| At the Movies | |
|---|---|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 11 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Claude Gonzalez |
| Running time | 26 minutes per episode |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | 1 July 2004 – 9 December 2014 |
At the Movies is an Australian television program on ABC hosted by film critics Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton, where they discussed the films opening in theatres that week.
The program, which began in mid-2004, is a continuation of the pair's earlier program The Movie Show , which aired on SBS One from 1986 to 2004. The pair left SBS after expressing dissatisfaction with high-level decisions.
The weekly half-hour program consists of film reviews and discussions as well as interviews with cast and crew members. The hosts also occasionally broadcast from film events such as the Cannes Film Festival.
The pair's 25 years of presenting film reviews on television was celebrated in a special show on 26 October 2011, filmed before an audience and special guests, hosted by Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush. [1]
On 16 September 2014, Stratton and Pomeranz announced they would be retiring at the end of the 2014 series. The final episode aired on 9 December 2014, [2] and Stratton and Pomeranz said farewell to over 700,000 viewers, making it one of the most-watched season finales on the ABC in the history of the station. [3]
Only seven films have achieved a perfect 5-star rating by both Pomeranz and Stratton. [4]
In the previous SBS format, several films achieved 5 stars from both Margaret and David, including films such as Goodfellas , The Thin Red Line , [5] Schindler's List , [6] 2001: A Space Odyssey , [7] Aliens , [8] Eyes Wide Shut , [9] Russian Ark , [10] The Thin Blue Line , [11] Evil Angels , [12] Return Home , [13] The Piano , [14] Lantana, [15] and Three Colours: Red . [16]
Pomeranz and Stratton both appeared in a parody of themselves and At the Movies in the fourth episode of the ABC show Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure . [17] They have also appeared in the ABC shows The Chaser's War on Everything , [18] Review with Myles Barlow , Good Game and Dance Academy . Pomeranz has also appeared in recurring spoofs of the show on The Weekly with Charlie Pickering . In December 2020, they appeared in a spoof YouTube video reviewing the year 2020. [19] Around 2006 Hopscotch Entertainment released a DVD Margaret & David at the Movies interactive quiz, hosted by Stratton and Pomeranz, containing around 1500 film-based questions (and answers), with list of rules and scoresheet.
Margaret Pomeranz is an Australian film critic, writer, producer, and television personality.
David James Stratton is an English-Australian film critic and historian. He has also worked as a journalist, interviewer, educator, television personality, and producer. His career as a film critic, writer, and educator in Australia spanned 57 years, until his retirement in December 2023.
The Chaser election specials are a number of Australian political satire based comedy programs produced by The Chaser. The shows, which have run under various titles, provide commentary on Australian federal election and has been produced since 2001 for ABC TV. The first show, The Election Chaser in 2001 was the first ever television production of the Chaser team. In 2004 and 2007 they produced The Chaser Decides which won the Logie Award for "Most Outstanding Comedy Program" for the 2004 series. In 2010, the Chaser team produced a 5-episode series about the 2010 election, called Yes We Canberra!. A new series was produced for the 2013 election, called The Hamster Decides.The Chaser's Election Desk aired in the six weeks prior to the 2016 federal election.
The Movie Show was an Australian film review program which was broadcast on SBS TV. Its history is divided into three parts, until it finally wound up in 2008.
Romper Stomper is a 1992 Australian drama film written and directed by Geoffrey Wright in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie, Tony Le-Nguyen and Colin Chin. The film tells the story of the exploits and downfall of a neo-Nazi group in blue-collar suburban Melbourne. The film was released on 12 November 1992.
Beneath Clouds is a 2002 film by Indigenous Australian director Ivan Sen. It is the feature film debut by the two lead actors. Damian Pitt was approached by Sen on the streets of Moree, New South Wales, and had never acted before. Dannielle Hall was cast through a more traditional method, via an audition tape. Much of the support cast were local residents from Pitt's hometown of Moree.
Good Night, and Good Luck is a 2005 historical drama film about American television news directed by George Clooney, with the movie starring David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., and Frank Langella as well as Clooney himself. The film was co-written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, and it portrays the conflict between veteran journalist Edward R. Murrow (Strathairn) and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, especially relating to the anti-communist Senator's actions with the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
Graeme Blundell is an Australian actor, director, producer, writer, playwright, lyricist and biographer.
The Craic is a 1999 Australian comedy film starring stand-up comedian Jimeoin with Alan McKee, directed by Ted Emery.
Kenny is a 2006 Australian mockumentary film starring Shane Jacobson as Kenny Smyth, a Melbourne plumber who works for a portable toilet rental company. The film was followed by the television series Kenny's World.
SBS is a multicultural public TV network in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. In 2023, SBS had an 8.5% audience share, compared to 2018 when SBS had a 7.7% audience share.
The Independent is an Australian independent mockumentary film released in 2007, produced by Apocalypse Films. It chronicles the story of Marty Browning, a man who runs for state parliament in a Victorian by-election to save his family farm, backed by a shady businessman. He runs as an independent, but under the banner of "The Independent Party"; his plan is to form policies by asking members of the public for their opinions, thereby providing a direct public voice in parliament.
Last Ride is a 2009 Australian drama film directed by Glendyn Ivin. It is based on the novel The Last Ride by Denise Young. The film follows a young boy accompanying his father, who is wanted by the police, across Australia.
Love in Limbo is a 1993 Australian romantic comedy film directed and produced by David Elfick. The film stars Craig Adams, Aden Young and Russell Crowe. The film was released on 20 May 1993. Visually the film was heavily influenced by The Girl Can't Help It (1956). It was nominated for three awards by the Australian Film Institute in 1992.
The King Is Dead! is a 2012 Australian comedy drama thriller film directed by Rolf de Heer about a young couple who are tormented by the neighbour from hell.
Bra Boys is a 2007 Australian documentary film about a surf gang on Sydney's Maroubra Beach released in March 2007. The film details a story of the Bra Boys from the viewpoint of the gang members, particularly the Abbertons. Sunny Abberton wrote and co-directed the film with Macario De Souza. Actor Russell Crowe was producer and provided narration. The film's official cast included 49 well known surfers from Bra Boys members Evan Faulks and Richie 'Vas' Vaculik to ten-time world champion Kelly Slater. Other participating prominent surfers include Mark Occhilupo, Bruce Irons, and Laird Hamilton.
The 6th Adelaide Film Festival took place in Adelaide, Australia, from 10 to 20 October 2013. This was Amanda Duthie's first year as Festival Director, having taken over from Katrina Sedgwick. Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton served as the festival's patrons.
Amanda Duthie, Scottish-born Australian, is one of the leading figures in Australia's arts and culture industries and was previously the CEO/Creative Director of the Adelaide Film Festival and CEO of Hybrid World Adelaide.
The Weekly with Charlie Pickering is an Australian news satire series on the ABC. The series premiered on 22 April 2015, featuring Charlie Pickering as host with Tom Gleeson, Adam Briggs and Judith Lucy in the cast who joined the show in 2019, replacing Kitty Flanagan.
Foxtel Arts was a subscription television arts channel available in Australia on the Foxtel platform.
