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Halloween might be over but the (genuinely) scary stories that Benas brings from Lithuania are just beginning. So although we might be late to the pumpkin carving,  the goods are still here as we tackle Robin Hardys landmark horror movie The Wicker Man (1973). Serving as the inspiration for so many movies after it, not least of which being Hot Fuzz, The Wicker Man, when you watch it from a remote house in Scotland where this podcast was recorded from, is a genuinely frightening film. The lack of so many horror elements is paradoxically why it works so well, the little to no music, stilted acting, no overly dark scenes or jump scares. Just a slow, crawling horror that gets under your skin. A little like the creaking door that kept joining as our fifth member. Enjoy. 

  We’re exploding back on the scene with our most explosive debut where half the narrative revolves around explosions as explosions try to outdo other explosions in J. J. Abrams explosive debut Mission Impossible Three (2006). Its hard to imagine a film this large is a debut, but it set the tone for the rest of the franchise that continues to this day. From Lost, to getting lost in Lost, to wondering what exactly actually happened in Lost, JJ made a huge jump into mainstream filmmaking with MI3 and continued the trend into Star Wars. Stay tuned for Tom Cruise dressed as a nun doing questionable Italian accents and Benas Serrano Ham angle that made little to no sense. Enjoy.

We asked the ultimate question. Could AI direct? But literally though, could it actually direct? How would it work? Would it spit out garbage? Could it be creative? Direct actors? Squash producers? Work with a budget? Make something good?  If you want to feel like you plugged your head into The Matrix whilst simultaneously having your brain whisked like scrambled eggs this is the episode for you. We go from the hilarious nonsensical scripts AI has pumped out to the bleeding edge of human consciousness, even throwing in an IWAAD (which is probably the most terrifying one we’ve ever had). We’ve also upped our production value just a tad - though you’ll have to listen to find out what. We can neither confirm nor deny it is/not including excerpts from films. Seriously...who'd have the audacity to do that? 

If you would have invented YNFYF, you would have invented YNFYF. But you didn’t. Thankfully we did, and if you can handle the truth of the witty quips and constant repetition we’re bringing this ep, then you’ll discover the truth of Aaron Sorkins debut, Mollys Game (2017). We’re no stranger to writer turned directors, but this particular case was unique given Sorkin is such a strong writer. Crafting his unique dialogue in films such as Steve Jobs, Moneyball, The Social Network - also that little mini series the West Wing - no matter who he works with, his voice finds its way to dominate the films he writes. Mollys Game follows the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target. Sounds pretty Sorkin-ey. Drenched in so much legal speak we needed Louis on top form to dissect what the f**k was being talked about half the time. Enjoy. 

GRAB YOUR UNCUT GEMS as we’ve gone to the underbelly of New York in search of The Safdie Brothers and their debut film, Daddy LongLegs (2009). The film follows a father looking after his two kids, which, if you think sounds like an anomaly in the high octane, ‘underbelly of society’ types of films the Safdies make, then you’d be mistaken. In fact the film contains the very DNA of that nervous energy, bizarre characterisations and boots on the ground type of filmmaking the Safdies are synonymous with. The main actor of Daddy Longlegs, Ronald Bronstein, is essentially ‘the third Safdie brother’ acting as a co-writer and editor on all their films. If that filled your knowledge gaps, then dive on in to our neon soaked room, spend time with some shifty characters (Sparrow), and hear some stories that will keep the anxiety levels so high, you’ll be awake all night after listening. Either that, or you’re like Benas, a stone cold film-watcher (more on that in the ep). Enjoy.

What does a debut film podcast talk about, when it’s not debut films? In and amongst the wealth of first films we cover, we’re going to occasionally pepper in what we’re referring to as ‘hangout eps’ (name pending…) extra eps that are around directing and filmmaking, spurred by questions we find interesting. This is a total experiment for us, just like when Hans Zimmer insisted on playing loud horns in Inception every 5 minutes, and look how that turned out!    You may have wondered from time to time what on earth a directors cut is (isn’t every film a directors cut?), how they come to exist, and if you’re obsessed with mentioning streaming giants every episode like us, wonder where  the future of them lies as directors are given more and more autonomy when working with streamers. This was a really fun one to record, and we hope its as fun to listen back to. 🎬    Website: www.youneverforgetyourfirst.com

NEW EP! We’ve gone and Super Sized this weeks podcast ep for you as we delve into the 2004 documentary Super Size Me directed by Morgan Spurlock. It turns out all you need is a Big Mac and a camera to bring down the big corps, plus the digestive system of a T-Rex to weather the health storm from all that Super Sizing. The now iconic doc was far reaching and influential, having a lasting impact on our relationship with fast food and the industry’s treatment of it. To think the budget was a mere $65,000 (probably most going on McDonalds) and yet it garnered international fame, becoming Oscar nominated and winning the grand jury prize for directing at Sundance. All for just eating McDonalds for 30 days. It cant be that hard, right guys? ….guys?  Website: www.youneverforgetyourfirst.com

Join us as we do what we do every episode, which is explore the lives of others, except this time we really are exploring the actual film, The Lives of Others (2006) directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. This is an exceptional debut that feels like a fourth or fifth film from an already established filmmaker. The film takes place in 1984 East Berlin, telling the story of a Stasi officer who listens in on a writer and his lover, and becomes increasingly absorbed by their lives. Hopefully, you’ll listen in here and become increasingly absorbed yourself. In the pod. Not in our lives. Enjoy.

Join us in an epic journey back to 1950’s America, where we gave each other nicknames like Benas-whooping-y’all and Louis-loose-lips-Lunts, repeated the phrase ‘baking biscuits’ about a thousand times, and tried to figure out what the hell that on-going sound is, in Andrew Pattersons debut film The Vast of Night (2019). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A high ambition paired with a low budget means Andrew Patterson needed to deploy all the DIY tricks in the book, (as well as make up new ones) from an inventive one shot using a go kart, to hiring unknown actors who brought a freshness to the roles (who nailed it btw) to choosing a new angle on a worn genre. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The OG crew are back together in this episode, with one of us only having watched Saving Private Ryan for the first time (yes, we are a serious film pod thanks) to of course mentioning the Netflix price hike and the obligatory Nolan mention. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀IWAADs this week included the phrase ‘spilling avocados on the road’ - you can’t make this stuff up, or maybe you can, if you’re Benas. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Happy listening, enjoy. 

We’ve started 2021 strong with a blinding ray of indie film goodness, so strong we could barely see each other as we recorded this very episode, in the form of Little Miss Sunshine (2006) directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris.    The history of how this film was conceived, written, produced, and the 5 years it spent in development hell, including firing and re-hiring writer Micheal Arndt, is anything less than a sunny experience. Throw Jonathon and Valerie in for being responsible in bringing Red Hot Chilli Peppers to the masses, essentially directing all their hit music videos you grew up on, and you start to build a picture of why this film is a knockout debut film.    Featuring a stellar cast such as Steve Carrell before he was Steve Carrell, Paul Dano before he was Paul Dano, and Bryan Cranston before he was Bryan Cranston (yes, he makes a cameo, hence why you should rewatch it). With Greg Kinnear nailing the comedic timing and Toni Collette always bringing a solid performance, and you wonder how an indie film managed to get such a great cast (hint: write a damn good script and grab people before they come unfairly famous).   We had our own recasting for this episode in the form of Doms oldest friend, Will! No, Will is not 90 years old, he is in fact a very knowledgable filmmaker who is the very reason we’re doing this film, and he came on the pod to throw down some serious knowledge bombs, so big we actually had to take cover a few times. He also helped drive the VW mini van that is YNFYF. Turns out his parking is as great as his film knowledge.   Happy listening, enjoy.

A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL FOR YOU ALL 🎄🎅 Even though 2020 has swung one final time in an attempt to take away all tradition, we swing back to instil some normality by asking the age old question “Is Die Hard a Christmas film?” Directed by John McTiernan and released in the hot summer of 1988, (despite having a Christmas themed plot) Die Hard is at the center of the yearly festive film debate. To add a spin on this well known question, two of the four members of this very podcast only just watched Die Hard for the first time. Yeah…that almost warrants a whole episode in itself. We have loved making episodes this year and hope you have enjoyed them too. Thanks to everyone who has listened, stay safe there is plenty more to come and until then…YIPPEE KI YAY MOFOS!

NEW EP 🥜 on Peanut Butter Falcon (2019), a genuine, heartfelt debut by Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz, starring the sensation that is Zack Gottsagen. The film follows Zack as he runs away from his care home to achieve his dream of becoming a wrestler. With great performances by Shia Labeouf and Dakota Johnson, and nuanced direction by the duo, they knock this film out of the park.  We challenge you to hate this film (spoiler: you’ll love it) 🎬

We headed back to 1999 and dived inside Spike Jonze’s head, who dived inside Charlie Kaufman’s head, who dived inside John Malkovich’s head, to bring you our episode on Spikes Jonze’s directorial debut, Being John Malkovich. A peculiar but highly entertaining film that can be read in so many ways, with John Malkovich putting his very name above the door. Thank god it did well. It’s amazing to realise that Spike Jonze, despite being a household name, has only directed 4 features. His illustrious career as a music video and short film director has almost brought as much credibility to his talents as his features (which are still impeccable). Even before tackling Being John Malkovich, he was a sought after director with a penchant for unusual ideas and visuals, ultimately making him perfect for the job of dissecting writer Charlie Kaufman’s film. So join us as we jump inside John Malkovich, as well as jumping inside the cinema vs streaming debate (when do we never) to dissect one of the most original films we’ve taken apart, as well as hearing Louis’ theory on the building schematics for the 7 1/2 floor.  Enjoy.   @ynfyfpod   www.youneverforgetyourfirst.com  

INTERVIEW ALERT 🚨 Beneath the glitzy summer blockbusters where Superheroes showdown and streaming networks serving up 10 episodes to beam into your eyeballs in one night, is a whole world of low budget, do-it-yourself, balls to the wall filmmaking. These are films shot on next to nothing, made with a sheer passion for telling stories with a camera, and we’re happy to say we have a shining example of this in Spyder Dobrofsky’s Spiral (2019) Dunked in the DNA of Darren Aronofsky’s PI (1998) and Christopher Nolan’s Following (1998), Spiral follows Ben, who is tricked into smoking laced weed by his new neighbour and must survive a drug trip with life or death consequences. The film is a true achievement of low-budget filmmaking, and a very good watch that we highly recommend.  We were lucky enough to chat to Spyder about the film, his process and how to operate in the industry we call Hollywood as a writer. Of course it wouldn’t be a YNFYF ep if we didn’t geek out on Nolan, Tarkovsky and all things filmmaking. This episodes a special one, and if you’re in need of a creative boost with writing, filmmaking or just want to feel more inspired, this is the episode for you. We’ll be linking Spiral in our bio to watch for free on YouTube, so give it a watch and then listen to the ep. And give @spyderdobro a follow! Enjoy.  @ynfyfpod www.youneverforgetyourfirst.com

Before Catfish: The TV show which Nev presents, unveiling Catfishes all over the states, he was in fact Catfished himself, documented by directors Ariel Schulman (his brother) and Henry Joost in Catfish: The Movie (2010). In the film, Nev is in contact with a family over Facebook, who him and his friends soon realise might not be who they say they are. Despite this unsettling premise, perhaps the most scary part of re-watching this decade old documentary is how much people used to use Facebook to seemingly update the world on the most evidently boring parts of their life. In a strange way, Catfish actually exposes how much Facebook has changed, from status updates asking you what you had for breakfast, to TELL US YOUR POLITICAL LEANINGS. NOW. Ultimately Catfish is a positive piece of film, that shows us we’re all a lot better when we’re honest. Like when Louis admits on this very episode he may well have been Catfished himself when he was 12 years old (admit it, who wasn’t on MSN messenger). This is also our first documentary, and we spend an inordinate amount of time discussing the difference between a film and doc, when we probably should have just been reviewing the film. Anyway, you’ve seen what we really look like, right? Guys…..guys? Happy listening.  @ynfyfpod www.youneverforgetyourfirst.com

Come on a journey with us back to July, when we were experiencing a heatwave so strong Benas may have actually passed out during recording, the background noise courtesy of a passing train that had seemingly little explanation, and a cat (Nessie) that just wanted to express its cinematic opinion, and you’ve got our episode on David Fincher’s Alien 3 (1992). Thats right, this our first real life episode in months, so we felt compelled through the sweat to tackle a beast of a director with a very interesting directorial debut.   On first glance Alien 3 stands out in Fincher’s filmography, and you’d be forgiven for thinking everyone else besides Fincher directed it. Under the surface of those pesky acid spraying Aliens are some of the trademarks of the now iconic director that can be found in his later films. At just 29 when production started, as well as the supposed troubled production itself, we go deep on Fincher and maybe, just maybe, we talk about Fight Club.  

Are things always as they appear? You might take one glance at Only You (2018) on Netflix and assume this is a cheesy romance film where the guy gets the girl at last minute in the airport. In fact, Benas did and we had to strap him to a chair and run some Clockwork Orange moves on his eyes so he would watch it. But we’re getting away from the point here. Harry Wootliff’s Only You is a raw, delicately crafted debut that might have slipped you by (despite winning two BIFAs).  A curveball suggestion by Louis that sent the pod crew getting all emotional, in whats been our closest episode to an actual therapy session on relationships, the film follows Jake and Elena as their relationship blossoms, before tackling one of the most challenging obstacles anyone has to encounter. Harry Wootliff has not only written characters that reflect actual people you might know in real life, but has explored the subject of intimacy in a way that feels fresh and important. You might even hear Benas come round to a film about relationships. Imagine that.  With no Sparrow this episode Dom, Louis and Benas pick up the slack, but rest assured, the Me and Earl-loving-currently-Malick-Obsessed-Film-Lover will be back next episode throwing out the usual gems. Happy listening, enjoy. 

What if we told you that Chris Evans isn’t the real Captain America? And that whenever you see Cap throwing himself into some insane situation, you’re actually seeing our friend Sam Hargrave don the helmet and shield, as he is in fact Caps stuntman (yes even superheroes need stunt men). Now he’s stopped throwing himself into the ring, and is instead throwing another Chris (Hemsworth) in instead, with his first film, Extraction. (2020).   The most recent film we’ve done on the pod to date, we thought we’d make our first foray into the world of action cinema with this stunt-orientated action thriller by stuntman turned directer, Sam Hargrave. He’s also in the film as the guy with the huge beard, you really can’t miss him. The Avengers connections don’t stop there, as this film is written by the Russo Brothers, who’ve directed the past few Avengers films (including the biggest film of all time…no biggie).   Also featured is a chat about why there should be a Stunt oscars, Sparrow giving the fans what they want with his latest updates, as well as Benas assuring us that Micheal Jordan smoking cigars after matches was totally normal and didn’t affect his play at all.    Miraculously no one was harmed in the making of this episode and all stunts were performed by 4 unprofessional people.   Happy listening, enjoy. 

What creates a cult classic film? Some say its being ripped apart to shreds by critics on release. Others say it’s a notoriously bad theatrical run never recouping the budget. Bruce Robinson says it’s out of work actors and an appetite for lots of alcohol. And possibly lighter fluid.  Enter Withnail and I (1987) which follows two substance abusing unemployed actors in 1969. Almost unbelievable this is a first directorial effort, it’s also the first appearance of Richard E Grant and Paul McGann in a feature film. Based on director Bruce Robinsons own experiences in the 60’s with his late friend Vivian Mackerell (whom Withnail is based on), the film is often remembered for its ability to be so quotable. After all, few films have so deftly described a hangover as feeling “like a pig shat on my head”.  Thought bubbling beneath the surface is both an intricately rendered portrait of Britain at the end of the 60’s, and the giving up of your dreams due to no fault of anything but yourself. Either that, or it’s two drunk men being preposterous on camera. We’ll let you decide, after all, we want the finest podcasts available to humanity, we want them here and we want them now! So here you go. Link in bio.  

In a few short years, J D Dillard has gone from being a receptionist at Bad Robot (J. J. Abrams production company) to having 2 features under his belt, and is (possibly) on his way to developing a Star Wars project.  You may not know who J D Dillard is. Thats OK, because theres a whole podcast here on the man himself. A true indie filmmaker in the eyes of YNFYF, his first film, Sleight (2016), follows street magician Bo as he is left to care for his younger sister. A genre blend thats part superhero, part sci fi and a whole lot of low-budget indie, Sleight is inspired by Dillards own experiences growing up learning magic. For the first time in 2 episodes, the original 4 are back together to do what they do best - tackle low budget indie flicks. And yes, for long time fans, that means Blumhouse is no doubt getting a shout out.