Why Wasn't It Better?

We choose to believe this is a Christmas movie. Die Hard 2 is sometimes seen as the black sheep of the original trilogy. It's easy to forget that it made twice as much money as the first one. Is it a worthy sequel or should it have been better? Guest Ben Hill returns to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasnt...

We begin our Christmas mini-series with one of the most highly anticipated sequels of all time. More darkness, more grotesque, and less Batman was the name of the game. Is Batman Returns a Batman movie, or just another weird Tim Burton film? Guest Tom Paradiso joins to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasnti...

Audiences had high hopes for Joaquin Phoenix reuniting with director Ridley Scott for this biopic of one of history's most infamous figures. Napoleon was yet another costly failure for the frustratingly inconsistent filmmaker. Why wasn't it better? ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: https://le...

As promised we are covering another animated Disney film. Is Mulan truly a beloved classic? Or is it just another entry in the declining second half of the Disney Renaissance? Guest Zion Parker is here to tell us what he thinks. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpod...

Our very first Patreon-requested episode! We are revisiting Troy, the epic war film based on Homer's Iliad starring Brad Pitt and a slew of other famous actors. Guest Nathan Perry joins to talk about why wasn't it better. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcast In...

This episode was recorded with the tedious inevitability of an unloved season. Moonraker is one of the most famous and most polarizing entries in the James Bond series. Is it a bloated, goofy mess or is it a beautiful masterpiece? Guest Kai Wang returns to the podcast as we blast off to discuss Moonraker. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https:...

Roger Moore's favorite entry as James Bond is considered to be one of the best in the series. The Spy Who Loved Me certainly went big. Is it really as great as its fans will tell you? Guest Paul Kind returns to proclaim his love for this film. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: https://letterb...

Harrison Ford is the President of the United States. Gary Oldman is a Russian Bad Guy. The fate of the nation rests on the courage of one man. It's quintessential 90's action, directed by Wolfgang Petersen. In honor of Election Day, we're covering Air Force One! Guest Sean O'Connor returns to talk about one of his favorite action movies. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon...

Halloween III: Season of the Witch is the definition of an outlier. It has the dubious distinction of being the only Halloween film not to feature Michael Myers. It was also the final film in the series that John Carpenter was involved in. How does it stack up against the others? Guest Sean O'Connor returns to share his thoughts. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwi...

A promising premise and trailer fooled audiences into thinking M. Night Shyamalan knew what he was doing. The second half of The Village, and its plot twist, were lambasted when it came out twenty years ago. Does it deserve another look? Should it have been better? Guest Peter Baldeo returns to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://...

One of the most unsettling, unsolved true stories in American history, the Zodiac killings have fascinated people for decades. David Fincher's 2007 chronicle of the investigation is sometimes considered his magnum opus. Yet it bombed at the box office and received zero Oscar nominations. Why? Guest Garret Ohringer returns to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com...

Fatal Attraction is one of the most famous thrillers of all time. It was also the biggest moneymaker of 1987. Why are we covering it? Could Fatal Attraction have been better? We're not sure but it's a fun film to discuss for spooky season! ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: https://letterboxd....

Alien: Romulus has gotten a warm black goo reception since its release. This series has had a long, uneven history but it really seems like Fede Alvarez has revitalized it with this interquel. But could it have been better? Guest Kai Wang returns to discuss on our Season Six premiere. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wh...

Also called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. One of the biggest, most beloved film series of all time got off to an enormously successful start in 2001. Precious few films reached the level of hype that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone did. And it mostly lived up to the hype! Guest Zion Parker returns for our Season Five finale. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.pa...

Headlined by outstanding performances from Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer, and an absolutely loaded supporting cast, The Insider is Michael Mann's most critically successful film. It was also a complete flop at the box office in 1999. Let's discuss this fascinating film for its upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary. Guest Garret Ohringer returns to proclaim his love for it. ___ Please c...

Thor: The Dark World is generally considered one of the weakest entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many fans will tell you to skip it. But it made plenty of money. Is its reputation deserved or should it get more love? Guest Dennis Berscak returns to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Lett...

On Deadly Ground was the first and only movie directed by Steven Seagal. Believe it or not this was a fairly big deal in 1994 when Seagal was a legit action star. Michael Caine showed up to collect a paycheck. A lot of stuff got blown up. Guest Tom Paradiso returns to talk about one of Seagal's proudest works. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: h...

He has a powerful weapon. He charges one million a shot. It's the 50th anniversary of The Man With the Golden Golden Gun! Generally seen as a low point in the James Bond series, it's a bit of an odd duck. Roger Moore's sophomore slump, if you will . . . or was it? Is it actually underrated? We certainly got a great performance from Christopher Lee. Guest Garret Ohringer returns for his first Bond...

World War II pseudo-classic about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Tora! Tora! Tora! was an ambitious co-production between the United States and Japan. It was also a very expensive failure when it was released in 1970. Does it deserve a better reputation? We think so. Guest Peter Baldeo returns to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube:...

The first two Blade films are fondly remembered. The third one isn't. Blade: Trinity spawned countless Wesley Snipes stories and Ryan Reynolds jokes. This was really the last gasp of Snipes' career. Producer Eric Taylor joins to talk about his first time experience with it. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbet...

This oft-overlooked entry in the Disney Renaissance has a curious legacy nearly thirty years later. The Hunchback of Notre Dame explored themes that Disney would dare not go near today. It's fondly remembered by its fans. Should it be a true classic? First time guest Ryan McQuade joins the podcast to defend its honor. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial Yo...

Steven Spielberg directing a project conceived by Stanley Kubrick about a robot boy who is programmed to love? A.I. Artificial Intelligence is what we call a unicorn, something completely unique that we're never getting again. We were expecting a masterpiece but its legacy is something less than that. Guest Paul Kind returns to the podcast to discuss this fascinating film. ___ Please consider join...

Sir David Lean's final film received all the acclaim and awards attention when it was released in 1984. Today A Passage to India is only remembered by true film buffs. All of the ingredients were there for a classic: famous source material, lush location shooting, a Maurice Jarre score. Why wasn't it better? ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: htt...

Twisters is a legacy sequel to one of the most iconic, popular diaster movies of the 1990's. There's been a lot of hype for this despite doubts about its viability as a so-called sequel. Was it worth it? Guest Zion Parker returns to the podcast to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: ht...

Since it's the 80th anniversary of the July 20 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, we decided to cover Valkyrie. Despite Tom Cruise headlining a very impressive cast and being directed by Bryan Singer, this film came and went without much fanfare. Based on all of the above it should have been a bigger deal. Does it deserve more love, or could it have been better? ___ Please consider joining our Patr...