Sam and Natalia prepare for the release of THE ODYSSEY by watching Christopher Nolan's third film, INSOMNIA.

INSOMNIA (2002) is a neo-noir thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Hillary Seitz. The film follows two Los Angeles detectives, Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan), who start investigating the murder of teenager Kay Connell (Crystal Lowe) in Nightmute, Alaska. After Will accidentally shoots his partner, he conspires to hide his crime while trying to bring Kay Connell's killer, Walter Finch (Robin Williams), to justice.

Generally considered Nolan's weakest -- and possibly most underrated -- film, Sam and Natalia find out if the world is sleeping on INSOMNIA.

Topics of conversation include pineapple on pizza, fascism, pronouncing insomnia, no chairs on film sets, Robin Williams as the villain, ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD, movies for men, not getting to sleep, getting into Guy Pearce's head, missed opportunities, Hilary Swank, Warner Bros., "I like stories", detectives detecting, whether Al Pacino meant to shoot his partner, foggy terrains, George Clooney and Robert Pattinson, Joel Schumacher's BATMAN & ROBIN, "Ice to meet you", Rotten Tomatoes, the Cyclops and Sirens from THE ODYSSEY, Matt Damon, women in Nolan films, RACHEEEL, and really good memes.

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/skywastherobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/LearningBritish/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam and Natalia continue their preparation for THE ODYSSEY by watching Christopher Nolan's second film, MEMENTO.

MEMENTO (2000) is a neo-noir thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Based on a short story by Nolan's brother, MEMENTO follows Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man with anterograde amnesia who cannot retain short-term memories. On a mission to catch and kill the man who murdered his wife (Jorja Fox), Leonard suspects that his elaborate memory-system of photographs, notes, and tattoos is being manipulated after he encounters a bartender called Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) and a suspicious police officer called "Teddy" (Joe Pantoliano).

MEMENTO is one of Sam's favourite films. But will Natalia feel the same way?

Topics of conversation include FINDING DORY, alzheimer's, bad amnesia jokes, BBC One, film degrees and film bros, Jonathan Nolan's "Memento Mori" short story, better budgets, Brad Pitt, non-linear storytelling, a chronological version of MEMENTO, why nobody wants to cast Alec Baldwin anymore, improving FOLLOWING, Joe Pesci, Joe Pantoliano, annoying Nolan fans, wetting Natalia's board, male writing for male audiences, SHUTTER ISLAND, Stephen T-something, CollegeHumor and Smosh, first-person perspective, third-person perspective, fourth-person perspective, Tim Roth in FUNNY GAMES, voyeurism, good gags, awkward politics, not liking The New York Times, mansplaining, understanding TENET, Comic Sans, Shrek's size, Letterboxd, and INSOMNIA.

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam and Natalia prepare for the release of THE ODYSSEY by watching Christopher Nolan’s first ‘official’ film, FOLLOWING.

FOLLOWING (1998) is a British neo-noir crime film written and directed by Christopher Nolan in his feature-length debut, filmed on black-and-white 16mm and produced on a shoestring budget. It tells the story of a man (Jeremy Theobald) who follows strangers around London before he is drawn into the criminal underworld by a strange woman (Lucy Russell) and an enigmatic burglar named Cobb (Alex Haw).

Is FOLLOWING a good film? Or is it a false start? Sam and Natalia watch to find out.

Topics of conversation include micro-budgets, Chandler Bing, student films, creepy men, OPPENHEIMER, humility, Christopher Nolan tropes, non-linear storytelling, TV shows with feature-length episodes, STRANGER THINGS, the SHERLOCK finale, hunger for knowledge, coffee, RICK AND MORTY, male audiences, Nolanesque fantasies, Batman, Nora Ephron, Tom Hanks, understanding what is happening in a Nolan film, Leonardo DiCaprio in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, dead love interests, Jeremy Theobald in BATMAN BEGINS and TENET, intelligence, smart action movies, FIGHT CLUB, different timelines, Damien Chazelle's WHIPLASH short film, and the MEMENTO disease.

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the lead-up to THE ODYSSEY, Sam and Natalia begin their Christopher Nolan watch-along series by immediately arguing about Christopher Nolan's films.

Topics of conversation include whether Nolan is British, Steven Spielberg directing OPPENHEIMER, normies, "I'm in the Mood for Dancing", watching films in the cinema, why people who like THE DARK KNIGHT are annoying, BARBIE, Jordan Peele, getting tickets to see THE ODYSSEY, the box office, blank cheques, pursuing filmmaking with no money, two wolves, the premise of FOLLOWING, disliking INTERSTELLAR, the medical condition from MEMENTO, and whether MAN OF STEEL counts as a Christopher Nolan film.

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam and Natalia watch, review, and rank all four 28 DAYS LATER films.

Intro: 00:00 - 01:09

28 DAYS LATER: 01:09 - 26:12

28 WEEKS LATER: 26:12 - 01:05:02

28 YEARS LATER: 01:05:02 - 01:51:48

THE BONE TEMPLE: 01:51:48 - 02:12:34

Final ranking: 02:12:34 - 02:19:25

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam and Natalia finish their 28 DAYS LATER retrospective by reviewing Nia DaCosta's 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE.

28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE is the fourth (and, currently, final) entry in the 28 DAYS LATER film series, staring Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, and Chi Lewis-Parry. The film follows Spike as he is adopted into "Sir Lord" Jimmy Crystal's satanic cult while Dr Kelson makes an unexpected connection with Samson, an Alpha Infected.

Despite underperforming at the box office, Nia DaCosta's turn in the director's seat garnered critical acclaim. But do Sam and Natalia feel the same way? And what does a film, directed by an American, say about British culture?

Topics of conversation include CANDYMAN and THE MARVELS, terrible movie titles, Jimmy Savile, whether there will be another 28 YEARS LATER film, Poochie from Itchy & Scratchy, HARRY POTTER, lockdown London, I AM LEGEND, Justin Trudeau and Louis Theroux, GAVIN & STACEY, psychopaths, Letterboxd, LEARNING POLISH, punishment, crucifixion, Satan, snacks, sampling biases, and bad jokes.

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam and Natalia continue their watchalong of the 28 DAYS LATER films with the second sequel, 28 YEARS LATER.

28 YEARS LATER is a 2025 zombie horror film starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes. It follows Spike, a boy living in a post-apocalyptic Britain, who undertakes a hazardous journey with his ill mother.

After their cold reaction to 28 WEEKS LATER, will Sam and Natalia like 28 YEARS LATER with Danny Boyle back in the director’s chair?

Topics of conversation include Sam's New Yorker subscription, Alex Garland, guessing the twist ending, Cillian Murphy cameos, NOT GOING OUT, the pigeon lady from HOME ALONE 2, Catholic religious imagery, the scariness of VHS, disturbing TELETUBIES, Margot Robbie, HOODWINKED!, Ingerland, sheep in Wales, the St George’s Cross, the woke police, iPhone ringtones, the effect of World War II on British culture, boots, boots, boots, "If you fancy the Jonas Brothers", M. Night Shyamalan’s THE VILLAGE, Brexit, millennial bacon love, ELVIS, stupid characters in horror films, I AM LEGEND, memento mori, and really bad Jimmys.

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam and Natalia continue their listener-requested 28 DAYS LATER watchalong by reacting to its first sequel, 28 WEEKS LATER.

28 WEEKS LATER is a 2007 zombie horror film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, starring Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau, and Idris Elba. Set six months after the events of the first film, 28 WEEKS LATER follows two young children (portrayed by Mackintosh Muggleton and Imogen Poots) who accidentally reintroduce the rage virus to London after breaking out of a NATO-enforced quarantine zone.

Generally considered weaker than its predecessor, 28 WEEKS LATER has since been critically reappraised as an 'underrated' sequel. Is it? Sam and Natalia find out.

Topics of conversation include mispronouncing Spanish names, that viral opening scene, running away, THE BONE TEMPLE, that FAMILY GUY gag about logos, BONES AND ALL, too much pasta, metaphors for the 2008 financial crisis, Natalia's scary toe, famous last words, speeding up TikToks, old people sacrificing themselves, THE TRAITORS, the opening scene of SCREAM, human morality, Nicholas Hoult's zombie movie, bad writing, stupid children, hilariously terrible London geography in films and TV shows, the BFI, filming outside 10 Downing Street, Gordon Brown, the DLR, 28 MONTHS LATER, the Jeremy Renner app, the Idris Elba subreddit, and YOU.

Don’t forget to ⁠follow and find us on Instagram⁠ (@learningbritishfilmtv) and follow us on Reddit (r/learningbritish).

If you would like us to read your comments on the podcast, ⁠leave us a five-star rating on APPLE PODCASTS with your comments included as part of the review⁠.

‘Learning British: A Film and TV Podcast’ (or just ‘Learning British’) is a weekly show hosted by Sam Brown, a born-and-bred Brit, and Natalia Brammen, a Polish immigrant living in the UK.

In each episode, Sam introduces Natalia to a new British film or TV show. From badly aged sitcoms to acclaimed dramas, they explore what these films and TV shows reveal about British culture, history, and identity.

You can keep up with the podcast on Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learningbritishfilmtv/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyWasTheRobot

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/learningbritish

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.