Failurepiece Theater

This week we're back after a brief hiatus with another messed up family film of the 1980s--in this case Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. A long gestating film project that Disney brought to life, then sort of killed, then brought back, then fixed, then released. It's a bit of a mess that failed miserably when the house of mouse was desperate for a hit, but riding the line between sweet coming of age story and legitimate horror film gives this movie a little something extra that might just push it into FailurePiece territory. Let's find out, shall we?

We head back to the content mines to bring you another few hours of grasping for the low-hanging fruit that is the early days of Marvel studios. This time, it's 2004's The Punisher--the Thomas Jane and John Travolta vehicle that was meant to launch yet another franchise. Let's dig in and see if it's still worth our time, shall we?

In another episode devoted to 80's family "fun," we explore the initially overlooked, but now cult-classic, Return to Oz. A film rescued from the flames of Disney's incinerator by George Lucas himself and directed by the legendary Walter Murch. It's legitimately terrifying, deeply unsettling, and entirely unforgettable. Let's discover if it's a failurepiece, shall we? 

As part of a new series, this week we delve into one of many 80s "family films." It was the wild west of kiddie content, and Little Monsters, a Beetlejuice-infused Fred Savage vehicle with Howie Mandel in some troubling makeup as backup, might be as far west as the California coastline. Still, it's got some charm and a heaping helping of weird, so let's take a look, shall we?

Whew. This week's episode took it out of us. We "chose" to discuss one of the greatest failures of modern cinema--the birth and death of a cinematic universe in one fell swoop. That's right. It's the movie that was made to launch a franchise, and it did...right into the sun. Join us for an exasperated discussion of a cinematic blunder of epic proportions, won't you?

We round out the month of October with a trip to Danvers asylum, where the boys are busy cleaning up. With a great cast, an unbelievable setting, and a surprisingly compelling portrayal of a man as he slips into madness, Brad Anderson's Session 9 delivers on the spookies. But is it a FailurePiece? Let's find out!

The second week of Spooktober is upon us, and this week it's another horror-comedy classic. The Frighteners, a little film that may have laid the foundation for a little-known filmmaker named Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, delights and chills with a compelling (and final) lead performance from Michael J Fox, another incredible turn from Jeffrey Combs, and produced by Robert Zemeckis himself. It's an October treat that leads to some fun discussion of how mixing genres is a risk, but when it works the payoff is nothing short of...frightening. 

We kick off Spooktober with a long, hard look at Joe Dante's cult classic The 'Burbs. It's a black comedy satire with a great cast, a historic backlot set, and Henry Gibson. While it's certainly achieved status in the years since its release, we think it's not beloved enough (like most of Dante's output), so take a listen and find out why!

This week we wrap up the filmography of Alex Proyas--one of the best directors ever. Except for this. It's a long road through the nine gates of the underworld, especially when Gerard Butler's brogue keeps interrupting your attempts to rest. But, is this a film that's worth your time? Let's figure it out!