The Discourse
A film & entertainment podcast breaking down what the world of popular culture is discussing in the moment, hosted by author A. J. Black and author/lecturer Dr. Carl Sweeney. A proud part of the Film Stories Podcast Network: www.filmstories.co.uk
Episodes
May 29, 2024 • 48 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.
In this episode, Tony and Carl discuss a recent piece suggesting Doctor Who is so diverse it has never been for 'straight white men'. As two straight white men, they question the true inclusivity of this statement.
Plus! Why does nobody smoke anymore on TV and film? They ponder why this paean to progressive health might be doing a disservice to art.
And f...
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May 27, 2024 • 46 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.
In this episode, Tony and Carl react to news Britain is getting a General Election (finally!) in July, discussing how the media might react.
Plus! Netflix's Baby Reindeer took the country by storm but the real world fallout is ethically questionable at best. We unpack the reasons.
And finally, we wonder what Apple are smoking with a recent tone deaf ad. A...
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May 16, 2024 • 39 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.
In this episode, Carl and Tony tackle the thorny issue of children and media access - kids accessing smartphones is on the rise, but is it a good or bad thing?
Plus! Older actors should be celebrated, according to a recent piece, so we think about the aged Hollywood and British legends still going, and ponder what might have been for some had they carried...
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May 14, 2024 • 50 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.
In this episode, Carl and Tony discuss soaps via the lens of Coronation Street - where did they come from? When were they at their best? And have they lost the plot?
Plus! Carl loves his YouGov polls and this one asks what previous decade we were happiest in. They discuss the nostalgic era they would choose, and whether the present day has more to like th...
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April 10, 2024 • 48 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Tony and Carl use Carrie Coon mentioning her husband's 10,000 strong bluray collection to discuss the ongoing rise of physical media once more, and inadvertantly kickstart a new section.Plus! Rolling Stone just released an article - 50 Terrible Movies by Great Directors - so we ask: are these directors all great? And are these movies all t...
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April 8, 2024 • 49 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Tony and Carl talk Star Trek, and specifically how modern writers of the show are tackling societal change in comparison to older series. Have they gone too far?Plus! Every 5 years, the BBFC do a survey about what audiences are okay with in modern movies, and it suggests a snapshot of where Britain is as a culture. What does it reveal?And ...
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March 27, 2024 • 39 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Carl and Tony try and figure out why old TV shows, some going back decades, are doing way better than new content on streaming.Plus! Following a piece about the 'death' of prestige TV, they look at the fascinating subject of modern television and how the landscape has changed.And finally, with an important disclaimer by Carl included, they...
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March 25, 2024 • 45 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Carl and Tony tackle a piece reappreciating The Phantom Menace and wonder about tackling less beloved films with distance and how they might be reexamined.Plus! With teenagers no longer having seen The Matrix or even The Dark Knight, they discuss how films age and how the perception of them as iconic or memorable does.And finally, a couple...
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February 28, 2024 • 42 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Tony and Carl discuss how Gen Z seem to have turned books 'sexy', but why are they so obsessed with reading and is it performative or genuine?Plus! Amazon are being bastards with this new ad tier and an increasingly poor user experience, so they discuss the so-called 'enshittification' of the overall streaming world.And finally, speaking o...
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February 26, 2024 • 44 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Tony and Carl tackle the recent BAFTA Awards 2024, discussing the winners and some of the viral episodes around it - Barry Keoghan's 'prosthetics' and the random Oppenheimer winner on stage.Plus! Martin Scorsese has been railing a bit against so-called 'immersive cinema', 3D, 4DX and so on, so they ask whether these gimmicks really do add ...
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February 14, 2024 • 40 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Carl and Tony discuss a fascinating recent article by Ellen E. Jones calling for 'white cinema' to become a recognised term, citing filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola. They examine the argument.Plus! With copyright on major comic-book figures like Superman & Batman set to expire in the not too distant future, they consider a 20...
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February 12, 2024 • 43 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Carl and Tony discuss the major Oscar nominations of 2024, unpicking who should win, who might win, and if there's anything to the Barbie controversy.Plus! Thanks to a guest note from listener Sam Stokes, they pontificate over the cinema of 2023 and quite where the movie landscape is right now.And finally, after film writer Jamie Graham re...
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January 17, 2024 • 31 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Tony and Carl get into their first Bond Corner of 2024, here discussing the BFI's decision to put trigger warnings in front of old Bond movies. Woke tosh? Progressive historical engagement? Or somewhere in the middle? Your favourite centrist Dad's ponder...Plus! Kate Hudson wants more men to star in romcoms and we heartily agree, leading u...
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January 15, 2024 • 46 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Tony and Carl talk about the biggest news story of the year - the British post office scandal, and the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office that exposed it. What is the power of television to change our politics?Plus! Is British TV weird and unique enough anymore? We get into some modern and older examples as we come to a decision.And fin...
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January 10, 2024 • 52 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Carl and Tony wrap up their analysis of the final season of The Crown - did it stick the landing?Plus! Carl is back with some polls, this time of the voting intentions of British TV watchers and podcast listeners, and there are some surprises.And finally, after a social media discussion about 'filler' episodes of TV shows, they wonder whet...
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January 8, 2024 • 42 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In our first episode of 2024, Carl and Tony preview 2024 in film, TV and broader popular culture, discussing what they're looking forward to.Plus! They take a glance back at 2023, at some of the popular culture they enjoyed, and some of the stranger things that happened...--Remember: subscribe to THE DISCOURSE+ for early access, ad-free listening and bonus...
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December 18, 2023 • 22 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, with Tony absent, Carl introduces another sneak peak at a recent Discourse+ bonus episode, in which Carl and Tony discuss the recent revelation that modern men constantly think about Ancient Rome, so Carl tests Tony on his Roman knowledge...--Remember: subscribe to THE DISCOURSE+ for early access, ad-free listening and bonus episodes not a...
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December 11, 2023 • 23 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, with Tony absent, Carl introduces a sneak peak at a recent Discourse+ bonus episode, in which Carl and Tony allow Chat GPT to write a script for the show, and ponder just how this new artificial intelligence could change everything...--Remember: subscribe to THE DISCOURSE+ for early access, ad-free listening and bonus episodes not availabl...
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November 29, 2023 • 45 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Carl and Tony discuss the joy of Sir Ridley Scott on his Napoleon press tour, challenging accusations of historical inaccuracy - is he right?Plus! As collectors reveal they are anxious about returning long lost Doctor Who episodes to the BBC for fear of prosecution, they chat the phenomena of lost British television.And finally, as Elon Mu...
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November 27, 2023 • 47 mins
Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture.In this episode, Carl and Tony celebrate the return of The Crown for its sixth and final season, digging deep into the first four episodes, where it still is good TV, and whether Diana's 'ghost' is a bridge too far!Plus! As populist politician and agitator Nigel Farage enters the jungle, they discuss whether I'm a Celebrity platforming controversial people...
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