Failure to Franchise

Positioned as a "red, white, and blue-collar" alternative to the James Bond franchise, based on an extremely popular series of paperback novels, and starring an up-and-coming leading man...the producers of REMO WILLIAMS has every reason to believe the adventure would not just begin, but continue for many years. So what the heck went wrong? Why is a future Star Trek captain so wasted here? Did Wilf...

"Custom cars, kissing in the rain, neon, trains in the night, high-speed pursuit, rumbles, rock stars, motorcycles, jokes in tough situations, leather jackets and questions of honor." These were the elements director Walter Hill ( The Warriors, 48 Hrs. ) said he wanted to include in Streets of Fire , a "Rock'n'Roll Fable" which he saw as a tribute to everything he loved about movies in his youth....

In the second edition of our "spin-off" series focusing on franchises that actually succeeded, we're sticking with the "Fall Back to the 80s" theme to take a look at a series that might not have started in the 80s, but nevertheless is often associated with the decade thanks to two of its most bombastic entries. So what is it about the saga of Rocky Balboa that speaks to audiences so much? Why do t...

It's own lead actors didn't understand the script. The studio had no idea how to market it. And many critics of the time were utterly baffled by it. And yet, over the years, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension has still attracted a devoted cult following. Is this wild tale of a rock'n'roll scientist battling interdimensional aliens actually a misguided failure, or a misunder...

Join us as we "Fall Back to the 80s" (yeah, we know we're starting in the summer...what of it??), a special three-month event dedicated to some of the most infamous failed franchise starters of the 80s. First up, Dino De Laurentis' cult-classic adaptation of a beloved sci-fi character, Flash Gordon . Not only was this movie clearly made to cash in on the Star Wars -mania of the time, but it even h...

A bestselling book series about a tough-talking female detective, adapted into a feature starring one of the most successful actresses of the previous decade. It sounds like a can't-miss proposition. And yet 1991's V.I. Warshawski failed to connect with audiences, denying star Kathleen Turner her own crime-thriller franchise. So what happened? Was the hard-boiled style simply out of style? Was the...

The "Summer Surprise" series continues, with this look at the adaptation of the first book in Alexandra Bracken's popular YA dystopian sci-fi series. A world where the only surviving children of a mysterious plague all end up with superpowers, and are thus targeted for extermination, or worse, by the government - it should have been a perfect match-up of the successful YA and Superhero genres. So...

In the second installment of our second annual "Summer Surprise," we're looking at the final feature film of a legendary comedy director. Not only that, but it was another entry in a mega-successful, beloved franchise from that very same director. So why didn't this attempt to restart the series after a long break catch on with audiences? Well, there are many answers to that (and we discuss many o...

It's the first instalment of the second annual "Summer Surprise," where we're letting an online randomizer choose our next watches. First up, a very recent attempt to relaunch a once mega-successful summer sci-fi/comedy blockbuster series...without the original stars or director. But is the addition of two MCU actors (Chris Hemsworth & Tessa Thompson) fresh off the success of another humorous box-...

In part two of "May the Farce be with You," we're looking at 2015's attempt to reboot a beloved comedy franchise...but this time with a new leading man, new attitude, and without a signature part of the original title. What makes for an effective "legacy sequel?" Is Ed Helms as strong a lead as Chevy Chase?  And just how mean-spirited is too mean-spirited, when it comes to comedy? All this and mor...

Our "May the Farce be with You" event kicks off with a look at 2015's Mortdecai , the movie that seeks to answer the eternal question - just how many jokes can one film make about a single mustache? While star Johnny Depp had enjoyed an impressive, long-time-coming reign as one of Hollywood's biggest stars during the first decade of the 2000's, his career was clearly floundering by the time he str...

In part two of "April Showers Bring April Powers," we're looking at Disney's mid-aughts superhero comedy, Sky High. With Kurt Russell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Danielle Panabaker, Kelly Preston, Bruce Campbell, Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Kevin Heffernan, Lynda Carter, Jim Rash, Cloris Leachman, and even the voice of Patrick Warburton, it's one of the most impressively geek-friendly casts of all t...

In a surprisingly topical kick-off to our "April Showers Bring April Powers" event, we're taking a look at a film where beloved Hollywood "good guy" Will Smith plays a jerk who the public doesn't really trust, and who is in desperate need of some image-restoring PR. Sound oddly familiar? Well, that's just a happy coincidence, because Hancock was actually a long-gestating project - a superhero genr...

Is 2020's THE RHYTHM SECTION an artsy, introspective deconstruction of the spy-movie and revenge-thriller genres, or is it a high-octane, blockbuster attempt to create a new female-led James Bond-style franchise? The answer, depending on who you ask, is "yes," and therein perhaps is the problem. When EON Productions decided to branch out from Bond and give another literary spy-action series a whir...

And now, for something completely different. In the first edition of our new "spin-off" show, we're turning out attention from the world of failed franchises to franchises that not only very much worked, but that we're big fans of. Join us as we discuss the James Bond franchise, sharing our thoughts on what makes this particular franchise work - why it's so iconic, why it has stood the test of tim...

It's a new month, and a new theme. We're kicking off "March Mix-Up," a series devoted to both the bad and good of spy cinema, with a look at Phillip Noyce's Salt, from 2010. Originally developed as a spy thriller franchise for Tom Cruise, the film was ultimately reworked to instead be a star vehicle for Angelina Jolie. Was this an upgrade? Are influences of the Bourne films a hindrance or a benefi...

It's the second installment of "February Frights 3D," AND it's the most romantic time of the year. So what better way to celebrate than with a look at the remake of one of the 80s' signature slashers, My Bloody Valentine . Sure, horror remakes like this were all the rage in the mid to late 00s, but how many starred one of the leads of Supernatural ?? Well, alright, the Friday the 13th reboot from...

In the first installment of "February Frights 3D," we're looking at Lionsgate's 2013 attempt to relaunch the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. Following two entries from Platinum Dunes that established a brand new continuity, the 2013 film instead decided to follow the lead of previous sequels and simply make a direct follow-up to Tobe Hooper's 1974 classic original - this time with the added ben...

In the second installment of "New Year's Robin-lutions," we're jumping forward just eight years, to 2018's ROBIN HOOD. If Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe couldn't deliver a successful franchise based on the legend back in 2010, would an emerging star and a director known mostly for TV fare much better? Well, I think we all know the answer to that. But does upping the action and utilizing time-teste...

Happy New Year! We're kicking off 2022 by sharing with you our "New Year's Robin-lutions," looking at two of Hollywood's many attempts to adapt the classic legend of Robin Hood. First up, the 2010 film, which - despite one of the most baffling pre-production journeys in film history - still seem poised for big things, as the reunion of Gladiator director and star Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe in...

When is a Harley Quinn movie NOT a Harley Quinn movie?? When it's the 1995 cult favorite, TANK GIRL! Directed by Rachel Talalay, and starring Lori Petty, Naomi Watts, Ice-T, and Malcolm McDowell, this comic book adaptation introduced the moviegoing public to the titular character, an icon of both indie-comics AND the "Riot Grrl" movement of the 90s. But could a mainstream studio version possibly s...

In the first installment of "Failure to Franchise with Trev and Chris-tmas," we're ringing in the holidays by "gifting" each other a single movie from our long list of potential topic films. First up, with 2013's Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters , Chris attempts to give Trev what was meant as a harmless little fairy tale/action mash-up, in order to pay tribute to the man of the hour himself, Jeremy...

In part two of our special month dedicated to the Wachowski's, in preparation for THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS, we're looking at their last theatrical feature as a filmmaking duo (at least for now) - 2015's ambitious space opera, JUPITER ASCENDING. Is Mila Kunis a worthy replacement for Natalie Portman? Is Channing Tatum best utilized as a half man, half dog super soldier? And just what the hell is Ed...

With the eagerly anticipated MATRIX RESURRECTIONS on the horizon, we're spending November looking at two of the Wachowski's failed attempts at post-MATRIX franchises. First up, their colorful, hyperactive, and heartfelt adaptation of the classic 60s anime series, SPEED RACER. Is it a misguided mess, or an ahead of its time masterpiece? We certainly have our very strong opinion on it. Our Twitter O...

Which is ultimately more dangerous - a mummy's curse, or the ego-driven demands of a movie star? Well, one of the two is at least partly responsible for the sinking of not just this episode's movie, but arguably the entire cinematic universe it was meant to kick off. That's right, our two-month "Curse of the Dark Universe" event concludes with the movie that inspired it all - Universal's recent at...