We begin 2018 with a discussion of Neil's favourite film of 2017, and a worrying early revelation about Dan's general problems with musicals. But we persevere, and discover not only a few musical gems in Dan's closet, but also a shared appreciation for some of the plot elements in La La Land.

Things get a bit philosophical and introspective as we dig into how we motivate ourselves (and others) when we (or they) suffer setbacks, how we tell our own stories about the world around us, taking the opportunities that come your way, avoiding being paralysed by "what if", and a few of the many screw-ups we've made in our past relationships.

As usual, we get sidelined by literal vs metaphor, fantasy physics, childhood dreams, Neil adopting some of Mia's vocabulary, and using BCC in emails.

At the end we have a very brief discussion about The Last Jedi, which is basically spoiler-free, but if you want to be really careful then you might want to fast-forward a couple of minutes!

YouTube links to songs referenced from La La Land:

• Another Day of Sun
• Someone in the Crowd
• Mia and Sebastian's Theme
• Take On Me / I Ran / Tainted Love
• A Lovely Night
• Planetarium
• Start A Fire
• Audition (The Fools Who Dream)

Miscellaneous references:

• Neil's profile on Untappd
• Dan's profile on Untappd
• YouTube: Kermode and Mayo's Film Review channel
• Empire podcast
• History vs Hollywood: The Greatest Showman vs The true story of P.T. Barnum
• Empire: Rogue One interview about the missing TIE Fighter
• TestBash San Francisco 2018
• Curbed: La La Land - The ultimate filming location map
• Game of Thrones location tours
• YouTube: A-Ha - "Take On Me"
• YouTube: A Flock Of Seagulls - "I Ran"
• Hollywood Reporter: How La La Land Got Its 6-Minute Sunset Dance Just Right (In Only 4 Takes)
• YouTube: Wayne's World 2 - Kenny G
• YouTube: Wayne's World - Bohemian Rhapsody
• Speak Easy
• The BRIT School
• YouTube: Galileo Observatory in Grand Theft Auto V vs the real-life Griffith Observatory
• BBC News: Golden Globes 2018
• Prince Charles Cinema - Blade Runner & Blade Runner 2049 double-feature (some tickets still available!)
• Amazon.co.uk: Ben Elton - The First Casualty

YouTube trailers for films and TV shows mentioned:

• Monty Python and the Holy Grail
• The Producers (1968)
• Les Miserables (theatre)
• Miss Saigon (theatre)
• Baby Driver
• Saturday Night Fever
• Staying Alive
• Mamma Mia!
• Mamma Mia! 2
• The Greatest Showman
• Moulin Rouge
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
• The Commuter
• Singin' In The Rain
• Rebel Without A Cause
• The Lion King (movie)
• The Lion King (musical)
• Beauty and the Beast (2017)
• The Big Bang Theory
• Mulholland Drive
• LA Confidential
• That Thing You Do!
• Sliding Doors
• Doctor Who - Turn Left
• Quantum Leap
• Drive
• Blade Runner 2049
• Molly's Game
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Star Trek: Discovery - Despite Yourself
• Black Mirror - The National Anthem
• Black Mirror - USS Callister
• Black Mirror - Arkangel
• Doctor Who - Twice Upon A Time (Christmas 2017 episode)
• Blackadder Goes Forth ending
• Hannibal
• Red Dragon

As we discuss in the episode, January is a bit manic, but if all goes to plan then we'll be back with THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS in two weeks' time!

Twitters:
@ScreenTesting
@TheTestDoctor
@neilstudd

Emails:
[email protected]

Intro music: Another Day Of Sun (Instrumental Version)
Outro music: City of Stars (Humming)