This week on Breaking Waves, John and Riley return for another deep dive into cinema, exploring what makes a film truly iconic, how movie genres evolve and why certain characters, scenes and soundtracks become part of popular culture.

Building on their previous discussion of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, John and Riley begin by asking what makes a movie iconic. Sometimes a film becomes so influential that people recognise its music, characters and famous scenes before they have even watched the original. From references in classic Looney Tunes cartoons to modern animated comedies such as Family Guy, the conversation explores how movies influence the wider entertainment landscape.

The discussion then turns to film genres and cinematic archetypes. John and Riley consider how films such as Jaws, The Godfather and The Matrix came to define their respective genres, even though they were not necessarily the first movies to explore those ideas. They also discuss the distinctive styles of filmmakers including Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa, alongside Francis Ford Coppola’s Rumble Fish and The Outsiders.

The second half of the episode takes a closer look at horror movie history, tracing the development of the slasher genre from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho through The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween, Friday the 13th and Scream.

Join John and Riley for a lively exploration of film history, popular culture and the movies that continue to shape our imaginations.