Surf's up, and the crime wave is gnarly.

This week on 100 Things We Learned From Film, we’re grabbing our boards, slipping on our Nixon masks, and catching waves (and feelings) with the 1991 cult classic Point Break. Planty and John ride through the most extreme FBI training montage ever committed to film, debate how many meatball subs is too many, and discover just how wet Keanu Reeves got making this movie.

We’re talking skydiving stunts, behind-the-scenes beefcakes, surfing facts, FBI realness from Quantico, and the legacy of director Kathryn Bigelow’s wild action masterpiece.

This episode was picked by our radical patron Maria – who supports the show for just £1 a month and gets a shoutout! Want yours? Hit up:

👉 100thingswelearnedfromfilm.co.uk

🧠 In this episode you’ll learn:

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• Why Patrick Swayze did most of his own stunts
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• How Keanu became Johnny Utah (and why Johnny Unitas should be honoured)
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• Which surfer inspired Bodhi
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• What the FBI really teaches you (spoiler: not surfing)
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• The surprising link between Point Break and The Fast and the Furious
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Point Break podcast, Point Break facts, Keanu Reeves FBI, Patrick Swayze surfing, Kathryn Bigelow movies, Point Break trivia, 100 Things We Learned From Film, best film podcasts UK, cult movie podcast, action movie podcast, surfing movies, skydiving stunts

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This week we're doing the most Mid Rap, Taking the Turnpike to Jersey and putting on the last ray bans we'll ever wear with 1997's Men in Black.

We're doing the comic and shadowy government departments.

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Men in Black (abbreviated as MIB) is a 1997 American alien/UFO science fiction action comedy film[2] starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as "men in black", secret agents who monitor and police extraterrestrials. The film is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, based on a script by Ed Solomon, that adapts the Aircel Comics series The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham. In the film, Agent K (Jones) and Agent J (Smith) investigate a series of seemingly unrelated criminal incidents related to the extraterrestrials who live in secret on Earth. Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Rip Torn also appear in supporting roles.

Development for the film began in 1992, after producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald optioned the rights to the comic book series. Solomon was soon hired to write the screenplay; Sonnenfeld was the preferred directorial choice, which resulted in delays due to his commitments to other film projects and a failure to secure any alternative directors. Principal photography began in March 1996 and lasted until that June, with filming primarily taking place in New York City. The film's visual effects were helmed by Industrial Light & Magic. The film's soundtrack contains the theme song of the same name, performed by Smith, as well as the score, composed by Danny Elfman.

Men in Black premiered at Pacific's Cinerama Dome in Hollywood on June 25, 1997, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 2. It received critical acclaim for its screenplay, humour, action sequences, and the performances and chemistry between Jones and Smith. The film was a box-office success, grossing more than $589.4 million worldwide and becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 1997 as well as the ninth-highest-grossing film of the decade. It won for Best Makeup and was also nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Original Score at the 70th Academy Awards, among numerous other accolades. A sequel was released in 2002, a third film was released in 2012, and a stand-alone sequel was released in 2019, with Jones and Smith absent.

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Tommy Lee Jones as Kevin Brown / Agent K: J's grizzled and humorless mentor.

Will Smith as James Darrell Edwards III / Agent J: A former NYPD detective, newly recruited to the MIB.

Linda Fiorentino as Dr. Laurel Weaver / Agent L: A deputy medical examiner, and later J's partner.

Vincent D'Onofrio as Edgar / The Bug: An abusive farmer who is killed and eaten by a giant alien insect, which then wears his skin in order to search for the Galaxy and incite a war from the Arquillians.

Rip Torn as Chief Zed: The head of the MIB.

Tony Shalhoub as Jack Jeebs: An alien arms dealer who runs a pawn shop as a front.

Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Beatrice: Edgar's abused wife.

Mike Nussbaum as Gentle Rosenberg: An Arquillian royal family member, posing as a jeweler, who is the guardian of "the Galaxy".

Jon Gries as Nick the van driver: the American smuggler who unknowingly carries a literal alien among his posse.

Sergio Calderón as Jose

John Alexander as Mikey: An alien who poses as a Mexican being smuggled across the border.

Patrick Breen as Mr. Redgick

Becky Ann Baker as Mrs....

This week we're attempting to to cash in on the announcement of Spaceballs 2 with our episode on Spaceballs the search for more downloads!

We're talking the terrible 80's film choices of Gene Wilder, George Lucas and the original Star Wars Trilogy as well as Pizza Hut and why Elon Musk means we can't have nice things any more.

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Want to support the podcast?

It'll only cost you a quid and we'll shout you out every episode!

It's nowt to you but it means the world to us.

https://www.patreon.com/100thingsfilm

You can also find us everywhere else at

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Spaceballs is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It primarily parodies the original Star Wars trilogy, but also other popular franchises such as Star Trek, Alien, The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, and Transformers. The film stars Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis and Daphne Zuniga, with the supporting cast including Dick Van Patten, George Wyner, Lorene Yarnell, and the voice of Joan Rivers. In addition to Brooks playing a dual role, the film features Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise and Rudy De Luca in cameo appearances.

In Spaceballs, heroic mercenary Lone Starr (Pullman) and his alien sidekick Barf (Candy) rescue Princess Vespa (Zuniga) of the planet Druidia and her droid, Dot Matrix (Yarnell, voiced by Rivers), from being captured by the Spaceballs, led by President Skroob (Brooks), who wants to use Vespa as ransom to obtain Druidia's air for their own planet. However, the heroes get stranded on a desert moon, where they encounter the wise Yogurt (also Brooks), who teaches Starr about the metaphysical power known as "the Schwartz". Meanwhile, Spaceball commanders Dark Helmet (Moranis) and Colonel Sandurz (Wyner) lead the search for them, but are hindered by their own incompetence.

The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) on June 24, 1987. A sequel is in the early stages of development as of June 2025. Directed by Josh Greenbaum and co-written by Josh Gad and Brooks, the sequel will star Lewis Pullman, Keke Palmer, and Gad, with Brooks, Bill Pullman, Moranis, and Zuniga reprising their roles. The sequel has an anticipated theatrical release by MGM in 2027.

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Bill Pullman as Lone Starr, a mercenary who travels the galaxy in his flying 1986 Winnebago Chieftain 33, Eagle 5. He is a parody of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo.

John Candy as Barf, a parody of Chewbacca.

Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa, the spoiled princess of Planet Druidia. She is a parody of Princess Leia.

Joan Rivers as the voice of Dot Matrix, Princess Vespa's droid of honor and guardian. She is a parody of C‑3PO.

Lorene Yarnell provided Dot Matrix's on-screen physical performance.

Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet, the Spaceballs' short-statured, bratty, and childish chief enforcer, who can wield the "down-side" of the Schwartz. He is a parody of Darth Vader.

Mel Brooks as:

President Skroob, the incompetent leader of Planet Spaceball. His name "Skroob" is an anagram of "Brooks".

Yogurt, the wise and powerful keeper of the "up-side" of the Schwartz. He is a parody of Yoda.

George Wyner as Colonel Sandurz, the commander of Spaceball One. His name is a reference to Colonel Sanders.

Dick Van Patten as King Roland, the ruler of Planet Druidia and Princess Vespa's father.

Michael Winslow as a radar technician on Spaceball One who can re-enact the radar's sounds.

Ronny Graham as the minister.

Jim J. Bullock as Prince Valium, a narcoleptic prince.

Leslie Bevis as Commanderette Zircon, a minion of President Skroob on Planet...

🧠 Episode Summary:

Another Bonus episode this week!

In this deep-dive episode, Planty is joined by schlock cinema expert Joe from Hallmark of Greatness to unravel the twisted legacy of one of the most infamous cult films of all time: Faces of Death (1978).

Together, they break down the bizarre blend of real footage, fake gore, and urban legend that made this video nasty a VHS-era rite of passage. Was it banned? How much of it was real? And why did millions of people pass around this grotesque documentary with whispered reverence?

Expect:

• 🔍 A forensic look at Faces of Death's production and hoax techniques
• 📼 VHS culture and the rise of “video nasties”
• ⚖️ The legal and moral backlash
• 🧛‍♂️ Joe’s insights on what makes exploitation cinema tick — and why we’re drawn to the extreme
• 💀 A few laughs amid the blood and mayhem

If you’ve ever wondered how Faces of Death became a cultural phenomenon — or you just want to hear two film lovers wrestle with their trauma — this one’s for you.

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• Faces of Death (1978) – Directed by John Alan Schwartz
• Hallmark of Greatness podcast – Listen on Spotify
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🎧Don’t forget to rate, review & share if you enjoyed it!

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The Music for this episode is Darkness Speaks by Kevin MacLeod and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100364

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

This week in yet a further example of a guest too good to be wasted on a filler show Planty is joined by Josh Wilson to talk Synth Pop, Long notes and The Mission impossible theme as we talk Take on me.

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Be like literally billions of other people on the planet and watch the video for the song we're discussing here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914

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You can also pay us £1 a month and check out the video interview on our Patreon. We can assure you we don't have billions of subs... but we're getting there.

patreon.com/100thingsfilm

We've also got exclusive episodes, out takes and hours of content you can't get if you don't pay!

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Josh comes to us from Super Familiar With The Wilsons podcast. A couple try and figure out the modern world each week. and lets be fair, if anyone can it's them.

https://thewilsons.buzzsprout.com/

John is taking a well deserved break. so this week Planty's talking music facts with friends of the podcast Mono and Ciara.

We'll talk songs not good enough for albums, Super producers and The Underworld Soundtrack album.

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You can listen to Mono and Ciara's show about Adult Swim show Metalocolypse wherever you get your pods and on Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/show/3SFmcGkwxBdMeMXteR2kTg?si=d0679c18c58749e6

This week we're learning about the Garish spectacle of the Catholic Church (Here come the death threats!), the History of Shakespeare's biggest plays, Why Miriam Margoles should be given a Dameship and why you should just pick up the bloody phone!!

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Our Guests have a million projects, but they wanted us to promote their new thing because it's brilliant!

You can listen to Mono and Ciara's show about Adult Swim Metalocolypse wherever you get your pods and on Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/show/3SFmcGkwxBdMeMXteR2kTg?si=d0679c18c58749e6

But you absolutely don't have to I mean they've already given us their money, innit?

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William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (stylized as William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet) is a 1996 romantic crime film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It is a modernized adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, albeit still utilizing Shakespearean English. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles of two teenagers who fall in love, despite their being members of feuding families. Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Miriam Margolyes, Harold Perrineau, Pete Postlethwaite, Paul Sorvino and Diane Venora also star in supporting roles. It is the third major film version of the play, following adaptations by George Cukor in 1936 and by Franco Zeffirelli in 1968.

The film was released on November 1, 1996, by 20th Century Fox. It was met with generally positive reviews from critics and grossed over $147 million against its $14.5 million budget. At the 47th Berlin International Film Festival in 1997, DiCaprio won the Silver Bear for Best Actor and Luhrmann won the Alfred Bauer Prize.[6] At the 69th Academy Awards, Catherine Martin and Brigitte Broch were nominated for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration.[7] In 2005, the film was included on the BFI list of the "50 films you should watch by the age of 14".[8]

The film was also re-released in Luhrmann's Red Curtain Trilogy DVD box set in 2002 together with Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Moulin Rouge! (2001).

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The House of Montague

Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo Montague

Brian Dennehy as Ted Montague, Romeo's father[9]

Christina Pickles as Caroline Montague, Romeo's mother

Dash Mihok as Benvolio Montague, Romeo's cousin

Jesse Bradford as Balthasar, Romeo's cousin

Zak Orth as Gregory, Romeo's cousin

Jamie Kennedy as Sampson, Romeo's cousin

The House of Capulet

Claire Danes as Juliet Capulet

Paul Sorvino as Fulgencio Capulet, Juliet's father

Diane Venora as Gloria Capulet, Juliet's mother

John Leguizamo as Tybalt, Juliet's cousin

Vincent Laresca as Abra, Juliet's cousin

Carlos Martín Manzo Otálora as Petruchio, Juliet's cousin

Miriam Margolyes as Nurse, Juliet's nanny

Others

Harold Perrineau as Mercutio, Romeo's best friend

Pete Postlethwaite as Father Laurence, the priest who marries Romeo and Juliet

Paul Rudd as Dave Paris, the governor's son and Juliet's fiancé

Vondie Curtis-Hall as Captain Prince, the chief of police

M. Emmet Walsh as Apothecary

Quindon Tarver as Choir Boy, the singer at Romeo and Juliet's wedding

Edwina Moore as the anchorwoman / newsreader, who opens the movie, reading the prologue, and later assumes the role of the Chorus.

Join us this week as we learn what is a Drexyl, a Sonny Chiba, a Rottweiler and a Grindhouse with QT and Tony Scott's brilliant True Romance.

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Want to support the podcast?

It'll only cost you a quid and we'll shout you out every episode!

It's nowt to you but it means the world to us.

https://www.patreon.com/100thingsfilm

You can also find us everywhere else at 100thingswelearnedfromfilm.co.uk

---

True Romance[a] is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, and Christopher Walken in supporting roles. Slater and Arquette portray newlyweds on the run from the Mafia after stealing a shipment of drugs.

True Romance began life as an early script by Tarantino; he sold the screenplay in order to finance his debut feature film, Reservoir Dogs (1992). It is regarded by proponents as a cross-section of writer Tarantino and director Scott's respective trademarks, including a Southern California setting, pop cultural references, and stylized violence punctuated by slow motion.[6][7]

Though initially a box-office failure, the film's positive reviews, with critics praising the dialogue, characters, and offbeat style,[8] helped it earn a cult following. It has come to be considered one of Scott's best films and one of the best American films of the 1990s

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• Christian Slater as Clarence Worley
• Patricia Arquette as Alabama Whitman-Worley
• Dennis Hopper as Clifford Worley
• Val Kilmer as Elvis
• Gary Oldman as Drexl Spivey
• Brad Pitt as Floyd, Dick's roommate
• Christopher Walken as Vincenzo Coccotti
• Bronson Pinchot as Elliot Blitzer
• Samuel L. Jackson as Don "Big Don"
• Michael Rapaport as Dick Ritchie
• Saul Rubinek as Lee Donowitz
• Conchata Ferrell as Mary Louise Ravencroft
• James Gandolfini as Virgil
• Anna Thomson as Lucy