Commit One

Hmmm....that didn't age very well. Will, Mike, and Sam celebrate the 60th film anniversary of one of the most iconic spy characters in history in James Bond by looking at a bit of Bond trivia by the resident Bond nerd Will (who wanted to do this by himself but was not allowed), and then looking at the final film with Sir Roger Moore as 007 in the 1985 film A View to a Kill. Featuring Christopher Walken as the Bond villain Max Zorin, Grace Jones as Zorin's henchwoman May Day, and Tanya Roberts as the official Bond girl Stacey Sutton, this film not only ticks off many of the boxes that make up a Bond film but is also dragged down because of it with a rather boring plot that goes in another direction (seriously, starting with microchips but then all of the attention on horses?), has very uncomfortable moments with Bond trying to be "smooth" that would not fly today, and a villain that really is very dumb in hindsight. While this film can be nostalgic for Bond fans, it really lives up to its Rotten status as a low point in the series, something that the Commit One crew is all too happy to shake up as well as stir.

Suddenly....BEN KINGSLEY!! Will, Mike, and Sam mercifully bring their second Trilogy of Torture (and third Halloween month) to a close with the 2005 film BloodRayne. Marking Uwe Boll's third attempt at adapting a video game movie, the film strips back the stylized action and rock music of the last two entries in favor of slow, poorly choreographed fight sequences, a boring plot, actors that are mostly just phoning it in throughout the entire 95-minute runtime, and even a scene that is really not necessary AT ALL. But hey, at least there is a lot of blood! Even with names like Michael Madsen, Michelle Rodriguez, Ben Kingsley, and Kristanna Loken in the title role, this was a film that just puts people to sleep despite a decent premise. At least it got two sequels which are....better? While the Commit One crew may not have the answers for the sequels, they do have a lot to break down with this very Uwe Boll-film.

Note: We had some audio issues during the recording of this episode which we suspect is a result of improper microphone storage during our long hiatus as Sam explains at the beginning of this episode. While she did try to fix things as best as she could we do apologize for the quality of this episode and will be working to fix this in future episodes.  

How does Uwe Boll keep getting work?! Will, Mike, and Sam continue their second Trilogy of Torture (and continue Halloween month) with Uwe Boll's second ill-fated attempt at adapting a video game with Alone in the Dark from 2005. Starring Christian Slater as protagonist Edward Carnby and Tara Reid as his archeologist/museum curator girlfriend Aline Cedrac (yeah, we couldn't understand that casting either), the film basically takes a nonsensical plot, does almost NOTHING with it, and tries to pass off as an enjoyable film. In fact, so little happens in this film that Will seems to have set a personal record for talking about an entire movie! With a 1% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an initial script that seemed miles better than what was shoveled out on screen, this is one movie that the Commit One crew wishes just stayed in the dark.

Well....they had to get to this "amazing" director sooner or later. Will, Mike, and Sam kick off their third Halloween month as well as their second Trilogy of Torture by looking at three of the early English-language films (and video game film adaptations) of Uwe Boll! For this week the Commit One crew is looking at Boll's first video game movie with the headache-inducing and over-the-top nuttiness that is the 2003 film House of the Dead.  Representing almost nothing from the video game it is based on and starring no one really of note other than featuring Opie Taylor's little brother (Clint Howard, younger brother of director Ron Howard), this has a plot that makes pretty much no sense, has very dumb characters making even dumber decisions, and so many unnecessary jump cuts to the video game that would make your head spin if the camera did not do it already! It really lives up to Uwe Boll's reputation as a film director, and the Commit One crew is unfortunately here for every groan-inducing minute of it.  

Did you miss us? Will, Mike, and Sam make their somewhat-epic return after a four-month hiatus to kick off the third year of the Commit One Movie Podcast with a bit of an explanation (but a good one) of why they have been gone for so long, what they have been up to during the time away, and a preview of a few episodes to come including one that was recorded BEFORE the hiatus but again was not able to be posted (again, they do explain that in the episode). So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the madcap banter that only the Commit One crew can bring you (or you can jump ahead to the next episode as this is a TWO episode premiere)!

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Ray Liotta.  

Disney is at it again! Will, Mike, and Sam jump back into the Disney vault for a Vietnam War family comedy film (talk about an oxymoron) that is somehow based on a true story in 1995's Operation Dumbo Drop. Featuring a well-rounded cast with main stars Ray Liotta, Danny Glover and Denis Leary along with Doug E. Doug and Corin Nemic, the film follows a dysfunctional group of soldiers attempting to deliver an elephant to a Vietnamese village in order to maintain a military influence over the famous Ho Chi Minh trail....wow, that sounds very convoluted when said out loud doesn't it? Regardless of the plot, it still features decent acting but with the family-friendly "stink" that only Disney can do, and the Commit One Crew is here to sift through all of the nonsense.

The title should really explain a lot about this one! Will, Mike, and Sam go back into the world of semi-horror/more thriller and suspense (with a small dash of Lance Henriksen) with the 2016 film Gehenna: Where Death Lives. Starring no one else really of note besides the small cameo by Henriksen, the film starts off with very lousy acting that does get better as the story becomes more convoluted when time travel ends up getting thrown into the mix. Yes, you read that right...time travel. It is an odd little film that, while it does have a few redeeming qualities, ultimately does nothing besides being a good background movie. Despite this, the Commit One Crew is here to still try and make some kind of sense of this film.

What in the name of good taste and Skeleton Man was this? Will, Mike, and Sam really scrape the bottom of the barrel this time as Will and Sam slowly lose what sanity they have left (much to Mike's amusement and delight) with the 2021 disaster of a film called Sky Sharks. Horrible acting, horrible set pieces, an insane plot by any standards, and just bad taste all around is what makes up this insult to cinema....and we haven't even gotten to the zombies yet! However, despite the pain that this film brings (in more ways than one), the Commit One crew is here to suffer through it so you do not have to.

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Gilbert Gottfried.  

This is where it all began for lesser-quality Disney sequels. Will, Mike, and Sam return to the less-than wonderful world of Disney by looking at their very first direct-to-video film which also serves as the pilot episode (albeit releasing four months after the series debuted) of the TV series Aladdin with 1994's The Return of Jafar. Despite Robin Williams not returning to the role of the Genie, this film still stands out with most of the cast returning including the late, great Gilbert Gottfried in his most memorable and iconic role as Iago where he turns from the side of evil to be more of an anti-hero with this film serving as a redemption story. Despite an interesting premise, the film is saddled with a rushed runtime, poor animation quality (it is for TV after all) and no memorable songs. Despite returning to this world and the great characters, the Commit One crew thinks that Disney maybe should have left this one buried in the Cave of Wonders...

Why has it taken the Commit One crew so long to even talk about the Razzies? Will, Mike, and Sam take a short pause on their movie reviews to take a look at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards which for the past 42 years have "honored" the worst in film. Despite many controversies detailing what films are nominated to how the awards are given out to the actual voting committee not even needing to watch the film, the "Razzies" have still provided some fun times when it comes to the films that are covered. With this year's ceremony having wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, the Commit One crew decided to have some fun and look at and discuss the nominees this year as well as play a bit of a guessing game with the winners. It may be one-and-done, it may even provide more bad films to cover, but the Razzies still help give these bad films their due.