Rotten Rewind

The American Western experienced a resurgence in the 90s after the critical and financial success of "Dances with Wolves" and "Unforgiven." At that time, Sam Raimi was more known for his groundbreaking work in horror, making him an unlikely choice to spearhead a Western revisionist action film with genre heavyweight Gene Hackman. But that was the only director star and producer Sharon Stone wanted for the project. Stone used her post-"Basic Instinct" power to not only bring Raimi on board, but to land Russell Crowe his first American role, and personally pay a baby-faced Leonardo Di Caprio's salary after the studio nixed the idea of him co-starring. The result? A box office and critical failure that began the decline of Stone's thriving career and left Raimi feeling like he was all to blame. Today on the podcast, we're taking a slight detour from Vulgar Neo-Noirs to Vulgar Western Noirs with Sam Raimi's "The Quick and the Dead" and Walter Hill's Prohibition-era thriller "Last Man Standing," starring current podcast favorite, Bruce Willis. Writer and cartoonist Michael Chau joins us to discuss the gonzo vision of Raimi and why critics must have hated fun in 1995. We're also unpacking the sexism that Stone experienced at the height of her fame, the comeback she so badly deserves, Leo's hold on teenage girls in the 90s, Gene Hackman's pussy eating skills, why Bruce Willis isn't a hat guy, stinky Western dicks, Sisqo's Shakedown, and our new spinoff series "Whores Next Door." ⁠SUBSCRIBE NOW⁠ for early access and exclusive bonus episodes at WWW.PATREON.COM/ROTTENREWIND

"For those that understand they're living the last days of the world, death acquires a different meaning. The extinction of all reality is a concept no resignation can encompass."This week's guest, Michael Aghajanian, has described Ridley Scott's 2013 bomb "The Counselor" as a "flagship Rotten Rewind movie." This is, after all, a movie that opens with Michael Fassbender finger-fucking Penelope Cruz while telling her she has "the most luscious pussy in all of Christendom," and later features a now notorious scene where Cameron Diaz fucks the windshield of a Ferrari. Sadly, in 2013, critics and audiences weren't ready for 2 hours of beautiful actors reciting verbose monologues about the nature of violence and destiny in between scenes of graphic beheadings and Cameron Diaz fucking a car. Thankfully, it's been 9 years since Ridley Scott brought Cormac McCarthy's first produced original screenplay to the big screen and we, as a society, have accepted that we are living in the last days of the world.So how does "The Counselor" stack up against podcast heavyweights like "In the Cut," "Bamboozled" and "Vanilla Sky?" Is this really one of the few Ridley Scott films that Tony Scott could have directed? Did Javier Bardem really base his look on mega producer Brian Grazer? Is Brad Pitt in the middle of a pussy-eating Renaissance? Could anyone have filled Cameron Diaz's shoes as a gold-toothed Machiavellian ice queen with tacky leopard tattoos? Is McCarthy's worldview too nihilistic or just right for our apocalyptic times? Does truth really have no temperature? Find out right now on America's most celebrated podcast. ⁠SUBSCRIBE NOW⁠ for early access and exclusive bonus episodes at WWW.PATREON.COM/ROTTENREWIND

⁠SUBSCRIBE NOW⁠ for early access and exclusive bonus episodes at WWW.PATREON.COM/ROTTENREWIND Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke made six films together over the course of a decade. They also had a tumultuous romantic partnership that culminated in a 19 month trial where Locke developed breast cancer. Locke, an Academy Award nominated actress, turned to directing in the late 80s, but was never able to achieve the notoriety she deserved because of her public falling out with Eastwood.Today on the podcast, we're looking back on their final collaboration together, the fourth entry in the "Dirty Harry" franchise, "Sudden Impact," as well as Locke's sophomore feature behind the camera, "Impulse." Critic and writer Jourdain Searles returns to the show for an in-depth conversation about the tragedy surrounding Locke's career and her mostly unseen directorial efforts.Why were we robbed of such a talented artist's future works? Was Sondra Locke the Polly Platt to Eastwood's Bogdanovich? How do reconcile an artist's off-screen behavior with their legendary career? What happens when Dirty Harry tackles rape culture? Why doesn't Theresa Russell work anymore? How the fuck do you pronounce George Dzundza's last name? Find out right now as we kick off our month-long descent into the seedy back alleys and underworlds of Vulgar Neo-Noir. 

Vulgar Neo-Noir continues this week with one of the most controversial and divisive films - and filmmakers - of their time. 1980s Hollywood was steeped in Orientalism, predominately seen in action films like "Flash Gordon" and "Big Trouble in Little China" and futuristic sci-fi landscapes like the iconic imagery of "Blade Runner." We're riding solo today for an in-depth conversation about the fetishization of Asian culture in Hollywood cinema, specifically in Michael Cimino's murky Chinatown crime thriller "Year of the Dragon" and Ridley Scott's neon-drenched Yakuza thriller "Black Rain."Does "Year of the Dragon's" ambiguous morality stand in the way of it being the masterpiece it so badly wants to be? Has there ever been a more unsympathetic "hero" than Mickey Rourke's racist, Vietnam vet turned renegade cop, Stanley White? Is "Black Rain" unofficial dudes rock cinema? Can Michael Douglas play a bad boy? How hard does Jan de Bont go in "Black Rain?" Are you even boys if you don't call each other "babe?" Is this fucking Vietnam all over again?! There's only one place to find out... ⁠SUBSCRIBE NOW⁠ for early access and exclusive bonus episodes at WWW.PATREON.COM/ROTTENREWIND

"You don't have to lick my ass. Just fuck me." It's hard to think of a better quote in the canon of genre master Brian De Palma. Today on the show, we finally get the opportunity to dive into one of our favorite directors' filmography by discussing two of De Palma's most divisive critical failures: the 1998 Nicolas Cage conspiracy thriller "Snake Eyes" and the 2002 erotic thriller "Femme Fatale" starring Antonio Banderas and Rebecca Romijn. Filmmaker Andrew Jacobson joins us for the first time to pay tribute to the Horny King and his two favorite De Palma flicks. Is De Palma the most underrated of his 70s peers? Does a movie have to make sense to be good? Can anyone pull off the greasy ponytail look the way Antonio does in "Femme?" Is marrying Rebecca Romijn the greatest achievement of Jerry O'Connell's life? Why aren't more people talking about the statue of Luis Guzman in Puerto Rico??? Does anyone ever crave Gary Sinise in a movie? Is De Palma's upcoming take on the Harvey Weinstein scandal unnecessary, or is it the perfect movie for right now? Find out right now on America's horniest podcast. ⁠SUBSCRIBE NOW⁠ for early access and exclusive bonus episodes at WWW.PATREON.COM/ROTTENREWIND

SUBSCRIBE NOW for early access and exclusive bonus episodes at WWW.PATREON.COM/ROTTENREWIND The year is 1991. Tony Scott is still riding the momentum of his generation-defining phenomenon “Top Gun.” Writer Shane Black is the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood before the age of 30. Bruce Willis' seemingly untouchable star power has been dealt a blow by the recent disaster known as “Hudson Hawk.” Producer Joel Silver is quickly developing a reputation as the most hands-on, hard-nosed producer in Hollywood, coming for Don Simpson's title of belligerent coked-out super producer. So what happens when these 4 massive egos get together and make a $40 million action movie? You get one of the most vile, racially charged, toxic action comedies to ever get the greenlight from a major studio. Is there a “Bad Boys II” without “The Last Boy Scout”? Probably not. Podcast regular and the only cinematographer who has read the 9/11 Commission Report front to back, Jake Ures, joins us again to unpack two of the defining buddy cop action comedies of the 90s. After the aforementioned "Last Boy Scout," we'll be diving into the barely rotten third installment in the "Die Hard" franchise, "Die Hard with a Vengeance" to discuss Bruce Willis' effortless ability to make us root for his toxic antiheroes. Is there any modern actor who can play washed-up action heroes the way Willis did in his prime? Is Jeremy Irons necklace hot? Did "Last Action Hero" need to be as brutally violent as it was and why is the answer a resounding "Fuck yes"? Are we still yearning for a time when the scariest thing Hollywood could imagine was a post-Soviet terrorist blowing up half of New York City to steal some gold? Is Bruce Willis the only man who can still make us laugh at a "Yo Mama" joke? There's only one place to find out.

SUBSCRIBE NOW for early access and exclusive bonus episodes at WWW.PATREON.COM/ROTTENREWIND Between the one-two punch of "Predator" and "Die Hard" and going to federal prison for illegal wiretapping, vulgar auteurist John McTiernan satirized the genre he helped redefine with Hollywood's biggest star and screenwriter. The result? According to McTiernan, himself: “Last Action Hero was the worst time I've ever had in this business.” Actor Chad Alligood joins us on the podcast again to unbox the 90s satire, "Last Action Hero" while waxing nostalgic about his birthday party seeing Joe Dante's takedown of American imperialism, "Small Soldiers." Why did "Last Action Hero" fail to connect with critics and audiences? Why did the studio insist on releasing the film in the wake of "Jurassic Park" even though they knew the film needed more work? Is Arnold Schwarzenegger capable of satirizing his own image? Does the main teen actor belong in the Rotten vault of Cummy Actors™? How did critics like Roger Ebert fail to understand the targets of Joe Dante's satire in "Small Soldiers?" Will anyone ever play a better shithead neighbor than Phil Hartman did in the 90s? Find out right here on the hottest podcast on the planet.

SUBSCRIBE NOW for early access and exclusive bonus episodes at WWW.PATREON.COM/ROTTENREWIND History might tell you that the Cold War ended in the late 80s, but it actually ended in 1985 when Sylvester Stallone directed the fourth installment of the "Rocky" franchise and sent the braindead American hero to Soviet Russia to avenge his best friend's death. Today on the podcast, we continue our descent into Vulgar Auteurism with two films that defined 80s aesthetics and film as we know it: the aforementioned "Rocky IV" starring Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Brigitte Nielsen and a very horny robot, as well as the iconic dance drama "Flashdance" starring Jennifer Beals. Both films were massive hits when they were released, but critics viewed them as the death of cinema as we knew it. Utilizing MTV-style editing and taking the montage to new extremes (35% of "Rocky IV's" 90 minute runtime is literally montage), both films represented the changing of the tide in Hollywood filmmaking and opened the door to commercial/music video directors like Tony Scott, Michael Bay and David Fincher. We interrogate both films' lasting impression on Hollywood, as well as the ambiguous racial undertones of "Flashdance" and the not so ambiguous anti-Communist propaganda of "Rocky IV." Has an actress ever looked as good as Jennifer Beals does in "Flashdance?" Did Apollo Creed simply fuck around and find out in "Rocky IV?" Why is the love interest in "Flashdance" giving major Richard Ramirez vibes? Why is there a talking robot in "Rocky IV?" Did Stallone really improvise his famous "Can't we all get along?" speech at the end of "Rocky IV?" Will someone please plug Jennifer Beals' TV in??? We're answering all these questions and more in our latest installment, right here on the #1 podcast in America.

SUBSCRIBE NOW for early access and exclusive bonus episodes at WWW.PATREON.COM/ROTTENREWIND "When it started, America was just a handful of scrawny colonies. Now, it's the most buff, pumped-up country on the planet." - Daniel Lugo To celebrate the most buff, pumped-up country on the planet, Rotten Rewind is kicking off our most epic miniseries to date. For the next 6 months, we'll be asking listeners the question: "What is Vulgar Auteurism?" In its simplest terms, it's a movement that celebrates the reappraisal of filmmakers that critics have often scorned or even lamented as the death of cinema. In other words, it's a perfect subject for the podcast. And what better filmmaker to kick the series off with than the most buff, pumped-up filmmaker on the planet: Michael Bay. We're joined by #1 Bay Stan, Olivia Willke, to finally unpack one of the films we've been thirsty for since we first conceived of the podcast: Michael Bay's "Pain and Gain." A pulverizing, grimly funny, relentlessly entertaining satire on the American Dream gone awry, "Pain and Gain" might have been one of Bay's most well-received films at the time of its release, but that didn't stop a majority of un-American critics from trying to stop the party. Thankfully, we're here to put these unpatriotic cucks in their place as we pay our fucking respects to the big dick king of Bayhem. So join us as we discuss Bay's unfiltered vision of American vulgarity and the modern masterpiece known as "Pain and Gain."

SUBSCRIBE NOW for early access and exclusive bonus episodes at WWW.PATREON.COM/ROTTENREWIND All good things must come to an end. Today, we have to say goodbye to our month long retrospective on the Rotten works of America's last movie star, Tom Cruise. Critic and writer Logan Kenny returns to the podcast to help us dissect the most divisive film of Cruise and director Cameron Crowe's careers, 2001's "Vanilla Sky." Crowe and Cruise made their long awaited reunion at the turn of the century with an ambitious remake of director Alejandro Amenábar's "Open Your Eyes," bringing back original Penelope Cruz to star alongside Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell and Jason Lee. The results weren't quite a disaster, but to this day, the film has divided audiences and critics, potentially altering the future of both Cruise and Crowe's careers. A distinctive, challenging piece of American pop cinema, "Vanilla Sky" joins the ranks of misunderstood masterpieces like Spike Lee's "Bamboozled," Jane Campion's "In the Cut" and David Cronenberg's "Crash" as one of the defining films of the podcast.

The "Mission: Impossible" series is the rare Hollywood franchise where each new film somehow manages to top the last. But in the year 2000, the series hit a slight critical bump when John Woo took over for Brian De Palma and delivered what is still the only Rotten entry in the lucrative franchise. Was it the early millennium nu-metal soundtrack featuring Limp Bizkit and Uncle Kracker? Was it the Oakley-sponsored lineup of tragic choices in eye-wear? Was it the slow motion Flamenco dance? The doves? The Iko-Iko remix?? Okay, granted some of these things are *not* great, but that's part of the film's endurance! Besides being the only certified Nu-Metal entry in the franchise, "Mission: Impossible II" is the only sequel that values vibes more than a twisty narrative, putting it more in line with Michael Mann's similarly maligned 2006 adaptation of "Miami Vice." We're joined by critic, comedian and co-host of the Bad Romance Podcast, Jourdain Searles, to unpack the sequel, as well as the rare on-screen chemistry Cruise shared with co-star Thandiwe Newton and why critics were not horny enough in the early 2000s. We also discuss important cultural topics like: Are British capable of being funny and when are we going to start sexualizing men the way we did in the 80s and 90s? Make sure to find us on Patreon for more exclusive content and bonus episodes at www.patreon.com/rottenrewind Follow Jourdain on Twitter @judysquirrels and listen to the Bad Romance Pod wherever you listen to podcasts!

If you've ever been a bartender, you've heard of Tom Cruise's "Cocktail." You've probably even seen it. Since it's release 34 years ago, the film has become something of a bartender's rite of passage. It's also so much darker than you'd ever think the movie where Tom Cruise flips bottles at a TGIF's would be. For our second installment in our Rotten retrospective on Cruise, we're looking back at 1988's "Cocktail" as well as his 1990 re-teaming with "Top Gun" director Tony Scott for the racing drama "Days of Thunder." Both movies were "high concept" studio films designed to further boost Cruise's celebrity, and both represented critical low points for the actor who would go on to star in the Oscar Best Picture winner the same year as "Cocktail." We're joined by actor Morgan Maher to talk real life service horror stories, while Kourtney dishes out some hot takes on catering. Is "Cocktail" a companion piece to Cruise's "Risky Business" in its dark depiction of Reagan-era individualism and consumerism? Why doesn't the movie want to acknowledge that the all-star bartenders are flipping bottles at a TGIF's??? What war was Cruise's young aspirational bartender fighting in? Has Cruise ever replicated the on-screen chemistry he has with future (and now ex) wife Nicole Kidman? Is "Days of Thunder" the movie that officially broke Don Simpson (or was it all the cocaine, collagen, and fat injected into his dick?) Was "Days of Thunder" propaganda for the tourism board in Glendale? And most importantly... Does "Cocktail" deserve its podcast record low of 7%?! Find us now on Patreon for exclusive content and bonus episodes at www.patreon.com/rottenrewind

Is Tom Cruise the last American movie star? For the next four weeks, we'll be diving headfirst into the Rotten filmography of the man that has spent the better part of his career daring God to strike him down. Today, we're kicking things off with the movie that helped catapult him into the A-list and changed blockbuster filmmaking forever: Tony Scott's high-octane bromance, "Top Gun." Cinematographer Jake Ures joins us to unpack the homoerotic tension and Cold War-era propaganda of the film, while praising the massively influential work Scott and D.P. Jeffrey Kimball did in the 80s. We also discuss legacy sequels, the magic of the "Top Gun: Maverick," the underrated Anthony Edwards, Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson's golden era, and of course, the unstoppable force that is Tom Cruise.

After two months of global destruction, dystopian wastelands and the divorced dads that will do anything to protect their stacked daughters, we say goodbye to our ROTTEN APOCALYPSE miniseries. For our grand finale, we're looking back at one of the most notorious disasters of the 20th century and an underrated late career banger from one of our best directors. First up, it's the infamous 1995 flop "Waterworld" starring Kevin Costner as a half-man/half-fish/100% incel living in a post-apocalyptic world that is, yes, all water. After that, we're welcoming the great John Carpenter to the podcast for the first time ever(!) with his only sequel, "Escape From L.A." starring Kurt Russell as the legendary Snake Plissken. Was "Waterworld" really the financial disaster it was pegged as even before audiences got the chance to experience it? Are the VFX that bad in "Escape From L.A."? Is Kevin Costner the very definition of white privilege in Hollywood? Should John Carpenter only make movies for under $20 million? Why does everyone in "Waterworld" want Costner's cum so badly? Is Kurt Russell a goddamn national treasure? Would you rather live in a post-apocalyptic world where you get to surf the LA river with Peter Fonda or one where the best thing that can happen is you find some dirt to sell? We're joined by Chad Alligood to discuss all this and more right here on America's #1 source for all things Rotten. Be sure to follow us on PATREON next week as we transition to exclusive episodes for our subscribers, as well as bonus episodes and some very tite merch coming soon!

For our penultimate episode in the ROTTEN APOCALYPSE miniseries, we're talking about two of the most obscure titles in the series: cult director Richard Stanley's 1990 cyberpunk debut "Hardware" and Neil Marshall's 2008 dystopian greatest hits thriller "Doomsday." One of these movies ended up being one of our favorite podcast discoveries yet, while one is definitely one of our least favorite podcast watches to date (hint: the good one is a robot slasher movie featuring a repugnant voyeur who peeps on his neighbors fucking and says some of the most unhinged shit ever put in a major studio movie). Did anyone else mix up Dylan McDermott and Dermot Mulroney in the 90s? Did you know Dylan McDermott is a hardcore Christian and dated Julia Roberts in the late 80s?? Was Malcolm McDowell really broke in the 90s and 2000s or did he just have a really shitty agent? Did Richard Stanley publicly out Harvey Weinstein on a podcast 9 months before the New York Times piece broke? Was Iggy Pop one of the more underrated character actors of the 90s? Who do you call when Kate Beckinsale isn't available? We're answering all your pressing questions and more on America's #1 podcast.

Pamela Anderson as a bounty hunter who impales nazis with the heel of her stilettos. Ice-T as the leader of a rebel group of half kangaroo men. A Courtney Love produced soundtrack featuring Björk and Face to Face. Lori Petty headlining an MGM-produced adaptation of a cult comic book series. Things that could have only existed in the mid-90s. For the seventh installment of our ROTTEN APOCALYPSE series, we're diving into a pair of steampunk Gen-X flicks that remind us what comic book movies looked like before the now-dominant behemoth of Marvel Studios. First up, it's the 1995 queer cult favorite "Tank Girl" starring Lori Petty, Ice-T and a young Naomi Watts. After that, we're jumping forward a year to 1996 for the softcore re-imagining of "Casablanca" you never knew existed with Pamela Anderson's notorious "Barb Wire." Podcast regular and co-host of Gay Wine, Kae Whalen, joins us to recount their "Tank Girl" Halloween costume and the cult following the movie amassed with young queer girls in the aftermath of its initial failure. We'll also be talking Pamela Anderson's cultural impact, "The L Word" creator Ilene Chaiken's first writing credit with "Barb Wire", Naomi Watts' quiet 90s, Kourtney's hatred of half-kangaroo men, and an unfortunate character named Big Fatso! You can follow Kae on Instagram @gaewhalen where you can catch up with their show, Gay Wine every week!

BAYHEM REIGNS we're seguing into post-apocalyptic movies for the second half of our ROTTEN APOCALYPSE series, beginning with two sleek dystopian chase thrillers starring a pair of beautiful white people on the run. first up, it's the return of Michael Bay with his oft-forgotten 2005 sci-fi bomb "The Island" starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson as a pair of clones on the run from an organ harvesting agency in the not-so-distant past/future of 2019. after that, we're heading to the year 2199 for the Andrew Niccol-helmed take on futuristic class warfare with "In Time" starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfreid. film critic Logan Kenny joins us for the second half of the episode to recount how "In Time" radicalized him at 10 years old and turned him into a lifelong communist. so join us as we discuss radicalization by Niccol, Ewan McGregor joining the elite 3-timers club on the podcast, Justin Timberlake's limitations as an actor Michael Bay's insider knowledge of the organ black market, the inherent sliminess of Alex Pettifyer, and the 2000 romcom "Down to You" starring Freddie Prinze, Jr., Julia Stiles and Ashton Kutcher as "Jim Morrison". you can find Logan on Twitter @logankenny1 and read his unexpected 5-star reviews on Letterboxd.

What would the disaster movie be without the contributions of German director Roland Emmerich? For over 25 years, Emmerich has made a name for himself destroying cities worldwide, most famously in 1996's "Independence Day". Today on the podcast, we're looking back on Emmerich's magnum opuses: the global warming thriller "The Day After Tomorrow" and the disaster movie to end all disaster movies, "2012". Cinematographer Jake Ures joins us to discuss the effortless charm of John Cusack, Jake Gyllenhaal's early years as an up and coming leading man, the underrated character actor Glenn Plummer, Emmerich's unabashed love for 50 Cent, and America's least valuable leading man, Dennis Quaid. "The Day After Tomorrow" is currently streaming on HBOMax. "2012" is streaming on AMC+.

1997. A time when Tommy Lee Jones could headline a major studio action movie and Los Angeles was still reeling from the Rodney King riots and O.J. Simpson trial. A year when Hollywood gave us two volcano-centric disaster movies, but only one that cut right to the chase and called itself... "Volcano". For the fourth installment in our Rotten Apocalypse series, we're looking back at a pair of Golden State doomsdayers that explore two very different divorced dads and their quests to save (or not save) their teenage daughters. First up, it's the aforementioned "Volcano" starring Tommy Lee Jones as a city employee who cares more about being a hero than keeping his daughter (a young Gaby Hoffmann) safe from the volcano that has erupted right in the heart of the city. After that, we're heading to the not-so-distant past of 2015 for the ultimate Divorced Guy fantasy, "San Andreas", starring The Rock as a former marine who uses his work-issued helicopter to rescue his stacked ex-wife and daughter from the largest earthquake in California history. Get ready for a very L.A.-centric episode of Rotten Apocalypse as we touch on the long history of L.A.'s failed public transportation system, the absolute destruction of San Francisco, the soulless movie stardom of The Rock, and a truly bizarre homage to "Odds Against Tomorrow". Is "Volcano" an unexpected homage to 90s L.A. and working class solidarity? Why is Kylie Minogue in "San Andreas" for a total of 2 minutes? Is Don Cheadle one of our most deeply underappreciated actors? Did you know Forest Whitaker directed one of the two "First Daughter" themed movies in the early 2000s? Is there a shittier mall in Los Angeles than the Beverly Center? There's only one place to find out. "Volcano" is available to rent wherever you rent movies. "San Andreas" is streaming on HBOMax.

Hollywood is in the midst of a serious movie star crisis. in an era of Marvel superheroes and interchangeable Chris's, it's hard to remember a time when we had actual movie stars that could draw audiences to theaters. for our latest chapter in rotten apocalyptic cinema, we're watching the world burn with two of our favorite podcast mack daddies and two of our most timeless leading men: Keanu Reeves and Nicolas Cage. we're discussing two forgotten sci-fi disaster thrillers from the late 2000s that both came out when our boys were in one of their career dead zones. first up, it's the 2008 remake of the "The Day the Earth Stood Still" starring Keanu as the hot alien who has come to Earth to let the human race know they fucked up the planet and it's time to die. after that, we're joined by our in-house 9/11 commentator Jake Ures to unpack the gloriously batshit "Knowing" featuring Nicolas Cage as a professor turned full-blown Q-guy after unearthing a series of numbers that reveal when the world is going to end. what happens when a weird christian goth guy gets to make his version of an M. Night Shyamalan movie? why doesn't anyone wanna fuck the hot alien in "The Day the Earth Stood Still"? is there any movie star as daring and original as Nicolas Cage? are there any more honest-to-god movie stars? why are there so many moose running around on fire in "Knowing"? why is Nicolas Cage googling 9/11??? there's only one place to find out. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is streaming on HBOMax. "Knowing" is streaming on Amazon Prime & Hulu.

"Despite what you may have heard, Armageddon is a work of art by a cutting-edge artist who is a master of movement, light, color, and shape—and also of chaos, razzle-dazzle, and explosion." -- Jeanine Basinger, in her essay on Michael Bay's 1998 "Armageddon." if this podcast was made for one director, it would be Michael Bay. for the second installment in our “rotten apocalypse” series, we're celebrating the ultimate dudes rock disaster banger: “Armageddon.” the 1998 film was many things: the first movie to put oil drillers in space while eerily predicted 9/11. a movie that gave Owen Wilson his first major Hollywood role and delivered Aerosmith to the Oscars. one that gave Bruce Willis frosted tips and Ben Affleck a brand new set of teeth. “Armageddon” represents all the things we've come to love and appreciate about the man who was once hailed as the end of movies as we know them. podcast regular and Bayhem stan Nick Laskin joins us to wax nostalgic for the halcyon days of the 90s blockbusters we grew up with, as well as a laundry list of other rotten topics including: the all-star character actor lineup Bay assembles for his disaster epic, the unrivaled BDE of Billy Bob Thornton, the unsung MVP Will Patton, the power of Bruce Willis, Michael Bay's possible thoughts on interracial marriage and music, as well as the golden era of movie soundtracks. so strap in for a very special love letter to a certified classic about dudes prevailing at all fucking costs. “Armageddon” is available to stream on amazon prime // you can find nick on instagram @vhs_soundtrack88

in honor of the hell world we currently live in, we're kicking off a 2 month retrospective celebrating one of hollywood's favorite sub-genres: the disaster movie. we're kicking things off with the recent oscar nominated liberal fever dream "don't look up" starring one of the biggest ensembles of proud white folks ever assembled, led by leonardo di caprio and jennifer lawrence as scientists who discover a giant meteor will collide with earth in six months and nobody really gives a fuck. actor morgan maher joins us to weigh in on the oscar-approved satire to see where the division lies between critics, audiences and the academy. is the move just preaching to the choir while further alienating the americans it *might* be attempting to reach? is anyone in the ensemble even acting in the same movie? was adam mckay a better satirist when he was making broad studio comedies for the masses? is hollywood even capable of making an honest to god satire anymore? is mark rylance's controversial portrayal of a tech billionaire as problematic as it's been made out to be? has any actress ever been cast as the concerned wife as much as melanie lynskey? and most importantly is "don't look up" based on a true story??? there's only one place to find out. you can find morgan on instagram at @morganpatrickmaher // "don't look up" is currently streaming on netflix

over 35 years before denis villeneuve successfully brought frank herbert's landmark sci-fi novel to the big screen, david lynch entered the pantheon of notorious box office bombs with his own attempt at adapting the famously "unadaptable" classic. with the 2022 oscars finally upon us and denis villeneuve's "dune" more than certain to take home the most awards of the evening, we wanted to take a trip back to 1984 when producer dino de laurentiis thought that he finally had his very own "star wars" on his hands. we're lucky to be joined by our in house celebrity pussy-eating connoisseur and denver film society coordinator kelsey holmes to explain all things "dune" as we dive into the so-called "sci-fi 'heaven's gate'." is lynch's only rotten movie really as bad as its reputation suggests? how much of that fault lies with lynch himself? would the world have been a better place if we had gotten to see jodorowsky's adaptation with orson welles as the disgusting baron? does early 80s kyle maclachlan exist at the equator of cummy and cummed? is villeneuve's interpretation as good of an adaptation as we're likely to get? we're answering all of your pressing "dune" related questions right here on america's #1 podcast. you can find kelsey on twitter & instagram at @botticelli_bod // david lynch's "dune" is streaming now on STARZ

if there's one win you can count on next weekend at the oscars, it's jane campion becoming only the third woman in nearly 100 years to win best director. in honor of this depressing statistic and campion's legendary 35 year career, we're looking back at two of her biggest critical misfires that aren't the misunderstood masterpiece "in the cut." first up, it's campion's 1996 follow-up to her oscar-winning "the piano" with the nicole kidman-led "the portrait of a lady" followed by the 1999 cult comedy "holy smoke" starring kate winslet and harvey keitel. writer lashea delaney joins us to discuss campion's unparalleled career and her mid-90s "critical slump." is the 23% rated "in the cut" still our #1 campion? why is john malkovich our very first recipient of MMVP (most miscast valuable player)? is kate winslet our best actress who might not be very good at accents? did anyone work as hard as harvey keitel's penis in the early 90s? is "green book" *really* the worst best picture winner of the century? will campion's critics choice awards blunder cause any serious damage to her all but certain oscar win? do you guys think we're cool and if so, is it because we talk about cum so much? let us know when you write us a 5 star review on apple podcasts! you can find lashea on instagram @loureeds77!

for the next three weeks, we're showing love to some of this years oscar nominees and looking back at some of their biggest critical and financial misfires. this week, two of this years best actor nominees (and two of the biggest stars on the planet) go head to head in a pair of movies that would have crushed in the 90s. first up, it's 2 time academy award winner and 3 time podcast MVP denzel washington in his oscar nominated performance as the titual "roman j. israel, esq." after that, we're looking back at 2 time oscar winner ang lee's latest foray into 120fps with "gemini man" starring not one but two will smiths. critic/writer/comedian jourdain searles joins us to pay tribute to two of our best leading men and talk about the rest of the crop of 2022 oscar nominees, as well as colin farrell's character actor golden age, denzel's first unfuckable character, clive owen's fall from oscar nominee to straight to streaming action star, a haunting image of jim carrey as a cgi fish, and the evil that is "being the ricardos." follow jourdain searles on twitter & ig @judysquirrels and listen to her podcast bad romance wherever you get podcasts!

to honor robert pattinson in his debut as the sad billionaire vigilante, we're taking a trip back to the mid-90s when joel schumacher ensured that a studio would never greenlight a campy superhero movie again. that's right, we're talking about the '95 megahit "batman forever" with val kilmer, jim carrey, tommy lee jones & a very horny nicole kidman, as well as the unofficial queer canon "batman & robin" wherein george clooney battles arnold schwarzenegger's mr. freeze and battles the twink carnie robin for the toxic green pussy of uma thurman's poison ivy. we're joined by batman stan and celebrity pussy eater commentator kelsey holmes to talk about all the important batman topics. do val and clooney do justice to the caped crusader? is batman even a real character before christian bale and christopher nolan ground the series in post-9/11 fascism? does nicole kidman's dr. chase merridian exist exclusively to be the horniest person ever put in a superhero movie? why chris o'donnell get big movie part??? why did planet hollywood and rainforest cafes seem so tight when we were kids? how incredible are the soundtracks for both these movies? and of course, which batman is #1 pussy eater?? both schumacher batman's are streaming on hulu // follow kelsey on twitter/ig @botticelli_bod

When Roger Ebert gave Tom Green's unhinged feature debut "Freddy Got Fingered" a rare zero star review, he famously said "This movie doesn't scrape the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't below the bottom of the barrel. This movie doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with barrels." He added "The day may come when "Freddy Got Fingered" is seen as a milestone of neo-surrealism. The day may never come when it is seen as funny." Well, it's been 20 years since Tom Green jacked off a horse on Fox's dime and it's been re-evaluated as a singular piece of surrealist comedy that helped pave the way for comedians like Eric Andre, Conner O'Malley and Nathan Fielder. We couldn't think of a better film or comedic persona to close out our Rotten Comedy in the 2000s miniseries than Green and his notorious bomb turned cult artifact. We're joined by returning guest and self-proclaimed "Freddy" stan Olivia Willke to dissect the insanity that is "Freddy Got Fingered," as well as one of Green's first forays onto the big screen: Todd Phillips' studio debut "Road Trip." Listener's Note: we had a bit of a connection issue with this week's recording so please excuse the occasional weird sound dropout. We'll also be taking the next month off, so we'll see you all in February! "Road Trip" is streaming on PlutoTV and "Freddy Got Fingered" is streaming on STARZ.

For the penultimate episode in our Comedy in the 2000s miniseries, we're diving into the rotten filmography of one of the biggest comedic superstars of the decade: Jack Black. First up, it's the unhinged 2001 buddy/revenge comedy "Saving Silverman" wherein Black co-stars alongside Steve Zahn as two thirds of a Neil Diamond cover band that kidnap their best friend's (Jason Biggs) manipulative girlfriend (Amanda Peet) in hopes of setting him up with a circus acrobat turned nun (Amanda Detmer). After that, we'll be moving on to the 2002 MTV-produced teen comedy "Orange County" featuring the stacked ensemble of Colin Hanks, Schuyler Fisk, Catherine O'Hara, John Lithgow, Kevin Kline, Ben Stiller, Leslie Mann, and of course, Jack Black as a deadbeat pillhead with dreams of starting a T-shirt company like Stussy. We're joined by writer and O.C. native, Kaycee Felton-Lui, to discuss the endless rewatch appeal of "Orange County," the unfair stigma around teen comedies that aren't helmed by prestige filmmakers, the criminally underrated Amanda Peet, and the genius of Jack Black. Is Jason Biggs a leading man? Can Catherine O'Hara do anything? Does Steve Zahn actually suck his own dick in "Saving Silverman"? Should more movies skewer the absurdity of America's obsession with ivy-league schools? How many times does Crazy Town actually play in both of these movies? And most importantly, who is Luigi Panini? There's only one place to find out. "Saving Silverman" is streaming on Amazon Prime via IMDB TV and "Orange County" is streaming on Cinemax.

DuJour means friendship. DuJour means family. DuJour means seatbelts. And most importantly, DuJour means podcast. Illustrator and graphic designer Ella Talkin joins us this week to discuss a pair of early 2000s feminist comedies that updated their respective properties to the candy-colored MTV era of filmmaking. First up, it's the millennial sleepover classic and pop culture satire, "Josie and the Pussycats" starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson and Tara Reid as the titular Pussycats, followed by the 2003 sequel "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu in their full throttle return to the franchise. Has any early 2000s film simultaneously captured the zeitgeist and remained so radically ahead of its time as "Josie and the Pussycats"? Would it have slipped through the studio cracks in a post-9/11 America with its timely skewering of the rise of brand capitalism and TRL-approved tastemakers? Is it possible to pick a single MVP in a movie so stacked with great performances and faux-pop songs that you'd actually listen to in real life? Is there a single director that's more 2000s than McG? What the fuck is happening with Justin Theroux's accent in "Charlie's Angels" and why do we love it so much? Are low rise jeans really back? And more importantly, is Ghislaine Maxwell just a misunderstood girl boss? We're answering all these pressing questions and more, right now on America's #1 podcast. "Josie and the Pussycats" is streaming now on STARZ, while "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" is available to rent wherever you rent movies!

Our Comedy in the 2000s retrospective wouldn't be complete without a healthy dose of transphobia and lighthearted racism! This week on the podcast, we're taking on a pair of stoner comedies that defined the decade's obsession with buddy comedies steeped in gay panic. First up it's "Dude, Where's My Car?" featuring a pre-"Punk'd" Ashton Kutcher and pre-"Bulletproof Monk" Seann William Scott as a pair of intensely stupid stoners who find themselves immersed in an alien invasion as they search for their car after one wild night. After that, we're jumping to the end of the decade for the second chapter in the "Harold and Kumar" franchise, "Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay," which sees the titular pair on an Americana travelogue after being racially profiled as terrorists on their way to Amsterdam. Join us as we discuss racist Asian caricatures in pop culture in the late 90s and 2000s, the 100% rotten canon of Ashton Kutcher, not being able to get Jerry O'Connell and getting stuck with his brother Charlie instead, giant alien tits, and "Harold and Kumar" kicking off the rehabilitation tour of George W. Bush while he was still in office. "Dude, Where's My Car?" is streaming on Amazon Prime and "Harold and Kumar" is available on HBOMax.

While comedy in the 90s and 2000s was dominated by male superstars like Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler and the rise of Judd Apatow, studios were slowly warming to the idea that... women can be funny...? This radical concept was put to work a few times throughout the 2000s, but no movie dominated sleepovers in the early aughts quite like "Miss Congeniality." The Sandra Bullock-starring rom-com/action comedy became an instantly quotable hit amongst millennials and went on to make over $250 million at the box office, but critics were less than impressed. In 2008, Anna Faris was finally given a starring role worthy of her talents in "The House Bunny," but the film failed to ignite the box office or the critical world. But today, we get to show the critics what they were missing out on, by revisiting these two female-led comedies and showing them the love they deserve. We're joined by the co-host of Gay Wine and "Miss Congeniality" stan, Kae Whalen to relive our youths watching Sandra Bullock trip and snort, while yet again giving Anna Faris the MVP treatment Hollywood deprived her of. "Miss Congeniality" is available to rent wherever you rent movies, while "The House Bunny" is streaming on Amazon Prime.

For the second installment of Rotten Comedy in the 2000s, we're checking in with two of the biggest comedy heavyweights of their generation. After dominating comedy in the 90s, Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey were riding high and cashing in on their blank checks in the new millennium. First up, it's the Farrely Brothers follow-up to the massively successful "There's Something About Mary," where the directors re-teamed with Carrey to tackle mental health and cucking with the bi-polar comedy "Me, Myself and Irene." After that, we're diving into Sandler's first box office flop: the santanic fish out of water comedy "Little Nicky" featuring The Sandman as the son of the Devil. We're joined by podcast regular and certifiable Sandman Stan, Nick Laskin, to discuss the enduring popularity of Sandler, the Farrely Brothers' bizarre fetish for the mentally ill, cursed Smash Mouth cover songs, and the simple pleasures of laughing at a man with tits on his head. "Me, Myself and Irene" is streaming on STARZ and "Little Nicky" is available to rent wherever you rent movies.

We're still steeped in 2000s nostalgia here at the podcast as we kick off our seven week retrospective on comedy in the aughts. An era that began with an overflow of post-"There's Something About Mary" gross-out comedy before transitioning into frat-bro antics in the wake of movies like "Old School" and "Wedding Crashers," before the reign of Apatow exploded in the latter half of the decade with "bromance" comedies like "Knocked Up" and "Superbad." We're kicking off the miniseries with a pair of Wayans Brothers satires that skewered two of the most ubiquitous pop culture phenomenons of the era: the teen slasher movie and the tabloid obsession with hard-partying heiresses. We'll be starting off with the 2000 revival of the Zucker Brothers style spoof movie, "Scary Movie" featuring the debut performance of Anna Faris, before jumping to the middle of the decade for the disturbing pop culture artifact, "White Chicks." Actress and designer Mariko Enkoji-Busch joins us this week to discuss the cancellable offenses of 2000s comedy, the decade-obsession with gay panic humor, the enduring relevancy of "White Chicks" and how "Scary Movie" might have informed Max's obsession with cum. "Scary Movie" is streaming on PlutoTV and "White Chicks" is streaming on HBOMax.

Halloween weekend is finally upon us, which means our five week descent into Horror in the 2000s has come to a close. We couldn't think of a better way to wrap up our miniseries than by checking in on what two of Hollywood's most prolific boogeymen were up to at the turn of the millennium. Actor Morgan Maher returns to the podcast to discuss 2001's notoriously bad 10th installment in the “Friday the 13th” series, “Jason X” (a.k.a. the one where Jason goes to space), as well as “Halloween: Resurrection” starring Busta Rhymes, Tyra Banks with an elongated “special appearance” by Sean Patrick Thomas. Do these franchise black sheep live up to their reputation, or were critics just afraid to have a little fun in a post-9/11 horror world? Is “Jason X” a real movie or just a fan-fic fever dream? Why does everyone in 2455 dress in low cut jeans, red denim cowboy hats and “titty sweaters”? Did Busta Rhymes deserve a bigger acting career? Did “Dangertainment” rip off “Scare Tactics”? And most importantly: does Hollywood even make movies to get fingered to anymore? We answer all of your pressing questions with this fingerblasting double feature right here on your favorite podcast. “Jason X” is streaming on Peacock and “Halloween: Resurrection” is available to rent wherever you rent movies!

The slasher sub-genre was revitalized in 1996 with Wes Craven's “Scream,” ushering in a whole new era of self-aware slasher films steeped in irony. By the early 2000s though, the genre was on life support yet again. Today, we're taking a look back at some of the last of the WB-approved era of slasher films with two campy horror flicks that come so, so close to satirizing the genre as “Scream” did in the late 90s. First up, it's the return of podcast MVP Brittany Murphy in the 2000 cult favorite “Cherry Falls,” wherein the virginal teenagers in a tight-knit community are being preyed upon by a serial killer. After that, we're jumping to 2001 for the holiday themed revenge thriller “Valentine,” starring another podcast favorite, Denise Richards, as well as the first podcast appearance by our beloved “Angel” himself: David Boreanaz. 
Film critic, writer, and co-host of the Bad Romance Podcast, Jourdain Searles, joins us to discuss the compromised production of “Cherry Falls,” the legacy of Brittany Murphy, David Boreanaz's brief film career, and how Jay Mohr was ever a thing. “Cherry Falls” and “Valentine” are both available to rent or buy through Shout! Factory, while “Valentine” is also streaming on Tubi!

The only thing more ubiquitous in horror during the 2000s than torture porn was the onslaught of remakes audiences were inundated with throughout the aughts. Some would argue that, along with "Saw," the Michael Bay school of low budget, gritty, ultraviolent and "realistic" remakes set the tone for horror for at least a decade. Today, we'll be looking back at two nu-metal reboots of two very different horror classics. First up, it's the 2003 reimagining of the 1974 seminal horror classic "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," starring Jessica Biel in low cut jeans and an increasingly wet tank top, R. Lee Ermey as a necrophiliac sheriff, and Sir Eric Balfour as "Kemper." After that, we'll be jumping to 2005 for the incestuous horrors of "House of Wax" featuring Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray and the eagerly awaited big screen debut of Paris Hilton. We're joined by podcast regular, critic and writer Nick Laskin, to discuss the tonally divergent tales of beautiful 20-somethings finding themselves in the clutches of towns seemingly populated only by cannibalistic rednecks. Is "The Texas Chainsaw" remake yet another reflection of post-9/11 America and its bloodthirsty audiences? Should Jessica Biel ever be in a movie set before 1985? Is Paris Hilton really that bad in her big screen debut? Why do the twins in "House of Wax" all wanna fuck each other so bad? Would it be appropriate to get fingered during either one of these movies? Find out right here on your favorite podcast... "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is streaming on Peacock and "House of Wax" is streaming on HBOMax.

While torture porn and hard-R reboots of 70s classics were capturing the mood of the Bush-era, the PG-13 horror movie was still thriving throughout the 2000s. After the success of M. Night Shyamalan at the turn of the century, as well as the emergence of Americanized J-horror adaptations throughout the aughts, studios began churning out PG-13 thrillers that were lighter on gore and gratuitous nudity and heavier on jump scares and twists. But not all those films managed to cross over with critics and audiences, and today we get to look back on a pair of PG-13 horror flicks that disappeared quickly from theaters, only to find a cult audience on home video. We're joined by cinematographer and in-house 9/11 commentator, Jake Ures, to re-analyze the 2002 "based on true events" thriller "The Mothman Prophecies" starring podcast favorite Richard Gere, as well as the first and currently last studio venture from "Donnie Darko" director Richard Kelly: the 2009 sci-fi thriller "The Box" starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. Would "Mothman" be a low budget Blumhouse thriller tackling "fake news" and Q'anon today? When did mid-budget thrillers become a thing of the past? Is "The Box" Richard Kelly at his most restrained? Can Cameron Diaz do a Southern accent? Does James Marsden eat pussy? We're answering all of your pressing questions right here on our latest installment of Rotten Horror in the 2000s. "The Box" is streaming on PlutoTV and "The Mothman Prophecies" is available to rent wherever you rent movies!

After “Scream” revived the teen slasher movie in the late 90s, the genre was on life support again by the early 2000s. But after 9/11 changed the tone of the country, a new wave of horror was ushered in: one that was meaner, grittier, and far more violent than any of the previous decades. Instead of looking for a light escape, Americans seemed angrier and more bloodthirsty than ever. Horror in the new millennium began to reflect that as a new era of franchises satisfied audience's appetites with films like “Saw” and “Hostel.” For the next five weeks, we'll be looking back at what horror looked like as it transitioned from campy slasher flicks to brutal remakes of 70s classics. For our first entry, we're joined by writer Jaime Bolker to dissect the first installments in two of the most profitable and prolific franchises of the decade: “Final Destination” and “Saw.” Both films came from first time directors, and inspired a slew of copycats in the years to come, kickstarting lucrative careers and putting Lionsgate Films on the map. We'll be discussing the antiquated charm of “Final Destination” and its WB slate of 20-something actors like Devon Sawa, Ali Larter and Seann William Scott, before diving into the birth of torture porn with “Saw.” And just a warning to our listeners, this episode does contain something unspeakably terrifying: Cary Elwes' American accent. You've been warned. The entire “Final Destination” franchise is streaming on HBOMax. “Saw” is available to rent wherever you rent movies.

“I don't change my style for anybody. Pussies do that.” - Michael Bay This week on the show, we close out our four week retrospective on post-9/11 cinema with what might be the most American film ever made: Michael Bay's "Bad Boys 2." A movie that not only reinvigorated director Michael Bay after his failed attempt to make a more classical wartime romance with “Pearl Harbor,” but also inadvertently reprogrammed audience's expectations for action movies in the decades to come. A portal into the mind of Bay and the average American, "Bad Boys 2" might be the definitive post-9/11 work. A two and a half hour love letter to American excess that begins with two Black detectives infiltrating a KKK meeting and climaxes with the Miami P.D. invading Cuba, "Bad Boys 2" is now considered the most irresponsible, downright evil movie a major studio produced in the 21st century. It's also a relentless and often mesmerizing piece of action filmmaking that could have only been made by Michael Bay. Film critic Logan Kenny joins us to discuss the paradox of being a Bay fan and the enduring legacy of the film nearly 20 years later. Is Mike Lowery the most evil "hero" cinema has ever given us? Does Will Smith ever have chemistry with his female co-stars? Is the blatant homophobia on display in the film more dangerous than the "subtle" microaggressions found in more liberal 2000s entertainment like "Friends"? Is crunk actually making a comeback? Does Henry Rollins eat pussy? And will there ever be another studio movie as hateful as this? Find out now.

When discussing the pantheon of the best actor/director collaborations in film, you rarely hear about Denzel Washington and Tony Scott. From 1995 until Scott's untimely death in 2012, the pair worked together on five of the best action films of the 90s and 2000s. While Denzel is one of our most beloved and acclaimed movie stars, Scott long lived in the shadow of his brother, Ridley, mostly written off by critics as a technician and hack. Today on the podcast, we're looking back at their underrated collaboration by focusing on two of their outputs during the War on Terror, both of which saw Denzel up against unhinged white terrorists: the 2006 time travel romance thriller "Déjà Vu" and the 2009 remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123." Evoking some of the most striking and disturbing imagery of 9/11, "Déjà Vu" acted as a love letter to a post-Katrina New Orleans, while paying homage to films like Otto Preminger's "Laura" and Hitchcock's "Vertigo," while paving the way for the more critically acclaimed works of Christopher Nolan. We're joined by film journalist and writer Abid Anwar to discuss the every-man appeal of Denzel, Scott's influence on the genre for several decades, and why critics were sour on these two thrillers while showering jingoistic and racist depictions of terrorism in film with endless praise. Both of these Denzel/Scott collaborations are currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

It's been 20 years since 9/11 and for this monumental anniversary, we're paying tribute to two of America's bravest soldiers: Xander Cage and Bob Lee Swagger. For this jam-packed, very special episode of Rotten Rewind in the 2000s, we're joined by actor/writer/Swagger Head Morgan Phillips, as well as cinematographer and our in-house 9/11 specialist, Jake Ures, to look back on the cinematic landscape during the War on Terror. This week, we'll be discussing the 2002 Monster Energy Drink James Bond action flick “xXx” starring a very eXtreme and horny Vin Diesel, as well as the 2007 libertarian fever dream, “Shooter,” starring Mark Wahlberg as the patriot pimp Bob Lee Swagger. Does Vin Diesel have sexual chemistry with any of his female co-stars? Did “xXx” succeed in ushering in a new breed of Bond for millennials, or was it just a 2 hour recruitment PSA for the CKY generation? Did Antoine Fuqua inadvertently make the wokest action movie of the 2000s? Is Mark Wahlberg the perfect vessel for a patriot dipshit who spends his mornings reading the 9/11 commission report? Was there been a more 2002 moment in movies than a Tony Hawk cameo while Drowning Pool plays on the soundtrack? We're answering the most pressing 9/11-related questions that have haunted us for decades, right here on Rotten Rewind. “xXx” is streaming on Hoopla and “Shooter” is streaming on Showtime Anytime. Both films are available to rent wherever you rent movies.

What did action movies look like in that small sliver of time between the dawn of the millennium and the events of 9/11? In our first 2000s miniseries, we'll be looking back at what genre filmmaking looked like before and after September 11th. Today, we'll be joined by podcast regular Nick Laskin to discuss a pair of early aughts action flicks from Bruckheimer protege and music video maverick, Dominic Sena: the 2000 remake of "Gone in 60 Seconds" starring Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, and Robert Duvall, as well as the 2001 techno thriller "Swordfish," starring Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry and John Travolta with blonde streaks and a landing strip goatee. Did these two moderately successful summer action flicks mark the end of an era? Why is "Swordfish" more famous for a 3 second shot of Halle Berry's tits when there's an entire scene devoted to Hugh Jackman getting a blowjob with a gun to his head while he hacks the Department of Defense? Was Timothy Olyphant the low-key MVP of the early 2000s? And most importantly, how many closeted Paul Oakenfold fans walk amongst us? "Gone in 60 Seconds" is streaming with ads on Tubi and "Swordfish" is streaming on Netflix!

We're kicking off our monster-sized 2000s Retrospective with what might be the most notorious critical and financial bomb of the decade: Martin Brest's accidental swan song and the film that might have single-handedly ended the first iteration of Bennifer, “Gigli.” A sensationally weird miscalculation of epic proportions, “Gigli” is the worst film you've probably never seen. So, does “Gigli” live up to its reputation? Does anyone walk away from this fiasco unscathed? Was there any version of this movie that wasn't a complete and utter disaster? Has Martin Brest ever met a lesbian or even had sex? We do our best to answer these questions with reigning Rotten Rewind champ, Johnny Langan. “Gigli” is available to stream for free on STARZ.

The tumultuous career of Lindsay Lohan has experienced some of the highest high's and lowest "Loh's" of any young actor we've seen. This week on the show, we're looking back on some of the more pivotal Loh's in Lohan's career: the notoriously rotten "I Know Who Killed Me" and her 2013 soft-comeback, "The Canyons." We're thrilled to be joined again by Olivia Willke, who has come on to defend these Lohan misfires, particularly the Paul Schrader-directed and Bret Easton Ellis-penned "Canyons," which also marked the big screen debut of porn star James Deen. Is "I Know Who Killed Me" a future camp classic, inspired by the works of De Palma and Lynch? Can James Deen act? Why does Bret Easton Ellis still have a career? And most importantly, when is Lindsay Lohan getting her Britney Spears-style public rehabilitation? We miss you Lindsay! "The Canyons" is streaming on Showtime and "I Know Who Killed Me" is available to rent wherever you rent movies!

Hollywood filmmaking peaked in 1993 when actor turned director Tony Bill and stuntman Tom Sierchio teamed up to give America the love story they had been waiting for since the birth of cinema: one in which a small town waitress with terrible taste in men settles for the mentally impaired dishwasher with the heart of a baboon who follows her home and watches her sleep. That's right, there is a real movie called “Untamed Heart” in which Christian Slater plays a stalker/dishwasher/ferocious readr who is convinced that he has the heart of a baboon. It also co-stars the great Marisa Tomei and Rosie Perez and it was actually released in theaters the same year Tomei won her Oscar for "My Cousin Vinny." 
This week, we're joined by film professor and return guest Macy Todd, to discuss the bonkers tale of doomed lovers, alongside the criminally underrated Meg Ryan/Matthew Broderick rom-com “Addicted to Love.” Directed by a more prominent actor turned director, Griffin Dunne, “Addicted to Love” was too insidious of a romance for Hollywood and critics in the 90s, but we're here to give it a second life. "Addicted to Love" is streaming on HBOMax and "Untamed Heart" is available to rent on VUDU.

M. Night Shyamalan has had one of the most fascinating, unexpected career trajectories of our lifetime. Over the course of twenty years, Shyamalan has garned Academy Award nominations and billions in global box office while being hailed as the next Spielberg before nearly being laughed out of Hollywood after a series of critical and financial flops. In the last several years, Shyamalan has been experiencing something of a career revival and with his latest movie "Old" opening to number one despite dividing critics, we decided it was the perfect time to reevaluate the polarizing filmmaker. We're joined by critic and host of The Good, The Bad and The What?!, Ryan Oliver, to look back at Shyamalan's most notorious flop - the post-9/11 disaster allegory "The Happening" - as well as his latest, "Old." Were critics blind to Shyamlan's B-movie aspirations with "The Happening"? Would any competent director earnestly cast Mark Wahlberg as a science teacher? Is John Leguizamo the only actor to escape the critical whipping of "The Happening"? Is "Old" pro-cop and anti-science? Who is Mid-Sized Sedan and does his appearance in "Old" illuminate one of Shymalan's blind spots as a filmmaker? And most importantly, why isn't there any cum on this beach??? "The Happening" is currently streaming on Peacock and "Old" is playing in theaters everywhere.

"It's never goodbye" - Dominic Toretto Our Fast Saga comes to an end this week as we look back at the final rotten installments in the series: 2009's soft reboot "Fast & Furious" and the most recent "F9." Is "Fast & Furious" still the most forgettable, but necessary installment in the franchise? Is "F9" a return to form after the disappointing "Fate of the Furious"? What disturbing haircut will they give Charlize Theron for the final film? Who's the MVP of the Family Cookouts? And most importantly: which member of the crew eats pussy and who's the cummiest actor to appear in a Fast movie? We're joined by writer, critic and Fast Head, Nick Laskin, to answer these pressing questions and pay our final respects to Dom and the Family. F9 is currently playing in theaters. Fast & Furious is streaming on Peacock.

If "2 Fast 2 Furious" was a disappointing, but still financially successful sequel, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" was the death rattle of a franchise dying young. Or so that's what so many thought when Justin Lin's high school/fish out of water spin on the series was released in 2006. In what might be the most 2006 movie ever made, Lin transported audiences to Tokyo and subbed out the angelic crazy ass white boy Brian O'Conner for a troubled high school student with a receding hairline and five o'clock shadow. Fifteen years later and "Tokyo Drift" has developed the most sizeable cult following of the franchise and is now seen as the film responsible for not only introducing Lin to the Fast Family, but reinvigorating the entire franchise altogether through a series of happy accidents. We're once again joined by Fast Superfan Logan Kenny to wax nostalgic for the Drift King and the unfortunately named Bow Wow character, Twink. "Tokyo Drift" is streaming now on Peacock and Peacock Premium.

Everybody thought "2 Fast 2 Furious" sank the "Fast" franchise for good in 2003. Vin Diesel turned down $25 million to return to the series so he could go off and make another franchise ("xXx") with director Rob Cohen. Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster were out. Even Ja Rule turned down half a million dollars to reprise his role. One thing the sequel did have though: Academy Award nominated director John Singleton. Bringing along his "Baby Boy" breakout, Tyrese Gibson, Singleton steered the Fast franchise into new candy-colored terrain, introducing vital characters and elements to the franchise that would pay off in the next decade. Were critics and audiences too harsh in their criticisms? How did Ludacris' mechanic character turn into a super-hacker several movies later? What would the franchise have looked like if Eva Mendes fulfilled the Gal Gadot role in future installments? And is the casting of Cole Hauser as an Argentinian drug lord so insanely weird that it defies cultural appropriation? We're joined by critic, writer and Fast Fanatic Logan Kenny to answer these important questions. "2 Fast 2 Furious" is streaming now on HBOMax.

It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since we were first introduced to Dominic Toretto and his family, but this week on the podcast we're kicking off our month long retrospective of one of the most successful film franchises of all time: "The Fast and the Furious." What began as "Point Break" with cars has now become a lucrative nine-film franchise that has seen names like Dwayne Johnson, Charlize Theron and John Cena join the mix as the Toretto Family has graduated from boosting cars and hijacking trucks for DVD players to fighting terrorists across multiple continents. This week though, we look back at the one that started it all. We're joined by return guest Jake Ures to discuss the purity of the original, how the film influenced shows like MTV's "Pimp My Ride" and the transition the franchise takes from anti-cop exploitation flick to self-aware, pro-cop superhero movie. You can stream the first installment of "The Fast and the Furious" on HBOMax.

After four weeks, we're saying goodbye to our Queer & Rotten series by paying tribute to one of queer cinema's most beloved filmmakers, Todd Haynes. We're excited to be joined once again by Kae Whalen to discuss Haynes' ambitious third feature, “Velvet Goldmine” starring Christian Bale, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Toni Collette and Ewan McGregor (along with his penis *and* asshole!) We look back at the faux-biopic that shines a light on the glam rock scene in London during the 70s and the bisexual Bowie-esque figure at the center of it all. Why did critics shower praise upon Haynes' similarly messy and ambitious Bob Dylan biopic “I'm Not There,” while shunning “Velvet Goldmine”? Will Ewan McGregor ever be able to do a convincing American accent? When is Todd Haynes going to give us the Rock Hudson biopic the actor deserves? And more importantly… who's gonna play him? There's only one way to find out… “Velvet Goldmine” is currently unavailable to stream, but you can find it at your local video store or in so-so quality on YouTube! You can find Kae on Instagram at @kaewhalen!