Film Utopia

52. Brian De Palma Part 1 - 1968 to 1986

As Steven’s director pick this year, the Film Utopia boys dive deep into the directorial filmography of Brian De Palma. With a career spanning 50+ years and encompassing a broad genre palette, from Hitchcock and Italian genre cinema-inspired Suspense, Crime, and Psychological Thriller and Slasher/Horror to Musical, Gangster, Spy/Espionage, Science Fiction and Comedy, De Palma has dipped his toes in many waters. Sean is green, having seen only two or three De Palma movies previously, despite his love of many of De Palma’s clear influences, from Hitchcock to Argento. Whereas Steven and Ben both bring a storied appreciation of the filmmaker’s body of work.

On Part 1 we discuss Murder a la Mod (1968), The Wedding Party (1969), Greetings (1968), Hi, Mom! (1970), Dionysus in ‘69 (1970),` Get to Know Your Rabbit (1970), Sisters (1972), The Phantom of the Paradise (1974), Obsession (1976), Carrie (1976), The Fury (1978), Home Movies (1979), Dressed to Kill (1980), Blow Out (1981), Scarface (1983), Body Double (1984) and Wise Guys (1986).

51. Movie Picks From Before the 1980s!

Steven, Benjamin, and, Sean each recommend 10 films from before the 1980s that float their boat, including plenty of deep cuts and underrated treasures from the Golden era of cinema and into some of the experimental film making of the 60s and 70s. The boys do their best to intentionally avoid the more obvious go-tos from the likes of Hitchcock, Coppola and Spielberg (say no more), so expect some real left-field picks!

50. 1990 in Film

As has become routine, Film Utopia kicks off the new year with another retrospective year of cinema history. It’s Sean’s pick this time and he brings Steven and Benjamin kicking and screaming back into the 90s for a thorough recap of the delights and misfires of 1990! In a year brimming with many first sequels, from Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Predator 2, Young Guns II, and Robocop 2, there are also new franchise beginnings from the likes of Tremors, Home Alone, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Darkman as well as plenty of stand-alone goodies such as Nightbreed, Blue Steel, Hardware, Pretty Woman, and Ghost.

Special: 2022 Recap

Steven, Benjamin, and Sean have a very relaxed chat about the year’s cinema releases and reveal their opinions on the good, the bad, and the atrocious that 2022 had to offer. From the return of ‘classic era Cronenberg’ with Crimes of the Future, and ‘that is how you do a requel’ Hellraiser, to the disappointment of Lightyear, and the downright appalling Thor: God of Thunder and Moonfall.

49. Film Composer: Harold Faltermeyer

Film Utopia cranks up the volume and slips on a pair of mirrored aviators for a full-throttle dive into the filmography of composer Harold Faltermeyer, the man who made the ‘80s sound like, well… the ‘80s.

From the neon-tinged hum of Fletch to the icy pulse of Tango & Cash, the bombast of Axel F and Top Gun Anthem to the next-level cheese of Running Man’s Captain Freedom’s Workout, we celebrate Faltermeyer’s unmistakable brand of cool: those heroic synth brass stabs, those over-caffeinated basslines, and that uncanny knack for turning a film cue into an 80s pop chart banger.

Steven, Benjamin, and Sean trace his collaborations, hum badly through the hits, debate which Beverly Hills score is best, and agree that Harold deserves his spot among the cinema greats. Provided there’s a keytar involved.

48. Top 10 Tom Cruise Performances

Love him or hate him, Tom Cruise is often referred to as the last, true, Hollywood movie star, and he has the career, the charisma, the chops, and the scandals to prove it. But among his impressive body of work, which roles standout for us at Film Utopia? Join Steven and Sean as they divulge their top 10 favourite Tom Cruise performances and discuss why these roles and films stand out. Stay till the end for a last minute solo drop in from Benjamin, who originally bailed on the main show before reluctantly recording his own response which we slapped onto the end!

47. Halloween Special: Halloween - Complete Movie Series Retrospective

Happy Halloween everybody! With Halloween Ends, the final part of David Gordon Green’s new Halloween trilogy, out in cinemas now, we thought we would reflect on the entire movie series for this special retrospective episode. Steven Benjamin, and Sean deliberate all 13 movies in the long-running series, starting with John Carpenter’s genre defining slasher, Halloween (1978).

From the multiple direct sequels, the ‘Thorn Trilogy’, sequels to only specific entries in the series (Halloween H20 1998, Halloween 2018), attempts at expanding the concept to anthologies (Halloween III), and remakes (Halloween 2007, Halloween II 2009), we dig deep into the iconic horror franchise and candidly share our “somewhat divided” opinions on each film with our unique and loving way of mostly swearing at each other. It’s early for Guy Fawkes night, but expect some fireworks nonetheless.

46. 80s Action Stars: Steven Seagal – Lawman, Ego, and Elbow Locks

If anyone said “save the best till last” to any of us here on the show, you would be met with wild, howling laughter. It’s Steven Segal time, and Sean definitely wanted no part of this!

He broke bones, broke box offices, and eventually just broke reality. We cover the rise and bewildering evolution of Steven Seagal. From aikido icon in Above the Law and Under Siege to direct-to-video mystic who fights while sat in a swivel chair and whispers every line like it’s classified.

45. 80s Action Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme – The Muscles from Brussels

High kicks, slow splits, and a surprisingly soulful streak, Steven and Benjamin trace JCVD’s journey from Bloodsport bravado to meta meltdown. Expect talk of spin kicks, slow-mo tears, some surprising acting chops, and the philosophical musings of cinema’s most flexible action poet.

We chart the early fighting cult classics such as Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Lionheart (aka A.W.O.L). There is the branching period out of low-budget films like Cyborg, Death Warrant and Double Impact. His Hollywood heyday with Universal Soldier, Nowhere to Run, Hard to Kill, Timecop, Streetfighter and Sudden Death. His plunge into Direct to Video with Legionnaire, Replicant. and finally his latter-day prestige work with JCVD, The Expendables 2 and The Bouncer. Van Damme is that rare figure in his genre where his work and skill set has grown with age.

44. 80s Action Stars: Dolph Lundgren – The Thinking Man’s Killing Machine

With a master’s degree in chemical engineering and a PhD in looking good while exploding things, Lundgren brought intellect to ultra-violence.

From Rocky IV to Universal Soldier, The Punisher to Men of War, Steven and Benjamin celebrate the blond enigma who made stoicism stylish and PhDs dangerous.

43. 80s Action Stars: Chuck Norris & Cannon Films – The Roundhouse Empire

Where denim met destruction. We dive into the low-budget, high-body-count world of Chuck Norris and his Cannon Films heyday; a glorious blur of slow kicks, faster bullets, and scripts written on the way to set. It’s America’s beardiest one-man army in full form.

According to legend, Death himself once had a near-Chuck experience. We don’t know about that, but we do know that on a series covering 80s action stars, you can’t talk Chuck Norris without also talking Cannon Films in general. Well, Steven thinks so, at least. So, expect bad jokes and lots of laughs as we ‘WTF’ our way through the action movies of Chuck and Cannon at large.

42. 80s Action Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Part 2 – Ageing Like Fine Creatine

Steven, Benjamin, and Sean conclude their deep-dive on the action movie career of Sly Stallone by discussing his post 1997 output, an era defined heavily by reinvention and re-imagining.

From comeback king in Rocky Balboa to team player in The Expendables and everything in between. Explosions get bigger, hair gets smaller, and dialogue… well, still mostly shouted. A study in never knowing when to throw in the towel, which is fortunate. Because if he did after Get Carter, Driven, and D-Tox, we wouldn’t have experienced one of the finest renaissances in action star history.

41. 80s Action Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Part 1 – Punching Up

The Film Utopia 80s Action star summer projects continues exploding forwards in a hail of bullets and sweat as Steven, Benjamin, and Sean talk opinion their way through the incredible career of Sylvester Stallone!

If Schwarzenegger was the king of action, then Stallone must be the godfather of it. From underdog to overachiever, we follow Stallone’s first act of the Rocky triumphs, the Rambo trauma, and the curious in-between where he tried to act and direct (sometimes simultaneously). On part one, we cover every sweat-soaked training montage up to Cop Land, where Sly finally found subtlety… briefly, and a paunch… also briefly.

40. 80s Action Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger – Flex, Quip, Repeat

What would a retrospective series on 80s Action stars be without Mr. Olympia himself? Lacking, is what! Steven, Benjamin, and Sean are delighted to discuss the action career of the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Bodybuilder, cyborg, governor, and somehow the most quotable man of the 1980s. We dive into Arnie’s cinematic conquest, from Conan to Terminator, Predator to Commando, charting the rise of the human tank who taught us that muscles could deliver punchlines too.

39. 80s Action Stars: Bruce Willis – Yippee-Ki-Yay, Everyman!

Welcome to our 2022 summer special retrospective series! This year we’re doing an 8-part extravaganza on 80s action stars, starting with everyone’s favourite filthy vest; Bruce Willis!

From wisecracking cop to reluctant planet-saver, we trace Bruce Willis’s journey from Moonlighting charm to Die Hard mayhem and beyond. Explosions, vests, hangovers, and that smirk that could defuse (or start) a bomb. It’s the story of how one guy made exhaustion look heroic.

38. Paul Verhoeven

It’s director time again on Film Utopia! This time, Benjamin drags Steven and Sean into the gloriously sleazy, shockingly intelligent world of Dutch provocateur Paul Verhoeven – a filmmaker who turned blood, boobs, and biting satire into an art form.

From his early Netherlands experiments of Turkish Delight, Soldier of Orange, and Spetters to his explosive Hollywood run with Robocop, Total Recall, and Starship Troopers, the trio dissect Verhoeven’s knack for coating social commentary in machine oil, neon lights and excessive gunfire.

While Steven rediscovers Basic Instinct with newfound admiration, Sean bravely subjects himself to his first watch of Showgirls (so bad it’s… almost art), and all three agree that Black Book deserves far more attention than it gets!

37. Bad Sequels: Cash-Ins, Crimes, and Cinematic Catastrophes

Steven, Benjamin, and Sean dive head-first into the bargain bin of cinema history to discuss bad sequels – think of it as a sequel to our recent ‘Belated Sequels’ episode. The cash-grabs, the disappointments, the shit nobody asked for, and the franchise entries that actively vandalised what came before.

From Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions to Jaws 3, Highlander II, Men in Black II, Sin City 2 (not even Eva Green’s knockers could save it), Scanners II, 300: Rise of an Empire (Eva couldn’t save that one either), American Psycho 2, Mission: Impossible II, S. Darko, and every Terminator after T2, the trio pick through the rubble with equal parts horror and amusement. We also mourn disappointments like The Thing (2011).

Benjamin stirs controversy among the group by declaring Alien 3 a bad sequel, though all three unanimously agree that Alien Resurrection is absolute balls, while Steven valiantly champions Die Hard 2, baffling everyone, and once again confesses his guilty soft spot for Superman III.

We also highlight the sequels that everyone says are bad but we secretly enjoy (hello, The Fly II), and sequels that shouldn’t have worked but absolutely slapped anyway (John Wick 2 and the glorious carnage beyond).

A chaotic, laughter-soaked, wildly tangential chat about the wrong films made for the wrong reasons, plus the few that rose above their own unnecessary existence.

36. Film Composer: Vangelis. Synths, Skylines & Sonic Sorcery

Steven, Benjamin, and Sean drift into the shimmering electronic dreamscape of Vangelis, diving deep into the legendary composer’s filmography from Chariots of Fire to the thunderous majesty of 1492: Conquest of Paradise, the criminally overlooked Missing and Antarctica, and of course, the towering, neon-drenched titan that is Blade Runner.

While Benjamin and Sean flex their musical know-how, gleefully dragging Steven into the weeds of music theory, Yamaha CS-80 wizardry, and why Vangelis seems to adore Gregorian chanting, the trio find common ground in their eternal grievance that we still, in the year of our replicant overlords, do not possess a complete Blade Runner score release that actually matches the film!

Sean also unleashes a scathing takedown of Alexander, calling it one of the laziest film scores he’s ever heard.

Equal parts admiration, lamentation, and synth-soaked nostalgia, this episode is a tribute to one of cinema’s most haunting musical voices.

35. Belated Sequels: The Ones That Actually Worked

Steven, Benjamin, and Sean take a nostalgic-yet-critical trek through the world of belated sequels; those unexpected franchise revivals that arrived decades late but somehow absolutely slapped.

We celebrate late-in-the-game triumphs like Rocky Balboa, the powerhouse resurgence of Creed, the gloriously unhinged carnage of Rambo IV, and the chrome-sprayed miracle that is Mad Max: Fury Road. We also dive into the atmospheric brilliance of Blade Runner 2049, the heartfelt charm of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the surprisingly potent Doctor Sleep, the soul-searching reunion of T2 Trainspotting, the cerebral follow-up 2010: The Year We Make Contact, and the wonderfully nightmarish Return to Oz.

It’s a celebration of the rare sequels that defied all odds, ignored all cynicism, and proved that sometimes… sometimes coming back isn’t a terrible idea.

34. 1988 In Film

Steven, Benjamin, and Sean hop in the cinematic time machine once again, this time to revisit 1988. A year of genre-bending gems, blockbuster oddities, and VHS-era schlock.

We share what we saw in the cinemas at the time, what’s aged like a fine wine, and what’s curdled into something best left in the bargain bin. From the political punch of They Live! To the pinstripe cheese of Cocktail, via Red Heat, Child’s Play, Big, Willow, The Blob, Twins, and the anime milestone Akira, we cover the whole wild spectrum.

33. Film Composer: Clint Mansell. From Grebo to Grimly Beautiful

It’s film composer retrospective time again! This time, Sean leads Steven and Benjamin into the brooding, hypnotic world of Clint Mansell; one of his favourite composers and one of modern cinema’s most distinctive musical voices.

We trace Mansell’s journey from the chaotic brilliance of Pop Will Eat Itself to his evolution into a master of bleak minimalism, tension-heavy soundscapes, and emotionally devastating motifs. We talk through his full filmography, celebrating the towering achievements of Requiem for a Dream, the cosmic heartbreak of The Fountain, the lunar loneliness of Moon, and the unsettling elegance of High-Rise. There's also a detour into his underrated game work, including Mass Effect 3, with all three of us wishing he’d dive into more video game scores.

Benjamin finally admits, begrudgingly but honestly, that Mansell’s work on Black Swan deserves far more recognition than “just an adaptation of Tchaikovsky,” and Sean happily accept this rare concession.

By the end, we all agree: Clint Mansell is one of the most fascinating and uncompromising composers working today. A musician who knows exactly how to make your soul ache, your nerves fray, and your cinematic world expand.

32. Musicals!

On this episode, The Film Utopia lads burst into spontaneous song (metaphorically… mostly) for an entirely off-the-cuff romp through the world of musicals, from the 1920s all the way up to the present.

We revisit the Musicals we grew up with, the ones we adore, and the ones we’d happily yeet into the orchestra pit. From Disney classics to Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Fiddler on the Roof, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Jazz Singer, Phantom of the Paradise, Little Shop of Horrors, Earth Girls Are Easy, Hairspray and the utterly bonkers Moonwalker, no era goes untouched. And of course, we unite in our absolute unwavering love of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

But the real showstopper? Steven casually drops the bombshell that he does not like The Wizard of Oz, sending shock waves through the recording and possibly rupturing a few Munchkins.

31. Guillermo del Toro: Monsters, Melancholy & Questionable Fish Romance

Sean’s director pick for this retrospective leads the FU trio through the shadowy, creature-cluttered corridors of Guillermo del Toro’s filmography, covering everything the Mexican film-maker has produced up to The Shape of Water. It’s a journey of fairy tales, clockwork horrors, comic-book demons… and some very divided opinions.

There’s unanimous love for Hellboy and the gloriously kinetic Blade II, and Sean professes his undying devotion to Pan’s Labyrinth. Steven, meanwhile, continues his long-standing vendetta against Pacific Rim. But all three of us unite in our mutual disdain for Crimson Peak, which Steven argues is the final straw in del Toro’s increasingly migraine inducing palette of red, green, and blue lighting.

We assess del Toro’s career highs and lows, note his stylistic kinship (and occasional overlap) with Tim Burton, and take The Shape of Water to task, raising eyebrows at its plot inconsistencies and question whether all those awards were truly deserved. By the end, a difficult question emerges: Has del Toro’s golden era come and gone, or is there still magic left in the machinery?

30. Star Trek: Picard

The Film Utopia complete Star Trek retrospective draws to a close with a look at Star Trek Picard; the legacy sequel, or follow on, to the events of the TNG era of Star Trek. While we applaud the franchise finally moving forward in time rather than endlessly destroying historical and beloved canon, unfortunately, the praise ends there. With terrible writing, awkward fan service, a fetch-quest plot, new characters we care nothing about but feel like we're supposed to, and legacy characters altered beyond recognition, for the Film Utopia boys, Picard is a case of DOA.