In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, the film that gave Tim Burton his first hit in over half a decade, and a golfing comedy that took a bit of a path to the screen.
Director Tim Burton lost around a year of his working life when the planned Superman Lives film with Nicolas Cage collapsed. Which is when a script to Sleepy Hollow - that had been s ... 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 2021
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with Shane Black
As the writer of movies like Lethal Weapon, The Nice Guys, The Long Kiss Goodnight and Iron Man 3, Shane Black is a true screenwriting auteur, known for his scripts' pulse-racing action, quippy dialogue and genre-skewing surprises. At the heart of his stories are usually two odd- ... Show More
1h 18m
Jul 2020
Watchmen with David Hayter
<p>In 2009, David Hayter realised a decades-long dream: writing a movie adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal graphic novel, Watchmen. Co-written by Alex Tse, Hayter’s Watchmen told the story of retired superheroes in an alternate 1980s America. It was a gripping, mo ... Show More
58m 45s
Aug 2020
A Quiet Place with Beck/Woods
<p>Scott Beck and Bryan Woods are two childhood friends from Iowa who, in 2018, scored a box office smash with A Quiet Place – a sensory horror movie unlike anything before. Directed by John Krasinski, the movie was a post-apocalyptic alien survival story with a twist: after the ... Show More
1h 4m
Jun 2024
David Koepp (Jurassic Park; Spider-man; Mission Impossible)
Jurassic Park, Spider-man, Mission: Impossible, Carlito's Way, Indiana Jones, Bad Influence, Kimi, Snake Eyes, Panic Room, Presence, Black Bag, and even more. We're lucky to have David Koepp on today's episode. Want to participate in a writing workshop this summer with Ben Blacke ... Show More
1h 4m
Dec 2021
Back To The Future with Bob Gale
Great Scott, it’s the end of season two so we're going out with a 88mph, 1.21 gigawatt bang. Joining us before we make like a tree and get out of here, as Biff Tannen might say, is none other than Bob Gale –writer of the iconic Back To The Future. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, thi ... Show More
1h 6m
Jun 2024
Garden State (with Zach Braff)
<p>A bereft budget! Malfunctioning motorcycles! Two dogs looking for love in all the wrong places! This week, Chris & Lizzie speak with the writer/director/star of Garden State, Zach Braff, on how he made 2004’s little indie that could, Danny DeVito’s unlikely role in getting ... Show More
1h 8m
Mar 2023
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY — Stanley Kubrick finds heavenly music on vinyl
<p>In 1968, Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi epic 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY pushed movies light years into the future. It pioneered the use of special effects, makeup, sound design…and needle drops.<br/><br/>For the season debut of our audio documentary series, host Rico Gagliano tells the s ... Show More
42m 24s
Oct 2019
Eyes Wide Shut, l’odyssée de l’énigme
<p>Comme tous les films qui ne se révèlent qu’avec le temps, le cultissime « Eyes Wide Shut » de Stanley Kubrick provoque encore interrogations, théories conspirationnistes et enquêtes minutieuses. Comme celle du journaliste Axel Cadieux, qui signe l’ouvrage « Le dernier rêve de ... Show More
45m 53s