Welcome into another of our series of cinema memories.  Up to now we have concentrated on contributors and guests based in the UK – which considering is where we broadcast from, is understandable.  However, for this episode we venture across the pond.

Yes, Graham travels to America to interview American relative Nick, who has a very interesting story to tell. Hopefully Graham did not put this trip on his At The Flicks expense account.  Anyway, Nick tells us about his early cinema experiences in Michigan, his time in the Navy and how he now watches films with a young family.

Along the way Nick tells us about:

·        The importance of video stores to his generation

·        The experience of watching the Star Wars prequels while in the services (an amazing story)

·        Watching movies on an aircraft carrier

·        The worst film of all time (in Nick’s opinion)

And much more…

So here it is, our first venture outside of the UK for cinema memories.  If you have a story you want to tell about your cinema life, wherever you live, please get in contact with us, we would love to hear it.

Until then, we look forward to seeing you At The Flicks.

Bye for now.

Our Autumn Carry On Streaming show has finally arrived, or you may know it as Fall if you live in America! Not just a show, more life counselling guidance.  Host Declan is back, giving you something to be entertained by as the nights draw in and the constant rain dampens everyone’s mood. 

To make this selection, Dec spent his Summer wading through hours of TV to make sure we only recommend the very best.  From shows you may have missed we discuss:

Dept Q 

Shardlake 

The Studio 

The Last Of Us Season 2

And then there are the upcoming shows – the ones not to be missed this season like 

Alien Earth 

Peacemaker Season 2

Mr Scorsese 

Welcome To Derry

The Hack

That’s something for everyone there and that’s just a taster of what we discuss.  

And if all this isn’t enough,  Dec’s Halloween streaming selection is coming very shortly.

Bye for now.

And that’s a wrap – of the Summer.

Which means the big blockbuster season, lasting seemingly for ever, is over for another year.  However, we couldn’t let this moment pass without having our say on some of the key movies of the hot months.  For this discussion we have unleashed Graham, Jeff and Phil to do the honours.  Phil of course watches just about everything with the other two rather in his wake.  We made sure that for the main four films included in this review, all three lads have cast their critical gaze over them.

Only four films I hear you say? Look, at our combined ages getting to see even four was pushing it! But seriously, we wanted to focus on four of the hits and try to remain positive.  In fact, it’s all so positive Jeff and Phil hardly disagree on this show! 

So what are the four films:

F1: The Movie – Apple finally have a monster hit on their hands, but in amidst all the sports cliches and the stunning IMAX visuals, is it any good? 

Jurassic World: Rebirth – Forget the end of the last movie, a new dinosaur age is about to dawn.  Are we all dinosaured out or does this movie bring fresh thrills to old fossils? 

Superman – The Man Of Steel is back, this time under the auspices of James Gunn and new Superman star David Corenswet.  Just how does it compare to the Zack Synder films and Rochard Donner’s 70’s classic? 

Fantastic Four: First Steps – Speaking of Superheroes returning with new actors and a new premise.  Marvel promises that this one is different – is it? 

And as an added bonus, Phil and Jeff discuss (spoiler free) **Weapons**.  Needless to say Graham won’t watch it unless someone pays for his dry cleaning! 

Was it a great Summer? Box office takings may have been down and there may have been too many sequels or reboots, but was the all-important quality good? We will give you our answer in the show. 

As always please tell us what you think.

For now, we are getting our notebooks out for the Fall (Autumn) season.  Watch out for us scribbling At The Flicks.

Bye for now.

That fooled you! 

Yes, yesterday’s show only covered Jo’s choices from 10 to 5.  Here is the second half, where Jo tells us her favourite musical films of all time.

Enjoy, and remember to check out Jo’s excellent podcast Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe.

Cheers

For this episode we are joined by Jo Durrant, creator of the amazing podcast Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe (and I am not just saying that because we are frequent guests on it).  

Jo’s podcast deals mainly with all things science.  However, those of you that listen to Jo know also she is a keen musical watcher.  We thought it would be great to have Jo as a guest and talk about her favourite top ten musicals. Jo agreed, and now we have our Summer special – a fun show that’s a little different for us.  It even got Graham singing along! 

If you know what Jo’s fantastic musical selections are, you’ll have to give the podcast a listen.  To help, here are a few advance clues as to some of the films included

·        A film Jeff really hates (and one that has been discussed on Jo’s podcast, so has some science attached to it).

·        One that has never gone out of fashion or favour since its release in the 1970’s

·        A remake that proves a musical can raise important social points 

·        Includes a film which again Jeff didn’t like (does he like any) but conceded he might be wrong and agreed to rewatch (check out the skies for the second coming).

Do you agree with Jo’s choices? Please let us know.

Enjoy and see you At The Flicks

Throughout 2025 we have been bringing you shows where people share their memories of picture palaces.  We have a few more of these planned for the year, however for this show in that unofficial series we have something a little different for you.

Lyn Williams is a life long film fan, and film music aficionado, who also happened to be, for many years, a cinema manager.  In this podcast Lyn shares with us his love of films, some of his earliest memories in wonderful cinemas now sadly long gone, and some incredible stories of his time managing cinemas.

You will be entertained by Lyn’s tales about:

- Working late in a haunted cinema

- How to stop a fight between rowdy patrons on a cinema stage

- How he avoided serious injury when part of a building collapsed

- How not to bring a generator into a cinema.

- And much, much more! 

You may also detect another voice in the background.  That is Lyn’s wife Merril, who gives some lovely pointers to make sure we stay on message.  Indeed, meeting people face to face is something we don’t do that often in these days of computer teams linking.  It was an absolute pleasure to meet them and thank you very much for feeding us. 

And as if that is not enough, Lyn, who still goes to the cinema a couple of times a week, gives us his views on some of the 2025 releases.

So, if you are a listener in South Wales and you are a regular cinema goer, you well see Lyn At The Flicks.

Until next time….

There is a saying that the At The Flicks management live by – it’s “better late than never”.  Actually, it’s more of a reality than a motto!

Take this show.  We were lucky enough to get Tessa to join us to give us her views on the Academy Awards and her impressions of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival.  And then what happened – we took our time in releasing it!

However, it might be late, but it’s still great. It’s a show of two halves.  In the first part we dissect the Oscar winners and talk about what gems from 2024 were left out or ignored.   In the second half Tessa speaks about some of the impressive films she saw at the Glasgow Film Festival.  Movies such as The Return, On Falling, Ebony And Ivory and the very powerful From Hilde, With Love.

Check it out, we think you’ll enjoy it.

Until next time, see you At The Flicks

Welcome to the latest edition of At The Flicks. Back by popular demand is another of our Carry On Streaming episodes, hosted by the very knowledgeable Declan (and his two bickering assistants Jeff and Graham).

So, if you plan to spend Easter in front of the TV catching up on what you’ve missed since Christmas or looking for something new, then this is the show for you. And what an exciting line up Declan reveals.

You can catch up with such recommendations as:

Adolescence – As this is the show everyone from the Prime Minister down is talking about, we have to have our say.

Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light – A handsomely mounted BBC production – but was it underfunded?

Toxic Town – Another powerful Netflix series and Jeff and Graham reveal a connection to the real story which is set in Corby

While coming soon:

The Studio – Love movies – then this Seth Rogan show is for you

The Last Of Us Season 2 – Will it be as good as the first season?

Murderbot – Graham goes on and on and on about this one – clearly he’s a fan, but will you be?

Something for everyone there. Also, Declan reveals some of his movie highlights of the year so far.

All that remains for us to say is have a very happy Easter. Relax and enjoy and we look forward to seeing you At The Flicks.

Welcome to At The Flicks and another in our cinema memories series.

If you haven’t caught up with this series yet, check out episodes 260, where Jeff and Graham talk about their favourite picture palaces and episode 264, where Declan reminisces.

For this episode we chat to another team member. This time it’s Darren. From first films, to his local cinemas and along the way there’s a very surprising revelation. Darren also takes the conversation in a fascinating direction with his memories of video stores and the wild west that was video rental in the 1980’s. We go from classics to those must-see cult movies that found a life thanks to the wonders of the now long gone video cassette.

So, sit back and wallow in the nostalgia of double bill cinema features and trips to the mecca that was the video store.

Enjoy.

We are currently planning a show where we talk to a cinema manager from that era – coming soon as they say. Until then we look forward to seeing you At The Flicks.

Bye for now.

It’s one of those shows again! Phil and Jeff meet for a review face off.

Regular listeners to the show will know by now that Phil and Jeff have very different tastes in films and constantly clash on these pop up reviews.  In fact we have been told it’s why some people listen to the show, to hear these two bicker! This one, true to form, will be brutal.  In fact, it is The Brutalist, that epic about life in America for immigrants just after World War 2.  It’s an epic in all senses, from length, to the the themes and a remarkable use of Vistavision.  

For once Graham hasn’t seen the film in advance.  His plan, so he revealed to us, was to listen to the two very opposing views and then decide if he would watch the film or not.  Who is he kidding?  There is no way that Graham is going to listen to Jeff’s view, he will follow whatever Phil says.  After all, we still have Graham denying Thank God It’s Friday for the masterpiece it truly is because Jeff likes it.

As the two dissect The Brutalist, they cover such topics as:

·        The film’s length and themes

·        Comparing to another story of power in America – the James Dean film Giant

·        The performances – who stood out for whom

·        Daniel Blumberg’s music score

An epic chat for an epic film.  

And that’s not all! 

Recently all three of the team have seen Captain America: Brave New World, so we round out this show with a brief movie review.  Yes, it’s the Marvel fan boys against the serious film watcher (as long as it’s not subtitled).

More pop up reviews – probably pitting Phil against Jeff, are coming soon.

Until then, we will see you at the flicks – and if we do, please forgive us for yelling at one another when the movie starts!