James Cameron-Wilson is rather mystified by the success of #1 Backrooms, with Chewitel Ejiofor. A horror film based on a web series, it baffled James, unaware of its precedents but people are loving it. James was much more taken with #9 Power Ballad with Paul Rudd. Written and directed by John Carney, it's even better than his earlier films such as Once and Sing Street. Peopled with interesting characters and with witty dialogue and great music, it reduced James to tears. Ladies First, on Netflix, is an English-language version of their first French-language film. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike, it's about a womanising liar who wakes up in a parallel universe which is a matriarchy. With echoes of Mel Gibson's What Women Want, it's witty and well acted but is more farcical fantasy than satire.

Guests: James Cameron-Wilson

Published: Thu 4 June 2026