Crouch Cinema Corner

This week on Crouch Cinema Corner, Tim and Peter close out the year with a special one-off episode: Top 20 Films of 2025. After watching a truly staggering 130 films over the past year, Peter ranked every single one, an achievement that leaves Tim both impressed and deeply concerned about what else Peter might have been doing with his life.
The episode kicks off with some good-natured chaos as the brothers poke holes in Peter’s rankings from #21 all the way down to #130, laughing at omissions, questionable placements, and the sheer madness of watching that many movies at all. From there, they settle in and count down Peter’s Top 20 films of the year, digging into why each one stood out and why listeners should seek them out, with a few genuine surprises along the way.
They wrap things up with a lively discussion of the Top 10 film soundtracks of 2025, celebrating the power of music in shaping unforgettable cinematic moments. Along the way, Tim and Peter marvel at the incredible range of filmmaking on display this year, and tease what kind of themes and conversations might define the upcoming season of Crouch Cinema Corner.
For the full ranked list of all 130 films, listeners can find Peter on Letterboxd at petey88.

Attention - the first 25 minutes of this episode is spoiler-free!

This week on Crouch Cinema Corner, Tim and Peter return to Pandora for James Cameron’s long-anticipated Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third chapter in the epic sci-fi saga. Fresh out of the theatre, they unpack Cameron’s latest big, bold, bioluminescent spectacle—marvelling at its jaw-dropping visuals, ambitious action set pieces, and the introduction of striking new cultures and creatures on Pandora.
The conversation explores how Fire and Ash functions both as a standalone cinematic experience and as part of the larger Avatar saga. Tim and Peter debate its emotional impact, character arcs, and recurring themes of grief, rage, forgiveness, and survival, while also wrestling with how repetition, scale, and episodic storytelling affect the film’s overall power. There’s plenty of admiration for Cameron’s technical mastery, alongside thoughtful (?) critique of pacing, structure, and unresolved ideas.
As always, the episode has brotherly banter, tangent-filled comparisons, and a healthy dose of awe at what blockbuster filmmaking can still achieve. Whether you’re fully invested in the world of Pandora or simply curious about Cameron’s latest swing for the fences, this episode dives deep—spoilers and all —into the fire, ash, and spectacle of Avatar: Fire and Ash.

This week on Crouch Cinema Corner, Tim and Peter fill in the gaps of their James Cameron journey with a sprawling, joyfully nerdy Cameron Cavalcade. The episode kicks off with a deep dive into Disney+’s Avatar: Fire and Ash making-of documentary, unpacking Cameron’s process, his softened-but-still-commanding presence on set, and the sheer engineering madness behind filming underwater performance capture. From free diving actors and wave tanks to Cameron’s obsession with problem-solving, it’s a fascinating look at how his films are built.
From there, the brothers revisit every Cameron film they’ve covered so far, counting down their favourite action scenes, standout side characters, and ultimately ranking his entire filmography—revealing some surprisingly passionate disagreements along the way. Aliens clash with Terminators, water battles machines, and Titanic once again refuses to go quietly.
The episode wraps with a trip from screen to theme park, as Tim and Peter explore Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. They discuss the land’s immersive design, bioluminescent nights, Flight of Passage, Navi River Journey, and how Cameron’s environmental themes translate into real-world storytelling.
It’s a big, enthusiastic, occasionally chaotic celebration of one of cinema’s most singular filmmakers—and a perfect pause before diving into what comes next in the Cameron canon.

This week on Crouch Cinema Corner we return to Pandora for James Cameron’s epic Avatar: The Way of Water. As part of our deep dive into the films of James Cameron we explore how this sequel expands the world of Pandora with a whole new ocean culture, stunning underwater visuals, and the evolving story of Jake Sully and his family.
Tim and Peter break down their star predictions, talk about the movie’s themes of family and belonging, and laugh their way through some of the more memorable bro-filled moments from the Sully kids. They also get into the return of the villainous Quaritch, the surprising emotional beats involving the tulkun, and the way Cameron blends sci-fi spectacle with heartfelt character moments.
From the breathtaking reef environments to the wild skimwing creatures, to the film’s massive third act showdown, this conversation is packed with enthusiasm, humour, and genuine appreciation for Cameron’s world building. Join us as we revisit one of the biggest films of the decade and celebrate everything that makes Avatar: The Way of Water such a bold, imaginative, and visually stunning adventure.

Welcome back to Crouch Cinema Corner as we continue our bold, blue and bioluminescent journey through the films of James Cameron. In this episode of our James Cameron season, we dive into his 2009 cultural phenomenon Avatar, the film that transported audiences to the moon Pandora and redefined cinematic immersion, 3D filmmaking and visual effects.
Tim and Peter explore how Avatar arrived after Cameron’s long post Titanic break, unpacking the technology, ambition and patience that went into bringing this world to life. From motion capture performances and groundbreaking visual design to James Horner’s sweeping score, we discuss why Avatar remains such a powerful theatrical experience even years later. The conversation also digs into characters like Jake Sully and Neytiri, the idea of audience surrogates, Cameron’s recurring themes of nature, colonialism and belonging, and how Pandora invites viewers to choose which world they want to live in.
Along the way, we share star ratings, brotherly predictions and plenty of fun tangents as we place Avatar within Cameron’s larger filmography. With Avatar: Fire and Ash on the horizon and the Avatar sequels continuing to shape modern blockbuster cinema, this episode is both a celebration and a thoughtful revisit of a sci fi epic that still sparks debate, wonder and awe.