This episode features themes of extreme violence and sexual assault.

There's nothing quite like a horror movie to give you that experience of fear. Whether you're watching somebody being chased down by a monster, or if the thing is stalking its victims from the shadows, it can keep an audience on the edge of their seats.

Horror can take many forms as well from the supernatural, extraterrestrial to the everyday and the mundane. It all depends on your perspective.

So, when a gang of thieves sets their next target as a blind veteran who has a lot of money in a safe, what could go wrong? Well, it seems that underestimating a disabled person was their first mistake.

This week, Film-Ability talks about Don't Breathe, a horror movie from 2016 directed by Fede Alvarez, who went on to success with revitalising the Alien franchise. However, the subject of a blind villain who's just an ordinary man could be controversial to some, although once you know his whole story, you might think differently.

Film-Ability is hosted by Joel Fisher, author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema that you can find at Amazon on Kindle and paperback.

Contact:

Bluesky: - search for 'film-ability'

Instagram - search for 'film_ability'

E-mail - film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle⁠

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay

This episode contains talk of domestic violence

What does it take to be the best? Determination, grit, and not letting anything else get in your way. There are many successful disabled athletes and many of them have gone on to inspire a new generation who only seem to get better, improving on the legacy that came before them.

However, great things come from humble beginnings and in Unstoppable (2024), Anthony Robles' story is told just as in any other sports movie, with a particular influence from Rocky. With a slightly volatile home life, Anthony decided not to let anything get in his way and became a national champion wrestler. With a little help from his mum, of course.

This week, Film-Ability covers Unstoppable, a true story about a wrestler born with one leg who fought to prove the people wrong who said he couldn't do it (even his own coach). A story of triumphing against the odds on his own terms. Anthony's story is up there with the greatest of athletes in his generation.

Film-Ability is hosted by Joel Fisher, author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema that you can find at Amazon on Kindle and paperback.

Contact:

Bluesky - search for 'film-ability'

Instagram - search for 'film_ability'

E-mail - film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay

What would happen if a little autistic boy were to crack a code that would put him in immediate danger? Send in Bruce Willis and find out, of course. Will Bruce consider the sensory overload that little Simon would experience during their journey? Or will he just drag him across the city with little care for his companion?

How could a film about a boy with autism thrust into the middle of an action movie ever be conceived? Well, it's based on a book, so obviously it must be absolutely fine then... Spoilers, it's not.

This week, Film-Ability talks about Mercury Rising, the ill-advised and poorly conceived Razzie award-winning action movie starring Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin and a handful of your favourite character actors.

Contact:

Bluesky - search for 'film-ability'

Instagram - search for 'film_ability'

E-mail - film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay

Everybody knows that film from the 80s about the little boy who makes friends with an alien, and it changes his life. Well, Film-Ability's first episode isn't about that one, it's about the OTHER one that came out much later.

This episode covers Mac & Me, a story about an alien family that escapes capture on Earth, only for their youngest to hitch a ride with a mother and her two sons who are on their way to starting a new life.

Often regarded as one of the worst films ever made, Mac & Me became notorious for its blatant rip-off of Spielberg's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and its shameless product placement. There are also a few scenes which are laugh-out-loud funny for all the wrong reasons.

However, Mac & Me's existence meant something more to the little boy whose mother rented it for him one day. The sight of a boy in a wheelchair making friends and having fun could have lifted his spirits, hoping that it would inspire him to see a child like him living a full and happy life. That is if THAT scene didn't end up traumatising him...

Film-Ability is hosted by Joel Fisher, author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema that you can find at Amazon on Kindle and paperback.

Contact:

Bluesky - Search for 'film-ability'

Instagram - Search for film_ability'

E-mail - film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay

Welcome to Film-Ability, I’m Joel Fisher, the author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema and this is a podcast all about disability in cinema.

Whether you’ve always wondered how disabled people are portrayed in cinema, had no idea there was any difference to reality, or have non-disabled friends who think it’s just a movie, this is the podcast for you.

Each week I’ll be discussing a film with a main or pivotal supporting disabled character and talking about the portrayal, the representation and the wider implicationsfor audiences who have little to no experience of disabled people.

So, join me as I delve into the history of disability in cinema to talk about the good, the bad, and at times, the downright offensive.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J