In a very special episode of Film Stories, Simon is joined by Andrew Davis, perhaps best known for directing films such as The Fugitive, Under Siege, Holes and more. Those movies certainly come up in the extensive conversation between the pair.

Davis has also, with Jeff Biggers, written his first novel, Disturbing The Bones, and there's a strong movie link to it as well. And the chat also takes in Stony Island, The Fugitive sequel, Steal Big Steal Little and a whole lot more...

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In the final regular Film Stories episode of 2024, we start with a 1989 movie that's gone on to become something of a Christmas favourite.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation saw John Hughes writing again, and a first time director in Jeremiah Chechik. The former protected the latter from studio notes, and even a potential lack of snow turned into the opposite problem. Still: what happened to the UK cinema release?

Clint Eastwood's Juror #2 remains one of the more curious film stories of 2024. A movie made for a modest sum, that Warner Bros then gave the impression of simply not really wanting to release it.

Stories of both are told in this episode...

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It took some time for writer/director J C Chandor to break into the movie business. When he did, it was with the mini-budget Margin Call, a film that would snag him an Oscar nomination.

Since then, he's brought to the screen All Is Lost, A Most Violent Year, Triple Frontier and now Kraven The Hunter, arguably his highest profile feature to date. In this special episode, he talks through his new film, and a whole lot more...

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It's fairly well known that the role of Detective Harry Callahan was originally set to be played by Frank Sinatra, before he had to pull out as production neared. Yet when Clint Eastwood decided to accept, he had several versions of a script to choose from - and decided to put a call into someone he trusted: Don Siegel. The pair would go on to fashion a cinema classic.

The journey to 2002's Anita And Me meanwhile began with the publication of Meera Syal's semi-autobiographical novel in 1996. Work began to then turn it into a film - but the challenge of making an independent film in the UK, with two young, unknown leads? That'd be quite the test.

Stories of both are told in this episode.

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In a potty-mouthed Film Stories podcast special, Simon welcomes back Kevin Smith. It's a chat centred around Smith's new film,. The 4.30 Movie - and how he came to make it. That tale involves buying a cinema, and digging deep into his own youth.

Beyond that, they chat about the length of the end credits, they segue into Waterworld, and consider some of the bumps in life. Not least reviews, and a rejection from the Sundance Film Festival.

The 4.30 Movie is available to buy and rent on video on demand.

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In a special episode of Film Stories, Simon is joined by Kevin Costner and John Debney.

Costner is, of course, the star, director and co-writer of Horizon: An American Saga, which he conceived and part-financed. Debney is a composer working on his fourth Kevin Costner-related project. The pair share their stories of making Horizon.

The conversation also looks at funding films, a few films from both Kevin Costner and John Debney's back catalogues, and a whole lot more...

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In a very special episode of the podcast, the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios - Oscar-winner Jared Bush - joins Simon for a chat about his work and career.

They start off with Moana 2, which is in cinemas now. But the conversation goes right the way back to Jared Bush's time as a script reader for Robert Zemeckis, and then through to the future of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Plus: the sliding doors moment that could have taken Jared Bush's career in a very different direction...

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1993 was a banner year for Sylvester Stallone, thanks to two films that gave him quite the comeback. First up was Cliffhanger. Not far behind? That'd be the much-loved Demolition Man. Ahead of its 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray debut, let's take a look at a movie that one of its co-stars loathed making. And also try to work out why its director moved away from feature films straight after.

Then there's Hundreds Of Beavers, a 2022 film that for reasons explained, most could only get to see in 2024. It involved a long shoot, lots of beaver costumes, and a fair amount of expertise in Adobe After Affects too...

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Vicky Jenson's directorial career got off to a hell of a start. As co-director of Shrek, she went to the Cannes Film Festival, she won an Oscar, scored a massive box office hit. Then Shark Tale followed, another hit. Then a live action movie, Post-Grad - but that didn't hit. And she paid a career price.

This story gets better though, as Jenson's now made the animated feature Spellbound, which is available on Netflix. And she's chatting to us for this special episode of Film Stories. Hers is quite the story...

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It was following the success of The Fugitive that Hollywood started plundering (again) the archives of television for its movie ideas. Sony wanted a Charlie's Angels film, and was looking for pitches. Drew Barrymore, then making Never Been Kissed, was interested.

The film she'd help steer to the screen though wasn't without behind the scenes incidents, though.

Sylvester Stallone was all set to earn $60m for three movies in the mid-1990s meanwhile, he just had to make sure he picked the right projects. He committed to filming D-Tox in the late 1990s. But years after it was finished, it'd been through three titles, assorted cuts, and Hollywood smelt trouble.

Stories of both films are told in this episode...

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In a Film Stories podcast special, producers Lucy Fisher and Douglas Wick - the latter an Oscar-winner for the original Gladiator - join Simon to talk about their work.

A lot of the chat is taken up with Gladiator II, working with Ridley Scott, and trying to get an epic production off the ground. There is a very odd left turn when Stuart Little comes into the conversation, and a cat's bottom is discussed...

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