Rotten Rewind

It's rare that both the original and remake of a film are critically maligned, but that's exactly what happened to Lina Wertmüller's 1974 class satire "Swept Away." Wertmüller's 70's run with muse Giancarlo Giannini culminated in her becoming the first woman ever nominated for directing at the Academy Awards in 1977, but "Swept Away" was a rare critical misfire for the auteur. So what happens when the biggest popstar in the world and her in demand director husband decide to remake it nearly 30 years later? Well, it results in the lowest rated film we've ever covered on the podcast. Guy Ritchie and Madonna made what was essentially the CliffsNotes adaptation of Wertmüller's film, almost completely removing any political context, turning it into more of a standard romcom, but keeping many elements of the original that turned so many critics off at the time. What alienated American critics from the 1974 original and how could a Madonna-starring remake have gone so, so wrong? There's only one place to find out.

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On this week's double feature, we're taking on a pair of 1960's psychosexual thrillers featuring Elizabeth Taylor in the prime of her career. First up, it's the aforementioned "Reflections of a Golden Eye" featuring a pre-Godfather Marlo Brando as a repressed army captain who's being publicly cucked by his horny wife (Taylor) as he quietly longs for the mysterious new cadet riding riding horses naked on the base (a very young Robert Forster). After that, it's Joseph Losey's 1968 tale of two freaky women using each other to overcome their individual grief with "Secret Ceremony." Featuring Taylor alongside Mia Farrow and Robert Mitchum at his absolute filthiest, "Ceremony" was akin to a modern day A24 horror movie at the time, written off as another pseudo-horror film operating under a "Psycho" facade. Join us as we travel back the Hollywood in the late 60's for a pair of freaky Elizabeth Taylor thrillers from two Hollywood legends.

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In 1999, Time Magazine compiled a list of The 100 Worst Ideas of the 20th Century. "Ishtar" was on the list. So was Michael Cimino's career-derailing, studio-bankrupting "Heaven's Gate." Both films became synonymous with financial disasters. While Cimino continued to work, albeit not on the same scale as his previous features, Elaine May never directed another film again. And while "Ishtar" didn't bankrupt Columbia Pictures, it did result in the studio being sold to Sony after the $50 million dollar "Ishtar" crashed at the box office. The film became a punchline. A cautionary tale. It's commonly referred to as one of the worst films ever made. But is "Ishtar" really that bad? (Spoiler Alert: "Ishtar" is actually good.)

Filmmaker Andrew Jacobson returns to the podcast for a deep-dive on the most notorious bomb of the 20th century. We recount the red flags leading up to the torturous production, leaked stories of on-set turmoil, Warren Beatty's wavering commitment to May's vision, and the short, but brilliant directorial career of one of our finest directors.

You can find Andrew's work on Vimeo.

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Twenty-five years after Peter Bogdanovich's self-distributed critical failure "They All Laughed" was quietly released in a handful of theaters, Quentin Tarantino declared it one of his top ten favorite films of all time. Soon after, fellow 90's auteurs like Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach reclaimed it as one of Bogdanovich's very best. Today, it's been mostly reappraised as an underrated entry in the prolific director's long career. But in 1981, the film was marred by controversy after the tragic death of one of its breakout leads, Dorothy Stratten. Like Coppola's "One From the Heart" (also barely released in 1981), the film caused its director to spiral both mentally and financially.

Podcast regular, writer and critic Nick Laskin, helps us unpack the complicated life and career of Bogdanovich, including his stellar early 70's run, his infidelity, and his broken streak after his divorce from Polly Platt. We also dive into Stratten's all too brief career, Audrey Hepburn being brought out of semi-retirement to act in a story that closely resembled her own off-screen affair with Ben Gazzara, and the criminally underrated scene-stealer, Colleen Camp.

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The Godfather. The Godfather Part II. The Conversation. Apocalypse Now.

It's hard to think of a director with a better consecutive run than Francis Ford Coppola in the 70's. The winner of five Academy Awards and nominee of 7 more during the decade, Coppola was quickly being hailed as the greatest American filmmaker of his generation. Sure, the "Apocalypse Now" shoot was notoriously troubled and nearly killed the director, but he was in the lucrative position to make whatever the hell he wanted in 1981.

Based on a desire to work within a controlled environment after the unwieldy "Apocalypse Now" shoot and to boost his burgeoning Zoetrope Studios, Coppola set his sights on the musical "One From the Heart." But what was supposed to be a $12 million love story shot exclusively on sound stages, soon became a $26 million fiasco that saw Coppola selling his beloved Zoetrope Studios and spending the next decade on studio hired jobs trying to pay back to his debts.

Critic and writer Logan Kenny rejoins the podcast for a look back at Coppola's first major disaster. Featuring an ensemble cast headlined by Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Natassja Kinski, and most forgettably, character actor Frederic Forrest in the leading role, "One From the Heart" was a near career-ending disaster at the time, but has been reappraised ever since its re-release in 2003. Was Coppola's love story overshadowed by his desire to push technical boundaries? Does Dean Tavoularis' ingenious set design and Tom Waits' gorgeous score salvage a paper thin love story? Is Frederic Forrest a leading man? Did anybody look better on screen during the 80's than Natassja Kinski? Join us now for a melancholic trip back to the artificial Las Vegas of Coppola's dreams.

You can find Logan's writing on The Film Stage and Letterboxd.

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The male and female gaze clash in this week's Gaslight/Gatekeep/Girlboss double feature as we look back on two critically trashed stories of female empowerment and revenge. Illustrator Ella Talkin returns to the podcast to break down the opposing visions of Annette Haywood-Carter's 1996 adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates's "Foxfire" and Zack Snyder's ultimate blank check fantasy "Sucker Punch." One is a sensitive portrayal of young women united by their abuse in 90's grunge-era Portland starring Angelina Jolie in a star-making performance. The other is a teenage boy's wet dream where institutionalized women work through their collected traumas by engaging in fantastical battles against steampunk nazis scored to hip-hop remixes of Queen.

Did the botched release date of "Foxfire" sink its chances of reaching a broader teen audience? Was Angelina Jolie ever not going to be a movie star? Hey, is that pre-Rilo Kiley Jenny Lewis in her big screen debut?! Is "Sucker Punch" Zack Snyder's misunderstood take-down of the male-dominated comic book culture or does it just become the very thing it's critiquing? Why is Jon Hamm here? Why is Emily Browning covering "Where is My Mind?" and "White Rabbit" in one movie? When is Scott Glenn going to play Robert Durst? We're answering all your burning questions with a special podcast shout-out to Dash Mihok and Peter Facinelli.

You can find Ella's amazing illustrations on her website and find her on Instagram @ellatalkin!

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It's Rotten history on the podcast today as we go all the way back to 1969 and 1971 for the two oldest films ever covered on the podcast. Generally it's hard to find many Rotten films made before 1980, so we're lucky we were able to find the perfect pair of gaslighting thrillers from the New Hollywood era.

First up, it's Robert Altman's sophomore feature "That Cold Day in the Park" starring Sandy Dennis as a lonely spinster who develops an unhealthy fixation with a mute teenage boy. After that it's the early 70's cult favorite "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" starring Zohra Lampert as the titular Jessica. Critic and writer Olivia Willke returns to the podcast to unpack the enduring horror of "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" and the prolific, versatile career of Robert Altman. 

We also explore the origins of Rotten Tomatoes, the pornification of "spinsters," hippie communes, what 30-something men looked like in the 70's, and the counter culture's transitionary period in the late 60's.

You can find Olivia @littlebirdliv and read her latest piece on the beauty of Michael Bay and action films at https://observer.com/2023/02/action-movies-have-become-sterile-bores-and-need-more-human-vision/

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For our Gaslight/Gatekeep/Girlboss finale, we're paying tribute to our Rotten Queen Sandra Bullock and two of her most unhinged romantic comedies. First up it's the 90's sleepover cult favorite "Practical Magic" directed by Griffin Dunne (yes, that Griffin Dunnen), featuring Bullock and Nicole Kidman in purple shades as a pair of witchy sisters who use their powers to find love and murder a Bulgarian cowboy (twice). After that, it's Bullock's oft-forgotten pairing with Ben Affleck in "Forces of Nature." Directed like a Danny Boyle trip-hop video by Bronwen Hughes, the rom-com update of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" saw Bullock as a free spirited party girl on an unexpected road trip with Affleck as a straight-laced husband-to-be.

Jean Yannarell joins us to unpack Bullock's late 90's run and why "Practical Magic" makes up at least 42% of her personality today. Have two studio comedies ever been so beautifully or daringly photographed? Did "Practical Magic's" jarring tonal shifts throw off critics and audiences at the time? Was Affleck fatally miscast in "Forces?" Has any actor-turned-director ever had a weirder filmography than Griffin Dunne? Does anybody remember Bran Van 3000? And can anyone ever replicate the magic of Sandra Bullock? Find out right here on our Gaslight/Gatekeep/Girlboss miniseries finale.

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Do you remember when Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt spent their honeymoon making a movie about the disintegration of a married couple on the island of Malta? According to the movies box office and 35% score on Rotten Tomatoes, you probably don't. But in 2015, the couple formerly known as Brangelina quietly released the slow burn marital drama "By the Sea." 

Dismissed by critics as an indulgent vanity project for the most beautiful celebrity couple alive, "By the Sea" has drifted into obscurity over the years, but has always kicked around in the back of your beloved hosts minds. Moving at an often catatonic pace with a whispery Angelina Jolie performance that mostly consists of her doing her make-up and lounging morosely in her gorgeous seaside villa, the film is hardly without its flaws, but there's a lingering sensation to its opaque meta-romance that's impossible to deny.

So join us for a trip down tabloid memory lane for the couple's last hurrah, as well as a rundown of the podcast's most obscure movies according to Letterboxd, as well as another special podcast shout-out to the 1999 air traffic control romance, "Pushing Tin."

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