Better Than Speed

The BTS crew officially begins Season 2's look at cult films by taking a trip deep into the jungles of Werner Herzog's Aguirre, The Wrath of God. What lies down river for our explorers - fever, famine, COVID-19? Tune in and find out.

Plus, hang around for a special reading of poetry written by Keanu Reeves.

From Aguirre to Zatoichi, the bus boys are back. Uncensored. No holds barred.

Aaaaaaand we're back! Season 2 kicks off with a recap of the best and worst films of 2019. Looking for some off-the-beaten path movie recommendations? Want to understand all the buzz at the Oscars? We'll gently hold your hand, just like Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, and walk you through the exploding bus fire that was 2019.

For all your split diopter needs, check out Daniel's tumblr page full of more than 100 examples of this technique.

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Big Bus is strength. Celebrate an entire two years of laughter, love and heartbreak in our tumultuous season finale that will permanently alter Better Than Speed history forever.

Here's George Orwell's doubleplusgood essay on Politics and the English Language.

A huge thank you to all our listeners, guests and fellow hosts who have made this such a fun project over the past two years. We'll be back for season two in a few months. Until then, stay above 50, hotshots.

Punch, kick, it's all in the mind. Join us as Zatoichi, the blind swordsman, slices and dices his way through the Edo countryside of Japan in the fan-favorite film Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival.

If you've stuck with us through our very extended season 1 tour through the alphabet, you have our sincere thanks. You won't want to miss our season finale, when we take on the last remaining category from the Criterion Collection: films that start with a number.

1984 is our final pick... you don't want to miss the startling conclusion.

Fourscore and 7 days ago, the BTS crew decided to tackle John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln. Is it a classic of the studio system era or a corny piece of hagiography? Lie down, let your mind stand up, and take a listen. Wanna find out what the critics from Cahiers du Cinéma thought of the film? Here's that essay we name dropped in the episode. And please join us next episode for the salacious samurai sensation, Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival.

Kaiju run amok when we discuss this campy cult classic. Will they subdue Speed, or can Keanu Reeves conquer them all?

You can watch The X From Outer Space streaming on the Criterion Channel. You can also catch next week's selection, The Young Mr Lincoln, for free on Tubi.

Check out the full backstory on Jan de Bont's unfinished Godzilla film at SciFi Japan.

Also, be sure to watch the trailer for the upcoming documentary Where's My Roy Cohn. Huge thanks to that film's producer, Micah Baskir, for joining us on this episode. What a great guy!

We wish Ingmar Bergman a happy 101st birthday by comparing his elegiac masterpiece Wild Strawberries to the mortality pondering vehicular mayhem in Speed. Plus, get all your latest Keanu Reeves news in our new segment, KeaNews.

Wild Strawberries is available streaming on the Criterion Channel, as well as our selection for the next episode, the kaleidoscopic Japanese kaiju film, The X From Outer Space.

The man, the myth, the legend, Jan de Bont, invited the BTS team to come hang out at the original Speed cave to celebrate the film's 25th anniversary. The director spills the beans on all the production secrets, terrifying stunts, and classic Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock moments from the iconic film we've based our podcast on.

Somebody pinch us, we can't believe this actually happened.

Tune back in next episode when we have the nerve to compare Jan's classic film to Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries.

Finally: an episode dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment. Better Than Speed investigates the truth behind Cronenberg's Videodrome, and discovers the graphic violence depicted may not be as fake as they thought. Plus, special guest Dawn Garcia professes her undying love for Keanu Reeve's Speed. Head's up: Videodrome is one of the more intense film selections we've featured so far, so we briefly talk about sexual violence and self-harm in relation to the film's plot in this episode. If you need any resources in dealing with these subjects, please reach out to the friendly folks at crisistextline.org or The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. They're free, anonymous, and truly helpful. Long live the new flesh!

Hope you brought your umbrellas, because we're about to shed projectile tears over this sentimental classic from the French New Wave: Jacque Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

You can catch the film streaming on the newly launched Criterion Channel, along with John Woo's The Last Hurrah For Chivalry. Be sure to join us next episode for David Cronenberg's Videodrome! Thanks as always to Erin Larson for running the database of all our verdicts over at Letterboxd. And if you want a glimpse into Matt's tortured psyche, you can view some of the musicals he acted in as a child here and here.