At the Flicks

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 the show.

We had a blast talking to Jon, learning much about films we haven’t caught up with yet. But then, when you are talking to an expert in his field, you are always going to come away informed and entertained.

One final post-match (interview) review.. During the show, we mentioned Cheltenham Town a couple of times. Jon told us that while the team had been promoted in the football league before, it had always been via the play off route. This time Jon hoped that they could get an automatic promotion. Since the recording of the show, not only did Cheltenham achieve that, they finished top of the league. Go Cheltenham Town!

We hope you, the listeners, cheer this show in the same way!

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 restored, we have an in depth discussion on one of the most fun Star Trek movies. We will be talking about such things as:

- How Eddie Murphy was almost cast in a key role

- Why a very funny improvised line of dialogue was said to pay a parking ticket

- Why there is no humour in the future

- How Jeff gets confused between Whales and Wales

And many other fascinating production facts you didn’t realise you needed to know.

As always in these shows, the At The Flicks team can be divided into two camps. Darren and Graham are devoted Star Trek fans while Neil and Jeff are casual viewers who assumes live long and prosper is a Jeff Bezos mantra.

So, prepare to boldly go, enjoy and remember in these difficult days, stay safe and listen to At The Flicks.

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 cut.

If after listening to this episode you start to compile your favourites, why not share them with us. We would love to hear from you.

Bye for now.

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, Love And Monsters and The Owners.

There is also dissension in the ranks as the quiz is taken over by Phil this month. Many say it is better than the ones Jeff has been providing. Many, but not all….

Are you the listener of the month? Check out the show to find out. If not, maybe next time.

As always we hope you enjoy (even if you don’t agree with) our take on some of the big hitters released in the last few weeks. Please let us know what you think, as we do like to hear from you.

Until next time – take care and stay safe.

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 from its director Leslie Sheldon about some of the delights in store.

After those reveals, we have another one for you. Graham talks candidly about a new friend. A man who has worked with The Mel, The Gerard and The Bruce (that is the friend, not Graham). Who is this person who has got Graham so excited he almost cannot speak at one point in the show (listen carefully and you will hear a series of high pitched squeaks – oh, as a warning, please do not play that section of the podcast anywhere near bat colonies)? Check out the show for the reveal of this actor.

Finally there is Neil, who having won a few bets on the Grand National and Cheltenham Races, fancies himself as a hustler! He predicts which English actor is going to win next year’s Best Actor Oscar, and for which film. To be fair, the rest of the team think he may be right. Yet again to find out who we are talking about, you are going to have to listen to the show.

When you do, please let us know if you think Neil is right or not. Should he continue his new betting lifestyle or just go back to crazy golf?

Your thoughts are, as always, very welcome.

Enjoy and stay safe.

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 Dec’s picks. Please let us know if you enjoy our selections.

Until the next time, enjoy and stay safe.

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 eventually watch The Dead Zone, and surprisingly enjoy it, we just had to let him have his chance to give his views. Which is why there is a little coda, for Neil, at the end of the podcast.

Finally, As we said in the previous show notes, we are bringing new people in to give their view on Stephen King over the course of this series.

So, if you have a favourite Stephen King film or TV series and want to join us to talk about it, please drop us a line at [email protected]. We aren’t recording the next batch until August, so please get in touch, we always love to hear from our listeners.

Stay safe and read King.

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 Dead Zone were removed

- The bizarre plans for a remake

Interestingly, it soon becomes apparent in our discussion that not everyone is a fan. In fact only one of us liked it. Guess which one?

If you have a favourite Stephen King film or TV series and want to join us to talk about it, please drop us a line at [email protected]. We aren’t recording the next batch until August, so please get in touch, we always love to hear from our listeners.

See you tomorrow for the last of this batch of King as we talk The Dead Zone.

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

- The original ending to the Ted Danson / Leslie Nielson story “Something To Tide You Over.

- Which George A Romero film Stephen King acted in before this one

- A hint as to how they caught the real life bugs used for the segment “They’re Creeping Up On You” (the full details are twoo disgusting to broadcast)

- How many versions of Creepshow film Andy has in his collection

An in depth and fun discussion, with the added bonus of making Neil and Graham watch horror. Result.

As we said in the previous show notes, we are bringing new people in to give their view on Stephen King over the course of this series.

So, if you have a favourite Stephen King film or TV series and want to join us to talk about it, please drop us a line at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). We aren’t recording the next batch until August, so please get in touch, we always love to hear from our listeners.

See you shortly to talk Cujo.

Until then stay safe and read King.

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