Episode 109: Episode 109 - From Russia With Love (1963).

On Episode 115 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Skye and returning guest host Stephen Simpson don their fire retardant suits as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Towering Inferno, Producer and co-director Irwin Allen and director John Guillermin’s big screen adaptation of not one but two books and a film that surely ranks as one of, if not THE greatest disaster films of all time. With a star studded ensemble cast including Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Robert Vaughn, Richard Chamberlain, Jennifer Jones, Robert Wagner and many more, The Towering Inferno would go on to be a huge critical and commercial success, garnering 8 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. A showcase of some astounding practical effects and stunt work, The Towering Inferno isn’t just a rollicking action spectacle but also a superbly made drama and a somber cautionary tale. 

On episode 114 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Leighton Winstone and filmmaker Kyle Reardon join Steve and Skye as they did two years ago when they celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Godfather. Now they’re back to celebrate the 50th anniversary of possibly the greatest sequel ever made, The Godfather Part II. A huge critical success upon it’s release, it would go on to be nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning 6 for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction/Set Decoration, Original Score and Best Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro. It currently sits at No.4 on the long running IMDB Top 250 and is widely regarded as not only one of the greatest sequels ever made, but one of the greatest films period.

On Episode 113 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Skye and regular guest host, Bill Scurry, give their spoiler filled analysis and verdict of Part Two of Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal science fiction novel, Dune. Bill and Skye reviewed Part One of Villeneuve’s adaptation back in late 2021, on Episode 72 and Bill being a huge Dune fan, was duty bound to return for Film ‘89’s coverage of Part Two. Bill and Skye discuss the staggering technical achievement the film represents, it’s stellar cast, how faithfully it adapts Herbert’s epic tome, as well as making predictions as to its final box office haul and it’s potential to both sweep up at next year’s Academy Awards and also how it’s success may help pull Hollywood out of its recent slump. 

On Episode 112 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Steve and Skye are joined once again by regular guest host, John Arminio and for once, the crux of their chosen topic isn’t a film, but a book, author Bram Stoker’s 1897 tale of the now famous Transylvanian Count Dracula. As well as discussing this classic of horror literature, the guys discuss some of the big screen adaptations of Stoker’s novel, in particular, Tod Browning’s 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi, titled of course, Dracula, a film that kick-started a long running series of Monster features for Universal. They also go in-depth on a more recent adaptation of the book but one that’s now already over three decades old, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 film, with the slightly longer title of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. They explore the making of these two film adaptations as well as the prominent religious iconography, already present in the source novel, that Coppola weaved into his adaptation of a book that is arguably as important as any in the horror genre. 

On Episode 111 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Skye and regular guest host, Bill Scurry don their colours and venture into the violent New York of 1979 to discuss Walter Hill’s cult classic film, The Warriors. Beloved by film critics such as Pauline Kael, the film was controversially pulled from cinema’s by Paramount three weeks into its theatrical run following reported outbreaks of gang violence at theatres. The film wasn’t the financial success that Hill had wanted but in the years that followed, The Warriors attained an ever growing following and a second life on television and home video, and is now regarded as not only one of Hill’s best films, but as a beloved example of ‘70s American cinema. Oozing style from every pore and armed with a phenomenal synth-rock score by composer Barry De Vorzon, The Warriors is a film as worthy as any of the Film ‘89 treatment. 

“We come to it at last, the great battle of our time”. On Episode 110 of The Film ‘89 Podcast our years-long podcasting journey through Middle Earth draws to a close as Skye and returning co-hosts, Bill Scurry, Adam Rackoff and John Arminio tackle The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for it’s 20th anniversary. The third and final part of Peter Jackson’s colossal undertaking to adapt to film J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic would not only smash box office records but would take an Oscar haul of a record equalling 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Join the guys as they follow their previous mammoth episodes on The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers with a deep dive into this staggering achievement in filmmaking. As before they discuss the making of the film and give an in-depth analysis of the third film in a trilogy that’s vying for the title of greatest film trilogy of all time. 

On Episode 109 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Skye is joined by one of our favourite returning guest hosts, professional film poster artist and master cinephile, Tony Stella. This episode, the guys continue their coverage of the James Bond films that started last year with Dr. No, and continues here with a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the second big screen Bond outing for Sean Connery, From Russia With Love. Skye and Tony discuss the film in-depth as well as Ian Fleming’s 1957 book on which the film is based. So pack your gadget filled suitcases and step aboard The Orient Express for a celebration of one of the most beloved of all the big screen James Bond adventures. 

On Episode 108 of The Film ‘89 Podcast the team are back in the embrace of one of their favourite filmmakers, David Fincher, with an in-depth and spoiler-filled review of his latest thriller based on the graphic novel series by Alexis Nolent, The Killer, starring Michael Fassbender in his first acting role since 2019’s Dark Phoenix. As well as discussing The Killer, Skye and returning guest hosts, Jacob Rivera, Leighton Winstone and Kyle Reardon discuss the current state of theatrical distribution. Given that The Killer is a Netflix film that only had a two week limited theatrical release window before it dropped onto the streaming service on November 10th, the guys discuss the increasing trend of high profile directors making films for streaming services such as Netflix and Apple and how this may affect the future of cinema. 

On Episode 107 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Steve is joined by Leighton Winstone and filmmaker Kyle Reardon to give you their in-depth review and analysis of legendary director Martin Scorsese’s latest film, his epic adaptation of author David Grann’s 2017 book, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. Scorsese’s film drops the book’s subtitle and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons and John Lithgow. It tells the story of the discovery of oil in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land and the subsequent series of murders of the Osage people that take place until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery. Scorsese has directed some of the Film ‘89 team’s all time favourite films, several of which have had their own in-depth episodes on the podcast. Will Scorsese’s latest capture the same degree of success of the other big 2023 historical drama, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, or will audiences, put off by it’s considerable runtime, wait for its subsequent release on Apple TV+? Tune in to hear the team’s verdict of the latest film from a true Hollywood legend. *Apologies for the varying levels of audio quality on this episode. In keeping with the theme of the film, it was recorded on equipment from the 1920s. 

Halloween season is in full swing at Film ‘89 Towers as we bring you our special 2023 horror themed episode as Steve & Skye, along with returning guest hosts, John Arminio and Stephen Simpson, delve headlong into a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Director William Friedkin’s 1973 film adaptation of author William Peter Blatty’s best selling 1971 novel, The Exorcist. It’s a film that’s not only regarded as one of the greatest horror films ever made but one that’s also, adjusted for inflation, one of the most financially successful films ever made. Featuring amazing performances from Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb and a stunning turn from then child actress, Linda Blair, The Exorcist is a film that pushed boundaries in a way no film before it had done, and is one that has endured for half a century as an all-time classic of cinema. Special thanks to Matt Needle for the great episode artwork. Follow him on Twitter @needledesign.