At the Movies (Australian TV program)

At the Movies

Company type	Television series
Industry	Film criticism, Television
Founded	2004
Defunct	2014
Headquarters	Australia
Key people	Margaret Pomeranz, David Stratton
Products	Film review television program

At the Movies was a film review television series broadcast in Australia on ABC, hosted by renowned critics Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton from 2004 until 2014. The program offered weekly evaluations of new cinematic releases.

History

Debuting in mid-2004, this series served as a continuation of the hosts' previous collaboration on The Movie Show, which aired on SBS One between 1986 and 2004. Their departure from SBS resulted from disagreements with network management.

Each episode, lasting approximately thirty minutes, included film critiques, in-depth conversations, and interviews with actors and filmmakers. Occasionally, the show broadcasted special segments from prominent cinema events such as the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2011, their quarter-century partnership was honored through a special episode presented by Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush. On 16 September 2014, Pomeranz and Stratton declared their intention to retire, culminating with the final broadcast on 9 December 2014. This concluding episode garnered an audience exceeding 700,000 viewers, ranking among ABC’s highest-rated season finales.

5-star films

Throughout the program's run, only seven movies achieved a flawless 5-star rating from both Pomeranz and Stratton:

• Good Night, and Good Luck
• Brokeback Mountain
• No Country for Old Men
• Samson and Delilah
• A Separation
• Amour
• Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

During their tenure on SBS, multiple films also received dual 5-star accolades, including titles such as Goodfellas, The Thin Red Line, Schindler's List, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Aliens, Eyes Wide Shut, Russian Ark, The Thin Blue Line, Evil Angels, Return Home, The Piano, Lantana, and Three Colours: Red.

In other media

Pomeranz and Stratton made cameo appearances as themselves in a parody segment on the ABC comedy series Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure. They also featured in various other ABC productions including The Chaser's War on Everything, Review with Myles Barlow, Good Game, and Dance Academy. Additionally, Pomeranz participated in recurring comedic sketches on The Weekly with Charlie Pickering. In December 2020, the duo released a satirical YouTube review summarizing the year 2020.

Around 2006, Hopscotch Entertainment introduced an interactive DVD titled Margaret & David at the Movies interactive quiz, hosted by Stratton and Pomeranz. This featured 1,500 questions related to cinema along with guidelines and a scoring system.

Scheduled for 2025, comedians Alexei Toliopoulos and Zachary Ruane will tour with the stage comedy show Refused Classification. This production draws inspiration from Margaret and David’s legal struggles concerning film censorship, notably their involvement in controversies surrounding Ken Park.