Ridley Scott revisited: Black Hawk Down | A muscular broadside at imperialism
by A J Black | Jun 18, 2024 | Feature
Our look back at the work of Ridley Scott arrives in 2001, with Black Hawk Down - a film he wasn't originally supposed to make....
Posts by: A J Black
Podcast | At the Movies in the 90s - When Saturday Comes (1996)
by A J Black | Jun 17, 2024 | News
To celebrate the arrival of Euro 2024, A J Black kicks off the first of two football-related 90s movies with 1996's Sean Bean-starring 'When Saturday...
Podcast | Reel Talk - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Back to Black
by A J Black | Jun 17, 2024 | News
On this episode of Reel Talk, Sam Stokes is joined by Ashley Thomas, a.k.a. The Nerdy Blogger, to talk about strong female protagonists Furiosa and...
Podcast | The Movie Palace - Classic Movie Recommendations (Part 2)
by A J Black | Jun 17, 2024 | News
The latest episode of The Movie Palace is the second instalment of a two-parter dedicated to classic movie recommendations....
Doctor Who, 73 Yards, and the importance of mystery in storytelling
by A J Black | Jun 14, 2024 | Feature, TV
In the wake of Russell T Davies' uncanny episodes, including 73 Yards, AJ Black argues that mystery is a vital part of storytelling....
Podcast | Vampire Videos - Dracula: Dead and Loving It with Frankie Pellatt
by A J Black | Jun 10, 2024 | News
The Vampire Videos podcast, part of the Film Stories Podcast Network, moves onto a Leslie Nielsen-headlined spoof....
Podcast | The TARDIS Crew - Doctor Who 1x06: Rogue review
by A J Black | Jun 10, 2024 | News
Join Baz and Ben Greenland as they consider Doctor Who's latest episode, Rogue, in The TARDIS Crew podcast......
Star Trek | looking back at every series finale
by A J Black | Jun 07, 2024 | News
From 1969 to (almost) the present, here's a look back at every Star Trek finale to date. It's fair to say the quality has varied over the years......
Podcast | At the Movies in the 90s - Speed (1994)
by A J Black | Jun 07, 2024 | News
From the Film Stories Podcast Network comes the latest episode of At The Movies In The 90s - and Speed is in focus......
Furiosa and the evolving brilliance of Anya Taylor-Joy
by A J Black | Jun 03, 2024 | Feature
With Furiosa, Anya Taylor-Joy cements her status as a movie star. We take a look at the films and roles that have defined her career so far....
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 episode 10 review | The anodyne send off to a frustrating odyssey
by A J Black | May 31, 2024 | News, Reviews, TV
Star Trek: Discovery's journey comes to an end, and it leaves behind a sense of frustration. Spoilers lie ahead....
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 episodes 6-9 review | flashes of quality in a pedestrian voyage
by A J Black | May 30, 2024 | Reviews, TV
With spoilers, as Star Trek: Discovery heads towards its finale, we run though some of the final episodes of season 5....
Ridley Scott revisited: Hannibal | A sleazy, neo-Gothic horror hiding inside a blockbuster
by A J Black | May 21, 2024 | Feature
Ridley Scott's 2001 movie Hannibal took a tonal shift away from predecessor The Silence Of The Lambs - with mixed results....
Planet of the Apes | Revisiting the unique 1970s sequels
by A J Black | May 15, 2024 | Feature
With Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes in cinemas, we take a timely look back at the imaginative 1970s sequels that took the franchise to unexpected...
Civil War and collapsing American society on film
by A J Black | May 10, 2024 | Feature
Alex Garland's controversial Civil War boldly depicts an America in which democracy has fallen. Might this be a first in US cinema, AJ wonders...?...
Star Wars | 25 years have been kind to The Phantom Menace
by A J Black | May 07, 2024 | Feature
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is back on the big screen - and through today's eyes, fares a little better....
Star Trek | Where should the film franchise boldly go next?
by A J Black | May 01, 2024 | Feature
The Star Trek franchise has found renewed success on television, but what about films? We look at its uncertain but exciting cinematic future....
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 episodes 4 and 5 review | the two sides of a coin
by A J Black | Apr 26, 2024 | Reviews, TV
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 finally finds its form with its latest episode. Here are our spoiler-filled thoughts....
The Blair Witch Project | Where the reboot could take the story next
by A J Black | Apr 19, 2024 | Feature, News
As Blumhouse announces it's making a reboot of the 1999 classic horror The Blair Witch Project, we look at how it could expand on the original's lore....
Star Trek's 2025 origins movie: where the new film might boldly go
by A J Black | Apr 15, 2024 | Feature, News
Paramount is looking to get a new Star Trek film in cinemas in 2025 - but why this adventure, and where might things go? A few thoughts....
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 episode 3 review | a less than Trill-ing hour
by A J Black | Apr 11, 2024 | Reviews, TV
Jinaal is the third episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 5: it's a slice of television that highlights the issues with the show....
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 episodes 1 and 2 review | The beginning of a very familiar end
by A J Black | Apr 04, 2024 | Reviews, TV
The final season of Star Trek: Discovery sets off, and stays close to the tone and theme of the series to date. Our spoiler-filled thoughts on...
Ridley Scott revisited: Matchstick Men and A Good Year | two playful misfires about growing up
by A J Black | Apr 01, 2024 | Feature
In the 2000s, Ridley Scott went smaller with Matchstick Men and A Good Year - a pair of oddball entries into his filmography....
Building a DVD library: hauls, charity shops and collecting trends
by A J Black | Feb 26, 2024 | Feature
How many films - some classic, some, er, less so - can you get for £35? AJ Black finds out as his plan to build the ultimate DVD and Blu-ray library...
Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5: the story of his unmade Ripley revival
by A J Black | Feb 19, 2024 | Feature
In the 2010s, the web was ablaze with news that Neill Blomkamp was to make Alien 5 - a direct sequel to Aliens. We look at why it never happened......
Gladiators and Mr Bates: Why linear television is going nowhere
by A J Black | Feb 09, 2024 | Feature, TV
Flying in the face of the on-demand streaming zeitgeist, TV's Gladiators and Mr Bates prove that linear television is here to stay....
The Traitors series 2 review | Manipulative but addictive psychological telly
by A J Black | Jan 29, 2024 | Reviews, TV
The end of The Traitors series 2 in the UK marked has been met with sizeable ratings and lots of chatter. Spoilery thoughts here....
In defence of the TV filler episode
by A J Black | Jan 22, 2024 | Feature
Often dismissed as inessential padding, TV 'filler' episodes also played a pivotal role in network shows we may never see again, AJ writes....
Neill Blomkamp revisited: Chappie
by A J Black | Jan 15, 2024 | Feature
After District 9 and Elysium, Neill Blomkamp split opinion with Chappie - a sci-fi film that richly deserves a second look. ...
Building a DVD library: the ongoing journey of a film collector
by A J Black | Jan 12, 2024 | Feature
Forget streaming - collecting physical media's where it's at. Join AJ Black as he aims to build the ultimate DVD library on a budget......
Neill Blomkamp revisited: Elysium
by A J Black | Jan 04, 2024 | Feature
After District 9, Neill Blomkamp landed a big budget and a Hollywood star with 2013's Elysium. We look back at a less assured second feature......
Neill Blomkamp revisited: District 9
by A J Black | Dec 30, 2023 | Feature
Our exploration of Neill Blomkamp's movies begins with his 2009 feature debut: the violent yet intelligent sci-fi action of District 9....
