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"Summer Sweeps" concludes, with a look at Universal's 2009 attempt to launch another series of big-budget dinosaur adventure movies. This time, they turned to a cult-classic 70s television series from famed producers and puppeteers, Sid & Marty Krofft. But by giving the movie a comedic bent the show never had, and by trading in the practical FX of the original for glossy CGI, did the filmmakers behind Land of the Lost truly pay tribute to the source material, or potentially disrespect it? We discuss this, the merits of juvenile humor, whether Will Ferrell could ever transition to pure drama, and much more. So join us for this final "Summer Sweeps" entry before our 100th Episode spectacular!
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"Summer Sweeps" rolls right along, as we turn our attention to the cinematic adaptation of Get Smart, the popular 60s television spy-spoof from comic legends Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. For the movie version, Hollywood recruited heavy-hitters such as Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, and even Dwayne "Franchise Viagra" Johnson, and were rewarded with a genuine hit. So why didn't the success of the film spawn the hoped-for franchise? What's the deal with straight-to-video spin-off films? How much Subway product placement is too much Subway product placement? And, most importantly, does the Get Smart movie live up to the comedic legacy of the original series? We discuss all this, and more!
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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"Summer Sweeps" rolls on, with our look at Michael Mann's 2006 adaptation of his classic '80s detective series, Miami Vice. Coming back to the property that played a big part in making his Hollywood career, and doing so with a recently minted movie star in Colin Farrell and recent Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx, probably seemed like a can't-lose scenario for Mann. But the movie version of Miami Vice was a notoriously chaotic and even dangerous production, before the film itself was released to lackluster box-office and confused reactions from audiences and critics alike, many of whom seem befuddled the film was so different than the show that inspired it. In recent years, the movie has been reclaimed by a devoted cult of fans who say it was simply ahead of its time. So who's right - the Vice-heads, or the original detractors?
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Our "Summers Sweep" look at failed movie adaptations of classic TV series continues, with one of the more "movies that time forgot" entries we've ever covered: the 1999 update of the late 60s/early 70s, "youth-delinquents-turned-undercover-cops" detective series, The Mod Squad. Despite an impressive cast - including Claire Danes, Omar Epps, Giovanni Ribisi, Dennis Farina, Josh Brolin, and Richard Jenkins - the Mod Squad movie still failed to make much of an impact with critics or audiences at the time of its release...or in the years since. Could it be that trying to update a premise so inextricably tied to a particular time-period and youth movement was a bad idea? We ponder this question and more, while also discussing the importance of exposition in origin stories, the value of commercial tie-ins with Levis Jeans, and the risks of "going Full Ribisi." So take a listen, if you can dig it, daddy-o.
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May is here, and that means it's time for "Summer Sweeps," a five-episode look at failed cinematic adaptations of classic television series. First up, The Avengers. No, not those Avengers! We're talking about the 1998 attempted-blockbuster, starring Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, and Sean Connery, based on the cult-classic British spy action-comedy series of the '60s. While the original show - which had a fascinating development history - was popular in both the UK and North America, and made stars out of both Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg, the '98 movie was, well, less well-received. But what went wrong? Does the movie manage to capture the campy-charm of its source material? Can the entirety of a decade-spanning, ever-evolving series really be encapsulated in a 90-minute movie? And is there a potentially more successful longer-cut of the film, waiting to be seen? We discuss all this, and more!
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"Evil Easter" concludes, with a look at 2013's Evil Dead...uhhh, remake? Reboot? Re-imagining? Look, whatever you want to call it, it's another movie where a bunch of kids in a cabin get murdered by demonic forces, okay? The question is, without the franchise's beloved, iconic leading man, Bruce Campbell, and with series director Sam Raimi now just in a producer role instead of in the director's chair, could new director Fede Alvarez and a brand new cast manage to capture the bloody-good-time spirit of the original trilogy? And what tone would the 2013 entry even aim for, given the tonal smorgasbord of the first three movies? Come with us as we head to the cabin, stupidly read from the obviously evil book, and seek to answer these questions, and more.
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Our "Evil Easter" month kicks off with Evilspeak, from 1981...or, uh, 1982. Look, we'll explain. All you need to know is this a Satanic Panic-fueled story of a bullied young cadet at a military academy who uses an Apple II computer to translate the Latin passages in a mysterious old book he finds, in the process allowing demonic forces to take over the computer, and - eventually - him, as well. Yeah, yeah, a really common story, but this one has Clint Howard in his first movie leading role! A gory cult classic that was intense enough to end up on the infamous UK "Video Nasties" list, Evilspeak still didn't manage to earn any sequels, even in a decade quick to create supernatural-slasher franchises when it could. So, what happened? We discuss this, as well as our thoughts on the film, and Clint Howard as a performer, in general.
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"Monster March Madness" concludes with our look at 2007's totally-normal-named Dragon Wars: D-War, the first South Korean film to receive a wide theatrical release in North America! Wow, with a fact like that, it must be something special, right? Well, yeah, sorta...just not in the way you might think. Join us as we discuss the film's, uh, interesting writer/director, Shim Hyung-rae, before delving into Dragon Wars' FX, characters, and narrative decisions. Take our word for it...this is a wild one.
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We're kicking off "Monster March Madness," a month dedicated to giant monster movies, with one of the biggest movies (literally) we've looked at yet, the first American attempt at adapting Godzilla as a Hollywood blockbuster. The Japanese Godzilla series is one of the longest-running, most successful film franchises in cinema history. So what could go wrong when you choose the director of a recent smash-hit sci-fi summer blockbuster and let him loose on the property, armed with cutting-edge Hollywood FX? Well, almost the entire Godzilla fanbase could answer that one for you, but we're gonna discuss it, too! And we're not doing it alone. For this episode, we've recruited two very special guests who are no strangers to this movie or Godzilla, in general - the hosts of the Kaiju Transmissions Podcast, Kyle Byrd & Matt Parmley. So join us for an epic podcast crossover as we talk unsold toys, extreme usage of Simpsons cast-members, Jurassic Park comparisons, and more.
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The Kaiju Transmissions Podcast
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"FRIENDruary" concludes, with our look at the 2018 robotic-dog movie that we swear actually exists! No, really! Based on a Kickstarter-funded short film, A.X.L. is yet another movie that combines robo-dogs with the gritty world of off-road motorbike racing. But even if you're sick of that old chestnut, maybe you'll like it more with a little helping of The Punisher himself, Thomas Jane?? Well, maybe not, but even still, why not sit back and listen to our discussion of the movie, as we try to figure out if writer/director Oliver Daly's gamble to turn his short into a big-screen adventure paid off....creatively, if not financially.
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We're kicking off "FRIENDruary" with a look at Paul Rudd's "favorite" movie, 1988's Mac & Me. Both a shameless rip-off of Steven Spielberg's E.T. AND a shameless fast-food commercial disguised as a movie, Mac & Me is that special sort of crazy that only Hollywood in the 80s could give us. Over the years, it's developed quite the cult following, but does it truly deserve it? We discuss that question, as well as the thin line between "cute" and "terrifying," the unbelievable alternate ending, and more. So join us for a McDonald's Dance Party and listen on!
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The "New Year's Punishment Party" concludes, with our look at 2008's Punisher: War Zone, Frank Castle's final big-screen adventure (to date). In the wake of 2004's Punisher film, attempts were made to create a sequel starring Thomas Jane, but over time the project evolved into a brand-new reboot with a different (and controversial) director, different leading-man, different continuity, and a vastly different tone. Starring the late, great Ray Stevenson, War Zone is an over-the-top, colorful, campy, and extremely bloody take on the Marvel Comics anti-hero. But is this wild swing of a movie truly in the spirit of the character, or is it the misguided mess many critics accused it of being at the time? Listen on to find out our thoughts.
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The "New Year's Punishment Party" continues, as we take a look at the second big-screen Punisher adaptation, from 2004, starring Thomas Jane and John Travolta. Made as the character was enjoying a second-wave of popularity in the comics world, and produced right on the cusp of the incoming box-office and cultural dominance of comic-book movies, The Punisher (2004) is an interesting snapshot of a strange time for the genre. But does this one get the character right? Does it improve on the lesser-known 1989 version? Does he actually wear the skull logo?? Well, yes, I'll answer that one right now...he does. Join us as we discuss the film's wild tonal swings, the eclectic mix of supporting characters, and the unique revenge plot (and whether or not said plot truly feels like a Punisher movie).
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Failure to Franchise is kicking off 2024 with our "New Year's Punishment Party!" No, it's not a weird S&M thing, ya freaks! Instead, we're spending January looking at not one, not two, but three failed attempts to start a movie franchise based on one of Marvel Comics most popular (and problematic) characters, Frank Castle, AKA the violent vigilante known as The Punisher. First up, we travel back to 1989, the year of Tim Burton's Batman, to look at the year's other comic book movie about a black-clad avenger. What's that? You don't remember another one? That's probably because 1989's The Punisher, starring Dolph Lundgren, was unceremoniously dumped straight-to-video in the US, and is largely forgotten today. But does the first cinematic Punisher movie deserve such a fate, or is it an underappreciated 80s action classic?
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The third annual "Failure to Franchise Presents Trev and Chris-Mas" wraps up (see what I did there?) with a look at 1999's The Thomas Crown Affair, a remake of the 1968 classic heist movie starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. This time around, the titular main character is played by Pierce Brosnan, taking a break from his then current role as James Bond (heard of it?), to try to add another blockbuster franchise under his belt. But despite bringing Rene Russo and Denis Leary along for the ride, getting acclaimed action director John McTiernan to helm the project, and the movie being a box-office success, Brosnan's hopes for a new franchise were still left unrealized. So what happened? Join us as we close out 2023 by discussing that very question, as well as our own thoughts on the film.
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The Third Annual "Failure to Franchise Presents: Trev & Chris-Tmas" kicks off with Trev's present for Chris - a critically acclaimed but audience-ignored neo-noir comic crime-thriller from a celebrated screenwriter and starring two beloved movie stars. So why the heck did The Nice Guys sink like a fish at the box office in 2016? We're here to try to figure it out, as we discuss writer/director Shane Black's distinctive aesthetic, the comic abilities of Ryan Gosling, why a bigger Russell Crowe might be a better Russell Crowe, and how a 12-year-old girl can maybe be the biggest badass in a movie full of tough-talking criminals, bruisers, and detectives.
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Our "DCPU" series concludes, with the most recent movie we have ever covered! That's right, we're going all the way back to, uh, earlier this year, for an in-depth look at the looong-in-the-works superhero epic, The Flash. Why are we already so confident this one will be a non-starter? Well, between the change in DC cinema leadership since its release, the multiple controversies surrounding the lead actor, and the lackluster box office, it seems a safe bet! But that's only scratching the surface of things to talk about, as we also discuss the film's questionable FX, awkward humor, nostalgia bait, arguably-ghoulish usage of deceased actors, and how weird it is to have a movie featuring beloved actor Michael Keaton return to his iconic Batman role and have it barely make a dent in the public consciousness! But of course, the question is...did we like it?? Listen on and find out. Plus, we end the show by gifting each other our next two movies, as we prepare for our annual "Failure to Franchise presents Trev & Chris-tmas."
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Over ten years in development. A narrative connection to a recently successful superhero franchise starter, Shazam. And a globally beloved megastar in the lead role. And yet none of that could keep 2022's Black Adam from becoming the next entry in our "DCPU" series. So what exactly went wrong with this long-in-the-works entry about one of DC's biggest anti-heroes? How much blame can fall onto that leading man, Dwayne Johnson, who promised to change the hiearchy of the DC universe, but instead walked away from the experience looking more fragile than ever before? And just how dirty did they do Henry Cavill? We discuss all this, and more, as we once again consider whether Johnson's "franchise Viagra" moniker is truly deserved.
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Happy HALoween!! Light your GREEN jack-o-LANTERN, and join us for an extra spooky(?) episode, as we continue our trip through the "DCPU" with 2011's Green Lantern. That's right, the superhero debacle so infamous, even its own star still frequently mocks it today. But how did a comic book movie released at the height of the character's comic popularity, and at a time when superhero movies were undeniably on the rise, end up such a pop culture punching bag? And is the reputation deserved? We discuss these questions, and more!
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Our look at the "DC-PU" continues, with Superman Returns, directed by...uhh, never mind. The film stars Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, and...uhhh...never mind about that, also. Look, clearly this isn't the easiest movie to talk about that we've ever done, for obvious reasons. But it IS, nonetheless, an important part of the history of arguably the most iconic superhero of them all - an attempt to resurrect and reboot a failed franchise and send it soaring to new heights. But was it perhaps too weighed down by its adherence to what came before?
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