logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2021
54m 48s

8 Mile (2002) and To Wong Foo, Thanks Fo...

Simon Brew
About this episode

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a pair of films that each came together quickly, and each topped the US box office 

Hollywood was keen at the start of the 2000s to lure Eminem to a movie project. Thus, 8 Mile came together - a film where he was in pretty much every scene. Problem? He'd never acted before.

To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar had no shortage of people wanting to act in it, meanwhile. The problem? Getting insurance for the film, due to its director being pregnant.

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

Up next
Jul 7
The Godfather Part III (1990) and Clueless (1995)
Nearly 500 episodes in, and the Film Stories podcast finally arrives at a Godfather film. Specifically, The Godfather Part III, a fascinating project whose behind the scenes story went on for over a decade. The number of attempts to get the film made climbed into double figures, ... Show More
1h 10m
Jul 4
In conversation with Ilya Naishuller: Heads Of State, Hardcore Henry, Nobody and more
In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, director Ilya Naishuller joins Simon to talk about his new film, Heads Of State. Thing is, they talk about a hell of a lot of other things too before they get there. Nunchuks, sausages, Hardcore Henry, grief, CG on a pint of ... Show More
58m 22s
Jun 30
Aladdin (1992) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze (1991. Includes sausages.
1992's Aladdin is one of Disney's most successful animated films. There have been sequels. There's been a live action remake. A Broadway show. Yet on one point in 1991, a day known during the production as 'Black Friday', things went very wrong. And the creative team had less tha ... Show More
1h 3m
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2020
'1917' and the Roger Deakins Hall of Fame (SPOILERS) | The Big Picture
Sam Mendes's extraordinary World War I drama, designed and shot to look as if it is unfolding in one seamless take, has crashed the Oscars party and dominated at the box office in its first week of wide release. Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to discuss the movie's tech ... Show More
1h 20m
Jun 2023
#570 — Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston
Wes Anderson's new film, Asteroid City, has so many incredible actors in it that we were able to send John Nugent to the Cannes Film Festival recently, steal three of them away for interview purposes, and put them back before anyone even noticed. So, in this week's episode of the ... Show More
1h 37m
Apr 2023
DONNIE DARKO — Richard Kelly makes the ultimate ‘80s mixtape
In 2001, writer/director Richard Kelly's genre-busting rookie feature DONNIE DARKO crashed and burned at the box office. But it almost immediately rose from the ashes to become one of the first cult hits of the 21st century...and it took the music of '80s band Tears for ... Show More
43 m
Aug 2022
China Sends Hollywood a Message
Do you think the success of a film should be measured on how many markets it reaches and how much money it generates? The average filmmaker needs to remember that they do not have to appeal to everyone in order to be successful.  In this episode, we talk about… MoviePass returnin ... Show More
52m 2s
Jun 2024
Hollywood Is Broken. Let’s Start a Movie Studio.
With no new movies hitting the box office this weekend, Sean and Amanda are instead building their own fantasy movie studio from scratch—directors, stars, writers, IP, studio locations, and more (1:00). Later in the show, Chris Ryan joins to help explain the uniqueness of ‘In a V ... Show More
2h 5m
Sep 2022
Coma / Mikey & Nicky / Piranha
Take a trip to Boston Memorial Hospital for Michael Crichton’s Coma! People are falling into comas after routine procedures, and it’s up to one doctor to uncover the mystery. Roger & Quentin discuss the main character overcoming chauvinistic expectations, and go in-depth on Crich ... Show More
2h 21m
Sep 2022
‘The Woman King’ and 10 Movies to See Now. Plus: The Best and Worst Films at TIFF.
After a quiet few weeks, movies are back in theaters in a big way—and none bigger than Gina Prince-Bythewood’s warrior epic ‘The Woman King.’ Sean and Amanda break down the new Viola Davis vehicle and nine more new releases, including a pair of disturbing horror movies, a David B ... Show More
1h 30m
Aug 2022
After Show 03 - Video Vault: Teenager
Do you like low budget movies about the making of low budget movies? On today’s After Show, Gala cracks open the Video Vault once again for a discussion of Gerald Sindell’s 1974 film Teenager, about a deranged director trying to shoot a biker movie in a small town that isn’t havi ... Show More
39m 41s
Sep 2022
Is There Still a Place in Cinema for Rule Breakers?
Just because something is different doesn’t mean it is wrong. Sometimes “breaking the rules” is precisely what makes films so great.  In this episode, we talk about… Famous French-Swiss filmmaker, Jean-Luc Godard  The unique perspective French filmmakers brought to the industry i ... Show More
55m 23s
Apr 2023
CLOSE — Lukas Dhont's Quietly Powerful Coming-of-Age Movie
In his Oscar-nominated CLOSE, filmmaker Lukas Dhont uses the sparest dialogue, the gentlest music, and the most pastoral of images...to tell a shattering story about the brutal ways society turns boys into men. We're taking a mid-season break from our series on movie music t ... Show More
18m 20s