The pandemic has been the big disturber to many businesses and industries, including the film industry. The long closure of cinemas and the backlog of unreleased films has led to studios looking for alternative methods of distribution. Warner Brothers planned to release most of the 2021 slate in cinemas and on HBO Max simultaneously, with films […]
Author: Kieran Freemantle
The Dissident Review
The murder of Jamal Khashoggi was an event that shocked the world. The documentary The Dissident sets out to look at how the Saudi intelligence service was able to conduct the assassination and its ramifications. The Dissident focuses on three main topics. The first looked at the background of Khashoggi and the Saudi state, the second was about […]
Sonic the Hedgehog Blu-ray Review
Sonic the Hedgehog is a pop culture icon who has delighted generations of gamers. He made his move to live-action films with the 2020 release of his debut film. Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz) has lived on Earth for 10 years after his guardian was attacked by a tribe of echidnas. On Earth he lives in […]
Pop Culture Maniacs Podcast #17: DCEU and Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Kieran Freemantle and Jean Henegan discuss the current state of the DCEU and Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League.
Russian Raid Review
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’ […]
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 […]









