On Episode 148 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, we’re back talking Star Trek as we continue our coverage of the original crew’s big screen adventures. Having already covered the first three films for each of their 40th anniversaries, it’s now the turn of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which brought an end to the “Genesis Trilogy” consisting of the second, third and fourth Trek films, where the story in each film follows directly into the next. Following the death and destruction of The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock, returning director and star, Leonard Nimoy, wanted a lighter tone as well as a strong ecological message, that of whale preservation, and both of these aspects, coupled with our crew playing fish out of water in a San Francisco 300 years in their past, helped the film become the most financially successful Star Trek film of them all and a firm favourite among fans. So join Skye and returning co-hosts John Arminio, Bill Scurry and Adam Rackoff in a celebration of the 40th anniversary of one of the very best Star Trek adventures.

On Episode 147 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Skye and returning guest-host Stephen Simpson are celebrating the 60th anniversary of and also taking an in-depth look at the making of director John Frankenheimer’s epic, nearly 3-hour-long motor racing drama, Grand Prix. Starring James Garner, Yves Montand, Eva Marie Saint, Toshiro Mifune and a huge international supporting cast, Frankenheimer’s movie is a marvel of technical filmmaking that captures the thrills and danger of Formula 1 as few other films have. Filmed alongside the 1966/67 F1 season with unprecedented cooperation from the drivers and teams of the era, Grand Prix is arguably the finest big-screen representation of motor racing ever made, and a time capsule of a period when the sport was on the cusp of changes that would alter it forever.

On Episode 146 of The Film ‘89 Podcast, Neil and Skye are traveling back in time 35 years to discuss a film that represented something of a transition from the typical ‘80s action film to the genre’s ‘90s iteration. Based on a script by Shane Black that Warner Bros. were willing to pay a then record setting fee of $1.75 million for, and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Tony Scott, The Last Boy Scout starred Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans and a great supporting cast. Willis, following two recent box office failures in The Bonfire of the Vanities and Hudson Hawk, was in need of a hit and a Shane Black scripted action vehicle must have seemed like a sure thing at the time. Unfortunately, the production was no smooth ride and Black’s script changed significantly during the shoot. This, coupled with tensions on set between the principles as well as between Scott and producer Joel Silver, resulted in a film fraught with problems which may have in some way contributed to it’s studio failing to market the film as well as it should have. The Last Boy Scout failed to ignite the box office but would go on to become a much loved relic of early ‘90s action cinema and in retrospect is a film that really should have fared better given it’s gritty, noir inspired tone and razor sharp script and is a film that the hosts of tonight’s episode love, and have much to say about.