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 have spent years making, studying, and obsessing over movies from the edges of the film industry. They bring that perspective to conversations about what happens on screen and behind it: the writing, cinematography, editing, performance, production, and all the choices that can make a movie soar or crash and burn.
No film degree required. Minimal jargon. No scores out of ten. Just two people who love movies trying to figure out what makes them work.
New releases and revisited classics, covered biweekly. Expect spoilers.
Listener requests encouraged.
Episodes
Sep 8, 2025
Sep 8, 2025
36 min
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.
Official Site - https://www.cinemaatob.com
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@cinemaatob
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