Legends Podcast

There was an idea. To make a Russian knockoff of The Avengers! 2017's Guardians was not a box office hit, but it represented an original attempt to recreate some of the success of American superhero films, typified by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for another nation's audience. Using archetypes from the comic book genre, Guardians assembles a fantastic group of individuals with superhuman abiliti...

There was an idea. To make a movie franchise last for twenty-two movies over ten years, building an interconnected universe based on comic book heroes, and culminating in an epic two-film story. And then there was an idea, in first half of that culminating story, to kill off half of those heroes - along with the rest of the universe. Avengers: Endgame snapped into theaters last week with massive e...

It's April 20ish - 4/20 - and it's our 420th podcast. What else are we going to do but talk about the highest calibre of film that American cinema has to offer: the stoner comedy? 2008's Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay was the long-awaited sequel to the original burger-based road trip movie. Starring John Cho and Kal Penn as two Amsterdam-bound potheads, the film's surreal storyline was...

It's April 20th - 4/20 - and we're nearing our 420th podcast. What else are we going to do but talk about the highest calibre of film that American cinema has to offer: the stoner comedy? 2004's Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle was a sleeper hit on DVD, grossing almost twice on home video as it made at the box office. Starring John Cho and Kal Penn as two slider-craving potheads, the film's surre...

August. When film studios bring in the final harvest of the crop sown in May, before the weather turns cold and cineplexes reap the whirlwind of horror and holiday movies. The dog days of summer, before the bitter chill of awards season sets in. And the last hurrah of big-budget popcorn cinema, the most mindless of all movies. What better way to celebrate the end of summer than with a shark movie?...

Like 2017's Get Out, last year's breakout horror hit came from an actor-turned-first-time director best known for his comedic roles. John Krasinski - yes, Jim from The Office - directed and co-starred with his real-life wife Emily Blunt in a post-apocalyptic thriller set in a world where vicious monsters hurt and kill anything they… hear? A Quiet Place takes a very different approach to the tradit...

Twenty years ago, American cinemas were rocked by one of the best overall years in movie history. Now, Legends Podcast is celebrating the Legends of '99 all year long. One of the most inventive films of 1999 came in the form of Warner Bros.' kung fu/cyberpunk mash-up from two unknown directors, the Wachowskis. The Matrix, billed by producer Joel Silver as "the first movie of the 21st century," was...

Since 2002, there have been six live-action Spider-Man movies, with another on the way later this summer. Peter Parker has been played by three different actors, including the latest star, Tom Holland, who also appeared in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, bringing the total big-screen Spider-Man outings to an even eight. Add to this the dozen or so animated series, the live-a...

Captain Marvel, the twenty-first installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, arrived in theaters earlier this month on International Women's Day. The long-awaited film, starring Brie Larson, was the first MCU outing toplined by a female character. Set in the 1990s as a prequel to the main storyline, Captain Marvel featured a de-aged performance by Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, as well as refer...

For his sophomore effort, indie director Wes Anderson paired with his Bottle Rocket co-writer Owen Wilson to create Rushmore, a coming-of-age tale about a overachieving underachiever at an elite prep school, the wealthy alumnus he befriends, and the attractive teacher they both fall in love with. The film made the rounds on the festival circuit in 1998 and sold out showings at single theaters in N...

After spending nearly two decades in development hell, Alita: Battle Angel finally hit movie theaters last month. Based on the hit manga Gunnm ("Gun Dream"), which also spawned the anime Battle Angel Alita, the film was directed by Robert Rodriguez, co-written and produced by James Cameron, and boasted three Oscar-winning actors in supporting roles. Despite the film's pedigree, Alita opened to und...

Mike Judge ruled the '90s with his animated hits Beavis and Butt-Head and King of the Hill. For his first live-action project, Judge drew on his brief career at a Silicon Valley tech firm and his Milton animated shorts to create Office Space, a satire of white-collar workplace life. With an ensemble cast and a gangsta rap-infused soundtrack, Office Space spoke to Gen-Xers who found themselves caug...

Director Steven Soderbergh became the poster boy for independent cinema in the early '90s with sex, lies, and videotape, which made him the youngest director to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes at 26. His career floundered through most of the decade, until 1998 when he released an adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel with two little-known actors named Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney. Out of Sight w...

Troy Duffy's script for The Boondock Saints set off a bidding war, with the ultimate price tag of $450,000, but a troubled production and studio unease following the Columbine school shooting led to the film's release in five theaters for only seven days, grossing a mere $30K. However, the film found glory on home video, becoming a cult classic and earning a sequel a decade later. But does it dese...

We're back in the bathroom of the cinematic calendar - the month of January - and this year we're hitting the bargain bins to dig up some turds from the comic book movie genre. Grab some TP and "goggles up!" because this show is not pretty - this is Canuary! After his low budget superpower flick Chronicle impressed audiences - and, more importantly, the brass at 20th Century Fox - director Josh Tr...

We're back in the bathroom of the cinematic calendar - the month of January - and this year we're hitting the bargain bins to dig up some turds from the comic book movie genre. Grab some TP and recite the oath - this is Canuary!   The DCEU got off to an abortive start when Green Lantern failed to light up the box office in 2011. Starring Ryan Reynolds as a test pilot turned emerald space cop, the...

We're back in the bathroom of the cinematic calendar - the month of January - and this year we're hitting the bargain bins to dig up some turds from the comic book movie genre. Grab some TP (and some Band Aids) because the streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood - this is Canuary! From "visionary director" Zack Snyder comes the long-awaited adaptation of the greatest graphic...

We're back in the bathroom of the cinematic calendar - the month of January - and this year we're hitting the bargain bins to dig up some turds from the comic book movie genre. Grab some TP and take a seat - this is Canuary! This week, we're getting in touch with our feline side and watching one of the worst movies ever made, according to Wikipedia. Released in 2004, starring Halle Berry, directed...

We're wrapping up 2018 with last year's Academy Award winning film The Shape of Water. Starring Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, and Doug Jones, the film earned thirteen Oscar nominations and won four, including Best Picture and Best Director for Guillermo del Toro. The Shape of Water delighted audiences and Academy voters with a modern fairy tale set in 1962 Balti...

Legends is celebrating the Christmas season with two modern classics that celebrate their 15th anniversary this year! This week we're talking about 2003's Love Actually, written and directed by Richard Curtis, which spawned a number of holiday themed knock-offs with interconnected characters (Mother's Day, anyone?) and boasted numerous actors in smaller parts who have now achieved mega-stardom. It...

Legends is celebrating the Christmas season with two modern classics that celebrate their 15th anniversary this year! First up is 2003's Elf, directed by Jon Favreau, which spawned a Broadway musical and a TV holiday special, and launched Favreau's career as a blockbuster director. It's now a staple of holiday viewing, but is it a Christmas Legend? Or should this "Elf" stay on the shelf?   Spoiler...

One-hundred and fifteen episodes ago, Wing, Beef, and Shark Taco decreed that Highlander was one of the worst movies they'd ever seen. It joined Spring Breakers at the bottom of the ratings chart, where it has remained until this day. This has stuck in Lobster's craw since he joined the podcast two years ago. Now is the time of The Gathering, when an elderly Spaniard will join Lobster in the fray...

It's the timeless tale of a little boy who lies sick in bed one wintery Chicago day. He plays a video game called "Hardball," produced by Accolade, Inc., in 1985, for the Commodore 64 computer system. It's the bottom of the third inning, and Allen steps up to the plate... What kind of story is this? Is this a trick? I thought we were doing something epic for our Four Hundredth Episode. Keep your s...

Fall back in time with Legends Podcast! All month long, we're talking about time travel, paradoxes, and receiving whalesong. When a mysterious probe threatens Earth, the erstwhile crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise must travel back in time to the '80s to find the only creature that can answer its call - the humpback whale. Wrapping up the trilogy that began with The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek IV: The Voy...

Fall back in time with Legends Podcast! All month long, we're talking about time travel, paradoxes, and being the same forwards as you are backwards. When twelve alien ships arrive on Earth, a linguist must uncover the secrets of their language to discern their true purpose. But the more she learns, the more she remembers... about her future. Director Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi hit, starring Amy Ad...