Franchise Detours

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, mainstream comedies were dominated by just one man: Judd Apatow. As a writer, director, and/or producer, Apatow was behind many of the biggest hits of the era, including classics such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Superbad, Bridesmaids, The Big Sick, and -- as we've previously discussed -- The 40-Year-Old Virgin . Now Kai Yaniz returns to discuss 2007's...

After nine films and three different incarnations, our Planet of the Apes mega-series ends here. We went in-depth on the original five-film series, dug up the oft-maligned Tim Burton "reimagining," and now we conclude our discussions on the recent reboot trilogy starring Andy Serkis as Caesar. David Rosen of Piecing It Together joins us to discuss 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes. We'll cover...

Prior to its release, no one quite knew what to make of Rise of the Planet of the Apes . But after it became one of 2011's biggest surprise hits, it was clear just how much life was left in the decades-old sci-fi franchise. With its sequel, returning star Andy Serkis and director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) raised the emotional stakes and spectacle even higher. Jason from Binge Movies mak...

A full decade after director Tim Burton's "reimagining" of  Planet of the Apes , the franchise seemed pretty much done. Hollywood turned its attention to other movie series, but after both Batman and Bond successfully relaunched by taking its iconic worlds back to basics, Fox ultimately took the same approach with one of its most successful brands of the past. Film critic Nguyên Lê -- who previous...

After the disappointment of Battle for the Planet of the Apes, the franchise limped on in the form of two short-lived television series. First came 1974's live-action Planet of the Apes TV series, followed the next year by the animated project Return to the Planet of the Apes. Neither caught on with fans, and despite a long development, a new film didn't arrive until 2001. Lauren Knight of That Mo...

Evil Dead was only the second mega-series Franchise Detours covered. So it's only right that, with writer-director Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise now in theaters, we take a franchise u-turn back to that series. After a full decade of rest from the big screen, what are those pesky Deadites up to this time? Rob briefly interrupts the ongoing Planet of the Apes mega-series to touch base with the latest...

Conquest for the Planet of the Apes sees Caesar (Roddy McDowall) lead an ape revolution that seemingly sews up the fate of humanity. So where could a sequel possibly take the story after the climactic turn of the previous film? As we continue our journey through the nine-film Planet of the Apes franchise, Battle for the Planet of the Apes gives us our answer. Actor, author, and playwright John Wea...

Escape from the Planet of the Apes set the franchise off on a brand-new course. And the sequel -- released just over a year after its predecessor -- follows the ape Caesar (Roddy McDowall, as a new character) as he plays a pivotal role in humanity's downfall in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. Ryan Luis Rodriguez of One Track Mind joins the show to discuss this 1972 edition of the long-running...

No spoilers, but  Beneath the Planet of the Apes seemed to negate the chances of a third Planet of the Apes film. And yet, the box office receipts sent a very different message to studio executives. And so Escape from the Planet of the Apes hit theaters in 1971, taking the series in a radical new direction. Film critic Sara Michelle Fetters joins the show to break down how Escape from the Planet o...

1968's Planet of the Apes was a watershed moment for science fiction cinema and, in hindsight, franchise filmmaking. But what lies beneath? That's the focus of this episode, as we take a look at the first of many sequels to attempt to on the original Planet of the Apes film. Jeremiah Stewart of Let's Talk helps us dig into 1970's Beneath the Planet of the Apes. We'll discuss how the film deals wit...

We finally really did it. After spending the past several episodes with the  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Franchise Detours sticks to the world of anthropomorphic animals and prosthetic make-up for its longest mega-series yet: Planet of the Apes. On this episode, Thomas Greene of Perpetual Cinema joins the show to discuss the 1968 film that started it all. We'll discuss how the movie marks a tur...

2014's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles seemingly kicked off a whole new era of movies starring the title heroes. But after its solid box office performance, the sequel -- 2016's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows -- still struggled to keep that momentum going. Clare from W-Rated joins this final installment of our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mega-series. We'll discuss what is (at least...

Kevin the Critic joins Franchise Detours to talk about the 2014 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' reboot from producer Michael Bay. Connect with Crooked Table Productions on social media: Facebook   |  Twitter   |  Instagram Subscribe to Crooked Table on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@crookedtable Follow Crooked Table on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/crookedtable Crooked Table Productions is pow...

As we continue our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mega-series, our very own Kai Yaniz makes her Franchise Detours debut as we discuss the oft-forgotten 2007 animated film TMNT. Connect with Crooked Table Productions on social media: Facebook   |  Twitter   |  Instagram Subscribe to Crooked Table on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@crookedtable Follow Crooked Table on Social Media: https://linktr.ee...

As we approach the halfway point of our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mega-series, we bid a final farewell to the live-action turtles. Following the defeat of the Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze , the filmmakers had a big decision to make with regard to the story of the third film. Their answer? Send the turtles to feudal Japan! On this episode, Philip Boone of t...

Despite the success of the animated series, no one expected 1990's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to be such a blockbuster. So naturally, it didn't take long for a sequel to start inching toward production. And less than a year later, the turtles were back on the big screen with another adventure. Jeff Johnson and Kevin Smith from Suns and Shadows-Cast join our TMNT mega-series to talk 1991's Teenag...

Kids growing up in the late 1980s/early 1990s had almost no choice but to love Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. From their love of martial arts to their passion for pizza, those heroes on a half-shell were a legitimate cultural touchstone, thanks to their animated series and, yes, the 1990 motion picture that brought the turtles to the big screen for the first time. In this episode, we kick off a who...

After two adventures as Axel Foley, Eddie Murphy had sworn off the possibility of Beverly Hills Cop 3. The actor reportedly felt there was nowhere else to go with that character. And yet, here we are talking about the third and final installment in our Beverly Hills Cop mega-series. But was Murphy right when he initially refused to come back for a third movie? Sandro and Zach from Oldie But a Good...

After 1984's Beverly Hills Cop solidified Eddie Murphy's superstar status, a sequel seemed inevitable. And although Beverly Hills Cop 2 perhaps lacks the cultural significance of its predecessor, it does bring a ton of fun additions to the franchise, particularly as director Tony Scott's follow-up to the previous year's highest-grossing movie, none other than Top Gun . On this episode, Lauren Knig...

It's impossible to imagine a world without Eddie Murphy. Throughout his career, he evolved from stand-up comic to Saturday Night Live breakout and finally, an Academy Award-nominated A-list movie star. And though Murphy had appeared in a few previous films, his ascension to the comedy star hall of fame didn't truly kick into gear until 1984's Beverly Hills Cop. On this episode, Phoenix Clouden of...

Tom Cruise made his film debut in 1981's Endless Love. But it wasn't until five years later in Top Gun that Cruise truly emerged as an A-list leading man. That film -- directed by the late Tony Scott -- sparked a phenomenon that has endured for more than three decades. Case in point, 2022's long-awaited sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, became the year's biggest hit. On this episode, film critic and podc...

Superhero cinema these days seems unwaveringly dedicated to never-ending stories. But a full decade ago, Christopher Nolan followed his groundbreaking 2008 blockbuster The Dark Knight not with another sequel but with the grand finale of his interpretation of the Batman mythos. But does 2012's The Dark Knight Rises end the trilogy on a satisfying note? Film critic Richard Newby joins us to delve in...

Batman Begins singlehandedly revived the DC superhero's film career. And The Dark Knight, well, it ensured that Batman would never stray far from the silver screen again. In this 2008 sequel, director Christopher Nolan took Christian Bale's Batman down a deeper, more morally complex path by pitting him against his ideological opposite: Heath Ledger's indelible Joker. Darin Lundberg of NostalgiaCas...

Batman was in a characteristically dark place in the early 2000s. After 1997's Batman & Robin, Warner Bros. struggled to figure out what its next move would be for Bruce Wayne's DC Comics alter-ego. Then an up-and-coming filmmaker named Christopher Nolan came in, and the resulting trilogy would leave an impact that still lingers within superhero movies. Film critic Nguyen Le joins us to kick o...

On paper, the introduction of an evil doppelganger for Kermit the Frog sounds like a worthy addition to the Muppet mythos. So why didn't the much-anticipated sequel to 2011's The Muppets connect with audiences? With the characters' popularity seemingly restored, Muppets Most Wanted saw Disney deflate this "viable franchise" soon after its reintroduction. Brandon from the Film Code Podcast joins th...