In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by Oscar-winning film composer Michael Giacchino. Michael's in the awards running again for his score to The Batman, and that's one of the subjects they talk about (the film is widely available now).
They also chat about getting started, about juggling multiple projects, making sure you finish ... Show More
Jan 12
Almost Famous (2000) and Cellular (2004) | A box office stumble, and an underappreciated action thriller
Regular episodes of Film Stories with Simon Brew resume for 2026, with two very different films in the spotlight. First up there's Cameron Crowe's superb Almost Famous, a film he got the greenlight to make in the aftermath of Jerry Maguire's success. A hugely personal story, here ... Show More
1h 3m
Dec 24
The Romesh Ranganathan episode (Film Stories 500 celebration live from London)
To celebrate Film Stories turning 500 episodes old (and then some!), a very special live recording took place in London in November 2025. Long-time Film Stories supporter Romesh Ranganathan joined Simon Brew on stage to go through his, er, 'storied' cinema career and talk movies. ... Show More
1h 30m
Dec 2020
Episode 224: Michael Price On Life & Music
Our latest guest on Soundtracking is a composer we've been wanting to get on for absolutely ages. Michael Price has worked on a huge range of projects for film and television, including Dracula, Horrid Henry, Hot Fuzz, Band Of Brothers and, of course, Sherlock - for which he won ... Show More
1h 1m
Jun 2021
Brad Bird & Michael Giacchino Part 2
In this conclusion of a 2-part episode, Gilbert and Frank chat with Oscar winning writer-director Brad Bird and Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino about James Bond homages, iconic superhero themes, incorporating everyday objects into movie soundtracks and the over-the-top p ... Show More
1h 7m
May 2024
Revisiting Michael Giacchino, Composer of “Mission: Impossible III” and “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol"
Michael Giacchino is a world-famous composer who did both “Mission: Impossible III” and “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.” He is also a very cool guy. We talked to him about how he got involved with the franchise, working with filmmakers J.J. Abrams and Brad Bird, and his de ... Show More
1h 10m
Nov 2021
#491 — Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy Renner & Hailee Steinfeld
It's a very musical episode on the Empire Podcast this week. First up, Ben Travis geeks out over Disney musicals with the great Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the songs for the new animated musical Encanto, which debuts next Wednesday (November 24). Then Chris Hewitt sits down wit ... Show More
1h 48m
Dec 2018
Producing Soundtrack Albums: an Interview with Mike Matessino (part II)
In part 2 of our interview, Mike Matessino candidly discusses the challenges facing the music industry, while sharing his insights into the popularity of film scores performed live. Some of his favorite soundtrack releases are discussed, and we get a sample of a new project Mike' ... Show More
46m 6s
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
Dec 2021
#494 — Steven Spielberg, Noomi Rapace, Andrew Garfield
This week's Empire Podcast is the penultimate episode of the year, but we've brought you some cracking early Christmas presents. First up, the legendary Steven Spielberg returns to the pod to tell Chris Hewitt all about why he's remade West Side Story, and his experiences working ... Show More
2h 6m
Feb 2021
A Celebration Of Cinema: Edgar Wright And Quentin Tarantino In Conversation
The new issue of Empire, curated by Edgar Wright, features a celebration of the type of amazing movie-going moment that can shake an audience to its very foundations. It features contributions from some of the biggest names in the business, and is so special that we decided that ... Show More
3h 1m