Tentpole Trauma

Take director Jon Favreau hot off the Iron Man films, Daniel Craig hot off the Bond films and Harrison Ford hot off 3 decades of superstardom and put them in a sci fi western mash up — how can that lose? Sadly their combined efforts couldn’t rustle up enough money in the summer of 2011 to be profitable…so what went wrong? Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they hit the dusty trail to determine why Cow...

The prospect of geek idol Edgar Wright tackling an adaptation of Brian Lee O’Malley’s hit indie comic had nerds salivating in the late oughts and hoping for a franchise. But despite strong critical notices and a stacked cast of up-and-comers that included Michael Cera at the peak of his fame, the gonzo video game/anime/indie rock mashup was KO’d at the box office. Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Rodn...

Despite the talents of Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford and visionary director Denis Villeneuve, the long-planned sequel to Ridley Scott’s dystopian classic crashed and burned when it landed at the box office in 2017. Critics lauded the great performances and dazzling visuals, so where did it all go wrong? Join Sebastian, Chris and Troy as they get back to baseline and ponder the perplexing failure of...

Despite its massive cultural footprint and influence over the look of modern blockbuster cinema, Ridley Scott’s sci fi neo-noir epic Blade Runner was not a smash hit when it landed in 1982. The film boasted top notch special effects, jaw-dropping production design and the presence of newly minted superstar Harrison Ford, so why were audiences not initially dazzled? Join more human than human hosts...

1982 was a big year for genre films, and Disney was hoping that Steve Lisberger’s video game fantasy Tron would be a Star Wars sized phenomenon. Sadly the bits did not fall in their favor and despite being a visual feast and a technological trendsetter, the film fell short with sci fi fans and box office receipts. Join Sebastian, Troy and super-fan Steve as they bust out the data discs and fire up...

The Jaws franchise was sinking steadily by 1987, yet no one could have predicted how viciously Joseph Sergeant’s Jaws: The Revenge would be  received. With Lorraine Gary as the only holdover from the original there was no righting this misguided shark hunt and not even the addition of Michael Caine could save it, but is it really worthless chum? Join Sebastian, Jennifer and Troy as they get p...

1986 was a wildly eclectic year for genre cinema, but arguably no offering was as a harder sell than John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China. Re-teaming with leading man Kurt Russell and bringing in future Sex and the City cougar Kim Cattrall, Carpenter’s chop-socky supernatural adventure failed to ignite the box office and left audiences baffled before earning its place as a cult classic dec...

Though not a total financial disaster, 1992’s Alien 3 met with a hostile reaction from audiences and earned a toxic reputation that threatened to derail what had proven a sturdy sci fi horror franchise. Fans of James Cameron’s crowd pleasing Aliens hoped for more of the same from Ripley and co, but taken on its own terms is David Fincher’s disowned directorial debut really that bad? Join Sebastian...

There was no hotter celebrity couple in 2003 than Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, so naturally a romantic comedy built around their undeniable chemistry would ignite the passion of cinema goers everywhere, right? As it turned out — no! Martin Brest’s Gigli revolted both ticket buyers and critics at a level of toxicity that threatened to ruin careers — is it really that bad? Yes, it is! But in cele...

Coming hot off the surprise success of Darkman, director/visionary Sam Raimi chose to parlay his newfound studio cred into reuniting with star Bruce “the Chin” Campbell and completing the Evil Dead trilogy, a prospect that had horror fans ready to swallow their souls. But the sword and sorcery slapstick tribute to Ray Harryhausen he delivered received an initially tepid response from fans, and the...

A sequel to the blockbuster smash The Exorcist wouldn’t have seemed a devil’s bargain in 1977, and with Richard Burton joining returning players Linda Blair and Max Von Sydow, signs were favorable for another horror hit. But Zardoz director John Boorman’s fever dream of a film was reviled by critics and ticket buyers, resulting in one of the most universally lambasted movies of all times. Join Seb...

FLASH! Aaahaaa! After the mega-success of Star Wars, producer Dino De Laurentis hoped to cash in on space opera fever with a big screen adaptation of the comic strip/serial that inspired George Lucas to create a galaxy far far away. But despite wild, colorful sets, sexy stars and a killer rock score by Queen, director Mike Hodges’ campy film failed to reach cosmic heights, either with critics or t...

By the mid 90s Kevin Costner was riding high as both a leading man and director, so the idea that he should headline (and largely ghost direct) a big budget post apocalyptic blockbuster seemed a fail-safe proposition. But after a high profile shoot plagued with problems and cost overruns the film was released to tepid box office receipts and a merciless drubbing from critics who mocked Costner’s h...

Though universally accepted as a modern classic, Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption went virtually ignored at the box office when it was released in late 1994. But how could the top rated film on IMDB be guilty of such a crime? Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they revisit The Shawshank Redemption and dig deep into the truth of why it d...

Coming hot off the success of Halloween and Escape From New York, director/composer John Carpenter was the ideal candidate to remake the sci fi horror classic The Thing. With Kurt Russell in the lead, the film boasted stunning effects work from Rob Bottin and was an absolute master class in suspense and paranoia — so why did the zeitgeist violently reject it during the summer of 1982? Join Sebasti...

Video game adaptations are often a dicey proposition but the high fantasy World of Warcraft games seemed ready-made for blockbuster cinema, and hot genre director Duncan Jones seemed a solid pick to bring it to life. Unfortunately the end result met with critical and box office indifference in the states and put plans for a Lord of the Rings level film franchise on hold — so what went wrong? Join...

Harrison Ford’s reign as a superstar was well underway in 1986, so the idea of re-teaming with the director of their previous hit Witness for a no expense spared adaptation of an acclaimed Paul Theroux novel seemed a solid proposition. But despite exotic locations and a strong cast that featured Helen Mirren and rising star River Phoenix, the noble venture proved a fool’s errand at the box office....

The early aughts saw action hero Vin Diesel at the height of his fame, so the idea of re-teaming with director David Twohy for a space operatic sequel to their sci fi hit Pitch Black seemed like a license to print money. But despite big budget thrills and heavy doses of high octane Diesel, The Chronicles of Riddick failed to connect with audiences. Join Sebastian, Chris and Steve as they attempt t...

Coming off the surprise hit Chronicle, director Josh Trank seemed a suitable fit to deliver a fresh, youthful take on Marvel’s first family after some lackluster big screen attempts. But stories of on-set strife plagued the production, and despite a strong cast featuring Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan, the disjointed film that landed in theaters was far from fantastic and failed to flame on at...

A live action adaptation of the seminal 90s anime seemed like a promising proposition for a new big budget sci fi franchise. But when a white  washing controversy erupted over the casting of Scarlet Johansson in the lead, no amount of impressive visuals could save it from box office  failure. So was it deserved? Join Sebastian, Chris and Rodney as they deep dive into the heart of Ru...

Fans of John Carpenter's cult hit Escape from New York were clamoring for more of its iconic antihero Snake Plissken, but despite the creative team and star Kurt Russell returning for another round, the 1996 sequel met with poor box office receipts and violent rejection from audiences. The campy approach and reliance on sub-par visual effects certainly didn't help matters, but is the movie really...

1986 was a big year for genre movies, and arguably the biggest — solely in terms of its central character — was the sequel to Dino De Laurentis’ remake of King Kong. Despite the presence of Terminator star Linda Hamilton this ape extravaganza went almost completely ignored at the box office and put the Kong franchise on ice for nearly 20 years. Join Sebastian, Jen and Troy as they attempt to kicks...

Following the success of 300 and Clash of the Titans studios were clamoring for mythological stories to turn into big budget tentpoles, so it stands to reason that the Gods of Egypt would vie for the box office throne. With Gerard Butler on board and visionary director Alex Proyas tapped to direct, things appeared promising for this 2016 fantasy spectacular, but instead of claiming fire from...

Wait...Fight Club wasn't a hit? It's true, the re-teaming of director David Fincher and superstar Brad Pitt seemed like a no brainer back in 1999, and while the film has gone on to have a huge cultural impact, the initial box office receipts for the black comedy/thriller were no indication of its future meme generating status. Join Sebastian and Jennifer as they break the first rule and pummel the...

The DCEU was poised to make their play for Avengers style glory with Zack Snyder's follow-up to the divisive Batman v Superman: Dawn of  Justice, but after tragedy struck the director was forced to leave the completion of the project to then-celebrated geek god Joss Whedon. The  end result was an uneven Frankenstein of a film that failed to crack 500 million, a disaster for a mega-budget...