#95 | Elf 2: How Buddy Saved Christmas

Will Ferrell has repeatedly ruled out making a sequel for Elf, his festive 2004 comedy hit that rapidly became a seasonable staple. After the muted reaction to the belated Anchorman and Zoolander sequels in recent years, he may have a point...

Yet despite Ferrell's lack of enthusiasm, the appetite for an Elf 2 seems to grow stronger with every passing year. Is this just lazy nostalgia at work, or is there really potential for a follow-up that could wouldn't taint memories of the widely-loved original?

For this week's episode of Beyond The Box Set, John and (a very hung over) Harry summon as much Christmas spirit as they can muster as they attempt to figure out what makes this particular Christmas film so enormously popular, and where a theoretical sequel could actually take Ferrell and friends the second time around...

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Each week on Beyond The Box Set, hosts Harry Chappell and John Lucas compete to pitch sequels, prequels and spin-off ideas for a different standalone movie. Currently midway through our annual festive season, we're spreading cinematic good cheer wherever we go and proving that, unlike a puppy, a sequel can be for life and for Christmas. 

New episodes are released every Friday morning, so please hit subscribe to stay up to date with all our latest episodes. Reviews and recommendations are also much appreciated, as they really do help us to reach out to new listeners. Go on, tis the season and all that....

If you're a dedicated fan of the show, you can also show your appreciation by supporting our Patreon for as little as $2 per month. Subscribers receive access to our weekly bonus show, Beyond BTBS, a regular 30 second ad slot on the main show and the opportunity to pick a movie for us to discuss on a future episode. 

00.00: Harry is having a very bad day...

24.10: Elf Drinking Games

31.00: Elf 2: Return to the Pole

45.00: The 2Elf Days of Christmas

55.30: Listener Submissions & Episode 96 Preview

#92 | The Birdcage 2: Starina Rides Again

Put simply, 'The Birdcage' is one of the funniest movies ever made. Yes, it's a remake of the much-loved French classic La cage aux folles, but it's elevated above standard remake fare by inspired casting across the board and a strong emotional centre in the midst of all the camp farce. 

A sequel without Robin Williams is obviously almost impossible to imagine, but we did find ourselves wondering how Nathan Lane's flamboyant Albert would cope with the loss of his remarkably patient life partner. Not to mention the tantalising/terrifying notion of how Agador Spartacus' personal style might have evolved as he entered his mid-fifties... 

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Every week on Beyond The Box Set, we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch sequel, prequel and spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. Sometimes they're completely ridiculous, other times they're strangely inspired, but either way they're guaranteed to out a new perspective on some of your favourite movies. 

Our show is available on all good podcasting platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, aCast and Google Play. You can also sign up to our Patreon for as little as $2 per month to access a wide range of bonus content, including our exclusive spin-off show Beyond BTBS, a regular promo slot and the opportunity to choose a film for us to cover on a future episode. 

00.00: Val is a garbage person 

36.30: The Birdcage Drinking Games

43.45: The Caged Bird 

55.00: The Birdcage 2: Starina Rides Again

1.05.20: Listener Submissions & Episode 93 Preview 

#90 | The Way Way Back…to the Way Way Back (feat. Charlie Dudley)

After a month of Halloween horror, we needed something to lift our spirits this week. Thankfully, special guest Charlie Dudley (of Why Did I Do That? and A Podcast for Everyone) was on hand with The Way Way Back - a sweet natured summer coming-of-age movie that managed to warm even our cold, cynical hearts. 

Written by Oscar winners Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, The Way Way Back stars Liam James as a shy 14 year old reluctantly accompanying his mother (Toni Collette) and her domineering boyfriend (Steve Carrell) on a summer vacation. While there he befriends a charming water park manager played by Sam Rockwell, who helps him to escape the endless humiliation of his family life with a part-time job and some questionable, but effective, life lessons. 

Featuring a hilarious supporting cast including Alison Janney, Maya Rudolph and Amanda Peet, The Way Way Back is a hidden gem were were extremely happy to discover. Tune into this week's episode for our thoughts on questionable water park ethics, offensive capri pants, Steve Carrell's effective against-cast performance as an irredeemable douchebag and much more. 

As always, we also pitch our own sequel ideas for the movie, which this week include a couple of equally bittersweet reunion movies, and one rather less wholesome left-turn into the murky realm of adult partner swapping... Look, it makes sense in context, OK? 

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Each week on Beyond The Box Set, intrepid hosts Harry Chappell and John Lucas watch a beloved standalone movie, and risk the ire of the fans by pitching ridiculous sequel, prequel and spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. Our credits include recommendations from The Guardian, Podbean, Apple Podcasts and over 150 five-star iTunes reviewers. Only 147 of which we wrote ourselves under assumed names. 

If you like our show, you can subscribe on your preferred podcatcher to receive a new episode every Friday morning. Reviews and recommendations are great for our self esteem, and really help us to attract new listeners. We also have a Patreon page, where you can sign up to be a VIP listener for as little as $2 per month, in return for some fabulous exclusive bonus content. Merchandise is also available via Teepublic.com. 

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00.00: John can't get past Alison Janney's capri pants

24.50: The Way Way Back Drinking Games

33.50: 50 Shades of Way Way Back

49.45: The Way Way Back... to the Way Way Back

59.40: Back to the Way Way Back

1.10.30: The Way Way Back Friends Game (feat. Grease) 

1.15.45: Listener Submissions & Episode 91 Preview - PLUS SPECIAL EPISODE 100 ANNOUNCEMENT!

#83 | Mrs Doubtfire 2: Son of Doubtfire

How far would you go to be with your children? In the classic 90s comedy Mrs Doubtfire, Robin Williams goes truly goes above and beyond to spend some quality time with his family, with predictably hilarious results.

Tune into this week's episode for our thoughts on the difference between a good Robin Williams movie and a bad one, the irresistible charm of Sally Field and why some 90s comedy tropes have aged better than others, plus much more as we pitch sequels to this timeless comedy classic...

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Beyond The Box Set is a British movie podcast that blends comedy, movie chat and creative storytelling to ludicrous effect. Each week our two hosts take on a classic standalone movie - Titanic, Gladiator etc. - and attempt to pitch fantasy sequel ideas to bring them back to the big screen. We've been featured by The Guardian, Podbean and Apple Podcasts as a must-listen show, and over 150 listeners have granted us a 'Five-Star' rating on iTunes. Not that we like to brag or anything...

If you enjoy the show, please consider hitting subscribe for a new episode every Friday morning, and drop us a review if you're feeling extra generous. It really does help us to find new listeners, and we'd totally love you forever. 

For listeners who truly can't get enough, we also offer exclusive bonus content on Patreon, where for as little as $2 per month you can access our weekly bonus show 'Beyond BTBS', grab a 30 second on-air promo slot to advertise anything you like, and pick a movie for us to cover on a future episode of the main show. We also have merchandise available on Teepublic. 

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00.00: Sally Field has the best face in Hollywood

51.30: Mrs Doubtfire Drinking Games

1.02.40 Mrs Doubtfire 2: Stu's Return

1.12.40: Mrs Doubtfire 2: Not Without My Daughter

1.24.00: Mrs Doubtfire 2: Son of Doubtfire

1.33.25: Listener Submissions & Episode 84 Preview

#78 | A Knight’s Tale 2: The Gorgeous Ladies of Jousting

Fonging hell! We've got a real crowd pleaser to talk about this week - gleefully anachronistic jousting adventure A Knight's Tale, the starring the much-missed Heath Ledger. 

Released in 2001, A Knight's Tale helped to establish Ledger as a reliable leading man, after well-received supporting turns in 10 Things I Hate About You and The Patriot. It also featured a memorable cast of supporting characters including Alan Tudyk, Mark Addy and future Marvel star Paul Bettany in the role of a loudmouthed, frequently naked Geoffrey Chaucer.

This week's movie was selected by special guest Jason Croxon, host of the A Conversation With... podcast. Jason joins us on this episode to discuss olde worlde relationship politics, variable accent work, scenery chewing extras and much more. 

As always, we also spend the second half of the episode pitching our own fantasy sequel ideas to this feelgood romp - which sadly have to work around the less than cheerful fact of Ledger's tragic death in 2008. How could a spin-off movie ever work in his absence? That's a question we challenge ourselves to answer this week. Tune in now to see how we fared...

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Every week on Beyond The Box Set, we revisit a classic standalone movie that, for whatever reason, never got an official sequel. Then we compete to come up with our own pitches to bring that movie back to the big screen in 2018. It's a pointless thought experiment that's already guided us through 78 episodes with no sign of slowing down...

If you enjoy the show, please hit subscribe on your preferred Podcatcher and consider leaving us a review - it really helps new listeners to find us. You can also access a wide variety of bonus content by signing up to our Patreon for as little as $2 per month, and we have exclusive merchandise available on Teepublic.com

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00.00: Paul Bettany's bum deserves an Oscar

36.55: A Knight's Tale Drinking Games

43.50: A Knight's Tale 2: A Squire's Tale

51.00: A Knight's Tale 2: Catcheth Me Ift Thee Can 

59.20: A Knight's Tale 2: The Gorgeous Ladies of Jousting

1.12.50: Listener Submissions & Episode 79 Preview

#74 | Jerry Maguire 2: Jerry’s Game

From the chunky flip phones and questionable hair to the dodgy sexual politics and curious lack of any real stakes, Jerry Maguire is perhaps the quintessential mid-90s prestige rom com. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, the movie stars Tom Cruise as a successful sports agent whose search for meaning in a cynical industry leads him into the arms of warm-hearted, possibly overly suggestible single mother Renee Zellweger. 

In this week's episode of Beyond The Box Set, we discuss the bizarre pacing of this movie, Renee Zellweger's succession of very poor decisions in the film and the fact that we're pretty sure all of the characters are addicted to cocaine. 

Once we've completed a thorough post-mortem, we move on to pitching our own Jerry Maguire sequels as set in 2018. Would Jerry's questionable business strategy of focusing on fewer clients and less money be working out for him? Would his quickie marriage to a woman who may very well be in a cult still be going strong? And would Cuba Gooding Jr ever appear in another successful project again? 

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Beyond The Box Set is the hit British podcast in which two hapless but creative film nerds pitch sequel, prequel and spin-off ideas for classic standalone movies. We've been featured as a must-listen Podcast by Podbean, The Guardian and iTunes, and our show is available on virtually all major platforms.

We also have a dedicated Patreon page where fans can access a host of bonus content, including our weekly cinema review show 'Beyond BTBS' and the opportunity to choose a film for us to cover on a future episode of the main show - all for as little as £2 per month!. 

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patreon.com/beyondtheboxset

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00.00: Cocaine, flip phones and unexamined white privilege

32.10: Jerry Maguire Drinking Games

39.05: Jerry Maguire 2: Breaking Jerry

45.30: Jerry Maguire 2: Jerry's Game

53.10: Listener Submissions & Episode 75 Preview

#69 | Mermaids 2: Search for the Merman

There are certain actors we'll watch in just about anything. Cher is one, Winona Ryder is another. In Mermaids, the pair play mother and daughter, with Christina Ricci and Bob Hoskins in supporting roles and a fabulous 1960s soundtrack in the background. Let's be realistic, there was never any way we weren't going to love this movie.

Released in 1990, a time when both women were at the height of their movie careers, Mermaids is a gentle coming of age dramedy based on a novel by Patty Dunn. It's very much a product of its time, but a little bit darker and more thoughtful than you probably remember it being - particularly if, like us, your main memory of the film is that it featured Cher's cover of the Shoop Shoop Song. 

This week on Beyond The Box Set, we're joined by returning guest Lucy Meredith to discuss iconic wigs, Winona's intense inner monologues, the ineffable sex appeal of Bob Hoskins and more. We also pitch some scenarios to reunite these two quintessential Hollywood survivors in a sequel - with ideas including a musical, multiple road trips and an unlikely genre-shift into 'Black Swan' style body horror...

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Beyond The Box Set is a movie review podcast with a twist. Each week we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch sequel, prequel or spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. We were recently featured as a 'Podcast of the Week' by The Guardian and have been listed as a 'Binge worthy podcast' by iTunes. 

You can find us on all good podcasting platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and Stitcher. If you like the show, don't forget to check out our Patreon for a wide variety of incentives and bonus content.

beyondtheboxset.com

patreon.com/beyondtheboxset

twitter.com/beyondtheboxset

facebook.com/beyondtheboxset

instagram.com/beyondtheboxset

00.00: Demented monologues and iconic slap scenes 

36.00: Mermaids Drinking Games

43.20: Mermaids 2: Search For The Merman

57.00: Mermaids 2: A Body Horror With Actual Mermaids In It

1.04.45: Mermaids II: On The Road

1.12.35: Listener Submissions & Episode 70 Preview

#59 | That Thing You Do (feat. The Contrarians)

A sweet retro comedy about the rise and fall of fictional 60s pop band The Wonders, That Thing You Do! has virtually no stakes and gets by on the sheer good-natured charm of everyone involved, not least that of writer-director Tom Hanks. But can we sit through the 148 minute extended cut without succumbing to a severe case of toothache? 

In this month's Patreon special, friend of the show Julio Olivera of The Contrarians podcast joins us to discuss Tom Everett-Scott's spooky resemblance to Tom Hanks, the low-energy charm of Liv Tyler and why La La Land may in fact be a spiritual sequel to this movie...

Released in 1996, That Thing You Do! was modestly successful at the box office, but spawned a successful soundtrack and quickly became a cult classic. In addition to Scott, Hanks and Tyler, the movie was an early showcase for then-rising stars including Steve Zahn, Charlize Theron and Giovanni Ribisi. 

In addition to comparing notes on the movie, we also come up with some drinking games - highly recommend if you do attempt the extended cut - and pitch our sequel ideas, which this week feature a bittersweet 21st century reunion and a journey through the history of Rock 'n' Roll, by way of Quantum Leap, Doctor Who and Love Actually. Mr Hanks, we're waiting for your call...

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Beyond The Box Set is a hit movie podcast with a twist. Every week we take a classic piece of standalone cinema and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequel, prequel or spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. We're featured as a binge-worthy podcast on iTunes and can be found on all good podcasting platforms, including Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify and Podbean. 

Fans of the show can also show their support on Patreon, gaining access to all of our exclusive bonus material by pledging as little as $2 per month. Incentives include access to our bonus movie review show Beyond BTBS, the opportunity to choose a film for us to cover on a future episode of Beyond The Box Set and a 30 second ad slot to plug absolutely anything you like (within reason). 

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patreon.com/beyondtheboxset

twitter.com/beyondtheboxset

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instagram.com/beyondtheboxset

00.00: Emma Stone really needs to break the cycle 

25.55: That Thing You Do! Drinking Games

35.10: That Thing You Did!

55.00: That Thing You Manage! 

1.08.00: Listener Submissions & Episode 60 Preview 

#55 | Run Amélie Run (feat. Think Outside The Box Set)

A whimsical French comedy with some deceptively twisted themes, Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amélie is a delightful ode to love, fate and the power of connection, bolstered by a star-making turn by Audrey Tautou. But do the film's visual invention and romantic tone mask something darker at the heart of the story?

In our first Patreon crossover special, friend of the show Nathan Hunt - of our near namesake podcast Think Outside The Box Set - joins us to discuss how what with all the stalking, gaslighting and parental neglect on display, Amélie is basically a Roald Dahl story told with a Wes Anderson sensibility - in French. No wonder we loved it...

Nathan also sticks around to help brainstorm some 2018-friendly sequels to the movie, including a timeline-jumping crossover with another classic of early 21st century European cinema and a spin-off inspired by a relatively obscure children's educational TV show. Never let it be said that we're predictable!

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Beyond The Box Set is a top ten TV & Film podcast officially deemed 'Binge Worthy' by Apple Podcasts. Each week, we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequels, prequels and spin-offs to bring them back to the big screen. 

We're available on virtually all major Podcasting platforms and most forms of social media. We're also now available on Patreon, where you can support us for as little as $2 per month in return for a host of exclusive perks, including access to our weekly bonus show 'Beyond BTBS', a 30 second ad slot on Beyond The Box Set and the chance to appear as a character in one of our sequels! 

beyondtheboxset.com

patreon.com/beyondtheboxset

twitter.com/beyondtheboxset

facebook.com/beyondtheboxset

instagram.com/beyondtheboxset

00.00: Amélie - The Story of a Sociopath

19.30: Amélie Drinking Games

24.40: Run Amélie Run

45.10: Where In The World Is Amélie Poulain?

53.45: Listener Submissions & Episode 56 Preview 

#53 | Garden State 2: Pet Sematary

Remember when everybody loved Garden State? Strange as it seems, Zach Braff's directorial debut was widely praised on release - so why has its reputation curdled so dramatically in recent years? Louise Ball joins us this week to discuss Manic Pixie Dream Girls, alarming animal cruelty and to help pitch the sequels that none of us actually want to see...

Released in 2004 at the height of Zach Braff's Scrubs fame, Garden State was a slow-burn box office success, grossing over $35 million against a $2.5 million budget, bouyed by a Grammy-winning soundtrack and enthusiastic reviews. Despite this initial success, the movie later attracted criticism for its ponderous exploration of mid-twenties ennui and the characterisation of Natalie Portman's female romantic lead as less a recognisable human being than an infantilised collection of infuriatingly self-conscious quirks. 

Is Garden State totally without merit? We didn't quite think so. In this episode we discuss some of the reasons the movie was initially so successful - as well as the many elements that have aged poorly in the cold light of 2018. In pitching our own sequels, one of us attempts to inject some excitement by splicing the cast with a modern sci-fi phenomenon with an equally iconic soundtrack, one of us digs into the appalling animal cruelty hinted at in the original film, and one of us decides to ditch the insufferable central duo altogether and allow some of the movie's most memorable supporting characters to take centre stage...

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Beyond The Box Set is a top ten TV & Film podcast officially rated 'Binge Worthy' by Apple Podcasts. Each week, we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequels, prequels and spin-offs to bring them back to the big screen. 

We're available on virtually all major Podcasting platforms and most forms of social media. We're also now available on Patreon, where you can support us for as little as $2 per month in return for a host of exclusive perks, including access to our weekly bonus show 'Beyond BTBS', a 30 second ad slot on Beyond The Box Set and the chance to appear as a character in one of our sequels! 

beyondtheboxset.com

patreon.com/beyondtheboxset

twitter.com/beyondtheboxset

facebook.com/beyondtheboxset

instagram.com/beyondtheboxset

00.00: Natalie Portman is not a natural laugher 

22.15: Garden State Drinking Games

31.05: Garden State 2: Velcro Bad Things

46.40: Garden State 2: Pet Sematary 

52.50: Garden State 2: The Infinite Abyss

1.03.10: Listener Submissions & Episode 54 Preview