The Film 89 Podcast

On Episode 152 of The Film 89 Podcast, Steve and Skye are joined by a trio of returning co-hosts, Jacob Rivera, Kyle Reardon and Leighton Winstone, to discuss one of the all-time great serial killer thrillers, director Jonathan Demme’s multi-Oscar-winning 1991 adaptation of Thomas Harris’ best-selling novel, The Silence of the Lambs. Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn and Ted Levine, the film would receive huge critical acclaim and worldwide box office success and would go on to become one of only three films to win “the big 5” at the Academy Awards; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress, as well as nominations for Best Editing and Best Sound. The Silence of the Lambs is widely regarded as one of the greatest films in the history of the medium and is given the in-depth Film ’89 treatment for its 35th anniversary.

It’s become something of a recurring theme on The Film ‘89 Podcast of late where the film being discussed has been described as “one of the big ones”, a film of such significance to the hosts that it fills them with an almost dread anticipation that they might not do it justice. No film fits that bill more than the one being discussed on Episode 138, an episode that Neil and Skye have been teasing and putting off for the longest time. That film is Michael Mann’s epic tale of crime and obsession from 1995, starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro and an astonishing supporting cast, it is of course, Heat. An original idea of Mann’s and based on the real life exploits of former Chicago Detective, Chuck Adamson, and bank robber, Neil McCauley, Heat is a sprawling crime saga where character development is as important as any other aspect of of the story being told, whilst also featuring some of the most technically astounding action ever committed to film. Not only was it the film that brought together arguably the two greatest actors alive at the time, but it also showcased a director at the very top of his creative game. It’s been the guys’ intention to cover some of 1995’s best films this year for their 30th anniversary, and this is the second of three such episodes but there’s every chance that they’ll declare Heat not just the best film of that year, but one of the very best ever made.

On Episode 136 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Steve and Skye are joined by a mighty trio of film experts, returning Film ‘89 co-hosts, Bill Scurry, John Arminio and Martin Kessler And this episode, your five hosts will be wearing their underpants over their trousers as they give their in-depth and spoiler-filled review and analysis of director James Gunn’s Superman, the 2025 big screen reboot for the caped crusader that’s intended as a launching point for Gunn’s new cinematic take on the DC Comics Universe. As well as the new film, the guys will be discussing the cinematic legacy of Superman through the ages.

After a longer than expected Spring hiatus, The Film ’89 Podcast is back and on Episode 134, returning co-hosts Matthias Van De Roest and Bill Scurry join Steve and Skye to celebrate the 40th anniversary of acclaimed director William Friedkin’s 1985 crime drama To Live and Die in L.A. Something of a return to form for Friedkin after a number of critical and commercial failures, the film would tap into the same gritty police procedural approach that made his 1971 masterpiece The French Connection so successful. Starring William Petersen, John Pankow, Debra Feuer, Darlanne Fluegel, Dean Stockwell, John Turturro and featuring a brilliantly threatening turn from Willem Dafoe as counterfeiter Eric Masters, To Live and Die in L.A. also features gorgeous cinematography by Robby Müller and a stunning new wave soundtrack by Wang Chung. As well as giving their usual in-depth analysis, the guys also dig into the making of the film, paying particular attention to its incredible car chase sequence. So fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight as the Film ’89 team explore one of the quintessential crime dramas of not just the 1980s, but any decade.

On Episode 132 of The Film ’89 Podcast, Steve and Skye are joined by returning co-hosts, Jacob Rivera and Leighton Winstone to discuss a film from the director who has had the most coverage on Film ’89, with no less than 5 episodes dedicated to his films and one of those being a double bill, it’s legendary filmmaker, Martin Scorsese. The film being discussed is one that the guys have desperately wanted to cover since the podcast began, Scorsese’s 1980 biopic of former World Middleweight boxing champion, Jake La Motta, starring Robert De Niro, it is of course Raging Bull. Shot in back and white and featuring a staggering, Oscar winning central performance by De Niro, Raging Bull also features stellar turns from Cathy Moriarty, in her debut acting role as La Motta’s long suffering second wife, Vickie and Joe Pesci as La Motta’s put upon brother, Joey. Raging Bull has become an enduring classic of cinema, hailed by many critics as one of the greatest films ever made and here it’s given the in-depth Film ’89 treatment for its 45th anniversary.

On Episode 130 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Neil & Skye will be grabbing their glow-rods and avoiding physical contact greetings as they jump forward in time from a crime ridden Los Angeles of 1996, to a seemingly harmonious, but borderline fascist utopian 2032 San Angles as they discuss the 1993 action-science-fiction cult classic, Demolition Man, from producer Joel Silver and then first time director, Marco Brambilla. It stars Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes and Sandra Bullock in her breakout role. The guys discuss how this seemingly by-the-numbers ‘90s action film has transcended its roots due to it having layers of subtly clever social commentary and a level of mind boggling prescience that has helped it continue to age like a fine wine with each passing decade.

On Episode 128 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Neil and Skye are joined by returning co-host, filmmaker, producer and master cinephile, Adam Rackoff. When planning what films to cover on Film ‘89, we invariably aim to choose films that we love and want to talk about but always consider whether you, our valued listeners would want to hear us discuss those same films. Well, for the film we’ve chosen for this episode, we’ve been wholly self indulgent for once. Christmas is coming so we’ve decided to treat ourselves and pick a film that Neil and Skye have wanted to champion and discuss on the podcast since it first started. That film is a Star Trek film and it’s the first big screen outing for The Next Generation crew and something of a passing of the torch between the original series crew and the TNG gang, Star Trek: Generations. Generations is often regarded as one of the lesser loved Trek films and as much as it seems to have been more positively reappraised in recent years, it’s not going to feature on most fans’ lists of their favourite Star Trek films, but for Neil, Skye and Adam, the opposite is true. So as well as giving the film the usual in-depth Film ‘89 analysis for its 30th anniversary, our trio of hosts are going to try and get to the bottom of just why they love this oft-maligned film so much.