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 Fears along for the ride. Host Rico Gagliano tells this twisty tale with the help of Kell ... Show More
Nov 20
DIE MY LOVE — Lynne Ramsay unleashes the beast
<p>In <b>DIE MY LOVE</b>, new mother Grace (a virtuosic Jennifer Lawrence) is stuck at home while her disinterested husband Jackson (Robert Pattinson) is at work. With only her baby, a barking dog, and her own thoughts to keep her company, she begins to unravel. Visionary writer- ... Show More
17m 35s
Jul 2021
8 Mile (2002) and To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)
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 ... Show More
54m 48s
Apr 2023
The Equalizer (2014) and You've Got Mail (1998)
In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a pair of hit films that hit at the box office, but also that each met a challenge or two.
The idea of a Hollywood take on TV show The Equalizer had been knocking around since the mid-2000s, and for a while it looked as if Russell ... Show More
51m 49s
Nov 2019
Falling Down (1993) and Sing Street (2016)
In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a controversial 90s big studio movie, and a smaller Irish musical.
Michael Douglas was all set to take time off before the script for Falling Down turned up. Plus, there remains a question mark over an apparently out of focu ... Show More
44m 4s
Mar 2023
062. 2022 Film and TV in Review
<p>Another year has wrapped production, and the production assistants are here to clean up! Just in time for the 2023 Oscars, Ben, Wilson, and Eli mop up the mess left by superheroes and conductors, stop motion shells and Na’vi, interdimensional travelers and cannibals, mourners ... Show More
2h 25m
May 2024
#618 — George Miller
On this week's episode of the Empire Podcast, the doctor is in. Doctor George Miller, that is, as the MD turned visionary director returns to the big screen with his latest slice of post-apocalyptic madness, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. So, naturally, our Chris Hewitt went along and ... Show More
1h 43m
Apr 2024
When Tarzan Went To Hollywood
Johnny Weissmuller made his debut as ‘Tarzan The Ape Man’ on April 2nd, 1932, when MGM released the first talkie to feature the jungle hero - spawning a Tarzanmania craze.
The blockbuster, loosely based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 novel, was commissioned in part because the stu ... Show More
11m 21s