It's that most wonderful time of the year, and "Failure to Franchise Presents Trev and Chris-tmas" kicks off with a timely look at a sci-fi action take on one of the most important, iconic, and revered properties of all time. And to be sure, 2014's I, Frankenstein pays homage to Mary Shelley's beloved creation by including all the most cherished elements of her classic novel...the heroic gargoyles who are actually angels; the evil human businessman who is secretly an ancient demon; the Filipino Kali stick fighting! Well, okay...maybe this movie took some liberties with the source material. But, amongst all these strange and surprising additions to the Frankenstein mythology we all know and love, we're here to dive into the real important question at the heart of this movie - what the heck is the deal with Aaron Eckhart's career??

Our Twitter

Our Facebook

Our Instagram

Our YouTube

Trev's Letterboxd

Chris' Letterboxd

It's a very special F2F Holiday Special! Before we exchange our gifts for our next annual "Failure to Franchise presents Trev & Chris-tmas," we're taking a brief, merry break to visit one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time, and arguably the last movie to date to enter the "Classic Christmas Movie" canon, 2003's Elf. Directed by a pre-Iron Man and Star Wars Jon Favreau, and starring Will Ferrell in his first major leading role, Elf was a giant hit upon release and continues to delight audiences of all ages every holiday season to this very day...so why was there never a sequel? And, is it possible for anyone not to be entirely charmed by the film? We explore both questions, before gifting each other our next two movies!

Our Twitter

Our Facebook

Our Instagram

Our YouTube

Trev's Letterboxd

Chris' Letterboxd

"CROWvember" concludes! Not with another Russell Crowe movie, but with the actual bird! Sorta? I dunno, just roll with us here, as we look at 2024's The Crow, a long-gestating comic book movie franchise reboot that went through a lot of permutations, with multiple directors and leading men attached, before finally arriving (with Rupert Sanders at the helm and Bill Skarsgard in the lead role), and being met with a combination of audience apathy and outright anger. But is the movie better than the reputation it immediately cultivated? Is it a worthy part of the Crow franchise legacy? And does it justify its own existence, despite the concerns of many that it was disrespectful to Brandon Lee and the tragedy of the original film to even make this movie in the first place?

Our Twitter

Our Facebook

Our Instagram

Our YouTube

Trev's Letterboxd

Chris' Letterboxd

New month, new theme. We're kicking off "CROWvember" with yet another failed franchise starter from the surprisingly-regularly-featured-on-F2F Russell Crowe. But this time, it's a classy, prestige play Oscar contender from acclaimed filmmaker Peter Weir that was, nevertheless, meant to hopefully kick off a cinematic series. Adapted from the long-running "Aubrey/Maturin" period war-drama novel series by Patrick O'Brian, 2003's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a rousing 19th century naval battle action epic. But for all the excitement of ship vs. ship conflict, at the heart of the film is a story of loyalty, duty, and male friendship. In an era unfortunately dominated by displays of male toxicity, did we two dudes find something more admirable and aspirational in the friendship of the two dudes played by Crowe and Paul Bettany? And, do we think even a big Best Picture contender like this could really justify a blockbuster-like series of sequels? We discuss all this and more, as we set out to sail in the choppy waters of "CROWvember."

Our Twitter

Our Facebook

Our Instagram

Our YouTube

Trev's Letterboxd

Chris' Letterboxd

Our special "Trick 'r(esident) Tre(vil)" month concludes, with the 2021 cinematic reboot of the Resident Evil series. We've lost Milla Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson (except for an in-name-only producer credit), but hey, we've got a crap-ton of 1998 references to make up for it! That's because Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City promised to be a more faithful adaptation of the original video game source material, condensing the first two games into one movie. And yet, even with this allegedly more accurate representation of the beloved video game series, Welcome to Raccoon City clearly did not spawn the same sort of long-running, financially successful franchise that Paul W.S. Anderson's less faithful adaptation did. But...why? We pull out our Palm Pilots and investigate.

Our Twitter

Our Facebook

Our Instagram

Our YouTube

Trev's Letterboxd

Chris' Letterboxd

For a special Halloween edition of our "Success to Series" spin-off show, we're taking a break from our usual failures and instead beginning our "Trick 'r(esident) Tre(vil)" theme month, with a loving look at a series we unironically adore - Paul W.S. Anderson's six-film Resident Evil saga (2002-2016), starring Milla Jovovich. We explain why we genuinely enjoy this oft critically-panned series, once again pontificate on the star-power of Jovovich, and try to figure out why we're okay with the huge liberties Anderson took when adapting the video game source material. Ultimately, we take a look at each individual entry in the franchise, sharing our favorite moments and characters, and discuss why the series can possibly be viewed as a deeply personal auteur vision. Yes, that's right, we're still talking about Paul W.S. Anderson movies. So get ready to kick some zombie dogs - and kick aside any concerns about continuity or narrative logic, while you're at it - and join us for an in-depth look at Resident Evil.

Our Twitter

Our Facebook

Our Instagram

Our YouTube

Trev's Letterboxd

Chris' Letterboxd

"Double-Shafted September" concludes with our look at Shaft, the second reboot of Shaft, following Shaft. Yeah, ok, this is pretty confusing without the years, isn't it? Just to be clear, this is the 2019 version, another attempt to kick-start a version of the franchise with Samuel L. Jackson as John Shaft, Jr. But this time, he's not alone, as the actual, ostensible main character is actually Jr's son, John "JJ" Shaft III, played by The Boys' Jessie T. Usher. JJ is a new kind of Shaft, a nerdy, millennial tech-expert working for the FBI. But when he decides to conduct a personal investigation into the death of a close friend, JJ is forced to team up with his absentee, old-fashioned, private eye father. If you think this sounds like a goofy "buddy cop" premise, you're not wrong, as the 2019 Shaft attempts to take the series in a more comedy-based direction. Is it successful as a comedy? Is it successful as a Shaft movie? Is it even successful as a sequel to the previous Shaft? We discuss all this, and more, as we once again get double-shafted.

Our Twitter

Our Facebook

Our Instagram

Our YouTube

Trev's Letterboxd

Chris' Letterboxd

Are you ready to be shafted? No? Well, how about...double-shafted?? Cause we're kicking off "Double-Shafted September," a two-episode series dedicated to both attempts to relaunch the iconic Blaxploitation franchise that started with 1971's Shaft. First up, we're looking at 2000's Shaft (yep, same name), directed by John Singleton, and starring Hollywood's biggest badass M'Fer, Samuel L. Jackson. In this updated version, Jackson plays John Shaft, the nephew of Richard Roundtree's original John Shaft, this time an NYC detective working to bring the wealthy perpetrator of a heinous race-crime (Christian Bale) to justice. But standing in his way is a vindictive local gangster (Jeffrey Wright)...and a troubled behind-the-scenes production which frustrated many involved with making the movie. Is this Shaft as sexy and cool as the original? Was Samuel L. Jackson the right man to inherit the role? And can a supporting performance be both problematic and still arguably the best thing about the movie? We discuss all this, and more!

Our Twitter

Our Facebook

Our Instagram

Our YouTube

Trev's Letterboxd

Chris' Letterboxd

Here it is! It's all been building to this! The epic conclusion of "Summer Surprise," and one of our most anticipated....err, or should we say dreaded episodes yet! That's right, it's 1987's The Garbage Pail Kids, based on the controversial, extremely popular, '80s Topps trading card set parodying the mega-successful Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. How does one make a movie out of a non-narrative trading card line? Is the proper target audience for a Garbage Pail Kids movie kids or adults? Can an audience handle over 90 minutes of looking at purposely disgusting mutant children and their various body fluids? Is the world of fashion a proper setting for an anarchic, gross-out comedy? And, most importantly, does "Small Town Witch Summer" continue? We explore all these questions and more, as we finally dive into the intentional stinky, slimy junk-pile that is The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.

Our Twitter

Our Facebook

Our Instagram

Our YouTube

Trev's Letterboxd

Chris' Letterboxd

"Summer Surprise" continues with...what's this? Another witch movie?? That's right, but this one has a hell of a pedigree. A family dark-fantasy romp from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, starring Jack Black and Cate Blanchett, and directed by...Eli Roth?? Huh. So how did the infamous filmmaker behind such extreme horror hits as Cabin Fever, Hostel, and Thanksgiving handle the opportunity to helm a more family-friendly adventure story based on the first book in a popular series of children's novels? Was this still an effective match for his twisted sensibilities, or a defective marriage of contrasting styles? Can Jack Black's unique charisma keep this clock ticking? How does it compare to the Goosebumps films of the same era, also starring Black? Is there such a thing as too many poop jokes? We discuss all this, and more!

Our Twitter

Our Facebook

Our Instagram

Our YouTube

Trev's Letterboxd

Chris' Letterboxd