Bring out your dead… because today we’re resurrecting one of the most gloriously chaotic comedies ever made: Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

In this episode of 100 Things We Learned From Film, which was chosen by Patron Dale, we saddle up (no horses were harmed, because there weren’t any) and charge headfirst into the mud-soaked, coconut-powered madness of Python’s medieval masterpiece.

We cover:

1. 🥥 Why the coconuts weren’t just a joke: they were a budget necessity
2. 💰 How rock legends like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin secretly funded the film
3. ⚔️ The dangerous Black Knight shoot that nearly ended badly (and not just for his limbs)
4. 🐇 The surprisingly expensive Killer Rabbit
5. 🚔 Why the police ending exists… and why they literally ran out of money

From “It’s just a flesh wound!” to “What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”, we dig into the production chaos, casting quirks, historical inaccuracies, and happy accidents that turned a tiny British comedy into one of the most quoted films in cinema history.

Expect mud. Expect mayhem. Expect shrubbery.

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This week at 100 Things Towers, we’re diving headfirst into Brian De Palma’s operatic gangster classic The Untouchables: a film where history takes a back seat and pure cinema grabs the wheel.

We break down:

1. The myth vs reality of Eliot Ness and Al Capone
2. Behind-the-scenes production stories and casting choices
3. Sean Connery’s career-reviving, Oscar-winning performance
4. Why De Palma treated crime like opera, not reportage
5. Iconic moments like the Union Station steps, baseball bats, and moral absolutes

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Rob also wants us to highlight the Stop Portland Incinerator Campaign (SPIC), a grassroots project currently fundraising via Chuffed.org to support independent air-quality monitoring equipment.

SPIC’s aim is to begin their own air-quality monitoring from January 2026, rather than relying solely on self-monitoring by incinerator operators. By gathering baseline data now, the group hopes to make meaningful comparisons in the future and potentially launch a citizen science project, helping local residents better understand the real environmental impact should the incinerator go ahead.

You can find and support the campaign here:

👉 https://chuffed.org/project/spic

We wrap up the original Death Wish series with Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1994) the final theatrical film of action legend Charles Bronson.

Joined once again by Paul Payne of Evil Genius Artworks, we dig into the troubled production, shrinking budgets, Canadian tax breaks, and why this low-key sequel feels more like a farewell than a franchise entry.

From exploding soccer balls to weary vigilantes, we explore how Death Wish V became the quiet end of one of cinema’s most controversial action series.

Like, subscribe, and let us know which vigilante film we should tackle next.

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Death Wish V: The Face of Death is a 1994 American vigilante action-thriller film a sequel to the 1987 film Death Wish 4: The Crackdown and the fifth and final installment in the Death Wish film series, written and directed by Allan A. Goldstein. Charles Bronson reprises his role in both his final theatrical starring role and his final appearance as the character Paul Kersey. In the film, Kersey tries to protect his girlfriend, Olivia Regent (Lesley-Anne Down) from brutal mobsters that are threatening her fashion business.

Steven Soderbergh’s The Limey (1999) isn’t just a revenge film it’s a study of grief, memory, and barely contained rage. Starring Terrence Stamp in one of his most powerful performances, the film follows a father tearing through Los Angeles after the death of his daughter, driven by anger, regret, and unresolved history.

In this episode of 100 Things We Learned From Film, we are joined by friend and regular guest Paul Payne to break down The Limey through behind-the-scenes facts, casting choices, editing decisions, and production stories pulled from respected interviews, commentaries, and film criticism. From Soderbergh’s radical use of non-linear storytelling to the repurposing of Stamp’s 1960s film Poor Cow, this is a deep dive into one of the most emotionally precise crime films of the 1990s.

We explore why The Limey feels so different from traditional revenge movies, how memory is used as a narrative weapon, and why Terrence Stamp’s Wilson might just be the angriest dad in cinema history.

Whether you’re revisiting the film or discovering it for the first time, this video looks at why The Limey remains one of Steven Soderbergh’s most daring and underrated works.

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The Limey is a 1999 American crime film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs. The film features Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, Barry Newman, Nicky Katt, Joe Dallesandro, and Peter Fonda.[2] The plot concerns an English career criminal (Stamp) who travels to the United States to investigate the recent suspicious death of his daughter. It was filmed on location in Los Angeles and Big Sur.

Critical reception was positive, but the film was not a financial success upon release. The film was nominated for five Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Stamp and Guzmán were nominated for Best Male Lead and Best Supporting Male Lead respectively.

Liam Neeson didn’t just make an action film: He accidentally reinvented himself, launched a franchise, and created an entire genre of extremely motivated dads. When Taken arrived in 2008, it looked like a modest European thriller: short runtime, simple premise, middle-aged lead actor, and no interest in subtlety. What it became was a cultural hand grenade redefining modern action cinema and turning a respected dramatic actor into one of the most unlikely action icons of the 21st century. In this episode of 100 Things We Learned From Film, we pull Taken apart piece by piece from it's famously calm phone threat to its frantic editing, lean storytelling, and unexpectedly huge box office impact. We dig into how the film was never meant to be a hit, why its most famous scene nearly didn’t survive the edit, and how a €25 million thriller ended up reshaping what audiences expect from action heroes. We also explore Taken’s roots in vigilante cinema, its uncomfortable real-world inspirations, and how it functions as a modern echo of films like Death Wish grief, rage, and moral simplicity stripped down to their rawest form. This is a film built on efficiency: no subplots, no excess, no distractions. Just a father, a ticking clock, and a very particular set of skills.

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Taken is a 2008 English-language French action-thriller film directed by Pierre Morel and written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. It stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Katie Cassidy, Holly Valance and Famke Janssen. In the film, Bryan Mills, an ex-CIA officer, sets out to track down his teenage daughter Kim and her best friend Amanda after they are kidnapped by Albanian human traffickers while on vacation in France. Taken was released in France on February 27, 2008. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and was a financial success, grossing $226 million against a $25 million budget. Numerous media outlets cited the film as a turning point in Neeson's career that redefined him as an action star. It also launched a franchise, consisting of two sequels and a television series.

We're Back with episode 200! Some said we'd never make it, others said we shouldn't have bothered...

Event Horizon is remembered as a cult sci-fi horror classic: but the film released in 1997 is only part of the story.

In this episode of 100 Things We Learned From Film, we dive deep into the making of Event Horizon, uncovering the disturbing behind-the-scenes history, the missing footage that may never be recovered, and the far darker film audiences almost saw.

We explore how Paul W.S. Anderson set out to make a “haunted house in space,” why test screenings terrified studio executives, and how entire sequences of extreme imagery were cut — then quietly lost. From gothic spaceship design inspired by cathedrals, to rushed post-production, to the film’s journey from box-office disappointment to beloved cult nightmare, this is the full story of one of the most infamous sci-fi horrors ever made.

We also break down the cast, the infamous “visions of hell,” the production chaos, and why a true director’s cut of Event Horizon is almost certainly impossible.

If you’ve ever wondered why this film feels so uniquely unsettling or what horrors were left on the cutting-room floor this episode has you covered.

⚠️ Listener discretion advised.

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Strap in, Marines — this week we’re heading back to LV-426 to break down every flamethrower-lit, pulse-rifle-blazing detail of James Cameron’s sci-fi masterpiece Aliens. From behind-the-scenes chaos to creature design breakthroughs, from production meltdowns to legendary on-set stories, we’re pulling together 100 of the wildest, weirdest and most fascinating facts about one of the greatest sequels ever made.

Joining us is special guest Geoff Harmer — filmmaker, VFX-savvy genre storyteller and creator of indie sci-fi and horror shorts — bringing his insight into how Cameron’s practical effects, world-building and relentless pacing turned Aliens into a masterclass in tension and spectacle. Expect talk of Stan Winston wizardry, those iconic power-loader shots, cast bonding (and clashes), and brand-new revelations from the 2025 documentary that cracked open even more hive secrets.

Catch all our episodes, merch, and extras at 100thingswelearnedfromfilm.co.uk and support the show — plus unlock bonus content — over on our patreon.com/100thingsfilm

It’s guns, goo, guts, and geekery. Game over? Not a chance. We’re just getting started.

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Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film written and directed by James Cameron. It is the sequel to the 1979 science fiction horror film Alien, and the second film in the Alien franchise. Set in the far future, it stars Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, the sole survivor of an alien attack on her ship. When communications are lost with a human colony on the moon where her crew first encountered the alien creatures, Ripley agrees to return to the site with a unit of Colonial Marines to investigate. Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, and Carrie Henn are featured in supporting roles.

Despite the success of Alien, its sequel took years to develop due to lawsuits, a lack of enthusiasm from 20th Century Fox, and repeated management changes. Although relatively inexperienced, Cameron was hired to write a story for Aliens in 1983 on the strength of his scripts for The Terminator (1984) and Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). The project stalled again until new Fox executive Lawrence Gordon pursued a sequel. On an approximately $18.5 million budget, Aliens began principal photography in September 1985 and concluded in January 1986. The film's development was tumultuous and rife with conflicts between Cameron and the British crew at Pinewood Studios. The difficult shoot affected the composer, James Horner, who was given little time to record the music.

Aliens was released on July 18, 1986, to critical acclaim. Reviewers praised its action, but some criticized the intensity of certain scenes. Weaver's performance garnered consistent praise along with those of Bill Paxton and Jenette Goldstein. The film received several awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Weaver at a time when the science-fiction genre was generally overlooked. It earned $131.1–183.3 million during its theatrical run, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 1986 worldwide.

This week we’re stepping into the neon-soaked, paranoia-driven world of Strange Days — Kathryn Bigelow’s bold and prophetic 1995 tech noir. We explore the POV filming breakthroughs, the real-world riot influences, Angela Bassett’s powerhouse performance, Ralph Fiennes’ sleazy charm, and the film’s eerily accurate predictions about surveillance, police power and the turn of the millennium.

We break down 100 surprising facts, production stories, casting discoveries, on-set chaos and why this movie has aged into one of the most relevant cult films of the 90s.

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