Most film podcasts tell you what to watch. Cinema: A to B is more interested in why a film works or why it doesn't.
Alec Mallmann and Ben Starkey spent years working inside Hollywood before deciding the most useful thing they could do with that experience was talk honestly about cinema. Each episode breaks down the craft — cinematography, editing, performance — with the kind of insight you only get from people who've worked behind the curtain. No film degree required, minimal jargon, no scores out of ten.
New releases and revisited classics, covered biweekly. Expect spoilers.
Listener requests encouraged.
Episodes
Monday Sep 08, 2025
Monday Sep 08, 2025
It's a listener request for the 1991 Ron Howard firefighter action-drama starring Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Robert De Niro and Donald Sutherland. Ben explains why the film is both a standard bearer for the genre as well as wildly uneven. Alec discusses notable differences in the film's early transfers vs the more recent 4K remaster. The guys marvel at the depth of the cast including the late J.T. Walsh. Alec discusses how the film makes fire an actual character as well as what the movie gets right in the life of a firefighter. Ben reflects on the strength of practical effects and the now defunct Universal Studios Backdraft attraction.
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