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Party on! Cinema Sleuths investigates Wayne’s World (1992), the comedy classic that went from a Saturday Night Live sketch to one of the defining movies of the early 1990s. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll hurl! Few comedies have had the cultural impact of Wayne’s World. More than 30 years after Wayne and Garth first hit the big screen, the film’s catchphrases, music, characters and irreverent sense of humour remain firmly embedded in popular culture. In this episode, we ask why this seemingly simple comedy became such an enduring hit. How did Mike Myers and Dana Carvey successfully translate their Saturday Night Live characters into a feature film? Why does the comedy still work? And how much did Wayne’s World influence the movies, music and comedy that followed? We also look at Penelope Spheeris’s direction, Tia Carrere's career from tv to the big screen, and Rob Lowe's perfect villain, plus the film's fourth-wall-breaking humour and its surprisingly affectionate take on friendship, romance, and rock ‘n’ roll! So grab your finest air guitar, crank up Bohemian Rhapsody and join us as we party on with Wayne and Garth. Schwing! CASE FILE: WAYNE’S WORLD (1992) Directed by: Penelope Spheeris Written by: Mike Myers, Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner Starring: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Tia Carrere and Rob Lowe Genre: Comedy / Music / 1990s Cinema   Cinema Sleuths is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth  Edited by Luke Deckard  Theme song by Luke Deckard  Logo by  Phil Dragash    DISCLAIMER All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law. *All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) turns 10 — but has time been kind to one of the most divisive superhero films of the modern era? A decade after its release, we reopen the case on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Was Zack Snyder’s ambitious Batman and Superman crossover always misunderstood, or was it really the stinker many people thought it was when it first hit cinemas? We investigate whether Batman v Superman has improved with age, looking back at its story, characters, themes, performances and place within the wider DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Has the film’s reputation changed for us, a decade later?  We look closely at Snyder's portrayal of Batman, Superman and Lex Luthor, and whether the film went too far too soon. To help us crack the case, we’re joined by Anthony Desiato, host of DIGGING FOR KRYPTONITE: A Superman Fan Journey & LIGHTING THE BAT-SIGNAL: A Batman Fan Journey.  CASE FILE: BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016) Starring: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot Director: Zack Snyder Genre: Superhero / Action / Science Fiction / DC   Cinema Sleuths is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth  Edited by Luke Deckard  Theme song by Luke Deckard  Logo by  Phil Dragash    DISCLAIMER All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law. *All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

For our 100th investigation, we head deep into the jungle for John McTiernan’s Predator (1987) — the iconic genre-busting science-fiction action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Kevin Peter Hall. At first, Predator looks like the ultimate testosterone-fuelled 1980s action movie! In this episode, we investigate what makes Predator such an enduring classic. How did John McTiernan transform a seemingly straightforward action movie into a tense science-fiction horror thriller? And how does it flip the action hero concept on its head?  CASE FILE: PREDATOR (1987) Directed by: John McTiernan Written by: Jim Thomas and John Thomas Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Kevin Peter Hall Genre: Action / Science Fiction / Horror / Thriller   Cinema Sleuths is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth  Edited by Luke Deckard  Theme song by Luke Deckard  Logo by  Phil Dragash  DISCLAIMER All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law. *All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

Space. The final frontier! 60 years ago, STAR TREK was released on the small screen. And nearly 50 years ago, STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE hit the BIG SCREEN! To celebrate TREK, this week, you Cinema Sleuths investigate Robert Wise’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), the ambitious science-fiction epic that brought the original Star Trek crew to cinemas for the first time. Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, and Walter Koenig, the film reunites the crew of the USS Enterprise for a mysterious mission involving an enormous alien entity known as V’Ger, which approaches Earth with seemingly unstoppable power. Based on the television series created by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek: The Motion Picture was written by Harold Livingston, with story contributions from Harold Livingston and Alan Dean Foster, and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Robert Wise. In this episode, we put Star Trek: The Motion Picture under the magnifying glass, investigating the extraordinary journey from beloved television series to blockbuster movie. And we are joined by special cinema sleuth Ayesha Khan, host of Every Sci-Fi FIlm Ever podcast!  We explore the film’s troubled and famously expensive production, the pressure to bring Star Trek to the big screen after Star Wars' success, and the ambitious decision to make a slower, more cerebral science-fiction film rather than simply turning the Enterprise crew into action heroes. We investigate the movie’s visual effects, Jerry Goldsmith’s iconic score, V’Ger mystery, philosophical themes and spectacular Enterprise flyby, and so much more. We also look at the movie’s initial reception, its reputation as “the slow one”, and the reassessment it has received over the years. CASE FILE: STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) Directed by: Robert Wise Written by: Harold Livingston Based on: Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig Music by: Jerry Goldsmith Genre: Science Fiction / Space Opera / Adventure / Mystery Was Star Trek: The Motion Picture a misguided attempt to compete with Star Wars — or a bold, beautiful piece of science fiction that was simply misunderstood in its time?   CREDITS Cinema Sleuths is produced by Luke Deckard and Matthew Booth  Edited by Luke Deckard  Music by Luke Deckard  Logo by Phil Dragash    DISCLAIMER: All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

The Rip (2026), starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and directed by Joe Carnahan, is a Netflix crime thriller that raises the question: has the era of prestige filmmaking left Netflix?

Lanterns is the latest DC property that has enraged the internet. Some fans seem to love it while others are infuriated. Do they have a good reason, or has fan discourse gone too far? We discuss that and whether this show is really worthy of the hate.

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) is widely regarded as one of the classic film noirs — but does this celebrated adaptation of James M. Cain’s iconic hard-boiled novel still deserve its reputation? In this episode of Cinema Sleuths, we put The Postman Always Rings Twice to the test. We investigate Tay Garnett’s 1946 film and what made it a landmark of classic Hollywood and film noir.

Was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) the perfect adaptation of the original comics — or simply a very different movie hiding beneath the shadow of Turtle-Mania?

THWIP! The summer blockbuster has swung into town — and it’s a giant Spider-Man-sized case for Cinema Sleuths. Has Marvel finally moved on from Iron Man Jr and delivered a great Spider-Man movie again?  Does Spider-Man: Brand New Day capture what makes the character so special? And can this new chapter give Peter Parker the fresh start that the title promises? That’s what we want to know.

Have Daredevil and the Punisher finally brought the old Marvel television magic back — or has the MCU moved on without them?

Luke Deckard and Matthew Booth investigate Verhoeven’s 1987 classic, exploring its savage satire of corporate America, privatisation, consumer culture, sensationalist news and a society increasingly obsessed with violence and entertainment

In this episode of Cinema Sleuths, we investigate the strange era when two wildly different Sherlock Holmes franchises became mega-hits at almost exactly the same time.

What went wrong with the early summer blockbusters, from Disclosure Day to Supergirl?

Did Robert Altman misunderstand Chandler’s iconic detective? Or did he create one of the most fascinating reinventions of the noir detective story? Luke Deckard and Matthew Booth investigate Altman’s The Long Goodbye, exploring Elliott Gould’s brilliantly unconventional Marlowe!

Burton’s Planet of the Apes remains one of the most fascinating blockbuster misfires of the early 2000s. But was the film really as bad as its reputation suggests? In this episode, we investigate the troubled road to Planet of the Apes, exploring the many attempts to revive the classic science-fiction franchise before Tim Burton finally took the reins.