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 ‘95 was an all-timer. There’s expected reverence for Se7en, Casino, and Heat (the holy trinity of grimy crime masterpieces); love for Crimson Tide, 12 Monkeys, The Usual Suspects, and Strange Days, and even a warm salute for Tank Girl. Yes, even Steven, who has bizarrely softened on the film since his last watch. From prestige thrillers to neon-splattered comic chaos, from time-travel gloom to mobster cool, 1995 gave us a cinematic buffet we’re still chewing on today.  

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 series’. How does Badlands stack up against the broader Predator legacy? How does the series fare as a whole compared to other long-running favourites like Terminator and Alien? Short version: It’s holding it’s own better than most! We get into the Riddick-alike plot, the sound design, score, visual style, the Predator creature design, and even the evolving Predator language with largely positive remarks on all aspects. But looming over it all is the question we keep circling back to: “It’s a tidy, punchy sci-fi action romp – but is this what we want from a Predator movie?”

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 “the Big Four” of 80s horror, following our previous years’ deep dives into Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Hellraiser. Steven, Benjamin, and Sean stalk their way through the original six films plus Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, Freddy vs Jason, and… yes, even that 2010 remake (which everyone happily agrees belongs in the bin). Along the way, we chart Freddy’s evolution from terrifying dream-stalking boogeyman to latex-grinning stand-up comic, debate the best Elm Street entry (no one agrees), and celebrate the gloriously ridiculous mayhem of Freddy vs Jason. Sean compares Freddy’s Dead to Malcolm in the Middle, Benjamin vents his disdain for Part 4 and confesses he didn’t realise Tuesday Night’s Kristen was supposed to be the same character portrayed by Patricia Arquette, and Steven once again professes his love for New Nightmare - and shockingly defends Freddy’s Revenge! Expect sharp claws, sharper opinions, and the cosy comfort of horror nostalgia. Sweet dreams…

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 year’s Alien: Romulus, will Noah Hawley’s 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 opportunities, have a listen to see what we think. Spoiler alert: it’s not great.

Film Utopia’s 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 Disney’s magical 90s renaissance to Tim Burton’s gothic daydreams, through to Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter reviving the genre in the 00s, we briefly trace fantasy’s evolution and slow retreat into remakes, reboots and rehashes. There’s grumbling over The Hobbit, apprehension over The Hunt for Gollum, and tentative hope that Henry Cavill might manage to become “the only one” in the upcoming Highlander remake. Along the way, we wonder if modern fantasy has lost its daring spirit… and unanimously agree to return soon to tackle Middle-earth as a three man team. Join us for our reflective wrap-up to our summer quest through the worlds of 80s fantasy and what came after!

Film Utopia’s 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 “best leave that one in childhood’s memory” Willow, and the gleeful absurdity of Erik the Viking, we explore how the fantasy boom began to wind down in the late 80s. Steven’s love for The Princess Bride remains barely containable, Sean forgets yet more actor name, and Ben gleefully goads Steven into conceding that Masters of the Universe does, in fact, count as fantasy. A long the way, we tip our hats to fantasy-adjacent oddities like The Witches of Eastwick, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Big, Vice Versa, and Mannequin. It’s a nostalgic, irreverent look back at the last hurrah of 80s fantasy. Equal parts insight, banter, and affectionate mockery.

The Film Utopia summer quest thunders onward as Steven, Benjamin, and Sean venture into the fantastical mid-80s; 1984 – 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 Sonja and Barbarian Queen, and the iconic delights of Legend, Labyrinth, Return to Oz, and Highlander, we dig into a treasure chest of magic, monsters, and questionable wigs. Along the way, we bicker over whether Weird Science counts as fantasy, swoon over Clancy Brown’s Kurgan (with inevitable, but requisite impressions), and wax lyrical about the era’s unforgettable music; from Bowie’s magic to Queen’s immortal Highlander score, via Jerry Goldsmith vs. Tangerine Dream’s duelling Legend soundtracks. Come join us for a trip aboard the nostalgia express as we take a wild ride through one of fantasy cinema’s boldest chapters.

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 Metal (1981), Conquest (1983), Deathstalker (1983), and Ironmaster (1983), we explore an exhaustive, yet somewhat curated list of muscle bound heroes, animatronic dragons, stop-motion mythical monsters, glistening boobs, and weirdly shifty wizards. Along the way, we ponder why the fantasy boom of the ‘80s refused to die despite the genre’s apparent box office curse, and take great amusement in highlighting the genre’s many cliches. Namely the barely restrained outfits that seemed contractually obligated in the era. There’s also a spirited (and faintly absurd) debate over whether Flash Gordon (1980) counts as fantasy or if that’s heresy punishable by vivisection with The Glaive. Prepare for deep cuts, big laughs, and a nostalgic adventure through the gloriously mad dawn of 80s fantasy cinema.

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 from Ray Harryhaussen epics and surreal Euro-fairytales, to biblical epics, Bakshi’s animated LSD trips, Disney’s monopoly on German fairytales and folklore, and the unsettling brilliance of Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bête (1946). There’s also time for myth, psychedelia, swords & sandals, and some classic self-pity as Steven once again laments his tragically cinema-deprived childhood. As always, we’re unscripted, unfiltered, and occasionally unhinged. But always reliably off-topic. So join us as we ask: How did fantasy cinema get here? And why did it explode (and flop) so gloriously in the 80s?

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 – usually opting for the latter – with a mix of gore, kinetic pacing and trashy fun; trading in typical Giallo elegance for rubber demons, dodgy cash-in knock-offs, synth soundtracks, and pure VHS-era pulp. On this episode we discuss Macabre (1980), A Blade in the Dark (1983), Blastfighter (1984), Devil Fish (1984), Demons (1985), You’ll Die at Midnight (1986), Demons 2 (1986), Delirium (1987) and Body Puzzle (1992).

Steven, Benjamin and Sean conclude their retrospective of the late director, David Lynch, and find themselves heavily in agreement in some areas of the auteur’s directorial filmography, but completely opposed in others. On this episode, we discuss Twin Peaks (1990 – 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 director’s 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 we’d share our hopes and fears for the future of 007. At least, that’s how this episode was originally planned! However, as Sean wasn’t part of our original Bond retrospective review series back in 2015 that we’ve 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 and Benjamin chime in with any updated opinions they have of each film as well as lambast Sean for his placement of certain films in the series! At the end of the episode we talk a little about what we originally planned, and lament over the direction we assume Amazon will be taking James Bond.

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, we’ve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review series’, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, originally released back in 2015 to coincide with the release of Spectre (2015), plus a single-episode, stand-alone return in 2021 for a review of No Time to Die (2021). On the final part of our Bond retrospective series, Steven and Benjamin reconvened in 2021 for a response to the release of the latest film, No Time to Die (2021).

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, we’ve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review series’, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, originally released back in 2015 to coincide with the release of Spectre (2015), plus a single-episode, stand-alone return in 2021 for a review of No Time to Die (2021). On the final part of our original archive series from 2015, Steven and Benjamin review Daniel Craig’s 4th outing as James Bond in Spectre, which was just out in cinemas when this episode was originally published. Additionally, in the second half of this episode, Steven and Benjamin reflect upon the film series as a whole and share some of their favourite moments, cars, henchmen, villains and music from across the Bond films as well as some of their not-so favourites!

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, we’ve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review series’, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, originally released back in 2015 to coincide with the release of Spectre (2015), plus a single-episode, stand-alone return in 2021 for a review of No Time to Die (2021). On part 7, Steven and Benjamin explore the first three movies from the Daniel Craig Bond era and talk about the stunts, the cars, the villains, the music and all the rest of it! Covered on this retrospective are Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008) and Skyfall (2012). Please note: Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021) were originally presented as stand-alone episodes and will be re-published as such over the next two days following this. 

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, we’ve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review series’, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, originally released back in 2015 to coincide with the release of Spectre (2015), plus a single-episode, stand-alone return in 2021 for a review of No Time to Die (2021). On this episode, Steven and Benjamin stride into the 90s and early 00s with Eon Productions’ latest James Bond, Pierce Brosnan, to share their thoughts on Goldeneye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002).

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, we’ve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review series’, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, originally released back in 2015 to coincide with the release of Spectre (2015), plus a single-episode, stand-alone return in 2021 for a review of No Time to Die (2021). On part 5, Steven and Benjamin share their thoughts on the two Timothy Dalton outings as MI6 spy, James Bond with The Living Daylights (1987) and License to Kill (1989).

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, we’ve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review series’, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, originally released back in 2015 to coincide with the release of Spectre (2015), plus a single-episode, stand-alone return in 2021 for a review of No Time to Die (2021). On this part, Steven and Benjamin wrap up their retrospective of the Roger Moore as Bond era with For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983) and A View to a Kill (1985), as well as a segway discussion on Sean Connery’s final outing as James Bond in the non-Eon produced outing, Never Say Never Again (1983).

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, we’ve decided to reach way back into the depths of our archives and resuscitate one of our classic filmography review series’, our nine-part, complete James Bond movie retrospective, originally released back in 2015 to coincide with the release of Spectre (2015), plus a single-episode, stand-alone return in 2021 for a review of No Time to Die (2021). In this episode, Steven and Benjamin crack into the first half of Roger Moore’s tenure as 007, with Live and Let Die (1973), The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979).