Best of the Rest

We're kicking off 007 month with Diamonds Are Forever, the final Sean Connery appearance in the Eon Productions series of James Bond films. But that's not all! We're celebrating our 80th episode with the one and only Bob Buel and another exciting round of movie trivia in the second half of the show!  Subscribe to the 99 Questions Podcast with Bob Buel!   Join the Best of the Rest di...

After 8 films in the franchise split across multiple timelines, the decision was made to reboot the Halloween series with a remake of John Carpenter's 1978 classic. Rob Zombie served as both writer and director, and unfortunately critics were not very receptive to his reimagining.  This week we're taking a look back to focus on what the movie does well! The story certainly contains many...

A crossover between the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises was first teased on-screen in 1993, but it would take 10 years before the release of Freddy vs Jason. After all the anticipation, the movie didn't impress many critics and fans of both franchises were split on their opinions of the film. But this week all we care about is what this movie got right! The multiple fac...

The original film in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise is among the best reviewed movies in the slasher genre. The sequel, not so much. But today we are just focusing on what the movie does well!  Robert Englund under the iconic makeup is always a good thing, and the movie uses its modest budget wisely with a key transformation sequence. And thanks in large part to the movie's lead, Mark...

Jason X was released in 2002, officially ending the longest gap between movies in the Friday the 13th franchise. But if you asked critics, the gap wasn't long enough.  Today all we want to talk about is what works in this "send the killer into space" sequel! The kills are creative as ever, the story is goofy in the funnest way possible, and there's lots of premarital sex.   We...

The "cash in on millennial's nostalgia" and "dark and gritty reboot" genres collided in 2017 and the result was Power Rangers, and slightly more violent and less colorful take on the popular children's show from the early 90s. No one seemed quite sure who the target demographic was for this movie, and as a result it pulled in a less than mighty box office total.  But...

Over 40 years after Gojira made the giant monster a pop culture icon, Hollywood finally decided to make their own attempt with 1998's Godzilla starring Matthew Broderick. Unfortunately it failed to impress at the box office, and critics universally panned it. But what about die hard Godzilla fans? No they didn't like it either.  But today all we're talking about is what the movie do...

Nearly 20 years after Brendan Fraser's movie, The Mummy was not only given the reboot treatment but was also poised to launch a new cinematic universe called Dark Universe. One poor box office performance later and that did not happen. But all we want to talk about is what works!  Is this the best Mummy performance in film history? Does Tom Cruise still look great running? How thrilling is th...

When it was clear that a Ghostbusters 3 was never going to happen, Sony rebooted the franchise with Ghostbusters: Answer The Call. The movie stars Kirsten Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. Besides being well known for their comedy, they are also notably women. And that made some people mad. Despite critical praise, the movie underperformed at the box office.  But today, all...

Just a few years after bringing Resident Evil to the big screen, Paul W S Anderson brings another nerd dream concept to life with Alien vs Predator. Despite the two franchises containing numerous critically acclaimed films, AvP failed to impress critics and audiences in 2004.  But today we revisit this crossover film and ask: What did this movie get right? With a deep lore that's respectful o...

Even though Alien Resurrection attempted to revive the popular sci-fi franchise in the late 90's, it has the legacy of putting the series on ice for 15 years. But today all we want to know is what does the movie do well?  There's some truly bizarre yet memorable performances, high tension action sequences, and plenty of good ol' classic tongue mouth Xenomorph action. Oh, and Sigourn...

Before directing critically acclaimed films like The Social Network and Zodiac, David Fincher made his directorial debut with Alien 3. Critics and audiences seemed to agree this was the low point of the franchise at the time, and that it wasn't particularly close.  But today the only question we care about is what does the movie do well? With a new Xenomorph design and desolate planet, there&...

In 1987, Shane Black was a young actor in Predator. In 2018, he returned to the franchise as a writer and director with THE Predator. While most of Black's work has received critical acclaim, this proved to be an exception.  But today we're hunting for what the movie does well! From standout performances in the supporting cast, to solid one liners and fun action, there is plenty to dive...

Just three years after the success of Predator, the highly anticipated sequel starring Danny Glover hit theaters. Unfortunately audiences and critics alike weren't as thrilled with this entry, and the franchise would lay dormant for over a decade.  Today we examine the movie with the legacy of being that "other" Predator movie to determine what it actually does well! Compelling Pred...

Kids in the 90s were treated to not only two ground breaking fighting game franchises, but their Hollywood movie counterparts as well. For the parents of those kids, it was less of a treat and more of a chore.  But today all we care about is what the 1995 Mortal Kombat adaptation does well! Awesome fight choreography, beautiful sets, and faithful characters have stood the test of time. And let&apo...

Just a year after Super Mario Bros, another popular video game franchise was adapted into a major Hollywood production called Street Fighter! Critics were not kind to this tournament fighter turned action comedy, and audiences haven't been kind to the film over the years either.  Until today! We're diving into everything that works, like the masterful performance by Raul Julia, the costu...

Angelina Jolie's turn as the wildly popular video game character Lara Croft was a breakout role for the star. The movie made plenty of money and even a sequel, but critics were not kind and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider holds just a 20% of Rotten Tomatoes. But all that matters today is what the movie does well! With fun, over the top action and a supporting performance from Daniel Craig, there&apos...

Thor Four (Thour?) is finally here! We dive into everything we loved about Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth's follow up to Ragnarok: Best scenes, favorite performances, biggest laughs and brightest costumes!   Christian Bale is creepy, Natalie Portman is Mighty, and Chris is looking real jacked baby...   Join the Best of the Rest discord: https://discord.gg/86P7jJXNPb Merch: https://www.teep...

For years, many people believed video games movies were cursed, and we would never get a good one. It's debatable which movie broke that curse, but it's undeniable that it began with Super Mario Bros.  But today all we care about is what the movie does well! With fun performances and extravagant sets, there's bound to be a few things worth praising in this truly bonkers adaptation o...

The Die Hard series has its ups and downs, and depending on who you ask their rankings can vary quite a bit. But almost unanimously, A Good Day To Die Hard is listed dead last. Why is that? Hey, that's not for us to decide, we just want to talk about what works!  Bruce Willis is as cool as ever, there's some killer twists in the story, and the action is just... bonkers. Yippee ki yay Mot...

After the massive success of Rocky IV, Sylvester Stallone decided it was time to end the franchise, and in 1990 Rocky V was released in theaters. That year, everyone decided to watch Dancing With Wolves instead.   But this week we're taking a second look at the punching bag of the Rocky franchise and looking for everything that works. With good performances and compelling drama, is this a wor...

Hello and welcome to Best of the Rest! Each week we're taking a second look at a movie that was poorly received upon release and challenging ourselves to only talk about the things we like and what the movie does well. From standout performances to fun scenes, we're finding everything worth praising, even if it kills us.  Each month we're watching movies from a new category; like vi...

We're kicking off the new era of Best of the Rest with Mission: Impossible 2! Most fans of the franchise agree this is the black sheep of the series. But is it really deserving of that legacy? Surely it's not all bad, what does the movie actually do well? Is Tom Cruise as entertaining as he is crazy? Does John Woo's entire Hollywood run of movies deserve a rewatch? And was this secr...

Wonder Woman was a huge hit and one of the most beloved movies in the DCEU. Its sequel, not so much. Today we travel back to 1984, er, 2020 to take a second look at this very long movie to bring all the positives to our show! The chemistry between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine is as wonderful as ever, the movie is gorgeous, and Kristen Wiig should be in every movie. Join the Best of the Rest discord: h...

After scrapping plans for a 21 Jump Street crossover, the Men In Black franchise was rebooted in 2019 with MIB: International. With a high profile director, big names in the lead roles, and a heavy marketing push, the film was poised to do big numbers at the box office.  But it didn't. So today we're diving into the film to see what it actually does well! How's the chemistry between...