. Making people laugh once is tough; making them laugh for decades is almost impossible. Yet here we are in 2026, revisiting a film released in 1980 that still lands gags at a rate modern comedies can only dream of. This week on Born to Watch, Whitey and Gow tackle the undisputed benchmark of parody comedy in our Flying High (Airplane) Review, a movie that didn’t just spoof disaster films; it rewired comedy forever.

Known as Flying High here in Australia and Airplane! Everywhere else, this is the film that taught generations how powerful straight-faced absurdity can be. Serious actors, ridiculous situations, relentless visual gags and a script that fires jokes every few seconds without ever stopping to catch its breath. Watching it again now raises the big question: Does it still work in 2026?

The short answer, absolutely.

From the opening Jaws parody at the airport to the final moments on the runway, this film never lets up. There are jokes in the foreground, jokes in the background, jokes buried inside other jokes, and blink-and-you-miss-it moments that reward repeat viewings again and again. Whitey and Gow break down just how outrageous the gag density really is, and why that non-stop approach is exactly what modern comedies have lost.

The cast is a huge part of what makes Flying High work so well. Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves and Leslie Nielsen all play it completely straight, refusing to wink at the audience even once. That contrast between deadly serious performances and utterly ridiculous dialogue is the secret sauce. Leslie Nielsen, in particular, launches what would become one of the great comedy second acts of all time, delivering lines like “Surely you can’t be serious” with such conviction that it somehow makes them even funnier.

Whitey and Gow also dig into the sheer insanity of the situations. A full hospital bed loaded onto a commercial flight. A child needing a heart transplant mid-air. Everyone eating the fish except the one person who doesn’t get sick. A blow-up autopilot. A guitar smashing passengers in the head as it walks down the aisle. None of it makes sense, and none of it is supposed to.

Overs and unders are discussed, with both hosts landing comfortably in the 35 to 40 watch range, a testament to just how embedded this movie is in their DNA. It’s the kind of film that was always in rotation growing up, something the whole family could watch, quote and laugh at together. That shared comedy experience is something Whitey argues we no longer get.

The episode also explores how Flying High set the template for everything that followed, from Naked Gun to Hot Shots and beyond, while also pointing out why so many parody films failed to replicate its magic. Awareness of what you are, commitment to the bit, and never stopping the joke train.

Critical scores still back it up. A 7.7 on IMDb, 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a spot alongside absolute classics in movie history. Not bad for a film that proudly advertised itself as the winner of zero Academy Awards.

This episode is packed with favourite scenes, forgotten gags, pop culture moments, questionable jokes that still somehow work, and plenty of Born to Watch side tangents along the way. If you love comedy, parody, or just laughing out loud at things you probably shouldn’t, this is one episode you don’t want to miss.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

• Is Flying High the funniest comedy ever made?
• Which gag still kills you every time?
• Could a movie like this even get made today?

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at BornToWatch.com.au

#FlyingHigh #AirplaneMovie #BornToWatch #ComedyClassic #MoviePodcast #80sMovies #ParodyFilms #FilmReview #CultCinema #LaughOutLoud