Welcome to 2026 with Blood and Black Rum Podcast! This year we're starting out with what would be considered a precursor to the giallo genre, with the overlooked A Hyena in the Safe. This Italian production melds Agatha Christie with some tropes of Italian murder mysteries to create a unique blend with... Bond influences? We talk about this and more, thanks to Celluloid Dreams' new US Blu-ray release.

We're drinking Southern Tier Brewing Company's Irish Coffee Cream Ale this time around!

Approximate timeline

0:00-10:00 Intro

10:00-17:00 Beer talk

17:00-end A Hyena in the Safe

Stay tuned for even more B&BR this year as we enter our 12th season!

While it's true we could have done Rocky for any holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year) we decided that the perfect time for this classic pugilist film was for a New Year's Day special due to the epic fight with Apollo Creed. We talk about the character study, the romance with Adrian, and of course the finale's 15-round bout. We're also drinking Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter!

Approximate timeline

0:00-8:00 Intro

8:00-16:00 Beer talk

16:00-end Rocky

We'll see you back in 2026!

The Ref is something of a Christmas outlier; its title does not suggest a holiday-themed topic, the poster artwork fails to spread any holiday cheer, and overall it's a strange culmination of ideas. However, it was also a Martin holiday tradition,so it made sense to finally tackle this Denis Leary-starring vehicle for our final film in 2025's Festivus Series.

We're also drinking Modelo's Noche Especial lager for this festive occasion!

Approximate timeline

0:00-12:00 Intro

12:00-20:00 Beer talk

20:00-end The Ref

We hope you enjoyed our Festivus Series this year! We will be back - either for a New Year's episode if we get the chance, or else we'll be seeing you in 2026 for standard film coverage!