Time Babble

5.5 Edge of Tomorrow (2014) "Consider the Pipe"

This episode we are babbling about a film that may, or may not be called Edge of Tomorrow (2014).
When Earth is invaded by aliens that look like angry spaghetti with Wi-Fi issues, humanity turns to its last hope: little Timmy Cruise in a Waldo. 
Tim Tom plays Major William Cage, a PR guy who’s never seen combat and is afraid of the dentist, but suddenly finds himself on the front lines because... reasons. He dies almost immediately. The end.
Wishful thinking dear Babbler. He then wakes up. And dies again. And again. And again. Turns out he’s stuck in a time loop: every time he dies, he respawns like a Call of Duty video game noob, learning a little more each time, mostly how not to get pancaked by alien tentacle-things. Each death is a tutorial level, and each reset is a chance to get slightly less terrible at not dying.
Enter Emily Blunt as Rita Vrataski, aka the Full Metal Bitch (her words, not ours). She’s got the moves, the sword, and the patience of someone who’s watched little Tim Tom die more times than you can shake a packet of Paxo (the rooster booster) at.
Together, they try to (unsuccessfully) find a decent second half to a film which features bare asses, time blood, alien art appreciation, pipe mimicry and a visit to Dick Street.
It’s a sci-fi action flick that teaches us all a valuable lesson: if at first you don’t succeed, give up and record a podcast.
Time Babble Series Five, Episode Five is waiting for you now on your favourite podcast service. If you can’t find it, please write in to the usual address.
For updates & more time-based babbling follow us on Instagram.
 
(All copyrighted material contained within this podcast is the property of their respective rights owners and their use here is protected under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of comment or critique.)

5.4 The Butterfly Effect (2004) "The Bleakest Granola Bar"

This week we’re babbling about The Butterfly Effect (2004) starring Ashton Kutcher as a very, very troubled individual, with more suppressed trauma than you can shake a large stick at, but who unlocks the ultimate party trick: time travel via wibbly-wobbly journal reading.
Instead of using this power to, say, invest wisely in the stock market or prevent global disasters, Evan decides to fix his own messy past, one ridiculously awkward moment at a time.
Although every time he flaps his metaphorical butterfly wings, reality slaps him in his square-jawed fizzog with a new nightmare: Save the girl? Oops! Now she's a troubled waitress on skid row. Prevent a tragedy? Congrats! you're in jail. 
Try it again? Sure! But now you're a double amputee with a bad haircut, surrounded by flaming dogs, exploding babies and a roommate to die for.
Within its first ten minutes the film goes to one of the darkest places in mainstream cinema that made Lars Von Trier leave the press screening, probably. It’s like Groundhog Day, but with 97% more emotional damage and one less marmot.
So, dear babbler, grab your umbilical cord and join us, as we flap our little pretty wings in our latest podcast.
Time Babble Series Five, Episode Four is waiting for you now on your favourite podcast service. If you can’t find it, please write in to the usual address.
For updates & more time-based babbling follow us on Instagram.
 
(All copyrighted material contained within this podcast is the property of their respective rights owners and their use here is protected under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of comment or critique.)

5.3 River (2023) "Cry Me a River"

Hey Babbler!
This week we are babbling about River (2023), directed by Junta Yamaguchi, known for his earlier cult hit Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020). This film once again showcases his knack for turning high-concept sci-fi into intimate, character-driven storytelling.
We clearly love this film, so you may well (you will) hear us gush with praise, as we reluctantly take it all apart and put it back together again. Like a beautiful time-jigsaw. Or poking a hole through a paper wall.
Set in a picturesque ryokan (traditional inn) in Kyoto, River traps its characters in a relentless two-minute time loop, a twist on the familiar Groundhog Day formula that proves both funny and surprisingly poignant.
The loop centres around the staff of the inn, whose daily routines, small talk, chores and guest interactions become both absurd and revealing under the pressure of repetition. The film cleverly explores the monotony of work and the emotional toll of relentless routine. It’s fun all the way this week, Babblers!
Two minutes. That’s it. Not five. Not thirty. Just enough time to say “Wait, what’s happening?” before *boom!* back to square one. It’s like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while someone keeps slapping it out of your hands every 120 seconds. We’ve all done it.
The film is adorable and wholesome, a bit like watching a group of very polite people slowly lose their minds in the most courteous way possible. There’s no violence, no explosions, just a lot of running, shouting, eating, drinking, avoiding deadlines and increasingly creative ways to say “We’re doomed.” Oh, and nudity and stabbing, reappearing poo and a wooden dog.
River is more than a clever sci-fi experiment, it’s a meditation on connection, routine, and the small moments that shape our lives. Whether you’re a fan of time loop stories or just looking for something thoughtful and fun, this film is well worth your time. As is this podcast. Fact.
Time Babble Series Five, Episode Three is waiting for you now on your favourite podcast service. If you can’t find it, please write in to the usual address.
For updates & more time-based babbling follow us on Instagram.
 
(All copyrighted material contained within this podcast is the property of their respective rights owners and their use here is protected under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of comment or critique.)

5.2 Je t’aime, je t’aime (1968) "Sniffing for Purpose"

Hello dear Babbler and welcome to our next (or previous?) episode. 
This is also, rather excitingly, the first episode recorded live and completely uncut. Gasp! at our grammatical heresies. Swoon! over our incoherently repetitive and rambling digressions. Thrill! at the moment one of us needs to take a ‘Time Babble comfort break’.
This week we bring you Je t’aime, je t’aime (1968) directed by Alain Resnais. Our film is all about Claude (the Riddler) Ridder, who is having a rough time of it. He’s just survived a suicide attempt, so naturally his next logical step is to volunteer for a top-secret time travel experiment run by scientists who have clearly skipped their ethics classes.
‘What is the scientist's plan?’ we hear you cry. Well, the simple plan is to send Claude back in time for exactly one minute to relive a peaceful memory. ‘Ooh exciting!’ we hear you exclaim.
Instead of one minute however, the fleshy time machine malfunctions (shocker), and Claude is stuck in a loop of existential dread, romantic regret and scenes that feel like someone has shuffled a deck of memories and thrown them randomly at the screen, as Claude revisits a greatest hits compilation of his most awkward, melancholic, and confusing moments.
The film’s structure, built from over 200 brief scenes, mirrors the fragmented nature of memory itself. Resnais uses this format to explore the elusive nature of time, making Je t'aime, je t'aime a poetic and cerebral meditation on human consciousness. And there are mice. Obviously there are mice. What crazy experiment doesn’t have mice?
Time Babble Series Five, Episode Two is waiting for you now on your favourite podcast service. If you can’t find it, please write in to the usual address.
For updates & more time-based babbling follow us on Instagram.
 
(All copyrighted material contained within this podcast is the property of their respective rights owners and their use here is protected under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of comment or critique.)

5.1 The Amazing Mr Blunden (1972) "The Sentient Urn"

Welcome, dear Babbler, to Series Five!
We’ve been away on extended leave (although much less than 100 years - we’re looking at you Blunden), but we start this series with a genuine classic in the shape of The Amazing Mr Blunden. 
We’re babbling about the original 1972 version directed by Lionel Jeffries, where everyone politely agrees to solve a murder mystery with Victorian manners. It’s a charmingly spooky British film where ghosts are helpful, children are clever (T&Cs apply: they may be stupid) and adults are mostly confused.
We begin with Mr. Blunden himself, a mysterious gentleman who looks like he’s perpetually lost in thought, or maybe he’s just misplaced his spectacles. He offers a job to a recently widowed mother and her two children, Lucy and Jamie, who move into a creaky old mansion that screams “haunted” louder than a ghost with a megaphone.
Before you can say ‘child slavery’, Lucy and Jamie meet two ghost children who are surprisingly chill about being dead. These spectral siblings need help preventing their own deaths (yes, of course time travel is involved) at the hands of the evil Diana Dors and PTSD pugilist Wickens!
Cue a ‘magical’ alcoholic potion, a trip back to 1818, and a villainous silver stealing uncle who’s so evil he probably kicks puppies off-screen. There’s fire, betrayal, swan stoning, a very mysterious urn and lot’s of ‘naughty girls and naughty boys’. In the end, justice is served, ghosts are avenged, and Mr. Blunden turns out to be more amazing than anyone expected, mostly because he’s been dead the whole time. 
It’s spooky, sweet, and slightly bonkers, in the best possible way. But please don’t ask too many questions.
Episode One of Time Babble Series Five is waiting for you now on Podbean, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other good podcast services.
If you can’t find it on your usual streaming service, please write in to the usual address.
For updates & more time-based babbling follow us on Instagram.
 
(All copyrighted material contained within this podcast is the property of their respective rights owners and their use here is protected under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of comment or critique.)

4.6 The Lake House (2006) "The Wootch"

This week we’re babbling about the cinematic masterpiece The Lakehouse (2006) starring Speed lovers Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.
Our film charts the almost-nearly-romance of a sincere, but deathly dull couple separated by time. Well, separated by two years in actuality. Not that long in the grand scheme of things, you’d think? And if it really was love, we’re sure the most romantic thing to do would be to wait a bit. But do they? They do not. Although what do we idiots know about love? Turns out, quite a lot, as we bid a welcome return of our critically acclaimed ‘Romance Corner’ section!
It turns out that our love-struck puppies need the help of an actual puppy, in the shape of Jack the dog, to move their relationship along. Jack is a magic dog. She can play chess, sniff out future lovers up to two years and 500 miles away and cause a distraction when you potentially get too close to an actual admirer who not only exists in the here and now, but is patiently pining away by your side (with a spinach pie). There is nothing so blind in love as an architect.
So prepare your post box dear listener, as Time Babble are ready to deliver you dispatches from the intriguingly bland future past. Keep your flag up! Oh, and if you can tell us what in all holy hell The Wootch is, you win a prize.
Pickup truck.
Episode Six of Time Babble Series Four is waiting for you now on Podbean, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other good podcast services.
If you can’t find it on your usual streaming service, please write in to the usual address.
For updates & more time-based babbling follow us on Instagram.
 
(All copyrighted material contained within this podcast is the property of their respective rights owners and their use here is protected under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of comment or critique.)

4.5 The Terminator (1984) "Tech Noir GDPR"

This week we are babbling about a film that needs no introduction.
Which, in a way, is an introduction in itself. But what of it? What do you want from us? Consistency? Clarity? If so, maybe this isn’t the podcast for you… Or is it?
Anyway, rambling philosophical questions aside, The Terminator was created (stolen?) in 1984 by a pre-Smurf obsessed little Jimmy Cameron, and features buns of all kinds: Mr Big Buns (obvs), and the two naked tight-tight buns of our post-lightning alley heroes, Arnold and Michael. Oh and skulls. Endless skulls. And even more skulls.
Basically, a stinking ‘borg (in the form of the actual president of the USA) has been tasked by a bunch of toasters to murderise the mum of a freedom fighter to protect a future that’s dominated by white goods, whose only use for humans is either to die, or make sure the future robots are shiny and clean. Or something like that.
But, as is tradition, we get distracted by how atrocious GDPR was in the past, the similarity of surgeons to serial killers and just why machines don’t like microwaves or lie detectors. So join us, as we celebrate the twilight of humanity and exterminate the Terminator!
Episode Five of Time Babble Series Four is waiting for you now on Podbean, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other good podcast services.
If you can’t find it on your usual streaming service, please write in to the usual address.
For updates & more time-based babbling follow us on Instagram.
 
(All copyrighted material contained within this podcast is the property of their respective rights owners and their use here is protected under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of comment or critique.)

4.4 Happy End (1967) "Lazy Rudolph"

Episode latest the to welcome and hello.
This week we’re babbling about the extraordinary Happy End (1967), a deliriously wonderful film, directed by Oldřich Lipský. It’s a delight from end to beginning, as we explore one man's journey from death/birth to birth/death.
Mostly dismissed as a throwaway piece of lightweight fluff on release, the film now stands shoulder to shoulder with its more arty brothers and sisters as an equally incredible example of the breadth of films that Czech cinema was producing at that time.
While not strictly a time travel film as such, Happy End more than generally messes about with the concept of time, as we follow hapless psychopath Mensik, from from the guillotine to the crib. Murdered brides are reanimated, food is stolen from a hippo's mouth, there’s more geese that we could count, and an uncomfortable amount of chewing.
It’s also the ultimate example of the unreliable narrator, as what we see, what Mensik actually does, and how he describes it, are quite often at polar opposites. Delightfully inventive and funny, it’s also a surprisingly uncomfortable watch, very much exploring the darker side of dark comedy…
Episode Four of Time Babble Series Four is waiting for you now on Podbean, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other good podcast services.
If you can’t find it on your usual streaming service, please write in to the usual address.
For updates & more time-based babbling follow us on Instagram.
 
(All copyrighted material contained within this podcast is the property of their respective rights owners and their use here is protected under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of comment or critique.)

4.3 I'll Never Forget You (1951) "The Gentleman's Ankh"

This week we’re babbling about I’ll Never Forget You (1951).
The film is a curious mix of sci-fi, noir and costume drama and was directed by Roy Ward Baker of Hammer and Amicus fame. It stars TYRONE POWER (possibly the best name on planet earth) as a man out of time, forever longing to go back and hang out with his ancestors during the ‘Age of Reason’.
And so with a flash of lightning, back to a glorious technicolour 18th Century we go. Although it’s not quite as witty and intellectual as TYRONE POWER had hoped for, as Tom, (his friendly, foppish, inebriate guide to this new world), shows him around the mud-coated Hogarth-esque squalor of the back streets of London, full of poverty, gambling and bedlam!
TYRONE POWER thinks he has read all the diaries, and done all the research. However when an unknown chinless beauty walks through the door, everything he thinks he knows is now not known, and the future/past he thought he knew, is more unknowable than when he knew what he used to know…
Join us, as we discover that being American is pretty much the same as being in league with the devil, knowing things that are just about to happen is the worst way to make friends, and olden times police investigations are thorough, but not in the way you might expect.
Thankfully, listening to Time Babble isn’t against the law yet (even if it should be), although prepare for people to accuse you of Witchcraft if they do catch you listening to us.
Episode Three of Time Babble Series Four is waiting for you now on Podbean, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other good podcast services.
If you can’t find it on your usual streaming service, please write in to the usual address.
For updates & more time-based babbling follow us on Instagram.
 
(All copyrighted material contained within this podcast is the property of their respective rights owners and their use here is protected under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of comment or critique.)

4.2 Terror at London Bridge (1985) "Jack the Hoffer"

This week we’re babbling about Terror at London Bridge (1985). The film is also known by the ever so slightly better title of Bridge Across Time and was originally a TV movie directed by the unfeasibly named Egbert Warnderink Swackhamer Jr!
The film stars the legend that is David ‘The Hoff’ Hasslehoff as a troubled cop, trying to forget a traumatic incident from his past. Specifically, a rogue incident with a can opener and a tin of beans. Now based at the relocated London Bridge in Arizona, he stumbles upon an ‘almost enough to have you institutionalised’ theory that Jack the Ripper is somehow back from the dead and up to his old tricks, through some entirely unconvincing ‘reasons’. 
The film also stars genre veteran Adrienne Barbeau, alongside Stepfanie Kramer as The Hoff’s wildly inappropriate workplace-stalky-romantic interest.
To offset the endless scenery chewing, we enjoy innocent school kids pointing at bodies floating in a river, a library that seems more interested in trying to get you to go to the cinema, film extras that seem to have lost even the ability to walk naturally and you’ll also find out why the House of Horrors is only named so on the inside of the building..? And to add insult to injury (yes, it’s that kind of film) an indifferent The Hoff is also treated to a romantic meal, and no, it’s not even Mac ‘n’ Cheese!
So join us dear Babbler, as we venture trepidatiously to London Village, to see what the flip is going on.
 
Episode Two of Time Babble Series Four is waiting for you now on Podbean, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other good podcast services.
If you can’t find it on your usual streaming service, please write in to the usual address.
For updates & more time-based babbling follow us on Instagram.
 
(All copyrighted material contained within this podcast is the property of their respective rights owners and their use here is protected under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of comment or critique.)