WARNING: Contains Spoilers Throughout

Film is often considered a director’s medium, it is an art form which showcases a number of different artistic, creative and technical talents, but none more so than that of the director. Or at least, that’s the way it appears to most. In the same way that Theatre is considered a writer’s medium, or Reality Television is considered a casting medium, cinema is director-centric and shows no signs of changing.

Renny Harlin may have directed The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) but this action-comedy thriller is most definitely writer Shane Black's film.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson.

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers.

Ridley Scott is an often over rated film maker, within his body of work to date he has made two films which I would consider masterpieces - Alien and Blade Runner. Along the way he’s made some other reasonable films like Kingdom of Heaven in 2005 which suffered from the massive casting mistake of Orlando Bloom in the leading role; his conman comedy Matchstick Men from 2003 had a lot going for it but suffers from being immensely predictable

Ridley Scott's flawed cop thriller Black Rain (1989) has a far more complex and innovate subtext than a film as formulaic as this deserves. This episode explores the subtext and the films subtle contortions of cop thriller clichés.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson.

There are certain films which an individual encounters during their life which are instantly recognisable as flawed but for some reason we’re willing to forgive their faults and not let them deter our enjoyment of the viewing experience. Often these films are connected to our earlier life, a childhood or teenage favourite which as we grow older is exposed as a fractured and faulty work of fiction which we were incapable of discerning in years past.

The first in the new Guilty Pleasures Series, this week examining Kathryn Bigelow's messy 1995 Science Fiction thriller set ten years ago on New Years Eve 1999.