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 • 767 Ratings

🗓️ 12 January 2026

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

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

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

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.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 24 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Simon Brew, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Simon Brew and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.