Cherry Bombs - The Underappreciated Movies Podcast

We're back! Join us to catch up on where we've been and what's next!

This month we're taking you back to the theater to listen in with us on a fascinating conversation with iconoclast director Werner Herzog. Straight from the stage at this sold out, members only screening at the American Cinematheque, Herzog discusses his beautiful and rarely seen Cherry Bomb FAMILY ROMANCE LLC, shot nearly solo in Japan and out of pocket for under 20,000 dollars. He also dishes on his love life, evading the Tokyo subway police, his eclectic book club selections and the Dalai Lama's love of vampire movies!

This episode we return to Beyond Fest 2023 and grant you an audience with the Emperor himself, Malcolm McDowell, to discuss the revelatory reconstruction of notorious Cherry Bomb CALIGULA! Recorded live at the world premiere of CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica and moderated by Steven Farber.  Almighty Caesar says... never apologize for the movies you love!

Cherry Bombs attended the Beyond Fest 2023 screening of The Abyss at the Regency Westwood Village with James Cameron in person! Here's the full Q&A straight from the theater tonight! Cameron talks test screening regrets, punching a safety diver, Mary Elizabeth's breakdown and the upcoming 4k bluray and gets snippy about getting an Avatar question at an Abyss screening. We love you Jim!

We take a moment to update everyone on the show and thank you all for continuing to listen (especially the mysterious person who keeps downloading the Pirate Movie episode multiple times every week)!

This month there's plenty of time for love as we prepare for Dial of Destiny by revisiting the greatest Indy adventure of all, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM! Despite its controversial reputation, TOD endures as an unrelentingly fun cartoon spectacular and the unrivaled high bar of action adventure filmmaking. Join us as we watch this divisive classic in the child-like spirit Spielberg and Lucas intended, argue why it's actually the most kid friendly Indy movie, uncover the secret of the Maharajah's voice and offer up our flaming hearts in tribute. Hold on to your potatoes!

This month our Spring of Prequels concludes with space opera at its most operatic, STAR WARS EPISODE 3: REVENGE OF THE SITH! George Lucas sticks the landing but not without crashing through more fan expectations and assumptions. Join us as we  complete our evolutionary journey through a trilogy we've come to respect and maybe even love. DO IT!

Our Spring of Prequels continues as we reconsider the most maligned Star Wars entry, ATTACK OF THE CLONES! Begun, the Clone Wars have as George Lucas doubles down on his bold vision for Star Wars and a digital cinema future with this sometimes clunky but always admirably defiant chapter. Join us to find out if we truly, deeply love AOTC or if the dark side still clouds everything!

This month our focus determines our reality as we kick off Cherry Bombs' Spring of Prequels with the movie that brought us together, STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE! Despite decades of critical bashing and toxic fandom, it's proven as seminal and essential as the original trilogy. We'll work through our complicated feelings for a film we've loved and loathed in equal measure for 25 years. The temperance of age, the revelation of perspective and the infectious passion of the boys from Blast Points Podcast helped us to reconsider what we now view as a flawed but deeply nostalgic comfort movie. Join us as we discuss our personal evolution on this divisive groundbreaker and never apologize for changing your mind!

We've pulled a never before heard lost "episode" from the vaults. Recorded in mid-December 2022, it featured previous guests Jon and Al in a roundtable discussion of AVATAR: WAY OF THE WATER. Sadly, the plan to release it as an actual episode was scrapped before we even started recording due to audio issues from Nik's dying microphone (RIP Blue Yeti Mic #1).  But we hit the record button anyway for posterity. What resulted was an unstructured, unmoderated hangout-style chat between those of us who loved Avatar 2 and those of us who didn't. 

We've got something crazy cool to announce!https://patreon.com/cherrybombspodcast?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

This month we ring in the New Year by spraying GHOSTBUSTERS 2 with a copious amount of positively charged slime! Join us as we defend the often dismissed but more than worthy sequel that struggled to stay afloat in a typhoon of blockbuster sequels. We'll compare it to more recent series entries, extol the genius of Peter MacNicol and provide a PSA on the dangers of Hardees' deadly Ghostblasters toy. So warm up the french bread pizza and straighten your Slinky as we cross the streams and vaporize all GB2 critics from this dimension!

Tis the season for our annual Christmas commentary episode! Get out your Life Day balls and gather round the Tree of Life as we watch the not underrated but maybe a little over-hated 1978 STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL! It's a non-denominational seasonal celebration highlighted by the festive rhythms of Jefferson Starship,  the bitter magic of Bea(trice) Arthur and some good old fashioned virtual reality erotica. Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk will not be seen tonight so we can bring you the most miserably pained-looking Harrison Ford ever photographed!

This Halloween the monster comes out of the closet as we celebrate a landmark in queer horror cinema, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE! Defying expectations and breaking all the rules, Elm Street 2 alienated Freddy fans on release but, like Halloween 3 before it, stands out years later as a fresh, provocative step away from the sequel formula. So turn up the heat, assume the position and join us for a deep dive into Elm Street's boldest dream ever. 

This month there's a peck with an acorn pointed at our hearts as we declare love for 1988's WILLOW! Too often maligned as a pale Star Wars retread, George Lucas' mythic adventure has defied critics and endured thanks to the loyal fanbase that grew up with it. We'll trace Willow's long journey to the screen, discuss the iconic cast and crew and uncover shocking  on-set secrets (from horny pigs to a potty-mouthed old sorceress). Nik will audition his own Wilhelm Scream and work through some Ben Burtt-related trauma and we'll hatch a plot to excavate our long lost Willow action figures from their shallow grave. It's everything you need to know about WILLOW before the Disney Plus show drops, and a few things you'll wish you didn't! Forget all you know or think you know and listen to the episode that Eborsisk gives "Two Heads Up!"

This episode we wrap up our Summer of Commentaries series with one of the most (unfairly) hated movies of all time,  BATMAN AND ROBIN! Drag performer/Youtube fragrance guru Alex Pearl joins us as we reconsider Joel Schumacher's universally despised comic book confection and find a lot to love.  A gloriously over the top 60's throwback, 1997's not-so Dark Knight adaptation finds new purpose as an antidote to today's gloomy, monochromatic takes on Bill Finger's super-detective. From it's color saturated photography to its enormous physical sets and unapologetically campy tone, BATMAN AND ROBIN makes a case for why our dreary modern movie landscape could use a day-glo injection of 90's excess. Who else but Cherry Bombs would celebrate the 25th anniversary of this neon-soaked, glow-tastic cinematic Bat-rave?Check out Alex Pearl at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS_1yFlQpxlw0JbNDloVxTQ

Our summer of commentaries continues as we struggle through LAST ACTION HERO! Have we finally picked a bomb that's not cherry? Go down the multiverse rabbit hole as Last Action Fanboy Jon leads us on a hero's journey through a movie we desperately want to love.  Can he help us resolve our complicated 29 year relationship with this deeply flawed but stubbornly likeable flop or is the whole thing a "Big Mistake"? Subscribe today and never again apologize for the movies you love! 

This episode we shift gears to recap our experience at Star Wars Celebration 2022! Join us as we discuss reuniting in person after 3 years, the wild Ewok Movie panel, meeting the man behind Krull's creatures, hanging out with Nien Nunb, getting snubbed by C3PO, the mystery of Darth Elvis, shopping for Star Wars underoos and the unfortunate twist ending to an otherwise awesome convention weekend.

Our Cherry Comms summer commentary series kicks off with 1982 HBO staple and childhood favorite, The Pirate Movie! This episode we'll explore our complicated history with the swashbuckling rock musical that sparked our earliest sexual awakenings. It's a movie that truly has it all. Action! Romance! Singing! Sword fighting! Crotch kicking! Lightsabers! Spyglass erections!  Monocle humor! Indiana Jones cosplay! 9 Razzie nominations! Join us as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of a movie that's still pumpin' and blowin' its way into our hearts! 

Dustin & Nik discuss the upcoming summer of bonus episodes and preview the next season of Cherry Bombs!

This is rumor control, here are the facts: Alien 3 rules! This month Dustin & Nik celebrate the 30th birthday of David Finchers misunderstood first born. Disowned by its director, hated by fans and cursed by Michael Biehn, we cant blame Alien 3 for wanting to jump into a vat of hot lead. But we're here to rehab its reputation and make the case for why Alien 3 is the most optimistic Alien film of them all.  Subscribe today and never again apologize for the movies you love! 

This month Dustin & Nik celebrate Mother's Day with the biggest mother of them all, Mommie Dearest! Join us for a Mother's Day brunch of bloody steak, Pepsi-Cola and violent mood swings. Leave the wire hangers and bring the axe as we discuss the deranged genius of Frank Perry's biopic monster movie and dish about The Notorious F.A.Y.E.  We love you, Mommie Dearest. We really mean it!Content Warning: In this episode we have some fun with the outrageous and melodramatic 1981 Hollywood version of Mommie Dearest. This episode is about the movie itself, NOT the book, the traumatic real life events alleged in it or the very real and serious issue of domestic violence. Despite this distinction, sensitive listeners may still find the subject matter and certain film clips disturbing. Discretion is advised.  

In this special Oscar month bonus episode, Dustin and Nik are joined by some favorite Cherry Bombs guests to watch the 1998 Academy Awards broadcast in it's entirety (complete with commercials)! It's the year Oscar got it mostly right, from Titanic's rightful sweep to a bonkers Men in Black interpretive dance number, "the exciting" Michael Bolton going the distance and multiple shout outs to The Postman and Anaconda. If you make it the end of this aggressively niche 4 hour endeavor, congratulations... you've finished the Internet.

This month we're crashing the Academy Awards and correcting some of the biggest snubs from 94 years of Oscar voting! We'll explore 21 categories, from Best Picture to Visual FX, Best Actress to Sound Editing. Hide your Oscars, "Gandhi"! Lock your doors, "Cider House Rules"! Hand it over, "English Patient"! We're plucking gold statues from mantels and re-gifting them to deserving artists and films that weren't even nominated. Join us for an episode that's as long as an Oscar broadcast and every bit as self-indulgent! 

There can be no light without darkness and no Cherry Bombs without LEGEND! This month we hose ourselves down with glitter and declare our love for the Tangerine Dream US theatrical cut of Ridley Scott's rock opera fairy tale. Down a fistful of allergy pills and join us as we frolic through a pollen-choked forest, crush on twinky Tom Cruise and gothy Mia Sara, fend off a horny sprite and get Brown Tom'd. Are we asking too much or is your love strong enough?

It's Christmas commentary time again as Dustin & Nik trim the cherry bomb tree and watch the 1985 mega-budget Kris Kringle origin story, Santa Claus The Movie! What other Christmas classic opens with Santa Claus, his wife and reindeer freezing to death in a blizzard and closes with John Lithgow tumbling to a nightmarish death in the cold, lonely vacuum of space? Superman producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind squeeze Santa through their Man of Steel mold and deliver a truly bizarre yet good hearted tale of a resurrected Zombie Claus who delivers crappy wooden toys to ungrateful brats who prefer explosive, radioactive candy from a traitorous, sell-out elf. Join us for a nostalgic trip through a sweet, disturbing and magical holiday gift from grinchy, elf-hating director Jeannot Szwarc that Lithgow called "the tackiest movie I've ever been in".  Season's Greetings!

This month Cherry Bombs travels to Arrakis, also known as... wait for it... Dune! Join Dustin and Nik as they pay tribute to natural treasure David Lynch and his criminally underpraised detour into big budget franchise moviemaking, 1984's Dune! Along the way we'll take a pug into battle, try on some full body desert diapers, defend Sean Young's audition tactics, cook quinoa with David Lynch, give a shout out to the Shadout, reminisce about that time we ate chicken wings with Uwe Boll, get hot and bothered over some spicy melange, and remember the tooth... the tooth... THE TOOTH! So strap on your Weirding Module, secure your heart plug and get ready to be owned by the (still) greatest Dune adaptation ever made! Oh yes, we forgot to tell you... Never apologize for the movies you love!

How's your head? Despite a few complaints, Cherry Bombs' Halloween month continues with our salute to the 1988 horror/comedy/musical gem, Elvira Mistress of the Dark! An unfortunate casualty of the New World Pictures bankruptcy, Elvira's big screen debut was resurrected from the dead by the VHS rental crowd. Join Dustin and Nik for cinematic visions no other film has dared replicate including a mascara-wearing baby, a vicious casserole monster, an apple butter orgy and the greatest tassel twirling finale ever committed to celluloid! *This is episode is guaranteed 100% Charlotte Rae-free!

It's Trick or Treat month at Cherry Bombs and we're celebrating with two Halloween classics! First, Nik makes an enthusiastic case for his beloved childhood favorite, The Worst Witch, while Dustin struggles to keep up. Undoubtedly the "inspiration" for Harry Potter (We've got your number, Rowling), this 80's HBO staple features Dame Charlotte Rae in dual roles and the great Tim Curry to haunt your green screen nightmares.  So take a half holiday and show the world, let them know... it's Halloween. Hit it!

We take a moment to update everyone on our fall slate of episodes and thank you all for continuing to listen to our weird little show!

This month we're joined by friends from around the world to herald the return of movie theaters! We'll share our best theater going cine-memories, from the first film we ever saw on the big screen to our worst date movies, from all day marathons to the thrill of sneaking into R-rated features. We'll share stories of the experiences that moved us, made us laugh, cry, or even walk out.  We'll remember our favorite cinemas, listen back to our first movie "podcast" tape from 1987, attempt to understand Nik's bizarre concession habits and recall that time we sat in the dark eating popcorn next to Terry Gilliam and Michael Bolton. Join us as we celebrate these sacred temples of cinema and remind ourselves why the theater experience is still so essential. It's time to get fully vaxxed and GO to the movies!

For the final episode of our Trek Trilogy, we're honored to be joined by Trekkies director Roger Nygard! The filmmaker responsible for our favorite documentary takes us behind the scenes of Trekkies and its sequel to reveal the origins of Gabriel Koerner, Spiner Femme, The Filker and more and answers obscure questions no one's been obsessive enough to ask until now! Put on your Starfleet best and join us for this fascinating discussion! Stay updated on Trekkies news and explore Roger's other work at rogernygard.com.

On this special bonus episode, club captain and Garak impersonator Dustin and Spiner Femme Nik talk trek and watch the most important documentary ever made, Trekkies! We'll filk with a busted drag queen, eat Big Mac value meals with Klingons, get a root canal from a Federation dentist, ship Kirk/Spock and admire some fledgling opticals. Join us as we celebrate the most extreme, dedicated and delightful fans in the galaxy. And please remember there is still no vaccine for the Q Virus.

This month Dustin & Nik share their love for Star Trek 5 and gain strength from the sharing! Join us for deep existential thoughts on religion, spirituality and the meaning of life, the timely dangers of cult leaders, the trendsetting fashion of McCoy's ascot and the tactical uses of an elderly striptease. Then we'll breakdown the notorious in-costume Trek 5 press conference featuring miscued music, mortified Nimoy, "the gentleman who plays Chekov" and some nasty ass green Champagne. Go where no one has gone before as we celebrate the most maligned and underrated Trek of them all! And mind the overhead beam. Twitterhttps://twitter.com/CherryBombsPodFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/cherrybombspodYoutube (For Episode Trailers and More!)https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxS6igZVA7F7PuISPP2_tpQ

We want to hear from you! Record and send us your favorite movie theater memories or let us know what you love most about going to the cinema. We'll include your messages in our upcoming show about the return of movie theaters. Record your cinememories as a short message on your phone or computer and send it to us at cherrybombspodcast@gmail.com.  And if you have a podcast, be sure to share the name so our listeners can find your show too.

This month Cherry Bombs and The Saturday Morning Podcast team up for two episodes! First, host Christopher Jay joins us here to discuss the best and weirdest cartoons adapted from movies. Then head over to The Saturday Morning Podcast where we'll discuss the films we wish had been turned into animated series' but never were. Pour a giant bowl of sugar-packed cereal and settle in for the ultimate block of retro animation love!

This month He-Man holds the cosmic key to our hearts as we celebrate Cannon Films' magnum opus Masters of the Universe! Join us as we marvel at the investigative skills of Detective Lubic, discover the contents of a Cannon Films Happy Meal and gush over this absolutely essential Cherry Bomb. Pile into Billy Barty's pink Cadillac, crank up the Japanese synthesizer and teleport to our favorite toy to movie adaptation ever made. Good journey!

This month we celebrate the tangible glory of physical media! From VHS to laserdisc, DVD to 4K bluray and even CED, we have it all and love it all. Fellow physical media enthusiast and friend Jon joins us as we remember the video stores of our youth, wax nostalgic about extended play Mr. Mom tapes from McDonalds, dredge up Nik's most traumatic video rental memory, argue over how to organize your collection and discuss the (hopeful) future of increasingly maligned physical formats.  Physical Media Forever!

This month we talk to filmmaker Lisa Downs about her awesome documentaries on Flash Gordon, Flight of the Navigator and the inspiring personal journeys of their iconic stars. Join us as we geek out over 80s movies, the magic of Brian Blessed, playing Flash Gordon pinball with Brian May and just how incredibly cool Howard Hesseman really is. Then Lisa takes the honorary guest co-host chair as we all discuss our favorite documentaries about the movie industry. Plus plenty of bonus Corey Haim content! Connect with Lisa at lifeaftermovies.com and Life After Movies Presents The Web Show on youtube!

This month Dustin and Nik plunge into James Cameron's most overlooked and madly ambitious masterpiece, THE ABYSS! Sunk by a hurricane of imitators that beat it to theaters and a marketing campaign that sold it as Aliens 2, The Abyss is often discussed now only for its groundbreaking FX. But it's one of the maestro's finest and his most nakedly emotional and autobiographical work. Join us as we look with better eyes and celebrate one of the greatest films ever made!

This month Dustin & Nik put all their hope in Tom Jones, Slim Whitman and the kid from Solarbabies as MARS ATTACKS! Join us as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Tim Burton's most subversive, anarchic and underrated movie. The day has come to surrender to the superior intelligence of this gonzo sci-fi Ack Ack-tion comedy!

Chef Nicole Russell of Last Dragon Pizza joins Dustin and Nik to talk about her amazing Last Dragon themed pizzas and her love for Berry Gordy's classic Motown/Kung Fu mash up! We also look back on our first season of shows and ahead to a new year of Cherry Bombs. Subscribe today and never again apologize for the movies you love!

This Christmas Dustin and Nik bid good riddance to the scroogiest year of the century by kicking back and watching the most underrated Christmas movie of all time, Scrooged! 'Tis the season for Solid Gold Dancers, fairy sadists and Sir Bill Murray owning every actor who ever dared play Ebenezer before him. Suck it, Alastair Sim! Sync up your bluray, dvd, VHS, laserdisc or streaming service, or just listen without the movie and try to figure out what the hell we're talking about.

Taimak! Vanity! El Debarge! William H. Macy? This month Dustin and Nik kiss the Converse of the greatest Motown/Kung-Fu/Comic Book mash-up movie ever made, Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon! Join us as we break through the wall of mystery and discover The Glow. So step on the elevator and press number seven. That's all you gotta do to get to Cherry Bombs heaven!

Join Dustin & Nik for a special bonus episode saluting late, great director Joel Schumacher! Too often derided as a hack who put nipples on the Batsuit, his wildly diverse filmography of classics and underrated gems proves he was a lot more than Batman. From Falling Down to Tigerland, The Lost Boys to The Incredible Shrinking Woman and even DC Cab, we discuss why he was a voice worth remembering. Subscribe today and never again apologize for the filmmakers you love!

This month the hills run red as Dustin & Nik mask up and tune in to Halloween III Season of the Witch! Who needs that old hack Michael Myers when we've got drunk and horny heartthrob Tom Atkins? Grab a six pack of Miller, snuggle up in a motel with someone you just met this morning and celebrate the season with a criminally disregarded horror classic. Subscribe today and never again apologize for the movies you love!

A king and queen join forces to defeat the evil, power-hungry Beast and his army of mindless minions in the movie we all need right now, Krull! This month Dustin and Nik celebrate this lavish, non-IP fantasy classic that no studio would have the guts to make these days. Join us to discover the unlikely Krull/Tom Bosley connection and unearth the shocking secret of the Dumbo DVD commentary! Subscribe today and never again apologize for the movies you love!

It's a Cherry Bombs Special Report as Dustin and Nik get slaphappy exploring the art and magic of the movie slap. From Sigourney Weaver to Kurt Russell, Jessica Rabbit to Steven Seagal, some of Hollywood's biggest icons have thrown or received that time honored, open handed, sting-inducing "how do ya do". This month we break down the elements of a classic cinema slap, discuss some of our favorites and unearth the slappiest film ever made! Subscribe today and never again apologize for the movies you love!

This month Dustin and Nik are all the Jedi as they defend the honor of The Rise of Skywalker, the most controversial and underrated Star Wars film! Join us as we dive deep into the characters, story and themes of this pitch perfect conclusion (yes, we said it!) to the Skywalker Saga. It's an epic discussion that takes almost as long as being digested by the Sarlaac. Subscribe today and never again apologize for the Star Wars you love!!!

This month Dustin and Nik team up and fight Ming! Gordon's alive as ever on the 40th anniversary of the greatest Cherry Bomb of all time, Flash Gordon. There's something finer in this galaxy than Ming's law. Listen today and never again Ah-Ah-pologize for the movies you love!!!

This month Dustin and Nik go back to school to sing the praises of Grease 2! Join them as they celebrate the legend of Adrian Zmed, decry the horror of Eddie Deezen, unearth the Rob Lowe/Snow White connection and indulge in a little "Reproduction" karaoke. Pull on your pink satin jacket and learn where the pollen goes in the horniest, most progressive movie musical of the 80's. Listen today and you just might score tonight!