In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films that benefitted from surges in popularity for their leading actors.
The action movie Broken Arrow would ultimately end up in the hands of director John Woo, his second Hollywood feature. John Travolta led the cast. And oddly, it all came together in the way it did thanks to Free Willy 2.
Julia Robert ... Show More
Sep 14
James Cameron's Titanic (1997), the two battling studios, and drugs in the chowder
James Cameron knew as he pitched Titanic to 20th Century Fox that it wasn't likely to be as commercial a film as the one he'd just done, True Lies. The budget was set to be lower, the release date was initially set for just a year after the start of filming, and there was to be n ... Show More
1h 6m
Sep 11
Interview special with Oscar winner Susanne Bier (Practical Magic 2) and producer Ken Petrie (Sunny Dancer and more)
Two different creatives share their film stories in this special episode of the podcast! First up, Oscar-winner Susanne Bier talked to Simon the day after the Practical Magic 2 premiere in London. The pair natter about the the film, about the set build, and what Susanne is up to ... Show More
1 h
Sep 7
Parenthood, the plane trip that led to the film, plus a lovely chat with Robert Carlyle
1989's Parenthood started life on a long haul flight. Director Ron Howard would tell of how 'testing' it was to do such a journey with kids in tow, and soon, he realised there was a film in it. But it'd be a movie where he, producer Brian Grazer, and writers Lowell Ganz and Babal ... Show More
1h 11m
Apr 2023
Pretty Woman, Sleeping with the Enemy and Julia Roberts in the early 90s (Erotic 90’s, Part 2)
The first blockbuster about sex of the 90s, Pretty Woman both reinvigorated Richard Gere’s career, and turned Julia Roberts into the biggest female movie star of the era. We’ll dissect the gender politics of this fantasy about love between a streetwalker and a corporate villain, ... Show More
1h 8m
Jun 2024
‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ and the Will Smith Resurgence. Plus, Viggo Mortensen!
Sean and Amanda talk about the successes and shortcomings of the two biggest movies at this week’s box office: Will Smith’s return to franchise moviemaking in ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ (1:00), and ‘The Watchers,’ Ishana Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut (43:00). Then, they briefl ... Show More
1h 41m
Dec 2023
Directing “Mission: Impossible II” with John Woo (Part One)
We could not be more thrilled to be joined by John Woo, the director of “Mission: Impossible II” (and the current “Silent Night”). Learn what his creative process was like for the sequel, how Woo and Tom Cruise worked together and, yes, we discuss Cruise’s glorious long hair (and ... Show More
45m 43s
Aug 2022
#526 — John McTiernan, Amber Midthunder
We've got Predator on our minds this week on the Empire Podcast. Which makes a change. Not only do we review Dan Trachtenberg's Prey, his prequel to John McTiernan's 1987 action classic, but Chris Hewitt sits down with that film's star, Amber Midthunder, for a fun interview in wh ... Show More
1h 27m
Apr 2023
The Blanks From Hell: Fatal Attraction’s Children (Erotic 90’s, Part 5)
In the five years after the release of Fatal Attraction, Hollywood scrambled to make one movie after another about homes and workplaces invaded and threatened by sexy outsiders. Today we’ll talk about five of these films: Presumed Innocent (1990), The Hand that Rocks the Cradle ( ... Show More
1h 8m