It's Been Done Before

This week’s episode takes us to Detroit in 2028 where crime is rampant and the future of law enforcement is a half-man half-machine hero named Robocop.  This 2014 remake of the Paul Verhoeven classic uses most of the original story, with a slightly updated twist, to tell the tale of Alex Murphy’s transformation into Robocop.  In this version of the story, a large multinational conglomerate called Omnicorp has created several lines of automated security drones to maintain peace and order in war zones throughout the world.  They have tried to get their robots onto the streets of America for several years but they are stonewalled by a congressional bill that bans the use of robots with deadly force from patrolling any city in the country.  They decide the key to getting into the American market is some type of human integration with the robots to help ease the worries of politicians.  Alex Murphy is chosen as the perfect candidate after he is maimed by a car bomb in front of his home.  Once he is reborn as a cyborg, Murphy decides to hunt down those responsible for his death but the trail may lead down a path that he was not expecting.  Why did they make this another story about Alex Murphy?  Couldn’t the story followed another officer’s transition into a robot peacekeeper?  Maybe an old west themed one called Robosheriff with Wyatt Earp?  Why wasn’t this an R rated film?  It could have used so much more violence and blood to help with the pacing issues.  Too many big name actors with too little to do.  If you really need a Robocop fix, you’re better off watching the 1987 version.  Thank you for all of the love you continue to show us.  Please rate and review the podcast wherever you get it and if you like the show, share it with your friends.  Have a great week.

This week Axel Foley takes us to Wonder World, the second most magical theme park in all of California, in the third installment of the Beverly Hills Cop franchise.  The story begins back in Detroit when a bust gone wrong ends up with Axel’s captain being killed in the line of duty.  The trail to find the killer leads to California and Axel wastes no time getting back to the land of sun and fun.  Once there, Axel learns who the killer is and teams back up with Billy Rosewood to take down a counterfeiting ring operating at the amusement park right under Uncle Dave’s nose.  With a little help from the lovely Janice and the always entertaining Serge, Axel is able to get the bad guys and save the day.  Why did they try to make this a toned down version of the previous two movies?  Why didn’t Axel know that Taggert retired?  How doesn’t everyone in the Beverly Hills Police Department know who Axel is?  Shouldn’t he be really famous after his actions in the previous two films?  What happened to all the glamour and glitz of Beverly Hills?  Where can I get an Annihilator 2000?  This is the third best of the Beverly Hills Cop movies but it is still worth a watch if you have a few hours to kill.  Thank you for all of the love you continue to show us.  Please rate and review the podcast wherever you get it and if you like the show, share it with your friends.  Have a great week.

This week we’re going on a trip to Philly to get some quality training from a boxing legend in 2015’s Creed. This is the most recent installment in the Rocky franchise and it follows Apollo Creed’s illegitimate son, Adonis Johnson, on his journey to become a professional boxer. Adonis moves from LA to Philadelphia to get training and mentorship from his father’s greatest friend and rival, Rocky Balboa. While in Philly, Adonis meets a lovely young musician name Bianca and romance quickly blossoms. Eventually, Adonis is publicly revealed to be Apollo Creed’s son and he is sought after to fight the current WBC champion, Pretty Ricky Conlan. As Adonis and Rocky are getting to work preparing for the big fight, Rocky has a health scare that puts momentary strain on their relationship before bringing them closer together than ever. The story culminates with the biggest fight of Adonis’ life as he tries to prove his worth to himself and to the world. This is a pretty good movie that hits almost all of the buttons for a quality Rocky flick. Why didn’t Adonis, the wealthy kid from LA, get a better apartment in Philly? What is the exact timeline of this movie? Were those really Paulie’s dirty magazines? Should they have trimmed a few minutes off of the love story? Did the ending lead into a perfect setup for a sequel? Thank you for all of the love you continue to show us. Please rate and review the podcast wherever you get it and if you like the show, share it with your friends. Have a great week.

This week’s episode takes us on a nightmarish journey to somewhere over the rainbow as we all...Return to Oz. Several months after her magical adventure through the land of Oz, Dorothy is back home in Kansas but she cannot get her time in Oz out of her thoughts and dreams. Her aunt and uncle are worried she may have lost her mind and send her to a special “doctor” for electronic shock therapy. While at the hospital/asylum Dorothy befriends a mysterious little girl that helps free her from captivity and kickstarts her return to the land of the Emerald City. When Dorothy arrives in Oz she has a new companion, Billina the talking chicken replaces the lovable Toto, and realizes that things in Oz are not the way she remembers them to be. She quickly learns that the evil Nome King has conquered the Emerald City and imprisoned King Scarecrow. Dorothy assembles a new group of friends to go to the Nome King’s mountain to rescue Scarecrow and release Oz from his dastardly grip. Who thought this was a good idea for a children’s movie? It must be responsible for countless nightmares. How quickly does time past in Oz compared to our version of reality? Do you think Tim Burton saw this movie and said to himself, “I can do better.”? Why doesn’t Dorothy keep winding up Tik-Tok during every moment of downtime? What kind of animal head was used to make Mr. Gump? Why would they save Princess Mombi? How much psychotherapy do you think Dorothy went through later in her life? Thank you for all of the love you continue to show us. Please rate and review the podcast wherever you get it and if you like the show, share it with your friends. Have a great week.

This week we’re having a good time with our favorite cat-loving half demon in 2008’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army.  The story continues the with Hellboy, Abe and Liz still working to protect the world from supernatural beasts as part of the B.P.R.D.  Hellboy and Liz are having minor relationship issues due to an unexpected pregnancy.  To add to all the chaos they get a new commanding officer in Dr. Krauss, the superintelligent smoke monster.  Their mission is to stop Prince Nuada from getting all three piece of the magical crown that controls the indestructible mechanical golden army.  After meeting Nuada’s sister, Princess Nuala, Abe falls deeply in love with hear and his feeling may threaten the outcome of the mission.  This movie is really fun and holds up well on our most recent rewatch.  The monsters are cool and Ron Perlman shines as the perfect Hellboy.   Thank you for all of the love you continue to show us.  Please rate and review the podcast wherever you get it and if you like the show, share it with your friends.  Have a great week.

This week we’re on a journey for redemption with George Miller’s modern action masterpiece, Mad Max: Fury Road.  The story follows two tortured souls in Max, a road warrior who’s past haunts him to the point of insanity, and Furiosa, a hardened soldier that was kidnapped from her home as a child and forced to work for the evil Immortan Joe.  Furiosa sets out to save Immortan Joe’s prized “breeders” by taking them to her former homeland, the green place.  Once Immortan Joe realizes that his women are missing he focuses all of his power and attention towards getting them back.  During the turmoil Max and a young warboy name Nux join the ragtag group as all of them work toward a chance for peace and freedom.  This movie is amazing.  If you have not watched it before, do so right now.  Thank you for all of the love you continue to show us.  Please rate and review the podcast wherever you get it and if you like the show, share it with your friends.  Have a great week.

This week we’re going on a wild goose chase to a creepy beekeeper island that is predominantly populated by women in the 2006 remake of The Wicker Man. This movie stars the amazingly fun Nicolas Cage as a California motorcycle cop that is asked to help his ex-fiancee find her missing daughter. He travels to a remote island in the state of Washington named Summersisle only to find that the inhabitants are unwelcoming and unwilling to help. With each turn the story takes he seems further and further away from ever finding the missing girl or the truth about what is going on. By the time he realizes the women’s true plan for him, it is too late to save himself from...The Wicker Man. Is this the most convoluted plan ever? What’s with the pills Nic Cage keeps downing? Why would you go to an island of beekeepers if you are deathly allergic to bee stings? Why does he think that being a California police officer gives him the jurisdiction to do anything he wants without evidence or a warrant? Why doesn’t he ever ask an follow up questions? This movie isn’t that great but Cage’s performance makes it a so-bad-it’s-good masterpiece. Thank you for all of the love you continue to show us. Please rate and review the podcast wherever you get it and if you like the show, share it with your friends. Have a great week.

This week we’re going back in time with our favorite sex crazed and snaggle-toothed spy in 1999’s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.  In this shagadelic sequel Dr. Evil has returned and he’s going back in time to steal Austin Powers’ mojo.  Austin follows him to 1969 and pairs up with Felicity Shagwell, an American super-spy with the hots for him.  They hunt down Dr. Evil and travel to the moon to stop his evil plan for world domination.  This film introduced the world to Mini-Me and Fat Bastard and we haven’t been able to totally shake them from pop culture since.  What exactly is the chemical makeup of Austin Powers’ mojo?  Is this one of the most misogynistic film franchises ever?  Why can’t Mini-Me talk?  What’s with the inconsistent earthquakes caused by Fat Bastard moving around?  Time was not very kind to this movie, but it still had a couple of laugh out loud moments.  Thank you for all of the love you continue to show us.  Please rate and review the podcast wherever you get it and if you like the show, share it with your friends.  Have a great week.

This week, we’re taking a quick trip to our summer home to relax and enjoy some peace and quiet as a family.  Unfortunately when you staying at (the 2009 remake of) The Last House on The Left, the only thing to do as a family is get revenge on those who have wronged you.  This film is a remake of Wes Craven’s 1972 cult classic of the same name.  It tells the story of a family that is spending time at their summer home in a quiet backwoods community.  Their daughter Mari goes into to town to spend time with her friend Paige while she is working at a convenience store.  They go back to a young drifter named Justin’s motel room to get some weed and end up having a very creepy encounter with his family.  The girls are soon taken hostage and brutally attacked and left for dead by the gang of lunatics.  As luck would have it, the band of psychos happens upon Mari’s parent’s home while seeking refuge from a raging storm.  Mari is able to drag her wounded body back to her home and her parents soon realize that she was abused and violated by their house guests.  The rest of the story is Mari’s parents getting violent revenge on the people responsible for hurting Mari.  This one is not for the squeamish and could give you a few nightmares.  Please rate and review the podcast wherever you get it and if you like the show, share it with your friends.  Have a great week.

This week, we’re looking for a man with a special set of skills.  We need someone that can kick ass and rescue anyone from danger, except his ex-wife.  We need a man like Bryan Mills from Taken 2, and to be fair the other Taken movies as well.  This time around Bryan’s whole family is the target of the kidnapping and revenge scheme.  He is working in Istanbul and is joined by his ex-wife Lenore and his daughter Kim for a quick getaway.  While they are relaxing and trying to enjoy their vacation, the father of one of Bryan’s previous victims is plotting revenge.  They eventually capture Bryan and Lenore and Kim sort of helps set them free.  By the time the movie is over Bryan has filled a small graveyard with fresh bodies.  How much of a time gap is there between the first and second movies?  Why did Bryan bring his family overseas so quickly after the previous “incident” from the first movie?  Why doesn’t Kim understand why Bryan is so overprotective?  Why did such a small wound incapacitate Lenore for so long?  How is Kim such an amazing stunt driver, yet  she can’t parallel park during her driving test?  This is a perfect movie to have on in the background while you are doing something more important.  Please rate and review the podcast wherever you get it and if you like the show, share it with your friends.  Have a great week.