Film Stories with Simon Brew

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a notorious film of the 1990s, and an early hit of the 1980s. Last Action Hero was Arnold Schwarzenegger's eagerly-awaited first action movie following Terminator 2. It was billed as the big ticket for summer 1993. Things did not go to plan. Burt Reynolds meanwhile vowed to never go faster than 35mph in a movie again following a string of car films. But a cheque making him the most expensive movie star in the world for The Cannonball Run helped change his mind... Stories of both are told in this episode. Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod. Support this podcast: www.patreon.com/simonbrew. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by actor and writer Simon Farnaby.  They talk about The Phantom Of The Open, Farnaby's latest work as screenwriter. Plus, other topics that come up include Ghosts, Mindhorn, Bill and a little bit of Paddington 2. Oh, and a tractor as well... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, one film that found an audience, one that struggled to. Few were enthused at the idea of another Rocky movie, yet alone a spin-off. But a young filmmaker had a pitch for Sylvester Stallone - and the worst case scenario would be he got a signed copy of a Rocky II DVD for his dad. The Postman meanwhile was Kevin Costner's first directorial outing following his Oscar-winning success with Dances With Wolves. This time though, the reception would be very different. Stories of both are told in this episode. Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod. Support this podcast: www.patreon.com/simonbrew. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Academy Award-winning producer Lord David Puttnam - a giant of the British film industry - joins Simon for a very special episode of the podcast. They chat about Lord Puttnam's career, his early successes with David Essex-headlined movies, his lifelong friendship with the late Alan Parker, and films as varied as Local Hero, Memphis Belle, Chariots Of Fire, The Mission and more. Plus: no shortage of thoughts on modern film, the future of the UK industry and a whole lot more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films that both struggled to fully find their audience. The Iron Giant was quickly regarded as a modern masterpiece. But Brad Bird's directorial debut was made as Warner Bros was shutting down hand drawn feature animation - and the film was only given a release date very late. The A-Team meanwhile was in development for a good decade at 20th Century Fox before making it to the screen. And it faced some uphill battles of its own. Stories of both are told in this episode. Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod. Support this podcast: www.patreon.com/simonbrew. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films facing very different challenges. James Cameron knew he was trying to do things that hadn't been done before on film with 1989's The Abyss. The film would be such a difficult shoot that even its trailer would boast about it. Big meanwhile earned Tom Hanks his first Oscar nomination. But Robert De Niro nearly starred, and director Penny Marshall had some difficult tonal challenges to balance. Stories of both are told in this episode. Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod. Support our work at www.patreon.com/simonbrew. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a sci-fi sequel and a low budget romcom, both of which sparked at the box office. Star Trek: First Contact was ordered whilst the previous film in the series - Generations - was still in cinemas. This time though, there'd be fewer studio mandates, but a very tight production schedule. The pressure with The Big Sick was on getting the script right: it took years of work before the $5m film went before the cameras, and it all ended up with an Oscar nomination. Stories of both are told in this episode. Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod. Support our work at www.patreon.com/simonbrew. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films that had struggles with their casting. The hugely controversial Showgirls are one stage got close to landing Madonna. But the reunion of writer Joe Eszterhas and director Paul Verhoeven would battle a whole host of problems. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle was a more modest, off-radar production. But it still had two lead female roles that Hollywood stars weren't particularly keen on taking on. Stories of both are told in this episode. Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod. Support our work at www.patreon.com/simonbrew. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon chats to Patrick Doyle about his work composing film music. They cover his films with Kenneth Branagh - including their latest collaboration, Death On The Nile - and then dive into working with Brian De Palma on the film Carlito's Way. Plus, they go right back to Doyle's first film score too... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a pair of films that gave 20th Century Fox headaches. Tony Scott first planned to make Man On Fire in the 1980s. When he returned to the idea in the early 2000s, he switched the location to Mexico - and was heading into trouble. The plan with 1999's Office Space was for a low budget comedy. But then Fox decided it wanted a movie star involved - and problems built from there. Stories of both are told in this episode. Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod. Support our work at www.patreon.com/simonbrew. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices