At the Flicks

Last Year Jeff had a rant (nothing new there) about Disney + and their staggered release pattern. He said it would be a disaster outside of America. Well, COVID proved him wrong as the UK had a record number of subscribers when lockdown hit.

What else was he wrong about? Find out on our Disney + podcast discussion. On this podcast Phil the bear (a subscriber) joins the team to talk about the release and impact of Disney+. Neil and Graham have also signed up. Jeff hasn’t, apparently this is a protest as one of the Disney classics has not been added to the service. Oh, and Jeff, it never will…

Despite that one omission, many of the great Disney and Pixar movies can be found here. Plus (so that’s what the + stands for), you can watch the Star Wars films, the Marvel movies and The Simpsons. Great value for money – or is it, we talk about that as well.

Also under discussion are such topics as what is happening with the Fox library, can Disney show the more adult content from their own and the Fox libraries and what shows & films are coming later this year? A wide ranging conversation with some intriguing facts thrown in along the way.

Despite all that, Jeff still hasn’t signed up for the service – maybe he is waiting for Neil to get him an annual subscription for a birthday present.

The Witcher, Daredevil, The Punisher and Hannibal are some of the most highly praised and watched TV shows of recent years.

They have all had episodes directed by our guest on this show – Marc Jobst. This special episode is devoted almost exclusively to Marc talking about his career, from his early stage days to the heights of being one of the most sought after directors working today .

Marc talks in depth about the shows he is most famous for and also answers some of our listeners questions put to him about his work. As a sneak peek, he gives us advanced notice about a new show coming to Netflix later this year called Jupiter’s Legacy,

As if that isn’t enough, Marc also talks to us about his movie in development, a UK based project called Home.

I am sure you will agree, this specially extended episode is a fascinating insight into the film maker’s craft.

On top of that we have our latest film news. Neil tells us about Fishermen’s Friends 2 (and we hope to have some exclusive news on that film in an upcoming episode), Graham has found a new “pal” during lockdown and Jeff talks about film music.

Please let us know what you think about an episode we are all very proud of.

Enjoy and stay safe during these difficult times

Ain’t lockdown a bitch?

The At The Flicks team can’t get out to go into a cinema. Can’t go to a bar to get that beer Neil owes us. We are all stuck in our respective properties having to decide what to watch next. Jeff has to make sure he avoids anything Marvel, Graham is stuck in an endless cycle of Mel and Gerard movies while Neil has to work out how to turn the TV on.

Even after you get to your channels or downloads, how do you know what is going to be any good? It is bad enough having to be stuck inside for weeks, without having to waste your time watching rubbish. Luckily we can help.

Our two resident experts Emma and Declan are on hand to tell you what is worth watching and what is best avoided. Emma tells you about films that you may not be aware of that are worth a watch. This is certainly a wide ranging list, from acclaimed foreign language features, creature features (many creature features) and movies with top stars that sneaked past most of us. If you enjoy the films half as much as we enjoyed talking to Emma, then you will have a great time.

Later in the show, Declan returns as we discuss what is worth using your TV catch up options on. Some new shows you may have missed, some recent favourites and also some classic TV that you might have put off to watch on a rainy day. Trust us, it’s raining cats and dogs now! After talking to Dec, our to watch list has been extended to unprecedented levels. Witty and knowledgeable, it is always fun to talk to Dec – and his special recommendation to Graham is priceless.

We hope these recommendations help pass the time for you. Please let us know what you think.

As always, enjoy and stay safe.

Howdy Partners. Don’t stand so far away, come closer to the campfire, grab some beans and coffee while its still hot and settle back as the At The Flicks team talk Westerns.

Welcome to the first in a series of podshorts from the At The Flicks western team. While you help yourself to the food, we’ll introduce ourselves. There’s Jeff the Kid, Itchy Trigger Finger Graham and Snake Eyes Neil (don’t stare – he doesn’t like that). We have selected 20 films between the years 1960 – 2020 to talk about, which we consider great movies of the genre. Why those dates? Two reasons

1) Many say the great Westerns had all been made by 1960 – we beg to differ. Here are 20 which are worth anyone’s time. If you disagree we will see you on Main Street at noon, and you had better have your colt six shooter with you (that’s COLT Neil).

2) All the films come from within the team’s lifetime. We have grown up and become saddle sore with many of the films we are proud to talk about.

So, where do we start? Why not with a fun Western? El Dorado was made in 1966, however it is also a throwback to the films of the 1950s. In many ways the plot resembles the classic Rio Bravo, which was also directed by the man behind El Dorado, Howard Hawks. Is it a remake – listen to our tale, the answer to the question is not as simple as you might think.

This old fashioned and fun Western, starring John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, found itself in competition with the newer tougher West, as portrayed in such movies as Nevada Smith and A Fistful Of Dollars. Both films which had a newer, tougher breed of Western hero as portrayed by Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood respectively. How could this film compete? Again, ol’ timer Graham has the answer.

So if you have 20 minutes to spare, join us for the tale of El Dorado.

Have you seen it? Do you think it should be classed as one of the great Westerns? Let us know and we may let you ride the trail with us for future episodes of Rustlers’ Roundup.

See you next time amigos. Until then stay safe.

Dec and Phil join the team to pick two films each that were personal disappointments. The complete list of all ten films can be found in the show notes for this episode. Attheflicks.co.uk

Welcome to our end of month show, slightly late, but then everything is crazy at the moment!

We hope you are all coping well with whatever lockdown is taking place in your country and are following all the social distancing rules. To keep you entertained here is our review show for March. Most of these we were able to watch in cinemas (remember them?)

Like everyone else we have no idea when cinemas will open again, however our shows and reviews will continue. We will shortly reveal to you our film review criteria for the end of April, keep listening to the shows and all will be revealed shortly.

Stay Safe

Jardiel from Pulp Cereal joins us to ask a very important couple of questions.

Who is Roger Corman? What is his importance in the history of cinema?

Without giving too much detail away – we don’t want to spoil your enjoyment of the show – we will just say, that without Roger Corman, cinema would not be as we currently know it. Well known names such as James Cameron, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Martin Scorsese and Jack Nicholson were given major opportunities by Mr Corman.

We discuss all aspects of Roger Corman’s prolific career with Jardiel. His early directing efforts in the 1950’s, his producing skills, the boundary pushes, bringing world cinema to America, the legendary Edgar Allan Poe features and, now in his nineties, his plans for making more entertainment for us! A man who should be spoken of in the same breath as Walt Disney.

And as an added bonus, there is Jeff’s much repeated story (to the rest of the team to the point of boredom), of how he thought he was going to die when he once watched a Roger Corman film.

However, centre stage this episode is Jardiel, who has a tremendous knowledge on this subject. But then Jardiel has a fantastic knowledge of all things Pulp – check out the links to his sites below.

So, sit back and listen to the story of one of the true geniuses of cinema.

Enjoy.

After the success of episode 72 (The Politics Of Rambo), we return to one of Sylvester Stallone’s most famous characters as we critique Part II. In preparation for this, your jungle team of Elijah, Graham and Jeff put on their bandanas, get out their bows and arrows and journey into the undergrowth.

The undergrowth of politics that is. We examine why the second Rambo film, the most successful of the series, made such an impact when it was released in 1985. Culturally and politically this became one of the films to see that Summer. Even President Ronald Reagan was talking about!

During the course of this in depth discussion we answer the questions:

* Why was the movie so successful when the idea had already been used in many similar features?

* Were there really American POWs still in Vietnam in the mid 1980’s?

* What involvement did James Cameron have in the production?

* How did the aftermath of the Vietnam war assist in the downfall of the Soviet empire?

* Is it true John Travolta almost played Sylvester Stallone’s sidekick?

And many other questions you didn’t know you wanted to ask. As with our first podcast on the subject, we have access to stories about the Vietnam conflict and its aftermath which have never been documented. We will give a minor podcast spoiler alert here, towards the end there is some very graphic detail being discussed.

We hope you agree with us that this is a journey worth taking and that, regardless what you think of Rambo : First Blood Part II, agree it left a huge mark on 1980’s culture.

See you at the next Rambo reunion.

Enjoy.

The world around you may seem to be going mad as everyone enters lockdown phase, however don’t worry, the At The Flicks team are there for you. We have more content stored than Neil’s toilet roll collection and it is of better quality.

Yes, throughout this crisis we pledge to deliver to you shows on a regular basis. You may not agree with our views (no one ever agrees with Jeff), but we hope to keep you informed about all aspects of movies and also to try to keep you smiling.

Take this show, our mid March spectacular. We have two top quality interviews and a batch of movie news more infectious than the coronavirus! First up in our interviews is Ashley, the top sound engineer on Cape Town’s morning show Expresso. Jeff recorded this interview with Ashley when he was in Cape Town recently and says he wishes he was back there now – so do we Jeff. Ashley talks us through a typical day and tells us about sound recording techniques that make Graham jealous.

After that we have an interview with Swedish film director Jimmy Olsson. Jimmy has recently made a powerful short film called Alive, which is about to go on the festival circuit. We have seen it and our collective view is that it is a winner and well worth looking out for. Jimmy talks to us about the making of Alive and also about his previous film 2nd Class which is equally powerful. Remember the name – Jimmy Olsson, you are going to be hearing it a lot more in the future.

Finally we have our popular movie news. Jeff runs through a fascinating slate of movies that actor Willem Dafoe has lined up and Neil gives us the lowdown on a new British war film called Operation Mincemeat. As for Graham, well he threw out the highbrow news written for him just so he could talk about one of his heroes, the great Gerard Butler. Graham believes Gerard should be in every movie where a hero is required to save the Earth, and sets out to prove why it should be so.

Gerard, we could do with your world saving attributes at the moment.

Finally, a shout out for Bianca Garner and a wonderful piece she has written on the “one shot” film. Not sure what that means? Check out the link below and Bee will explain all.

As usual any feedback on the show please let us know.

I know it may be difficult at the moment, but keep smiling, the At The Flicks team are there for you.

Until next time – take care out there.

The last, the longest and the wittiest awards show review of the year. As we are so late to the party, the At The Flicks team approached this assignment like a Quentin Tarentino movie.

The usual suspects are here, however for this one we had to go bigger and bring in some extra Reservoir Dogs. Like every great Tarentino movie we break the action down into chapters, such as the Controversies and the movies the award winners would rather forget! We cover all the big awards with Tarantino wit and violence (well that always happens when Neil and Jeff are together).

As the team sit around the table reviewing the action, let’s for fun, cast them with Tarentino regulars.

Brad Pitt plays Jeff (because Jeff wrote this and had first pick)

Uma Thurman plays Neil (again because Jeff wrote this)

Samuel L Jackson plays Graham (the sage, quick to violence when Marvel or Mel are mentioned too many times)

Michael Madsen plays Phil aka Phil the Bear (a quiet type but never mention Green Book around him when he has a razor in his hand)

Tim Roth plays Darren (a cool operator and always able to make money out of award schemes)

Together they are the Kosher Boyos. Always ready for action when Jeff sorry Brad runs down 1917 (the film and the time Neil has to be home by).

So if you wants an awards review show that doesn’t take itself too seriously check out the latest from the At The Flicks sorry Kosher Boyos team.

After all, the only thing better than this podcast is a Royale With Cheese

Enjoy.