Cinema: A to B
What happens when two friends who worked in Hollywood leave the industry but never stop talking about movies? Cinema: A to B combines insider knowledge with genuine film enthusiasm. Each week, hosts Alec Mallmann and Ben Starkey dissect recent releases and beloved classics—from racing thrillers to folk horror, 90s action to award-winners—with the kind of technical analysis and storytelling insights you'd only get from people who've worked behind the curtain. Spoilers welcome. Movie love required. Listener requests encouraged.
Episodes
A Season of Sci-Fi entry 12 is a look back at Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 starring Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas. Join Alec and Ben as they discuss why the film is a worthy follow-up to the iconic Ridley Scott directed Blade Runner.
Image by Roger Jeffreys from Pixabay
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Cinema: A to B Merch - https://www.bonfire.c...
A Season of Sci-Fi episode 11 features a lesser known James Cameron picture with the 1989 deep sea action film The Abyss starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn. The guys discuss the dangerous and difficult filming conditions, stunning VFX, narrative critiques and finally touch on a film that they don't really agree on.
Image by Tabby Cat from Pixabay
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
A rewatch and discussion on the first two landmark films in the Alien franchise from legendary directors Sir Ridley Scott and James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver.
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Cinema: A to B Merch - https://www.bonfire.com/store/cinema-a-to-b/
The ninth entry in A Season of Sci-Fi lands with a sprawling discussion and celebration of George Lucas's iconic trilogy of Star Wars: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as well as many of the related properties that followed. Join Alec and Ben for a tangent filled conversation on the science fiction world that inspired a generation of fans and filmmakers alike.
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
Entry eight in A Season of Sci-Fi is a conversation on the second Star Trek feature film Wrath of Khan directed by Nicholas Meyer and starring William Shatner, Ricardo Montalban, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Kirstie Alley and Bibi Besch. Join Alec and Ben as they discuss where arguably the best Trek film has aged well and where it frankly hasn't. The conversation tangents across multiple Trek films and the Star Wars comparisons ...
Entry seven of A Season of Sci-Fi is Luc Besson's 1997 film The Fifth Element starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm and Chris Tucker. Join the guys for a laughter filled discussion on a beloved late 90s romp.
Cover art by Norio Nakayama Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Cinema: A to B Merch - h...
It's A Season of Sci-Fi entry six and another Steven Spielberg picture with the 2001 adventure-drama A.I. Artificial Intelligence starring Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law and Frances O'Connor. The guys marvel at a film well ahead of its time. Ben makes his case on why this is likely Osment's best performance to date. Alec dispels a misconception regarding the late Stanley Kubrick's involvement with the film.
Official Site - https://www...
A Season of Sci-Fi entry five takes another look at the groundbreaking alien action film District 9 from writer-director Neil Blomkamp and starring Sharlto Copley. Alec and Ben discuss why the film has aged so well and how its raw grounded nature makes it a landmark entry in the genre.
Image by vantomen from Pixabay
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
For the fourth entry in A Season of Sci-Fi the guys break down the 2019 James Gray film starring Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones. Join the conversation as Alec and Ben discuss both why the film didn't find an audience and why is deserves another look six years later.
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Cinema: A to B Merch - https://www.bonfire....
For entry number three in A Season of Sci-Fi Alec and Ben backtrack five years before E.T. to 1977 with Spielberg's definitive entry in the UFO genre with Close Encounters of the Third Kind starring Richard Dreyfuss, Francois Truffaut, Teri Garr and Melinda Dillon. The guys discuss the merits of the film along with the evolution of the UAP phenomena over the past 48 years.
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
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The second entry in A Season of Sci-Fi arrives with a conversation on Steven Spielberg's 1982 alien adventure film E.T. starring Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace and Robert MacNaughton. The guys discuss how it differs from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and how unique Spielberg truly is in the pantheon of great film directors.
Image by Robert Karkowski from Pixabay
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.c...
Back from hiatus the guys kick off a 13 episode Season of Sci-Fi with a conversation on Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film, it's place as a technical standard bearer for the genre and why major portions of its plot remain as relevant as ever nearly 60 years later.
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Cinema: A to B Merch - https://www.bon...
The guys discuss why Antoine Fuqua's 2001 crime drama, Training Day, starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke demands a rewatch. Ben makes his case why 2001 was a banner year for cinema.
Image by Jose Aitor Pons Buigues from Pixabay
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Cinema: A to B Merch - https://www.bonfire.com/store/cinema-a-to-b/
A rewatch and conversation on director Guy Ritchie's take on the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle detective starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams and Mark Strong.
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Merchandise - https://www.bonfire.com/store/cinema-a-to-b/
The guys discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Michael Mann's 1992 adaptation of the James Fenimore Cooper novel, The Last of the Mohicans, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Eric Schweig, Jodhi May, Steven Waddington and Wes Studi.
Image by Loren Biser from Pixabay
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Merchandise - https://www.bonfire.com/store/c...
A listener request arrives in the form of the 1985 Chevy Chase comedy Fletch. Join the guys as they discuss what makes this 80s comedy centered around a wise-cracking newspaper reporter both unique and worth a rewatch.
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Merchandise - https://www.bonfire.com/store/cinema-a-to-b/
The guys converse on why the espionage thriller from the late great director Tony Scott is worth a rewatch. It's Spy Game (2001) starring the late Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack and Stephen Dillane.
Image by Mary Campos from Pixabay
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Merchandise - https://www.bonfire.com/store/cinema-a-to-b/
Spoiler Warning. Alec and Ben break down writer-director Bong Joon Ho's sci-fi satire Mickey 17 adapted from the Edward Ashton novel (Mickey 7) and starring Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette.
Image by Parker_West from Pixabay
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Merchandise - https://www.bonfire.com/store/cinema-a-to-b/
A look back at the 1986 Michael Mann adaptation of the Thomas Harris Red Dragon novel starring William Petersen, Brian Cox, Dennis Farina and Tom Noonan. Alec details a very recent first time viewing and the guys compare and contrast the film with its later version (2002's Red Dragon) as well as the Hannibal TV series starring Mads Mikkelsen. From casting, performances and Mann's direction Alec and Ben make their case why this vers...
Spoiler Warning. The guys unpack the James Gunn Superman reboot starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult. Join Alec and Ben for performance breakdowns, super-hero fatigue, the relaunch of the DCEU, Man of Steel comparisons and more!
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
Merchandise - https://www.bonfire.com/store/cinema-a-to-b/
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