The Jacked Up Review Show

In this brief overview, we reflect upon the junky yet divisive '90s Stallone adaptation of the comic book JUDGE DREDD as well as its critcally favorable yet financial flop rehash from 2012: *Why didn't Dredd do more crossovers like the Batman comic book? *Is it true that the he UK censorship cut of the '95 film has different scenes than the U.S. release? *Why do many think that Dredd w...

We continue the various Stallone tributes by outlining 4 of his non-Rocky sports themed dramas:     Where do Paradise Alley, Victory, Over the Top & Grudge Match all rank for most of his fanbase?    Which of them does he make a pre-Rhinestone mistake of singing the theme song in?   Which one honestly needs more love due to the comedic gags present in it?   Which entry is still often ranked as...

I close out the Expendables fanfare with an overview on the Dynamite released prequel comic and the "GO TO HELL" crowdfunded sequel by Splatto Comics:   What aspect comes up short in the prequel comic book?   What awesome personas and shenanigans happen in this supernatural sequel comic?   What creative avenues make one wish there was this much imagination in the actual movie sequels?   All that a...

For our second Stallone themed week of September, we dive into some of his other crazy outings:   We had so much fun summing up Sly's Rocky and Rambo franchise villains so it was time to slip in another minisode on the big bads of his Expendables homage series.   Would Mel Gibson be more intimidating than Van Damme in a random celebrity encounter?   Why didn't "Stone Cold" Steve...

We conclude with a fun multi-chat on the various Rocky and Rambo saga villains (as well as other Stallone film antagonists) that stand out.   The '80s and '90s had no shortage of fun OTT baddies to root for their inevitable comeuppance but why is it so much fun to rage over these particular ones?   Which ones are surprisingly quotable?   And which ones are surprisingly unpredictable in the...

Another minisode provides a quick overview on the Rocky/Creed and Rambo toys and videogames in another amusing yet headscratching sit-down:   *Why were the Contra videogames better than actual Rambo games? *Why were the action figures particular perculiar while the Rocky toys were surprisingly neat? *And why is it to hard to translate anything beloved to another medium? GUESTS: Oreo Brewer, Cliff...

In this minisode, we dive into the infamous Rambo Cartoons and Comics Books: *Was it more infamous than both the Robocop and Toxic Avenger cartoons? *Why did the Rambo toys do even worse than the cartoons and games themselves? *Why haven't the recent Conan the Barbarian comic book writers & illustrators helped out these lackluster Rambo cartoons? *Will we ever get a good Rambo game? *And d...

For the second entry this week, I dive into a double feature on some pre-Rambo esque films that are both rather interesting watches: The 1955 classic Neo-Western Bad Day at Black Rock and the 1980 rather goofy Ruckus starring Dirk Benedict (The A-Team, original BSG).   We then conclude the minisode with a brief overview on the Rambo Novel itself, how the title character is actually portrayed as an...

We start off the Stallone Themed September Week by listing off our favorite Rambo movie moments! TALKING POINTS: *Did our title hero REALLY fall down thru 12 different branches while falling off that cliff? *How many famous actors play the crooked deputies in the first film? *Is Col. Trautman's deprogramming of Rambo in the first movie one of the best dramatic movie moments ever? *Is Rambo dyi...

I offer a bonus interview with the cast and crew of the upcoming indie mystery film DON'T ANSWER: When you come up with a Hitchock inspired thriller, how do you balance out the thrills and chills? This ambitious suspense film was shot in a quick yet organized 8 days with all kinds of talents pitching in to assist. I navigate from top to bottom examining its inception and sold out theater run!...

To finish up the SCARFACE fanfare, i dedicate 42 minutes to EVERYTHING else related to the topic. I end up reviewing the: *The Armitage Trail novel *The 1932 Howard Hawks film version *The 2007 IDW Comic Book Prequel: Devil in Disguise *The 2006 IDW Comic Book Sequel: Scarred for Life *Two key fan-films that made waves on the internet *And remember- everyone has a choice in life: live in Hell or d...

It's time for another filmmaker tribute complete with a themed yet unofficial trilogy: Enter Oliver Stone's Drug Cartel Themed Trilogy!   Is Midnight Express still one of Oliver's most personal dramas to date?   Why does Scarface still continually divide audiences?   What exact drugs are portrayed in these films again to illustrate why they're irresistable in the character's ey...

We dive into the Godfather/Scarface adjacent film CARLITO'S WAY and its prequel follow-up: How did they find limited audiences despite being faithful to the author's books and utilizing all kinds of talent? Which of his many collaborations with Al Pacino does producer Martin Bregman consider his best outing? I also play some badass clips from both films that merit some other deep talking p...

For our final GODFATHER themed week, we dive into the 6 different versions of the movie trilogy.    The special editions/director's cut versions of the saga include:   *The NBC extended mini-series of the first two films *The VHS Trilogy Edit *The Uncut Trilogy Cable TV cut broadcast on HBO   *The 3 films in their original form *Part 3's CODA recut   *The Edited Trilogy TV Cut       TALKIN...

In this Bonus Chat, I welcome back returning-guest Victoria Urso as she gets to detail more on her music videography and photography based career while sharing the usual inspiring advice, spiritual motivation and positive reinforcement that any kind of entertainer, career professional or mentor will find mentally rewarding to listen to.   If you want some career pointers, some emotionally healing...

Oreo Brewer & Cam Sully found it only appropriate to talk about another controversial, award-winning film and its Starz TV show spin-off during Godfather Week: Crash! TALKING POINTS: *Was thie the first acclaimed movie to have mixed reviews from local critics and audiences? *How does the Starz TV show truly make use of its multi-character scenarios? *Can anyone actually state why they think th...

The second True Crime Biopics I cover are on the other notorious Italian gangster organization: The Bonanno Crime Family! Which of these are probably best known outside of DONNIE BRASCO? Do any of these provide entertaining details or are they largely dramatized over actual facts? How do they portray the blood oaths and dangerous lifestyles versus the law enforcement and turf war stand-offs? FILMS...

It's time that we dive into some True Crime Biopics for the real-life Italian Mob: For the third entry being released this week, I get to cover the various John Gotti and Gambino Family portrayals in cinema!   Which actor probably gave it their all when researching Gotti's mannerisms and persona?   Were any of these films objectively well-made or were they just cashing in on the news media...

Another Mario Puzo mini-series adaptation gets a spotlight: THE LAST DON PARTS I AND II. How do the filmmakers handle their own concept while doing plot and style nods to Puzo's earlier GODFATHER material? Where does this popular CBS network hit rate in terms of his other adaptations? What material does the sequel mini-series go awry on? Plus, some well-acted clips from the show are played! SO...

Two adaptations of GODFATHER creator Mario Puzo's bibliography get a spotlight: one of them a divisive movie revisited thru its director's cut and a obscure NBC mini-series event.   How did actor John Turturro feature in both of these?   Was there anyway to feature the Corleones in The Sicilian or was it all legally impossible?   And what positives and negatives can one reflect on from eit...

As a Bonus Episode, you're treated to an excelusive Interview with Make-Up Artist-Hair/Stylist Rey Medrano. His credits include: The Taylor Sheridan Crime Shows, Harold and Kumar 2, Love and Death, Cruel Summer and many other political biopics/faith dramas/horror flicks/period dramas! We also get to talk about set etiquette, how he's forming his new store Odyssey Comics & the memories...

For the penultimate episode this week, we note the documentaries about Godfather Producer Robert Evans: First with a brief overview (with clips) on the doc The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002) and then some serious praise for the biopic mini-series The Offer (2022). Which actors in THE OFFER steal the show portraying the real-life yet very unusual figures who helped that difficult to film movie com...

It's another excuse to talk about all things Pacino and De Niro related during this GODFATHER themed week: We examine some of their various Action-Mystery-Slasher Movies in this retrospect. Why do so many of these films fail to capture the earlier success of the actors respective hits Cape Fear, Heat, Insomnia & The Devil's Advocate? The Films Reviewed Include: *And Justice For All *Tr...

A detailed overview on the iconic 1995 film HEAT and its 2022 book sequel (soon to be a movie itself) get examined in this lengthy yet dedicated summary of its still-rather impressive themes, thrills and characters. What separates Michael Mann's style from the Coppolas, Scorseses and Walter Hills of the world? What key character in the book sequel gets a huge persona change that feels VERY unb...

I continue the GODFATHER Themed Week with a brief overview on the ANALYZE THIS crime comedy franchise:   *Do these comedy films make use of their gags or is there more wit to be desired? *How does De Niro's gangster spoofing nature work here when compared to Mad Dog and Glory & Midnight Run? *Why did so many accuse these films of being a Sopranos knockoff when these were both owned by Warn...