Overhated

You'd have to be a hardcore Christmas movie fanatic to truly enjoy this wacky Arnold farce from the mid-'90s, right? Perhaps. Fortunately we happen to have just such an Xmas fan in guest host / podcast producer Jordan Kauwling (@cinnamonlafemme), and she's got plenty to say about what she likes about this flick. As for me, well. I'm sort of a Scrooge in this episode. Thanks for listening to Overha...

My pal Jeff Bayer (@bayerjeff) has two little kids, and that's why he's grown to love this big-budget animated feature that made good money, yet still managed to help destroy an entire studio. (sad but true!) Join me Jeff, Santa, Easter Bunny, and the rest of the gang on this goofy episode of Overhated. Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episodes at  patreon.com/scottEweinberg...

It's one of the biggest bombs in modern movie history; financially, critically, artistically, you name it. It's an infamous mess made all the more fascinating by Julie Salamon's fantastic book (and podcast !) The Devil's Candy , and it still stands as a movie that film nerds love to banter about. For example, in this episode I'm joined by film critic / author / old friend Jason Bailey (@jasondashb...

A few years ago it sure seemed like this follow-up to Casino Royale was the most hated Bond film of all time, but then Spectre showed up and all of a sudden Solace didn't seem quite so unwelcome. Join me and film critic / Bond fan Pramit Chaterjee (@pramitheus) for a discussion about "Casino Royale 2," and how it's not nearly as forgettable as we thought it was ten years ago. Thank you to Pramit,...

When Steven Spielberg is firing on all cylinders he delivers movies like Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jurassic Park. But even when he's only firing on 75% of his cylinders he still turns out "lesser" movies like 1991's Hook, which has a seriously passionate fanbase despite being generally regarded as one of his second-tier films. Big thank to film critic Danielle Solzman (@danielleSATM) for...

Some call it a horrifying fever dream; others refer to it as a cinematic panic attack. And those are the people who like it! General audiences back in 2017 were clearly unhappy with what Darren Aronofsky was doling out this time around -- but some brave moviegoers, and a good portion of film critics, found a lot to like. And this insane thriller has earned lots of new fans over the past few years....

When is a TV-to-movie adaptation not exactly a TV-to-movie adaptation? When it's a super-meta ball of confusion like Nora Ephron's colorful yet confused adaptation of the classic sitcom Bewitched . This is an oddly unspectacular movie, but with talent like Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, and Steve Carell on board, there's got to be a little bit of gold here... right?...

If you want to do a podcast about historically lambasted movies, you're going to come across the certifiably wacky 1936 propaganda flick Reefer Madness eventually -- and boy does this thing hold up as an unintentional laugh riot. For this episode I'm joined by film & game critic Shaurya Chawla (@_ShauryaChawla), and suffice to say that we continue to be endlessly amused by this very stupid film th...

Horror fans are a ridiculously loyal sort, but for the most part they don't love change. Back in 1982, producers John Carpenter and Debra Hill wanted to shake things up in their Halloween franchise. Instead of just bringing boogeyman Michael Myers back for a third slash-fest, the franchise would now be done anthology-style. As in: each new Halloween movie would be its very own thing. Like Tales fr...

Scott Weinberg is joined by his "resident Spielberg expert" Erik Childress to preview some of the latest episodes of Overhated. You can listen to them all right now by heading over to his Patreon feed at patreon.com/scottEweinberg. Subscribe for just a couple bucks and you can listen to over 90+ more episodes available right now. Check out the list of episodes here: bit.ly/3WZiLFk . Subscribe wher...

The long-awaited big-screen version of the beloved Star Trek TV series was heralded as a huge cinematic event at the tail end of 1979 -- and it turned out to be a smash hit too. So why does the film seem to have a relatively lukewarm reputation among critics and general movie-watchers? To this day the film is remembered as a bit too long, and a bit too focused on the undeniable majesty of giant sp...

Sometimes the weirdest movies end up striking a chord deep within your genre-loving soul; for example, this simple sci-fi / horror combo managed to entertain me a lot more than it did most film critics -- and now it's gone on to spawn two certifiably insane sequels that (yep) I also enjoy. So I asked my friend Liam O'Donnell (@liamodin) to join me. Since he co-wrote the first movie and directed bo...

I wanted to get a special guest for this highly-requested cult favorite, so I reached out to the man who wrote it: Philadelphia's own Steven de Souza (@StevenEdeSouza)! We cover all sorts of Hawk-related info. from production to box office to the exceedingly brutal reviews. Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episodes at patreon.com/scottEweinberg . Subscribe to hear them all no...

I have a list of over 200 films I share with potential guests if they need help choosing a movie for Overhated. But this guest didn't even need the list. She offered up the 2002 vampire flick  Queen of the Damned , and I thought "hell, that's a good pick." So thanks to Danishka Esterhazy (@desterhazy), director of the lovably twisted Banana Splits Movie and the admirably amusing new Slumber Party...

The mid-1990s were a strange time full of strange movies, and this is one of them. It's a future-noir anti-corporate sci-fi action absurdist farce... and I'm here to discuss it with the excellent Akela Cooper, a writer/producer on Luke Cage , Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , and last summer's horror hit Malignant . (@AkelaCooper) Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episodes at pa...

The critics were not pleased with this movie back in 1994, but you know who was? The rest of the civilized world. It was a huge smash, it sold tons of kooky merchandise, and kids seemed to love it. So I decided to take a second look, and my guest is L.A. Podfidential's Chauncey Telese (@bigchaunc64). He toured the Bedrock set as a kid! Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episode...

Critics (mostly) dismissed it; the box office was... let's say unimpressive. But mention the Speed Racer movie on the social media platform of your choice and you'll get a lot more positive responses than negative. (Try it!) Big thanks to The Flop House's Dan McCoy (@dankmccoy) for suggesting this visual roller coaster of a movie, and also for joining me for this episode. And thanks to all listene...

The network TV version scared the holy snot out of me when I was 12, so of course I enjoyed the gruesome R-rated version I later discovered on VHS. But does this weird Peter Benchley misfire still hold up to fond childhood memories? Let's find out. And for this episode we have Room 237 and A Glitch in the Matrix director Rodney Ascher (@rodney_ascher), and I'll spoil it now: he digs this movie. Th...

This big-budget spectacle... thing hit theaters late in 1985, and nobody cared. Frankly this conversation that I had with Kevin Murphy (@kwmurphy) may be the best thing to come out of this film's existence. Yes that's the Kevin Murphy from Rifftrax and Mystery Science Theater 3000, which means I had a ball recording this episode. Thanks again, Kevin, and thanks as always, patrons. Thanks for liste...

Sometimes satire ages like fine wine, and sometimes it just sours and everyone hates it. And dark / violent satire is even dicier. Does Danny DeVito (director of Throw Momma From the Train , The War of the Roses , and Matilda ) pull it off this time around? Spoiler: box-office-wise, no. This movie failed miserably. But how does it hold up as an actual movie? Let's sit down with the excellent filmm...

Are you surprised that I found someone to defend this stinker? Well get this: I had several people to choose from! But it was veteran film critic / podcaster / soap-maker William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani) who got the nod, and let's just say he came prepared. Big thanks to listeners, patrons, and anyone who plugs this podcast on twitter.  Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more epi...

Ask a Trek fan to name the weakest link in the franchise's feature film chain and you'll get a solid handful of votes for this 1989 entry. But why? Was it the victim of a writers strike? Budget cuts? Was Shatner ill-prepared to take a seat in the director's chair? Or maybe fans were just getting a little bored of the whole series. Anyway, I found a movie nerd who loves this movie. It's family-frie...

This Michael Crichton adaptation -- from the director of Die Hard -- could have been a surprise hit back in 1998, but all sorts of delays, unhappy producers, and annoyed test audiences conspired to help sink the movie once it finally hit theaters in 1999. But of all the movies I've covered on this podcast, this one might be the most staunchly defended... by people who follow me on twitter. Big tha...

What can be said about a movie so silly, stupid, and inept that its own director dismissed it as a "moron movie" and blamed himself for doing way too much cocaine on the job? Well, a lot, clearly. And I'm joined by seasoned horror expert Heather Wixson (@thehorrorchick) to discuss every insane little moment, murder, and fart sound.  Thanks for listening to Overhated! There are 100+ more episodes a...

This bizarre horror comedy from Dan Aykroyd has left a weird taste in my mouth for the past three decades,  but it's time for a revisit (and a quick history lesson) to see if it qualifies as Overhated. Fortunately I found a professional film critic called Mike McGranaghan (@aisleseat) willing to risk his entire reputation to defend this slimy, goofy, expensive misfire. Thanks for listening to Over...