Almost Famous (2000) and Cellular (2004) | A box office stumble, and an underappreciated action thriller

Film Stories with Simon Brew

Simon Brew

Film History, Tv & Film

4.9 • 813 Ratings

🗓️ 12 January 2026

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Regular episodes of Film Stories with Simon Brew resume for 2026, with two very different films in the spotlight. First up there's Cameron Crowe's superb Almost Famous, a film he got the greenlight to make in the aftermath of Jerry Maguire's success. A hugely personal story, here's how it stumbled at the box office, but found new life. Then, from the same brain that gave us Phone Booth comes Collateral. There aren't many film you could bill Chris Evans, Oscar-winner Kim Basinger and Jason Statham in, all from the director of Snakes On A Plane. How, then, did this one end up a treat? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is your latest idea.
0:02.0	It's unique, it's game-changing, it's huge!
0:06.0	But you can go even bigger with AI-powered PDF spaces in Acrobat Studio,
0:12.0	turning your files and links into actionable insights and content,
0:16.0	plus share projects and collaborate seamlessly while keeping everything private and secure.
0:21.5	So your excellent idea stays yours.
0:25.5	Do that with Acrobat. Learn more and try it out on Adobe.com.
0:29.8	To succeed in the future of work, forward thinkers use AI to deliver measurable results.
0:35.5	Workday is the AI platform for HR and finance
0:38.3	that frees you from the mundane
0:39.8	so you can focus on more meaningful work.
0:42.5	Workday, moving business forever forward.
0:45.3	Hello, this is Simon Brew.
0:47.7	I'm the founder of Film Stories magazine
0:49.3	and a very warm welcome to the Film Stories podcast.
0:52.8	Sorry about that.
0:54.4	I literally had to fly in from outer space.
0:57.2	Come with me.
0:59.3	And I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
1:02.6	And movies.
1:03.8	Movies that had stories.
1:05.5	That the story just sucks a man.
	...

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