100 Things we learned from film

Welcome to the very first episode of Cartoon Craic . and like drugs the first one’s a freebie!

This month, we’re heading all the way back to 1936 to check into the delightfully strange world of Cobweb Hotel : a Fleischer cartoon packed with singing spiders, chaotic insects, and some surprisingly dark undertones.

We get stuck into the story behind the cartoon, how it was made, and why these early animations had such a unique (and slightly unsettling) vibe. There’s also plenty of chat about spiders and Pens!

If you enjoy the episode, the rest of the series will be available exclusively over on Patreon .com/100thingsfilm with a brand new cartoon deep dive every month.

In this episode:

• The story and style of Cobweb Hotel (1936)
• The Fleischer Studios era of animation
• Early cartoon weirdness and tone
• Talking spiders… obviously

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Want more Cartoon Craic? Join us on Patreon for monthly episodes, bonus content, and more animated deep dives.

This week on 100 Things We Learned From Film, we’re diving headfirst into the neon-drenched, synth-powered madness of Masters of the Universe—the film where He-Man leaves Eternia… and somehow ends up in suburban America.

Cannon Films touted this as the Star Wars of the 1980s but what we actually got is a fascinating mix of huge ambition, shrinking budgets, and pure 80s energy. From behind-the-scenes chaos and last-minute rewrites to Frank Langella going full Shakespeare as Skeletor, this is one of those films that shouldn’t work… but absolutely earns its cult status.

Joining us this week is patron Stig from the Modern Escapism podcast, who FINALLY landed on the wheel and brought us his pick so expect big laughs, deep dives, and plenty of Cannon Films insanity along the way.

If you enjoy the episode, you can support the show and get involved by heading over to 100thingswelearnedfromfilm.co.uk where for just £1 a month, you can get your own film onto the wheel and join us on a future episode.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with a fellow film fan it really helps us grow and keep uncovering the wildest stories in cinema history.

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Masters of the Universe (stylized as Masters of the Universe: The Motion Picture) is a 1987 American sword and sorcery film based on the Masters of the Universe franchise by Mattel. The film was directed by Gary Goddard, produced by Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan, and written by David Odell. It stars Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Courteney Cox, James Tolkan, Christina Pickles, and Meg Foster with supporting roles by Billy Barty, Jon Cypher, Chelsea Field, and Robert Duncan McNeill. The film follows two teenagers who meet He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe, who travels to Earth with his friends, Man-At-Arms and Teela, to stop their archenemy, the evil Skeletor from obtaining a cosmic key that will enable him to take over their home planet Eternia and the entire universe.

While it is the first live action movie in the franchise, the very first He-Man/Masters of The Universe movie was the animated The Secret of the Sword, released in theaters nationwide two years earlier in 1985.

Masters of the Universe was released theatrically in the United States on August 7, 1987. It was a critical and commercial failure, grossing $17 million worldwide against a budget of $22 million. At the time of release, it was met with negative reviews from film critics, but is now regarded as a cult film. Another film adaptation is set to be released in 2026

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Cast

Dolph Lundgren as He-Man, the champion of Eternia

Frank Langella as Skeletor, the leader of the Evil Warriors and He-Man's archenemy

Meg Foster as Evil-Lyn, a witch who is a member of the Evil Warriors

Billy Barty as Gwildor, a Thenurian who invented the Cosmic Key

Courteney Cox as Julie Winston, a teenager on Earth who finds the Cosmic Key

Robert Duncan McNeill as Kevin Corrigan, a teenager and friend of Julie who finds the Cosmic Key

Jon Cypher as Man-At-Arms, an ally of He-Man

Chelsea Field as Teela, the daughter of Man-At-Arms and ally of He-Man

James Tolkan as Hugh Lubic, a detective that has his encounters with the Eternians

Christina Pickles as Sorceress, the protector of Castle Grayskull

Tony Carroll as the Beastman, an animalistic member of the Evil Warriors who makes animalistic sounds

Pons Maar as Saurod, a lizard man member of the Evil Warriors

Anthony De Longis as Blade, a sword-wielding member of the Evil Warriors who wears an eyepatch

Robert Towers as Karg, a bat-like member of the Evil Warriors who commands Skeletor's soldiers and interprets for Beast Man

Barry Livingston as Charlie

Gwynne Gilford as Mrs. Winston, the mother of Julie

Walter Scott as Mr. Winston, the father of Julie

Walt P. Robles as Carl, the janitor

Cindi Eyman as Gloria

Peter Brooks as the narrator

Richard Szponder as Pigboy, a member of the Evil Warriors with a pig-like face who gives Skeletor his staff

Strap in!

This week we’re going full throttle.

We’re diving into Rush (2013), the explosive true story of Formula 1 rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda: two drivers, two mindsets, and one deadly season that pushed both men to the absolute limit.

Joining us for this episode is one of our supportive Patrons Kurt from The Never Watchers. It's the Marvel and film podcast you can find wherever you get your podcasts. Not only is Kurt our guest, but this was also his Patreon pick, and he’s brought some seriously great insights (and a few surprises) along for the ride.

From behind-the-scenes secrets to wild real-life stories that sound too insane to be true, we’re breaking down everything that makes Rush one of the most intense sports films ever made.

Expect:

• Incredible behind-the-scenes facts
• The real story vs the Hollywood version
• Career-defining performances
• And why this rivalry still hits so hard

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This week, we’re taking it off, boss… one button at a time as we head to the chain gang with Cool Hand Luke the ultimate story of rebellion, defiance, and a man who simply refuses to play by the rules.

Chosen by our brilliant Patreon supporter Luke (couldn’t have picked a more perfect film if he tried), this episode dives deep into one of the coolest anti-heroes ever put on screen.

From parking meter carnage to egg-eating madness, we’re breaking down everything that makes this film an enduring classic and uncovering the wild behind-the-scenes stories that make it even better.

A massive thank you to Luke for choosing this week’s film, an absolute belter of a pick. If you want to choose an episode and support the show, read on…

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Cool Hand Luke is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg[3] written by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson, and starring Paul Newman in the title role. The cast also features George Kennedy, J. D. Cannon, Strother Martin and Jo Van Fleet. Based on Pearce's semi-autobiographical 1965 novel, the film is about a nonconformist convict in an early 1950s Florida prison camp who refuses to submit to the system.

Filming took place within California's San Joaquin River Delta region; the set, imitating a prison farm in the Deep South, was based on photographs and measurements made by a crew the filmmakers sent to a Road Prison in Gainesville, Florida. Lalo Schifrin wrote the film's Oscar-nominated musical score.

Upon its release, Cool Hand Luke received favorable reviews and was a box-office success. It cemented Newman's status as one of the era's top actors, and was called the "touchstone of an era". Roger Ebert called Cool Hand Luke an anti-establishment film shot during emerging popular opposition to the Vietnam War.

The film received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Actor for Newman, with George Kennedy winning for Best Supporting Actor. Both also received Golden Globe nods for their performances. In 2005, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, considering it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4][5] The film also has a 100% rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

This week on 100 Things We Learned From Film, we head into the blistering Australian outback for the legendary and deeply unsettling cult classic Wake in Fright (1971) known in the United States as Outback.

Following a mild-mannered schoolteacher trapped in a remote mining town called “The Yabba,” the film becomes a nightmarish descent into gambling, alcoholism, violence, and psychological collapse.

When the film premiered at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival, critics praised it but audiences were shocked by its brutal depiction of Australian outback culture. The film quickly faded from view and for decades was thought to be lost until a miraculous rediscovery of the original elements in the early 2000s allowed it to be restored and re-released.

Today, Wake in Fright is widely considered one of the greatest Australian films ever made and a key influence on the gritty wave of 1970s Australian cinema.

In this episode we uncover the wild story behind the film, including:

🎬 The controversial 1961 novel by Kenneth Cook that inspired the story

🎬 Why director Ted Kotcheff filmed in the real outback town that inspired the book

🎬 The infamous kangaroo hunting sequence that still shocks audiences today

🎬 Behind-the-scenes stories from filming in 43°C desert heat

🎬 The terrifying performance of Donald Pleasence as Doc Tydon

🎬 How the movie was nearly lost forever before being rediscovered in a warehouse

🎬 Why modern critics now call it one of the most powerful films ever made about isolation

This episode was also a Patreon pick from supporter Kyle, who not only chose the film but also sent in some absolutely brilliant, meaty facts that we dive into during the episode. Cheers Kyle! 🍻

You too can pick an episode by joining our list of Patrons us at 100thingswelearnedfromfilm.co.uk

So grab a beer, settle in, and prepare yourself…

WELCOME TO THE YABBA!

Hoist the colours and prepare to set sail — this week we’re diving headfirst into the swashbuckling blockbuster that resurrected the pirate genre. In this episode of 100 Things We Learned From Film, John and Planty explore the behind-the-scenes chaos, casting stories, production madness, and surprising trivia behind Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

From the moment Johnny Depp turned Jack Sparrow into a swaggering rock-star pirate, to the tropical storms that battered the production and the ground breaking skeleton visual effects created by Industrial Light & Magic, this film had no right to work… and yet it became one of the biggest adventure movies of the 2000s.

We’ll uncover how a Disneyland ride became a $650 million global hit, why Disney executives thought Depp was ruining the movie, and how Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush helped turn a risky theme-park adaptation into a cinematic phenomenon.

This episode was chosen by our Patreon supporter Jen, who backs the show for £1 a month proving that even a single doubloon can help steer the ship.

If you'd like to pick a film for a future episode and support the podcast, you can join our Patreon crew.

You can also follow us and find all of our social media links and the Patreon page at our website:

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So grab a bottle of rum, watch out for cursed Aztec gold, and join us as we try to learn 100 things from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

How accurate is Cool Runnings?

Did the Jamaican bobsled team really crash?

And what actually happened at the 1988 Winter Olympics?

This week on 100 Things We Learned From Film, we break down the true story behind Disney’s 1993 sports classic from Walt Disney Pictures, starring John Candy.

We separate movie myth from Olympic reality, including:

• The real origins of the Jamaican bobsled team
• The truth about the famous crash
• How much Disney changed for dramatic effect
• Why Jamaica’s later Olympic results matter more than the movie ending

The real story is colder, riskier, and far more impressive than the film suggests.

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Cool Runnings is a 1993 American sports comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub from a screenplay by Lynn Siefert, Tommy Swerdlow, and Michael Goldberg, and a story by Siefert and Michael Ritchie. It is loosely based on the debut of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics, and stars Leon, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis, Malik Yoba and John Candy. In the film, former Olympian Irving Blitzer (Candy) coaches a novice four-man bobsleigh team from Jamaica, led by sprinter Derice Bannock (Leon).

The film was originally envisaged as a sports drama, and Jeremiah S. Chechik and Brian Gibson were attached to direct before dropping out, leading to Turteltaub being hired. Leon was cast in 1989, followed by Doug and Yoba a year later. Lewis, who had little acting experience prior to the film and was first sought as a dialect coach, joined in November 1992. Principal photography began in February 1993 and lasted until that March, with filming locations including Kingston, Discovery Bay, and Calgary. Cool Runnings is Candy's final film released in his lifetime. Its score was composed by Hans Zimmer.

Cool Runnings was theatrically released in the United States on October 1, 1993, by Buena Vista Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its humor, tone, and cast performances. The film grossed $154.9 million worldwide and its theme song, a cover of "I Can See Clearly Now" by Jimmy Cliff, reached number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Bring out your dead… because today we’re resurrecting one of the most gloriously chaotic comedies ever made: Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

In this episode of 100 Things We Learned From Film, which was chosen by Patron Dale, we saddle up (no horses were harmed, because there weren’t any) and charge headfirst into the mud-soaked, coconut-powered madness of Python’s medieval masterpiece.

We cover:

• 🥥 Why the coconuts weren’t just a joke: they were a budget necessity
• 💰 How rock legends like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin secretly funded the film
• ⚔️ The dangerous Black Knight shoot that nearly ended badly (and not just for his limbs)
• 🐇 The surprisingly expensive Killer Rabbit
• 🚔 Why the police ending exists… and why they literally ran out of money

From “It’s just a flesh wound!” to “What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”, we dig into the production chaos, casting quirks, historical inaccuracies, and happy accidents that turned a tiny British comedy into one of the most quoted films in cinema history.

Expect mud. Expect mayhem. Expect shrubbery.

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Your support helps keep the coconuts clacking and the film facts flowing.

This week at 100 Things Towers, we’re diving headfirst into Brian De Palma’s operatic gangster classic The Untouchables: a film where history takes a back seat and pure cinema grabs the wheel.

We break down:

• The myth vs reality of Eliot Ness and Al Capone
• Behind-the-scenes production stories and casting choices
• Sean Connery’s career-reviving, Oscar-winning performance
• Why De Palma treated crime like opera, not reportage
• Iconic moments like the Union Station steps, baseball bats, and moral absolutes

This episode was picked by Lovely Rob Jones, one of our brilliant Patreon supporters proof that backing the show really does let you shape what we cover next.

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Rob also wants us to highlight the Stop Portland Incinerator Campaign (SPIC), a grassroots project currently fundraising via Chuffed.org to support independent air-quality monitoring equipment.

SPIC’s aim is to begin their own air-quality monitoring from January 2026, rather than relying solely on self-monitoring by incinerator operators. By gathering baseline data now, the group hopes to make meaningful comparisons in the future and potentially launch a citizen science project, helping local residents better understand the real environmental impact should the incinerator go ahead.

You can find and support the campaign here:

👉 https://chuffed.org/project/spic

We wrap up the original Death Wish series with Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1994) the final theatrical film of action legend Charles Bronson.

Joined once again by Paul Payne of Evil Genius Artworks, we dig into the troubled production, shrinking budgets, Canadian tax breaks, and why this low-key sequel feels more like a farewell than a franchise entry.

From exploding soccer balls to weary vigilantes, we explore how Death Wish V became the quiet end of one of cinema’s most controversial action series.

Like, subscribe, and let us know which vigilante film we should tackle next.

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If you like what you hears you can give us a quid for a shout out of your own as well as loads of bonus NSFW stuff at patreon.com/100thingsfilm

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Death Wish V: The Face of Death is a 1994 American vigilante action-thriller film a sequel to the 1987 film Death Wish 4: The Crackdown and the fifth and final installment in the Death Wish film series, written and directed by Allan A. Goldstein. Charles Bronson reprises his role in both his final theatrical starring role and his final appearance as the character Paul Kersey. In the film, Kersey tries to protect his girlfriend, Olivia Regent (Lesley-Anne Down) from brutal mobsters that are threatening her fashion business.