In this week's episode of Born to Watch, the boys dive headfirst into a movie that feels a little too real after the last few years. Our Outbreak 1995 Movie Review isn't just a look back at a blockbuster about a killer virus; it's a full breakdown of a film that somehow became more relevant decades after its release. For Whitey, Gow and Damo, revisiting Wolfgang Petersen's tense, fast-paced viral thriller has stirred up memories of VHS nights, cinema crowds, and that one mate coughing a bit too loudly during COVID. But Outbreak isn't just a virus film. As the boys quickly discover, it's an action romance conspiracy hybrid, depending entirely on which one of them you ask.

From the moment Dustin Hoffman strides in as Sam Daniels, the stubborn, brilliant, pigheaded virologist who refuses to let common sense get in the way of his moral compass, the team is hooked. Damo is convinced it's a love story, Gow reckons it's a straight-up action blockbuster, and Whitey is adamant it's a conspiracy movie wrapped in a hazmat suit. One thing they all agree on, though, is that Outbreak pumps along at an absolute clip. Even with the science occasionally held together by duct tape, there's never a dull moment.

The boys relive everything from the opening scene in Zaire to the helicopter chase that absolutely no one asked for but everyone secretly loved. The idiocy of certain characters becomes a major talking point. Jimbo, Jim Bob, Hibbo, whoever he is, returns from Africa with a virus, bleeds from multiple orifices, and still wanders around town like he's only got hay fever. His girlfriend passionately kisses him while he looks like he's one hour from the morgue. Then there's the world's worst lab tech, sticking his hand inside a spinning blood machine like he's checking the oil in a 1992 Corolla.

Hoffman's performance gets a full deep dive. Gow breaks down his entire career from The Graduate to Rain Man to Wag the Dog. Whitey points out how small Dustin Hoffman really is, particularly when stacked up next to Renee Russo, and how this might be the least believable on-screen couple we've covered since Sharon Stone and anyone. The crew also discuss the real MVP of the movie, the man with the greatest eyebrows in cinema history, Donald Sutherland, delivering pure villainy with the energy of a man who genuinely enjoys ordering towns to be firebombed.

Morgan Freeman, as always, earns unanimous praise for bringing gravitas with every line, even when delivering military exposition about viral containment strategies. JT Walsh gets special mention for turning up for one single scene and blowing everyone off the screen with a thundering, no-nonsense speech that still hits hard.

From 90s nostalgia to scientific nitpicking, from snorbs reporting chaos to the classic Born to Watch overs-and-unders debate, this episode has everything. The boys even pick their own 1995 sleepers and duds, featuring Clueless, Just Cause, and Get Shorty. And yes, Damo manages to squeeze in a reference to Big Tit Monastery. Of course he does.

If you loved Outbreak back in the day, or if watching it post-pandemic makes you question every life decision you’ve ever made, this is an episode you cannot miss. Dive in for big laughs, big nostalgia, big stupidity, and some of the most questionable hazmat protocols ever put to film.

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• Does Outbreak hit different post-COVID?
• Should a monkey really be the hero of the third act?
• Was that helicopter chase the most unnecessary scene in '90s cinema?

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Few films strike the perfect balance between dark humour, bleak violence, and unforgettable characters quite like Fargo (1996). In this week's Born to Watch deep dive, the boys return to the bitter cold of Minnesota to revisit a Coen Brothers classic in our full Fargo Movie 1996 Review. Whitey, Gow and Morgz each recount their own memories of first seeing Fargo, or in Dan's case, pretending he remembers anything from the 90s, before jumping headfirst into one of the most uniquely crafted crime films ever made.

The episode kicks off with the lads debating their first screening. Whitey vividly remembers dragging everyone to the Dendy at Martin Place, feeling like a highbrow film buff discovering something special. Gow recalls the off-beat charm hitting him straight away. Dan, naturally, remembers nothing, except that he probably recommended the film, selected the seats, and probably did everything else. Classic Morgz. From there, the group dives into just how extraordinary Fargo's cast was at the time. The Coens pulled together a line-up of "relative nobodies" only to turn them into household names nearly three decades later.

The chat quickly turns to Minnesota cold weather, obscure fast-food chains, and one of the great running bits of the episode, exactly how many times Morgz allegedly found himself "accidentally" next to someone mid-romp during their travels. The boys also unpack the brilliance of Frances McDormand's Marge Gunderson, who doesn't even appear in the film's first 34 minutes but completely owns the narrative once she arrives. She's sharp, funny, methodical, and easily one of the greatest characters of the '90s.

Whitey breaks down the film's critical reception, comparing its Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb scores with those of past Born to Watch heavy hitters, such as Jaws, Rocky, The Terminator, and Catch Me If You Can. Morgs jumps in with Film School for Fuckheads, exploring how the Coens weaponised "Minnesota Nice" to create tension using politeness, silence, and awkwardness as narrative devices. From the meticulously written stuttering dialogue in William H. Macy's script to the off-kilter pacing of small-town conversations, the Coens built an atmosphere where the horror is subtle, creeping, and drenched in snow.

Gow rolls through the cast, shining a spotlight on Steve Buscemi's legendary "funny looking" performance and the near-silent menace of Peter Stormare, who delivers only 18 lines across the film yet becomes one of its most iconic figures. The boys get into the famous wood-chipper scene, the fake "true story" marketing trick, and how half the audience in 1996 genuinely believed the events were real.

There's also classic Born to Watch chaos, from detours into Shameless, to the worst movie endings ever made, to hookers in Hawaii, to Playboy magazines in glove boxes, to the eternal question: "Would you make sure your licence plates were right if you'd just kidnapped someone?" Just another Wednesday on Born to Watch.

The crew rounds things out with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, celebrating the film's tight 94-minute runtime, near-perfect dialogue, incredible performances, legendary cinematography from Roger Deakins, and the deep satisfaction of a crime story where normal, everyday people take centre stage.

Fargo isn't just a film, it's a vibe. A cold, bleak, funny, violent, polite vibe that the Born to Watch boys unpack with equal parts nostalgia and nonsense. Strap in, grab your Arby’s, and enjoy one of our best episodes yet.

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JOIN THE CONVERSATION

• Is Fargo the greatest dark comedy of the '90s?
• Does the wood-chipper still make you squirm?
• And is Marge Gunderson the most likable cop in movie history?

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or BornToWatch.com.au
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In our Species 1995 Movie Review, we drop you straight back into the chaotic brilliance of mid-90s cinema, where practical effects, erotic sci-fi horror and unapologetic B-grade madness collided to create something truly unforgettable. In this episode of Born to Watch, Whitey, Gow, and Damo go deep into the 1995 creature flick that defined many a teenage boy's movie-going experience. They unpack the film from top to bottom, celebrating the nostalgia, questioning the logic and laughing at the sheer absurdity that made Species a cult classic.

Whitey kicks things off by reminding us that the nineties were the final analog decade. Plans were made by phone, movie rumours spread by word of mouth, photos were printed, and mystery still existed. Out of that world came an alien seductress named Sil, played by Natasha Henstridge in her unforgettable debut. The boys discuss how this “erotic sci-fi horror” served as the perfect storm of schlock, suspense, and snorbery, with a surprising amount of A-grade pedigree hiding behind the B-grade sheen.

The crew swap first-watch stories, revealing who saw it at the movies, who wore out the VHS and who had only seen the, let's say, memorable scenes on repeat. They break down the cast, including a peak Michael Madsen showing maximum smoulder, Ben Kingsley collecting a paycheck, Forest Whitaker feeling everything as an empath, and Alfred Molina delivering one of the most gloriously stupid character decisions ever put on screen.

From there, the episode dives into Species' glaring logical gaps. The boys question how a creature only days old can understand cars, language, currency, sex, and self-sacrifice. They rip into the nightclub bathroom scene, which was somehow empty, the world's cleanest train conductor uniform, the magically perfect self haircut, and that spectacularly unconvincing fake-death scene, which makes no sense. Add an oil reservoir under Los Angeles, a fireball that should still be burning today and a final sewer showdown straight out of Aliens, and you have a recipe for pure nineties chaos.

The team also digs into production trivia. Henstridge's big break as a 19-year-old model, Madsen's reluctance toward violent roles, HR Giger's sexualised creature design and the film's surprising success at the box office. The boys even cover Species' most prestigious accolade, the 1996 MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss, complete with an on-stage pash and a very unimpressed boyfriend watching on.

As always, the gang wrap things up with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Snorbs Report, Ordinary People and Question Time, where the dumb decisions of this film truly shine. Was Spa Man the dumbest man alive? Would anyone ever leave a hot tub to answer the phone? Do diabetics get a raw deal in this movie? Why does Sil's intelligence fluctuate depending on what the script requires? It is all here, and it is all hilarious.

This Species 1995 Movie Review is full of nostalgia, stupidity and sci-fi sleaze, but above all, it is pure Born to Watch. Strap in for '90s madness, a whole lot of snobs chat, and plenty of laughs as the boys relive one of the most chaotic creature features ever made.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

• Is Species the most outrageous sci-fi horror of the '90s, or just the most unforgettable?
• Did Natasha Henstridge redefine the term B-grade icon?
• Would you have survived Sill's mating spree, or ended up like poor Rapey Robbie?

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