Episode 38 of The Film ‘89 Podcast celebrates both one of horror’s most respected authors, Stephen King as well as one of cinema’s most revered auteur directors, the late, great Stanley Kubrick as Steve and Skye wrap up warm, pack the snowcat and head off to the remote Overlook Hotel for an in-depth discussion of Kubrick’s 1980 film adaptation of King’s 1977 novel, The Shining. The guys discuss the friction between author and director over the changes Kubrick made to King’s story and the different angle from which the film approaches King’s tale of a young boy with special abilities and his family falling apart around him, helped by the interference of malevolent supernatural forces. Kubrick’s meticulous direction is examined in detail as well as his utter insistence on achieving the perfect takes and shots, an aspect of his approach to filmmaking that caused the production to run way over schedule. The guys also look at the impact and continuing legacy of Kubrick’s remarkable film.

This all leads to the main review this episode as horror director Mike Flanagan takes on the monumental task of adapting King’s literary sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep. As well as adapting King’s mammoth 2013 tome, Flanagan also has to bridge the gap between King’s work and Kubrick’s 1980 film. Can Flanagan pull off the unthinkable and deliver a film that satisfies both fans of King’s books and Kubrick’s film? Moreover, is he able to create a film that can hold its own against Kubrick’s cinematic masterpiece? The guys go all-in and spoiler-filled as they discuss in detail the plot of Doctor Sleep, its cast, its technical achievements and many twists and turns.

Index:

The Shining - 0:02:55

Doctor Sleep - 0:53:51

In Episode 37 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Neil and Skye discuss the long running Terminator franchise that began in 1984 with James Cameron’s breakout action/sci-fi classic and has since spawned no less than 5 sequels, the latest of which is the Tim Miller directed, Terminator: Dark Fate, which sees Linda Hamilton return to the iconic role of Sarah Connor. Also returning is Arnold Schwarzenegger in a new story by Cameron himself. Will this latest instalment live up to the great legacy of Cameron’s first two Terminator films? Tune in for our spoiler-filled review. And after that, the guys also answer some of your listener questions.

Index:

Main Review - Terminator: Dark Fate - 0:25:11

Listener Questions - 1:24:18

In Episode 36 of the Film ‘89 Podcast, Richie, Haydn and Skye go all-in on a spoiler-filled review of Warner Bros’ latest adaptation of a DC Comics property, director Todd Phillips’s Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro. Since it’s debut at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Golden Lion Award for Best Film, Joker is a movie that has been the subject of much controversy with its themes of society’s ill-treatment of people with mental health issues, it’s anti-hero stance on vigilante violence and it’s overt social commentary, Joker is a comic-book adaptation like few others. On top of that the guys also answer some of your listener questions.

Index:

Listener Questions - 1:20:12

In Episode 35 of The Film ‘89 Podcast we go all out action as we explore in-depth, one of the most beloved franchises of the 1980s and beyond. Starting with the taut 1982 film, First Blood, Neil and Richie take a razor sharp Bowie knife to this classic Sylvester Stallone action-thriller. Next up is the 1985 sequel, Rambo: First Blood Part II, followed by Rambo III in 1988. The franchise was resurrected in the form of 2008’s über violent third sequel, simply titled, Rambo which leads us to the main review this episode, the newly released, Rambo: Last Blood which is given the full spoiler-filled treatment. So tie that red headband, lock and load, and get ready for the ultimate rundown of the Rambo franchise.

Index:

First Blood (1982) - 0:04:25

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) - 1:05:31

Rambo III (1988) - 1:33:55

Rambo (2008) - 1:54:15

Main Review - Rambo: Last Blood (2019) - 2:14:11

Episode 34 of The Film ‘89 Podcast is our biggest episode yet as we dive headlong into an in-depth celebration and analysis of a classic western that’s celebrating its 60th anniversary, Howard Hawks’ much loved 1959 film, Rio Bravo, starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson and Angie Dickinson. We discuss the genesis of the film - a response by Hawks to the 1952 Gary Cooper western, High Noon. We explore the film’s themes, discuss its great cast and compare it to other westerns from an era when it was the dominant genre in both film and television. Joining us in this mammoth discussion is author of the brilliant book, Scored To Death: Conversations with some of Horror’s Greatest Composers, and host of numerous podcasts including the wonderful Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers, Mr J. Blake Fichera. Also joining us is returning co-host and the newest member of the Film ‘89 writing team, our good friend, John Arminio. But that’s not all. As well as westerns we’ll be going dark as we discuss our all time favourite horror films in by far our biggest favourites segment so far. So sit back, relax and enjoy this bumper sized episode of your favourite movie and television podcast and please don’t forget to leave us an iTunes review.

Index:

Rio Bravo - 0:11:23

Favourite Horror Films - 1:10:36

Episode 33 of the Film ‘89 Podcast is a celebration of the films of Quentin Tarantino as we provide the most in-depth (and therefore spoiler-filled) analysis of a single film that Film ‘89 have covered so far as Neil and Skye are joined by the phenomenally talented film poster and key film art illustrator, Tony Stella. The film in question is of course Tarantino’s love letter to the film industry, Once Upon A Time In... Hollywood. The film has received much critical praise but like many of Tarantino’s films has been the subject of some controversy. The guys leave no stone unturned discussing everything from Bruce Lee to the dozens of hidden and not so hidden Easter eggs that keen cinephiles will no doubt have a blast finding in the film. The guys also discuss where the new film fits (if at all) on their list of favourite Tarantino films with the usual input from our listeners who’ve submitted their own lists. We hope you agree that our guest host’s incredible knowledge of and passion for film makes this one of our most entertaining and informative episodes so far.

Index:

Review - Once Upon A Time In... Hollywood: 0:03:26

Favourite Quentin Tarantino films: 1:49:08

Episode 32 of The Film ’89 Podcast is a loving celebration of 45 years of one of the defining modern examples of the film-noir, Roman Polanski’s 1974 crime thriller mystery, Chinatown, starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston. Joining Steve and Skye to discuss his all-time personal favourite film is returning guest host and founder and co-host of the brilliant ‘I Don’t Get It’ Podcast, the venerable Mr Bill Scurry. Bill brings with him is insatiable passion for and knowledge of film to assist in the analysis of what makes Chinatown such an enduring classic and one of the most revered films of the 1970s. In this episodes’ ‘Favourites’ segment, the genre up for discussion is that of the film-noir as the guys go through their picks from a genre replete with timeless classics as well as reading out the requested listener picks and recommendations.

Index:

Favourite Film-noir - 1:15:44

In this bumper sized double issue (episode) of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Richie, Neil and Skye are joined by the winner of last year’s Film ’89 contest, Chris Beynon, who is claiming his prize of a guest-host spot on the show. Chris has gone to the trouble of coming all the way to us to record in person as we give you not one, but two in-depth, spoiler-filled reviews of two of the summer’s biggest films. First up is Disney Pixar’s fourth entry in their long running and beloved Toy Story series, Toy Story 4. Can the creative geniuses behind the previous three films continue their near perfect run or is this a sequel too far? Next up is Marvel Studios’ second collaboration with Sony Pictures and the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film post Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home. Can Marvel Studios deliver the goods after Endgame brought things to such a satisfying conclusion and how does the film deal with that film’s game-changing events as well as paving the way for a new saga of the MCU? Hit play to find out. Enjoy, recommend us to your friends, and please leave us an iTunes review.

Index:

Toy Story 4 - 0:02:48

Spider-Man: Far From Home - 0:43:55

We’re not supposed to talk about Episode 30 of The Film ‘89 Podcast where we remove our shirts and shoes to celebrate the 20th anniversary of director David Fincher’s searing, controversial and hugely faithful adaptation of the acclaimed novel by author Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club. This playfully subversive film defies categorisation and refuses to submit to genre convention. It’s Fincher at the absolute top of his game and is a film like no other. Joining us to dissect Fight Club is Jacob Rivera. Founder of JabHookBoxing.com, Jacob is also a frequent co-host of podcasts such as the Pound for Pound Boxing Report, Wrong Reel and many more. He’s also a writer here at Film ‘89 and makes his return to the podcast after his brilliant debut on our Special Christmas 2018 episode. Jacob is a huge Fincher fan so who better to help us discuss not only Fight Club, but also our Favourite David Fincher films. 

Index:

Fight Club - 0:02:45

Favourite David Fincher Films - 1:27:00

On Episode 29 of The Film ‘89 Podcast we welcome back filmmaker, writer on film, prolific podcaster and the host of the brilliant Flixwise Canada Podcast, Martin Kessler. This episode we’ll be reviewing Season 5 of Netflix’s Black Mirror as well as giving an in-depth overview of the series in its entirety and, in keeping with a recurring theme on Black Mirror, we’ll be discussing our all-time favourite video games.

Index:

Black Mirror Season 5 and series overview - 0:05:45

Favourite Video Games - 1:16:32