Today, Matt and Todd dive into the original classic Clash of the Titans (1981), directed by Desmond Davis and starring: Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Judi Bowker, Maggie Smith, and Burgess Meredith.

One of the most epic adventure films of its time, Clash of the Titans premiered in the summer of 1981, bringing the legendary Laurence Olivier to the screen as Zeus, whose command for the destruction of Argos sets off a thrilling chain of events.

The film is best remembered for its groundbreaking special effects, crafted by the master of stop-motion animation, Ray Harryhausen. His work, including the unforgettable Medusa and Kraken sequences, remains influential in fantasy filmmaking.

While Clash of the Titans takes heavy liberties with legendary accuracy, it delivers a thoroughly entertaining and timeless experience—a Greek legend reimagined through the lens of English playwrights and Hollywood sensibilities.

We hope you love this fantasy classic as much as we do!

Matt reviews and ranks more movies including newer ones at ⁠Letterboxd⁠

You can find out what he's following on Bluesky @MovieMattSirois.bsky.social

Check out favorites of what we follow, at: ⁠⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠⁠ and  ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠⁠ As Marcus he reviews all sorts of films but unlike here, they often they range from bad, worse, or terrible at the ⁠⁠⁠⁠MovieAsylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful⁠.

Today, Matt & Todd get into the third entry in the classic Planet of the Apes franchise: Escape from the Planet of the Apes.

Directed by: Don Taylor Starring: Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Natalie Trundy (Returning cast members.) as well asBradford Dillman, and Eric Braeden.

The original Planet of the Apes delivered a gripping, self-contained story. The sequel expanded the lore—and then promptly obliterated the planet. So, how exactly do we get a third film out of this?

Money, obviously.

But while financial motives are inevitable, what Escape delivers is far more than just a cash grab. The film flips the narrative, bringing the story to Earth. What unfolds isn’t a grand adventure as such but rather a tense exploration of fear, power, and survival—culminating in perhaps the franchise’s most haunting conclusion yet.

And yes, there are still two more of these…

Matt reviews and ranks more movies including newer ones at ⁠Letterboxd⁠

You can find out what he's following on Bluesky @MovieMattSirois.bsky.social

Check out favorites of what we follow, at: ⁠⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠⁠ and  ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠⁠ As Marcus he reviews all sorts of films but unlike here, they often they range from bad, worse, or terrible at the ⁠⁠⁠⁠MovieAsylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful⁠.

Today, Matt & Todd dive into the 1984 action-horror film Mutant (also known as Night Shadows), directed by John 'Bud' Cardos. Joining us is special guest Chris Kruize, co-writer of the film’s original story!

Originally conceived by John C. Kruize (our guest today) and Michael Jones, Mutant underwent screenplay revisions by Peter Z. Orton, evolving into the cult classic we know today.

Join us as we explore the history behind Mutant and why it remains so much fun for us.

While Mutant is often mistaken for a zombie movie, these are generally favorable comparisons in our opinion.

Mutant is a small-budget Genre film that rises above some of its sillier elements with strong execution in key areas.

This film is pure entertainment, succeeding by respecting its audience with committed performances, striking cinematography, and sharp direction. And let’s not forget Richard Band’s outstanding soundtrack, which elevates the experience even further.

Reach out to Chris on Bluesky @jckruize.bsky.social

Matt reviews and ranks more movies including newer ones at ⁠Letterboxd⁠

You can find out what he's following on Bluesky @MovieMattSirois.bsky.social

Check out favorites of what we follow, at: ⁠⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠⁠ and  ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠⁠ As Marcus he reviews all sorts of films but unlike here, they often they range from bad, worse, or terrible at the ⁠⁠⁠⁠MovieAsylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful⁠.

Apologies to the original poster creator for my butchery in order to fit it within Spotify's image size constraints...

Apologies to some of the issues we had with Shawn's audio and some colorful language...Thank you everyone for joining us on this our 200th episode!

Today Matt & Todd are joined by Shawn to discuss:

Red Dawn, a 1984 action-war film directed by John Milius, starring Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Thompson and Jennifer Grey.

Red Dawn probably doesn't need an introduction but if you haven't seen this in a long time we recommend a rewatch.

If you've only heard of it by reputation, it may not be quite what you expected.

Thank you for coming with us on #200 and hopefully many more!

Matt reviews and ranks more movies including newer ones at Letterboxd

You can find out what he's following on Bluesky @MovieMattSirois

Check out favorites of what we follow, at: ⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠ and  ⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠As Marcus he reviews all sorts of films but unlike here, they often they range from bad, worse, or terrible at the ⁠⁠⁠MovieAsylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful.

Today, Matt & Todd are joined again by Mike, who is here to discuss the 1970 sci-fi classic Beneath the Planet of the Apes.

This is of course the sequel to Planet, which we discussed a few episodes ago, and it happens to be the favorite of the five films for Matt and Mike.*

Directed by Ted Post

Starring: James Fransiscus, James Gregory as Ursus and a returning cast including Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, Charlton Heston, and Linda Harrison

If this is your first foray into the franchise —like Todd— you might be wondering how they could possibly make a sequel.

Planet of the Apes felt like a complete, self-contained film, wrapping its sci-fi themes in a desperate message about humanity’s past and future with an emphatic final statement.

So, where do you go from here?

Like many sequels, this one initially feels like one of those 'same-name' movies that might be a remake. But no—it’s actually a direct continuation.

The film follows a familiar path until we finally descend beneath the planet (though technically, inside the planet, but that wouldn't make for as great a title). Here, it takes on its own identity and leaves its own lasting impression.

Putting comparisons aside, Beneath the Planet of the Apes expands on the planet’s lore and another look at the 'Ape' caste system.

Further we get strong performances, welcome cast returns, and still impressive costume work that still holds up under the scrutiny of high definition more than 50 years later, despite a lower budget.

For those who haven't seen the movie, we'll let YOU decide if the end of BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES is sequel-baiting or not.

Check this one out especially if you were looking for a bit more 'bang' in your Sci-Fi compared to the last film.

Matt reviews and ranks more movies including newer ones at Letterboxd

You can find out what he's following on Bluesky @MovieMattSirois

Check out favorites of what we follow, at: ⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠ and  ⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠As Marcus he reviews all sorts of films but unlike here, they often they range from bad, worse, or terrible at the ⁠⁠⁠MovieAsylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful.

Today, Matt & Todd discuss Willow—a fantasy epic directed by Ron Howard, starring Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, and Joanne Whalley.

Released in 1987 with massive marketing and high expectations, Willow had the powerhouse backing of George Lucas and cutting-edge visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic. While the film found moderate success both critically and commercially, it never quite soared to the legendary heights of Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark. Perhaps its biggest limitation? Familiarity.

Let’s be honest—Willow follows a well-worn path in the fantasy genre: an ancient prophecy, dark sorcery, thrilling wagon chases, sword fights, dragons—you name it. But to its credit, it doesn’t shy away from those tropes; rather, it embraces them wholeheartedly. The creators understood the genre and let the cast revel in its magic, making Willow an adventure worth revisiting.

Matt reigns as the wise and benevolent ruler of more than 100 meticulously curated lists on Letterboxd—follow the wings of his ravens on Bluesky [@MovieMattSirois].

Prophecy speaks of Marcus, his cunning twin, who haunts Facebook’s  ⁠⁠⁠Movie Asylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful tearing through the desolate wasteland of low-budget, underdeveloped Z-action films—shrouding the land in eldritch snark.

Join in wonder at the tales of lore of ⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠ and  ⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠

Today Matt & Todd discuss the 1968 Sci-Fi Classic: Planet of the Apes, directed by Franklin J Schaffner, based on a novel by Pierre Boulle.

Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Maurice Evans and Kim Hunter.

Screenplay co-credited to Michael Wilson and Rod Serling.

A groundbreaking success when it first appeared in 1968; Planet of the Apes is a rapid-paced fish-out-of-water tale of a group of astronauts who crash-land on a mysterious planet inhabited by a civilization of advanced apes determined to destroy humanity.

The original Planet of the Apes feels more at home in the realm of Star Trek and Twilight Zone (also created by original Planet of the Apes screenwriter: Rod Serling.)

Even if you have not seen the film you’re likely aware of the ending, and some of the more memorable lines. This is a film that still holds up as pure entertainment, award-wining makeup effects that still look remarkable, and an engaging plot that offers something enduring to consider about human nature.

If this is your first time watching, we’d love to hear what you think.

If you like this film we can recommend:

The Omega Man, Last Man on Earth, World Without End, The Terminator, The Time Travelers*, Star Trek (in particular the classic series) and The Twilight Zone.

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Follow Matt on Letterboxd, Bluesky: @MovieMattSirois, as Marcus at ⁠⁠⁠Movie Asylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful and follow what we follow at ⁠⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠ and  ⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠

Did you think it was one word?

Today Matt, Todd, and our neighbor to the North - Logan, discuss the 1997 crime-thriller Cop Land.

Cop Land, directed by Louis Mangold has an outstanding ensemble cast:

Sylvester Stallone in a rare dramatic turn; polarizing to some (loved by us)

Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Peter Berg, Robert Patrick*, Michael Rapaport, Annabella Sciorra, Noah Emmerich*, and Janeane Garofalo.

Respected by most critics when it emerged on the scene in 1997, and with some critical buzz for Oscar nods, Cop Land... landed with noise in August of '97 but seemed to have been quickly forgotten. Today, we remember fondly and we hope you do to. Join us for this Neo-Western gem of character-driven performances.

Sheriff Matt keeps a much closer watch on his beloved reviews on: Letterboxd and Bluesky: @MovieMattSirois

He works deep undercover to suss out the films you're flipping by on Netflix (or Amazon, or Pluto... etc) as Marcus, at the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Movie Asylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful⁠.

When he needs to blow of steam with bourbon and smoke, find him at his favorite dives:

⁠⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠ and  ⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠

Today Matt and Todd discuss the 1994 Action-Chase-Thriller: Judgment Night

Directed by Stephen Hopkins (Predator 2) and Starring:

Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jeremy Piven, Steven Dorff, Denis Leary

Judgment Night puts us a group of friends who take the wrong turn and find themselves witness to a back alley execution. What follows is a chase through the night from Fallon (Leary) and his gang: including Whit Bissel winner Peter Greene and rapper Everlast.

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Matt is running for his life, but he still has over 100 lists of movies on Letterboxd he can suggest for your next movie night.
You can follow him as he tries to trade for his life by influencing their brand on Bluesky: @MovieMattSirois Not that it matters, truly terrible movies often find him, even under the alias Marcus, at ⁠⁠⁠Movie Asylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful.

Still, you can peer from a chain link fence as he escapes from his hunters into ⁠⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠ and  ⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠

Today Matt & Todd are joined by Mike again; this time to discuss the two James Bond films starring Timothy Dalton in the title role.

Starting in 1987; Timothy Dalton would star as 007 in The Living Daylights and followed up by 1989's License to Kill.

All 3 agree on the merits of the films, both are great fun, but what do we think about Dalton, and what he brings to James Bond?

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Check out Matt on Letterboxd,and gather some intel on more spy films you might like.
Observeand report some of your favorites with him on Bluesky:@MovieMattSirois

Drop in and join theconversation about all manner genre film at ⁠⁠⁠MovieAsylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful.

Follow what we follow, at:

⁠⁠⁠OnceUpon a Geek⁠⁠⁠

Also  ⁠⁠⁠TheFade Out Podcast⁠