That's Not How It Went Down

What's your favourite scary movie? If it happens to be 1996's revival slasher horror, "Scream", then stick around because you just might be scared witless. Small-town America is something many of us film buffs would have grown up imagining and idolising. A paradise of charming neighbourhoods and family-filled streets. But what if the place you perceived to be the safest in the world was suddenly plunged into darkness in the midst o...

Archaeology is the search for fact, as is the goal of this podcast. But facts can be hard to come by when dealing with something as genuinely legendary as the Holy Grail. The true magic of the best Indiana Jones moments, lies in the historical half-truths that resonate with us, whether we are believers or not in the faith they are attributed to. After unearthing some fascinating parallels in stories that may have inspired the film ...

This week we're dribbling at the prospect of another sports movie slam dunk. Basketball may be a relatively unknown sport where we come from, but across the pond its presence is undeniable with 170 million fans tuning in to follow their team. And that journey to the NBA begins at high school with around 50,000 students offered scholarships to attend university for their excellence on court. But in 1999 an unusual story emerged of a...

The history of space exploration is often dominated by men. Movies like "Apollo 13" and "First Man" - while captivating - seem to only show the perseverance of the male members of NASA, crucially omitting the thousands of hours of dedication from female mathematicians and engineers. But in 2015, a relatively unknown woman was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, highlighting an extraordinary career that began at the he...

When it comes to the miners' strike of 1984/85, there isn't much positivity to be found. Families in communities solely reliant upon the income generated from the coal-mining industry were effectively starved into desperation as Margaret Thatcher's brutal tactics attempted to break the Unions. But as those standing up to the crisis had to find new ways to generate funds for their union members, a relationship based on mutual unders...

This week we're embodying the inimitable sense of British wartime spirit with a look at many people's all-time favourite war movie. Despite experiencing the harrowing conditions of near starvation inside POW camp Stalag Luft III, the unbreakable resilience of 600 men led to perhaps the most infamous prison escape in cinematic history. But with the events depicted undeniably embellished by Hollywood and featuring a whole host of das...

We've said before that the story of how a legacy was created doesn't necessarily guarantee compelling viewing. But in this dramatised making of, we are partially spared the knowing winks and nods to the audience when dealing with the most famous elements. Partially... Where this movie soars is when it's telling the story of conflict between the stubborn, grouchy author who wants to keep her vision pure, and the equally stubborn vis...

Not many movies can claim to have restarted an actor's career with more success than 2013's biographical drama, "Dallas Buyers Club". With Matthew McConaughey formerly known as a romantic comedy lead it was something of a punt casting a heartthrob in the role of Ron Woodroof, a terminally ill electrician who begins his own quest to provide life-extending drugs to those who share his fate. Having discovered clear differences in the ...

There are many films known for a single scene, but as the limits of what can be achieved on camera continue to be pushed into new territories, it's surely becoming harder and harder to use this as a marketing tool. But the "new DiCaprio film where he gets mauled by a bear" generated serious buzz before its release, and its reputation - much like Hugh Glass himself - has endured. But many may not know this gruesome event actually ha...

This time out we're inviting contestants into the hot seat and switching off the air conditioning as we attempt to uncover the mysteries behind the infamous 1950s quiz show scandal. With a brand new genre of TV entertainment came a shocking lack of regulation, allowing viewers to be swept up in the rags to riches stories of their favourite contestants, all the while unaware that what they were watching wasn't just being manipulated...

The temptation to parody the speech we all know from this film as a blurb was tempting but would have been too obvious. What perhaps isn't as obvious, is quite how may historical figures made it into this absolute classic. Ancient Rome is an arena that rarely needs augmenting or embellishing, but it was done for this story by taking some archetypal characters and weaving them into a timeless revenge storyline. Did Commodus kill Mar...

After being recommended this film from many quarters, the time felt right to tackle one of the darkest subject matters when it comes to true stories - serial killings. But this being one of the first films of the visionary behind Parasite, it was always bound to have a certain amount of black comedy, though not as much as one would come to expect from more recent Bong Joon Ho films. As we approach the 25 year anniversary of the fil...

Thank you ladies and gentlemen, players are ready... to analyse 2017's sport/comedy/drama/docu movie of the now infamous "Battle of the Sexes". Although today finds tennis as one of the world's only major sports offering equal prize money between its male and female competitors, that doesn't mean that the journey to reaching parity was an easy one. And netting two of Hollywood's biggest stars to serve up spot on portrayals of Billi...

We return to the ocean this week and tackle our first true disaster movie. The oil spill from this tragedy still causes damage to this day, and even though we can probably all draw a basic picture of what an oil rig looks like, how much do we really know about how they work and what they do? Fortunately, that's not officially our job - but it was the job of many aboard this rig in the Gulf of Mexico and the failings that occurred w...

The heat is on this week as we go undercover in LA. If you combine the talents of two of Hollywood's most legendary actors with an up and coming director then… WHADDYA GOT?! Potentially one of the greatest crime movies ever made. But is that where the story ends or is there more truth to discover about a band of renegade crooks and the stop-at-nothing cops on their tail? Perhaps the DVD extras on "Heat" will have the answers...

It's borderline offensive that it's taken eighty episodes until we explore a film starring the legend that is Dame Judi, but not nearly as offensive as some of the wrongs suffered by the character she portrays. We don't have to work too hard to find a film exploring controversy involving the Catholic church, but this story only really came to light within the last quarter century and even now, people continue to struggle for answer...

Today we're on home turf as we take to the streets in gangland New York. For a movie as colourful, comic book-esque and downright bizarre as 1979's "The Warriors" the idea that this could be based on true events feels like a step too far. But with the release of the director's cut in 2005 came a new opening scene revealing that this story isn't just inspired by the warring factions of NYC's various boroughs, but takes its story fro...

Is that all? Maybe not... Miranda Priestley's presence on various lists of the best movie villains may seem unconventional but it's safe to assume it wouldn't be the case were it not for the clout of Meryl Streep. And to a lesser extent, the rest of the cast have allowed this film to endure longer than many may have expected. But the fact the original story here was penned by someone who experienced a similar workplace culture in t...

Could the world's greatest underdog story really be about… a horse? With the United States reeling from the hammer blow of the Great Depression, millions found themselves out of work and out of luck. But with the appearance in the mid-30s of an unusual steed with crooked legs and "baseball glove knees" the American public found the unlikeliest of heroes. Whilst Seabiscuit may not be considered the most natural racehorse of a...