Highbrow Lowbrow

Highbrow Lowbrow
  • 5.0 (1)
  • FILM REVIEWS
Highbrow Lowbrow Podcast

Arthouse, Action Movies, Auteur Theory and Adventure Films, Highbrow Lowbrow is the podcast that has it all. Podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery argue about the merits, or lack thereof, of high and low culture. Steve and Dan each pick one film that could be classified as either highbrow or lowbrow and have to defend their choice to each other, even though they know it’s a film the other person hates. Get ready for some good-natured debates, verbal jousting and celebrity gossip that will get you thinking about the films you adore and the reasons you love them.

  1. Olivia De Havilland Special: The Snake Pit vs. Lady In A Cage

    AUG 6

    Olivia De Havilland Special: The Snake Pit vs. Lady In A Cage

    Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture. In this special episode devoted to the pioneering acting career of Olivia de Havilland, we look at two of de Havilland’s standout performances. Dan’s highbrow pick is The Snake Pit, a psychological drama that was both controversial and ground-breaking in its portrayal of mental health issues when it was released in 1948 and still packs a punch today. Steve’s lowbrow choice is Lady In A Cage, in which an electrical fault causes de Havilland to be stranded in her mobility lift, where she is terrorised by a gang of home invaders. We hope our choices pay a fitting tribute to the strength and longevity of de Havilland’s extraordinary career. Beware spoilers and enjoy the show...

    45 min
  2. Christopher Walken Special: At Close Range vs. A View To A Kill

    JUL 27

    Christopher Walken Special: At Close Range vs. A View To A Kill

    Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture. In this special episode devoted to the work of actor/dancer/writer and director Christopher Walken, we look at two of Walken’s finest performances. Dan’s highbrow pick is At Close Range, in which Walken’s psychopath gang leader comes undone when his son, played by Sean Penn, does not inherit the sins of the father. Steve’s lowbrow choice is the James Bond film A View To A Kill, in which he argues that Walken’s performance as the villainous Max Zorin has made this formerly underrated Bond film become one of the most loved additions to the series. We hope our choices do justice to Mr Walken’s extraordinary career. Beware spoilers and enjoy the show...

    40 min
  3. Hammer Special: The Nanny vs. The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death

    JUL 12

    Hammer Special: The Nanny vs. The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death

    Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture. In this episode, we look at two classic Hammer Horror films. Steve’s pick is The Nanny, a chilling psychological thriller in which Bette Davis plays a babysitter that you won’t be rushing out to hire to look after your kids. Dan’s choice is The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death. While he concedes that it is not the most successful take on Susan Hill’s spinetingling tale, it still has enough scares to be worth your time. We hope our choices don’t leave you too afraid of the dark, dear listener. If things get too frightening, keep reminding yourself… it’s only a movie. It’s only a movie. Beware spoilers and the shadows. Enjoy the show...

    37 min
  4. Comedy Special: Noises Off vs. The Tall Guy

    MAR 24

    Comedy Special: Noises Off vs. The Tall Guy

    Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture. In this special comedy-themed episode, we look at two films which are guaranteed to have you rolling in the aisles. Steve’s pick is Noises Off, an adaptation of Michael Frayn’s play within a play in which everything goes horribly and hilariously wrong! Dan’s choice is The Tall Guy, in which Jeff Goldblum’s struggling actor comes to terms with life, love and Weetabix without milk. We hope our rib-tickling choices will leave your sides on the brink of splitting, dear listener. Prepare to turn that frown upside down and, as always, beware spoilers and enjoy the show....

    37 min
  5. Martin Scorsese Special: The Age Of Innocence vs. Bringing Out The Dead

    FEB 29

    Martin Scorsese Special: The Age Of Innocence vs. Bringing Out The Dead

    Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture. In this special episode devoted to the work of Martin Scorsese, we look at two films which have been unjustifiably overlooked in the career of one of the world’s greatest directors. Steve’s pick is The Age of Innocence, in which Daniel Day-Lewis plays a nineteenth-century lawyer torn between true love and the expectations of the high society he belongs to. Dan’s choice is Bringing Out the Dead, which he argues features Nicolas Cage’s greatest performance as a burnt-out paramedic haunted by the ghost of a patient he failed to save as he drives an ambulance through Hell’s Kitchen every night. We hope our choices will drive you back to the more overlooked films in Mr Scorsese’s eclectic career. Beware spoilers and enjoy the show...

    43 min
  6. Biopic Special: Mrs. Parker And The Vicious Circle vs. Anvil! The Story Of Anvil

    JAN 25

    Biopic Special: Mrs. Parker And The Vicious Circle vs. Anvil! The Story Of Anvil

    Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture. In this special biopic-themed episode, we look at two films which celebrate the highs and lows in the lives of artists. Steve’s pick is Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, in which Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the titular Dorothy Parker, a gifted but melancholy writer who spent ten years partying hard with the writers of the Algonquin Round Table. Dan’s choice is the rockumentary Anvil!, which takes a look at the fortunes and misfortunes of Canadian Heavy Metal band Anvil. Once the darlings of the rock world, Anvil have fallen on hard times, but can a new European tour restore them to their former glory? Does fame and success bring the artist happiness?  Listen up, dear listener, and we’ll leave the final decision to you. Beware spoilers and enjoy the show....

    50 min
  7. Peter Weller Special: The New Age vs. Screamers

    JAN 1

    Peter Weller Special: The New Age vs. Screamers

    Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture. In this special episode devoted to the work of Peter Weller, we look at two films which highlight the talents of one of Hollywood's most versatile actors. Steve’s pick is The New Age, in which Peter Weller and Judy Davis play a married yuppie couple who lose all of their money and have to find a new purpose after giving up the finer things in life. Will they find happiness? Steve argues that it's hilarious watching them try. Dan’s choice is the sci-fi flick Screamers, which he argues transcends its genre limitations to become one of the strongest Philip K Dick adaptations ever made for the screen. We hope our choices do Mr Weller justice. Part actor. Part academic. All talent. Beware spoilers and enjoy the show...

    33 min
  8. Christmas Special: Kings And Desperate Men vs. Die Hard 2

    12/25/2023

    Christmas Special: Kings And Desperate Men vs. Die Hard 2

    Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture. In this festive special, Steve is off to Montreal to see if Patrick McGoohan and Alexis Kanner are Kings And Desperate Men in a radio station hostage drama on Christmas Eve. Does it deserve regal status, or should it be clapped in irons? Meanwhile, Dan takes cover as Bruce Willis takes on some terrorists (again) on Christmas Eve (again), this time at Washington DC's Dulles Airport. Does Die Hard 2 start the holiday season with a bang, or is it a damp squib? The final decision, dear listener, is up to you. Beware spoilers. Enjoy the show...

    42 min
See All (41)

Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

About

Arthouse, Action Movies, Auteur Theory and Adventure Films, Highbrow Lowbrow is the podcast that has it all. Podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery argue about the merits, or lack thereof, of high and low culture. Steve and Dan each pick one film that could be classified as either highbrow or lowbrow and have to defend their choice to each other, even though they know it’s a film the other person hates. Get ready for some good-natured debates, verbal jousting and celebrity gossip that will get you thinking about the films you adore and the reasons you love them.

Information

  • Creator
    Highbrow Lowbrow
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Highbrow Lowbrow
  • Show Website
    Highbrow Lowbrow

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada