Overhated

This workmanlike action flick came and went back in early 2006, but considering it showcases some strong work from a great director, an immortal action star, and several rock-solid character actors, it definitely seems worthy of a revisit. Big thanks to Sonic Cinema's Brian Skutle (@skutlelemur) for guesting on this one, and thanks to the listeners.

Our Bond guru is back; the legendary Brian Salisbury returns to discuss another frequently lambasted James Bond movie, this time the outer space one. Yep, that one. That highly goofy one that arrived between The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only. It's time to Moonrake.

The wonderful, hilarious Gene Wilder will always be remembered for his work in Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Stir Crazy, and Willy Wonka -- among others, of course -- but the lovable clown also had his fair share of creative misfires. His final effort as director is, depending on who you ask, one such misfire. But it's still a rather difficult movie to dislike, especially if you love (very) old horror movies. Big thanks to my guest Andrew Carden (@AwardsConnect) for suggesting this one! 

It seemed like a pretty safe bet for the summer of 2010: an energetic action comedy (with romance!) from two of the planet's biggest, prettiest movie stars. But then it hit theaters, everyone from film critics to moviegoers said "meh, what else you got?" And despite a few good notices and some solid overseas business, it vanished pretty quickly. But is it overhated? Frequent guest / film critic Courtney Howard says, "well, yes. It is." 

We had to cover this one eventually, and so I broke out a heavy hitter of a guest. That's right: Junkfood Cinema's Brian Salisbury is once again on hand to help deliver a very fun episode. Waterworld will always be remembered as one of the '90s most trashed, pilloried, and derided movies -- but that was then. Let's talk about now.

Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episodes at patreon.com/scottEweinberg. Subscribe to hear them all now! Check out the list of episodes here: bit.ly/3WZiLFk. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. 

Overhated is now proudly sponsored by those Effin' Birds.com, the award-winning comic strip by Aaron Reynolds.   

I can already hear the cries of GenX-based incredulity. But yes, there are people who don't like The Goonies. I've read the articles. Plus I wonder if it speaks to younger generations at all, despite the good stuff. Anyway we just thought it would be a fun movie to discuss, and our resident Spielberg expert Erik Childress is on hand to offer his insights. 

Although best known for being a wildly popular author, the late Michael Crichton had a rather intriguing career as a screenwriter and movie director. Riding high after successes like Coma and The Great Train Robbery, Crichton set his sights on a satirical noir-ish chase thriller known as Looker. And every member of Generation X saw it at least once on HBO. Big thanks to returning guest Rodney Ascher, who is a director and massive movie fanatic, for choosing this diverting little time capsule of a movie.

If you were a young movie nerd in the 1980s you had to have an opinion on these crazy new Troma movies. And if you wanted to know what a Troma movie was all about, you just had to start with the certifiably insane horror/superhero satire known as The Toxic Avenger. Big thanks to guest Ed Havens (@The80sMoviePod) for suggesting this one, and for bringing some solid historical context.

Good ol' reliable Ben Rock (@neptunesalad) is back, and this time he's bringing along one of the weirdest, wackiest, and ickiest studio-released horror movies, maybe ever. No, not maybe! Thanks Ben, thanks listeners, and you know what?

After seeing what Guy Ritchie did with Sherlock Holmes (twice!) it should come as no surprise to learn that his rendition of King Arthur is a hyper-kinetic, irreverent, and frequently insane movie. And boy did a lot of people dislike that combination. But I'm joined by the legendary Vern (yes, @outlawvern himself) to discuss why and how this flick might be, you guessed it, overhated.

Now this was a fun movie to revisit, reassess, and discuss with my old pal Erik Childress aka @erikthemovieman on twitter.

I know more about ancient Roman dating customs than I do about professional wrestling, so it's a good thing I have not one but two guests who seem to know their stuff, especially when it comes to this widely derided novelty comedy. Big thanks to patron and pal Paul Andolina (@scoochslam) for suggesting and discussing this one, and also to regular visitor Brian Salisbury of Junkfood Cinema, who offers a few random thoughts as well.

Ask a Bond fanatic to name the worst of all the movies and you're bound to get at least ten answers. OK maybe six. But for most of young life, Golden Gun was generally considered to be among the biggest snoozers in the whole franchise. So I talked to Junkfood Cinema's Brian Salisbury about it. He loves these flicks.

I've spent a good deal of my time on this planet defending three very specific movies: Popeye, Flash Gordon, and 1941. I'm pleased to have Erik Childress (@erikthemovieman) join me for this super-sized episode of Overhated, because I still love this bizarre Spielberg comedy more than I probably should.

I could easily devote an entire month of Overhated to the movies of Mr. Roland Emmerich, and I'd be smart to re-invite my guest, film critic Rachel West (@rachel_is_here), because she seems to get the appeal of these crazy disaster movies -- even when they're supremely goofy.

Found footage plus space horror sounds like a perfect equation for someone like me, but I remember walking away from this flick feeling disappointed, confused, and slightly annoyed. But you know who absolutely adores this movie? Prolific author, horror expert, and movie nut Daniel Kraus (@DanielDKraus), that's who(m)! Daniel's next novel is about a man who has to escape from inside a whale, and I cannot wait to read that.

The fourth sequel in the initial Planet of the Apes cycle seems to be a fairly divisive chapter among Ape nuts, and it's pretty easy to see why. Fortunately, I have returning guest Richard Jensen (@theragingcelt) on hand, who can explain what he likes about Apes Part 5, and why.  And yes I'll get to the other Apes sequels eventually.

The box office returns weren't awful, and critics were mostly on the fence about the movie, but how does Ivan Reitman's My Super Ex-Girlfriend hold up today? I have a some personal bias when it comes to this movie, but my guest and loyal patron Shawn Cain (@sdcain) is a big fan.

With a new Dungeons & Dragons movie (finally) hitting the screens, I thought it'd be a good time to look back at a widely ridiculed stinker that virtually everyone seems to dislike -- except for my guest Will Walker, who is a patron, youtuber, and general movie nerd. And somehow... he actually makes a few good points.

Director Paul W.S. Anderson was coming off a box office disappointment called Event Horizon when Soldier hit the screens... and this Kurt Russell action flick fared even worse at the box office. Critics trashed it as well. So how does it hold up now? I'm joined by patron and pal Jeremy Wickett, who happens to be a pretty big fan of this film.

It's one of the most reviled sequels ever made... but is it really that bad? That's the question we always ask here on Overhated, and you may be surprised to hear what film critic / returning guest Fred Topel and I have to say about it. Or not. Either way it's a fun episode.

The Broken Lizard comedy troupe hit the big time with their cult classic Super Troopers, but their next movie wasn't received quite as warmly. My friend Peter Hall would like to officially kick-start the cult classic status for this insane horror comedy. Plus we spend some time honoring the great Bill Paxton, praising some of this year's best horror movies, and promoting Pete's new horror novel, The Dead Friends Society!

Every highly successful director seems to have one, and hopefully just one: a "vanity" project that goes over-budget and flops at the box office while critics scratch their collective head and moviegoers simply go see something else. Barry Levinson's Toys qualifies here; in this episode I'm joined by returning guest Laurel Vail, who loves this weird flick a whole lot. 

What happens when you remove the few moments of Christmas-themed sweetness from a franchise otherwise known for wildly over-the-top comedic violence? You get Home Alone 3, which Roger Ebert liked more than the first two. It's true. Big thanks to my guest, film critic Courtney Howard.

The success of Dick Tracy led to a few strange movies: there's The Rocketeer, which is awesome, and The Shadow, which is not, and The Phantom, which is what Junkfood Cinema's Brian J. Salisbury is here to discuss today.

Astute horror fans know this one, but beyond that I'd say Cherry Falls is a virtually unknown horror film. Suffice to say it might also be the most 2000 movie ever made, just based on the cast alone. But this movie had a wildly difficult journey from script to (TV) screen. It's a very long story, but for this episode we have a fascinating guest indeed. Randy Ostrow (@Mad_Randolph) is a producer in his own right, but back in 2000 he was the VP of production for the now-extinct October Films -- and wow does he have some crazy stories.

Can a Spielberg film even be Overhated? Certainly, with all things being relative and all that. The topic comes up on social media all the time, partially because the man is such a consistently impressive filmmaker. So I've tapped Spielberg scholar Erik Childress (@erikthemovieman) to discuss one of the director's less widely adored movies.

Two underappreciated Walter Hill films in a row? Yep. And we have author Walter Chaw (@mangiotto) back as well. And we may just do more Hill films down the road. We're unpredictable. But for now we focus on this oddly satisfying musical melodrama starring Ralph Macchio. We also spend some time on Brewster's Millions (1985) because why the hell not.

As always, thank you, patrons! Also: please subscribe to Overhated in your regular podcast app! We'll be publishing the first 70+ episodes through all the normal sources. Thanks.

Walter's book on Walter Hill! -->  https://mzs.press/

Already I can hear your cries of "who could hate this movie?!?" and while I agree with the sentiment, the sad truth is that this movie bombed and the box office, and critics trashed it. It took about a decade of heavy HBO rotation for it to morph into one of the decade's most beloved cult films. And I've got Walter Hill expert Walter Chaw (@mangiotto) on hand to talk about it.

Walter's book on Walter Hill! -->  https://mzs.press/

Our goofy Stephen King adaptation double feature concludes with a 1984 movie that recently got its own remake that may be eligible for Overhated in a few years. (or maybe not.) Big thanks to Erik Childress (@erikthemovieman) for closing Halloween 2022 out in style.

Stephen King fans will remember this one as "the movie he sued," and won, but beyond that nobody really remembers The Lawnmower Man. My friend Ben Rock (@neptunesalad) does, to a point, and he explains why here. I remain unconvinced. 

Check out Ben's new podcast at Audible! It's called Catchers, and it's free for subscribers.

Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episodes at patreon.com/scottEweinberg. Subscribe to hear them all now! Check out the list of episodes here: bit.ly/3WZiLFk. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. 

Overhated is now proudly sponsored by those Effin' Birds.com, the award-winning comic strip by Aaron Reynolds. 

I had to break out a personal favorite for the 100th episode, and Ridley Scott's Legend certainly qualifies. As a kid I saw / liked it, and yearned for a chance to see the legendary" European cut," but I never actually expected to see that insanely cool Universal DVD release from a few years back. Anyway, big thanks to my guest, film critic and fellow Legend fan, Sarah Fetters (@MoviefreakSara), for discussing this kooky yet lovable old movie.

This movie was almost directed by John Woo, and it shows. Big thanks to veteran film critic Fred Topel (@fredtopel) for having me revisit a seriously fun action flick that got very little respect from film critics, and even less from ticket buyers.

How could such a classy film be overhated? Well, first let's look at the box office... and then the number of Oscar nominations. And when was the last time anyone even discussed this movie? Well, our guest Rodney Ascher (@rodney_ascher) of Room 237 fame likes this movie a whole lot, and he explains why!

Frank Marshall's old-fashioned jungle adventure Congo turned out to be a pretty solid hit back in the summer of 1995, and it still seems to have fans today, so how could it ever be overhated? Well, in this case it was those pesky film critics. (Like me, but that's not the point.) And maybe that goofball gorilla. Big thanks to "Scripts Gone Wild" host Billy Ray Brewton (@BillyRayBrewton) for suggesting this one and sitting in to defend the flick.

Anyone out there remember Doomsday? the sci-fi / action / horror combo from the director who was hot off of Dog Soldiers and The Descent? Well, I do. And so do lots of hardcore genre fans like my pal / patron David (@colorsmitty) Smith. He chose it, and we discuss it! 

A smash hit that quickly spawned a sequel, Fantastic Four '05 seems to have been virtually forgotten by the current superhero movie nerds, but does it really deserve to be lumped in with A) Roger Corman's infamous F4 movie, B) that Silver Surfer sequel, and C) the 2015 Fantastic misfire that many have dismissed as an outright debacle? Listen in as my guest Linda Maleh (@lindastvpicks) makes a strong case for this particular movie. 

My weird obsession with the cinema of 1980 continues, and this time we're covering a movie I don't even like very much! But it's not every day you get to see Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel, Farrah Fawcett, and a very large robot chasing each other through a space station. Nor should it. Big thanks to my pal Richard Jensen (@theragingcelt) for sitting in on this one.

Pretty much every MCU movie has been a smash hit, and most of them have earned plenty of praise, positive reviews, and accolades. But a few seem to have been dismissed, disliked, or basically forgotten. I (once again) sit down with regular guest Rob Dean (@neutoricmonkey of @Neon_Splatter) to discuss the universe's least favorite Thor movie.

To say this movie was impactful on a young Generation X audience would be an understatement -- and very few of us saw it in theaters. That alone should tell you something interesting about this insane concoction cooked up by Tobe Hooper and Cannon Films. Big thanks to Hooper-head and episode guest Patrick Bromley (@fthismovie) for suggesting this one.

When you think of the late John Hughes, you probably recall beloved movies like The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, or Planes, Trains & Automobiles. But the man did have his name on a fair share of semi-forgotten films too. Which brings us to Career Opportunities and my good friend, film critic Erik Childress (@erikthemovieman).

Safe to say that Rob Zombie's movies have proven to be fairly divisive among horror fans, which is a good thing because differing opinions inspire compelling conversations. (I just made that up.) And one of Mr. Zombie's most "love it or hate it" movies is 2009's Halloween II, so I sat down with film critic / horror nut Dede Crimmins (@dedecrim) to discuss it. 

For a movie that A) made $215,000,000, B) played on HBO virtually every day for three years, and C) came free with the purchase of most DVD players, this mountain climbing flick is virtually forgotten. And the critics weren't all that nice to it either. But my guest Sarah Bea Milner (@sarahbeamilner) remembers this movie quite fondly indeed.

Back in the late 1970s and early '80s you couldn't swing a sword without hitting a few high fantasy films. The studios had their pricey efforts like Dragonslayer, Legend, and Labyrinth, and the indie world had tons of cheaper releases like Ator the Fighting Eagle, Deathstalker, The Beastmaster, and the British cult classic known simply as Hawk the Slayer. Big thanks to author and screenwriter Gary Whitta (@garywhitta) for suggesting this movie.

As a director, we can thank James Wan for the massively popular horror franchises called Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring. But he's also had one of two stumbles at the box office. Case in point: Dead Silence! Big thanks to Alexandra Burwood (@obsessafilma) for suggesting this movie. 

PS: this episode is a bit shorter than usual, and it's my fault. We had an irritating audio glitch in the mid-section, so I had to cut about six minutes. To make up for it, Alexandra will be back soon to discuss a widely detested sequel that she likes. To hear what it is, listen to the episode!

If it was Risky Business and Top Gun that launched Tom Cruise into the Hollywood stratosphere, then it was Cocktail that cemented a rule that would last another 20+ years, and that rule is this: Tom Cruise owns Hollywood. For this episode I'm joined by Cocktail fan Nick Larue (@filmsnobbery)! Join us on a brief trip back to 1988, when clothes were awful and neon was prevalent.

I'm joined by my old friend Eric D. Snider (that's @ericDsnider) to discuss Predator Part 4 and this might just be the silliest episode of Overhated, ever. Got another episode on the way tonight to make up for this madness.

It's easy to forget this movie even happened, given how massive popular the "do-over" movie turned out to be, but in this episode I'm joined by one Patrick Bartlett (@alleywaykrew), and he may just be the biggest fan this film has ever had.

Joe Leydon has been a film critic since before the internet existed, so I was very pleased to get him on Overhated. In this episode we sit down to discuss one of his favorite topics: the western. More specifically, a dropped and forgotten western from 2016 that might be worth a second look.

They have yet to join the MCU in an official capacity, but the Fantastic Four has already received four movie adaptations! One you've probably never seen, two you've probably forgotten about, and the infamous 2015 version that everyone seems to hate. Except for one man:  my guest John @Gholson: writer, artist, actor, and comic book mega-nerd.  

After numerous unexpected delays, this afterthought of an X-Men entry hit theaters and was then quickly forgotten -- but is it actually a bad movie? I'm joined by my old friend Rob Dean (@neuroticmonkey), a comic book & horror nerd who's happy to go to bat for the young mutants.

This insane sequel upped the violence, the satire, and the nastiness to a dizzying degree, and it still holds up as one of the darkest, strangest Hollywood sequels ever made. Listen in as I discuss the movie with comic book editor Andy Khouri (@andykhouri), who of course has some insights on Robocop 2 screenwriter Frank Miller.

Critics hated it, audiences mostly ignored it, but if 2009's Gamer were to become a cult film, the support would start right about now.  And my friend Shana (@geekgirldiva) would be the cult president.

You'll learn more about this "asterisked" James Bond movie in 35 minutes than you'll ever need, thanks mostly to my frequently returning guest Brian Salisbury (@briguysalisbury), of the infamous Junkfood Cinema podcast.

This medieval adventure tale was meant to be a family film, to a degree, but things didn't really work out that way -- mainly because the movie, to its credit, is a lot darker than one would normally expect from the Disney brand. But enough typing. Listen in as I discuss Dragonslayer with Mr. Vincenzo Natali (@Vincenzo_Natali), a filmmaker you'll know if you've seen high-end genre films like Cube, Splice, or In the Tall Grass (or TV series like Hannibal, The Strain, or Westworld).

This Disney musical vanished from theaters real quick back in 1992, but it managed to do three things: it helped kick-start the career of Christian Bale, it grew a very strong following of fans over the course of 20 years, and then it inspired a huge Broadway hit. So it's a fun story. Big thanks to my friend Laura Fawcett (@roguefour) for sitting in on this one.

I've been saving this infamous box office disaster for a fitting guest, and suffice to say that I found one in author / film critic / fellow Philadelphian Carrie Rickey (@carrierickey). I suspected she'd have some great insights on this movie, and she did not disappoint. Big thanks to Carrie, as well as all listeners, patrons, and pals.

The phrase "The Great White Hope" has been used in professional boxing for decades, so that's where the movie's title comes from. But how well does the satire hold up in this semi-forgotten ensemble comedy from the mid-1990s? Join me and my pal J.C. DeLeon (@jcdeleon1) to find out. Also check out his sports movie podcast: Love & Game Film.

Heading back to remake country! We do spend a lot of time there, come to think of it. Big thanks to Jason Krawczyk (@every1question) for picking a flick with a strong ensemble. That does help a lot. Be sure to check out Jason's movie He Never Died (from 2015) as soon as possible, especially if you love Henry Rollins.

The year was 1987. Madonna was unstoppable. Unless you count movies. 

Big thanks to my pal Laurel Vail (@laurelvail) for returning! And thanks to all listeners, patrons, supporters, and their pets. 

Gen X action figure icon He-Man got his own live-action movie in 1987... and it did not go well. But enough blather from me. My guest for this super-sized episode is The Flop House's Elliott Kalan (@elliottkalan), and we get into all sorts of nerdly discussions and digressions. Thanks to all listeners, patrons, guests, and general well-wishers.

This third adaptation of the iconic '70s TV series hit theaters in late 2019 and quickly vanished without a trace, and it sure didn't seem like film critics or movie nuts gave it half a chance. Fortunately, we have astute film critics like Alonso Duralde (@aduralde), who are more than happy to come to the movie's defense. 

I'm starting to realize that you could do an entire year of Overhated just on disaster movies and musicals. There's just so much that can go wrong on those movies, I guess. And man was 1980 a weird / bad year for movie musicals. For this episode I'm joined by film critic Kristen Lopez (@journeys_film), who has a firm love for all things musical-related. (well, almost all.) And the topic is... Xanadu.

After hitting Hollywood with two smash hits in The French Connection and The Exorcist, director William Friedkin could have chosen practically anything for his next movie. So he chose to remake a beloved international classic in the middle of the jungle. And then practically everything went wrong. For this underappreciated classic I'm joined by filmmaker Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson), who you'll know from movies like Sinister, Dr. Strange, and The Black Phone. Suffice to say that Scott loves this movie deeply, and you'll hear why in this super-sized episode.

When I brought this movie up on twitter, some agreed it was overhated, some thought it was not, and a good portion of folks didn't even know it existed. Now that's a good movie to cover. Big thanks to hardcore movie fanatic Stone Gasman (@stonegasman) for choosing this fascinating misfire and for providing tons of good insights.

This one was one of 2008's biggest hits at the box office -- but when's the last time you heard someone talk about it, let alone say something nice? There's a lot to discuss regarding this off-kilter action comedy (with pathos!), so I'm joined by the excellent Aundria Parker (@parkerandcooley) and we have a good time breaking the movie down.

Yes, kids. There was actually a TV show about a detective who solved crimes by transforming into various animals. The 1980s were a silly time. And for a TV show this absurd, we need an amusing TV expert like Ken Reid (@kennethWreid) of the TV Guidance Counselor podcast!

Just a few years before he became the world's most adorable movie star, Tom Hanks appeared in a big handful of colorful movies, and while this 1990 effort didn't exactly blow the box office down, it has grown into a bona-fide cult favorite over the decades. And I happened to find a film expert who calls Joe Versus the Volcano his favorite movie of all time. Big thanks to patrons, listeners, supports and Volcano enthusiast Collin Souter (@collin_souter). 

Can a movie directed by one of the most celebrated filmmakers of all time be overhated? Well, sure. Reggie Jackson once said that the worst thing about having a 4 homer game is that people expect you to do it every night -- and that definitely holds true for filmmakers too. This really is one of the director's most divisive films -- and it's not the last Spielberg movie we'll cover on Overhated! Anyway, our guest for this lengthy episode is a literal rock star: it's Aaron "P-Nut" Wills from 311!  follow him on twitter for confirmation! (@pnut) Thanks to all patrons, listeners, and guests!

The original version of The Hitcher arrived in theaters in 1986, and while it wasn't a big hit (the movie actually lost money), it became a cult favorite the moment it hit home video and cable TV. (Rest in peace, Rutger Hauer!) So of course there was bound to be a remake of this one during the Great Remake Deluge of the 2000s. For this episode I'm joined by horror historian / critic / nerd Brian Collins (@brianWcollins) to discuss the practically forgotten and potentially overhated 2007 version. Thanks, listeners and patrons.

Could a Coen brothers' film be (gasp) overhated? Let's sit down with film critic / author / biographer Shawn Levy (@shawnlevy) and find out! (He's also a poet.) Big thanks as always to all listeners and patrons. 

When you invite a comparison to John Carpenter's 1982 classic The Thing, you're kind of looking for trouble. But then to remove most of the practical monster FX at the last minute? That's just madness. Join me and horror writer Ben Rock (@neptunesalad) as we take a look back at this oddly fascinating prequel.

Any longtime Friday the 13th fan, especially the older ones, would probably agree that Part 8 is the most frequently maligned chapter of the original octology. (Well, Part 8 or Part 5, anyway.) So it was a lot of fun to discuss this movie with my good pal and Found Footage 3D director Steven DeGennaro (@stevendegennaro), a man who deeply loves horror movies.

If you need someone to defend an "indefensible" movie, veteran film writer Walter Chaw (@mangiotto) is someone you want on your starting team. One might think it'd be difficult to find positive things to say about this messy sci-fi bomb, but Walter has no problem doing so -- probably because he's been knee-deep in Walter Hill cinema in preparation for his new book! So if you're a big fan of the guy who gave us The Warriors, 48 HRS. and (yes) Supernova, then this episode is for you.

Sometimes your movie is just too dang expensive to turn a profit. Join me and astute film writer Daniel Carlson (@danielwcarlson) for an extensive discussion on a frequently lambasted movie that's also kinda low-key beloved in some ways.

This one was painful for me to revisit. Fortunately I have a very upbeat guest with which to discuss this misshapen combination of sweat, decibels, and paint. It's Jeffrey Patrick (@jeffmovieman) who was brave enough to (partially) defend (some of) this movie.

As a horror fan who grew up knee-deep in the 1980s, let me just say this: David Cronenberg's The Fly (1986) is one of the best horror films of the entire decade. Without question. And then they made a sequel!  Thanks to my old friend and ravenous movie nerd Rob Dean (@neuroticmonkey) of neonsplatter.com for being an excellent guest!

As a big thanks to all our listeners, I've invited Erik Childress to join me for a discussion regarding 2023's most overhated films. And yes, there were a few. We also run through a big batch of recent Patreon episodes, ramble a bit about random nerd minutiae, and talk about the show's awesome new sponsor. Fun stuff! 

It was the highest grossing movie of 2000, so how hated could it be, right? Big thanks to film nerd Merrill Barr (@merrillbarr) for his firm and energetic defense of the most controversial chapter in a widely adored franchise.

Call it The Quickening; call it The Renegade Cut; it's still Highlander 2, which means it's one of the most feverishly savaged movies we've ever covered on Overhated. Big thanks to veteran film critic Fred Topel (@fredtopel) for joining me in this very amusing conversation.

Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episodes at patreon.com/scottEweinberg. Subscribe to hear them all now! Check out the list of episodes here: bit.ly/3WZiLFk. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. 

Overhated is now proudly sponsored by those Effin' Birds.com, the award-winning comic strip by Aaron Reynolds.

This episode is dedicated to my wonderful friend James Rocchi, who recently passed away at the age of 51. Today (12/29) was his birthday. It's mine as well.  This was one of James' favorite "popcorn movies," so I sat down with TV writer Shawna Benson (@shawnabenson), who also loved James deeply, to discuss the over-the-top lunacy of Battleship.

Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episodes at patreon.com/scottEweinberg. Subscribe to hear them all now! Check out the list of episodes here: bit.ly/3WZiLFk. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. 

Overhated is now proudly sponsored by those Effin' Birds.com, the award-winning comic strip by Aaron Reynolds.

Back in 1986, right in between Beverly Hills Cop and Beverly Hills Cop II, Eddie Murphy did a movie for Paramount that opened, made a decent amount of money, and promptly vanished from our collective memory. In this episode you'll hear me and writer / producer Zack Stentz (@musezack) discuss our fond memories of this odd film, and our opinions on how it holds up now. Enjoy! (Thanks, patrons!)

note: my audio is slightly muffled in this episode due to a stupid mistake I made. it's not too bad, but I am aware of it. thanks.

Early in his career M. Night Shyamalan became known as the "twist ending" director, which reminds me of a great Reggie Jackson quote: "the only problem with hitting four home runs in one game is that now people want you to do it every night."  In other words, this filmmaker painted himself into a "twist ending" corner, at least for one movie, and the result was an oddly beautiful period piece that people still love to complain / argue about. Big thanks to film critic Richard Newby (@richardLnewby) for joining me in this episode.

Nobody mocked Jules Verne when he wanted to travel into the center of the Earth in his stories -- so why does everyone love to pick on The Core so dang much? To answer that question about this movie we have guest host Amanda Smith (@amandasmithsays) of the Disaster Girls podcast.  If this movie ever needs a lawyer, she's who it should call.

Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episodes at patreon.com/scottEweinberg. Subscribe to hear them all now! Check out the list of episodes here: bit.ly/3WZiLFk. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.

What happens when a hard-headed young filmmaker butts heads with anonymous studio executives who hate his movie? In 1983 you'd get something like The Keep, which is half a mess and half a pretty damn good horror movie with a cool setting, some memorable music, and a very curious cast. Joining me for this discussion is filmmaker / DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika (@Lauzirika), and this is a man who knows a thing or two about reconstructing problematic movies. (Looking at you, Alien 3!)

Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episodes at patreon.com/scottEweinberg. Subscribe to hear them all now! Check out the list of episodes here: bit.ly/3WZiLFk. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.

If you're listening to Overhated on a normal podcast feed, cool! and thanks. But if you want a lot more episodes, right now, you can subscribe at patreon.com/scottEweinberg. In this bonus episode, Eric and I discuss the last several Patreon episodes, which means titles like Battle: Los Angeles, Poltergeist III, Envy, Jurassic Park III, and yes, Space Jam. Check it out!

You'd have to be a hardcore Christmas movie fanatic to truly enjoy this wacky Arnold farce from the mid-'90s, right? Perhaps. Fortunately we happen to have just such an Xmas fan in guest host / podcast producer Jordan Kauwling (@cinnamonlafemme), and she's got plenty to say about what she likes about this flick. As for me, well. I'm sort of a Scrooge in this episode.

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My pal Jeff Bayer (@bayerjeff) has two little kids, and that's why he's grown to love this big-budget animated feature that made good money, yet still managed to help destroy an entire studio. (sad but true!) Join me Jeff, Santa, Easter Bunny, and the rest of the gang on this goofy episode of Overhated.

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It's one of the biggest bombs in modern movie history; financially, critically, artistically, you name it. It's an infamous mess made all the more fascinating by Julie Salamon's fantastic book (and podcast!) The Devil's Candy, and it still stands as a movie that film nerds love to banter about. For example, in this episode I'm joined by film critic / author / old friend Jason Bailey (@jasondashbailey), and we pretty much can't shut up. Plus there's a good chunk near the end where we focus on Jason's excellent new book, Fun City Cinema: New York City and the Movies That Made It.

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A few years ago it sure seemed like this follow-up to Casino Royale was the most hated Bond film of all time, but then Spectre showed up and all of a sudden Solace didn't seem quite so unwelcome. Join me and film critic / Bond fan Pramit Chaterjee (@pramitheus) for a discussion about "Casino Royale 2," and how it's not nearly as forgettable as we thought it was ten years ago. Thank you to Pramit, listeners, and subscribers.

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When Steven Spielberg is firing on all cylinders he delivers movies like Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jurassic Park. But even when he's only firing on 75% of his cylinders he still turns out "lesser" movies like 1991's Hook, which has a seriously passionate fanbase despite being generally regarded as one of his second-tier films. Big thank to film critic Danielle Solzman (@danielleSATM) for recommending this one and joining me for a brief but spirited discussion. And as always, thanks to the patrons.

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Some call it a horrifying fever dream; others refer to it as a cinematic panic attack. And those are the people who like it! General audiences back in 2017 were clearly unhappy with what Darren Aronofsky was doling out this time around -- but some brave moviegoers, and a good portion of film critics, found a lot to like. And this insane thriller has earned lots of new fans over the past few years. Big thanks to film critic Courtney Howard (@lulamaybelle) for joining me for this discussion! Also, thank you, patrons!

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When is a TV-to-movie adaptation not exactly a TV-to-movie adaptation? When it's a super-meta ball of confusion like Nora Ephron's colorful yet confused adaptation of the classic sitcom Bewitched. This is an oddly unspectacular movie, but with talent like Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, and Steve Carell on board, there's got to be a little bit of gold here... right? I sit down with my old friend and former film critic Eric Snider (@ericdsnider) to discuss this movie, making us the first people to do so in probably ten years.

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If you want to do a podcast about historically lambasted movies, you're going to come across the certifiably wacky 1936 propaganda flick Reefer Madness eventually -- and boy does this thing hold up as an unintentional laugh riot. For this episode I'm joined by film & game critic Shaurya Chawla (@_ShauryaChawla), and suffice to say that we continue to be endlessly amused by this very stupid film that thought it was being very serious indeed. 

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Horror fans are a ridiculously loyal sort, but for the most part they don't love change. Back in 1982, producers John Carpenter and Debra Hill wanted to shake things up in their Halloween franchise. Instead of just bringing boogeyman Michael Myers back for a third slash-fest, the franchise would now be done anthology-style. As in: each new Halloween movie would be its very own thing. Like Tales from the Crypt did a few years later with Demon Knight and Bordello of Blood.  But things didn't go precisely as planned. 

For this episode I'm joined by Scott Allen Perry (@scottallenperry), who I worked with on Found Footage 3D, but maybe you've also seen him movies like Keeping Up with the Joneses, The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, and the seasonal classic known as Santa Jaws.

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Scott Weinberg is joined by his “resident Spielberg expert” Erik Childress to preview some of the latest episodes of Overhated. You can listen to them all right now by heading over to his Patreon feed at patreon.com/scottEweinberg. Subscribe for just a couple bucks and you can listen to over 90+ more episodes available right now.

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The long-awaited big-screen version of the beloved Star Trek TV series was heralded as a huge cinematic event at the tail end of 1979 -- and it turned out to be a smash hit too. So why does the film seem to have a relatively lukewarm reputation among critics and general movie-watchers? To this day the film is remembered as a bit too long, and a bit too focused on the undeniable majesty of giant spaceships, but the hardcore Trek fans will frequently come to the film's defense; hardcore Trek fans like my guest, film critic Alan Cerny (@alanwcerny).

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Sometimes the weirdest movies end up striking a chord deep within your genre-loving soul; for example, this simple sci-fi / horror combo managed to entertain me a lot more than it did most film critics -- and now it's gone on to spawn two certifiably insane sequels that (yep) I also enjoy. So I asked my friend Liam O'Donnell (@liamodin) to join me. Since he co-wrote the first movie and directed both sequels, he's clearly the expert on this knowingly campy genre franchise.

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I wanted to get a special guest for this highly-requested cult favorite, so I reached out to the man who wrote it: Philadelphia's own Steven de Souza (@StevenEdeSouza)! We cover all sorts of Hawk-related info. from production to box office to the exceedingly brutal reviews.

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I have a list of over 200 films I share with potential guests if they need help choosing a movie for Overhated. But this guest didn't even need the list. She offered up the 2002 vampire flick Queen of the Damned, and I thought "hell, that's a good pick." So thanks to Danishka Esterhazy (@desterhazy), director of the lovably twisted Banana Splits Movie and the admirably amusing new Slumber Party Massacre remake, for a great movie pick and a highly enjoyable chat.

The mid-1990s were a strange time full of strange movies, and this is one of them. It's a future-noir anti-corporate sci-fi action absurdist farce... and I'm here to discuss it with the excellent Akela Cooper, a writer/producer on Luke Cage, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and last summer's horror hit Malignant. (@AkelaCooper)

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The critics were not pleased with this movie back in 1994, but you know who was? The rest of the civilized world. It was a huge smash, it sold tons of kooky merchandise, and kids seemed to love it. So I decided to take a second look, and my guest is L.A. Podfidential's Chauncey Telese (@bigchaunc64). He toured the Bedrock set as a kid!

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Critics (mostly) dismissed it; the box office was... let's say unimpressive. But mention the Speed Racer movie on the social media platform of your choice and you'll get a lot more positive responses than negative. (Try it!) Big thanks to The Flop House's Dan McCoy (@dankmccoy) for suggesting this visual roller coaster of a movie, and also for joining me for this episode. And thanks to all listeners and patrons, of course.

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The network TV version scared the holy snot out of me when I was 12, so of course I enjoyed the gruesome R-rated version I later discovered on VHS. But does this weird Peter Benchley misfire still hold up to fond childhood memories? Let's find out. And for this episode we have Room 237 and A Glitch in the Matrix director Rodney Ascher (@rodney_ascher), and I'll spoil it now: he digs this movie.

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This big-budget spectacle... thing hit theaters late in 1985, and nobody cared. Frankly this conversation that I had with Kevin Murphy (@kwmurphy) may be the best thing to come out of this film's existence. Yes that's the Kevin Murphy from Rifftrax and Mystery Science Theater 3000, which means I had a ball recording this episode. Thanks again, Kevin, and thanks as always, patrons.

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Sometimes satire ages like fine wine, and sometimes it just sours and everyone hates it. And dark / violent satire is even dicier. Does Danny DeVito (director of Throw Momma From the Train, The War of the Roses, and Matilda) pull it off this time around? Spoiler: box-office-wise, no. This movie failed miserably. But how does it hold up as an actual movie? Let's sit down with the excellent filmmaker Lucky McKee (@luckymckee) and talk about it.

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Are you surprised that I found someone to defend this stinker? Well get this: I had several people to choose from! But it was veteran film critic / podcaster / soap-maker William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani) who got the nod, and let's just say he came prepared. Big thanks to listeners, patrons, and anyone who plugs this podcast on twitter. 

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Ask a Trek fan to name the weakest link in the franchise's feature film chain and you'll get a solid handful of votes for this 1989 entry. But why? Was it the victim of a writers strike? Budget cuts? Was Shatner ill-prepared to take a seat in the director's chair? Or maybe fans were just getting a little bored of the whole series. Anyway, I found a movie nerd who loves this movie. It's family-friendly screenwriter Brian Lynch (@brianlynch)! 

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This Michael Crichton adaptation -- from the director of Die Hard -- could have been a surprise hit back in 1998, but all sorts of delays, unhappy producers, and annoyed test audiences conspired to help sink the movie once it finally hit theaters in 1999. But of all the movies I've covered on this podcast, this one might be the most staunchly defended... by people who follow me on twitter. Big thanks to my guest Gordon McAlpin (@gmcalpin), creator of the very amusing web series Multiplex 10.

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What can be said about a movie so silly, stupid, and inept that its own director dismissed it as a "moron movie" and blamed himself for doing way too much cocaine on the job? Well, a lot, clearly. And I'm joined by seasoned horror expert Heather Wixson (@thehorrorchick) to discuss every insane little moment, murder, and fart sound. 

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This bizarre horror comedy from Dan Aykroyd has left a weird taste in my mouth for the past three decades,  but it's time for a revisit (and a quick history lesson) to see if it qualifies as Overhated. Fortunately I found a professional film critic called Mike McGranaghan (@aisleseat) willing to risk his entire reputation to defend this slimy, goofy, expensive misfire.

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What do you get when you combine Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian, Excalibur, Lord of the Rings, a slice of Zardoz, and six other random ingredients? You get Krull, that's what. I'm joined by Screen Anarchy's Mel Valentin (@realmelvalentin) to discuss this weird, expensive, misshapen misfire from 1983.

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How is a global smash considered Overhated? Even the critics were only half angry at this one, so where's the hate? Well, for a good long while this movie was quite vocally "hated" by a good portion of comic book fans, Raimi nuts, and film critics too. But have the intervening years (and the endless deluge of superhero films) been kind to Spider-Man 3? I consulted with the fantastic nerd called Stuart Wellington (@flophousecat) to find out. (Download The Flophouse wherever you find quality podcasts.)

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Richard Kelly has had an interesting (if annoyingly abbreviated) directorial career thus far. He hit the indie scene with the enjoyably weird Donnie Darko (2001) before delivering a pricey misfire called Southland Tales (2006), and then he got to helm this half-bizarre / half-conventional sci-fi mindbender based on a Richard Matheson story.  Big thanks to Chicago film critic James Laczkowski (@jim_laczkowski), who picked this flick, for joining me for this episode. (Also, thank you, patrons.)

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Just what everyone's dying to hear: two opinionated men over 40 discussing Josie and the Pussycats! But to be fair, A) it's my show, and B) my guest did write a book about this movie! His name's Russ Burlingame (@russburlingame) and you can get a signed copy of Best Movie Ever over at josiebook.com

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For at least 20 years Grease 2 was dismissed as the unloved sequel to an unquestioned classic. Well, guess what. It's time for a re-evaluation of this movie, and to that end I've enlisted a big G2 fan: it's B.J. Colangelo (@bjcolangelo) of teen-centric podcast "This Ends at Prom."

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I wanted to post a clip of the 2022 Overhated Recap on the normal podcast feeds, but of course that would have been too easy. Instead of that I roped show producers Erik Childress and Jim Laczkowski into sitting down to discuss some predictions. Specifically, which movies we expect to get savaged by the critics and/or ignored by large audiences in the upcoming year. Then we glued a clip of the Recap episode onto the end there.

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To cover a science fiction movie this awful, I need a trained professional, so I called on Ty Franck (one half of the writing team who brought us The Expanse novels and TV series) and together we dissected one of the most bafflingly terrible movies of the year 2000.

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There are three types of "overhated"  movies: massive turkeys like Battlefield Earth; overlooked / underappreciated gems like Event Horizon; and movies that made huge money while pissing off critics before being remanded to the "guilty pleasure" bin. Anaconda falls into the third category. But don't call it a guilty pleasure around guest host Trace Thurman (aka @tracedthurman) of Bloody Disgusting and the Horror Queers podcast -- because he loves this movie to death.

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Holy crap is this one plain old bad. But I will be forever indebted to this abysmal movie because it gave me a chance to chit-chat with a very funny movie nerd named Gareth Reynolds (aka @reynoldsgareth) who co-hosts a brilliant podcast called The Dollop.

But yeah. This movie is supremely terrible. Listen in for why!

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In 1982 the director of Smokey and the Bandit and The Cannonball Run took money from Hong Kong film investors and the Mattel toy company, and headed out into the Nevada desert to make a G.I. Joe-style action movie full of fireworks, motorcycles, and skin-tight bodysuits. And Megaforce was the result. For this episode I'm joined by screenwriter / author / podcaster / puppy owner C. Robert Cargill (aka @massawyrm).

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For this episode I'm joined by Ken Reid (@kennethwreid) of the excellent "TV Guidance Counselor" podcast to discuss, well, a truly weird, loud, and obnoxious misfire -- not to mention expensive. And unprofitable. (And annoying.)  Thanks, patrons!

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Put down your pitchforks, horror fans. I'm not for one second asserting that Event Horizon is on the same level as Jaws: The Revenge or Exorcist II.  But it was generally disliked by critics, and the box office numbers were pretty weak, and then the movie just disappeared. For a few years, anyway.

I'm joined by Event Horizon screenwriter Philip Eisner (aka @phubar) to discuss the intense sci-fi/horror film's unimpressive debut, quick dismissal, and slow journey to cult classic status. 

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It was budgeted at $11,000,000. That figured ballooned to over $40,000,000. And the movie made less than $4,000,000. I'm joined by Chicago film historian Sergio Mims to discuss the infamous Michael Cimino western Heaven's Gate.

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Settle down for a "worst horror movies ever made" debate and it won't take long for 1977's Exorcist II: The Heretic to enter the conversation. A financial, critical, and horror enthusiast's mega-bomb of the highest order, this is one weird-ass movie. But is it perhaps (you guessed it) Overhated? 

For this episode I'm joined by the wonderfully horror-obsessed @lovelyzena (follow her on twitter).

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What happens when you cut a superhero movie's budget in half just days before production beings? You end up with a half-finished, misshapen mess like 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. And fortunately we have one of the film's stars on hand to discuss what the hell went wrong. Big thanks to (veteran character actor and present-day Lex Luthor) Jon Cryer(!) for taking the time to discuss the "overhated" levels on Superman's infamous sojourn into nuclear disarmament. 

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For this episode I'm joined by my friend and filmmaker Laurel Vail (check out her short film What Metal Girls Are Into) as we make our way through the big-budget, ensemble-cast, literary adaption / cuckoo misfire / romantic drama fantasy... tragedy that is Akiva Goldsman's Winter's Tale.  

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I needed a special guest to cover a special movie, so let's just get to it. Here's me and Junkfood Cinema's Brian Salisbury discussing the history, quality, and reputation of 1980's Flash Gordon.

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Few comedies have caused this many film critics' heads to explode with rage -- myself included -- but you can't get too far into the Overhated conversation without addressing the elephant's penis in the room. It's time for Freddy Got Fingered. For this episode I'm joined by former film critic and current sitcom writer/producer Patrick Walsh, who co-hosts his own Patreon podcast called "We'll See You In Hell" RIGHT HERE. 

Thanks as always, patrons.

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The "video game to movie" adaptation has been the domain of (mostly) bad movies for decades. But where did this type of movie begin? Right here! In 1993, with this wildly bizarre and (yes) frequently awful piece of pop culture. But could this infamous flick be somehow overhated? Film critic Audrey Fox (Crooked Marquee, Nerdist, Ebert Voices, etc.) is here to discuss that precise question!

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Jason X probably doesn't belong in the highest pantheon of overhated films like your Catwomen and your Howards the Duck, but it's safe to say it's been dismissed, derided, and and dunked upon for 20 years. So I decided to sit down with my old friend Todd Farmer (aka the man who wrote Jason X) to discuss the reputation of what could have been called Friday the 13th Part 10: In Space. 

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Fresh off the wild success of the three Star Wars and two Indiana Jones movies, George Lucas sets his sights on something a bit... weirder. Settle in for some Howard the Duck banter between me and my very old friend Erik Childress (@erikthemovieman) as we contemplate the creation of this colorfully bizarre misfire, what works and what doesn't, and whether or not this is even the worst movie of that particular summer.

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In this episode I'm joined by my old friend Ben Rock, who once directed a movie called Alien Raiders and produced a podcast for Shudder called Video Palace. He also hosts a cinematography podcast and has a nice beard. Ben and I spend 40-some minutes chatting about the slightly infamous Blair Witch Project sequel, and he offers some unique insights because he was the production designer on Part 1! 

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Ishtar. Heaven's Gate. Howard the Duck. Plan 9 from Outer Space. The history of cinema is littered with a big batch of "historically hated" movies; films that go beyond bad and become pop culture punchlines.  But why are most "bad" movies more or less forgotten, while others still retain their punching bag status for decades? That's something I'll be discussing with a collection of brilliant guest hosts in Overhated.

For episode 1 I turned to one of twitter's most reliably insightful film fanatics. That'd be Jen Johans (@filmintuition). And we had a good time chatting about the widely lambasted (and frequently ridiculous) Catwoman movie from 2004. 

Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episodes at patreon.com/scottEweinberg. Subscribe to hear them all now!