Warning: persons under the age of 18 should not consume Speed Racer. Heavy consuption of Speed Racer has been linked to driving in excess of posted speed limits, increased candy consumption and practicing karate. 

If you have seen and heavily enjoyed Speed Racer, you maybe eligible for a diagnosis of Hyperactivity Attention Deficit Disorder.

Michael and Zach review the Alien movie where a group of spacefaring working stiffs find a hostile alien form that one of them eventually jettisons into space after all but one of them have been killed. Why of course, they're talking about Alien Romulus! Is Romulus the greatest thing since sliced bread and the missionary position or is it the stinkiest, memberberries fueld reboot yet? There can only be one verdict in this episode of Movies on Trial!

Mike and Zachary make bold predictions about the future of the movie theater.

BEHOLD THE END OF THE MOVIE THEATER IS NIGH! REPENT! REPENT! PRAY FOR THE SALVATION (of your popcorn). FEAR THE SECOND COMING OF (TV channels posing as streaming services). ABANDON ALL YE HOPE FOR THE KINO SHALL WANE AND CEASE TO BE (the movie theater might just entering another era and will still continue to be a thing). 

All this and more in yet another action packed and sexy installment of MOVIES ON FIRE.

In this episode Michael and Zach review the beloved new entry in Marvel's™ long running Marvel Cinematic Universe™ by Marvel Disney™, a proud subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company™. But hey while you're listening to this standout episode why not order a tasty meal from your local Denny's™? Denny's™ has been proudly serving customers since 1954 and has since offered up incredible meals like the Hobbit Grand Slam Adventure Menu™ and who could forget Denny's™ incredible take on the Ben Grimm's iconic snack, the Thing Burger™? Denny's-America's diner is always open!™

*Movies on Fire is not a representative of or any brands or parent companies associated with the Walt Disney Company, Denny's, Warner Brothers and associated properties or Marvel comics and associated intellectual property. Movies on Fire does not receive any money whatsoever to represent these products and associated brands nor are we paid to express our support...unless you want us to...please...we need the money.

Brett. “The Denny’s Thing Burger, Not Exactly Kosher (Updated).” Graphic Policy, 7 Aug. 2015, https://graphicpolicy.com/2015/08/07/the-dennys-thing-burger-not-exactly-kosher-updated/.
CONTRACT to TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION | USAspending. https://usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_MQRG_9700_N0014004DM901_9700. Accessed 14 Sept. 2025.

Davis, Brandon. “Fantastic Four Cast Describes A Deleted Scene.” ComicBook.Com, 6 Sept. 2017, https://comicbook.com/comicbook/news/fantastic-four-cast-describes-a-deleted-scene/.
Denny’s Thing Burger TV Spot, “Fantastic Four.” www.ispot.tv, https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7PHW/dennys-thing-burger-fantastic-four. Accessed 14 Sept. 2025.

Fant4stic (Partially Lost Deleted Scenes of Superhero Film; 2015) - The Lost Media Wiki. https://lostmediawiki.com/Fant4stic_(partially_lost_deleted_scenes_of_superhero_film;_2015). Accessed 14 Sept. 2025.

Fantastic Four (2015) | Rotten Tomatoes. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fantastic_four_2015. Accessed 14 Sept. 2025.

“Fantastic Four Director ‘Slept with Loaded Gun’ after Death Threats over Colour-Blind Michael B Jordan Casting.” The Independent, 6 May 2020, https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/josh-trank-fantastic-four-loaded-gun-michael-b-jordan-johnny-storm-casting-capone-a9500936.html.

Foutch, Haleigh. “David Cronenberg on Josh Trank’s ‘Fantastic Four’ Movie.” Collider, 13 Feb. 2015, https://collider.com/david-cronenberg-fantastic-four-alien/.
“Josh Trank.” Wikipedia, 1 Aug. 2025. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Josh_Trank&oldid=1303644631.

“Kate Mara Breaks Silence on ‘Horrendous Experience’ on Set of Fantastic Four Reboot.” The Independent, 13 Nov. 2020, https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/kate-mara-fantastic-four-josh-trank-jamie-bell-b1722289.html.

Leeper, Bob. “Review: Denny’s ‘Thing Burger’ – A Revoltin’ Development or Slobberin’ Time?” East Valley Tribune, 3 Aug. 2015, https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/blogs/nerdvana/review-denny-s-thing-burger-a-revoltin-development-or-slobberin-time/article_16cf4b85-06f2-556d-bfa4-727da1d0eee3.html.

McMillan, Graeme. “‘Fantastic Four’ Heroes Get Military Introduction in New Teaser.” The Hollywood Reporter, 28 July 2015, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/fantastic-four-heroes-get-military-811680/.

“Military–Entertainment Complex.” Wikipedia, 13 Sept. 2025. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Military%E2%80%93entertainment_complex&oldid=1311042297.

Patches, Matt. “Josh Trank on What Happens When a Fantastic Four Reboot Bombs.” Polygon, 5 May 2020, https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/5/21246679/josh-trank-capone-interview-fantastic-four-chronicle/.

Sharf, Zack. “Josh Trank Banned Max Landis From ‘Chronicle’ Set and Hasn’t Spoken to Him Since 2012.” IndieWire, 18 June 2019, https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/josh-trank-banned-max-landis-chronicle-set-1202150922/.

 “Josh Trank Looks Back at ‘Fantastic Four’ Death Threats and Losing Final Cut Privilege.” IndieWire, 5 May 2020, https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/josh-trank-paranoid-fantastic-four-gun-1202229523/.

Movies on Fire will be back this month with another jam packed episode! In the meantime, please enjoy this epside of our sister podcast The Bonus Situation! Both Movies on Fire and the Bonus Situation are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, YouTube and more! Now onto the show...

Boomer and Michael watch the 1984 British family romcom, Threads! When Jimmy met Ruth, they were two kids from different worlds. Now they're about to become parents! With wedding bells in the distance, Jimmy only has one more night as a bachelor to live it up! At least not if his new father in law has anything to say about it! 

Our review is based on Svervin Films' 2018 2K remaster of Threads from the movie's original intermediate print. The blu-ray mentioned includes a 30 minute long interview with Stephen Thrower about the historical context that Threads released to in 1984.

Bibliography

• Archer, Josh. “10 Reasons Why Margaret Thatcher Is Britain’s Most Hated Politician.” Josh Archer, 18 Mar. 2018, https://www.josharcher.uk/blog/why-margaret-thatcher-is-hated/.

• Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs. Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), 1983. Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs., 1 May 2008, https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/rd/104253.htm.

• Hooper, Simon. “Many Faces of the Iron Lady.” Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2013/4/9/margaret-thatcher-the-good-bad-and-the-ugly. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

• “Margaret Thatcher and the Battle of the 364 Keynesians.” Cato Institute, 9 Apr. 2013, https://www.cato.org/blog/margaret-thatcher-battle-364-keynesians.

• Myre, Greg. “Stanislav Petrov, ‘The Man Who Saved The World,’ Dies At 77.” NPR, 18 Sept. 2017. NPR, https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/18/551792129/stanislav-petrov-the-man-who-saved-the-world-dies-at-77.

• NBC. “‘Defense against the Unknown’: UK Releases 1983 Nuclear War Speech for Queen.” NBC News, 1 Aug. 2013, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/defense-against-unknown-uk-releases-1983-nuclear-war-speech-queen-flna6C10813711.

• “Protesting Margaret Thatcher.” London Museum, https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/protesting-margaret-thatcher/. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

• “Reagan, ‘Evil Empire,’ Speech Text.” Voices of Democracy, https://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/reagan-evil-empire-speech-text/. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

• Skidelsky, Robert. “Margaret Thatcher – a Strong Leader, but a Resolute Failure by Any Other Measure.” The Guardian, 18 Apr. 2013. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2013/apr/18/margaret-thatcher-leader-failure-strong.

• Uenuma, Francine. “The 1983 Military Drill That Nearly Sparked Nuclear War With the Soviets.” Smithsonian Magazine, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1983-military-drill-that-nearly-sparked-nuclear-war-with-the-soviets-180979980/. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

• Webb, Alban. “The War Game.” BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/author. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

• Williams, Zoe. “Margaret Thatcher Is Not a Good Role Model – but Not Necessarily for the Reasons You Think.” The Guardian, 4 Dec. 2023. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/04/margaret-thatcher-is-not-a-good-role-model-but-not-necessarily-for-the-reasons-you-think.

The Man who Shot Liberty Valence! Still on monochrome! Witness the Ford western that wowed audiences, that made 30 year old woman go crazy for 50 year old men and most importantly taught us that guns are very, very cool and we ought to have more six shooters just lying around today. Legendary auteur and WWII Veteran John Ford delivers his swan song to the Western in directing Liberty Valence. Famed actor and fellow WWII Veteran Jimmy Stewart turns in an all time best performance as Ransom Stoddard. Country icon and noted fake Green Beret John Wayne plays Tom Doniphon. What do Mike and Zach think of it nearly 60 years later? Listen to find out!

This week Michael and Zach are getting into the zone with our review of Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker (1979)! In this episode we ponder Russian existentialism, the wonders industrial runoff can do for clogged pores, and why that last Mission Impossible movie had to be so long. 

Michael and Zach review the most disturbing movie since Pootietang! Trigger warning for discussions of sexual assualt, bleak Soviet history and Baby Hitlers.

Michael and Zach talk about a movie that probably gave us hearing damage.

Have you or a loved one recently been struck by food poisoning? Bad burrito? Poorly timed popcorn or an ICEE? You may be entitled to compensation! Call Michael and Zach, attorney's* at law! Michael and Zach can get you up to six times the compensation promised by competitors. Nothing is more important to us than your settlement. 

*not really attorney's nor licensed to practice law