Franchise Fatigue

Gabe and James discuss about the third Terminator film. A definite step down for the series, despite a few stand-out elements. 

Gabe and James take a quick break from the Terminator series to talk about the films of 2020. A rather disappointing year for movies. But there are still some wonderful gems that are well worth celebrating. 

Gabe and James talk about one of the greatest action films of all time. Quite possibly James Cameron's magnum opus, Judgement Day is every bit as entertaining and mind-blowing today as the day it was released. 

We start a new franchise with James Cameron's ground-breaking Sci-Fi action thriller, The Terminator. While its sequel tends to dominate the conversation, this tight, brutal low-budget actioner still delivers on every level today.

We wrap up our journey through the Bourne series with the highly anticipated and equally disappointing return of Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass to the franchise. 

Gabe and James record in person to discuss the ill-fated attempt to spin off the Bourne series with Jeremy Renner.  A film that is not without its qualities, The Bourne Legacy nonetheless fails to capture what made previous entries so unique and exciting. 

James made Gabe watch one of his favorite horror films. 

Gabe and James get together in person to talk about one of the greatest horror films of all time. And as usual for our show, the October horror reviews are going up in November!

This week we talk about the original finale for the Bourne Trilogy. The Bourne Ultimatum is an exhilarating action film that takes everything we love about the series and brings it to the next level. 

In this episode we are again joined by our friend Sam Dodson to talk about Paul Greengrass' introduction to mainstream audiences with the 2nd chapter of the Bourne saga. The Bourne Supremacy is a focused and relentless thriller that has kept its edge over the years, despite constant bad imitations of its signature style. 

This week we begin exploring one of the most influential action franchise of the 2000s. Doug Liman's The Bourne Identity is a fantastic thriller that added a whole new level of realism and intensity to the genre. 

With James back, we finally finish playing catch up with franchise installments released while we were in the MCU with the already forgotten Men in Black: International. A film who's troubled production is far more interesting than anything that happens in it. Which is a tragedy considering its two fantastic lead actors. 

This week we wrap up The Hire series with Neill Blomkamp's installment, The Escape. Its not the best of them, but its a lot of fun, featuring a very scary Jon Bernthal.    You can watch The Escape on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcbfH_bBJzo

Here we talk about Tony Scott's absolutely wild installment featuring James Brown and a wonderful Gary Oldman as The Devil.  It's nuts.  You can watch Beat The Devil on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Bv5hzuwvU

This week James makes his triumphant return to the show! We discuss Joe Carnahan's excellent installment, Ticker. And James gives us his thoughts on all the previous shorts.    You can watch Ticker on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnqrKcfxYF8

In this minisode Gabe talks about John Woo's fantastic entry into the Hire series, Hostage. You can watch Hostage on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HONrBK8litA

Gabe talks about Alejandro González Iñárritu's dark, gritty installment into The Hire series, Powder Keg. You can watch Powder Keg on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyxgBdJMsR0  

Gabe talks about Guy Ritchie's installment in the Hire series, Star.    You can watch "Star" on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeDoJsUUDHc

Gabe talks about Wong Kar Wai's moody, contemplative installment to the car commercial series that barely features any cars.    Watch The Follow on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SpYNgWi5Do

In this minisode Gabe continues his solo drive through BMW's The Hire series with Ang Lee's chapter, Chosen.  A graceful, beautifully crafted short, this one might just be the best in the whole series.