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 is, what did Elijah think of it, coming to the movie for the first time? Did he have Jeff’s initial optimism or was he more measured in his approach?

For an added bonus to this episode, check out the opening section of the show where the battle of the older Bonds begin. Jeff, Graham and Neil pit their wits against one another, and discover three half (wits) do not make a whole! The reason for this? Who should be the next Bond. Graham Hills joins us to judge or perhaps finally give up on the pointlessness of this competition.

What do you think – who should go forward to the next round and eventually replace Daniel Craig. Please let us know your thoughts.

Enjoy and stay safe.

At the Flicks

159: Bondography – You Only Live Twice

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 this and why?

Oh, but there’s more. An excellent Dash from Darren this month including White Tiger, Moxie and White God.

Then there is the return of Jeff’s thought provoking quiz. Will the team score high like they did last month (or not do very well because they scored high in other ways)? Listen carefully and you will hear a familiar voice join us to help Graham out with a question he gets stuck on.

We also start a new feature where we give a shout out to our listener of the month. Are you the first 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.

160: Ain’t that a Dilly of a Pickle

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.

165: Carry on Streaming

Welcome back after a warp factor break, to the continuing adventures of the At The Flicks team as they talk Star Trek movies.

After the huge success of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (At The Flicks episode 169), someone decided it was time for William Shatner to direct the next films. As we are about to discover that was to prove a huge mistake for so many reasons.

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. Jeff is playing the dispensable member of the crew and Neil the dangerous alien with the oversized gun (I was going to say weapon but Neil would clearly misread that).

So with a full crew we tackle such subjects as:

Why was William Shatner allowed to both direct and come up with the story idea?
Who is this God character they all keep talking about?
What happened to humour in the future?
Does anyone give a good performance?
Why should TV evangelists of the 80’s be upset by this movie?
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 assume dilithium crystals are left after a toilet is badly flushed.

So, prepare to boldly go, enjoy and listen to At The Flicks.

199: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

In this episode of At The Flicks, your team of Graham and Jeff are talking to novelist and journalist Jared Feldschreiber.  Jared has written an evocative novella called Reckless Abandon.

What’s it about, I hear you ask.  Here is the description of Reckless Abandon from the Tree Of Film website

“Reckless Abandon. depicts an up-and-coming playwright who deals with the toils of assembling a “dream project” involving Bob Dylan, Woody Allen, and Dustin Hoffman, and is set in the summer of 1984.”

Reckless Abandon gets the thumbs up from the team because of its realisation of a time and place along with its insight into the creative process.  We were very fortunate to be able to talk to Jared about his book and his intentions (please note there are no spoilers here, our aim is to encourage you to read his superior work).  As well as discussing the novella, we talk to Jared about his time covering cinema for various publications and the festivals he has attended.  He is truly a globe hopper, from his formative years in New York and then to other parts of America, spending time in Israel to where he is now currently living, Poland.

He has some fascinating stories which he shares with us.  During the course of the show as well as discussing Reckless Abandon at length  we  also get the opportunity to talk about the current world focus on Eastern Europe from the Poland based Jared. At The Flicks hasn’t done an in-depth interview on this scale for a while.  We certainly enjoyed talking with Jared and we hope you enjoy it too, and that it encourages you to purchase a copy Jared’s excellent novella Reckless Abandon (links below).  As always, we look forward to our listener feedback.

See you At The Flicks

220: Reckless Abandon

Welcome to an At The Flicks interview show. To be more precise, a face-to-face recorded discussion, the first one we have done for years (thanks Covid).

The person who honoured us with his presence is Simon Taylor.  For years Simon worked in that most frightening of environments – Live TV.  Amongst his many accomplishments are his work on The Big Breakfast, Johnny Vaughn Tonight and The Paul O’Grady show.  Don’t worry if you live in locales that have never heard of any of those shows, they are very British institutions, however I am sure you will recognise the stresses and euphoria of such work regardless of wherever you live.

So it was that Graham and Jeff had to try to remember how to set up the mics and recording equipment for the session.  Not forgetting a glass of wine for each of us, including our guest (more on that later).  You can be judge of whether they accomplished a successful transition from Zoom to Room. As for our chat with Simon, we managed to answer the following questions: 

- How did you do guest research before the internet? 
- Who were your favourite guests?
- Which item brought onto The Frank Skinner show surprised Jamie Oliver?
- What was unusual about the Juliette Binoche interview conducted for The Big Breakfast?
- What does go on behind the scenes of The Antiques Roadshow?

These questions and many more about that toughest of all TV challenges will be answered in this fascinating, informative and often very funny interview.

We also briefly chatted about life after Live TV.  Since leaving that pressure cooker life, Simon now works in the world of wine, and we even got to talk to him about wine recommendations – which almost caused Graham to end the interview early so he could go and sample them! 

If you live near Stroud, why not go and say hello to Simon in the Stroud Wine Company Shop – a wonderful fellow and very knowledgeable on the subject of wines, and of course, Live TV.

Before we forget, please see the link to the Stroud Wine Company website below.

If we don’t see you there, then we will catch up At The Flicks.

Bye for now.

230: Wine for Breakfast

Today’s pick is a modern day version of a Christmas classic. Can you guess what it is?

2023: Advent Calendar – Day 16

Todays Pick is a festive take on a Mary Shelley classic. Can you guess what it is?

2023: Advent Calendar – Day 17

Today’s pick includes clips from Angels With Filthy Souls. Can you guess what it is?

2023: Advent Calendar - Day 18

Today’s pick is shown on Italian TV every Christmas Eve. Can you guess what it is?

2023: Advent Calendar - Day 19

Today’s pick is acclaimed by many as the ultimate Christmas film. Can you guess what it is?

2023: Advent Calendar - Day 20

In times past, the various members of the At The Flicks team would wait with excited breath for the Christmas Radio Times double issue.

Not anymore.  Now we have a Declan.  He tells us what we must watch and should avoid. 

Yes, Carry On Christmas Streaming is back for 2023, so that Dec can tell you, our listeners, what is worth your time over the festive season. 

Included in our star-studded line up this episode are the lowdowns on the following

- The new Dr Who and his Christmas Day episode
- A double bill of animated cat shorts – one on BBC , the other on Channel 4
- More from Jack Reacher, Slow Horses and The Crown
- A classic ghost story from the pen of Arthur Conan Doyle 
- A new true life drama starring Toby Jones about the Post Office scandal.
- And many, many more 

Also, Dec will reveal to you ways to get some great (and legal) bargains for streaming services membership.  Look on that as a Christmas present from the At The Flicks team to you.  Of course, that is only available for listeners in the United Kingdom.

Whatever you pick to watch, have a great Christmas and may all your selections be wonderful.

See you At The Flicks.

236: Carry on Christmas

The third film featuring the Griswold family. Can you guess what it is?

2023: Advent Calendar - Day 21

Today’s pick could only have come from Emma At The Movies!! Can you guess what it is?

2023: Advent Calendar - Day 22

he writer / director wrote this romantic Christmas comedy specially for the four leads in the movie.

2023: Advent Calendar - Day 23

Today’s pick is an animated feature that was produced by an all woman team in the 1980's. Can you guess what it is?

2023: Advent Calendar - Day 24

Welcome back dear customers, it’s time to reopen Darren’s virtual video store.

If you put on the special headset we have provided, you can marvel at the 1980’s decadence of sticky carpets, dodgy cardboard displays and video tapes that have not been rewound (and we as employees – at 1980’s pay rates – hate that). 

Walk up to the counter and ask if we have any video nasties under the counter.  Once we have confirmed you are not special branch, we’ll be glad to help you.  After all, we haven’t paid the fine for the last infringement and Darren is refusing to do anymore orders of community service.  In his view keeping the shop open is doing his bit for the community, even if his rental charges are a little above the norm.

Anyway, we can’t stand around here chatting to you all day, we have to push our product on the punters (sorry, I mean customers), or Darren will dock our meagre wages.  

So, if you would care to step over this way, we can reveal to you some of our top rentals this month, all come with Darren’s seal of approval

- In the musical section we have Greatest Days, a very moving film featuring the songs of Take That.  Darren says this will bring a tear to your eye.  

- Step over to the Foreign Language section, an area of the store not well travelled in these parts, where you will find almost unrented tapes for The Three Musketeers : D’Artagnan and the violent actioner Sissu. There isn’t much dialogue in the latter so that is starting to shoot up our violent rental charts.

- Perhaps the horror section is more to your liking – it’s the one area of the store Graham fears to go.  Here you will find Becky.  No, she’s not a YTS employee, instead a teenager out for vengeance after her family are kidnapped.  Actually, she could well be a local YTS trainee in this area. 

- As a more discerning customer we can offer you access to our under the counter section.  Here we have the comedy Rosaline. Withdrawn by our competitors, Neil’s Video Boutique, because of copyright infringement.  We have a few copies which weren’t returned to the distributor and are well worth checking out.

- There is also a TV section where you will find a very impressive documentary called Muscles And Mayhem, which lifts the lid on the scandals associated with an old American TV series.

There you have it – something for everyone.

What’s that?  You want to see the manager.  

Sorry not possible today as he is back in court defending the business after the heavy-lidded returns slot went wrong, again.  I don’t see what the fuss is about – surgery these days mean most limbs can be reattached with little unsightly scarring! 

I hope you enjoy your visit to Darren’s video store.  If we don’t see you here, we hope to see you At The Flicks.

237: Dazz’s Video Emporium

Once again, your At The Flicks team bravely go where no other podcasters dare to follow.  For this mission we take on that mightiest of topics – the history of the DISCO MOVIE! 

Yes, Jeff and Graham are in their element talking once again about the 1970’s.  This time they have brought a friend.  BBC reporter and disco expert Steve Knibbs.

You may well ask how did the team prepare for this one?  Graham puts on his 70’s disco suit once again (that’s the decade and not his age), Jeff waxes lyrical about his favourite Thank God It’s Friday (he tells anyone who listens that it won an Oscar) and Steve adds some fascinating facts plus amusing stories about the music.

Apart from a burning desire to get out the Saturday Night Fever album for an urgent relisten, this show will tell you :

- Which film was considered the first disco movie, but only in retrospect
- The reality of the story that inspired Saturday Night Fever
- The forgotten film in John Travolta’s early career
- What sport took disco to its heart 

The team also discuss what happened to the disco movie once the craze was over.  What films since have been inspired by the life and times of the music? 

As you can guess, this is a comprehensive chat which we hope is as much fun for you to listen to, as it was for us to record.

So, put on your boogie shoes, stop jive talking and prepare to catch some night fever.

We’ll see you at the disco or At The Flicks

238: Disco

Welcome to the 2023 year end show.  

2023 I hear you say, we’ve almost reached Spring 2024! And that is true.  However, the At The Flicks team are like a vintage wine.  We reflect on our recordings and take time with the editing – our aim is to give you the best listening experience we can create. 

Alternatively, being of a certain age, time moves differently for us.  Think of At The Flicks as the podcast equivalent of the movie Interstellar.  You remember the sequence when the crew are on the water planet and find out, when they return to the spaceship, what was minutes to them was years for everyone else.  That’s us.  Unfortunately, when you get to our age (especially Graham’s), time has no way of slowing back down, regardless of what measures you take.  So, what we think of as the end of December, is Easter for you guys! 

Either of the above alternatives are better than the spurious allegations that we let life get in the way of show preparations.  Baseless falsehoods put about by the younger members of the team.  All we have to say in reply is, don’t worry you will start having those senior moments soon enough! 

Enough preamble.  Let’s tell you, dear listener what is contained within this slightly delayed extravaganza.

As it is the first of two year end shows (don’t worry the second will be coming very shortly, honest), we have a couple of pleasant surprises for you:

1) Journalist Paul Rincon, who specialises in science and technology, is joining us to talk about the science fiction (and in one case, fact) films released during 2023
2) The Jeff and Phil feud over Billy Wilder vs Wes Anderson reaches new heights as they both give their views on Fedora (1978) and the Wes Anderson Netflix shorts. There was little room for Christmas or even New Year cheer in this Sunak v Starmer slugfest that gets down and dirty! 

The second half of the show, the At The Flicks film choices of 2023, is coming very shortly.  We promise to deliver this before the end of the year (notice I am not saying which year).

Until then, see you At The Flicks

239: End of Year Show - Part 1

Welcome to our first “official” show of 2024 – the one where the review team look back on the year that was, picking out their personal favourites.

Remarkably for such a show, most of the lists are very different.  Let me elaborate by team member:

- Phil – picked a list he knew would mostly annoy Jeff (and it worked)
- Neil – Found his way to the cinema this year, or at least to his remote to watch his selection on streaming
- Jeff – A different list to most of the others – and where no subtitles allowed
- Graham – A considered list with a very left field entry included
- Declan – A smorgasbord of subtitled entries
- Darren – A very different list to the others (although regular listeners of Darren’s video store shows shouldn’t be surprised)

How do you top that?  Simple – the combined At The Flicks films of the year.  

This year there are 7 films in the list (because Jeff, who compiled the selection wanted to make sure he had at least one of his choices there).

Regular listeners to the show should have no trouble in guessing the top film of the year as voted for by the team – but what about the runners up?  Some of those may surprise or possibly anger you.

Please let us know what you think of our choices.  Do you think there is anything missing?  As always, we look forward to your comments. 

Next time we finally arrive in 2024.  See you there or at the flicks.

240: End of Year Show - Part 2

Welcome to the latest edition of At The Flicks – this is one where we try something different for our movie reviews.

Regular listeners to the show will know that contributor Darren is a wrestling aficionado, what he doesn’t know about the sport isn’t worth knowing.  As for the rest of us, you could write our knowledge on the back of a 2nd class postage stamp.  The exception to that is of course Neil, who is often seen about town in a series of flamboyant costumes some of the more outlandish wrestlers would wear.  However, fighting is the furthest thing from his mind when he is in his gear! 

I digress and apologise for the image I have now imparted.  Back to the show and Darren’s challenge.  He asked (well, instructed), Graham and Jeff to go watch The Iron Claw without reading anything about it beforehand.  After which he could chat to us about Von Erich family and their unique story.  The dynamic duo followed Darren’s instructions (not easy for this pair of overage lefties) and went to see the film “cold”.

As you will find out in this intriguing review show, it was an experience for both of them, fascinating and shocking at times.  Although Jeff, having not read any film news for a week to ensure he learnt nothing about The Iron Claw was annoyed when the UK certificate card, giving trigger warnings, spoilt three important plot points before the movie even started.  As Jeff says, enough with the woke sign posting – we never had it in my day.

Thankfully after that, and a pacifying bucket of popcorn, Jeff settled into the spirit of the viewing. 

We will not reveal any further details of the plot here.  Suffice to say, please watch The Iron Claw before listening to this podcast. 

Not only do the three At The Flicks members discuss the film in detail, Darren uses his encyclopaedic knowledge to enhance the experience, such as addressing the questions  

What were the Von Erichs really like?  

What does the movie leave out? 

What impact did the tragedies that befell this family have on the local wrestling scene?

All of these questions and many more fascinating facts are provided by Darren.  So, if you are a fan of movies or wrestling, or both, then this episode is definitely for you.

What do you think listeners of our new approach to reviewing movies? As always please write to let us know.

Who knows, we might all meet up at the flicks for the next wrestling feature. 

Bye for now.

241: The Iron Claw

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 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:

Mr Bates Vs The Post Office – which Declan called out as unmissable in our Christmas show, and how right he was.

Blue Eyed Samurai – an adult animated series on Netflix, and not, as Jeff says, “for the kids”.

The Rise And Fall Of Boris Johnson – Relive the Conservative party glory days, with a very satisfying ending

While coming up at Easter or just after: 

Dark Matter – another highly acclaimed Apple TV sci fi show 

The Tattooist Of Auschwitz – A powerful true story from World War II

Ripley – Netflix have produced the latest screen version of Patricia Highsmith’s anti hero, this time played by the excellent Andrew Scott 

Something for everyone there.  Also,if you want some of Declan’s famous and legal tips to get bargains from the various Streaming Services then check out episode 236, our Christmas streaming show, as many of those options still stand.

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 shortly.

242: Carry on Streaming – Easter

The name is Q – Q The Music. They are the world’s leading James Bond Tribute Band. For this podcast special, we have an interview with the band’s founder and manager Warren Ringham.

Warren tells us how this very special tribute band came into being, where its name come from, their very special night playing at Sir Roger Moore’s memorial event and much more besides. As a special treat to our listeners, Warren has very kindly given us permission to use some tracks from their live show on the podcast. So, sit back, relax and listen to some great conversation and fantastic music.

036: Q The Music

We are honoured this month to have an interview with music producer and composer Rupert Christie. As a composer, Rupert scored the very successful British movie Fisherman's Friends and also, as a producer, was responsible for their phenomenal chart topping success.

Rupert talks in detail about his involvement on the film and his work on other features with Michael Kamen such as Open Range.

Composers feature a lot in our show this month as the our "Rediscovering the classics with Elijah" film of the month is Psycho. There is no way we could talk about this Hitchcock classic without reference to Bernhard Herrmann's famous score.

Of course as Psycho is horror, Graham and Neil became very unsettled talking about that genre. So, to calm them down, in our movie news slot, I had Neil talk about a horror film being made locally and Graham talk about horror films in general. Although Graham believes all of his film news pieces are horrific!

We hope enjoy this special show which we are all very proud of.

A special thank you to Fred Clifton from A&R records for permission to use some of Rupert's excellent score from Fisherman's Friends. The score can be purchased from Amazon or can be found on your music provider of choice.

Fisherman's Friends

043: Rupert Christie Interview

This month the At The Flicks team speak to Phil Foster aka Phil The Bear about his latest director retrospective. Welcome to the fast talking, blood splattered world of Quentin Tarantino.
For this very special discussion, we are joined by film maker Sam Pope, who is also a Tarantino fan.
In a sense this podcast is the young against the old. Phil and Sam are like the Vega twins in cool suits and snappy dialogue. Graham, Neil and Jeff don the shades to become the Reservoir Old Dogs (although Jeff reckons Neil fits better as an Inglourious Basterd, spelling optional!). 
This age difference is quite important when we get to Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, as the At The Flicks team use their experience to talk about that TV and film culture first hand.
Before discussing Tarantino's latest, we go through the classics. Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight are all mulled over in detail. Along with our thoughts on the man himself. We ask the question, has Quentin Tarantino changed over the years and if so how? Check it out to see if you agree with our conclusion.
Other things we question on the way

What role would James Woods have played in Reservoir Dogs if his agent hadn't turned it down (Woods fired him for that)!

Would Warren Beatty have made a better Bill than David Carradine?

Is From Dusk Till Dawn a horror film?

Our thoughts on all of these and much, much more are contained within this action packed and wise cracking podcast. There is of course the occasional over the top violence, but what else would you expect when Neil and Jeff get together?
After you have listened to our rambling, please let us know about your thoughts on Quentin Tarantino, we would love to hear from you.

056: Quentin Tarantino Retrospective

Welcome to the first of a limited series looking at the Rambo films.
While that might seem an odd series for At The Flicks to go into such detail on, it is something that has been on political Jeff's mind since watching Rambo Last Blood.  What this series will hopefully achieve, is a critique of each film and the political times in which it was made.  Each film will get its own episode.

What better place to start than at the beginning, so we begin with First Blood (1982).  Without doubt one of Sylvester Stallone's best films and one that tackles the important issue of what happens to people after combat.  Especially, as in the case of Vietnam, where the war was lost. 

As the At The Flicks team are British and John Rambo is very much an American hero, we have brought in one of our American contributors for the series.  Elijah will be joining us for each episode, to give his view on both the film and the politics.  This first episode has a particular meaning for Elijah because of a personal connection to the Vietnam war.
Something very different for us and we look forward to your feedback to know if this venture works for you or not.
Enjoy.

072: The Politics of Rambo Part One: First Blood

Our continuing and popular series on the politics of the Rambo films has the team journeying to Afghanistan to talk about the most expensive film of the series, Rambo III. Note that there is no more mention of First Blood in the title.
This time our own Rambo style native warrior Neil (no knife, all golf club) joins us as the battle lines of discussion are drawn.
During the course of this in depth discussion we answer these questions:
	* Why was this such a troubled production?
	* Who was the original director?
	* What weapon, designed by the Americans during the 1980’s (and prominently shown in Rambo III) was first used in this conflict?
	* Did John Rambo actually support the Taliban?

These, and many other questions you didn’t know you wanted, or cared enough to ask.
As with every other men on a mission flick, there are disagreements within the team. Nothing new there are Jeff and Neil disagree on many aspects of the film and each thinks they are right. Meanwhile Elijah and Graham talk around them, making sensible and enlightening points about the movie.

We trust that you will want to join us on our journey and learn more about the film and the politics of the time.
Enjoy and we look forward to catching up with you next month as we talk more Rambo.

090 Rambo III

Welcome to the latest At The Flicks review show.
Regular listeners will notice a few changes this month, the biggest being that, thanks to lockdown, there aren’t many new movies to review! Which is of course a problem for a review show.
However before we talk about our sneaky approach to that problem, let’s look at our new expanded team. Let’s start with the regulars
“Oracle” Jeff
“I make my film selections to annoy Jeff” Neil
“If I could edit Jeff out of the show I would” Graham
are now joined every month by the following ultra keen film goers (when cinemas are open)
“I will never side with Jeff” Phil
“Just who is this Jeff person anyway” Darren
What a team. It’s like the magnificent seven but with only five!
So just what are our team up to with a scarcity of new releases. Well luckily they found two, one thanks to Netflix. Other than that Graham came up with an excellent idea, although both Jeff and “Tory boy” Neil tried to claim credit for it. Graham’s plan was to pick movies that had been released during the month of April in previous years. Each member of the team could pick one film, and the choices were, shall we say, unique
	* Darren picked a good old fashioned World War II adventure film, although with a subject like this, the Brexiteers will never watch it!
	* Phil picked a Welsh actor’s finest hour
	* Graham picked a true classic and has redesigned his garden following his viewing
	* Jeff has picked a film with right wing police credentials. He continues to live the dream
	* Neil spent his time listening to the others and picked a film designed to annoy Jeff to his very core. Something so bad that Phil almost, and I stress almost, had to side with Jeff. However decency and taste did eventually stop him from making that bold step.
Check us out and let us know what you think of our choices. Also what criteria should we be applying for film picks in the lockdown months ahead.
All ideas welcome unless they come from Jeff.

091: I Have to Return Some Videotapes

We are proud and honour to present to you our latest podcast.

A few weeks ago, we talked to retired school teacher and first time film maker Gary Janks (proving you are never too old). His film, Chasing Mandela’s Rainbow is an examination of the modern day South African education system. At the heart of the film is the question – were Nelson Mandela’s very high education ideals realised?

Gary answers that question through three very different students :

Phendulani – a high achiever, both in the classroom and on the sports field. A potential future leader, but will the system give him the intellectual skills he needs?

Andile – Keen to learn. Unfortunately the poor rural area where she goes to school may not have the funds or skills to develop her education.

Mahlatse – A complex boy. He has the knowledge but will his extra curricular activities hurt his schooling?

It is a deeply moving and thought provoking film. If you are interested in watching this incredible movie, a link to rent it is below. Also, below are more details on the film and the various film festivals it has appeared in.

This was a revealing interview for the At The Flicks team. Chasing Mandela’s Rainbow opened up a whole new world for us and we were all deeply moved. As the Toronto Times said about the film, “Life in Mandela’s South Africa has been an unrelenting struggle against utopian hope – and painful reality”.

If you watch the film, please let us know what you think. If you have any questions for Gary, we can forward those on for you.

098: Chasing Mandela's Rainbow

Our examination of the politics of Rambo continues with the fourth in the series, simply titled Rambo. Uniquely, this film steps away from American involvement in foreign conflicts to look at the struggles of the Karen people in Myanmar.

In reality it is a brutal struggle and that is certainly reflected in the film. Without question. it is the most violent of the series. The team and Elijah look at why and along the way address some of these questions

- Why are the team watching different versions of the film?
- Who were the original directors short listed to make the movie and why did Sylvester Stallone ultimately take on that role?
- What are the penalties for watching this film in Myanmar?
- What line of dialogue from the film became a rallying cry for the Karen freedom fighters?

All of this and more interesting facts are addressed on the podcast. However as usual in these discussions (especially since we never meet face to face any more), we broaden our discussion to other related topics – more simply put, we talk about weaponry and hunting. Please bear us during these sections – we need this social interaction!

On a more serious note, Elijah tells us some real stories about missionaries and some of the hardships and dangers they have to face.

Despite its political relevance, Rambo is a film that split the team. What are your thoughts on this feature, please let us know.

Thanks for listening and as always, stay safe.

100: Rambo IV

Come and join us At The Flicks. Three friends of a certain age who still enjoy the movies would like to share their passion with you. With the benefit of their advancing years, they are reviewing films new and old, to prove there is really nothing in cinema that hasn’t been seen before?

At the Flicks

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