It's Christmas and it's the final episode of our first season! We're thinking about hope by listening to 'Someday at Christmas' written by Stevie Wonder and recorded by a range of artists including The Jackson 5. We're also watching 'The Apartment' (1960) Directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jack Lemmon. Why do humans hope? Why is that hope felt more deeply at Christmas?

In this episode we take a look at the martial arts masterpiece Hero (2002) directed by Zhang Yimou and we listen to Jay-Z's Empire State Of Mind (2009). We discuss what we like about the movie and the song and then talk about their contrasting visions of 'the promised land'. How is the Chinese and American concept of the promised land different? What are the strengths of each? Where do they fall down and what else is on offer? Join us as we have a chat and hear one of us try to sing like Alicia Keys!

In this episode we discuss the topic of legacy. Tim talks us through The New Abnormal (2020) by The Strokes where the band wrestle with their artistic legacy. What happens to artists when they've built a legacy around a certain look or sound but then the times change or they change? Jeremiah talks us through Citizen Kane (1941) created by Orson Welles where we see a character obsessed with leaving a mark on the world. Where does this obsession come from, what does it result in and why does Donald Trump love it so much?

In this episode we explore the theme of addiction through the movie 'The Lost Weekend' (1945) directed by Billy Wilder and the album 'Either/Or' (1997) by Elliott Smith. What does addiction promise? What does it deliver? Can you create great art without being some sort of broken addict?

Episode 2 is all about transformation! The transformation of Tyler the Creator from hateful and violent to vulnerable and lonely in Flower Boy (2017). The transformation of an ageing banker to a playboy artist in John Frankenheimer's Seconds (1966). How and why do we transform? What are we looking for? Does it work?

Our first ever episode is about dystopia and disillusionment. Jeremiah talks us through what happens to Melbourne during a global crisis created by humans in the movie 'On The Beach' by Stanley Kramer. Are people the problem with the world? Tim talks about Richard Dawson's album '2020' which covers the dystopia of modern life and whether jogging helps manage the anxiety. Do our feelings of disillusionment come from misplaced hopes?