Film Utopia
In-depth movie talk hosted by three fellas with a passion for film. Detailed retrospective movie reviews and filmography discussions of directors, actors, composers, and more! In addition to new episodes, we are actively republishing our older episodes. Please check back regularly! đ
Episodes
This week on Film Utopia, Steven, Benjamin, and Sean hop in the cinematic time machine and cruise back to 1995, a year stacked so high with bangers, bruisers and cult classics that even John Doe would struggle to catalogue them.
We stroll month-by-month through our first-watch memories and rediscover why â95 was an all-timer. Thereâs expected reverence for Se7en, Casino, and Heat (the holy trinity of grimy crime masterpieces); love...
With Benjamin off-world, Steven, Sean, and special guest Max suit up for a deep-dive reaction to Predator: Badlands. After a quick surveying of the state of the modern Disney/Trachtenberg-verse, touching on Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, we zero in on the new film itself and each give our tuppence on this latest entry in one of our most beloved movie seriesâ.
How does Badlands stack up against the broader Predator legacy? Ho...
This spooky season, Film Utopia sharpens its glove and dives head-first into the complete A Nightmare on Elm Street movie series; the final corner of what we lovingly call âthe Big Fourâ of 80s horror, following our previous yearsâ deep dives into Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Hellraiser.
Steven, Benjamin, and Sean stalk their way through the original six films plus Wes Cravenâs New Nightmare, Freddy vs Jason, and⊠yes, even that...
Occasional Film Utopia collaborator and Alien nut Max joins Steven and Benjamin for their reaction to the new Disney+ series, Alien: Earth. With somewhat mixed expectations from the gang due to varying opinions on Disney's efforts with last yearâs Alien: Romulus, will Noah Hawleyâs series hit the spot, or will it be a nuked site from orbit?
From interesting plot points to bizarre design choices, underdeveloped characters to missed...
Film Utopiaâs epic 1980s Fantasy retrospective reaches its end as Steven, Benjamin, and Sean look beyond their beloved decade to see what became of the genre in the years that followed. From Disneyâs magical 90s renaissance to Tim Burtonâs gothic daydreams, through to Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter reviving the genre in the 00s, we briefly trace fantasyâs evolution and slow retreat into remakes, reboots and rehashes.
Thereâs gr...
Film Utopiaâs summer quest reaches the tail end of the 1980s as Steven Benjamin, and Sean reminisce about the fantastical twilight of the decade. From the muscle-bound chaos of The Barbarians, to the satirical fair-tale perfection of The Princess Bride, the surreal stop-motion wonder of Alice, the âbest leave that one in childhoodâs memoryâ Willow, and the gleeful absurdity of Erik the Viking, we explore how the fantasy boom began ...
The Film Utopia summer quest thunders onward as Steven, Benjamin, and Sean venture into the fantastical mid-80s; 1984 â 1986. An era when fantasy cinema became darker, more kid-friendly, and occasionally farcical.
From the dreamy surrealism of A Company of Wolves and the childlike wonder (and childhood trauma-inducing) The NeverEnding Story to the neon-drenched Dungeonmaster, the ever-present loincloth-clad barbarian sights of Red ...
The Film Utopia summer quest continues in this second instalment on fantasy cinema of the 1980s as Steven, Benjamin, and Sean tackle the shimmering, sword-swinging, and body oil-drenched years of 1980 to 1983.
From popular mainstays such as Hawk the Slayer (1980), Clash of the Titans (1981), Conan the Barbarian (1982), The Dark Crystal (1982) and Krull (1983), to side quests veering into the more eclectic cult offerings of Heavy M...
Before the loincloths, elf-muppets, crystal balls, dying horse trauma, and mullets of 80s fantasy cinema, there was⊠quite a lot, actually! In this opening episode of our new series on 1980s fantasy films, Steven, Benjamin and Sean gather round the mic to set the stage and trace the tangled narrative roots of fantasy, both on and off the screen, from a time before things got all neon-coloured and swordy.
We dive into everything fr...
Steven and Sean continue their exploration of Italian genre cinema with a laid-back chat about the filmography of Lamberto Bava.
Unlike his father, horror maestro and Giallo godfather Mario Bava, Lamberto carved out his own unique legacy by straddling the line between art horror and sleaze â usually opting for the latter â with a mix of gore, kinetic pacing and trashy fun; trading in typical Giallo elegance for rubber demons, dodg...
Steven, Benjamin and Sean conclude their retrospective of the late director, David Lynch, and find themselves heavily in agreement in some areas of the auteurâs directorial filmography, but completely opposed in others. On this episode, we discuss Twin Peaks (1990 â 1992, 2017), Fire Walk With Me (1992), Lost Highway (1997), The Straight Story (1999), Mulholland Drive (2001), and Inland Empire (2006).
With the recent passing of auteur filmmaker David Lynch fresh in mind, Steven Benjamin and Sean reflect on the directorâs legacy and discuss their thoughts on his innovative and influential theatrical filmography. In part one we cover Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), Dune (1984), Blue Velvet (1986) and Wild At Heart (1990).
With Amazon Studios now in control of the Bond franchise, we thought weâd share our hopes and fears for the future of 007. At least, thatâs how this episode was originally planned! However, as Sean wasnât part of our original Bond retrospective review series back in 2015 that weâve just republished over the last 10 days, we have decided to hear out his ranked list of the 25 Eon produced Bond films, in ascending order, while Steven ...
Originally recorded and published in 2021. Please excuse our less-than-stellar audio quality efforts back then!
With Bond in the news again, and in the run up to our 2025 Bond update episode coming later this month, weâve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review seriesâ, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, originally released back in 2015 to ...
Originally recorded and published in 2015 for our former podcast, Filmwerk. Please excuse our less-than-stellar audio quality efforts back then!
With Bond in the news again, and in the run up to our 2025 Bond update episode coming later this month, weâve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review seriesâ, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, ori...
Originally recorded and published in 2015 for our former podcast, Filmwerk. Please excuse our less-than-stellar audio quality efforts back then!
With Bond in the news again, and in the run up to our 2025 Bond update episode coming later this month, weâve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review seriesâ, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, ori...
Originally recorded and published in 2015 for our former podcast, Filmwerk. Please excuse our less-than-stellar audio quality efforts back then!
With Bond in the news again, and in the run up to our 2025 Bond update episode coming later this month, weâve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review seriesâ, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, ori...
Originally recorded and published in 2015 for our former podcast, Filmwerk. Please excuse our less-than-stellar audio quality efforts back then!
With Bond in the news again, and in the run up to our 2025 Bond update episode coming later this month, weâve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review seriesâ, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, ori...
Originally recorded and published in 2015 for our former podcast, Filmwerk. Please excuse our less-than-stellar audio quality efforts back then!
With Bond in the news again, and in the run up to our 2025 Bond update episode coming later this month, weâve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review seriesâ, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, ori...
Originally recorded and published in 2015 for our former podcast, Filmwerk. Please excuse our less-than-stellar audio quality efforts back then!
With Bond in the news again, and in the run up to our 2025 Bond update episode coming later this month, weâve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review seriesâ, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, ori...
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
In 1997, actress Kristin Davisâ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you wonât hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, youâve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.