Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson celebrates box office soaring 113%, though he can't be dragged to #1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He finds the animation in the photo-realistic #2 Mufasa: The Lion King astonishing. A prequel and sequel modelled on Butch Cassidy it is wonderful, being both moving and very powerful. Better Man is a musical memoir of Robbie Williams with him narrating, though on screen he is represented as a chimpanzee. It's very original and inventive and is surprisingly engaging and moving. On Netflix James recommended Carry-On, a thriller with Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman which sucks you into the terrifying action.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
Published:
Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
As 2025 begins, Professor Tim Evans takes the opportunity to discuss the political economy of seasonality and time and reflect upon the importance of time, which some political regimes have tried to amend. He feels we are starting to see the birth of a new "New Right", 45 years on from Reagan and Thatcher. While Milei, Trump and Farage have many different ideas, it appears that they are consulting each other, which might make 2025 a rollercoaster year. He also considers the unintended consequences of the push to electric vehicles, with a divide growing between those who have driveways (and cheap charging) and those who do not. If the US brings down the price of oil, the attraction for EVs will decline and further embolden those who oppose the rush to Net Zero.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
Published:
Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Russ Mould of A J Bell reckons the most significant number of 2024 was 193, the number of global interest rate cuts. For the most part, markets got what they wanted last year. But at the end, bond yields were telling a different message, one which equity markets didn't believe. As for the UK market, yes it's shrinking in terms of listings but it is relatively cheap despite a decent yield, lots of buybacks and M&A activity. Looking at the top 10 performers is yet another sign that investors should always consider what is unloved and he reminds us that 2/3 of FTSE100 earnings come from overseas.
Guests: Russ Mould
Published:
Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin kicks off the year by reminding us it is 40 years since the first mobile phone call: but do you remember the celebrity who made it? Motorised skis will get you up a mountain. Apple's AirTags could help you locate missing luggage. A Chinese spherical security robot put Steve in mind of The Prisoner. Chat robots add video but don't impress. You can play Xbox games on an Amazon Fire Stick. There's an electronic belt. And there's a roundup of some of the weirdest patent applications in 2024.
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
With box office takings down once more, James Cameron-Wilson says that #5 Kraven the Hunter is the worst ever Marvel opening. It's a mixed bag but is often entertainingly ludicrous with Russell Crowe having fun as a Russian villain. He found the anime Lords of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim often utterly baffling but it got better as it went on, even if he never wants to see anything Lords of the Ring-related ever again. On Netflix, however, he warmed to the animated That Christmas, co-written by Richard Curtis. It's a sweet and sentimental tale aimed at the whole family that does what it says on the tin.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
Published:
Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin looks back over the good, bad, ugly and bonkers of the tech world in 2024. He admired the AI scam-baiting granny, the rocket that eats itself, the underwater kite, butter made from air and the benefits of red wine and dark chocolate. He wasn't keen on Chinese spying air fryers, the flamethrowing robot dog, the airline computer that couldn't cope with a 101-year-old and AI cheating at Diplomacy. And he is still scratching his head at the bike lane sweeper that sits behind the bike and the billionaire who wants to launch a replica Titanic.
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Contrarian that he is, Russ Mould of A J Bell was surprised that 2024 turned out pretty much as consensus had it, though few predicted the surge in Bitcoin. Looking ahead to 2025, he wonders what might knock growth and inflation off the rails. He recommends keeping an eye on government debt (growing scarily), world trade flows and tariffs, the dollar (a trade surplus would starve the world of its reserve currency), oil and food prices (important for inflation) and the Magnificent Seven (now so large that they will affect so much else).
Guests: Russ Mould
Published:
Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University rounds off the year's Bigger Pictures by explaining why investors are getting spooked by the UK economy going from bad to worse. We are effectively back in the 1970s, he says, only, in some ways, it's even worse. Instead of effectively tackling the problem, politicians' heads are full of spaghetti. If Elon Musk contributes heavily to Reform, a psychological wall will break and the Conservative Party will face an existential crisis. And Tim looks ahead to what 2025 might bring, wondering where the unforseen Black Swans will come from.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
Published:
Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson celebrates UK box office being up 38% YoY with 5 films taking £1m. With no new films to review, he turns to the 1954 Edward G. Robinson gangster film noir Black Tuesday. Banned in the UK for its violence, it has been restored on Blu-Ray. Packed with superb extras, it is a forgotten masterpiece. He found Beatles '64, a documentary about the Fab Four on Disney+, slick and engaging. And Simon recommended a glorious garage in Derbyshire where they have restored a Compton cinema organ called Pipes in the Peaks, having attended four concerts there this year.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
Published:
Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Neil Shah of Edison Group highlights research claiming there may be a generational opportunity in the UK market, extremely cheap against other markets, particularly the US. The tide in sentiment may be turning and American investors are already looking to the UK to diversify and reduce downside risk. The company highlights 20 stocks in the report: https://tinyurl.com/56sj3h4u. Neil also returns to 4imprint. It is US based, where the promotional products market is highly fragmented. Through marketing efficiency, they are growing market share.
Guests: Neil Shah
Published:
