Russian Raid was a film where even the marketing material stated it was inspired by 2011’s The Raid. Those were lofty ambitions because The Raid was one of the best action films of the 2010s. Nikita (Ivan Kotik) is a former Spetsnaz soldier turned mercenary. He is hired by a man (Ilya Antoneko) who takes the term ‘hostile takeover’ […]
Author: Kieran Freemantle
Kat and the Band Review
Kat and the Band is a light-hearted British teen comedy that works as an excellent showcase for its young star Ella Hunt. Kat Malone (Hunt) is a smart 17-year-old schoolgirl with the gift of the gab and an obsession for music. She talks her way into becoming the manager for the band Dollar Days. Kat has […]
Pop Culture Maniacs Podcast #16: Film, TV, and Politics
Kieran Freemantle and Jean Henegan discuss the links between film, TV, and politics
School’s Out Forever Review
Based on a novel by Scott K. Andrews, School’s Out Forever was the first film to be produced by the video game company Rebellion. It’s a film the studio hope to gain a cult following. Lee Keegan (Oscar Kennedy) gets expelled from an elite boarding school after one prank too many. This happens just as a deadly […]
Pop Culture Maniacs Podcast Episode #15: WandaVision
Kieran Freemantle and Jean Henegan discuss and review the hit Disney+ show WandaVision P
The F1rst Team Season One Review
The F1rst Team is the latest sitcom made by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, the mind behind The Inbetweeners and White Gold. They have moved on from suburban teenagers and 1980s Essex to a struggling Premier League team. The F1rst Team focuses on three young players at the club. There is Mattie Sullivan (Jake Short), a new signing from the […]
Pop Culture Maniacs Podcast Episode #14: Physical and Digital Media
Kieran Freemantle and Jean Henegan discuss the current state of physical and digital media.
Britflix: Howl
Werewolves movies are a rare breed, even in the horror genre. One of the more recent werewolf movies was the 2015 flick Howl. Joe (Ed Speleers) is a train conductor who’s forced to work on a late-night train to Eastborough. Before the train reaches the final station, it gets stopped in the woods. Isolated and with […]
Pop Culture Maniacs Podcast Episode #13: Brooklyn Nine Nine
Kieran Freemantle and Jean Henegan discuss the popular sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
For Love or Money Review
For Love or Money was a movie that marketed itself as ‘An Unromantic Comedy’ as it attempts to subvert the rom-com subgenre. Mark (Robert Kazinsky) is a man who describes himself as a lobotomised hamster when it comes to women. At the age of 30, he is about to sell his start-up company for £20 million. […]








