Tv/Movie Rewind

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.

----------

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.

----------

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?

----------

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

Today Matt & Todd discuss Jack Sholder’s 1987 Sci-Fi-Crime-Action-Thriller: The Hidden

Written by Jim Kouf

Starring: Michael Nouri, KyleMaclachlan, and Chris Mulkey/William Boyett/ClaudiaChristian/Jake/Clarence Felder/John McCann as their identity-shifting alien nemisis.

The Hidden was a HBO and VHS staple for us in the late 80s and early 90s. Heavy rotation in the early days but largely forgotten over the last 30 or so years.

Sergeant Tom Beck starts his day investigating a brazen,violent bank-robbery and car chase in the middle of the day. Seems mostly normal enough, but he later meets FBI Agent Lloyd Gallagher and learns that this runs deeper into a ring of criminals who seem to be from different walks of life butall share a love of violence and sports cars.

What unfolds is a genre classic that we loved then, and love it today.

We couldn’t find this one streaming free in the US, but the DVD or BluRay will be well worth its place in your collection.

Relive this one again or watch it for the first time.Thank you all for listening!

----------

If you’re in the mood for something but you just can’t decide, peruse one of more than 100 themed lists by Matt on Letterboxd. Check out lists to inspire your blood-soakedaction side, your spacy side, or your whimsical side.

Follow Matt for updates on Bluesky: @MovieMattSirois

Dangerous inter-galactic adrenaline-junkie-body-posessing slugs can’t always be blamed for what he reviews on Facebook at the ⁠⁠⁠Movie Asylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful.

--------

Follow what we follow, at:

⁠⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠

Also  ⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠

Today Matt & Todd discuss Tony Scott's 1991 Crime-Action-Thriller: The Last Boy Scout

Written by Shane Black

Starring: Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field, Noble Willingham and Taylor Negron.

First seen by us decades ago, this rewatch had more going for it than we remembered.

Very 90s, very macho, angsty-angry, but very funny at times; punctuated with excellent action sequences and performances, The Last Boy Scout remains popular among many genre fans, including these two.

We were expecting at most a remembrance of a pretty fun film of our teens, and we got that but saw a lot that we probably missed.

Thank you all for listening!

----------

If you're following a dangerous criminal on an international crime spree that leaves you frustrated with clues of interconnected movies that you just can't piece together; consult one of Matt's 116 or so lists on Letterboxd⁠,⁠ and stay one step ahead.

Advise him of your favorite parts of House of the Dead @MovieMattSirois on BlueSky.)

BOLO for a snarkier version of Matt: and follow him as Marcus on ⁠⁠Movie Asylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful⁠⁠ reviewing off-brand or forgotten action and sci-fi.

Peruse some great content we also follow at:

⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠

Also  ⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast

Today Matt & Todd discuss Tom Holland's Fright Night from 1985.

An outstanding example of a modern take of the gothic vampire; Fright Night stars:

William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Roddy McDowall, and Chris Sarandon

In present-day (1985) mysterious Jerry Dandridge and his roomate Billy move in next door to curious Charlie Brewster.

Charlieknowshe is a vampire; but the police won't believe him, and his friends think he's losing his mind. With no one else to turn to, he finds local Horror Show host Peter Vincent -Vampire Hunter to help.

What follows is a fantastic movie that could have gone missed in the wave of the summer of 1987's Lost Boys shortly after.

Tom Holland's directorial debut is a darkly-humorous vampire tale also with fantastic FX by legend Richard Edlund (ILM).

If you missed this one, find it. A must have for vampire movie fans featuring Chris Sarandon as one of the finest to don fangs in any era.

Thank you all for listening!

----------

You're preparing your implements of war against the ever thirsting undead; and you forgot the matches. You forgot the matches because you were too busy testing the hardware store for werewolves, and you went off script like you always do.

Congrats, and there you go: 5 dozen candles and no matches with which to ignite them.

Fumbling for the lighter you vaguely remember behind the couch, you fail to notice the mysterious shadow fall over your exposed back. You're straining your arm to the limit, socket popping and stretching as tendons cling to their last.

You've done it!

That orange plastic and bright nickel steel, little pocket of flame. The moment you clasp your prize everything turns; and with unwanted inertia you find the room pulling away from you at incredible speed. The explosion of pain across your back punctuates the realization that you've been hurled across the room like laundry and decimated a wardrobe.

With little time to breathe it hulks towards you. The thing that took everything from you.

You grasp the vial of anointing oil and light it. That's it. It is time we- (Oh, I'm here too, in spirit though. Remember I already bought it a while back—I took down 6 of them blowing up the gas station. You were all "We won't leave you!" and it was sad but still youdid leave withouttoo much argument...)

(Anyway...)

It is timeweface this head-on.

Once and final.

Teeth vs. flame sounds like good odds.

Taking one further step weFind MovieMattSirois on Letterboxd⁠, & @MovieMattSirois BlueSky.)

Then read a snarkier version of Matt: and follow him as Marcus on ⁠Movie Asylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful⁠ reviewing off-brand or forgotten action and sci-fi.

Oh andthenwe check out some great content we also follow at:

⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠

Also  ⁠The Fade Out Podcast

Editor note: We had some audio and connection problems with this episode, we apologize for some of the weird sounds and random issues. Anyway, on to the notes:

Hailed as one of the most influential sci-fi films ever made, 1954'sThem!directed by Gordon Douglas, still stands the test of time over 7 decades later.

Mike joins us today, he and Matt reminisce about earlier days finding the film on afternoon TV; this was a (relatively) new watch for Todd.

Yes this is 1950s 'radioactive-giant-beast' sci-fi, but this is a true classic. Helping to launching a genre that would eventually be beaten into the radioactive sands of the southwestern desert.

Given the subject you might expect far more cheese, but this isn't the sillier B-level stuff parodied by theThe Simpsons and taken to the extremes withSharknado.

Released a few months before Japan's iconicGodzilla, Them!Stars James Whitmore, James Arness, Joan Weldon and Edmund Gwenn.Them!builds tension with some great characters to a thrilling finish reminiscent of James Cameron's 1986 masterpiece.

Thank you everyone for listening and join us again.

..........

Find Matt on Letterboxd⁠ as he reviews over 1,500 movies (while you're at it also let him know if there are any newSniper movies on @BlueSky.)

-------He can change his name but he can't avoid getting threatening boxes of questionable films. "Marcus" is forced to watch anything from the dreadful to awful, to sometimes passable, and the very rare gem of the discount movie bin experience on Facebook at the Movie Asylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful.

--------

Check out some great content we also follow at:

Once Upon a Geek

Also  The Fade Out Podcast