Based on a novel by Nancy Mitford and featuring an all-star cast, The Pursuit of Love is the latest period drama from the BBC. Fanny Logan (Emily Beecham) and Linda Radlett (Lily James) are cousins and best friends who are growing up during the interwar years. Linda has an abusive father (Dominic West) and Fanny’s mother (Emily […]
Author: Kieran Freemantle
Bondathon: Diamonds Are Forever
The seventh film in the official Bond series saw the return of Sean Connery in the role that made him famous. It was a final official Bond adventure for the Scot. After finding and killing Blofeld, M assigns Bond on a mission to investigate a diamond smuggling ring where the people on the smuggling chain are getting […]
Stowaway Review
Stowaway is the latest film to show the perils and challenges of space travel. A three-man crew goes on a two-year mission to Mars. The make up of the crew are commander Marina Barnett (Toni Collette), medical officer Zoe Levenson (Anna Kendrick), and the ship’s biologist David Kim (Daniel Dae Kim). However, their mission is complicated […]
Bondathon: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Following three bombastic adventures with Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice, the Bond series returned to a more grounded adventure with 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. James Bond had been searching Blofeld for two years but has not come up with any results. With the case running cold Bond gets an offer from Marc-Ange Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti), […]
Pop Culture Maniacs Podcast #21: Sports and TV Rights
Kieran Freemantle and Jean Henegan discuss the relationship between sports and TV
Pop Culture Maniacs Podcast #20: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Pop Culture Maniacs’ regular podcast hosts talk about and review Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Bondathon: You Only Live Twice
After the detour with the parody version of Casino Royale, Bondathon returns to the main series with the iconic if excessive Japanese-set adventure You Only Live Twice. The USA and USSR are on the brink of war after an American spacecraft disappears. The Americans blame the Soviets but MI6 believes the real culprit is in Japan and […]
Pop Culture Maniacs Episode #19: Derry Girls
Kieran Freemantle and Jean Henegan shared their love for Derry Girls.
Make Me Famous Review
Make Me Famous was a TV film made for BBC Three that looks at the perils of reality TV fame and social media. Billy (Tom Brittney) was a contestant on the reality TV show Love or Lust where he developed a reputation for being a cocky love rat. A year after appearing on the show he’s struggling financially […]
Bondathon: Casino Royale (1967)
The 1967 version of Casino Royale was the second adaptation of Ian Fleming’s novel and the second unofficial Bond film. It is also the worst film to have anything to do with the legendary spy. The major intelligence services are in crisis. Their best agents have been captured or killed. In desperation, MI6, the CIA, Deuxième Bureau, and […]










