Optimism Vaccine

THIS WEEK: Clerks 3 (2022) The 90s gifted us with a wealth of great independent filmmakers. Tarantino! Soderbergh! Rodriguez! Linklater! And... Kevin Smith. Thirty years after the original Clerks , Kevin was kind enough to make a third Clerks film that just might be his new career low point. Not bad for the guy who gave us Yoga Hosers ! Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreo...

THIS WEEK: Plane (2023), Ambulance (2022), and Taxi (2004) The perplexing existence of the latest Gerard Butler actioner Plane inspired a truly terrible idea. We ventured through three of the century's finest films named after vehicles. We were not prepared for Jimmy Fallon. No one is prepared for Jimmy Fallon. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

THIS WEEK: Deliverance (1972), Zardoz (1974), and Excalibur (1981) There are two types of people in this world. Those who love and respect Zardoz, and the foolish charlatans who can't see a masterpiece when it's right in front of them. Join us this week as we celebrate one of the greatest (and most underrated) filmmakers of all time: John Boorman. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https:/...

THIS WEEK: Tales Beyond Madness (2018), Reflections of Evil (2002), and Fatal Pulse (2018) Genius. Visionary. Degenerate. Maybe all of the above. For 30+ years, Damon Packard has been creating antagonistic independent cinema without any regard for genre conventions, copyright law or good taste. Which of course makes him a perfect fit for Optimism Vaccine. Join us as we celebrate the only director...

THIS WEEK: Blackbird (2018... or maybe 2022 depending on who you ask) In the 90s Michael Flatley donned his best pleather pants and seductive plunging neckline shirt so he could set the dancing world (and your mother's heart) on fire. But once the traditional Irish music fades and you hang up your river dancin' shoes, what is the lord of the dance to do? There's only one option: dump millions of d...

THIS WEEK: Waves of Lust (1975), Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man (1976), Raiders of Atlantis (1983), The Washing Machine (1993) We're back at it with more pre and post-Cannibal Holocaust Deodato, covering everything from art house softcore, to Mad Max ripoffs, poliziottesco, and something that might qualify as an erotic thriller under the loosest definition. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:&nb...

THIS WEEK: The House on The Edge of the Park (1980), Body Count (1986), and Dial Help (1988) Sure, you know him because you've watched Cannibal Holocaust, but have you fully baptized yourself in the cool waters of Ruggero Deodato? This week, we're celebrating one of the late, great auteurs of Italian genre cinema. Come for the discussion of his classic shocker, The House on The Edge of the Park. S...

THIS WEEK: Dead Bang (1989), The Hot Spot (1990), and Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man (1991) While fans of nepo babies doing adaptations of Z-grade erotica might be crying out for more Dakota Johnson, real film heads know you can't beat the cinema of daddy Don. Sure you know him from the beaches of Miami Vice and the... nashy bridges of Nash Bridges, but what about the great movies Don Johnso...

THIS WEEK: Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (1991) and Silent Night (2012) Oh, wow. They just kept making these, huh? Once again the beloved Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise swerves into another totally unrelated story about how Mickey Rooney is a weird little creep who looks like someone tried to make an obese baby out of a sponge. And there's a robot this time and some Freudian MI...

THIS WEEK: Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! (1989) and Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation After Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 was reduced to an underfunded clip show, you would think more sequels to the beloved holiday slasher would be unlikely. Shows what you know. As a testament to unexplained franchise resiliency, two more sequels quickly followed from the legendary Monte He...

THIS WEEK: Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) and Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987) This year, you made it through David Gordon Green's Halloween. But can you survive three decades of Silent Night, Deadly Night? Probably! The first two movies are pretty great, actually. Find out why one is a stone-cold second-wave slasher classic and the other transcends meme-ification and a money-grab clip...

THIS WEEK: This Man Must Die AKA Que La Bête Meure (1969), La Rupture AKA The Breach (1970), Torment AKA L'enfer (1994) Murder! Jealousy! Acid trips! Claude Chabrol sure knows how to hook you. He's also made roughly one zillion movies and they all seem to be pretty great. Guess we'll keep doing these episodes! Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

THIS WEEK: Skinamarink (2022) and Lemora: A Child’s Tale of the Supernatural (1973) Turns out the scariest movie of 2022 is a zero-budget, Canadian horror film that trades cheap scares for foreboding liminal spaces. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

THIS WEEK: Blood Freak (1972) This year, we have a lot to be thankful for. Shag carpet, wood panel walls, Pall Mall cigarettes, half-baked Animorph murder turkeys, cool drugs, and scar tissue from third-degree burns - the list goes on. Join us as we celebrate this joyous American holiday by watching one of the most foundational no-budget Floridian films of all time, Blood Freak. Support Optimism V...

THIS WEEK: Viva Erotica (1996) The OV boys are joined by Hong Kong film fanatic and all-around nice guy, Dylan Cheung, to talk about HK films and the Cat III meta-comedy from Tung-Shing Yee and Chi-Leung Law, Viva Erotica . Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

THIS WEEK: Night Owl (1993), The Addiction (1995), and Nadja (1994) Three filmmakers. Three films. Three black and white vampire movies from the mid-90s. Sounds like a good episode theme (and it helps us exclude Vampire in Brooklyn). It's art house meets bat house! It's Abel Ferrara reminding us that he knows Russel Simmons! It's David Lynch playing a security guard! What else could you possibly a...

THIS WEEK: Alone in the Dark (1982), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985), and The Hidden (1987). Jack Sholder might not be a household name when it comes to horror and sci-fi directors, but he should be. Unfortunately, one of his best films shares a title with a maligned 2005 Uwe Boll joint, another is unfairly labeled the worst in a classic franchise, and then there's one that yo...

THIS WEEK: Basket Case (1982), Brain Damage (1988), Frankenhooker (1990), Bad Biology (2008) Josh Lewis from the Sleazoids podcast helps Miros introduce Shawn Glinis to the king of 42nd St. gross-out grindhouse fare, Frank Henenlotter. An essential episode for anyone who enjoys zero-budget stop-motion animation and exploding prostitutes. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patre...

THIS WEEK: Nekromantik (1988), Der Todesking (1990), Nekromantik 2 (1991) and Schramm (1993) It's time for Shawn's final exam, as we introduce him to the shocking, grotesque poetry of zero budget German maestro Jörg Buttgereit. No genitals were mutilated in the making of this podcast. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/optimismvaccine

THIS WEEK: Stage Fright a.k.a. Aquarius (1987), The Sect (1991), and Cemetary Man a.k.a. Dellamorte Dellamore It wouldn't be October if we weren't introducing Shawn to another Italian master of horror. This year, it's the top disciple of Dario Argento, Joe D'Amato, and Lucio Fulci, and the last artistic gasp of the Italian horror film industry: Michele Soavi. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:&n...

THIS WEEK: Knife in the Water (1962), Repulsion (1965), The Tenant (1976) It's October, which means it's once again time for Shawn Glinis to mainline some horror films he's never seen. What's that? We've betrayed tradition? Knife in the Water isn't spooky? Listen, pal, Roman Polanski is wanted in 188 countries for unspeakable crimes and was extradited directly to this podcast. There's your horror....

THIS WEEK: Hot to Trot (1988) Episode 200 is brought to you by a dream. A dream that one day, Optimism Vaccine would cover the classic talking horse/Bobcat Goldthwait star vehicle, Hot to Trot , and the corresponding episode would thrust the podcast into the upper echelon of respected outlets for serious film criticism. Or maybe we just talked about horse dicks for 90 minutes. Only one way to find...

THIS WEEK: Thunderbolt (1995), Mr. Nice Guy (1997) and Who Am I? (1998) A generous benefactor demanded that we cover... Jackie Chan? What a chore. It's certainly a fascinating slate, as the aging Hong Kong megastar begins to dial back the wild stunts and ramp up the brand identity in preparation for his inevitable move to Hollywood. Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.co...

THIS WEEK: My Son Hunter (2022) Director Robert Davi (Rtas 'Vadum in Halo 2 and 3) and the conservative cinema vanguard have finally released the MAGA response to Adam McKay's liberal political comedies. It's about time someone made a movie for Breitbart readers with a fetish for Gina Carano wearing an ill-fitting suit, don't you think? Support Optimism Vaccine on Patreon:  https://www.patreo...

THIS WEEK: Les Biches AKA Bad Girls (1968), La Femme Infidèle AKA The Unfaithful Wife (1969), and Merci Pour Le Chocolat AKA Nightcap (2000) If you're still sleeping on Chabrol, Shawn Glinis is back to tell you exactly what you're missing out on with three stone-cold classics from the underrated French New Wave master.