Optimism Vaccine

THIS WEEK: Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) and Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987) This year, you made it through David Gordon Green's Halloween. But can you survive three decades of Silent Night, Deadly Night? Probably! The first two movies are pretty great, actually. Find out why one is a stone-cold second-wave slasher classic and the other transcends meme-ification and a money-grab clip...

THIS WEEK: This Man Must Die AKA Que La Bête Meure (1969), La Rupture AKA The Breach (1970), Torment AKA L'enfer (1994) Murder! Jealousy! Acid trips! Claude Chabrol sure knows how to hook you. He's also made roughly one zillion movies and they all seem to be pretty great. Guess we'll keep doing these episodes! Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

THIS WEEK: Skinamarink (2022) and Lemora: A Child’s Tale of the Supernatural (1973) Turns out the scariest movie of 2022 is a zero-budget, Canadian horror film that trades cheap scares for foreboding liminal spaces. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

THIS WEEK: Blood Freak (1972) This year, we have a lot to be thankful for. Shag carpet, wood panel walls, Pall Mall cigarettes, half-baked Animorph murder turkeys, cool drugs, and scar tissue from third-degree burns - the list goes on. Join us as we celebrate this joyous American holiday by watching one of the most foundational no-budget Floridian films of all time, Blood Freak. Support Optimism V...

THIS WEEK: Viva Erotica (1996) The OV boys are joined by Hong Kong film fanatic and all-around nice guy, Dylan Cheung, to talk about HK films and the Cat III meta-comedy from Tung-Shing Yee and Chi-Leung Law, Viva Erotica . Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

THIS WEEK: Night Owl (1993), The Addiction (1995), and Nadja (1994) Three filmmakers. Three films. Three black and white vampire movies from the mid-90s. Sounds like a good episode theme (and it helps us exclude Vampire in Brooklyn). It's art house meets bat house! It's Abel Ferrara reminding us that he knows Russel Simmons! It's David Lynch playing a security guard! What else could you possibly a...

THIS WEEK: Alone in the Dark (1982), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985), and The Hidden (1987). Jack Sholder might not be a household name when it comes to horror and sci-fi directors, but he should be. Unfortunately, one of his best films shares a title with a maligned 2005 Uwe Boll joint, another is unfairly labeled the worst in a classic franchise, and then there's one that yo...

THIS WEEK: Basket Case (1982), Brain Damage (1988), Frankenhooker (1990), Bad Biology (2008) Josh Lewis from the Sleazoids podcast helps Miros introduce Shawn Glinis to the king of 42nd St. gross-out grindhouse fare, Frank Henenlotter. An essential episode for anyone who enjoys zero-budget stop-motion animation and exploding prostitutes. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patre...

THIS WEEK: Nekromantik (1988), Der Todesking (1990), Nekromantik 2 (1991) and Schramm (1993) It's time for Shawn's final exam, as we introduce him to the shocking, grotesque poetry of zero budget German maestro Jörg Buttgereit. No genitals were mutilated in the making of this podcast. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

THIS WEEK: Stage Fright a.k.a. Aquarius (1987), The Sect (1991), and Cemetary Man a.k.a. Dellamorte Dellamore It wouldn't be October if we weren't introducing Shawn to another Italian master of horror. This year, it's the top disciple of Dario Argento, Joe D'Amato, and Lucio Fulci, and the last artistic gasp of the Italian horror film industry: Michele Soavi. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:&n...

THIS WEEK: Knife in the Water (1962), Repulsion (1965), The Tenant (1976) It's October, which means it's once again time for Shawn Glinis to mainline some horror films he's never seen. What's that? We've betrayed tradition? Knife in the Water isn't spooky? Listen, pal, Roman Polanski is wanted in 188 countries for unspeakable crimes and was extradited directly to this podcast. There's your horror....

THIS WEEK: Hot to Trot (1988) Episode 200 is brought to you by a dream. A dream that one day, Optimism Vaccine would cover the classic talking horse/Bobcat Goldthwait star vehicle, Hot to Trot , and the corresponding episode would thrust the podcast into the upper echelon of respected outlets for serious film criticism. Or maybe we just talked about horse dicks for 90 minutes. Only one way to find...

THIS WEEK: Thunderbolt (1995), Mr. Nice Guy (1997) and Who Am I? (1998) A generous benefactor demanded that we cover... Jackie Chan? What a chore. It's certainly a fascinating slate, as the aging Hong Kong megastar begins to dial back the wild stunts and ramp up the brand identity in preparation for his inevitable move to Hollywood. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.co...

THIS WEEK: My Son Hunter (2022) Director Robert Davi (Rtas 'Vadum in Halo 2 and 3) and the conservative cinema vanguard have finally released the MAGA response to Adam McKay's liberal political comedies. It's about time someone made a movie for Breitbart readers with a fetish for Gina Carano wearing an ill-fitting suit, don't you think? Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreo...

THIS WEEK: Les Biches AKA Bad Girls (1968), La Femme Infidèle AKA The Unfaithful Wife (1969), and Merci Pour Le Chocolat AKA Nightcap (2000) If you're still sleeping on Chabrol, Shawn Glinis is back to tell you exactly what you're missing out on with three stone-cold classics from the underrated French New Wave master.

THIS WEEK: Tiger Claws (1991), Tiger Claws II (1996) and Tiger Claws III (2000) Rothrock hitches her wagon to Beirut’s Steven Seagal in what must be the only DTV martial arts franchise to involve both an illicit arms deal with ancient China AND legally distinct spectral goons straight out of the Phantom Zone. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

THIS WEEK: Devil Fish AKA Monster Shark (1984), Deep Blood (1990), and Cruel Jaws (1995) Our Patrons spoke and we listened. Still a little shocked they didn't vote to make Miros watch Hentai. Oh well. Nothing says SUMMER FUN like watching teens get eaten by sharks (or maybe a prehistoric shark-like fish with tentacles) in a trio of Italian Jaws knockoffs. Or, if you're Bruno Mattei you can't be bo...

THIS WEEK: China O'Brien (1990) and China O'Brien 2 (1990) What happens when one of Hong Kong's hottest new action stars makes her triumphant return to America and teams up with the legendary director of Enter the Dragon? Shit, not much, actually. Join us for part two of our Cynthia Rothrock retrospective where the most dangerous woman alive gets to karate kick evil lumberjacks and liberate sex sl...

THIS WEEK: Yes, Madam! (1985) and Righting Wrongs (1986) Ronda Rousey might call herself "the baddest woman on the planet" but we all know that can't be true as long as Cynthia Rothrock is still breathing. This week, we're exploring a pair of Hong Kong action classics from the five-time martial arts champion turned underappreciated action queen of 80s and 90s. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:&...

THIS WEEK: Ravenous (1999), The Proposition (2005), Lawless (2012) Nobody pulls off the "exhausted Australian in dire need of a bath" look quite like Guy Pearce. Maybe that's why when it comes to contemporary westerns he's been a go-to actor for decades. This week, we're watching three films starring our guy, Guy, and making an official statement on whether or not Ravenous is a lost classic or jus...

THIS WEEK: The Butcher/Le Boucher (1970), Just Before Nightfall/Juste Avant la Nuit (1971), and The Ceremony/La Cérémonie (1995) Every once in a while we need Shawn Glinis to jump in and make our show classy again. This week, we're dissecting three films from the underrated French New Wave master, Claude Chabrol. Over the course of six decades, Chabrol made nearly 60 films. While he was never afra...

THIS WEEK: Mad God (2021) and The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) Colin Tanner drops in for a scintillating discussion on the minutiae of process. Is a creative work ever truly complete? Is Harvey Weinstein the enemy of all art? Is Aladdin actually terrible? All questions will be answered. Eventually. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

THIS WEEK: WarGames (1983) and Cloak and Dagger (1984) Whether you're a young Mathew Broderick or just the kid from E.T., the only surefire way to protect America from a nefarious foreign power is with a little dab of Dabney Coleman. Join us as we confront 1980s cold war anxiety and Russophobia the only way we know how: By watching a pair of 40-year-old movies made for children. Support Optimism V...

THIS WEEK: Crimes of the Future (2022), Crimes of the Future (1970), eXistenZ (1999) David Cronenberg is back with more body horror because the man can't resist a good goopy bone machine. Plus, it's been a while since he's tried to make a film with the title Crimes of the Future so he needs to check that box. Grab a big ol' bar of tasty synthetic waste to munch on, kick your feet up, and see if yo...

Steve and Stephen endured cross-state travel and sweltering heat to check out Tears for Fears on their 2022 tour in support of The Tipping Point. How do the new songs translate live? More importantly, did the OV squad finally make it backstage or did Tears For Fears melt into a pile of black long sleeve shirts and perspiration? Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/optimismv...