Rogues Gallery

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Case File 042: Jaws Aug 11, 2021

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Steven Spielberg's 1975 adaptation of Jaws is arguably one of the greatest films ever made. That feat is even more impressive when you take into consideration the multitude of problems this production was plagued with. On this episode, we're investigating the legendary story of an up-and-coming director who began shooting a movie with no script, no cast, and no shark... and wound up with a bona fide classic that helped give birth to the blockbuster. Topics include: Peter Benchley's novel and the elements that were excised for the screenplay, how Spielberg shot around a mechanical shark that rarely worked, the unique way Jaws was released and marketed and how that set the stage for modern studio tentpole movies, real life tension between cast members that echoed their on-screen character dynamics, our wildly different experiences with the ride at Universal Studios, the diminishing quality of the sequels, whether or not a new entry in this franchise could even work, and much more!

Case File 041: House on Haunted Hill (1999) Jul 28, 2021

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The horror genre was experiencing an interesting transition in the late 90s/early aughts. The resurgence of teen slashers that had been kicked off by Scream was fizzling out and in its place were films that placed more of an emphasis on supernatural scares. It was during this time that the production company Dark Castle Entertainment was formed with the goal of producing glossier remakes of classic William Castle horror movies from the 50s and 60s. For their inaugural outing, they chose House on Haunted Hill. On this episode, we're accepting an invitation to spend the night in this cavernous asylum so that we can determine if its dark forces still pack the same punch they did two decades ago. Topics include: the original 1959 version of House on Haunted Hill and William Castle's legacy, how this movie compares to the other Dark Castle films from this era, whether or not they reveal the ghosts too early, the wasted potential of Dr. Vannacutt as a villain, concept vs execution of the big finale, the straight-to-video sequel, and more!

Case File 040: Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th Part 3) Jul 14, 2021

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It just wouldn't be summer without a trip to Crystal Lake to see what our old pal Jason's been up to. On this episode, we're continuing our investigation into the Friday the 13th franchise and taking a look at one if its most seminal entries. Topics include: the much different premise they almost went with and how it might have set this series off down a very different path, why the decision to shoot this one in 3D resulted in an extremely complicated production, conflicting stories about who deserves credit for giving Jason his signature look, the key ways in which Part 3 deviates from its predecessors, the studio's love/hate relationship with the success of this franchise, and more!

Case File 039: The Babadook Jun 30, 2021

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When The Babadook was released back in 2014, there was a lot of hype about how terrifying it was. Heading into it with those expectations may have colored our initial impressions of it. Now that some time has passed, we're going back to see if we can give this one a more objective analysis. Topics include: Jennifer Kent's unlikely path to becoming a director, how her short film Monster set the stage for all of this, the incredible performances she gets out of her two lead actors, using genre to make taboo subjects more palatable, the aspects of grief and mental illness that the movie gets exactly right, The Babadook's evolution into a queer icon, and much more!

Case File 038: The Conjuring Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

For a lot of us, The Conjuring almost seemed to come out of nowhere in the summer of 2013. It stood out amidst the usual slew of sequels & remakes and its success not only cemented James Wan as a modern master or horror, it also helped breathe new life into the genre. Of course, The Conjuring is now a major franchise itself with numerous sequels and spin-offs in its orbit. In some ways, those have diluted our impressions of the series as a whole. So we wanted to go back to the source and investigate what made this original film so impactful. Topics include: the complicated and controversial back story of the real life Ed & Lorraine Warren, the latitude we give films that are sold as being "based on a true story", the decision to create parallel storylines that eventually converge instead of focusing squarely on the Perron family's POV, how Ed's three step lecture about demons addresses a lot of the big problems with most haunted house movies, key differences between this film and its sequels, and much more!

Case File 037: Troll 2 Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

It's time for a summer vacation, so we're packing up the RV and heading to the town of Nilbog for an investigation into the best worst movie ever made - Troll 2! Topics include: how each of us discovered this film, its devoted cult following and how that led to the documentary Best Worst Movie, the language barrier between the actors and the filmmakers, why sincerity is an essential ingredient for any "good" bad movie, the real reason there are no trolls in Troll 2, your answers to Ultimate Match Up, and so much more! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify Chris's Instagram & Twitter | Kristen's Instagram Chris & Kristen's Web Series: The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler

Case File 036: Mysterio (Spider-Man: Far From Home) May 19, 2021

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Nothing is quite what it seems in Spider-Man: Far From Home, including Peter Parker's enigmatic new ally Mysterio. On this episode, we're pulling back the curtain on his heroic facade and examining this film's dual identity as both an epilogue to the dour events of Avengers: Endgame and a more lighthearted high school romp. Topics include: Mysterio's comic book origins and how he was updated for his live-action debut, Jake Gyllenhaal's previous connection to the Spider-Man franchise, why the movie's meta-commentary on superhero movies is amusing but doesn't quite land, the pros and cons of taking your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and putting him at the center of a much larger story, why Tom Holland is our favorite cinematic Peter Parker, your answers to Ultimate Match Up, and more! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify Chris's Instagram & Twitter | Kristen's Instagram Chris & Kristen's Web Series: The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler

Case File 035: Boba Fett May 05, 2021

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The level of fandom surrounding Boba Fett always seemed a little disproportionate to what he actually does on screen. The costume certainly makes an impression, but the way The Empire Strikes Back seemed to be building him up made his unceremonious sendoff in Return of the Jedi feel so perplexing and anticlimactic. For decades, the only place to turn for more substantial Boba Fett stories was the Star Wars Expanded Universe - a series of novels, comics, and other tie-in merchandise that helped flesh out some of the unexplored corners of this galaxy. When Disney acquired Lucasfilm, however, it was decided that the EU was no longer canon. One of the consequences of that was Boba Fett's fate post-Return of the Jedi. Did he even survive the Sarlac Pit? Fortunately, season two of The Mandalorian would eventually provide fans with an answer. For the first time in live-action, they'd get a version of the character that attempted to live up to the legend. Topics include: how the Lucasfilm design team retooled a concept for "Super Stormtroopers" to create our favorite intergalactic bounty hunter, Boba Fett's actual first appearance, the much more ambitious plans George Lucas had for Fett in the original trilogy and why those were scaled back, Disney's controversial decision to wipe the Expanded Universe from canon, notable projects featuring Fett that never came to fruition, our thoughts on his inclusion in season two of The Mandalorian, how we feel about the upcoming Book of Boba Fett series, and more! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify Chris's Instagram & Twitter | Kristen's Instagram Chris & Kristen's Web Series: The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler

Case File 034: Carrie Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

There was probably no one more surprised by the success of Stephen King's novel Carrie than King himself. He'd only made it a few pages into his original manuscript before throwing it into the trash. Even after his wife dug it out and urged him to push forward, he was convinced he was writing something that there was no audience for. But Carrie was a breakout hit and one of its fans was director Brian DePalma. His 1976 film adaptation is now regarded as a classic in the horror genre (and one of the best interpretations of King's work), but even with the popularity of the novel, there was once again some initial skepticism about the story's commercial viability. And once again, Carrie proved to be a much bigger hit than anyone was expecting. Topics include: the real life events that inspired the plot and the title character, key differences between the book and the movie, why those changes don't feel as egregious as the deviations made in some of the other cinematic adaptations of King's novels, the epistolary structure of the novel and how surprising it is that none of the remakes have drawn more heavily from that, what DePalma thought of those more recent versions, and more! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify Chris's Instagram & Twitter | Kristen's Instagram Chris & Kristen's Web Series: The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler

Case File 033: The Winter Soldier Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

In the early aughts, writer Ed Brubaker introduced Captain America readers to a formidable new adversary: - The Winter Soldier. The revelation that this twisted mirror image of Cap was actually his former kid sidekick Bucky Barnes dropped jaws and shook the foundations of the Marvel Universe. On this episode, we're exploring how the MCU adapted this storyline for the big screen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and how those events rippled out into Captain America: Civil War. Other topics include: the kid sidekick trope and why Marvel comics eventually steered away from that, the seeds that Captain America: The First Avenger was already planting in regards to Bucky's fate, why Civil War's climax is such a great inversion of the traditional third act set piece, all the ways in which The Winter Soldier represents Cap's worst fears, your answers for Ultimate Match Up, and much more! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify Chris's Instagram & Twitter | Kristen's Instagram Chris & Kristen's Web Series: The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler

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