Film Utopia

94. Some Great Movie Music Cues!

We’ve made a YouTube Playlist of the full cues that we mention in this episode that we’d be delighted for you to check out HERE.

As much as we are film fanatics, we are also just as much music maniacs, and when both are combined in the medium of film scores and soundtracks; even better! On this episode, Steven, Benjamin & Sean highlight some of their favourite film music cues from across the board, including go-to nostalgia picks as well as more modern offerings that have tickled us or just get us right in the feels. Expect to hear mentions of Howard Shore, Clint Mansell, Graeme Revell, Jerry Goldsmith, Ennio Morricone, Danny Elfman, Daniel Pemberton, Bernard Herrmann, Bill Conti, and plenty more!

 

Where applicable, the content of this podcast episode adheres to Fair Use as commentary and discussion of motion picture music.

Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 (USA), allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. All rights and credit go directly to their respective rightful owners. No copyright infringement is intended.

93. 1985 in Film

We’re back for another ‘Year in Film’ episode! Join us as we welcome back our co-host, Benjamin, from his short time away from the podcast and continue refusing to leave our cosy, nostalgia-tinted 1980s to talk our way through the films that made 1985 special for each of us.

And, oh my, what a year 1985 was at the flicks! Absolute bangers such as Back to the Future, Fright Night, Rocky IV, The Company of Wolves, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Demons, Return of the Living Dead, Legend, Brazil, Pale Rider, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Commando and The Goonies all released within mere months of each other. The list is almost endless!

92. Michele Soavi - 1987 to 1994

With the short break from our originally planned episodes for the start of 2025 still ongoing, Steven & Sean have taken the opportunity to indulge in a little passion-project of theirs!

Italian horror fans are in for a treat as we delve into the four early films of Michele Soavi. Starting with the Joe D'Amato produced 'StageFright' (1987), then the Dario Argento co-scripted and produced 'The Church' (1989) and 'The Sect' (1991) and finally, the self-produced 'Cemetery Man', aka 'Dellamorte Dellamore' (1994).

We thoroughly enjoyed deep-diving these, frankly crazy, movies and so we will definitely revisiting the topic of Italian Horror and Exploitation films again in the near future, with another director taking the spotlight.

Enjoy!

 

 

91. 2024 Wrap

In a very last minute change to our December episode, Steven and Sean wrap up 2024 in cinema to discuss the highs and lows of the year. Including new movies, legacy re-releases and stand-out physical media releases of the year.  

90. Great Sci-fi Subgenre Movies

Still pumped from our summer series in which we covered the major subgenres of science fiction in cinema, Steven, Benjamin and Sean have decided to revisit the topic in this bonus episode! We'll each be picking a film that we believe exemplifies the traits of all the subgenres we discussed previously: Time Travel, Science Out of Control/Machine Over Man, Dystopia/Utopia, Post Apocalypse, Alien Contact/Alien Invasion, Cyber/Steam/Bio Punk, and Space Opera, and explain why we think each is a shining example! Amazingly, we resisted mentioning Star Trek... OK, maybe once... but only briefly! 

Expect to hear our thoughts on the wonders of Planet of the Apes (1968), Serenity (2005), Timecrimes, or Los cronocrímenes (2007), Cyber City Oedo 808 (1990-1991), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) and many more!

89. Hellraiser Part 2 - 2002 to 2022

We’re back for Part 2 of our Halloween Hellraiser Special! On this episode, Steven, Benjamin and Sean unpack the remaining movies in the Hellraiser series, including Rick Bota’s Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002), Hellraiser: Deader (2005) and Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005), followed by Victor Garcia’s Hellraiser: Revelations (2011), Gary J. Tunnicliffe’s Hellraiser: Judgement, and finally David Bruckner’s reboot, Hellraiser (2022) before we each give our rankings to the whole series’ entries.

So, strap in and enjoy! Hopefully, your suffering won’t be legendary, even in hell!

88. Hellraiser Part 1 - 1987 to 2000

Happy Halloween!

Continuing with our usual horror franchise "Halloween Special" format, this year Sean has picked the long running Hellraiser series for us to have a good old yarn over, across two episodes! Starting with the original 1987 movie based on The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker and directed by the man himself, the film series has developed over the years into all manor of miss-fires and return to forms alike!

In part one we're discussing Hellraiser (1987), Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth (1992), Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) and Hellraiser V: Inferno (2000) and seeing which are hit or miss for the three of us! Enjoy! x

87. Kathryn Bigelow Part 2 - 2000 to 2017

We're back for part 2 of our Kathryn Bigelow theatrical retrospective!

Things get a little heated on this episode with divided opinions between Steven, Benjamin and Sean as we discuss a more drama-focused and historically themed selection of movies from our beloved Bigelow. Including; The Weight of Water (2000), K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), The Hurt Locker (2008), Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and Detroit (2017).

86. Kathryn Bigelow Part 1 - 1981 to 1995

It's Steven's choice for our latest director deep-dive and this time he has picked Kathryn Bigelow!

With numerous accolades to her name, a filmography that runs the gamut from iconic cult horror to Oscar winning war drama, and one of the finest action directors of a generation, Bigelow has long been a high ranking filmmaker for the three of us at Film Utopia.

We have split her 10 theatrical releases neatly across two episodes starting here with part one, covering; The Loveless (1981), Near Dark (1987), Blue Steel (1990), Point Break (1991) and Strange Days (1995). Join us as we explore this eclectic mix of movies, many of which have significant nostalgia appeal to the three of us. Enjoy!

85. Sc-Fi Part 7 - All Them Punks

Steven, Benjamin and Sean conclude their look at science fiction subgenres with an examination of the bizarre fascination with placing the noun ‘punk’ after various technological descriptors to create a subgenre within a subgenre for seemingly no other reason than superficial aesthetics. Yes, we're talking about Cyberpunk. And Steampunk. And Biopunk. And all the other 'punk's'!

While Sean and Benjamin can barely contain their disdain for this labelling trend, Steven valiantly attempts to keep things on track as we talk our way through the subgenre in cinema, including Johnny Mnemonic (1995), The Matrix (1999), Mortal Engines (2018), Treasure Planet (2002), eXistenZ (1999), The City of Lost Children (1995), Upgrade (2018), Blade Runner (1982) and many more.

Fun fact; Star Trek doesn’t get mentioned for the first and only time in this entire series!

84. Alien: Romulus movie review

For the second time this year, the Film Utopia Podcast breaks from its traditional show format of legacy movie coverage to discuss Alien: Romulus; the latest film in the long-running Alien franchise. Hot on the heels of an impressive opening weekend, the Fede Alvarez helmed entry is certainly making waves, both financially and critically. But opinions seem to be divided; and they certainly are among us!

Also! To go along with this special episode, we have a special guest joining: a film industry practical effects artist and life-long Alien fan! Max Payn of Oracle FX, is on board the FU ship to share his tuppence on whether Romulus lands, or burns up on re-entry!

Hit or miss? Listen and find out!

83. Sci-Fi Part 6 - Alien Contact

On the penultimate episode of our science fiction subgenres series, we discuss all things alien invasion, contact with other worlds and alien abduction stories in movies; including some literary influences to the world of cinema.

Join us as we talk our way through the early days of the genre in the 1950s and 1960s with the likes of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Invaders From Mars (1953) right through the ‘70s and ‘80s with Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and E.T. (1982) and into the 90s and beyond when the genre was massively revitalised with Independence Day (1996).

82. Sci-Fi Part 5 - Utopia/Dystopia

For part 5 of our Science Fiction Subgenres Series, Steven, Benjamin & Sean dive into the world of oppressive societies, shady governments and brutalist aesthetics with Dystopian set movies. We're calling it Utopia/Dystopia, though. Despite struggling to identify a utopian set narrative that isn't really just a dystopia in disguise!

Join us as we talk all things "Orwellian", from Gattaca (1997), Idiocracy (2006), 1984 (1984), Logan's Run (1976), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Equilibrium (2002) and more!

81. Sci-Fi Part 4 - Science Out Of Control

In part 4 of our Science Fiction sub-genres series, Steven Benjamin and Sean tackle the topic of "science out of control", or "machine over man", or "we've gone and created something for the betterment of mankind, and now it's going to kill us all"!

Join us as we discuss our way through the tropes of the sub-genre and touch base with a wide variety of movies such as The Matrix (1999), Fantastic Voyage (1966), Upgrade (2018), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Surrogates (2009), Splice (2009), The Fly (1986) and, of course, Star Trek!

80. Sci-Fi Part 3 - Space Opera

In Part 3 of our Sci-fi sub-Genres in Film series, The FU trio dive into Space Opera – and spend much of the discussion debating precisely what defines the term, and what exactly constitutes a Space Opera in the first place!

From influential sci-fi authors of the 1940s, 50s 60s and 70s such as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Philip K Dick, to the serials and comic strips of the 1930s such as Flash Gordon, right through to modern motion-picture epics and the revival of the genre – of sorts – in 90s television!

Expect the usual suspects of Star Wars and Star Trek, but also a few nods to other noteworthy examples along the way!

79. ARCHIVE EPISODE: The Mad Max Franchise (1979-2015)

Archive Episode!

Originally recorded and published in 2015 for our old podcast, Filmwerk. Please excuse our less-than-stellar audio quality and editing efforts back then!

Ahead of Mad Max: Fury Road, Steven, Benjamin & Sean dig deep into the George Miller created Mad Max movie franchise! From the trailblazing 1979 original, to the seminal sequel, Mad Max 2 (1981) – or “The Road Warrior” in the USA – and the 1985 follow-up ‘Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome’. Also included is our review of Mad Max: Fury Road, recorded fresh upon release in May 2015. There's laughs, love and hate to be had as well as some pretty spicy language throughout – even more so back then than now!

Chapters included for supported platforms!

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78. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga movie review

At the time of preparing our latest Sci-fi Subgenres episode, ‘Post Apocalypse’, George Miller released his recent Mad Max spin-off; Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. As we’re all big Miller and Mad Max fans here and also, as Furiosa is topical to our last main show episode, Benjamin & Steven decided to have a chat and share their ever-so-slightly divided reaction to the Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth starring movie! Sean sits this one out as at the time of recording he hadn’t yet seen the film!

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77. Sci-Fi Part 2 - Post Apocalypse

Steven, Benjamin & Sean continue their exploration of the many Science Fiction sub-genres with a discussion on Post Apocalyptic set movies – and have plenty of debate over what constitutes a Post Apocalypse Movie in the first place!

From ‘Mad Max’ to ‘Children of Men’, with pitstops at ‘Akira’, ‘Wall-E’, ‘Waterworld’, the multiple ‘The Road Warrior’ clones of the 1980s and many more in between!

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76. Sci-Fi Part 1 - Time Travel

Science Fiction!

The Film Utopia Podcast summer project gets rolling with a wide look at the sub-genre and concepts of time travel in movies. From time machines to time loops, and paradoxes to alternative histories.

Steven, Benjamin & Sean talk about some of their favourite time travel movies, as well as the ins and outs of time travel as a story telling device and macguffin.

Movies mentioned include Primer (2004), 12 Monkeys (1995), The Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Timecrimes (2007), Predestination (2014), The Terminator (1984), Back to the Future (1985) and many more!

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75. Stuart Gordon Part 2 - 1995 to 2007

Steven, Benjamin & Sean conclude their deep-dive of iconic cult movie director Stuart Gordon with a thorough chin-wag about his latter filmography.

From Castle Freak (1995) to Stuck (2007). The FU trio discover some hidden gems among these lesser known films and find themselves with differing opinions on others!

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74. Stuart Gordon Part 1 - 1985 to 1992

Between 1985 and 2007, a former theatre director named Stuart Gordon embarked on an iconic movie directing career which, in later years, catapulted his filmography to cult status. With the help of producer, Brian Yuzna – himself a H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe enthusiast – he directed the notorious, independently-produced ‘Re-Animator’ in 1985 which led to a three picture deal with the now defunct Empire Pictures International, resulting in From Beyond (1986), Dolls (1987) and Robot Jox (1990) – all becoming cult faves, both at the time and in later years.

In part one of our Stuart Gordon retrospective review series, Steven, Benjamin and Sean – resident Gordon fanatic - share their *slightly* divided opinion on these early films, as well as The Pit and the Pendulum (1991) and Fortress (1992) (-  or 1994 if you live in the UK like us!)

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73. Boutique Disc Labels

Steven & Sean discuss their way through the many UK, USA and Australian boutique DVD/Blu-ray/4K UHD disc distributors out there; going A-Z from Arrow to Vinegar Syndrome. We chat about our own collecting habits, our experiences and opinions of each label as well as some of our favourite discs we've owned over the years!

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72. Disc Special Features

Special features, commentary tracks, cast & crew interviews and other bonus disc content have historically been a real selling point for movie fans. Nowadays, physical media collectors are even hungrier for additional material for their favourite films of yesteryear.

On this episode, Steven, Benjamin and Sean recall some of their favourite physical media releases both in terms of additional disc material as well as overall presentation and visual/audio quality.

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71. Denis Villeneuve Part 3 - 2021 to 2024

On the third and final episode of our Denis Villeneuve retospective movie review series, Steven, Benjamin and Sean conclude their journey with a detailed look at Dune (2021) and the recently released Dune Part 2 (2024). Benjamin arrives with a solid knowledge of the Frank Herbert books and a fondness for the David Lynch movie from 1984, Sean is as enamoured with all things sci-fi and high-concept as usual, and Steven isn't quite sure what all the fuss is about!

Stay tuned till the end where we summarize our thoughts on Villeneuve's movies and give our rankings for the entire filmography, where we all agree on at least one film. No prizes for guessing which one!

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