Double Impact

We had the week off this week, BUT in honour of International Women's Day, we thought we'd repost the first, and possibly only movie we have covered that passes the bechdel test - A League of Their Own. This was originally published all the way back at episode 12 (which is why we sound... a little fresh), so most of you probably haven't heard it - but it's a great movie and deserves a re-visit, so...

057 - This movie THRIVED on VHS (but less so at the box office) and has become a cult classic for many. We barely remembered it, so figured it was time for a revisit. There is quite a bit to unpack here - like, why did the director of Grease make a sharp pivot to Sci-fi? How did this go from a Norwegian indie, to a Disney epic? Why does the spaceship sound like Pee-wee Herman (we get that it's Pau...

056 - After a couple of deep cuts, we are back in mainstream territory this week, with the 1993 Disney bobsledding blockbuster, COOL RUNNINGS. You know how this works, we dive deep on the film's 'inspired by true events' origin story, we pull the plot apart and put it back together again, break down the pro's and con's - all in an effort to determine whether this film holds up today, or if it's be...

055 - We are back with another deep cut from 1995 - the serial killer thriller, Copycat. You may think you don't remember this film, but I'd argue that you do, somewhere deep in your unconscious - and we are here to dislodge and extract all those juicy memberberries for you, from Harry Connick Jr with red hair, to Sigourney Weaver with glasses. Too superficial for you? We also dive into the mid 90...

054 - Most podcasts would look at Jurassic Park before Congo. Not us. That would be too easy - where's the tension? We prefer digging up those movies we sorta remember yet sorta forget. So what better Michael Crichton picture to start with than the sorta-blockbuster, Congo. This movie has it all: a talking gorilla, Tim Curry, Tim Curry's weird accent, volcanos, other various accents, the list goes...

053 - It's a slight change of pace this week, as we cover our first ever live-action musical, Little Shop of Horrors. There is a LOT to unpack with this one, from the impeccable cast (Rick Moranis, Ellen Green, Levi Stubbs, Steve Martin and Bill Murray), to one of the most bizarre origin stories we have ever uncovered. It's also just an all-round weird movie directed by Yoda himself, with absurd m...

052 - After a few deep cuts we are taking it back to our bread and butter with the film that changed the future of both James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzegger. Schwarzenneger would become the kind of Hollywood, and Cameron would become, self-proclaimed, 'king of the world' marrying several Hollywood women along the way (two of which came from this very movie). In all seriousness though, it's too ea...

051 - This week's movie had the lowest box office return of any film we have covered, yet it's legacy is one of the biggest - without Swingers, we have no Iron Man, no Avengers, no MCU - or no Vince Vaughn and no Elf! It was a biggie for us budding film geeks back in the day also, but legacy aside, is this a film that holds up on its own in 2020? Or is it best left in the past? See omnystudio.com/...

050 - This is a milestone episode, guys. 50 episodes in the can, 2 Van Dammes in the one movie, and the film's title is the namesake of this very podcast - it's 1991's DOUBLE IMPACT. You know how this works, every 10th episode is a JCVD vehicle that we evaluate against our patented universal JCVD authenticity test. Of course we also dive into this films origin story, and uncover a HUGE bit of Van...

049 - This is apparently our first foray into the year that was 1998, so what better time capsule to kick it off than the cross-cultural shenanigans of Chris Tucker trying Chinese food for the first time? This movie wears its 1998 on its sleeve - its got it all - from its celebration of ill-fitting baggy suits and a Dru Hill soundtrack, to its multicultural stereotypes and a plot rooted in the Eng...

048 - This week we are covering the film that made little Greg cry - 1990's GHOST. This movie is kind of insane, but we would argue that actually works in its favour, we need more insane movies. It was also the highest grossing movie of 1990, so there's that. It was also directed by the guy that did Airplane and The Naked Gun, so there is also that. If that's not enough 'thats' for you, it's also...

047 - MERRY CHRISTMAS! We are now in Christmas week and it's time for our 3rd and final film as part of our Christmas Triple Header - Home Alone. We get it, maybe you're not commuting, maybe you're off your usual schedule, but you've probably watched Home Alone recently and are ready for a deep dive. So grab your egg nog, get cozy, and listen to the two of us break down this movie's origin story,...

046 - The festivities continue with week 2 of our Christmas movie triple-header. Now, we know what you're thinking - The Santa Clause isn't quite as iconic as Die Hard (last week) or Home Alone (next week), but we promise, we have uncovered enough nuggets to make this one worth revisiting (e.g. did you know, in the original script, Tim Allen actually killed Santa with a shotgun? Well it's true, an...

045 - Welcome to the party, pal. Time to get festive as we kick-off our first episode in our 3-week Christmas movie trilogy. Don't you dare say that Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie, because you are wrong, and we prove it in this very episode. Festivities aside, you get all the usuals here - we dive deep into the film's rich origin story, its cultural impact, the master puppeteer that orchestrated...

044 - Does any one person embody the genre of 'Neo-Noir-Erotic-Thriller' more than Michael Douglas? The answer of course, is no. He is a strange man, and this is his bread and butter. In this episode, we are discussing perhaps the most iconic film in the genre with Paul Verhoeven's Basic Instinct. This movie was a big deal in our youth, for all the obvious reasons, but today we discuss it as adult...

043 - "Dis river can kill you in a tousand ways". Is there any character more iconic than Jon Voight's 'Paul Sarone'? Yes. Many. Vast amounts. So many. But this completely off-the-wall performance is amongst the most fun we've had since starting this podcast - so just get on board. Beyond the scene-stealing Voight, we also cover the (mixed) performances of Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson...

042 - It was only a matter of time before we covered this 80s icon. When we talk about revisiting the movies that impacted us as kids, they don't make them much bigger than this - but it's easy to take for granted the beautiful absurdity of this movie getting made in the 80s, when big budget special effects comedy was simply unheard of. We of course dive deep into this film's rich origin story, as...

041 - A grand experiment. An unconventional casting decision. A film no one would finance. Yet it became the smartest investment decision Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito and Ivan Reitmen would make in their careers. Hollywood would never be the same... Well, it would be mostly the same I guess... but anyway, take out da papers and da trash and come join us as we explore Arnie's first foray int...

040 - Another 10 eps means another Jean-Claude Van Damme masterpiece (or 'masterpiece'?). This week we are hitting one of the lesser known exploits of Van Damage, with 1990's Death Warrant. Is this the first JCVD with an actual storyline? Or simply the first one without a fighting tournament? These are the big questions, guys - and we are here to answer them. The biggest question of course being,...

039 - This week we're taking a look back at the most expensive film ever made (at the time) outside of Hollywood - 1997's The Fifth Element. Yep, the budget to weirdness ratio in this movie is unmatched, and that's what makes it so bloody fascinating. From it's humble beginnings in the imagination of a bored 16 year-old staring at cows, to some absolute career-bending performances, we cover it all...

038 - It's new territory for us this week as we dive into the post-modern fairy tale land of 1987, and The Princess Bride. Can you believe this thing is over 32 years old? Inconceivable! This movie has something for everybody, and every one seems to either love it, or has never heard of it. Whichever camp you're in, join us as we dig into the rich backstory of the film's origins, dissect our favou...

037 - In partnership with nostalgic instagram lord @movieverse, we are taking it back to the ultimate 80's cartoon, Transformers. How do we know it's ultimate? Because @movieverse counted over 10,000 votes and that's the verdict. We talk everything from the origin of the franchise, through to the cartoon, the comic, the movie, the merch, and most surprisingly, the music (seriously, bangers await y...

Since it's catch up week, we thought we'd reach even further into the archives for an even deeper cut to bring to the surface. We sounds so bloody young! (it was earlier this year, but we were pretty fresh at this whole podcasting thing) Turtlemania was massive in our youth, but how did it all start? Where the hell did these turtles come from and why did we love them so much? We look at the gritty...

The boys are taking a week off, so we are pulling out a deep cut from the old archives and re-releasing one of our favourites for halloween month - 1984's Gremlins. Is this a family movie? Is it a horror movie? who the hell knows, it just doesn't matter! DON'T BOX IT IN, GUYS! This is the tale of everyone's favourite Mogwai, Gizmo, and his mates causing a ruckus around town (and maybe some casual...

036 - We are taking things back to 1996, believe it or not, for the very first time. Who better to take us there than Eddie Murphy with The Nutty Professor? Does this count as an Eddie Murphy classic? Sure, it's no Coming to America, it's no Beverly Hills Cop and it's no Golden Child - BUT - it's also no Norbit, The Haunted Mansion, or Holy Man - so, you know, it could be a lot bloody worse. Join...