Why Wasn't It Better?

The epic conclusion to the much-maligned prequel trilogy makes the perfect way to end our season. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is considered by many to be the best of the prequels . . . but is it? First time guest Kai Wang joins the podcast to rant about Anakin Skywalker's fall to the Dark Side. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Twitter: https://twitter.com/WWI...

Another foray into the MCU. The first Captain America is often overshadowed by its more successful sequels. Is it underappreciated? Marvel had to get this one right. Did they? Guest Tyler Van Fossen returns to discuss Captain America: The First Avenger. ___ YouTube Twitter Instagram Subscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

It's fun to talk about disaster films and Irwin Allen was the king of disaster. Gene Hackman and Ernest Borgnine lead an all star cast in The Poseidon Adventure, one of the most famous and successful examples of the genre. A rogue wave capsizes an ocean liner, forcing those trapped inside to fight their way through some truly impressive production design. Guest Paul Kind returns to talk about The...

A listener request! Gran Turismo should have been a bigger deal than it was. Inspired by the hugely popular video game series and based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough. Director Neill Blomkamp's involvement should have generated more buzz, right? In and out of theaters in a flash, it did not make a lot at the box office. Veteran guest and GT enthusiast Peter Baldeo returns to the podcast t...

Until Peter Jackson's trilogy, this was really the only thing Tolkien fans had. Ralph Bakshi's animated Lord of the Rings is an incomplete yet ambitious attempt at adapting the fantasy classic. Producer Eric Taylor returns for our 50th episode as we discuss our sole animated film of the season. __ Twitter Instagram YouTube Subscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Sean Connery was back as James Bond for the seventh and final time! An unofficial remake of Thunderball, Never Say Never Again had a complicated production thanks to the court case surrounding it. Was it worth all the money and legal headaches? Friend of the show Tyler Van Fossen returns to discuss. ___ Twitter Instagram YouTube Subscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Thunderball represented the height of Bond Mania in the 1960's. Sean Connery was in peak form as 007. A bizarre legal case ultimately led to this film which is best known for its lush (or boring) underwater sequences. Bond fans tend to either love this one or hate it. Guest Ryan Moran returns to the podcast to talk about his newfound appreciation for James Bond. ___ Twitter Instagram YouTube Subsc...

Merry Christmas! Stanley Kubrick's final work is technically a Christmas movie. It's also one of the most thought-provoking, internet-conspiracy films of all time. Eyes Wide Shut starred then-married couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in a tale about marriage or fidelio or something. Patrick and Anton discuss in a very special Christmas episode. ___ Twitter Instagram YouTube Subscribe! Rate! Revi...

How the Grinch Stole Christmas was the first live action Dr. Seuss adaptation. It was a smash hit at the box office. Jim Carrey was universally praised for his performance as the Grinch. Ron Howard directed this at the peak of his career. And yet, some viewers felt like they got a lump of coal in their stockings watching this. Is it a beloved Christmas classic or a butchery of its source material?...

We're beginning the Christmas season by covering the sequel to one of the most beloved movies of all time. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was a blatant cash grab sequel, trying to do everything the first film did without breaking any new ground whatsoever. It's perfect for Why Wasn't It Better. Guest Nathan Perry returns to the podcast to talk about Home Alone 2. ___ Spotify: https://open.spotify....

The sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time took an awful long time to get made James Cameron is a perfectionist. We decided to cover this on the one year anniversary of Avatar: The Way of Water. Regardless of what you think of it, audiences wanted this. It crushed it at the box office. Guest Sean O'Connor returns to share his thoughts. ___ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/72nZWQLXO...

It's the twentieth anniversary of The Last Samurai! Does it fall into the white savior trope? Or is it Tom Cruise's most underrated film? Directed by the talented Edward Zwick, The Last Samurai was a box office hit that received mixed reviews and continues to have a misunderstood legacy two decades later. Guest Peter Baldeo returns to the podcast to share his thoughts. ___ Spotify: https://open.sp...

It's a very special Black Friday episode! Anything David Fincher does is going to generate buzz and The Killer is no exception, even if it's a Netflix release. The Killer stars Michael Fassbender as a nameless assassin in this adaptation of a French graphic novel. Is it worthy of the Fincher name? Or does it suffer from that "Netflix look?" Patrick and Anton discuss in a bonus episode. ___ Spotify...

Adjusted for inflation, Cleopatra is still one of the three most expensive films ever made, even sixty years after its release. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's real-life affair dominated the tabloids and overshadowed what was the grandest film of its era. Four hours long and beautiful to look at, it's certainly epic but it has an infamous reputation as one of Hollywood's costliest failures....

Another anniversary film! 1993 was the pinnacle of Michael Crichton adaptations. Rising Sun was released within weeks of Jurassic Park. Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes team up to solve a mysterious murder involving US-Japanese relations and corporate intrigue. Basically forgotten but worth revisiting. Tyler Van Fossen returns to the podcast to talk about Rising Sun. ___ Spotify: https://open.spotif...

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen marks the start of our anniversary series for this season. Released twenty years ago, it's probably best known for being the final screen appearance of Sir Sean Connery. LXG was supposed to be a unique entry in the comic genre. Instead it was met with mockery. Does it deserve all the hate it received? First time guest Garret Ohringer joins the podcast to discu...

Our third and final horror film we're covering this season, Halloween II. It's easy to forget that this direct sequel to the 1978 original was supposed to be the end of Michael Myers. John Carpenter was heavily involved but not as director. Halloween II has a mixed legacy with horror fans. First time guest Sean O'Connor joins the podcast to share his thoughts. __ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/...

Another "horror" movie for spooky season! When it was announced that Ridley Scott would be returning to the Alien series to direct a prequel to the 1979 original, fans were beyond excited. Prometheus promised so many things yet audiences were sharply divided on it. Guest Taylor Schuurmans returns to the podcast to share his thoughts. ___ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/72nZWQLXOJsxbkgpiqOff...

"I was possessed by a demon. Oh it's okay, he's gone now!" Not only is it the Season Three premiere, it's the beginning of spooky season! Exorcist II: The Heretic is frequently listed as one of the worst films ever made. The first film is one of the best, making this "sequel" an absolute gem of a selection for this podcast. Patrick and Anton discuss Why Wasn't It Better. ___ Spotify: https://open....

Did it really matter if this was good? You were going to see this anyway, even with how Episode I turned out. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones is a perfect choice to end the second season of Why Wasn't It Better. First time guest Taylor Schuurmans joins to talk about the second entry in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. It's like poetry. It rhymes. ___ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/sh...

In honor of Global James Bond Day we are covering Daniel Craig's swansong, which finally arrived in late 2021 after numerous delays thanks to the pandemic. At nearly three hours it's as close to epic as Bond gets. Was it worth the wait? Was it a meaningful conclusion to the Craig Era? Guest Peter Baldeo returns the podcast to discuss No Time to Die. ___ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/72nZW...

The long-awaited, much hyped sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, one of the greatest movies of all time. Anthony Hopkins was back as everyone's favorite cannibalistic serial killer. Julianne Moore replaced Jodie Foster. Ridley Scott was at the peak of his powers. Hannibal had a lot to live up to. Did anyone really think it was worth the wait? Guest Peter Baldeo returns to the podcast to discuss. _...

The first Star Trek film is jokingly referred to as "The Motionless Picture." While it made money, Paramount considered it a disappointment and it has a mixed legacy amongst Trek fans. It also has little in common with its sequels. Is that a good or bad thing? Patrick and Anton discuss. ___ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/72nZWQLXOJsxbkgpiqOffu Twitter: https://twitter.com/WWIBpodcast Insta...

It's the 30th anniversary of The Pelican Brief! The less successful of the two John Grisham adaptations released in 1993, this political conspiracy thriller features Julia Roberts and Denzel Washintgton in the prime of their careers. The supporting cast is strong. It's directed by a true auteur in Alan J. Pakula. Why isn't it better remembered? ___ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WWIBpodcast Instagra...

The Alien film series is beloved by its fans. Third films are usually tricky and this was no exception. Alien 3 was noteworthy for being the directorial debut of one David Fincher. It's kind of a mess but it has its defenders. Really, though, it's a mess. Guest Paul Kind joins the podcast to discuss one of the most infamous sequels of all time. ___ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WWIBpodcast Instagra...