At The Flicks

Welcome to the At The Flicks review show, the only review show you will ever need. Our batch of films were mainly selected before that joyous day when cinemas reopened. Not that this is a reflection on our selection. Most are given high praise from the team. Even Jeff seems sane until his meds faded out and then he goes full straight jacket for his last review. Don’t worry listeners, we have him back under full control now. In fact, we have even given him a day out to the cinema – more on that next time. For this month, here are the movies being reviewed: Godzilla Vs Kong: Big creatures, big review and possibly our most divisive film of the month. The Mauritanian: Great cast and a powerful true story, so why did it fall short for some of our reviewers? Promising Young Woman: Powerful film which certainly had an impact on this review team. We recommend watching the film first before listening to this review. Nomadland: The winner of the Best Film Oscar recently. A worthy winner? Check out what the t

Stephen Cookson’s excellent film Brighton is the closing film at this year’s Cheltenham International Film Festival on 5th June. The At The Flicks team were given the opportunity of interviewing Stephen about his film, which is based on the play Brighton Beach Scumbags, written by Steven Berkoff. This is a powerful slice of life as a group of 4 sixty somethings return to Brighton, the place where they all met in the 1960’s. The seaside town has changed, but the attitudes of this group has not, setting up the dramatic core of the movie. Stephen tells us about bringing together his fantastic cast of Lesley Sharp, Marion Bailey, Larry Lamb and Phil Davis. How filming a Summer set movie caused problems when production was in February as well as the hilarious story of when and where he was first told the story by Steven Berkoff. For us, Brighton is a must see and we have already booked our tickets for the showing at the Cheltenham International Film Festival. As this is an online festival, the film will be av

Welcome to the May 2021 edition of At The Flicks movie news. This month we are calling the show our exclusive edition, as most of the news is indeed, exclusive. The team have split their original assignments accordingly - Jeff talks to Last Chancers director Phil Stubbs about his new project - Graham speaks to Cheltenham International Film Festival director Leslie Sheldon about the delights of the upcoming 2021 on line festival - Neil talks horror (nice one Jeff, getting him to do that!). He looks at some of the horror movies currently filming around the UK and gives the first reveal on the horror short Tea With The Reaper. Plenty of new and original content there. A shame that can’t be said about Jeff’s jokes. That aside his recommendations this month includes a blast from radio past that everyone should be checking out. So, if you want to keep up to date in the world of the movies then you should be listening to At The Flicks. It is indeed your one stop shop for movie news, as this episode proves. If

In this special episode of At The Flicks, the team talk to award winning sports journalist Jon Palmer about his favourite sports movies. I have had both the pleasure and the privilege of knowing Jon for over twenty years. He is dedicated and impassioned about his craft. Jon is currently, amongst other things, the football writer for Gloucestershirelive.co.uk. Those that know Jon, are very aware he is a passionate Cheltenham Town football follower, which is mentioned once or twice. A little note for our listeners not in Europe – that is “football” not “soccer”, whatever that is. It was, therefore, a big moment for the At The Flicks team when Jon was able to take time out of his very busy schedule to talk to us about his top five favourite sports films. These included both dramas and documentaries. A link to the trailer for one (a movie none of the team have seen) is below. To preserve the mystery and suspense of the show, all of the other choices, with Jon’s reasons for selection, are only mentioned in

Welcome to the continuing adventures of the At The Flicks team as they talk Star Trek movies. After the modest success of Star Trek III : The Search For Spock (At The Flicks episode 152), there was to be one more medium budget movie to complete a trilogy. This was a Star Trek film which went in a very different direction than the movies that proceeded it. It went backwards. In time that is. Yes, the crew of the Enterprise return to the San Francisco of the mid 1980’s. Guiding us through this production is our captain – Darren (after all it was his idea), backed up by his science officer Graham who will be looking at some of the more technical aspects. The good news is Jeff got the transporter working and Neil has been returned to us. He doesn’t look quite the same, due to a Fly like malfunction with the transporter equipment, so we can class him as a Star Trek alien for this episode. It was our fault for letting someone as technically inept as Jeff loose with computers! With the full crew, sort of res

In this show we catch up with Caz, the creator of the excellent Let’s Go To The Movies website. One of Caz’s articles really caught our eye and imagination. It was her list of 50 favourite films. Now, there is nothing we love more at At The Flicks than reading personal top movie lists. You go down the list and pick out matches. Favourite movies that connect you with another person, another person who shares your passion for film. Some of the titles in Caz’s wonderful list are inspirational films to us. We just had to talk to her about her choices. This show is the result of that chat. A talk with another film lover, about films that mean something, hopefully to all of us. We talk Rocky, Chicago, The Wrestler, It’s Complicated, Remember The Titans, Titanic and many, many others. So if you are a fan of movies – and what are you doing reading this if you are not, then join us on this show as we talk to Caz about some of her favourite films and, as an added bonus some of the movies which didn’t quite make the

Welcome to the At The Flicks review show, the only review show you will ever need. This month the team discuss some big hitters and there is agreement for many of them. To prove that statement, here are the movies being reviewed: - Jack Snyder’s Justice League : Our big review of the month. So big in fact, we had to bring in Elijah from America for his comments. - The Little Things : No, not a reference to Graham’s height. This is the latest from all round superstar Denzel Washington. - Palm Springs : A sort of update on Groundhog Day. Also sort of Jeff’s worst nightmare – reliving day after day with co-presenter Neil. - Six Minutes To Midnight : Eddie Izzard’s latest feature split the team. However you won’t be able to hear much of Jeff’s incisive wit and perception as Graham cut it. Jealousy is a terrible thing. - The Kid Detective : Adam Brody stars in this mystery which proves to be more of a character piece. Oh, but there’s more. An excellent Dash from Darren this month including The Columnist,

Welcome to this month’s movie news. In short : Jeff talks festivals, Graham waxes lyrical for a new hero and Neil nips to the bookies. For those that listen to our show on a regular basis (and for that, thank you), you will know we have been following the progress of a wonderful animated feature coming from GB Entertainment Ltd called Louisa An Amazing Adventure. Expect to be able to see that feature later in the year. However, for those of you Stateside who want to get an early viewing of Louisa, then you should listen closely to the breaking news section of the podcast. Jeff reveals which online American film festival has included Louisa in competition. If you act fast you may still be able to get a ticket to see it. Trust us, you will not be disappointed. Jeff also gives first details of this year’s Cheltenham International Film Festival and the role the At The Flicks team are having with this prestigious event. There will be much more to say on this festival over the next few months, including a word f

Lockdown might be easing, however, the recommendation is still to stay at home as much as possible. If we follow the rules, how do we pass the time? There is always TV. But what do you chose to watch amongst the myriad of channels And shows? What is good and what is best avoided? Luckily we have an expert on hand. Our Dec returns to help. He goes through the channels picking out what is best so you can concentrate on the cream. His unmissable picks include : - The Pembrokeshire Murders - Bridgerton - Line Of Duty - The Falcon And The Winter Soldier - It’s A Sin - Cobra Kai - Challenger : The Final Flight - Call My Agent - Yonderland - And many, many more. So much TV, so little time. Yes, it’s a good job we have an expert on hand to help. Think of us as one of those Government briefings with Dec as the Jonathan Van Tam of the streaming world. Of course that makes Neil our Boris Johnson, something none of us really want to consider… Perhaps it best we all forget that last statement and concentrate on De

Our Stephen King journey concludes for the time being with this episode. In this show we discuss David Cronenberg’s version of The Dead Zone starring Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen. We are very pleased to have a new voice on the show for this episode. Val Thomas of The Big Screen Biograph (excellent podcast, well worth tracking down) has joined us to talk Stephen King. As you meet John Smith in The Dead Zone (please don’t shake his hand – for reasons far worse than catching Covid), you will learn: - Why David Cronenberg agreed to make such a departure from his usual fare - Why Christopher Walken flinches when he has his “visions” - The possible hidden story within The Dead Zone - Why Jeff wimped out on four pages of the Stephen King book Now the sharp eared amongst you may have noticed that Neil is not in the main discussion. The reason for that was, it took Neil a lot of time to build up the courage to watch the movie. The result he wasn’t ready for the main recording session. However, as he did eve

Our Stephen King journey continues. In this episode we discuss the 1983 movie Cujo, where a rabid St Bernard dog stalks Dee Wallace and Danny Pintauro. Returning to speak Stephen King with us is Niall from Movies In Focus. Niall certainly knows his Stephen King, and that comes across in this discussion with Graham and Jeff. By the way, Niall now has his own excellent podcast and a link to it can be found below. Where’s Neil you might ask? He’s still in the car outside the recording studio. The movie did scare our Neil and now he sits outside in the car terrified that a Welsh St Bernard is waiting to devour him! So we had to record the show without him. Neil’s review would have been “too scary for me” Despite the team being a member short, a lot of interesting things were discussed in the show about Cujo, such as: - Who the original director was and why he was fired - Why the film is like some sporting events – a game of two halves - Why almost all the story elements that linked this story to The

After the success of our Stephen King shows last Halloween, we are back to give you a treat of three more movie discussions. We move into the 1980’s and start with the knock-out collaboration of Stephen King and George A Romero for Creepshow. This was the novelist’s first original work for the cinema, a five story anthology in the style of the EC Tales From The Crypt comics from the 1950’s. Although you King fans out there will know that two of the stories are based on early short stories, which are very hard to track down. Joining us for this episode is Andy @Jabbah2000. Andy certainly knows his Stephen King as his contribution to the episode shows (puts the team of three to shame!). Although it was easy to do that for two of the team members. You see,for non horror fans Neil and Graham it was a first watch. Let the betting begin as to how many nights Neil had to sleep with a light on after watching. As we turn the pages of the Creepshow comic book, you will learn : - Which story scared Neil the most

Last Halloween the At The Flicks team, with the help of a few friends, talked about the first Stephen King movies and TV shows. The good news is, we are coming back over Easter to talk about the next three films – all made in the early 80’s. The even better news is we are introducing it with this tongue in cheek advert. You know how these little promos work. Jeff torments Neil while telling you, our listeners, about some upcoming At The Flicks event. Well, this time Neil turns the tables on Jeff and gets his revenge. Or does he? Here, in advance of our short season, an introduction which we hope will make you smile. Enjoy. Happy Easter

Welcome to the At The Flicks review show, the only review show you will ever need. The good news for our listeners is, this month’s film selection is a major improvement over last time. There are films here that even Jeff likes. To prove that statement, here are the movies being reviewed: One Night In Miami : A gathering of “friends” back in the 1960’s - a party we would all like to crash. Well, except one of the reviewers. News Of The World : Tom Hanks in a Western. We are all in for this, and at least it isn’t anything like Damsel which we all reviewed (OK, attacked), last month. The Art Of Self Defense : Jesse Eisenberg playing a neurotic (at least to start with). Strange and quirky and with more than a passing resemblance to an 80’s favourite. Willy’s Wonderland : Nicholas Cage in a weird movie. There’s something different (not), although it was too weird for one of the reviewers! I Care A Lot : Highly praised by many on the show. One had to be contrary and amazingly, it is not Jeff this time. Who is th

Our James Bond retrospective, as part of our series Rediscovering The Classics With Elijah, continues with You Only Live Twice. Which can be subtitled The Destruction Of Jeff’s Childhood. This was the first James Bond film Jeff saw in the cinema. He recounts in incredible starry eyed detail the circumstances of where he saw it and its impact on him. Coming back to it all these years later for this podcast and he realises he is no longer the optimistic youngster he once was. Elijah is sympathetic to this realisation, while Graham and Neil just mock. Yet oddly, while You Only Live Twice may not have stood the test of time, it is the Bond film of the 1960’s which has the most influence today. Why? Listen in and find out. Also check out this podcast to learn the following - Why Sean Connery was unhappy filming in Japan - What Little Nellie shouldn’t have done - Why a cat wrangler sued the producers - Why living in the shadow of a fake volcano can be upsetting As always, the most important aspect of the show

Our James Bond retrospective, as part of our Rediscovering The Classics With Elijah series, continues with Thunderball. Our previous show on this subject was a double bill discussion of From Russia With Love and Goldfinger way back in episode 102 (Bond Is Back), initially released September 2020. The reason this is mentioned now (other than it might be an episode you want to revisit before listening to this one), is because of the opening remarks in the show notes. We started them by saying, in typical At The Flicks jokey style, we were anticipating the release of No Time To Die very shortly. All these months later and we are still anticipating the same! There is a good chance we will have finished the Elijah / James Bond retrospective before it is finally released! After all, we only have 20 more to get through. So, once again, while we all await the release of the latest James Bond offering, let’s talk about the old adventures of the super spy. This time the focus is on Thunderball. In this episode we t

Back in episode 145 (The Future Of Cinema), we put a panel together to get different views on what the future of cinema will look like in the post COVID world. It certainly generated a lot of comment. One thing we promised in that episode was to widen the view and look at what is happening in America. We have now fulfilled that promise. Andy is back to give us his view from across the pond. It also allows us to refine our predictions as more decisions are being made. During the course of the show we look at such topics as - The future of physical media - What would get the panel back into a cinema - What approach each studio is planning or already has in place - The potential future of the streaming services Big topics to be sure. We also address another serious point – how did a cinema visit with Neil cause the bad luck which has resulted in most movie houses worldwide closing? In short this is a wide ranging conversation which is also a little more optimistic than our previous one. Who knows, when we

Listeners with long memories may remember back in the pre-COVID days, we used to provide an irreverent movie news column for our mid month show. When film production essentially stopped, we decide to mothball news as, to be frank, there wasn’t any, other than movie postponements. It was just too depressing. Now we are back and like the rest of your At The Flicks shows, bigger and bolder than ever. Each month we have set a target to get you the best movie news. Our aim is to try to get you an exclusive on a movie production, as well a humorous piece and something potentially prestigious. This month, for our first stand alone movie news show, I am sure you will agree we have met all of those targets. Writer / director Max Van De Banks tells us about his new film Mudlark which starts production at the end of March. Max talks about the idea, the locations and the casting. In fact, all the info you need to convince you this is a must see short feature. After Max, we let Graham loose to tell us all about what h

It’s back! The At The Flicks team return to review whatever films we can find. Yes after two months off, during which time we looked at the best of 2020 (there’s an oxymoron) and presented our official awards show, we are back talking movies. Unfortunately, not the best new movie selection we could have picked. Jeff complains about the majority of them. Nothing new there you might think, however on this show Darren and Graham try to outdo him in that department. What could have sparked such an outcry? Surely not Pixar’s latest, Soul, about the afterlife, or Mank, a black and white feature about the Golden Age of Hollywood? Was it perhaps another black and white feature, Malcolm & Marie, (for Neil it has to be colour or nothing)? Maybe it was the British farce Blithe Spirit (Jeff goes on and on about his views on British farce) or the quirky comedy western Damsel (It gave Graham saddle sores). Even Phil, our most mild mannered of reviewers starts to lose it with a couple of them (the films that is, not the A

Welcome to another podcast in our occasional series (very occasional as it’s been over a year since the last one)– Director on Director. Writer / Director Phil Stubbs (Last Chancers) joins us again, to talk about another of his favourite directors, this time it’s Richard Donner. Before we talk about the content of the show, we have an apology to make to you, the listener, about the sound quality. There were some technical issues with the show. Believe me when I tell you that it was questionable whether we were even going to be able to release this one. However, technical maestro Graham worked non stop for three days and nights to get the show to a listen-able standard. Don’t cheer him too loudly though, as he is now trying to get some sleep! One problem that did amuse Graham is Jeff dropping out of the show at one point. Oddly it was just as they were starting to talk about Mel Gibson! Graham insists this was a complete fluke, however Neil did take some possible incriminating photos. Do they show Graham sm