158: The Sci-Fi Visions of Peter Hyams (with Brandon Streussnig)

Junk Filter

The film writer Brandon Streussnig (Vulture, Fangoria, GQ) joins the pod for a discussion about the undersung director Peter Hyams through four of his science fiction movies across a career full of genre work, films that reveal a singular style can be applied to a craftsman, a former Chicago newsman turned director who also (controversially for his industry) served as his own cinematographer.

His all-star conspiracy theory thriller Capricorn One (1977) established Hyams as a filmmaker who could fuse suspense and science-fiction. He would follow this with 1981’s Outland, a hybrid of Alien and High Noon starring Sean Connery, criticized at the time for being derivative but which rips when seen today, a dystopic vision of a future world ravaged by capitalism on steroids that actually anticipated the themes and production design of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner the following year.

Brandon and I make the case for 2010, Hyams’ 1984 sequel to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, as a worthy followup if not an essential work, offering a hopeful and utopic vision of man’s future contrasted against Kubrick’s colder take. Set against the topical US/Soviet arms race of the Reagan era and packed with thrills, it’s a much better film than you’ve been led to believe. And of course there’s Timecop, the biggest hit Jean-Claude Van Damme ever had.

This episode means to introduce you to the work of Peter Hyams, solid entertainments across many genres and ripe for rediscovery.

Plus: Brandon talks about the second edition of Vulture’s annual Stunt Movie Awards!

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Follow Brandon Streussnig on Twitter.

The Stunt Awards Are Back, by Brandon Streussnig and Bilge Ebiri, for Vulture, January 17, 2024

David Letterman’s Timecop joke, 1994

Peter Hyams trailers

Capricorn One (1977)

Outland (1981)

2010 (1984)

Timecop (1994)