Godzilla - a war movie? Will Cooling of the It Could Be Said Substack says this take on Godzilla is an important study of post-war Japan, and not just the bits of it that get squashed. But will Rob and Duncan agree?

Is a failed kamikaze pilot learning to live a wonderful metaphor or a bit too on-the-nose? Why are Japanese and American movie studios releasing rival Godzilla flicks? And why, unusually, are there not enough Americans in this particular war movie?

Next week: Lacombe, Lucien.

A commercial flop on release in 1933, Duck Soup is now considered the Marx Brothers' masterpiece. The tale of a narcissistic madman who takes over a country and leads it into war on a whim, it was intended as a satire on Mussolini - and indeed was banned in Italy - but John McKie, the former editor of Smash Hits, argues that it works well as a picture of Washington in 2026.

Rob has a lot of questions, but Duncan is delighted to explain why this really might have been a movie that changed the course of World War 2.

John's new book is Prince: A Sign O' The Times

Next week: Godzilla Minus One.

Definitely Not Vietnam Month comes to a frankly confusing conclusion with a movie that everyone thinks is about Vietnam, but which Duncan argues is actually about something else.

Apocalypse Now is Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 exploration of the madness of war. Making it turned into its own craziness, as costs spiraled, Martin Sheen had a heart attack and Marlon Brando was difficult even by his own high standards.

Joining us is Nick Dent of the Brisbane Times.

Next week: Duck Soup.

Definitely Not Vietnam Month rolls on with The Wild Bunch, a 1969 film so violent it had viewers throwing up in the foyer. Director Sam Peckinpah was clear that he wanted to bring the violence of war, especially the war in South East Asia, into cinemas, and if he had to fire live ammunition at his crew to do that, then he would. The film pioneered a wealth of new techniques, with fast cuts and slow motion evoking the chaos of combat. Is it a war film? Did it chance the course of a different 1969 Western? And will Duncan ever tell his friends about his podcast?

Next Week: Apocalypse Now.

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Definitely Not Vietnam Month rolls on with a film about a US force with superior equipment and training going into a swamp, upsetting the locals, and being killed them. Yep, definitely not about Vietnam. Is this the first time that Nastiest Nazi has been won by a piece of geography? And who exactly are the baddies here?

Next week: The Wild Bunch.

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Definitely Not Vietnam Month takes us to a galaxy far, far away as we discuss a 1977 film about a small resistance movement taking on and beating a powerful empire.

Joining us to explain that Darth Vader isn't actually in Star Wars is historian of the universe Chris Kempshall, while zipping by in his X-Wing with memories of the shoot is actor Jack Klaff, who played one of the pilots to take on the Death Star.

Rob wants to know whether anyone involved in the film understood what they were making, but Duncan's big question is about Imperial health and safety policies.

Next week: Definitely Not Vietnam Month continues with Southern Comfort

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Definitely Not Vietnam Month opens with one of the greatest films ever to be made that definitely wasn't about the Vietnam War. Robert Altman's 1970 debut M*A*S*H was the tale of the 4077th Army hospital in the Korean - repeat Korean - War. It defied cinematic conventions, with no story arcs, overlapping dialogue, and a cynical attitude to life right from the opening song. The studio didn't expect much, but it was a critical and commercial hit, spawning a long-running sitcom and putting rocket boosters under the careers of not just Altman but also stars Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould.

Duncan and Rob weren't sure how it had aged, but guest Joe Twyman, who spent three years as a "Fobbit" in Baghdad, argues that it's the most authentic portrayal of life on a military base that he's ever seen.

Next week, Definitely Not Vietnam Month continues with an obscure 1977 film called Star Wars.

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Near the top of any list of war films, Full Metal Jacket was Stanley Kubrick's bleak take on Vietnam. It gave us cinema's greatest drill sergeant, a script full of unforgettable lines, and an Asian country as it could only look if it had been filmed in an East London gasworks.

Joining us is Sarah Ditum, who's been fascinated by the film since growing up near a military base where all the dads loved the movie. Her book Toxic: Women, Fame and The Noughties is about misogyny in culture. Will this film's female characters offer a chance to discuss this subject? Her conclusions may surprise you.

Next week, Definitely Not Vietnam Month kicks off with MASH.

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